Everything

Improving upon nature’s imperfections, many extraordinary yet unEnlightened operatives employ biological implants and gene therapies that duplicate, or even improve upon, the modifications produced in some vat-grown Progenitor servitors like Victors and MODES. Unlike Victors, however, these operatives get customized implants and enhancements, generally assigned to them by upper-tier supervisors. Generally deployed by Progenitor or Syndicate teams, most enhanced field ops receive biomods that speed healing, boost their health, lengthen their lifespans, and enhance their strength, speed, and intellect.

To casual observation, these bio-modified personnel appear to be perfectly normal humans, with senses or other hidden capabilities that reach well beyond the human norm. And so, for the most part, these Enhancements (as per the Background of that name) remain coincidental unless the operative does something essentially “impossible,” like picking up a car. Far subtler than the “steelskin” cyborgs detailed in

Mage 20 (pp. 623-624), these operatives most often investigate potentially dangerous mysteries, handle “tough assignments” on the streets, or track down and recover or eliminate escaped creatures, rogue Victors, and similar problems.

Suggested Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma, 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Computer 3, Drive 2, Firearms 4, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3, Melee 3, Sciences 4, Stealth 3, Technology 3

Willpower: 6

Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, ‒1, ‒1, ‒1, ‒2, ‒2, ‒2, ‒5, Incapacitated

Attacks/ Powers: All bioenhanced field agents heal one bashing level every 30 minutes, or one lethal level every 12 hours. They also possess two to four of the following biomods:

• +3 dots to Physical Traits (applied as desired).

• Enhanced hearing and smell (reduce the difficulty of hearing and smell rolls by ‒2, to a minimum of 2).

• +3 dots to Wits, Perception, or both.

• Gills (breathe water, concealed when not in use).

• Retractable claws ([Strength + 1] lethal damage).

• Increased tissue density (+2 armor).

• Gecko pads on hands, feet, knees, and forearms (reduce the difficulty of all climb rolls by -‒2, to a minimum of 2).

(Special Advantage Traits from Chapter Five might reflect

these biomods, too.)

Henry Woo

Stronger, faster, better, right? Well, that was the pitch and Henry bought it hook, line, and sinker. After high school and community college, Henry didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. His parents were supportive but concerned when he discussed joining the Marines. Breaking his ankle during his second week at Parris Island wasn’t in the plan. The break was severe enough that the Marines cut him separation orders and told him not to come back. In one fell swoop, even the basic plans for the future he’d made collapsed. When the recruiter from Bio-X arrived at his doorstep a few months later, Woo was confused. The Schwarzenegger lookalike gave him the sales pitch:

“We can fix your ankle and give you a purpose again. You wanted to join the Marines, well we can do you one better. You’ll become an operative for a private corporation providing consulting services to local and federal government departments. You’ll be stronger, faster, and better than you are now. All it will take is a short surgery, three weeks of recovery, and then nine weeks of training. Are you up for the task?”

Woo was, and everything went according to plan, until his first mission. Woo froze in the middle of a firefight. It was probably the man calling down lightning from the sky that did it, but the raging bear spirit didn’t help matters much. He

was debriefed and reassigned away from federal duty. Instead, Bio-X hired him out to a small police department in Oregon. They needed a new officer and, due to the Bio-X laboratory in town, it fit both the needs of the company and the town to have him on the force. For the first three years, Woo passed out in a haze of booze and depression at the end of every shift. The extent of his work was pulling over teens that sped through town in the middle of the night on the way to their next kegger.

Image: As mentioned earlier, biomodded operatives look like perfectly normal human beings until and unless they employ an obvious Enhancement. Even so, these folks sometimes have weird Flaws that betray their “modified” status; for details, see “Genetic Flaws” in Mage 20, pp. 648-651.

Roleplaying Notes: Superior science has made you a superior person. You don’t have to lord over the lesser beings around you… but if you wanted to, no one could reasonably blame you. After all, it’s only the truth.

The animal attacks caused him to pay attention, though. At first it was a bear ripping through the home of a plant executive. Then it was a wolf stalking and killing a jogger. Turned out that he worked for Bio-X, third-floor accounting, office J. When the birds started assaulting anyone that considered walking in Veterans Park, well, Woo had enough, and he needed to figure out what was going on. For now, Woo is keeping his drinking under control, but he still sneaks a drink here and there when he absolutely needs one. He’s connected a few dots between Bio-X and this “Technocracy” that conspiracy theorists on a Portland Facebook group like to rant about. The animal attacks appear to be a pattern that tracks through multiple Bio-X facilities around the country. Of course, Woo doesn’t want to take any of this information to anyone until he’s sure that he has enough not to be laughed out of the office. Considering his track record, that’s pretty likely.

Woo’s parents aren’t thrilled they don’t get to see him much and are concerned that he hasn’t found anyone to settle down with. He’s an attractive man in his late 20s now, he should have found someone by now, or at least that’s what his mother keeps saying. Woo has no interest in a relationship, never has, so he just shakes them off with promises that he’ll start using Tinder or something. When he went home last, his mother introduced him to a young woman his age. It didn’t go well. She was too interested in what he did at work, and Woo was convinced that her eyes looked just like the wolf from the attacks.