Melt Technology


Overview

     Melt technology was an adaptation of Majestic research into Mi-go protomatter technology. Protomatter, protein based organic material that lacked cellular structure, was an intriguing material with many potential properties and uses. Protomatter research branched out into cloning organs or entire people, improvement of the human body, refined drug production, and a variety of other influences.
     Hightech morphic materials are used for morphic materials in armor, in ship designs, for manufacturing, toys, and so forth. While many of these materials were not protomatter, protomatter research was crucial to their development.

Melt research

     One experimental goal of protomatter research was the transformation of human tissue into protomatter. This was accomplished fairly early, and led to a new goal of turning an entire human into protomatter. This goal was a bit more difficult.
     Early attempts usually caused brain damage or loss of coherence. Protomatter entities lacking coherence become a living plastic, unable to move or act, and soon became insane. These early attempts at Melting branched off into another area of research.

Processing

     The USO wished to attack Evils in the asteroid belt and at other infestations, but space ships were vulnerable. Elder Signs and technology gained by the Elder Race helped.
     Unfortunately, Elder Signs required a lot of Pow, and the Elder technologies required massive amounts of MP and Pow to utilize in the field.
     Melt technology allowed the USO to pursue these goals. Incapacitated, criminal, or insane humans could be Melted and poured into psychic matrices, tapped for Pow to create various Elder technologies. Melted humans could also be installed on ships, to act as a Pow and MP reservoir for ship systems. These reservoirs could be refilled quickly from MP taxed from the civilian population.
     By 2035, Melt technology was able to perform protomatter conversions with only minimal loss of SAN. The USO still processed humans for resources, but often had protomatter pilots. These pilots could interface directly with the reservoirs, quickly shunting energy as needed.

Mana tax

     The USO established a special tax dedicated to purchasing mana from the population. In doing so, they managed to avoid the negative attitude toward forcing citizens to be leached. They also were able to access a much larger population of illegals, who would sell MP at unofficial collection stations.
     This magical energy was stored in protective bunkers throughout the world. Some were transported to fuel spatial gates and ships above, but the majority was relegated to power planetary and orbital defense.

Character options:

     To be Melted safely costs (Con+Siz)^2 x $400 in a medical facility. A character cannot have any cybernetic implants, so there may be additional costs to remove any implants. Hightech and Medicine rolls are made, each success adding to Progress. A critical result adds two to Progress.
     A SAN check is made for 1/1D6 SAN loss due to the conversion process. The process itself takes a few hours. Each day after that, the character makes an Int% roll. A success adds one to Progress, a critical success adds two, and a critical failure requires another 1/1D6 SAN roll.
     Once Progress reaches 5, the character gains Body skill of 10%. 2x Body skill is a cap on any physical activities. Body skill is also rolled to perform any morphing. Like Braincase, successes at physical activities and training will check Body skill.
     Protomatter requires a power source. The rating of this unit is equal to the total of Str, Dex, Con, and Siz and is usually cybernetically implanted.
     Protomatter cybernetic implants are called adaptations, and are specialized for the Melted. Adaptations are more complex than normal cybernetic implants, with a base tech cost of x3 rather than x2, but the Melted require no cybernetic Preparation. Preparation for hyperware installation is still required. Limits for either type of device still apply.
     Protomatter is highly resistant to physical damage. Any physical attack, whether by hand or firearm, is at 1/10 damage, rounded down. Protomatter will also recover from physical damage at 1D2 points per round. This does not apply to damage due to energy, acid, or other attacks that destroys the basic substance of the protomatter.
     The Melted age normally, and are affected by some odd types of infection. Usually a bleach bath or ingestion of antiseptic solutions will cure the problem. Protomatter suffers from a few penetrative toxins, like mercury and organic solvents, but is at Conx2 for such tests.
     Protomatter characters can also design themselves smaller than usual. Protomatter brains about as big as a fist can perform like braincased or MI characters. More commonly hypertech pockets are used to hide some of their mass. This allows a melted to take up a small amount of space in a robotic body.
     More frequently, melted bodies are used as remote agents by humans and MI via links in the protomatter.
     Machine Intelligences can also be designed as protomatter brains. This is handled as per normal rules, as a hightech robotic brain.