---
# System prepended metadata

title: Biosynths (new roundstart species)

---

# Biosynths (new roundstart species)

## Abstract

Biosynths are a new roundstart species, designed to be a balanced take on a "robotic" species in the vein of androids, IPCs, and so on. They consist of a soft "core" of artificial mycelium-like fibers contained within a self-customized, humanoid outer shell. As they are designed to mimic a number of the functions of living organisms, they still play similarly to other species, without a laundry list of immunities to things like toxins, hard vacuum, and so on. As a non-silicon artificial intelligence, they provide interesting role-playing opportunities, and their obviously-artificial, customizable appearance should appeal to a variety of players interested in playing robots.

## Goals

1. Allow players to play as a robotic species that is not bound to laws.
2. Introduce a new species with interesting and unique gameplay mechanics and story opportunities.
3. Give a wide variety of customization options to let players make biosynths look how they want.

## Non-Goals

1. Create a "true" robotic species with the laundry list of immunities that that would entail. Biosynths have most of the same needs as organic beings to avoid them being a "superior" choice mechanically.
2. Make medical's job harder. Biosynths have a number of mechanics that change how treating them works, but none of these should be confusing to experienced medical players.
3. Introduce a "sleek" and "shiny" sort of robotics. Exact aesthetic considerations are included below.

## Biosynth Mechanics

### The Mycelial Core

The main mechanic of biosynths is their "Mycelial Core", a unique organ. The core, technically a type of brain, serves as several consolidated organs, representing the biosynths' strange, distributed internal structure. Specifically, it is simultaneously a brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and liver. It is *not* eyes, ears, or a tongue, as these are components of their shell rather than their core. The core is a single, irreplacable organ with a *very* high capacity for damage, significantly more than any other organ in the game (probably in the 300-400 range). However, when damage would be dealt to any of its component organs, the whole core takes damage instead. This makes them more resilient to any individual type of organ damage (such as liver damage from poison); however, it makes them far more susceptible to organ damage from multiple simultaneous sources.

The core's mechanics need to be tested and adjusted carefully to avoid frustration - if all of the organ damage effects are blindly layered on at once, it may become immensely frustrating (for example, taking brain traumas after smoking a few cigarettes). However, severe core damage *should* cause numerous problems as part of its design.

The core can be repaired surgically through a unique, repeatable procedure. It is also located in the chest, meaning biosynths *can* survive the severing of their own head if the damage does not kill them outright. Finally, "normal" organs cannot be placed into a biosynth body at all, and the core cannot be placed in other types of bodies.

I'm not sure yet how the mycelial core will interact with MMIs. Most likely, it will not fit - a new biosynth shell will need to be constructed to contain the core instead, a job that likely falls to the roboticist.

### Body Parts
 
Biosynth body parts are all robotic. Damage to them must be repaired via mechanical tools, much like cybernetic limbs. Surgery also must be conducted via mechanical steps rather than organic ones. This may or may not require some extension or modification of the current surgical system. To facilitate this, each medical storage room is provided with a single "medical toolbox" that is intended specifically for robotic repairs and surgeries.

As robotic limbs are a pretty significant boon, biosynth limbs in particular may be of a unique type that is capable of receiving biosynth-specific wounds. These will need to be designed. Biosynth limbs may also *not* receive the armor bonus of proper cybernetic limbs - though those can still be attached as normal for their benefits.

Organic body parts cannot be attached to a biosynth torso.

### Miscellaneous Mechanics

* Biosynths have no food preferences at all. Nothing is toxic to them, but nothing boosts their mood either.

* Biosynths have standard cybernetic eyes/ears, though they may have special types for aesthetic purposes.

* Biosynths also have cybernetic "tongues", and speak with robotic text style. However, they have speech verbs that are not "states", as they are capable of emoting.

## Aesthetic Considerations

Biosynth shells were originally designed for function over form. Their bodies  have a utilitarian, industrial look to them, laboratory-designed to be durable and functional. The "standard" shell should be greyish, and none too sleek, though it will obviously need to fit inside of the normal human silhouette.

Biosynth shells are, however, *customizable* by their nature, and many biosynths mod their bodies to be more *them*. This may include different styles of eyes, different installed plating, synthetic "hair", and so on. One particular goal is to make robotic versions of many external features other species have - snouts, tails, ears, and so on, for those biosynths who decide to mimic the form of those other sapient species in the galaxy.

Ultimately, biosynths have extremely diverse appearances, built atop the basic "industrial" chassis to make something unique.

## Lore

Biosynths were designed some decades ago by one of NanoTrasen's many competitors, with the goal of creating a "new generation" of silicons - fully artificial beings that could be *grown* rather than built, and which could mimic the human form enough to perform many of the functions humans do without installing specialized equipment. This project did not pan out, as the newly-created "biosynths" could not be slaved to laws as silicons can. As the project was abandoned and the company went over, the laboratory complex where biosynths came into being was soon taken over by them, and biosynths began to build a fledgling society on the edges of space.

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]