Name: Ehrenreich Mobility, Reaching, Grabbing Enhancement (E.M.R.G.E) AKA: Emerge (art by @pocl.v) Description: A new organ installed and coiled in the chest cavity of the user consisting of a long tendril bearing an intestine-like appearance, a fluid gland producing the necessary propellant, a small adhesive-producing gland, and the passage from the chest cavity to the exit cavity just above the collar bone to permit launching. Additionally the neck is given additional muscles to permit the range of motion required for use, resulting in a neck that looks ‘off’ on top of the slightly disconcerting exit hole. There is also a small additional structure added to the motor control center of the brain to allow control of these new organs. Abilities: -Organic grappling hook -Pull the user towards things that are firmly in-place -Pull things that are not well in-place towards the user, or are very light -When stability is matched, pulls the user and the thing towards each other -Coated in a lubricating saliva along the length, making it difficult to the tendril or cut it with traditional blades (they slip right off!) -Makes it virtually impossible to snap the users neck -Can launch once per minute (10 combat rounds) -Pull speed for a user towards a static object is 1 round to fire and attach, then 2 rounds of being pulled at max range (peak speed of ~20 m/s at max range) -Slows down as retraction finishes, but not enough to prevent impact from hurting Conditional Abilities (Optional): -*When something is light, or securely enough attached to something heavier (for instance, a piece of clothing or the skin on a human face), the adhesive is strong enough and the pull force is sudden enough that it is far more likely to rip off what is attached to rather than actually pulling the two heavier things together. If this were to hit someone in the stomach, it would rip the skin off their stomach- if they were wearing a shirt, it would rip off the fabric it was in contact with on the stomach, and so on. As a rule of thumb, it only rips off one layer when it rips anything at all. -With a significant amount of practice, the user can 'pull' something that would normally be ripped by both applying less force and secreting more adhesive before launching. This is a pure skill issue: someone fresh with the implant will be unable to do this, but after roughly a week of active use, it will be within their grasp. Notably, the user still needs to be secured if they don't want to also move towards the thing they grapple, should it be heavy enough (such as a person). -Emits a horrible smell when severed -Can heal from bruises and minor injuries, so long as it is not severed. This takes the same time it would for any other body part -Can stick to wet surfaces just as well as dry -Can sneak past ENDI scanners, as it is all organic (though if it is examined on medical-grade equipment, it will look incredibly strange) -Can choose not to slow down in pull, which reduces time in transit for grappling to a wall at max length from 2 turns to 1.5 by hitting it fast on the second post. This generally breaks bones, but sometimes speed is more important! For bringing an object towards you, this is the difference between being able to catch it and knocking yourself unconscious with it. Limitations: -30 meter range limit -Accuracy falls off severely at range. Inaccurate past 20 meters -Made of fleshy material which can be cut through with monoblades, vibroblades, plasma blades, and so on. -Does not grow back if severed or destroyed and requires replacement -Projection fluid gland in chest will combust if ignited, which is similar to having a grenade detonate in the chest cavity (notably, only when it is full, reducing the risk to the normal health hazards of your insides being ignited during the refractory period) -Can break the users bones or damage other internal organs if enough momentum is gathered on a pull (such as slamming into a wall at full speed) -Slows down as retraction finishes, but not enough to prevent impact from hurting Conditional Limitations (Optional): -Cannot stick to surfaces covered in non-polar fluids (such as oil) -If the tendril is ignited just as it leaves the exit cavity, there will still be gas present in the tendril, causing the fluid gland to combust -If the lubricant gland is destroyed, it sprays slick goop all over! Considering where it is located, near the throat, that is probably the least of your problems should it be destroyed by something like a bullet. The lubricant is non-toxic and carries a bland taste. -Visible if the user is skinny and stretches wrong or sucks in their stomach, which is really gross -Lungs must be exhaled to fire (though, notably, this does not restrict firing if the wind is knocked out of the user). This most commonly appears as the user breathing out in their contorting motion just before firing -Breathing is uncomfortable when the tendril is out -Can misfired if electrocuted/tased How does it work: The projectile function of the organ is conceptually simple. The gas fluid is released from a bladder, violently and swiftly launching the tendril out of the exit cavity. At the same time, the user’s neck is snapped back 90° back by the newly installed muscles to move the head out of the line of available fire. The firing arc ranges from straight up to 50° from the vertical, and will straighten the user's body during the pull as necessary. Notably, this means that the user must bend over to aim more horizontally. There is very little sideways aim freedom- the user must be facing the direction they wish to fire. Additional muscles installed in the neck are made of synthmuscle rather than the normal bodily variety, but have real skin placed overtop them. At a glance, the user will look baseline, but when they turn their head it can be uncanny for onlookers. The spine must also be slightly reconstructed to permit the necessary neck flexibility for EMRGE use. The projection fluid gland is an engineered organ with the express purpose of producing launch fluid. An additional ‘adhesive gland’, though much smaller, is near the tip rest point of the tendril and ensures the adhesive is consistently evenly applied. The lubricant gland, added near the exit point, keeps the exit cavity clean and smooth for transit, as well as applying the same fluids to the tendril for both smooth exit/retrieval and preventing it from being easily grabbed. The tendril itself is also made of synthmuscle, but is grown from the user’s own body basis to permit it to be protected by the immune system and repaired by normal bodily mechanisms when damage is not extreme. At the tip of the tendril is a small oil gland, which allows the user to release without pulling or to release a pulled object without it entering their chest cavity. This oil removes the adhesive on the end. All controls are programmed into the user’s brain with a small additional structure to neural motor control to allow users to ‘know’ how to use this new organ, even though it will require practice to master. Flavor text: “The board wishes to send a message to whomever did this to you. Should you choose, you may do so in our place… presuming of course, you intend to do so proactively, and are not going to simply wait for someone to attempt to kill you once again.” There is a pause in the conversation before the text to speech on the other side, toneless, emerges. ["Never. Again."] In another stunning move from Chemical Core, the latest in a range of bio-modding implants has hit the market! It claims to dramatically increase the mobility of the user for both combat and espionage purposes! When paired with other implants, such as Gecko Fingers wall-climbing implant or Concussive Lining, effective mobility can reach unheard of heights! Referenced Technologies (Optional): Concussive Lining (only in flavortext), Lynx (similar tech with different pros and cons) Attainability: Semi-closed (only sold by Chemical Core) Tags: Industrial Category: Genetic Edit 10/1/2022: Added a conditional limitation about being electrocuted
-Added a gross conditional limitation, no balance change -Added a lubricant gland, makes the app slightly weaker? Presumably this won't change the pass. It's another point of failure.
