Chapter 10
Implants
Capabilities and routes, shops and the black market, surgery and upkeep, and the price you pay.
Capabilities and routes
Implants decide what work you can do. Each implant provides one or two capabilities, such as a neural link, a heavy-lift arm or a holo face, and higher-tier jobs require you to have the matching capability installed. Own both signature capabilities of a route and that route is formed.
Shops and the black market
Each of the four corps runs an implant shop that sells its own product line. The more you work for a corp and spend with it, the higher its affinity for you, the higher the grades you can buy, and the bigger your discount. The black market sells refurbished goods and a few restricted pieces: pricier than the shops, of unknown origin, and they raise your heat when installed. But some things you can only get there.
Surgery and upkeep
Installing one means surgery at a clinic. The operation takes a task slot, costs a surgery fee and carries a chance of rejection; the higher your Medical skill, the lower that chance. Every implant has its own traits, durability and firmware. Firmware is paid weekly, and if you stop paying, the implant wears out faster. When durability hits zero the implant is worn out, and you can overhaul it or dismantle it for parts.
The price
Every implant you install lowers your Humanity cap a little, and the surgery itself costs Humanity too. The more you install, the stronger you get, and the further you drift from being human; see the Humanity chapter.