Nanite Corruption

Nanites infest your body and bond with you on a cellular level. As the corruption progresses, the nanites slowly consume your body and replace your mind with their own programming, turning you into a swarm of nanites.

**Catalyst**

Prolonged or repeated exposure to advanced technology or alien lifeforms causes this corruption. Androids are particularly susceptible to disruptions of their endogenous nanite system.

**Progression**

Whenever you trigger a nanite surge (see Manifestations below), there is a cumulative 3% chance that that you lose control over the nanites inside you, forcing you to make a Fortitude save (DC = 15 + your manifestation level). If you succeed, you resist the corruption. If you fail, the corruption progresses to the next stage. At the start of each day, the chance to lose control resets to 0%.

You also need to make a progression saving throw whenever you take 25 points of electricity damage or more from a single source, whenever nanites are injected into your body, or whenever a piece of cyberware is installed in your body.

**Special:** If you possess the nanite surge ability (such as from being an android), using that ability counts as triggering a nanite surge, but you gain a +2 racial bonus on all progression saving throws.

**Corruption Stage 1:** The first time your corruption progresses, you take 1d4 points of Constitution and Wisdom drain. You gain vulnerability to electricity and the cumulative chance to lose control over your nanites increases to 4%. Whoever programmed the nanites may become aware of you and your condition.

**Corruption Stage 2:** The second time your corruption progresses, you take 1d6 points of Strength, Constitution, Charisma and Wisdom drain. You are affected by spells and abilities as if your creature type were construct (including effects like bane and the favored enemy class feature). This doesn’t grant you any of the immunities of being a construct, nor does it make you immune to effects that target living creatures. In addition, the cumulative chance to lose control over your nanites increases to 5%. Whoever programmed the nanites may try to abduct you for experimental invasive procedures.

**Corruption Stage 3:** The third time your corruption progresses, the nanites completely consume your body, leaving nothing behind but a virulent cloud of gray goo.

**Removing the Corruption**

Separating the nanites from your cells is a difficult and dangerous procedure that must be performed by a person extensively familiar with advanced alien nano-bio-technology. In addition, the procedure requires access to a fully-equipped medical lab.

**Manifestations**

The following are manifestations of the nanite corruption.

**Note:** Some gifts can be activated by triggering a nanite surge. You can trigger a nanite surge a total number of times per day equal to your manifestation level. Although some gifts refer to spell-like abilities, these abilities are technological in nature rather than magical. They function inside an antimagic field, but an antitech field prevents their use.

**Amorphous Body**

*Your physical form becomes unstable.*

**Prerequisite:** Fluid form.

**Gift:** You gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against attacks that force you to assume a form other than your own (such as baleful polymorph or a chaos beast's corporeal instability curse). In addition, you have a chance to ignore additional damage caused by critical hits and precision-based damage (such as sneak attack damage) equal to 5% plus 5% per manifestation level. You may trigger a nanite surge as a move action to increase your reach by 5 feet for a number of rounds equal to your manifestation level.

**Stain:** Your body resists transmutation magic. Whenever you are targeted by a harmless transmutation spell, you must attempt a saving throw against that spell.

**Antibiotic System**

*Your enhanced immune system helps you to resist physical afflictions.*

**Prerequisite:** Manifestation level 3rd, biorestorative system.

**Gift:** You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease, infestation, or poisons. Whenever you fail a saving throw against a disease, infestation, or poison, you may trigger a nanite surge as an immediate action to reroll the saving throw. You must take the second result, even if it is worse.

**Stain:** Your body resists restorative magic. Whenever you are targeted by restorative magic such as neutralize poison or remove disease, you must attempt a saving throw against the restorative effect.

**Biorestorative System**

*You heal physical damage more quickly.*

**Prerequisite:** Manifestation level 2nd.

**Gift:** You gain a +4 bonus on all Heal checks made to treat yourself and you automatically stabilize whenever you are reduced to negative hit points. When healing naturally, you recover hit points or ability score points lost to ability damage at twice the normal rate (as if receiving long-term care). You may trigger a nanite surge as a swift action to grant yourself fast healing 2 for 1 minute. At manifestation level 3rd, and every three levels thereafter, your fast healing increases by 1.

**Stain:** Your body resists magical healing. Whenever you are targeted by magical healing, you must attempt a saving throw against the healing effect.

**Corroding Aura**

*Your touch corrodes objects.*

**Prerequisite:** Fluid form.

**Gift:** When you attack an object or construct with a melee attack, you ignore an amount of hardness equal to your manifestation level. You may trigger a nanite surge as a standard action to use break as a spell-like ability. At manifestation level 5th, you may trigger a nanite surge to use rusting grasp as a spell-like ability.

**Stain:** Your body absorbs metal particles and acquires ferromagnetic properties. You are treated as a metallic creature for the purpose of all spells and effects (such as shocking grasp or repel metal).

**Encrypted Mind**

*Nanites rewrite your synapses, allowing you to process information with astonishing speed.*

**Gift:** You gain Binary as a bonus language. You gain a +4 bonus on Linguistics checks and you can make Linguistics checks untrained. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against divination and mind-affecting effects. At manifestation level 3rd, you may trigger a nanite surge to use nondetection or tongues as a spell-like ability.

**Stain:** You take a –4 penalty on Will saving throws against language-dependent abilities of creatures using Binary. Whenever you take electricity damage, you must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 15 + your manifestation level) or become stunned for 1 round.

**Fluid Form**

*For short periods of time, your body dissolves into a cloud of nanites.*

**Gift:** You gain a +2 bonus on Escape Artist checks and to your CMD. You may trigger a nanite surge as a swift action to move through an area as small as one-quarter your space without squeezing or one-eighth your space when squeezing. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your manifestation level. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonus doubles. At manifestation level 4th, you may trigger a nanite surge to use gaseous form as a spell-like ability.

**Stain:** You are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind, you are treated as a creature of Fine size.

**Hyperspectral Sensors**

*Your senses cover the full electromagnetic spectrum.*

**Prerequisite:** Encrypted mind.

**Gift:** You gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks. You may trigger a nanite surge as a standard action to use darkvision as a spell-like ability. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonus doubles. You may trigger a nanite surge as a standard action to use see invisibility as a spell-like ability.

**Stain:** Strong electromagnetic fields (such as those created by a power generator, areas of radiation, or an antitech field) distort your vision. Within 30 feet of a strong electromagnetic field, you take a –4 penalty on Perception checks and your attacks have a 20% miss chance (as if your opponents had concealment).

**Mimetic Skin**

*Your skin adapts to your surroundings.*

**Gift:** You gain a +2 bonus on Disguise and Stealth checks. You may trigger a nanite surge to use disguise self as a spell-like ability. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonus doubles. In addition, you may trigger a nanite surge as a swift action to make a Stealth check without cover or concealment, but only while you move no more than half your base speed or less.

**Stain:** Your facial features shift and distort, giving you an unsettling appearance. You take a –4 penalty on Diplomacy checks and Charisma-based ability checks.

**Nerve Enhancers**

*Your nervous system improves, decreasing your reaction time.*

**Gift:** You gain a +2 bonus on Reflex saves and Initiative checks. You may trigger a nanite surge as an immediate action to reroll a failed Reflex save. You must take the second result, even if it is worse. At manifestation level 4th, you may trigger a nanite surge as a move action to gain haste for a number of rounds equal to your manifestation level.

**Stain:** Your hands twitch uncontrollably and you become more sensitive to pain. You take a –4 penalty on all skill checks that require a steady hand and on saving throws against pain effects.