The Art of the Second Story

Modification & Enhancement is the discipline of entering into a dialogue with an object that already exists. It is the art of the second story, a craft dedicated to taking a functional item: a tool, a weapon, a piece of apparel; and imbuing it with a new purpose, a refined function, or a deeper meaning. Where other disciplines create an object from raw potential, the Modifier works with the history and form that is already there, adding their own chapter to its ongoing narrative.

This is the discipline of the tinkerer, the gunsmith, the armorer, and the heretical synthesizer. It is a path that rewards a deep understanding of not just how things are made, but how they can be made better, stranger, or uniquely personal, reflecting the creator’s philosophical and technological Archetypes of Creation.

Universal Principles: Affinity, Augmentation, and Synthesis

Modification is more than just applying a stat buff. It is a nuanced interaction with an object’s inherent design, governed by a set of universal principles that manifest differently depending on the chosen Archetype of Creation.

• Affinity Slots (The Intended Path): A well-crafted object (typically Tier 2 and above) is created with Affinity Slots. These are designated, physical, or metaphysical points in the object’s design that are intended for enhancement. A rifle might have an [Optic Rail], a suit of armor might have [Hardpoint Mounts], and a psychic focus might have an [Attunement Socket]. These slots represent the creator’s foresight, an invitation for a future artisan to continue their work.
• Jury-Rigging (The Desperate Path): This is the art of forcing an attachment where none was intended. It is the act of strapping a scope to a rifle with leather cords and hope. Jury-rigging is a hallmark of Tier 1 creation, a high-risk, low-tech solution that is often unreliable and may introduce new Flaws into the object, but it is a testament to the creator’s desperate ingenuity.
• Synthesis (The Heretical Path): The ultimate expression of modification. This is the Tier 3 art of creating a new Affinity Slot where none should exist, often by forcibly hybridizing technologies from different Archetypes of Creation. It is the act of grafting a living bio-optic onto a mechanical rifle, a choice that is as much a philosophical statement as it is an engineering challenge.

Tier 1: The Scavenger’s Patch (Survival)

Philosophy: This is modification born of desperation and scarcity. The goal is not to perfect, but to fix, patch, or improvise. The scavenger sees a broken rifle not as trash, but as a collection of parts, and a functional rifle as a canvas for crude but necessary improvement. The aesthetic is one of pragmatism over polish.

The Stations: A Makeshift Workbench, a basic Welder, and a pile of [Scrap].

The Core Verbs:

• Dismantle / Salvage: The primary source of materials for a scavenger. This is the act of taking apart a found, often broken, object to recover its constituent components or raw materials. The success of this action is a skill check (e.g. relevant Engineering skill, etc; See Tier 1 Assembly & Maintenance). A successful dismantle yields intact [Components] and [Salvageable Material]. A failed one destroys the object, yielding only basic [Scrap].
  • Example: Dismantling a derelict ship’s broken thruster to recover its [Plasma Coils] for a jury-rigged weapon.
• Repair: The core of this tier. The Modifier uses [Spare Parts] or [Scrap] to patch up a damaged item, restoring its Durability.
• Jury-Rigging: The primary method of enhancement. This is where the four archetypes diverge in their approach even at this basic level.

Archetypal Approaches at Tier 1: Jury-Rigging

• Mechanical Jury-Rigging:
  • Process: Using salvaged metal plates, wires, and basic tools to reinforce, attach, or extend an object. A [Magnifying Glass] (a Reagent) combined with [Leather Straps] can be used to jury-rig a crude scope onto a rifle.
  • Aesthetic: Gaffer tape, exposed wires, visible welds, bolted-on parts. Looks crude but functional.
  • Consequence: The resulting [Makeshift Scope] is functional but flawed. It might have low accuracy, a chance to fall off when the weapon is fired, or obscure a portion of the user’s vision. The modification solves one problem while creating another.
• Biological Jury-Rigging:
  • Process: Using organic glues, quick grafts of chitin or tough plant fibers, or temporary symbiotic attachments. An [Adhesive Gland Secretion] and a [Tough Vine Tendril] might jury-rig a makeshift grip for a broken hilt.
  • Aesthetic: Organic, slightly repulsive, or temporary. Healing scabs, bulging grafts, visible root systems.
  • Consequence: The [Bio-Grip] might offer good adhesion but requires occasional Hydration or could decay over time.
• Psionic Jury-Rigging:
  • Process: Using raw, unstable psionic force to temporarily enhance or mend an object. A strong act of Willpower or an innate Ability to [Force Mend] might briefly restore Durability to a breaking tool.
  • Aesthetic: Shimmering auras, faint crackling energy, a brief flash of light. Unstable, ephemeral.
  • Consequence: The [Temporary Mend] offers immediate relief but is highly unreliable, with a high chance of the object failing catastrophically after a few uses, potentially with psychic backlash.
• Interpersonal Jury-Rigging:
  • Process: Not a physical modification, but a social one. Convincing or coercing an NPC to help with a quick fix, or borrowing a specialized tool from them. “My gun’s jammed, can you give me a hand?”
  • Aesthetic: Trust, obligation, or fear. The modification exists not in the object, but in the social contract behind it.
  • Consequence: The [Favored Fix] might be perfectly functional, but it incurs a [Social Debt] with the NPC, creating a future Goal to repay it, or risking a new Conflict.

Tier 2: The Technician’s Tune-Up (Mastery)

Philosophy: This is the domain of the specialist. The goal is precision, reliability, and dedicated function. The technician works with blueprints and schematics, creating specialized Augments that are designed to fit perfectly into an item’s Affinity Slots. The focus shifts to understanding the intricate workings of specific technological or biological systems.

The Stations: A Weapon Smithy, an Armor Bench, an Electronics Station, a Genetic Sequencer, an Attunement Chamber.

The Process:

• Crafting Augments: The technician first crafts the modification itself as a separate object. A [4x Combat Scope], an [Ablative Armor Plate], a [Recoil Compensator]. The quality of this Augment is determined by the technician’s skill and the materials used.

• Installation: The technician then brings the base item and the Augment to the appropriate station. The process of installation is a skill check that, if successful, permanently and reliably attaches the Augment.

• The Flavors of Augmentation: The nature of the Augment is defined by its Archetype:

  • Mechanical Augmentation (The Engineer’s Precision):
    • Aesthetic: Clean lines, integrated circuits, polished metal. Fits seamlessly into the base object.
    • Examples: A calibrated [Laser Sight] that improves accuracy. A [Gyro-Stabilizer] that reduces recoil. A [Reinforced Exo-Frame] on apparel.
    • Mechanics: Provides reliable, numerical bonuses to attributes or Skill|Skills, or new Ability|Abilities. Requires Power or Maintenance.
  • Biological Augmentation (The Bio-Engineer’s Graft):
    • Aesthetic: Organic, living, often subtly shifting. Grafts of specialized tissue, symbiotic growths.
    • Examples: A symbiotic [Tracker Spore] launcher grafted to a weapon, allowing shots to tag enemies. A [Chitinous Sub-Dermal Weave] for armor. [Bio-Luminescent Organs] for apparel.
    • Mechanics: May provide Regeneration or Self-Repair, or new Ability|Abilities tied to biological functions. May require Nutrient input or be vulnerable to Disease.
  • Psionic Augmentation (The Resonator’s Imbuement):
    • Aesthetic: Glowing crystals, shimmering energy fields, faint, ethereal light. Often silent and visually subtle.
    • Examples: An [Attunement Crystal] slotted into a sword’s pommel, causing the blade to deal psychic damage. A [Will-Amplifier Matrix] for apparel. [Eidic Dampening Field] for a shield.
    • Mechanics: Consumes Willpower or draws from local Eidos resonance. May provide Psychic Resistance or Psionic Abilities. Can induce Psychic Strain if overused.
  • Interpersonal Augmentation (The Social Signature):
    • Aesthetic: Not a physical component, but a social signature permanently associated with the object, often manifested through unique craftsmanship, rare materials, or legendary provenance.
    • Examples: An [Honor Guard's Insignia] embroidered onto armor (increases Reputation with authority). A [Master Artisan's Signature] on a tool (increases Trust from other crafters). A [Ceremonial Binding] on a weapon (increases Intimidation against specific enemy types).
    • Mechanics: Modifies social attributes, Belief formation rates (e.g., makes others more likely to Believe your assertions), or Reputation with certain Faction|Factions.

Tier 3: The Synthesist’s Heresy (Systems)

Philosophy: The creator has transcended personal craft. They are no longer just a technician; they are a heretical artist who actively seeks to break the rules of design, to fuse the incompatible, and to create hybrid artifacts that defy categorization. This is the most dangerous and powerful form of modification, creating objects that bridge cosmological and technological divides.

The Station: A high-tech Universal Interface Jig or an esoteric Eidic Forge, complex stations designed for analysis, re-patterning, and paradoxical integration.

The Process: The Art of Synthesis This is where the Modifier actively rewrites the “source code” of an object.

• Creating New Affinities: A Master Synthesist can attempt to add a new Affinity Slot to an object that was not designed for it. They might use a [Plasma Torch] and a high Engineering skill to carefully machine an optic rail onto a simple shotgun, allowing it to accept Tier 2 Augments. This is a complex Craft skill check, with a chance to damage the base item.

• Forcing the Hybrid (Cross-Archetype Fusion): The ultimate expression of this art is the fusion of Archetypes. This is a high-risk, high-reward process that can produce unique Artifacts or catastrophic failures. The interplay of Archetypes generates unique and often paradoxical effects.

  • Mechanical-Biological Hybridization (The Living Machine):

    • Example: Grafting a living, symbiotic [Oculoid Beast] (Biological) onto a Hegemonic Marksman Rifle (Mechanical).
    • Process: Requires a [Bio-Integration Chamber]. Skill checks involve careful surgical precision and genetic splicing.
    • Success: The “Whispering Eye Rifle,” an Artifact that grants bonuses to Perception and automatically highlights enemy weak points, but now has a SustenanceNeed and must be fed. It might also randomly project the Oculoid’s Fear Eidos into the environment.
    • Failure: The integration fails. The Oculoid dies, its bio-acidic death throes melting the rifle’s barrel and rendering it useless.

  • Mechanical-Psionic Hybridization (The Haunted Engine):

    • Example: Using a [Krystallos Grief-Shard] (Psionic) to supercharge a starship’s [Plasma Injector] (Mechanical).
    • Process: Performed at an [Eidic Forge]. Skill checks involve manipulating raw Eidos resonance and channeling psychic energies.
    • Success: The ship’s engines now burn hotter and faster, gaining a [Psychic Boost] to speed, but the engine room is haunted by a palpable aura of [Grief], potentially causing a [Morale] debuff to any crew working nearby. It might also periodically attract [Eidic Echoes].
    • Failure: The uncontrolled emotional energy overloads the injector’s containment, causing a devastating engine explosion.

  • Biological-Psionic Hybridization (The Sentient Garden):

    • Example: Imbuing a [Mycelial Chorus Node] (Biological) with focused Willpower (Psionic) to make it a sentient, psychic protector.
    • Process: Requires a [Dream-Weaver's Manse] or a [Psionic Cultivation Pool]. Skill checks involve Psionics and Cultivation.
    • Success: The [Guardian Spore-Mind], a living organism that automatically defends a specified area with psionic attacks, and can communicate simple Beliefs to attuned individuals. It is a powerful, self-aware plant.
    • Failure: The psychic energy overwhelms the biological host, causing it to grow into a [Tumorous Abomination] that drains local Eidos and spreads [Madness] to nearby agents.

  • Interpersonal-Any Hybridization (The Social Catalyst):

    • Example: Infusing a [Hegemonic Data-Slate] (Mechanical) with the Eidos of a Benevolent Leader’s [Sacrifice] (Interpersonal).
    • Process: Requires a [Propaganda Loom] or a [Charisma Chamber]. Skill checks involve Rhetoric and Socialization.
    • Success: The [Icon of Unity], a data-slate that, when broadcast, dramatically increases the Morale and Trust of a population and can convert Dissenters to a common Faith. It is a piece of technology imbued with collective will.
    • Failure: The conflicting narratives cause a [Memetic Backlash], making the data-slate produce [Cognito-Hazards] that trigger Narrative Dissonance and social Conflict in anyone who reads them.

Modification & Enhancement is a discipline that tells a story of evolution. It is the process by which a simple object, through the hands of a desperate scavenger, a master technician, and a visionary heretic, can be repaired, perfected, and ultimately reborn as something the universe has never seen before.