Accessory

Accessory

1 point†

Your body incorporates a useful gadget that provides minor benefits not covered by a specific advantage. You might even be an item of the specified type, built on points; e.g., an intelligent magical harp would list Accessory (Harp) among its perks. The following Accessories are usually acceptable, provided that you're big enough to contain (or be) the item:

• Everyday household or office equipment in your setting: Cigarette Lighter, Fan, Flashlight, Laser Pointer, Stereo System, Vacuum Cleaner, etc.
• Specialized tool or electronic device of your personal TL or less. Low-tech options are things like Hammer, Pick, and Shovel. High-tech tools are more interesting. Testing and diagnostic instruments like Dosimeter, pH Meter, and Ultrasound Scanner are valid perks. A Hypo perk can carry a single dose of a drug (bought normally). The Mini Tool Kit, Micromanipulators, and Molecular Manipulators perks let you make trivial repairs on items of the appropriate scale, regardless of the skill needed.
• Kit of basic equipment for a single skill of your personal TL: Cleaning Equipment (for Housekeeping), Climbing Line and Grapnel (Climbing), First Aid Kit (First Aid), Lockpicks (Lockpicking), Medical Gear (Physician), Surgical Instruments (Surgery), etc. If the skill requires a specialty, so does your kit. Equipment good enough to grant a skill bonus cannot be an Accessory.
• Computer. This can run the utility software standard for ordinary desktop or smaller computers in your setting – word processor, spreadsheet, e-mail, games, etc. It can't run software good enough to grant advantages or skill bonuses, or real-time combat aids like targeting programs. The GM may set a Complexity limit. A suggestion is (SM + TL - 5); e.g., a SM 0 person at TL9 could at most implant a Complexity 4 computer.
• Any of the above for others to use: Biomonitor gives medics +2 to skill rolls to treat you; Terminal lets allies use your Accessory (Computer); Video Display enables you to display images received via your Telecommunication advantage (or stored in your mind, if you have Digital Mind); and Wet Bar is great fun, even if refills get expensive!
• Nanotech that exists in your setting and doesn't grant effects expressible as a full-fledged advantage.
• One-shot weaponry (e.g., a rocket in a finger) that requires repair skills to reload. A reusable, reloadable weapon requires a full-fledged Weapon Mount.
• Vehicle component that doesn't emulate an attack, defense, ranged sensor, or full-featured communicator: Airlock, Headlights, IFF Transponder, Siren, Tow Cable, etc.

Many Accessory perks ape other exotic perks; e.g., climbing equipment is Climbing Line, a fan is Air Jet, flashlights and headlights are Illumination, a cigarette lighter is Ignition, a mirror is Periscope, and a shovel is Burrower.

The above lists aren't exhaustive – they're intended strictly as examples!