TEXT: DEVIL’S WORKSHOP
  • M&M Superlink template • M&M Superlink template • M&M Superlink template • 
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  LPJ9961
  A combat endoskeleton is a framework of high-tech metal alloys reinforcing a
  human skeletal system.  It must be implanted through surgical means or bonded to
  the bones by forcing compounds of liquefied metal through the recipient’s skin
  and muscle tissue.  Either technique involves extreme pain and risk for the
  subject.  The technical and financial means required for such operations is
  staggering, involving multi-millions of dollars and next-generation
  medical science.  A combat endoskeleton is implanted with
  one purpose in mind: to transform a human being into a
  nearly invulnerable fighting machine.  Covert
  factions of the federal government, hostile foreign
  powers, and far-reaching criminal organizations
  are the agencies most likely to make such
  attempts, hoping to create super-soldiers or
  impervious assassins.  Such groups rarely
  relinquish any successful test subjects they
  produce, at least not without considerable
  struggle.
  BECOMING A
  COMBAT
  ENDOSKELETON
  RECIPIENT
  Nearly all characters endowed with
  endoskeletons received them through some
  super-scientific procedure; as noted above, these
  procedures are extraordinarily invasive and
  dangerous in nature.   Consequently, there are few
  willing participants, due to terrible risks posed even for
  the hardiest of subjects.   Most recipients were kidnapped or
  otherwise coerced into participating, although there are always a
  few foolish or fanatical enough to participate freely.   Super beings are
  preferred as subjects, as they stand a greater chance of survival, especially those
  with superhuman stamina or recuperative powers.   Such beings are already
  formidable, and once so enhanced they make nearly unstoppable agents for the
  organizations behind their transformations.  Of course, such agents can be very
  difficult to control…
  The heavily reinforced skeleton makes the combat endoskeleton recipient much
  more durable and impregnable.  The character’s bones are unbreakable and nearly
  impenetrable, effectively shielding most of the character’s vital organs behind a
  layer of armor.   The attachment points of the recipient’s muscles are
  surgically adjusted, allowing the character to handle the
  increased skeletal mass. Once the character learns to
  compensate for the increased weight, the augmented
  skeletal system effectively increases the recipient’s
  physical strength, allowing heavier weights to be
  supported and blows to be struck with greater
  force.   Finally, the character is equipped with
  built-in melee weapons.  The endoskeleton
  is fashioned so as to provide the character
  with retractable claws, forearm or ankle
  blades, or protruding knuckle-spikes.
  The endoskeleton is not without draw-
  backs, however; the recipient is left
  especially vulnerable to electricity and
  magnetism based attacks.   The mass of
  the endoskeleton also somewhat
  hampers movement.
  COMBAT ENDOSKELETON
  RECIPIENT
  PL Adjustment: 0
  Note: Many of the feats and powers granted by the
  template have the Limited-only vs. physical attacks flaw.
  Physical attacks include most melee attacks, ranged attacks
  such as bullets and thrown objects, and the Sonic and Vibration
  energy types.
  Feats: Durability (Flaw: Limited-Only works vs. physical attacks), Immunity
  (critical hits; Flaw: Limited-only vs. physical attacks) Immunity (pressure; Flaw:
  only vs. high pressure), Penetrating Attack (with Natural Weapon).
  Template: Combat Endoskeleton
  
  Page 2
  Devil’s Workshop
  Templates: cosmic force infused
  Powers:  Amazing Save (Damage) +5 [Source:
  Super-Science; Extra: Innate; Flaw:  Only vs.
  physical attacks Cost: 1 pp; Total 5pp], Density
  Control +1 [Source: Super-Science; Extra: Innate;
  Flaws: Limited-Density Increase, Permanent;
  Cost: 5 pp; Total: 5 pp], Immutable Form (bought
  as Amazing Save: Reflex) +3 [Source: Super-
  Science; Extra: Innate: Flaw: Limited-Only works
  against Transformation attacks; Cost: ; Total: ] +
  Natural Weapon +4 [Source: Super-Science;
  Extra: Innate; Cost: 2 ; Total: 8], Super-Strength
  +1 [Source: Super-Science; Extra: Innate; Flaw:
  No bonus to skill rolls; Cost: 4 pp; Total: 4 pp ].
  Weaknesses: Disabled (cumbersome), Vulnerable
  (electrical attacks), Vulnerable (magnetic attacks)
  WEAKNESSES  
  Disability (cumbersome): A combat endoskeleton
  is a massive apparatus, even if constructed of rela-
  tively lightweight metals.  Despite some compen-
  satory increase in the character’s physical strength,
  the endoskeleton does hinder the character’s move-
  ments to an extent.   The character suffers a – 3
  penalty to Acrobatics, Move Silently, and Swim
  (lack of buoyancy) skill checks.
  Vulnerable (electrical attacks):  As might be
  expected, a skeletal system augmented by a frame-
  work of high-tech metal alloys renders the char-
  acter more vulnerable to electrical attacks than
  otherwise.  A combat endoskeleton recipient
  receives no bonus to Damage saving throws made
  against electrical attacks (straight d20 roll only)   
  Vulnerable (magnetic attacks): The recipient of a
  combat endoskeleton must be especially wary of
  magnetic attacks.  An opponent with the Energy
  Control: Magnetic power can choose to use the
  power to make lethal attacks against the character
  (Damage Class = Power Rank), although such
  attacks require extra effort on the part of the oppo-
  nent (treat as a Power Stunt).  The character
  receives no bonus to Damage throws against such
  attacks.
  LEAVING THE
  TEMPLATE
  Leaving this template is especially difficult; it
  requires some means of separating the endoskeleton
  from the character’s skeletal structure without
  inflicting massive internal trauma.  This is no mean
  feat, as the endoskeleton was designed to remain
  permanently bonded to the character.  Making such
  an attempt requires a team of medical and technical
  personnel in an appropriate setting (combination of
  lab and surgical theater.)  At least one of those
  making the attempt must have at least one rank of
  Super-Intelligence, and posess a total of 15 skill
  ranks in both Medicine and Science (engineering,
  metallurgy, or similar discipline).  The attempt
  requires at least two full game sessions; one when
  the character is examined and the operation planned,
  and another when the process is attempted.  The indi-
  vidual supervising the procedure must then spend
  one Hero Point and roll two separate DC 25 skill
  checks, one against Medical skill, another against
  Science skill. Succeeding on both rolls means the
  endoskeleton was successfully removed, although the
  character is still rendered unconscious for the next
  hour and disabled for the next 24 hours (reduce time
  by one hour for each rank in Regeneration and/or
  Super-Constitution.)  Hero points cannot be used to
  improve the character’s condition.  If the
  doctor/scientist in charge of the task fails either skill
  check, the operation is a failure and the character
  falls into a near-death coma.  The character is consid-
  ered to be dying, and must succeed on a DC 10
  Fortitude saving throw or perish; the saving throw
  must be made again once each hour, at a cumulative
  +1 bonus.  If the save succeeds by 10 or more or the
  character rolls a natural 20, the character’s condition
  improves to unconscious and disabled (as above.)
  CUSTOMIZATION
  Metal-Heads Need Not Apply:  
  The endoskeleton is composed of non-metallic, non-
  ferrous materials.  Maybe the character’s skeleton is
  reinforced with space-age polymer plasters or the
  character’s bones are now knit together in a network
  of ultra-tough nylon strands.  The character’s
  skeleton becomes more flexible than increasing the
  Amazing Save (Damage) power by +1 and granting
  the character Super-Skill (escape-artist) +4.   This
  type of endoskeleton has no particular vulnerability
  to electrical attacks or magnetic attacks, but is sensi-
  tive to sudden temperature extremes (Vulnerable to
  either Cold or Heat attacks, Game Master’s choice.)
  The template’s PL adjustment is increased by +1.
  This leads to an unbalanced character, so the char-
  acter’s player must devote all future power points the
  character earns to “paying off” the additional power
  level before points can be spent for other purposes.
  If the character leaves the template, the GM should
  allow the player to redistribute any points spent for
  this purpose.
  Radical Reconstruction:
  The cyber-surgeons didn’t stop with augmenting the
  subject’s skeleton; indeed, the character has been
  rebuilt almost from the inside out.  The character’s
  physique is bulked up through muscle grafts, connec-
  tive tissues are strengthened via chemical treatments,
  and cardiovascular capacities are artificially
  expanded.  The character’s skin is replaced with a
  tough, armor-like hide, laced with metal-mesh or
  impact-absorbing gels.  Genetic and/or hormonal
  alterations enhance the character’s healing rate,
  allowing the subject to survive the horrendous recon-
  struction-barely.  The character is much more physi-
  cally formidable, a veritable walking dreadnought,
  but at a dear cost; the character can no longer pass
  for human and suffers from chronic, throbbing pain.
  
  COMBAT ENDOSKELETON RECEIP-
  IENT (RADICAL RECONSTRUCTION)
  PL Adjustment: 0
  Feats: Durability, Endurance, Immunity (critical
  hits; Flaw: Limited-only vs. physical attacks),
  Immunity (pressure; Flaw: only vs. high pressure),
  Penetrating Attack (with Natural Weapon).
  Powers: Density Control +1 [Source: Super-
  Science; Extra: Innate; Flaws: Limited-Density
  Increase, Permanent; Cost: 5 pp; Total: 5 pp],
  Immutable Form (bought as Amazing Save: Reflex)
  +3 [Source: Super-Science; Extra: Innate: Flaw:
  Limited-Only works against Transformation attacks;
  Cost: 1 pp; Total: 3 pp ], Natural Weapon +4
  [Source: Super-Science; Extra: Innate; Cost: 2 ;
  Total: 8], Protection (Damage) +4 [Source: Super-
  Science; Extra: Innate; Cost: 3 pp; Total 12 pp],
  Regeneration +1 [Source: Super-Science; Cost: 2 pp;
  Total: 2 pp], Super-Strength +3 [Source: Super-
  Science; Extra: Innate; Flaw: No bonus to skill rolls;
  Cost: 4 pp; Total: 12 pp].
  Weaknesses: Disabled (addiction), Disabled
  (cumbersome), Disabled (subject to attacks that
  affect inanimate), Disturbing, Vulnerable
  (electricity.) 
  WEAKNESSES
  Disabled (addiction-pain killers): The character
  suffers long-term, lingering pain, pain so intense that
  it can be dulled only by the most potent pain killing
  drugs available.  Unfortunately, such drugs are physi-
  cally and psychologically addictive, resulting in
  dependency.  The character must make a Will save
  (DC 20) each day such drugs are not taken.  If the
  save is failed, the character becomes fatigued, and
  risks further decline; the condition worsens each day
  (fatigued to exhausted, exhausted to unconscious,
  unconscious to dying) until the Will save is made.
  Each day the DC of the saving throw increases by
  Devil’s Workshop
  Page 3
  +1.  The character’s condition improves by one step
  for each full day of rest.
  Disturbing: The radical reconstruction process
  leaves the character with an imposing, even terri-
  fying physical presence.  The character was rebuilt to
  function as a human war machine, with little atten-
  tion given to aesthetic considerations.   One who has
  undergone such a process is up to six inches taller
  than before, massively built, with a bulging, unnatu-
  rally proportioned musculature.   Skin is now akin to
  armor plate, sandpaper, or even rhinoceros hide.  The
  character is adorned with various knobs, bumps, and
  ridges.   As a result, all Bluff and Diplomacy skill
  rolls made by the character suffer a -5 penalty. 
  Artwork: Tony Perna
  Mutants & Masterminds, M&M Superlink, Green
  Ronin and the M&M Superlink logo are Trademarks
  of Green Ronin Publishing and are used with permis-
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  Green Ronin Publishing and are used with permis-
  sion.
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Super Hero Games/Mutants & Masterminds/1st Edition/Mutants & Masterminds - 1st Edition - Devils Workshop - Sourcebook - Template - Combat Endoskeleton.pdf