Necrotech

A new form of technology, outlawed on dozens of worlds, combines nanites with ancient necromantic magic to produce serums and devices known as necrotech. As with many tools, necrotech offers both good uses and potentially destructive ones. This technology can, for example, save a patient from otherwise mortal wounds; it has demonstrated its usefulness in trauma wards and on the battlefield. On the other hand, such devices can serve more sinister purposes, including the animation of corpses into undead, the spreading of plagues, and destroying a creature’s brain one memory at a time.

Here are a number of necrotech items for use by individuals willing to overlook their more ghoulish potential. In general, most civilized worlds ban the sale and distribution of such devices, so acquiring them often involves underground illicit markets or dealing with shady arms dealers. Ownership, sale, or transportation of necrotech may carry severe criminal penalties, so let the buyer beware.

Overview

All necrotech items are hybrid equipment that combine technology with magic. The GM has final say as to whether such devices are available for purchase at any given locale. More often than not, the characters will first encounter necrotech in the hands of their enemies.

Table: Grenades

Name	Level	Price	Bulk
Ghoul grenade, Mk 1	7	2,175	L
Ghoul grenade, Mk 2	11	8,550	L
Ghoul grenade, Mk 3	15	30,250	L

Ghoul Grenade

These grenades are infused with necromantic radiation. When one detonates, it suffuses the area with that radiation. Any target in the area of target that fails a Fortitude save against the grenade’s DC becomes paralyzed for 1 round.

Ghoul Grenade, Mk 1

Level 7; Price 2,175; Damage Special; Range 20 ft.; Critical —; Capacity drawn; Bulk L; Special explode (paralyzed; 10 ft.)

Ghoul Grenade, Mk 2

Level 11; Price 8,550; Damage Special; Range 20 ft.; Critical —; Capacity drawn; Bulk L; Special explode (paralyzed; 10 ft.)

Ghoul Grenade, Mk 3

Level 15; Price 30,250; Damage Special; Range 20 ft.; Critical —; Capacity drawn; Bulk L; Special explode (paralyzed; 15 ft.)

Table: Hybrid Items

Name	Level	Price	Bulk
Affliction extractor	8	10,000	L
Brute serum, Mk 1	5	1,750	L
Brute serum, Mk 2	8	4,250	L
Brute serum, Mk 3	12	12,150	L
Eyes of the final vision	7	7,000	L
Ghost Mist	12	6,000	1
Reviv serum, Mk 1	10	3,000	L
Reviv serum, Mk 2	13	9,000	L
Reviv serum, Mk 3	16	30,000	L
Scavenger swarm	11	3,500	1
Wraith cloak	9	12,500	L
Zombie override toxin	10	6,350	L

Affliction Extractor

Level 8; Price 10,000; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This device includes a hypodermic syringe with a thick, bifurcated needle. As a standard action, the wielder can inject the extractor into a creature suffering from a disease, drug, or poison, thereby extracting a dose of that affliction. While this extraction doesn’t cure the target creature or alleviate any of its symptoms, the wielder does obtain a dose of the affliction that can be used against another creature. For example, if used on a creature afflicted with deathblade poison, the extractor produces a full dose of that venom. The extracted venom has all the statistics of the original affliction, such as save type and DC and effects.

The wielder can use the affliction extractor as a weapon, injecting the dose into a target creature as a melee attack. The extractor can only hold one dose of an affliction at a time.

The dose loses all potency 24 hours after extraction from the original creature.

Brute Serum

When injected into a living creature, this serum imparts enhanced strength, resilience, and speed. In addition, the more potent versions of this serum contains drugs to inhibit pain. Unfortunately, brute serum carries side effects and extracts a physical toll on the body after it wears off. If a creature receives more than a single dose of brute serum in a 24-hour period, they gain the benefits of the serum, but when the duration expires they become nauseated for 1 hour, after which they are sickened for 1 hour.

Brute Serum, Mk 1

Level 5; Price 1,750; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

Upon injection with this serum, the recipient gains +2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, and +1 enhancement bonus to Will saving throws. The serum lasts 4 rounds, after which the user becomes fatigued for 1 minute.

Brute Serum, Mk 2

Level 8; Price 4,250; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This type of brute serum boosts the subject’s Strength by +2 and Constitution by +2 as well as a +2 enhancement bonus to Will saves. The subject’s speed increases by 10 ft. Finally, the recipient gains 1 temporary Hit Point per level. The serum lasts 6 rounds, after which the user becomes fatigued for 1 minute.

Brute Serum, Mk 3

Level 12; Price 12,150; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

Although this type of brute serum provides the greatest benefits, it also extracts a severe toll on the body. The recipient gains +4 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, and a +3 enhancement bonus to Will saves. Their land speed increases by 20 feet. The creature gains 2 temporary hit points per level, and Fast Healing 5. The serum lasts 1 minute, after which the subject becomes exhausted for 1 minute, followed by being fatigued for 1 minute.

Eyes of the Final Vision

Level 7; Price 7,000 Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This pair of tinted lenses are connected by a frame of thin bone. When these glasses are placed over the eyes of a decreased creature, they emit a hologrammatic image of the creature’s final moments leading up to its death. The image appears entirely from the deceased creature’s point of view and portrays everything the creature saw 1 minute leading up to its death or loss of consciousness.

Ghost Mist

Level 12; Price 6,000; Bulk 1

DESCRIPTION

This necrotech comes contained within a glass and metal cylinder and resembles a thick, greenish fog. When this cylinder is opened as a standard action, it releases the ghost mist. The mist seeks the nearest corpse of a creature size Large or smaller within 30 feet of its release point. Upon finding a corpse, the mist animates it. The corpse becomes fully animated one round later after which it is fully under your control. You must remain within 60 feet of the corpse or the effect ends and it collapses into a messy, biological goo.

The corpse remains animated for up to 10 rounds or until is reduced to 0 hit points, at which time the effect ends.

The animated corpse is treated as a construct with the magical and technological subtypes. It retains the ability scores and natural melee attacks it had in life, but it loses any spellcasting, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities it once had. Its KAC and EAC each equal 15 + your demonologist level, and hit points equal to one-half your own.

The animated corpse has no Stamina Points or Resolve Points.

It uses your saving throw bonuses when targeted by spells and other targeted effects. It has a land speed of 30 feet but loses any other movement modes it once possessed. The corpse’s attack bonus equals 6 + your demonologist level. It cannot speak or understand any language other than to obey your commands.

You can verbally issue simple commands to your animated corpse on your turn as a move action, and the corpse takes actions as if it were a normal creature.

Reviv Serum

This class of medicine can bring a person back to life even if they’ve been dead for a brief time. Reviv is in high demand by armed forces and law enforcement agencies, and most hospitals stock the drug despite its exorbitant expense. The dose has no effect if the dead creature was disintegrated, badly mangled, largely destroyed, or has turned undead. The category of the reviv dose determines how soon it must be administered after a creature dies for it to have any effect.

A creature injected with reviv immediately becomes stable with 1 Hit Point. The patient suffers a temporary negative level and the sickened condition for 24 hours after dose administration.

Reviv, Mk 1

Level 10; Price 3,000; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

The base level of this medication must be administered within 1 round after a creature’s death or it has no effect.

Reviv, Mk 2

Level 13; Price 9,000; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This category of reviv must be administered within 2 rounds of a creature’s death or else it provides no benefit.

Reviv, Mk 3

Level 16; Price 30,000; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This category of reviv must be given within 4 rounds of a creature’s death to have an effect.

Scavenger Swarm

Level 11; Price 3,500; Bulk 1

DESCRIPTION

A scavenger swarm consists of necromantically-charged nanites designed to consume dead organic matter, using it to then construct additional scavenger swarms. Originally designed to aid in cleanup in the aftermath of large battles, scavenger swarms have proven effective against undead.

Until used, the swarm remains trapped in a stasis bottle. Upon release, the scavenger nanites seek out the nearest and largest dead organic matter within 20 feet.

If the corpse is not undead but merely a dead body, the scavenger swarm breaks it down into molecules in 1 minute, leaving untouched any inorganic materials. At the end of this process, two scavenger swarms occupy the space the creature’s body formerly occupied. These swarms then continue their programming by seeking the nearest and largest sources of dead organic matter within 20 feet. The process continues until no bodies remain within range of any scavenger swarm, at which point the nanites disintegrate harmlessly.

When used against undead, the nanites attack and attempt to destroy the creature. The undead must make a DC 20 Fortitude save, taking 8d8 acid damage on a failure or half as much damage with a success. If the scavenger swarm reduces the undead to 0 hit points, then two swarms occupy the square previously occupied by the destroyed undead creature. If the undead survives, no further swarms are produced.

Wraith Cloak

Level 9; Price 12,500; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

Woven from necromantically-infused material and essence of destroyed wraiths, this cloak allows its wearer to become incorporeal as a swift action. Unfortunately, the cloak draws on the wearer’s life force to power its function. Each round after the first that the wearer remains incorporeal drains 1 Resolve Point. If a creature has no Resolve Points remaining, it can power the cloak by taking 1 point of Constitution damage each round it remains incorporeal.

Zombie Override

Level 11; Price 6,350; Bulk L

DESCRIPTION

This insidious poison must be delivered by a weapon or ammunition with the injection property. On a successful attack with the weapon, the target receives a dose of necrotizing nanites designed to destroy a creature’s higher motor functions. The creature must make a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw or take 1 point of Intelligence damage. If the creature fails this save, it must continue rolling each round for the next 2 minutes, losing another point of Intelligence with a failure or ending the poison effect with a successful save.

Necrotech Weapon Fusions

The aspiring weapons purchaser has a number of types of necrotech fusions to choose from. A couple of the more popular are described below.

Andromeda Coag

Item Level 5

Derived from necrotech used to staunch bleeding, the Andromeda coag fusion triggers a massive blood coagulation response in a living target. When you score a critical hit with this weapon, the target creature becomes immune to bleeding for 1 minute. If they already suffer from the bleeding condition, that condition ends. During this time, however, the creature becomes sickened and fatigued. This fusion has no effect on undead or constructs.

Consuming

Item Level 14

These necromantic nanites attack organic matter and break apart its molecular bonds from the inside out. To outward appearances, the victim begins to show dozens of small, spontaneous wounds across their body. A creature hit by a weapon with this fusion gains both the wound and the bleed critical hit effect. If the weapon already has a critical hit effect, when you score a critical hit you can apply either the weapon’s normal critical hit effect or the consuming effect.