Cyborg Explorer
Did we find Lieutenant Wilson? Sure we did…sort of? At least I think it was him. The canister talked like him and knew who we were. He said he could help us fight the weird fungal looking crab things if we put the canister…him, I guess… into the…“mobility unit” he called it. When we did, it stood up like a giant bronze skeleton. Scared the shit out of me too, I’ll admit. The voice then came from the skeleton thing. It said, “Thanks, boys. Time to get to work,” just like the LT always did before we went into action. Then it ran off further into the bunker complex. We never saw it…err…him after that. We did find a bunch of those crab things, dead, slowly melting? Evaporating? I don’t know. Left behind just grease slicks. Like I said we never saw the mobility thing again. We did find Lieutenant Wilson’s body later, as we explored the complex after all the crab things were dead or fled. Just his body though. His brain looked like it was scooped out with a giant melon baller or something.
Simultaneously weirdly organic and mechanical, mobility units are made of an opalescent alien alloy in various shades of bronze across the unit. The mi-go created mobility units to allow brain cylinder occupants not only the ability to sense their surroundings but the ability to move and explore as well. They are built robust enough to survive excursions on extra-terrestrial worlds less hospitable than Earth. Due to the toughness of the units, the mi-go only allow their most trusted “guests” to use them to avoid being attacked with their own devices.
In the chest of the unit is a bulbous compartment that holds the brain cylinder with attachments similar to those of the more commonly seen sensory attachments. Around the compartment is a complex skeletal framework of struts, cables, and pistons to which are attached an assortment of similarly skeletal limbs.
Attached to the shoulders of the unit are the primary arms ending in powerful three fingered hands. The hands are capable of manipulating most objects and holding hand to hand weapons but the fingers are too large to fit in the trigger guard of typical firearms (although it may be possible to use firearms with the trigger guard removed). There are as many as four extra smaller arms attached near the waist of the unit that fold up against the unit’s torso when not in use. These secondary arms can be swapped out easily to suit the needs of the occupant, and the task or environment at hand. Depending on the design of the secondary arms available the use of standard firearms may be possible.
The units have digitigrade legs that can be effortlessly adjusted to hold the unit’s head at heights from five to seven feet. The feet are lightly clawed and adaptable to almost any surface. The head itself is an open framework within which are mounted the standard brain cylinder sensory apparatuses, allowing the occupant to see, hear and speak. When not in use mobility units can fold down into a compact form about the size of a large suitcase.
After being installed on the mobility unit the occupant of the brain cylinder must make a normal POW roll to gain basic control of the unit. Basic control allows the occupant to stand up, walk around, and manipulate objects with the unit’s primary arms. Figuring out how to operate any additional arms that are attached to the unit requires a Hard POW roll. This represents the process of the user figuring out how to send their neural impulses to the secondary limbs instead of the primary ones. The player may attempt a POW roll once per minute. On a critical failure of either POW roll the unit’s limbs will thrash around erratically. Bystanders in range of the limbs may take damage (amount determined by the Keeper) if they fail a Luck roll, though the Dodge skill can be used to avoid damage as per the normal rules.
MOBILITY UNIT, Brain Cylinder Exoskeleton
STR: 150
CON: 150
SIZ: 90
DEX: 70/^
INT: *
APP: NA
POW: *
EDU: *
SAN: *
HP: 23
Luck: *
^DEX is 70 with primary limbs. Depending on the secondary limbs equipped Dex can be as high as 120.
Damage Bonus: +3D6
Build: 4
Magic Points: *
Move: 9
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 1 (unarmed or weapon).
Fighting attacks: *
Dodge: *
Armor: 8
Skills: *
Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 if first encountered while operational, None if
*As brain cylinder occupant.
Contents: 50% Mustache, 20% Rum, 30% Demented Cultist
