Legacy Items are equipment, devices, or heirlooms tied to your character's background. At Rank 0, you may select one Legacy Item in place of one of your two Knack selections. Unlike Knacks, Legacy Items do not require a Quirk.
Your legacy also grants a Legacy Heirloom; a unique item passed down from your family or mentor. This heirloom follows a tree structure: the first node unlocks automatically at Rank 1. You gain a Legacy point per Rank to improve it further. Second-tier abilities cost 2 points (first unlock at Rank 3); third-tier nodes cost 3 points each (first unlock at Rank 6).
The following Legacy Items represent clunky, temperamental pieces of fringe technology you've acquired through means best left undiscussed. Most of these fell off the back of a Grey research shuttle, got "liberated" from a corporate R&D lab, or showed up in a FOFT crate marked "DO NOT OPEN; SERIOUSLY." Every single one of them works. Mostly. Sometimes. When it feels like it.
All Grey Tech Devices share the following properties:
A NERD prototype temporal distortion emitter, about the size and weight of a brick. Strapped to your forearm, it creates a localised time hiccup lasting maybe a second; just enough to make you look prescient instead of lucky. The R&D notes call it "promising." The scorch marks suggest otherwise. Range: Touch. Grants Boon(1) to one Reflex or Initiative check.
A NERD subdermal wireless bridge with a short-range transmitter soldered onto it by someone who clearly skipped the safety module. Press your palm against an unshielded terminal and the probe handshakes with it, feeding basic data straight to your optic nerve. Range: Touch. Grants Boon(1) to one Electronics check.
A decommissioned SAROS energy reclamation unit, originally meant for draining residual charge from derelict reactors. Somebody filed off the serial numbers and added a pistol grip. Tap it against any powered device to siphon a small charge. Range: Touch. Restores 1 E-Cell to a device or deals 1 Hit of Electrical damage to a powered target.
An ICU experimental dermal overlay module; a palm-sized disc glued to your sternum with medical adhesive that hasn't fully set since you installed it. Projects a thin holographic skin layer that alters your visible appearance for up to 10 minutes. Doesn't change your mass, voice, or the fact that you smell like recycled air. Range: Self. Grants Boon(1) to one Deception check involving appearance.
A ROBO surplus sensory projection unit, still stamped with a QA rejection sticker. Projects a convincing visual illusion at a point within range, lasting one round. The image has no sound, heat signature, or physical presence; but most people shoot first and check the spectrograph later. Range: 3m. Grants Boon(1) to one Deception or Stealth check.
An ICU cellular stimulation wand with the words "NOT FOR FIELD USE" etched into the casing in three languages. Originally designed for accelerating tissue cultures in lab conditions. Point it at someone and it goads their cells into a coordinated response; flushes a toxin, jolts the body out of shock, kicks a system back online. Range: Touch. Grants Boon(1) to one roll to recover from a Wound or status condition.
A ROBO prototype gravitational lens array worn as a chunky wrist-mounted unit that makes your arm go numb after twenty minutes. Creates a brief localised gravity distortion within range; enough to nudge a crate, lighten a heavy load, or make someone stumble. Range: 3m. Grants Boon(1) to one Athletics or Might check.
A NERD Grey-derived neural scanning headband that picks up bioelectric signatures and emotional bleed from a single target within range. The readout is a colour spectrum projected onto your retina: blue for calm, red for hostile, green for lying. The instruction manual is in Grey, so you're mostly guessing. Range: 4m. Grants Boon(1) to one Social or Perception check against that target.
A NERD subdermal implant wedged behind your ear that heightens your awareness of nearby bioelectric fields. You get a pins-and-needles sensation when strong emotions or hostile intent are directed your way. Also triggers near microwaves, which is less useful. Range: 4m. Grants Boon(1) to one Perception check.
A CONFED surplus incendiary igniter, originally designed for breaching sealed bulkheads. This hand-held coil superheats a small contact area to about 800 degrees; enough to light a fire, weld a seam shut, or ruin someone's day if they're not wearing gloves. Range: Touch. Deals 1 Hit of Thermal damage.
A ROBO experimental short-range arc emitter that throws a crackling bolt of electricity at whatever you're pointing at. The targeting is more of a suggestion than a guarantee. Enough to stun a control panel or make someone regret standing in a puddle. Range: 3m. Deals 1 Hit of Electrical damage.
A ROBO energy storage gauntlet that absorbs ambient static charge and lets you dump it all at once through your palm. Every doorknob becomes a roulette wheel. Range: Touch. Deals 1 Hit of Electrical damage or powers one small device for a single activation.
A NERD Grey-tech predictive computation module no bigger than a deck of cards. Crunches environmental data, atmospheric pressure, thermal variance, micro-vibrations, and spits out a percentage likelihood of near-term outcomes. The readout is right about 60% of the time, which is better than your gut. Range: Self. Grants Boon(1) to one Intel or Perception check.
A ROBO prototype kinetic energy storage cell strapped to your forearm. Absorbs mechanical energy from impacts, footsteps, and general abuse, then lets you release it as a single focused pulse. The charging indicator is a mood ring that nobody trusts. Range: Touch. Deals 1 Hit of Blunt damage or grants Boon(1) to a Might check.
A NERD Grey-reverse-engineered spatial displacement unit the size of a thick belt buckle. Briefly shifts your molecular coherence, letting you push a hand through a thin barrier, up to about 10cm of solid material, for a few seconds. The manual says "do not use on load-bearing walls." Range: Touch. Grants Boon(1) to one Search or Stealth check involving physical barriers.
A ROBO prototype gravitational anchor about the size of a hockey puck. Lob it at a point within range and it creates a 1m localised gravity spike for one round, pinning loose objects to the deck and making movement through the area feel like wading through treacle. Range: 4m. Any creature in the area loses 1 Action on their next turn (the gravity spike doesn't ask permission).
An ICU regenerative stimulation wand with a glowing tip and a cracked housing that occasionally sparks. Accelerates natural healing on contact; knits minor cuts, reduces swelling, stops surface bleeding. The brochure promised limb regrowth. The brochure lied. Range: Touch. Restores 1 Hit of Wound damage.
A NERD prototype molecular agitator in a chunky pistol-grip housing. Destabilises molecular bonds in a small contact area; enough to crumble a rusted lock, corrode a weld seam, or weaken a structural panel. Using it on people is technically possible and universally discouraged. Range: Touch. Reduces the quality of one object or structure by 1d4, or deals 1 Hit of Chemical damage to a creature.
A Grey alien artifact of unknown origin, acquired through FOFT channels in a deal you probably shouldn't mention at customs. This palm-sized crystalline device creates a micro-fold in local space, teleporting a single Small or smaller object up to 3m. Living matter cannot be transported. The last person who tried is technically still alive, but spread across two postcodes. Range: 3m.
A CONFED prototype energy barrier generator worn as a chest-mounted disc. When activated, it projects a shimmering energy screen in front of you for one round; enough to take the edge off a single incoming hit. The power draw is obscene and it makes a noise like a kettle boiling. Range: Self. Grants DR 1 (all) against the next incoming Hit.
An ICE prototype light-bending overlay built into a poncho-like garment that makes you look like a budget ghost. When activated, bends visible light around your silhouette for one round. Movement causes visible distortion; you're invisible, not intangible, and you still cast a shadow in strong light. Range: Self. Grants Boon(1) to one Stealth check while stationary or moving slowly.
An ICU cryogenic micro-dispersal unit; a wrist-mounted canister that sprays a fine mist of flash-freezing coolant. Enough to frost a glass of water solid, lock a mechanism shut, or give exposed skin a very bad day. Not enough to freeze a person. Not even close. Please stop asking. Range: Touch. Deals 1 Hit of Thermal damage.
A NERD Grey-derived focused kinetic beam emitter built into a gauntlet that weighs more than it should. Projects a narrow beam of directed force; enough to shove a small object, flip a distant switch, or push someone off-balance. The recoil means you're pushing yourself too, just less. Range: 3m. Grants Boon(1) to an Athletics or Engineering check at range, or deals 1 Hit of Blunt damage.
A CONFED surplus directed energy weapon that was probably defective when it left the factory. Compact, ugly, and unreliable, it fires a focused beam of thermal energy that could charitably be described as "aimed." Range: 4m. Deals 1 Hit of Thermal damage.
A NERD prototype paired-particle communication device. Two palm-sized discs that, once quantum-paired, allow instantaneous one-way data transmission regardless of distance. Text only, 50 characters max per burst. Nobody knows how it works. The engineer who built it said "it shouldn't" and then requested a transfer. Range: Unlimited (paired discs only). Transmits a short text message to the paired disc.
A ROBO prototype localised electromagnetic pulse generator built into a heavy bracer. Fries unshielded electronics within a small radius for one round. Also fries your own unshielded electronics, which the manual addresses with the helpful note: "don't carry unshielded electronics." Range: 2m radius. Disables unshielded electronic devices for 1 round.
A NERD nanobot injection system housed in a forearm-mounted auto-syringe. Deploys a small swarm of nanobots into your bloodstream that can perform minor internal repairs or interface with nearby electronics through your skin contact. The injection stings. The recall tastes like copper. Range: Touch (self or willing target). Restores 1 Hit of Wound damage or grants Boon(1) to one Electronics check via skin contact.
A ROBO prototype nanobot dispersal canister the size of a thermos. Crack the seal and a small cloud of repair-programmed nanobots gets to work on whatever damaged surface they land on. They're single-use per deployment and have the collective intelligence of a very motivated dust mite; results vary. Range: Touch. Improves the quality of one item or device by 1d4 (the swarm is a little flaky).