DARK AETHER SHUNT

Before activation a dark aether shunt appears to be nothing more than a jet-black marble.  Since each shunt is entirely made up of dark matter circuitry it can directly interface with ambient dark aether often granting supernatural benefits to its host.  There are a wide variety of dark aether shunts available many of which are described below.

Unlike other cybernetic augmentations a dark aether shunt does not require implantation by someone skilled in Engineering or Life Science.  The marble can simply be pressed onto the spine.  Once the shunt detects electrical pulses from your nervous system it sends out thousands of nanofilaments weaving itself into  your spine.  The nanofilaments form a microscopic lattice that draws in dark aether and manipulates it  into beneficial enhancements.

Contaminant Resistance:  You gain a +1 divine bonus on CON saves against diseases and poisons.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version breaks down any contaminant into its fundamental particles allowing you to remove a poison or disease automatically by spending 1 Edge as a standard action.  

Decelerated Aging:  You age at only 10% of the normal rate for your race, gender, and species.  This dark matter fusion interferes with the effects of time. 

Enhanced Agility: You gain a +1 divine bonus on acrobatics skill checks.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version allows you to take 20 on any acrobatic skill check by spending 1 Edge.

Enhanced Athletics: You gain a +1 divine bonus on athletics skill checks.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version allows you to take 20 on any athletics skill check by spending 1 Edge.

Enhanced Beauty:  You gain a +1 divine bonus on diplomacy and bluff skill checks to influence other individuals of similar race who might be influenced by your appearance.  Your beauty is enhanced by motes of sparking akasha.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version allows you to reroll a failed diplomacy or bluff check to influence a qualified being by spending 1 Edge as a reaction.  (Why can’t I take 20? Because some people just aren’t that into you!).

Enhanced Body:  You gain a 10% bonus to your stamina pool.  This augmentation infuses your body with akasha allowing you to shrug off more Stamina damage than normal members of your race and class. The advanced version increases your Stamina pool by an additional 10% for a total of 20% bonus. The superior version allows you to replenish your stamina pool as a standard action by spending 2 Edge without a 10 minute rest.  Using this ability does not reset any other abilities that require a 10-minute rest.

Enhanced Charisma:  You gain a +1 divine bonus on diplomacy skill checks to influence any sentient creature.  The influx of akasha puts living and undead creatures more at ease in your presence and makes it easier to influence their disposition to you.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior augmentation type allows you to spend 1 Edge to take 20 on any diplomacy attempt to influence a creature’s initial attitude.  In all cases, the target of your diplomacy must be able to understand your language of choice.

Enhanced Combat:  You gain a +1 divine bonus on attack rolls with when using a melee weapon or unarmed strike.  The influx of akasha allows you to strike with more precision than other combatants of similar level.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior augmentation type allows you to spend 1 Edge and reroll a failed attack roll as a reaction.

Enhanced Durability:  This augmentation protects you from kinetic damage and provides DR 1/-- by creating unseen motes of force.  The advanced version increases your damage reduction to DR2/--. Each superior version increases the damage reduction to DR 5/--.  Unlike most types of damage reduction, this augmentation stacks with other forms of DR due to its unusual dark aether nature. 

Enhanced Endurance: You gain a +1 divine bonus on the following checks and saves: Constitution checks to avoid the effects of starvation or thirst, Constitution checks to hold your breath, Fortitude saves to avoid gaining the fatigues or exhausted condition, Survival checks to avoid damage from exposure to heat or cold, and doubles the duration you can withstand High Gravity conditions. The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior augmentation type allows you to spend 1 Edge and reroll a failed check for one of the ability checks, saving throws, or skill checks listed above.

Enhanced Energy:  Once per day this augmentation allows you to add a +5 bonus to any acrobatics or athletics skill check.  This ability reset after 8 hours of rest.  The advanced version of this augmentation resets after a 10-minute rest.  The superior version allows you to spend 1 Edge to gain the effect if the reset criteria have not been met.

Enhanced Fortitude: Your body is reinforced by a quantum lattice of dark aether.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on Fortitude saving throws.  This divine bonus increases to +2 with the advanced version.  The superior version allows you to spend 1 Edge and reroll a failed CON saving throw.

Enhanced Health:  Akashic particles have infused your cells increasing your overall health.  You gain 10 Hit Points.  The advanced version grants 20 Hit Points.  The superior version grants 30 Hit Points.

Enhanced Instincts: You gain a +1 divine bonus on sense motive skill checks.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version allows you to take 20 on any sense motive skill check by spending 1 Edge.

Enhanced Intuition:  This augmentation allows you to unconsciously access the Akashic Record for insight, pattern recognition, or understanding how something works on instinct.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on skill checks to recall knowledge.  The advanced version increases the divine bonus to +2. The superior version allows you to take 20 on a skill check to recall knowledge by spending 1 Edge.

Enhanced Mobility: Dark aether flows through your nervous system allowing you to move more effortlessly and with greater control. You gain 5’ to your base movement and ignore up to 5’ of rough terrain.  The advanced increases your base movement to 10 ft. and allows you to ignore 10 ft. of rough terrain.  Creatures enhanced with the superior version ignore rough all rough terrain.

Enhanced Motor Skills:  Akasha enhances you hand eye coordination allowing you to make precision ranged attacks.  You gain a +1 divine bonus to hit with ranged attacks.  This bonus increases to +2 with the advanced version.  The superior version allows you to spend 1 Edge to reroll a failed To Hit roll with a ranged weapon.

Enhanced Muscle Usage: Dark aether is drawn into your muscle fibers allowing you to exert more than 100% of your actual Strength.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on any Strength check or skill check based on Strength. You also gain a +1 damage bonus to attacks subject to bonuses from high Strength.  These bonuses increases to +2 with the advanced version of the augmentation.  The superior version includes the functionality of the advanced version but also allows you to spend 1 Edge to increase the divine bonus to +4 for a single action.

Enhanced Perception:  You become acutely aware of unexpected changes in the flow of ambient dark aether.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on Perception checks to notice things happening around you.  This bonus increases to +2 when augmented with the advanced version.  Anyone augmented with the superior version can spend 1 Edge and take 20 on a Perception check to notice.

Enhanced Potential:  The influx of akasha has awakened you to a new skill.  You gain a new class skill, feat, or weapon proficiency.  Those augmented with the advanced augmentation pick two of the options above.  The superior dark  aether shunt of enhanced potential grants all three options.  Note:  If you have the ability to upgrade from standard to advanced or advanced to superior you must keep the option(s) selected from the previous version of the augmentation.  These benefits are lost if the augmentation is removed.

Enhanced Recovery:  The dark aether flowing through your body metabolizes or counteracts conditions with durations.  Any condition with a duration is reduced by one unit of measure (round, minute, day, etc.).  A condition cannot be reduced to less than 1.  The advanced version of this augmentation reduces the duration of a condition by up to 3 units of measure, but the condition cannot be reduced to less than one round.  Anyone augmented with the superior version can spend 1 Edge at the beginning of their turn as a free action to nullify a condition measured in rounds, or spend 2 Edge to nullify a condition measured units larger than rounds.

Enhanced Regeneration:  Dark aether repairs your body with darkware so long as you head, brain, and spine remain intact.  Although this augmentation does nothing to accelerate healing it will “grow” a darkware prosthetic version of a missing limb or organ in approximately 10 days.  This prosthetic is always entry level or a standard version.  The advanced version of this augmentation reduces the time it takes to grow a prosthetic to 8 hours of complete rest.  The superior version allows the possessor of the augmentation to spend 2 Edge and regrow a prosthetic during a 10 minute rest.

Enhanced Reflexes:  Your nervous system is enhanced by the high concentration of dark aether.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on Reflex saving throws.  This divine bonus increases to +2 with the advanced version.  The superior version allows you to spend 1 Edge and reroll a failed DEX saving throw.

Enhanced Soul:  Akasha particles from within the dark aether reinforce your mortal coil making you harder to kill.  When calculating massive damage, treat your maximum add 5 Phantom Hit Points to your maximum Hit Points.  The advanced version adds 15 phantom Hit Points to your maximum Hit Points and the superior version grants 25 Phantom Hit Points. Note: Phantom Hit Points do not effect your normal Hit Point total and are only used to calculate your risk of death from Massive Damage.

Enhanced Vitality:  This augmentation pulls positive energy into your cells from the surrounding dark aether and allows you to heal 1d10 Hit Points during a 10-minute rest to restore Stamina.  The advanced version heals 2d10 Hit Points.  The superior version heals 3d10 Hit Points.

Enhanced Willpower:  Your consciousness is reinforced by a high concentration of dark aether.  You gain a +1 divine bonus on INT saving throws.  This divine bonus increases to +2 with the advanced version.  The superior version allows you to spend 1 Edge and reroll a failed INT saving throw.