Anaerometabolism

The Panemat presents Nanon with a number of advantages that no mortal can attain, but the unique nanophysiology of the Nanon is like a font of limitless power. The Nanon of The Arm know all too well the truth of this statement. Through Anaerometabolism, this narot seeks to master their new bodies, stripping away the limitations and requirements of their mortal bodies while forging a stronger connection to The Machine until members achieve a new kind of homeostasis.

Anaerometabolism includes multiple distinct philosophies, each of which has three plateaus. Anaerometabolism, like Interface and Menander, truly belong to no one clan. Members of the narot can study any or all of the philosophies as well as develop new philosophies to master. A character must have at least one dot of Narot Status (The Arm) in order to learn any Anaerometabolism philosophy. A player who takes at least one dot worth of that Merit at character creation may spend one of his character’s three Application dots on Anaerometabolism if he wishes. Any time a player wants to increase his character’s Anaerometabolism score, the character must still have at least one dot of Narot Status (The Arm) to do so.

Activating a plateau of the philosophies requires no roll or asset expenditure in and of itself (though some plateaus augment draws or permit certain abilities when they might not otherwise be allowed). A character always has the option of using a plateau available to him, and the benefits of the plateau may be “turned off” at the Nanon’s discretion.

New dots of Anaerometabolism are purchased like an Application, with the number of plateaus the character already commands serving as the current level and the “new level” being the next to be achieved. For example, a character knows five plateaus of Anaerometabolism. For him to learn a sixth, his player has to spend 42 experience points (6 [the new level in the philosophy] times 7 [the experience-point multiplier for out-of-zhizn’ Applications]). Plateaus must be learned in order in each philosophy, though a character need not advance one philosophy to completion before he can advance another. That is, a character with two plateaus of the Philosophy of Regulation could learn the first plateau of the Philosophy of Mitigation without learning the third plateau of the Philosophy of Regulation. Because the Philosophies of Gestalt do not constitute a true Application, they are not limited by Gestalt trait maximums.

A character need not have a Gestalt of 6 to learn six different plateaus of philosophies, for example. Yet, increasingly more dots in a philosophy are always bought as if they’re out-of-zhizn’ Applications.

The Philosophy of Integration
The Nanon must accept that they are both flesh and machine, cybernetic and organic. The Philosophy of Integration reminds that Nanon that to understand himself he must simultaneously understand his body as a whole and his parts as separate beings.

First Plateau: Seek the Flesh 
The Nanon learns the characteristics of his own flesh through the observation of all flesh. When the Nanon indulges in his Vice he has the option of forfeiting the Willpower that he would normally gain in exchange for gaining a single Nanos. This Nanos gain can not take the cyborg over his limit as established by his Gestalt.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Second Plateau: Versatility <span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">By allowing The Machine the freedom to choose how it manifests itself within the Nanon’s body the cyborg can observe The Machine’s needs. After meditating for one hour, the player selects one of their Augmentation Merits or Enhancement Merits and allows The Machine (Storyteller) to exchange it for another merit of the same type that is compatible with the same sensory organ or limb. The new merit must be of equal or lesser value than the original and the character must possess all of the listed prerequisites. The new merit lasts for up to 24 hours or until the Nanon rests.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Storyteller is within his right to allow the player to select The Machine’s choice but the same replacement merit can not be selected more than once in a month.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Third Plateau: Acceptance
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Nanon can strip parts from other cyborgs or robots and affix them to his form for up to 24 hours or until the Nanon rests. The new parts must function like existing cybernetic merits in this book or available through other sources with the Storyteller’s permission. The character must possess all of the listed prerequisites and the merit can not duplicate pre-existing merits. (The can not have two Cybernetic Limb (Left Arm) Merits.) The Nanon can add only a single component at a time and must rest between activations of this power.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The cybernetic component can replace a flesh limb by placing the limb against the original limb and allowing it to slowly meld into the cyborg’s body.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The cyborg can Accept any Cyborg, Augmentation or Enhancement Merit that is acceptable to the Storyteller.

The Philosophy of Mitigation
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Philosophy of Mitigation teaches the Nanon to minimalize the weakness of the flesh without giving his body over to The Machine entirely.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">First Plateau: Spill No Blood
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">This plateau laces the Nanon’s flesh with a micro-fine mesh of Kevlar and metals. The Nanon’s flesh turns away blades as if it were fine chainmail. Reduce all non-ballistic damage from lethal to bashing.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Second Plateau: Feed The Machine
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Any metal object that pierces the Nanon’s flesh (does lethal damage) can be absorbed by the cyborg’s Nanos and converted into fuel for healing. If two or more damage is caused by a metal weapon that is left in the body of the Nanon the item dissolves immediately and a single, non-aggravate, health level is negated. This negation occurs before the damage is applied so damage that starts off as lethal remains lethal regardless of the Nanon’s current health situation. (If the Nanon’s health boxes are filled with lethal damage prior to the attack, the damage negation occurs before the new damage is applied, and thus before converting the pre-existing lethal into aggravated damage.)

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Knives and similar objects that somehow manage to bypass the first plateau are also subject to this power’s destructive forces. If the object is unnatural then the player must bypass the items durability with a single draw using only their Gestalt.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Third Plateau: Mesh of Flesh
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Nanon’s micro-fine mesh is reinforced by his conviction. The Nanon gains the “bulletproof” trait as if he were wearing armor with a bulletproof rating equal to his Gestalt. (The character’s Gestalt does not actually provide a bonus to the character’s armor; it only determines the rating of the bulletproofing when compared to an armor piercing round.)

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The character also receives a natural armor of +1/+1 for every Third Plateau that he possesses, including this one. This armor incurs no penalties and stacks with other armor.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">All attacks that originally do bashing damage are now halved, round up.

The Philosophy of Regulation
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Philosophy of Regulation teaches the Nanon that through tolerating pain, much can be learned.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">First Plateau: Cannibalize
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Nanon can chose to suffer a single level of bashing damage to receive a single trait of Nanos. The bashing damage is applied normally and can not be reduced or negated in any way.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">If the Nanon wished to gain more Nanos that round then the Nanon can increase the Nanos gained to two in exchange for both a second health level lost and increasing the damage done to lethal for a total of two lethal to gain two Nanos during that round. The process can be increased again, resulting in three aggravated damage in exchange for three Nanos during that round. As per with the bashing damage, the wounds can not be reduced or negated in any way as the Nanos gains are the result of the cyborg’s nanophysiology cannibalizing non-essential tissue and/or the recycling of lactic acid through anaerobic digestion.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Regardless of the number of Nanos gained or the damaged received the Nanos can not heal himself through the expenditure of Nanos for the rest of the scene or hour.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Second Plateau: Metabolize
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Nanon can continue to benefit from conventional Nanobiotics, even when his Gestalt would normally render the consumption meaningless.

<span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">Third Plateau: Synthesize
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The Nanon can digest cybernetic components to create Nanos. Any computer part that consists of silicone, gallium arsenide or grapheme as well as some less sophisticated part such as copper wires and solder can be consumed to introduce replacement parts for damaged cybernetic components.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">This power does not gift the Nanon with any protection from the process of ingestion. (Chewing and swallowing computer motherboards can cause more harm than they would be able to heal.) The power does provide safe digestion, even with regard to most toxic chemicals found in computers, as long as the toxic levels are not far beyond the normal levels found in a computer component. It is generally in the Nanon’s best interest to break down the parts as much as possible before attempting to swallow them. Mixing the parts with other food and then blending like a smoothie is recommended.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">For parts as small as a cell phone or television remote the cyborg heals as much as he would heal from the expenditure of a single Nanos. The average laptop or desktop computer could heal the equivalent of three to five Nanos. The cyborg does not actually gain Nanos; he is only converting parts from one form into another.

<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:.25in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"">The digestion process takes a scene or hour. Should the character perform the consumption in the middle of a scene than it is up to the Storyteller to determine when the health level recover will occur.