Synthetic Adrenal Cortex
Bionic adrenal gland replacement with programmable hormone synthesis.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity Cost | 2 |
| Category | wetware-neural |
| Rek Cost | 24000 (military/athletic grade, requires endocrine surgery specialisation) |
Notes
Benefit: Bionic adrenal gland replacement with programmable hormone synthesis. +2 to Initiative rolls from constant low-level adrenaline optimisation. Once per encounter, can trigger 'Adrenal Surge' as a free action: +2 to Strength and Dexterity for 3 rounds, +10 ft movement speed, and immunity to fear effects for the duration. After the surge ends, the user suffers adrenal fatigue (-1 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution for 1 hour). The synthetic cortex also provides +2 to Fortitude saves vs fear and intimidation effects through regulated cortisol control.
Install Risk: Medicine DC 17 for retroperitoneal gland replacement. Recipient makes a Fortitude save DC 15 or suffers catecholamine storm (uncontrolled heart rate, tremors, -2 to all physical skills for 1d4 days while the implant calibrates). 3% chance of permanent anxiety disorder (roleplaying effect: Will save DC 12 to resist fight-or-flight response in non-combat stress situations).
Origin: Developed by House Vexis for Legion shock troops who needed reliable combat arousal without the unpredictability of natural adrenaline. The synthetic cortex was refined by an unnamed Inner Familyis for competitive athletes and later leaked to the Rim through demobilised Legion veterans. Considered the most widely available 'combat drug in a can' -- a poor soldier's alternative to more expensive reflex boosters.
Signature: Restricted. Military and specialist athletic use, Kadiss-tracked. Popular among Legion assault troops, combat pilots, and competitive zero-gravity athletes. Rim versions are available but often lack the crash-limiter, causing fatal cardiac events in 5% of surges.
Strain: Moderate. Requires monthly hormone cartridge replacement -- the synthetic gland cannot produce adrenaline from scratch, only process and release it from stored precursors. The crash after Adrenal Surge is unavoidable and cumulative if triggered multiple times between rests (each additional surge adds 30 minutes to the fatigue duration and increases the penalty by -1, to a maximum of -4). Long-term users develop dependency -- natural adrenal function atrophies after 2 years, making the implant mandatory for normal stress response.