///UPDATE: NEW ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE THIRD RAIL COMIC ART [MISCELLANEOUS] AND D:HT CHARACTER ARCHIVE GALLERIES, WHICH CAN BE VIEWED THROUGH THE COMICS AND SEQUENTIAL ART GATEWAY PORTAL. SEE THE D:HT CAMPAIGNS SECTION FOR THE LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE D:HT - COVERT OPERATIONS CAMPAIGN MISSION PROFILE, VIEWED THROUGH THE DYSTOPIA: HOSTILE TAKEOVER GATEWAY PORTAL. FINITY, TRDL'S WEB-BASED GRAPHIC SERIAL, BEGINS FALL 03.

Items described below are of special interest in the Dystopia: Hostile Takeover Campaign environment.

Keys: [TRDL] = Created by Third Rail Design Labs // [Shirow] = Adapted from the work of Masamune Shirow

SlipSkins: After triggering the slipskins by applying a special potassium solution over your body, you will excrete a slippery, slimy substance until alcohol is applied to the skin, washing away the product and turning off the production until it is reactivated. SlipSkins are a special nanotech rebuild of the sweat glands to produce this special oil, and are designed not to affect the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet or the face. Gain +2 on escape rolls, +4 if in light clothes or +6 if running about in the nude. You also get to look incredibly slimy (thus the nickname of slug-skin).
VenomSkin: This "enhancement" over basic SlipSkins produces an irritant accross the owner's skin. Anyone ingesting this goo must roll a resist torture / drugs (dif 20) to avoid getting sick (-4 on all rolls for 2D6-btm hours, minimum 1). If the venom gets into someone's wounds the same roll must be made at dif 15, or dif 10 in cases of normal skin contact. Also in cases where the venom gets into someone's wounds, they also get -2 on all rolls for D6 hours as the venom is a strong irritant. People with this implant are immune to this venom.
CausticSkin: The recipient's skin is rendered SP4 vs acids, and now excretes a relatively caustic acid. Contact with this acid causes D4 damage per turn for the duration of contact +1 turn. Treat this damage as normal acid damage. The acid also provides slipperiness as normal slipskins. Should the recipient's skin be broken, the acid begins to affect him/her too until the area is washed with alcohol, turning off the acid glands. It is recommended that owners of CausticSkin also purchase Acid-Resistant clothing.

SenseSkin: For all that extra effect from your sense of touch... Do you want just a little bit more in bed? To feel the wind blowing over your skin? The gentle caress of your silk underthings? SenseSkin CyberSkin© has special sensors which enhances your sense of touch, and if you get sensory overload, a push of the button on the back of your wrist will turn them off. When you're ready for more, push the button and the senses go back on!

While on, you gain +2 to tactile awareness rolls, and -2 on stun saves.

Synaptic Accelerator: Using a nanotech regimen, the nerves along the spine and inside the brain are lengthened, reducing the amount of time required for a signal to transfer from one location to another. This is the least damaging speed boost to both the body and the psyche. Provides +1d6 to Initiative rolls when activated. Activation requires a chemical inhaled ampule, offering 1d6 rounds of boosted initiative. The following 2 rounds yield a -2 Initiative penalty as the nervous system normalizes.

Hemoglobic Transacids: These nanomachines must be circulated through the user’s bloodstream one complete cycle every 14 days for maximum potency. Chemical accelerant additives are secreted into the bloodstream. Once blood makes contact with air, a secondary enzyme is released which causes the shed blood to become increasingly acidic over 3 turns. Once the process is complete, the blood acts as a type 2 acid, causing 1d6+3 acid damage per turn of contact. Epidermal enzyme lotion, applied every 24 hours, secretes a counteractant that retards the secondary enzyme in the bloodstream, so in most cases, surface blood loss on the user will not experience a state change. However, massive trauma in a single wound (Critical Wound level) yields 40% likelihood that counteractant is overpowered and blood in the wound begins to change at the damaged tissue areas, causing a self-inflicted wound that requires cauterization to stop. A counteractant enzyme ampule should be carried at all times as a precaution.

4th Generation Enhancement Nano-treatments: All 4th gen. enhancers share certain abilities. Each variety increases a stat (limited to Int, Ref, Att, MA, Str & Bod) by either +1, +2 or +3. Each also requires one month of nano-therapy per bonus, although a level 3 Enhancer will provide +1 after 1 month, +2 after two, etc. In addition, each month of nano-therapy has a 4% chance of incurring some major, debilitating side-effect (Parkinsons, impotence, grossly malignant cancer, visual cortex damage, etc). Once the required nano-therapy has been completed, a maintenance has to be upheld or the nanites can no longer function, and the increased stat will gradually return to it's original level after 1 month per level. The maintenance is a special dietary supplement (levels 1 & 2) with occasional injections (level 3) that cost 100eb per level of the nan per month. The nano-therapy itself costs 1000eb per day of therapy for the first level, 2000eb per day for the second and 3000eb per day for the third level, requiring 30 days of therapy per level. Humanity loss is minimal because of the gradual increase, being 1HL per level. Enhancement Nano-treatments are highly prototypical at this time. Some research suggests that in certain cases (Body Save once a month) the treatment can fail, causing an adverse affect equal and opposite to the enhancement performed. Of the 26 known voluntary trial recipients, 4% rejected the nanites, suffering permanent damage. Under development by MAAS Biolabs, this treatment is not publicly available.

Rapid-Acquisition Nanites: RA-Nanites increase the brain's ability to acquire information to a disturbing level. Two days after imbibing the RA-Nanites in an inert solution, the user gains the ability to acquire INT and TECH based skills from book-reading and computer-based education at 10IP (5IP new system) or 20IP (10IP new system) per day respectively. The RA-Nanites maintain this ability for 2-5 days, but each day the user has a 10% EACH of losing one point of INT, TECH or REF. In addition, once the RA-Nanite has run it's course, any skill (but not special abilities) NOT increased during it's use are decreased by 1. RA-Nanites are still experimental, as the short-term duration and serious remifications of use are neither ideal nor intended. Under development by MAAS Biolabs, this treatment is not publicly available.

RTS-400 "Flash" Nanites: The frst "semi-successful" attempt at nanite-based combat pharmaceuticals, Flash Nanites provide +5 initiative, +4 endurance, +4 awareness, and +2 Re for a duration of between 4 and 24 hours. Unfortunately, though the Nanite treatment tested successfully, adverse psychological reactions were observed, including disturbing degrees of Psychosis. Once the nanotech has run it's course it leaves permanent damage to the user's nervous system (-1 Ref). Once injected, the Flash Nanite treatment takes one hour to take effect. Given the inconsistent and unstable side effects of this treatment, development has supposedly been halted, pending a re-synthesis of the serum. However, some reports have alleged that MAAS Biolabs has continued active testing of the treatment under the pressure of it’s military contracts.
Enhanced Hemoglobins: 2-3 pints of blood are drained and replaced with oxygen-carrying nanotechs (d8 HC), combined with immuno-supressors. The process must be renewed every two weeks, or the nanites expire and the patient suffers -2 BOD until they are medically removed. The process yields an Endurance boost (+1) and an Movement Allowance increase (+2).

Arterial Pumps: The thick, flexible, muscular walls of the arteries expand when blood is pumped into them and then contract, pushing it onward and assisting the pumping action of the heart. This nanotech enhancement reinforces the muscle tissue of the arteries to increase their pumping action and accelerate blood flow throughout the body to give you the aerobic performance of an Olympic athlete (+1 Endurance, +1 Athletics)

Kevlar Remover: Until now, acid has been the only viable means to damage Kevlar armor via chemical solution. However, nasty side effects of flesh contact render acid aerosols politically damaging for law enforcement. The new anti-kevlar nanite is delivered in a paintball round, or in a liquid medium. It is capable of stripping kevlar armor of 5 SP's per round, for up to 3 rounds. It has absolutely no side effects when exposed to human tissue.

Nervous System Burnout: As military and intelligence communities become more informed of the symptoms and paraphernalia associated with nanotech delivery, emergency response techniques are being developed to counter-act the effects of the more thoroughly-documented nanotech weapons. However, this nanite is particularly effective, because, like a slow-acting additive poison, it does it’s damage over time, usually mis-diagnosed as exhaustion or flue-like symptoms. It works on mammals in much the same way that the insecticide DDT does, by affecting the transmission of nerve impulses. DDT killed literally by burning out an insect's nervous system. The nanite-based variant works under the same principal, but is designed to function slowly. The target begins to receive a +1 bonus to all initiative and reflex checks each week till death occurs on week 5. Hypodermic delivery system. Save vs. BODY at -1.

Nanotech Deossifier: Osteoperosis in a can. This brand of nanomachine has a very simply life span and program. Designed to pass through the skin the nanomachines make their way to the bones where they begin to remove calcium from the bones, rendering them brittle and weak. All impacts that do damage, and 50% of sudden movements can cause bones to break. The nanites have a very short life span, only a matter of days. Once they have run their cycle the patient begins to recover, and each week of normal health will reduce the break risk by 10%. Aerosol (1m area) or hypodermic delivery system; Save vs. BODY at -6. Success, the nanites are corrupted or damaged. Fail, and suffer the following penalty: Any damage or combat actions (striking, H-to-H dodging, Athletics, etc. but not CUF-based defense rolls) require a BODY save at -2, with a failure yielding 1d6 in bone fracturing. In addition, if bone damage is done, make a Save vs. Shock! Suffice to say, it’s time to find a place to hide.

Hemorrhagic Fever: This nanomachine not only kills, but kills in a torturous, protracted manner. But then sometimes that's what the boss ordered. This nanite kills by attacking the blood and the bone marrow where blood is produced. The nanites damage or destroy the body's blood and blood production capability. Eventually the patient begins to bleed out from any part of the body with a route past the skin, such as: tears of blood and blood sweat, out of the ears and through the excretory systems. Many internal organs such as the eyes and lungs can fill with blood. The patient suffers 1d4 damage each day until death. The only known cure is nanotech based. This nanotech assassination weapon is often used in order to send a message to the associates of the stricken victim. Hypodermic or ampule delivery system. Save vs. BODY at -4.

Cancer Maker: This nanite is designed to play particularly nasty games with a target's DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid: The primary medium for the storage of genetic information.). It is able to target a specific cell type, and once there find its way into the nucleus. The nanite is built to activate the various oncogenes (Oncogenes: A normally dormant region of DNA responsible for the onset of various cancers when activated.) in the target's DNA. The result is a lethal cancer that is inoperable under the normal procedures. The patient has up to 6 months prior to death. Again there is a nanotech cure, one that can be applied to perfectly natural cancers. Hypodermic delivery system. Save vs. BODY at -3.