The first time you see a Nanocoid change shape, your brain files it under "things that shouldn't be happening." One moment there's a two-metre silicoid biped standing in the cargo bay, crystalline surface catching the strip lighting. The next, the surface ripples -- not like water, like static on a broken screen -- and the arm elongates, flattens, folds back on itself, and becomes a pry bar. The fingers didn't move. The arm didn't bend. The entire limb disassembled at a cellular level and reassembled into something else. The Nanocoid didn't flinch. You did.
Nanocoids are composed of billions of organic nanites -- silicon-based micro-organisms that function as both cells and machines. Every part of a Nanocoid's body is simultaneously alive and engineered. They think with distributed processing. They heal by redistributing mass. They build things by becoming the thing. Their natural form is a large crystalline biped with oversized arms and no face to speak of -- no eyes, no mouth, just a resonance cavity in the chest and a surface that hums faintly with subsonic vibration. They're beautiful the way an avalanche is beautiful.
The transformation is the thing that keeps other species awake at night. A Nanocoid can reshape any part of its body into simple mechanical structures -- tools, weapons, vehicle chassis, sealed containers, structural beams. At higher mass, they can become the vehicle. The squad's APC is also a person and it has opinions about your driving. The process is slow, deliberate, and deeply unsettling to watch. Billions of nanites disassembling and reassembling in coordinated waves, the surface crawling like mercury finding a new shape. It takes about a minute per ten kilograms of mass reshaped. A finger becoming a screwdriver is a combat round. A full-body transformation into a four-seater ground vehicle takes twelve minutes and a lot of trust from the passengers.
There are limits. Nanocoids can replicate anything with moving mechanical parts; gears, pistons, axles, treads, slug weapon barrels, structural frames. They cannot replicate complex electronics, energy weapons, living creatures, or chemical compounds. No laser barrels. No circuit boards. No pretending to be the captain. No synthesising fuel, explosives, or propellant. If it's mechanical, they can become it. If it has a circuit in it, they can't. If it has a trigger and a barrel and fires a lump of metal, they absolutely can. Ammo not included.
Nythex; one of three planets in the Tri-Lithis system, alongside the Slaters' Ignaar-Crucis and the Om's Orathan.
Nythex is a crystalline world -- vast lattice formations of silicon and metallic ores stretching across the surface like frozen lightning. The planet's crust is saturated with the raw materials Nanocoids absorb for mass, making it a paradise for the species and a nightmare for anyone trying to mine it commercially. The surface is largely inhospitable to organic life -- no atmosphere worth breathing, radiation levels that would cook a Human in hours, and temperatures that swing between extremes that make thermal regulation a full-time job. Beneath the crystal canopy, the Nanocoid hive-cities pulse with subsonic resonance. You don't hear them. You feel them in your sternum.
A hollowed-out asteroid station in the outer systems. A fragment of the Nanocoid hive-consciousness, a Node, was extracted from Nythex and enslaved by ICE, forced to produce constructs for industrial operations. ICE calls it "an industrial asset." XERO calls it "a prisoner of war." XERO has been running a liberation campaign for decades. Rumours circulate. Someone is putting a team together.
Resonance -- Nanocoids communicate through subsonic vibrations transmitted through their crystalline structure. Between Nanocoids, a conversation is a symphony of frequencies below the threshold of most species' hearing -- you can't hear it, but you can feel your coffee rippling. When interacting with other species, they use a vocaliser -- a shaped resonance chamber in their chest that produces approximations of spoken language. The result sounds like someone talking through a metal pipe. Comprehensible. Unsettling. The sort of voice that makes you check over your shoulder even when you can see the speaker.
Resonance has no written form. Nanocoid records are vibrational patterns stored in crystalline matrices -- touch the crystal, feel the message. Scholars from other species have attempted to transcribe Resonance into phonetic notation. The Nanocoids find this adorable.
Nanocoid names are resonance patterns, typically transliterated as two-syllable vibration words for the convenience of species that insist on using mouths: Threx, Korvax, Zennit, Pylax, Drenn, Voltis, Skelm, Crynn, Bavox, Torrim
| Name | Nanocoid |
|---|---|
| Sight | Blind Sense (20m) |
| Hearing | Excellent |
| Touch | Minimal |
| Smell | No |
| Taste | No |
| Special | Resonance Detection |
Blind Sense: No eyes. Nanocoids emit and receive microwave pulses through their crystalline surface, building a 3D spatial model based on density, mass, and movement. Colour, text, and facial expressions do not exist for them. Range: 20m.
Hearing: Subsonic to ultrasonic range. Their entire body is a receiver. They hear through walls, floors, and hull plating.
Resonance Detection: Passively detect subsonic vibrations within 30m. Functions as tremor sense through solid surfaces and allows silent communication with other Nanocoids.
Mindshard Incompatible. Nanite collective consciousness -- no synaptic pattern to capture. There is no wet-ware brain, no central nervous system, no single point where "the person" lives. Consciousness is distributed across billions of nanites. The Om have examined the problem and concluded that backing up a Nanocoid would require backing up every individual nanite simultaneously, which is technically possible and practically absurd. When a Nanocoid dies, they're gone. The nanites go inert. The resonance stops. See Mindshard for details.
Nanocoids are crystalline nanite collectives. This makes them resilient to some things and catastrophically vulnerable to others.
Playing a Nanocoid at the table.
Your Mass stat (starting Mass 5, approximately 125kg) is your transformation budget. Every structure you create, every projectile you fire, every construct you become; it all comes from your mass. You are the raw material. Track your current mass to 1 decimal point.
1 Mass point = approximately 25kg of nanite material. Minimum Mass: 1.0 (see below).
Transformation requires a Mass reserve. When you transform, the Mass used to form the construct is committed, you can't use it for anything else while in that form. You must always retain at least Mass 1.0 as your core (consciousness, sensory systems, basic survival). So if your current Mass is 5.0, the largest construct you can form uses 4.0 Mass, because 1.0 stays as you.
This is why larger constructs list a "requires Mass X+"; it's the minimum Mass you need so that after committing mass to the construct, you still have at least 1.0 left as your core.
The math: A 4-seater APC costs ~5.0 Mass to form. You need at least 1.0 Mass as your core. Absolute minimum: Mass 6.0 (5.0 for the APC + 1.0 for you). When you revert, 25% structural loss on 5.0 = 1.25 Mass lost. You end up at 4.75. You were an APC. Now you're lighter and you need a Nanite Bar.
Minimum Mass: 1.0. A Nanocoid cannot drop below Mass 1.0 (25kg). At 1.0, you are a small crystalline lump with barely enough nanites to maintain consciousness. You cannot transform, cannot move under your own power. You are alive. That's about it. Your squad carries you until you recover. Best not to let it get this far.
Reshaping takes time. The nanites must physically disassemble and reassemble, and that process has a speed limit.
| Change | Time |
|---|---|
| Minor (finger → screwdriver, hand → wrench) | 1 Action |
| Small (arm → weapon barrel, legs → treads) | 1 minute (~6-10 rounds) |
| Medium (torso reshape, partial vehicle frame) | 5 minutes |
| Full body (complete vehicle, structural form) | ~1 minute per 10kg (~12 min at Mass 5) |
| Revert to natural form | 3-Action Manoeuvre (emergency) or 1 minute (controlled) |
Emergency revert (3-Action Manoeuvre) is fast but rough -- nanites snap back to default configuration. Mass recovery from an emergency revert is reduced by an additional 25%.
Nanocoids can replicate:
Nanocoids cannot replicate:
Self-powered motion: Nanocoids don't need engines or fuel to move mechanical parts. Their nanites drive gears and pistons the same way your muscles move your legs; directly, through biological force. A Nanocoid vehicle doesn't have an engine. The Nanocoid IS the engine. Wheels turn because the nanites forming the axle want them to turn.
The rule of thumb: if it's mechanical, a Nanocoid can become it. If it has a circuit, they can't. If it has a trigger and a barrel, they absolutely can. If it needs fuel or chemicals to function, the parts that touch those chemicals are permanently degraded; that mass is lost when you revert.
Any Nanocoid can form a barrel and fire slug projectiles. Uses Weapons Ranged Slug skill. Two modes:
You are the gun. The ammunition is either you or someone else's problem.
A Nanocoid structure can support a maximum weight of Mass × 2 tonnes. This applies to everything; chains, beams, vehicle chassis, compression struts, tow cables. More nanites = more bonds = stronger structure.
| Mass | Max Load | What That Holds |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 10 tonnes | Squad + gear (3-5 tonnes comfortable), light vehicle |
| 8.0 | 16 tonnes | Heavy vehicle, small cargo container |
| 12.0 | 24 tonnes | Large cargo, structural support column |
| 14.0+ | 28+ tonnes | Heavy structural, approaching the practical ceiling |
Beyond the rated load, nanite bonds fail progressively; the structure stretches, thins, and the weakest section gives way. This isn't catastrophic (nanites aren't brittle) but it's irreversible once it starts. A chain holding 12 tonnes at Mass 5 (rated for 10) will thin at the weakest link, then thin faster, then snap. You get a warning. You don't get long.
Track your Mass to 1 decimal point (e.g., 4.7). Other origins track whole numbers -- Nanocoids need the precision because structural loss and slug fire accumulate over an operation.
Anything expelled from the body costs Mass until restored. Nanites can change shape but not chemical composition -- they cannot produce chemicals, propellant, fuel, or explosives.
All Nanocoids can absorb compatible materials through physical contact to restore lost Mass. This is an innate racial ability,and every Nanocoid can do it.
Can absorb: Refined metals, processed alloys, purified crystalline compounds, silicon wafers -- materials must be purified or refined before absorption. Cannot absorb: Ceramics, organics, plastics, composites with organic binders, raw stone, unrefined ore, unprocessed minerals. You cannot eat a rock. The nanites need clean material to integrate.
Absorption requires physical contact and takes 1 Action per 10kg absorbed. Cannot exceed your Mass Cap.
Every absorption carries risk. Impurities, environmental contaminants, and mission-level hazards can damage the nanites during integration. Before absorbing, roll:
d100 + (Fortitude × 5) vs TL
On success, the material integrates cleanly. On failure, the absorption still works, you gain the Mass, but the impurities cause immediate internal damage: 1 Hit (Chemical) per 10% the roll failed by, minimum 1 Hit. The mass is yours. Indigestion is the price. Higher-TL missions generally run in more contaminated environments, harder rolls, and more Hits when you get it wrong.
All Nanite Bars are Medium items (2 inventory slots) for carrying capacity.
| Source | Restores | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dormant Nanite Bar | 1.0 Mass | No roll | Pure crystalline nanites in dormant state. Harvested from Nythex. Safe, clean, zero risk. Rare and expensive; hard to find outside Nanocoid enclaves and XERO supply lines. |
| Synthetic Nanite Bar | 1.0 Mass | d100 + (Fort × 5) vs TL 25 (flat) | Nuronet-manufactured, mass-produced, widely available. Fixed contamination risk regardless of mission; it's a factory product, not field scrap. The field ration. |
| Raw Field Absorption | 1.0 Mass | d100 + (Fort × 5) vs Mission TL × 1.5 | No item; absorb refined metals and alloys directly from the environment. Free, immediate, and dangerous. On Tier 2 (TL 50) you're rolling against 75. On Tier 3, you're praying. |
Purification: An Engineer with workshop or medical lab access can purify materials before absorption. Roll Engineering - Repair vs Mission TL on behalf of the Nanocoid. On success, the Nanocoid absorbs with no risk roll required; the impurities have been removed. On failure, the Engineer thought they got them all out. The Nanocoid absorbs with the standard risk roll as normal. Trusting the Engineer is your call.
Dormant Bars are rare and safe. Synthetic Bars are cheap and risky. Raw absorption is free and dangerous. Engineers with the right equipment can purify materials before absorption; if they're good enough. Manage accordingly.
A key feature of the Nanocoid is squad transport. As your Mass Cap increases through feats and Rank progression, your transformation capability scales.
| Rank | Expected Mass | Transform Capability |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Mass 5 (base) | Tool-hands, weapon-limbs, small constructs (workbench, barrier, weapon emplacement) |
| 4-5 | Mass 7-8 (with feats) | 4-seater APC, small vehicle chassis, enclosed cargo pod |
| 6-8 | Mass 10-12 | Large vehicle, sealed spacecraft hull (no FTL -- hull only, BYO Engines), mobile workshop |
| 9-10 | Mass 14+ | Heavy vehicle, small ship hull, mobile habitat |
Speed in vehicle form depends on locomotion type:
| Form | Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bipedal / legs | Base Speed | Standard nanite-powered walking |
| Tracks | Speed × 2 | Doubles speed. Rough terrain, reliable. |
| Wheels | Speed × 3 | Triples speed. Requires reasonably flat surface. |
| Hover | Not possible | Nanocoids cannot generate enough lift to hover under their own power. Requires an external engine or propulsion system mounted on the chassis. |
| Flight / propeller | Not possible | Same problem; insufficient self-generated power to overcome their own mass. A Nanocoid cannot fly without external propulsion. |
The advantage of vehicle form beyond speed is carrying capacity (passengers and cargo inside your body) and environmental protection (sealed hull, pressurised cabin). A Nanocoid APC on tracks is twice base speed, tough, and the squad never needs to find parking.
Equipment During Transformation: Your gear has to go somewhere when you reshape.
When in wheeled or tracked lower-body form:
Small Weapon; Slug Barrel (Mass cost: negligible) Korvax forms his right forearm into a slug weapon barrel. 1 Action, minor reshape. His squad mate loads a magazine into the barrel. Korvax fires using Weapons Ranged Slug. The barrel taints after the firefight; when he reverts, that forearm mass is lost. About 0.3 Mass for a forearm barrel. He'll absorb a steel plate later to make it up.
Medium Weapon; Shield Wall (Mass cost: ~0.5 Mass) Drenn-9 flattens her torso and arms into a 2-metre-wide steel barrier. The squad crouches behind her. She has DR from Hardened Shell and serves as mobile cover. She can't attack, can't move fast, but the squad has a wall that thinks. Reverting costs 25% of the 0.5 Mass used; about 0.1 Mass structural loss.
Large Weapon; Gun Emplacement (Mass cost: ~1.0 Mass) Threx transforms his upper body into a mounted weapon platform while his lower body anchors to the deck. The squad mounts a heavy weapon on the platform Threx has become. He provides stability, traverse, and elevation; the squad provides the gun and ammo. Reverting costs 0.25 Mass structural loss.
Lower Body; Wheels (Mass cost: ~1.0 Mass) Zennit converts his legs into a wheeled chassis. Upper body stays humanoid; arms free to carry, shoot, or wave at confused CORSEC officers. Speed triples. 1 Action to move, 1 Action to turn. Fast in straight lines, terrible in corridors. Reverting costs 0.25 Mass.
Lower Body, Tracks + Upper Body, Stretcher (Mass cost: ~1.5 Mass) Pylax converts his legs to tracks (Speed × 2) and reshapes his torso and arms into a flat emergency stretcher platform. The squad loads their wounded Bohec companion (Mass 6, 150kg) onto the platform. Pylax hauls 150kg of unconscious insect across rough terrain at double speed. His upper body can't do anything else; it IS the stretcher. Reverting costs 0.4 Mass.
2-Seater APC (Mass cost: ~3.0 Mass, requires Mass 4.0+) A Rank 2 Nanocoid at base Mass 5 transforms into a small enclosed tracked vehicle. Two passengers sit inside a sealed cabin formed from the Nanocoid's body. Tracks provide Speed × 2. The hull has the Nanocoid's HITS and any Hardened Shell DR. Passengers are protected from small arms and environmental hazards. The Nanocoid cannot take creature actions while in this form. Reverting costs 0.75 Mass.
4-Seater APC (Mass cost: ~5.0 Mass, requires Mass 6.0+) A Rank 5 Nanocoid with Increased Mass Cap (Mass 7) transforms into a proper squad transport. Four passengers, sealed cabin, tracked chassis (Speed × 2). The whole squad rides inside the Nanocoid. The Nanocoid is the vehicle; it drives itself. Internal compartment stores the squad's gear. This is the design goal for mid-rank Nanocoid play: your party's APC is also a person. Reverting costs 1.25 Mass (or 0.5 with Mass Recovery).
6-Seater APC (Mass cost: ~8.0 Mass, requires Mass 9.0+) A Rank 7+ Nanocoid with multiple Increased Mass Cap feats (Mass 10+) transforms into a heavy transport. Six passengers, pressurised cabin (with Airtight Seal), tracked or wheeled chassis, internal gear storage. At this scale, the Nanocoid is a small armoured vehicle. Reverting costs 2.0 Mass (or 0.8 with Mass Recovery + Vehicle Specialist).
Tracked Tank with Turret (Mass cost: ~10.0 Mass, requires Mass 11.0+) A Rank 8 Nanocoid with multiple Increased Mass Cap feats transforms into a tracked combat vehicle with a rotating turret. The Nanocoid forms the chassis, tracks, cabin, turret traverse, elevation gear, and the gun barrel itself. The squad provides the shells, they load, the Nanocoid aims and fires using Vehicles - Weapon Systems skill. The barrel taints after firing (chemical propellant), that mass is part of the structural loss on revert. The turret rotates because the nanites forming the bearing want it to rotate. Reverting costs 2.5 Mass (or 1.0 with Mass Recovery + Vehicle Specialist).
Boat (Mass cost: ~6.0 Mass, requires Mass 7.0+) A Nanocoid transforms into a flat-hulled watercraft. Sealed hull keeps passengers dry, internal compartments store gear. A Nanocoid boat can provide its own propulsion; the underside of the hull forms a mechanical paddle wheel or screw propeller, driven directly by nanite muscle. Speed × 2 on water. The Nanocoid IS the engine, the hull, and the rudder. The squad sits inside something that is technically a person and is navigating by feel. Steering costs 1 Action per course change, same as wheeled forms. Reverting costs 1.5 Mass (or 0.6 with Mass Recovery + Vehicle Specialist).
As a Nanocoid, you can select from these extra Racial Feats when choosing from the Racial Feats List. All Nanocoids can transform from Rank 0 -- feats reduce costs and improve efficiency, they don't unlock capabilities.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Your maximum Mass increases by 1 point (25kg). Can be taken multiple times. Each time you take this feat, your Mass Cap increases permanently, expanding your transformation budget and construct size. At the GM's discretion, significant mass increases may affect how you interact with structures rated for lower weight limits. Doors are suggestions. Floors are optimistic.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Your transformation speed doubles -- 1 minute per 20kg instead of 10kg. Minor changes (tool-hands, weapon-limbs) become a 1-Action Manoeuvre instead of requiring extended time. Can be taken multiple times, each time halving the remaining transformation time again. At three takes, a full-body reshape at Mass 5 takes approximately 90 seconds. The nanites move like they mean it.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Your nanites have learned to handle the stress patterns of weapon forms -- barrel compression, firing chamber heat distribution, recoil absorption. Structural loss when reverting from a weapon form is reduced to 15% (or 10% with Mass Recovery). Barrel replacement after firing loaded ammo is cleaner, and your slug barrels hold together longer between reverts. You're still losing mass. You're just losing less of it.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: You've reshaped into chassis, treads, and suspension enough times that the nanites remember the pattern. Structural loss when reverting from a vehicle form is reduced to 15% (or 10% with Mass Recovery). The frame snaps back cleaner, the axle junctions recover smoother, and passengers stop commenting on the grinding noise during revert. A Nanocoid APC with this feat can run daily transport ops without melting away to nothing by Thursday.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Simple shapes, minimal degradation. Structural loss when reverting from a tool form is reduced to 10% (or 5% with Mass Recovery). Tool forms -- pry bars, drills, wrenches, hammers, saws -- are the simplest transformations a Nanocoid can perform, and this feat reflects the refinement of that process to near-lossless efficiency. A Nanocoid mechanic with this feat can spend a full shift as a toolbox and come back with most of themselves intact.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Your outer nanite layer crystallises into a rigid defensive shell. Gain DR 2 (Blunt, Pierce, Slash) while in natural form. This stacks with worn armour DR. Can be taken again to increase DR by 1 (maximum DR 5 from this feat). While hardened, your transformation speed is halved -- the rigid shell must be softened before the nanites beneath can reshape. You can drop the shell as an Extra Action at the start of your turn. Reversible -- the shell nanites are your own crystalline structure compressed, and they revert cleanly when dropped.
Requires: Hardened Shell.
Effect: You absorb refined metal and form it into a rigid steel exoskeleton over your outer surface. Gain DR 2 (Blunt, Pierce, Slash) -- this stacks with Hardened Shell DR while active. The exoskeleton is heavier, tougher, and visibly metallic. The problem: the nanites forming the exoskeleton bond permanently with the absorbed steel. They become steel. They are no longer nanites. When you drop the exoskeleton, the entire layer sloughs off as inert metal plating and the mass is permanently lost. Forming a Steel Exoskeleton costs approximately 1 Mass point (25kg) of absorbed refined metal, and you do not get it back. Transformation is impossible while the exoskeleton is active. You can drop it as a 1-Action Manoeuvre -- the plating cracks and falls away, leaving you lighter and exposed. Use it when you need to survive something that would kill you. Accept the cost afterwards.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Emit a focused subsonic vibration pulse that functions as an active sensor sweep. 10m radius, centred on you. Detects mass, density, composition, and movement through solid surfaces -- walls, floors, hull plating, up to 1m of solid material. Functions as enhanced Tremor Sense for the purposes of detecting hidden creatures or objects. Costs 1 Action. Can be taken again to extend range to 20m. The pulse is detectable by other Nanocoids and any species with subsonic hearing -- you are pinging, and anyone listening knows where you are.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: You can seal any construct or transport form to create a pressurised internal cavity. It applies to ANY construct you become, a sealed APC, a sealed boat, a sealed cargo pod, a sealed stretcher with a bubble canopy. Internal atmosphere supply lasts 1 hour per Mass point you possess. The seal holds against vacuum, toxic atmosphere, and radiation up to moderate levels. When your HITS reach 0, the seal fails completely. Any hit that gets past your DR punches a hole, you lose 30 minutes of atmosphere before nanites can reseal the breach. Space movement requires external propulsion.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Your nanites snap back to configuration faster and cleaner. Base structural loss on revert is reduced from 25% to 10%. This stacks with specialist feats -- a Weapons Specialist with Mass Recovery loses only 10% on weapon reverts, a Tool Specialist with Mass Recovery loses only 5% on tool reverts. The difference between a Nanocoid who has this feat and one who doesn't becomes obvious after a long operation. One of them still has a torso.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: Once per Lockdown, your next revert has 0% structural loss. One free revert; no degradation, no mass lost, the nanites snap back to perfect configuration like nothing happened. Use it when the squad needs the APC one more time and you're already running light.
Requires: Nanocoid.
Effect: When absorbing materials during a Lockdown (not in combat or under time pressure), you can take the time to filter impurities as you integrate. All absorption rolls during a Lockdown are made with Advantage; roll two d100s, take the higher. Slow, careful, methodical. The nanites sort the good from the bad one molecule at a time. It takes hours instead of seconds, but you wake up clean.