Spindle Reflex
Sped neural reflex arc: the body moves on the first signal, before the conscious mind has finished deciding.
A reflex arc shortened by a fast-twitch neural splice: the signal leaves the spine before the cortex has finished its deliberation, and the bearer is already moving when a baseline is still reading the threat. The cost is jitter -- a body that reacts before it thinks will sometimes react wrong, and bearers learn to keep their hands still in polite company.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Effect Text | +1 to initiative; +1 to AC against the first melee or ranged attack made against you each round. |
| Category | sensory-neural |
| Engineering Lineage | Helix military biotechs (Thrax-adjacent operative line) |
| Point Cost | 2 |
| Point Direction | cost |
Notes
Lore Note: Engineered for close-quarters breach actions, where the winner of a corridor fight was whoever moved first. The military biotechs who built it wanted minds that would not question; they got bodies that would not wait. The line outlasted its original programme and is now common in operative and scout stock across the Rim.
Trait Id: Spindle Reflex
Mechanical Effects
condition: always
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
condition | always |
modifier | +1 |
target | initiative |
condition: first incoming attack per round
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
condition | first incoming attack per round |
modifier | +1 |
target | AC vs first attack each round |