Devices, the special objects Cybertrons use in their experiments, journies, battles, and day-to-day lives, can be purchased during character creation or fashioned or discovered during the course of a Chronicle. The Devices listed below are only suggestions and are by no means a complete list. Players are encouraged to have their characters design and create their own Devices depending on their situation.
A character who is going to design a Device should have high levels of Repair, Science, Matrix, and/or Procedures, or another applicable Ability. He should declare what the Device's intended purpose will be, and begin an extended roll for the invention—usually based on Intelligence. The difficulty and number of successes required will depend on what type of Device the character is intending to create.
Most of the common Devices can be built in this fashion. A powerful unique Device is usually constructed by circumstance, and not by simple invention.
Characters can be protoformed with Devices on the common Device list, unless the statistics for the Device say otherwise. It goes without saying that no unique Devices will be attached to a protoform. Certain Devices are special forms of ordinary weapons. A player who wants to use a Device as a "dedicated" weapon must simply pay for both and declare the similarity on his sheet.
Hotbox
Level: One
A simple Device used to temporarily confuse Infrared scanning to hide from attackers under cover of darkness. A Hotbox is approximately the same size as a standard Charge, and is activated with a roll of Wits plus Demolitions, difficulty 6. Only one success is required to activate the Device, which will output an area of heat approximately the size of a Cybertron figure. Opponents using Infrared will have to roll Perception to tell the difference between the false heat and their target. Hotboxes are not effective against more advanced Infrared.
Video Transfer
Level: One
This Device, a favorite of unit commanders, allows for full-video transfer accompanied with an audio message. The video picture is sent with the accompanying radio message, where it must be received at a device with its own viewscreen—most often the unit's central computer. It provides nothing more than the usual radio communication, other than an accompanying visual image of the speaker. This Device must be used in conjunction with the Radio Mechanism, or it has no function. It requires no activation roll.
A Level Two adaptation of this same Device allows for the inverse: video information transmitted from the unit's main computer to any specified location, where the speaker's image will appear as a 3-D translucent hologram projected onto the air before the addressee. This Device, called a Holotransfer, must still be centered at a computer, and cannot be "dedicated." Hologram Mechanisms render it obsolete for any usage beyond unit communication.
Cable launcher
Level: Two
A special type of firearm weapon, adapted to shoot a grappling hook or other type of cable. It is best used as a means of escaping combat or gaining advantage. The roll to shoot the cable is the standard Dexterity plus Firearms. The difficulty to find a hold and grapple to a higher location typically depends on the area: only 4 to catch the branch on a tall tree; 6 to catch a beam on the ceiling of a complex; 8 to catch a safe hold on a rocky cliff. Its maximum range is fifty feet, and it may only be shot once per turn. This firearm can indeed be shot at an opponent; the difficulty to hit a foe with the attached hook is 7; it does 4 dice of damage. However, a Cybertron who wishes to use this as a weapon must pay two Weapon Points for the privilege.
Matter Scanner
Level: Two
A Device of Autobot design, put to special use by scientists and repair forces. When activated, this design will read back the material composition of any given object. This can be useful to discover information about object origin. The Device's function is usually automatic. A roll of Perception plus Science (variable difficulty) is required to operate the device if the matter being scanned is particularly alien, or is cloaked in a special way (for example, a Cybertron using a Cloaking Mechanism).
Telepathy Talisman
Level: Two
This Device, a piece of engineering developed by a devout Maximal in fear of increased Transmetal II influence, functions like a portable and interchangable version of the Encoding Mechanism. The Cybertron operating the Device, a circuit-crossed crystal which resembles a high-tech jewel, must wear it somewhere on his person. As long as he employs the Talisman in this manner, he will always be aware of outside forces attempting to contact him mentally. Cybertrons attempting to use Spark Telepathy or Download on this target do so at increased difficulty; in addition, he may roll his own Spark to counteract the successes accumulated by the influencer. The Device glows with a bright light when in operation. If the Talisman's wearer should happen to botch the activation roll, the Talisman shatters.
[Note: A Device designed for our own Chronicle, catalogued here for your everyday use.]
Glitch Kit
Level: Three
A favorite toy among Cybertron hackers, the glitch kit hides the traces of outside manipulation in local computers. Its usual appearance is a rectangular metal box; the bottom is lined with ports, chips, and wires designed to allow it to interface with almost any type of computer. It is physically attached to the system, then activated from the system internally with a Wits plus Computers roll, difficulty 7. After the Device is activated, the hacker can consider himself secure. Cybertrons later trying to detect any tampering with the computer's internal workings may still do so, in extreme situations, but only at difficulty 10. They will not be able to receive detail on which files were altered, or information on who made the alterations.
CR Scanner
Level: Three
A Device invented to aid repair sequences, the CR Scanner can check a Cybertron frame for damage, then quickly alert the Cybertron's internal repairs on how to recover it. In essence, the scanner makes "unrecoverable" damage recoverable by internal repairs by converting aggravated damage into normal damage. The Device, a rectangular mechanism with ports which must be directly connected to the Cybertron during the time of repairs, requires a Wits plus Repair roll, difficulty 7, to activate. Each success indicates one health level of aggravated damage which has been converted to normal. In addition to this benefit, if the patient is Incapacitated, but has already spent the Spark to recover, he will recover to the Mauled level immediately as opposed to waiting for a minimum number of Incapacitated rounds. If a Cybertron uses a CR Scanner during a round of combat, he may take no other actions that round.
Transfixatron
Level: Three
This Device, first created during the Great War and used sporadically thereafter, is designed to "transfix" another Cybertron, forcing him to remain permanently in his alternate mode. Transfixatrons are sometimes used as actual weapons (Weapon cost: four points), attached to the Cybertron who operates the device. However, more often, they are standalone devices, or fitted to Drones. (A Drone of any type may be fitted with a single Transfixatron, no additional cost.)
Dexterity plus Repair, (either the activator's Dexterity or the Dexterity of the Drone the Device is attached to), difficulty 6, is the usual roll to activate this beam. The beam has a range of 50 feet, and targets may dodge. Any target who is hit with the beam automatically transforms into Beast Mode, and must remain in that mode for the rest of the scene or until he can be repaired.
It is rare, but not impossible, for a Cybertron to protoform with this Device.
Transmetal II Inhibitor
Level: Three
A Transmetal II Inhibitor comes in the form of an injection device. When used on a Transmetal II Cybertron, it will temporarily nullify his mystical powers, particuarly those related to attack or healing. The owner of the Device makes a Dexterity plus Melee roll at 9 to inject his target with the inhibitor virus. He then makes a Wits plus Science roll at 7 to decide the "potenency" of the shot. Each success on this roll deprives the Transmetal II target of his spark powers for a single combat round. When purchased, the Inhibitor has three such shots in its system; it can be "refilled" by a science-minded Cybertron with about a megacycle of work and an Intelligence plus Science roll at difficulty 8. Purchasing a Level Four or Five version of this Device is possible, where these versions have four or five shots in their system, respectively, but lower-cost versions are not advised.
Action Figure
Level: Four
A mysterious Device, first discovered on planet Earth during the Great Wars, the Action Figure is a tiny, accurate or otherwise, simulacrum of a Cybertron figure. Figures have been found representing everyone from the most minor figures of the War to heroes like Optimus Prime. Though the figures were a relatively common artifact during the Great War, they have become much rarer now that contact between Cybertron and Earth has broken up. An odd ability of the Figures is their seeming ability to predict the future appearance of new colleagues. A Cybertron may have an Action Figure which turns out later to be someone he meets, or, may have a figure of a strange character which turns out later to be his own future self. The Action Figures, despite their mysterious appearance, have no true abilities, magical or otherwise, though some of the more important figures are extremely sought-after by Cybertron collectors.
Burnout Bug
Level: Four
Another Device used primarily by hackers allows for the utter extermination of a computer's internal workings, if only temporarily. This Device is fairly inconspicuous, usually no bigger than a computer chip. When attached to the circuits of any computer, it causes the computer's functions to shut down. To activate the Device, the Cybertron must attach it directly to the innards of the target computer, though any of the computer's circuits will usually do. Activation requires a roll of Wits plus Demolitions, difficulty equal to 4 plus the Level of the computer being attacked. The computer will shut down for a number of rounds equal to 5 plus the number of successes on this roll. Larger amounts of successes may indicate that functions are impaired more than temporarily, and five or more successes means that the computer will have to be manually repaired. Stored data, however, is not typically lost as a result of the burnout. Communications and scanning functions are the most common elements to be destroyed by the bug.
Holographic Projector
Level: Four
This Device is used to project images and illusions into blank air—a trickery utilized by Cybertons which have not internally developed their own Hologram Mechanisms. The hand-held projector works as Holographic Imagery 4: see the rules for the Holographic Imagery Mechanism for more details. The advantage to having this ability contained in a Device is that carrying a projector requires less fine-tuning of a difficult ability; the disadvantage is that anyone who discovers the Device may use it for his own purposes.
Transmutor Beam
Level: Five
Another Device which must be attached to a unit computer to function properly, a Transmutor is nevertheless a deadly weapon. This laser, when used on an opponent, will alter the polarity of his memory circuits, causing him to believe that he is part of an opposing alignment. The activation code of the target is altered, and his obedience to his new cause is complete, though the main parts of his personality still remain. Targets of this Device usually find themselves expressing latent impulses which drew them toward the causes of the other side of the war. For example, an intelligent Maximal may become a devious Predacon; a Predacon who was fastidious about planning may now find himself caring as well. The alteration in alliance is complete once it takes effect, though it may be reprogrammed into normal, or realtered with another shot of the beam. The beam's activation roll is the user's Manipulation plus Procedures, with a difficulty of the target's Willpower. This roll should be done in secret by the Storyteller (the results shared with the Device's target), so that the user can not tell how well his experiment has succeeded. The target will retain all his memories, and it is possible that his former friendships will manifest even after his alignment has changed; a likely target for this Device is an enemy who made his friends through competition and opposition.
This laser is part of a larger apparatus, and is typically only used on restrained targets. If, for some reason, the beam is being aimed and fired, a standard Dexterity plus Firearms roll is used to hit.
Stories of the earliest part of the Great War tell of a version of this Device which could be hand-held without requiring central computer back-up. However, such a Device has not been fashioned during modern times.
Control Chip
Level: Five
In devising more ways to turn others to their sides, a clever Faction developed this technology during the Great War. Like the Transmutor Beam, it is designed to turn prisoners of war against their former allies; however, unlike the Transmutor Beam, the domination expressed by a control chip is absolute. The target of the chip loses all traces of personality, becoming dominated by the Cybertron who implants the chip. The chip's effects are variable dependant on programming. Some brands turn the targets into utter zombies, who can do nothing save obey commands; other models of the chip change their targets into puppets, who speak the voice and perform the exact actions of the controller.
The most foolproof way to install this chip is while the target is in stasis lock. However, attaching the control chip to a drone or dart-based weapon for implantation is not unheard of. (Attempting to install a chip this way requires a to-hit roll.) The activation for the chip is Manipulation plus Computers: as above, with a difficulty based on the target's Willpower. However, only one success is required for the programming to take hold.
Control chips attack the processing unit, and are counter to Spark. Therefore, a Controlled Cybertron can access no spark-based functions, including recovering from Incapacitated health. If the Cybertron falls to the Incapacitated health level while being Controlled, there is a 50% chance that the chip will be dislodged. He will still lose the Spark advantage for the moment, but will be mentally recovered when he is revived. If the Cybertron who has activated the Control Chip falls to Incapacitated, the hold he has on all of his subjects is released.
A Control Chip can be implanted on an organic target, but only if the target is unconscious and forcibly operated on. Organic targets do not have Control Chips dislodged when they fall unconscious; in this case, the chip must be physically removed. The Cybertron will lose his control on the target if he is Incapacitated, but may regain the control on the organic target when he awakens again. (Certain supernatural abilities can be used to resist control, Storyteller's discretion.)
Usage of this Device (and even the Transmutor Beam, though to a lesser extent) is considered in direct violation of The Optimus Prime Directive. It is almost never employed by Maximals.
Transmetal II Driver
Level: Five
The original Transmetal II Driver was developed by the Vok race, for reasons unknown. Though the original Driver was destroyed in the Beast Wars, the technology, and driver schematics, eventually found their way back to Cybertron. A Transmetal II Driver is a spherical Device which can be held in two hands. Most completed Drivers are of a dark metal, with red inlaid stones, though appearance may vary slightly. This highly rare, often sought-after Device is the key element to creating a Transmetal II Cybertron. A Cybertron who understand the Transmetallize Procedure can build the Transmetallization apparatus in conjunction with this Driver; the end result will be a Transmetal II Cybertron. Combining the Procedure and Device are the only known way of creating a Transmetal II. The Driver can be used multiple times, creating as many Transmetal IIs as necessary.
No character will ever be protoformed with a Transmetal II Driver. The Driver must be manufactured by a Cybertron with the (very rare) plans, or it must be a found object. There should be a good explanation to go along with a starting character who has this Device in his possession.
The following Devices are of Level Five and are extremely rare, or, in some cases, one-of-a-kind. Consult your Storyteller before starting a new character with one of these Devices. Most of these devices only make sense as such if a Chronicle is set after the run of the Beast Wars television series. Ignore them if setting a chronicle before this series. The list for unique Devices used during the series is found in Chapter Eight.
Note that this portion of the Device list contains series spoilers. Skip to the next chapter if you do not want to read this list.
Sword of Dinobot
Recurrence: Unique
Level: Five
Appearance: As a typical Predacon drill-bit sword: six-bladed.
Abilities: This sword, though a Predacon design, was wielded by the Maximal named Dinobot throughout his struggle against the Predacon general Megatron. The blade was finally lost in his struggle to save early humanity from destruction. Most sources say the sword was scrapped, but there are those who hold that the sword still exists, buried somewhere beneath the valleys of Mesopotamia.
This sword, when wielded by a Predacon, is an ordinary drill-bit sword of the traditional type. However, should the sword be picked up by a Maximal warrior, it becomes more powerful. It allows the Maximal fighter to add his current permanent Spark score to every damage roll he makes, and has a lowered damage difficulty of five. Dinobot's spark is strong surrounding the blade and guides its blows for warriors with honor. A fighter who is deemed lacking in honor, Maximal or Predacon, will be completely unable to use this weapon. It is possible that a Predacon with extreme honor would be allowed to obtain the benefits of this weapon, but it is likely that an alliance change would be required of him within a short time.
A similar blade, The Sword of Grimlock, is rumored to exist, and have even greater power. Certain Maximal legends hold that the ancient Autobot commander is secretly holding ranks among the Maximal forces in a far-off colony. If this is true, it is possible he still holds his own sword.
Hammer of Dinobot
Recurrence: Unique
Level: Five
Appearance: This hammer seems to be a primitive weapon indeed, as it is little more than a stick fastened crudely to a sharpened stone.
Abilities: This is an improvisatory weapon, which Dinobot created and wielded to prevent Megatron from harming a tribe of pre-humans at the dawn of time. It is said to be the first tool ever taken up by man, and in this way, is partially responsible for the existence of the human race. As an artifact, it has been endowed with certain unexplainable powers. It is virtually immune to ordinary methods of decay; the wood does not rot or burn, and the hammer will never fall apart. When used in combat, the Hammer does aggravated damage (Strength +5, Difficulty 7, as an axe) to Cybertrons and all other races, and ignores all armor. It has been passed down through generations of human tribes.
Other possible devices that may have filtered their way through human tribes include the so-called "Predacon Masks" (in actuality, the intact portions of the remains of two of the Beast Wars' Predacon force), rumored to cause temporary or permanent insanity in their wearers. These morbid artifacts were last known to have been in the possession of the Predacon survivor, Waspinator.
The Rubber Duckie of Megatron II
Recurrence: Unique
Level: Five
Appearance: This toy appears to be an ordinary yellow "rubber duck," with painted features. It was possessed by the Predacon commander who called himself Megatron, who used it in his recovery baths throughout the course of the Beast Wars on planet Earth.
Abilities: Don't laugh at the duck. Rumors that this toy still exists somewhere on planet Earth has spawned many arguments and even the occasional quest among curious and enterprising Predacons, who believe that it may contain some sort of valuable message or fascinating ability. Other Predacons say that's the dumbest thing they ever heard.
The Spark Chamber
Recurrence: Unique
Level: Five
Appearance: A small box with two equally sized halves and opened sides. It is just the right size to accommodate a single spark, and the inside of the chamber is lined with tiny blades of raw energon. The two halves of the box may be squeezed towards the center until the blades touch the far sides. The box springs back to its original state when not compressed. It is clearly marked with the Predacon symbol.
Abilities: This devious device was designed by Megatron II to contain the core of an indestructible spark: that of Protoform X, a Starscream clone known by most as Rampage. Megatron removed this core with an energon blade, then placed it in the box. When he pushed inwards on the box, the energon would not damage the indestructible spark, but would cause its owner intense pain. In this way, Megatron could control Rampage, despite his objections. Another such device could possibly be fashioned, if necessary, though the device that controlled Rampage is rumored to be the only such spark chamber that could contain the spark of Starscream himself. The device was last known to have been discarded when Megatron used the spark it contained for a different purpose, and may still be somewhere on planet Earth.
Golden Shard
Recurrence: Ultra-rare
Level: Three—Five
Appearance: A silver of shattered disk, colored gold. Most of these, if found, would be too small to be useful; however, a small number of still-readable shards exist, which would be a tiny fraction of a much larger disk.
Abilities: The Golden Disk, a Cybertronian artifact warred over during the Beast Wars on Earth, was eventually shattered. However, a few fragments, large enough for data to be read and extracted, remain. The data on the Golden Disk itself varies greatly, but among its information were the codes to open the doors to the Autobot ark, a message to future followers from the Decepticon commander Megatron, and a wealth of information about the planet Earth and its people. It is possible that several shards may still exist—either in Predacon hands or on planet Earth—which contain bits and pieces of this information. The power level of the shard depends greatly on what information it contains. Any shard that contained any part of Megatron's message would be a level Five shard, but a shard with nothing but Earthly music would be at a lower level.
The Covenant of Primus
Recurrence: Two exist.
Level: Five
Appearance: A file-book dating back millions and millions of years, containing a Cybertronian tape-data system and a viewscreen. The volumes are marked on the front covers with the Autobot symbol, and despite their different ownerships are virtually idential.
Abilities: One Covenant was owned by Optimus Prime; the other copy by the original Megatron. This work, the Cybertron Bible, contains passages about the histories of Primus and Unicron, and predictions about the future of Cybertron. Though countless copies of the work have been filed, the original two copies (which may contain apocrypha not transfered into common knowledge) were lost when the Autobots and Decepticons first crashed on planet Earth. Maximals and Predacons located the volumes during the Beast Wars, but they were again lost. The books have no special properties other than being the original volumes of a great work, but that alone, plus the circumstances of their ownership, makes them the target of great religious argument. It should be noted that not all Cybertrons believe the words in the Covenant as fact; some of the more scientific types dismiss "the Primus theory" entirely.
The Mint Condition Action Figure of Optimus Prime
Recurrance: Extremely rare.
Level: Five
Appearance: An Action Figure, as above, in the perfect likeness of the Autobot hero Optimus Prime. This Figure, if found, would be in perfect shape, and still in the original box in which it was contained while on planet Earth.
Abilities: Fetches a really good price at conventions.