Arcanowave Schticks

Death Suit

Obviously inspired by the same thingie in SLA industries. Jannisaries are perhaps the only people in Tharkold who would normally have access to a Death Suit. A few might stray or be lost. Spawn has something very much like it.

The Death Suit is a magical symbiotic body suit made from an ARB derivative. You let the Death Suit absorb your negative emotions, such as fear and anger, and as the Death Suit progresses, it gradually becomes an entity in it's own right, an abomination mirror-image of you. Because of it's symbiotic link to you, it is immune to Summoning and other anti-supernatural effects.

The suit feeds on your mutation points, though it does not reduce them. It quickly dies if worn by an abomination, who consumes it's own Mutation points. The Death Suit appears like a black leather coverall molded to resemble a flayed human body. As you gain Mutation Points, it seems more and more alive, gaining color, blood and moving muscles and sinews. You can order the Death Suit to camouflage itself, taking on the appearance of ordinary day clothes or some other shape, though it still has a somewhat gothic, grotesque look. As it gains power with your Mutation Points, it's natural appearance becomes more and more manifest. When your Mutation Points exceed your Charisma, it can no longer pass for normal clothes.

For each schtick you take in Death Suit, the suit provides one point of armor. It cannot provide more than eight points. In addition, you get to pick one of the following effects for each schtick pick. These powers can be turned on or off as a 3-shot action. The Death Suit never gives Mutation Points.

Graft

With Graft, the Death Suit can absorb any other arcanoware items you have. These can disappear into the suit, effectively concealing them.

Meld

You can absorb your Death Suit, concealing it beneath your skin. If you also have Graft, any arcanoware grafted to the suit also disappears. If your Mutation Points exceed your Charisma, the suit slowly surfaces, seemingly you are flayed before the eyes of anyone present.

If you wish, you can have your melded Death Suit change the appearance of your body, making you monstrous or just gaily colored, depending on the appearance of the Death Suit.

Pale

You have transcended the normal darkness of arcanowave, channeled the dark side of your being onto the hidden recesses of your Death Suit. Unless you wish it, your Mutation Points do not appear in your Death Suit. In fact, it appears angelic, as if filled with an inner, benevolent light. If you also know Meld, you can take on this otherworldly appearance yourself. While illuminated by the pale, actions and powers that would otherwise appear monstrous seem to be angelic, filled with an inner meaning. The strong-willed can see through this, but the masses (unnamed characters) usually stand in awe, incapable of taking the initiative unless ordered to or their close friends are getting killed.

Power

Your Death Suit can provide power for one arcanowave schtick at a time, and this schtick counts as connected to an AI/O port as long as it is connected to the suit. Thus this piece of arcanoware will not give you any Mutation Points, because you don't have to connect it to your own AI/O port.

Rage

You ignore wound penalties.

Reanimation

The suit will raise soon after you are put down, and try to move itself, including your dying body, to a place where it can be healed. When you reach a place of safety, the Death Suit will deactivate, allowing your body to be treated or recover normally.

Make an Arcanowave roll with the same difficulty as the Medicine check that would normally be made to attempt to save your life. If you make it, your Death Suit reanimates 10 Sequences later. It has it's own Wound Points and does not suffer from any damage you might have taken, though it starts with five Wound Points as a result of trauma. Your death status does not change.

While reanimated, your Death Suit will normally seek to move to safety, but it can fight. It can use your attributes and Arcanowave skill and schticks, but no other abilities. It is quite agile and can use the Arcanowave skill for stunts normally requiring Martial Arts or Intrusion, though it cannot pick locks, remove alarms and so on. It takes damage and makes Death Tests as normal. If it goes down, your condition worsens one step. It cannot then reanimate again in the same session.

Stitching

Your Death Suit doesn't just look like a flayed body, it can BE a flayed body - yours. It can meld with damaged parts of your body, replacing lost segments and repairing those which are merely mangled.

After each fight, the Death Suit will heal you. This works like the Heal Wounds effect of sorcerous Healing, and is not cumulative with that. It can restore lost Wound points, or attempt to stabilize your dying body, using your full Arcanowave skill for the task. Ignore any penalties for your physical condition, as these do not affect the suit's ability to heal.

Symbiont

The suit keeps you alive and lets you act normally even under adverse conditions. It makes you immune to drowning and lack of air, food and water. It insulates from radiation, cold, heat and other harmful environmental effects. It filters the air and washes away acids and dirt. It does not negate attacks based on such forces, but prevents bad side-effects and general discomfort.

Terror

As the suit grows in power, it also grows in majesty and horrific appearance. Just as this effect can be neutralized through the Pale, it can be enhanced with Terror.

Anyone who sees you for the first time or who is suddenly confronted with you while you manifest Terror must compare their Willpower to your number of arcanowave schticks. If the number of schticks you have is greater, they lose the difference in shots, in horrified shock at your appearance.