| MODIFICATION | PRICE | MOD TYPE | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,000 | Weapon | +1 to hit | |
| 2,000 | Weapon | +2 damage | |
| 5,000 | Armor | functions as vacc suit for 1 hour | |
| Special | Any | conceals item as different item of same mass | |
| 1,000 | Weapon/Armor | +1 to hit/ +1 AC for specific character | |
| 500 | Weapon | doubles magazine capacity | |
| 5,000 | Armor | -1 Enc for specific character, +2 Enc for all others | |
| Special | Any | duration devices last 50% longer | |
| 10,000 + Special | Weapon | infinite ammunition | |
| 5,000 + Special | Any Powered | infinite power source | |
| 10,000 + Special | Weapon | +1 to hit | |
| 5,000 + Special | Armor | disguises armor as any other armor or clothing |
Mods have a cost in credits or salvage. A tech with access to a normal TL4 parts market can buy components with a credit cost, but certain highly sophisticated mods require pretech components that can only be salvaged from certain ancient Mandate-era technological devices. Not just any device will do for gathering these components; these micronized fusion taps, antigrav nodules, impact flexors, and polymorphic state controllers are found in only certain Mandate tech or in rare ancient caches of unused components. A tech will usually have to find these components as part of an adventure, because those who have them need them for their own purposes and will not part with them for ordinary monetary compensation. The specific details of these parts don’t matter for mod use, and they’re simply tracked as “salvage”. If a mod requires three units of salvage, any three units will work, and it’s not normally necessary for a tech to track down specific components. Mods take time to build and install. It takes one week per minimum skill level of the mod to build and install it in the desired device. Thus, a Customized mod takes a week to put in, while a Flexible mod takes two.
If a tech does nothing other than work, eat, and sleep, they can halve these times, and an additional assistant with at least Fix-0 skill can further halve the time.
Mods must be custom-built to specific objects. A tech cannot build a “generic” mod and then just attach it to a device; it must be carefully designed to fit exactly with that specific item, and sometimes even with a specific user.
Mods and Maintenance
Mods require maintenance to keep functioning correctly. Overclocked hardware, bleeding-edge tech, and experimental adjustments just don’t have the field durability of more standard gear, so a tech must apply daily attention to the modded hardware if it’s not to fail. A normal TL4 toolbox is required to maintain mods, but no special parts are needed.
A tech’s Maintenance score is equal to the total of their Intelligence and Constitution modifiers plus three times their Fix skill level. The smarter and the longer a tech can work, the more maintenance they can perform, but their overall expertise as a technician is the most crucial element. A tech can maintain a number of mods equal to their Maintenance score without cutting into their adventuring time or otherwise encumbering their off-duty hours. This maintenance is assumed to take place during downtime and doesn’t need to be tracked specifically in play. If they do nothing but maintenance, they can double their score, but this kind of dedication requires sixteen-hour workdays.
If a mod goes without maintenance for 24 hours, it stops working. If a mod goes without maintenance for a week, the entire device it’s attached to stops working, as the untuned mod has made it useless or dangerous to use. Weapons can no longer be used in combat, armor no longer gives protection, seizes up, or is too dangerous to wear, and other devices simply stop functioning.
A maintenance backlog on a device can be cleared by an hour of work by a technician capable of maintaining it.