Implants

Implants are a new type of magical item, originally introduced in the Eberron material as grafts, but are now using the rules for implants out of the Technology Guide by Paizo. The implants introduced in the Technology Guide were all based around cybernetics and technology. However, the implants detailed here are still considered magical items for the purposes of Detect Magic and many other effects. What makes implants different then other magical items is that they must be implanted onto the recipient through surgery and this surgery has a mandatory requirement that the recipient looses the equivalent body part(s) and replaces it with the implant. Whether or not the recipient is already missing the necessary body part or if it is removed during the process of implanting the implant is unimportant. Both are equally valid options for getting an implant. Once attached, the implant is considered to be part of the recipient . Before the surgery can even begin, however, the implant itself must be obtained from an intact donor. The specifics of the donor, including the creature type, are detailed in the specific implant's entry.

For obvious reasons, creatures with the incorporeal and swarm subtypes cannot receive implants.

Definitions

Each implant has the following stat block of information:

Price: # gp; Slot: ??; Type: ??; Weight: # lb; Install DC: ##; Implantation Value: ##

Aura: ??; CL: #th;

Special Notes / Rules: Implants

Source: ??, pg. ##

Description: ??

Construction:

Craft DC: ##; Cost: ## gp

Requirements: Craft Implant ()

Donor Requirement: ??

The definitions of this stat block are:

Price: The price to purchase an implant. It is important to note that this price does not cover the cost of installation. The price of a guaranteed installation is 10% of the implant's price.

Slot: The part of the body into which the implant is placed. A single slot can only ever hold a single implant. Implant slots are separate from normal magical item slots and do not count as being used for the purposes of worn magical items.

Type: The type of implant. While all of the implants listed in the Technology Guide would be considered type: cybernetic for the purpose of this comparison, many of the implants listed here react differently based on what other types of implants you already have. Some implants have subtypes, like outsider (air), which would be the same as the type and subtype as the donor creature.

Weight: The weight of the implant. Once implanted, this does not count against the recipient's encumbrance or maximum load.

Install DC: The DC for the Heal check needed to successfully install the implant. This is usually equal to 20 + twice the Implantation Value + a flat modifier for the slot the implant uses (usually +0 for the body, +2 for arms or legs, +3 for the head, +6 for the eyes or ears, +8 or higher for the brain).

Implantation Value: A numerical value detailing how invasive the implant is. The higher the number, the more invasive. The Implantation Value determines the time taken and the difficulty in installing or removing implants. This ranges from 0 for purely cosmetic or extremely minor implants, 1-4 for standard implants, 5-8 for complicated implants to 10 or more for extreme implants.

Aura: The magical aura of an implant. This functions exactly like other magical auras.

Caster Level (CL): The caster level of the magical.

Special Notes / Rules: Any other important notes or rules about the implant.

Source: The source material that the original implant entry came from.

Description: The description of the implant.

Construction: The process of creating the implant.

Craft DC: The base DC to create or identify the implant. Creating the implant is either a Heal check or a Craft check. Identifying an implant still requires Detect Magic or a similar effect, but uses the same Knowledge skill as to identify the original donor creature, not Spellcraft.

Cost: The cost to create the implant. This is usually 25% of the price of the implant.

Requirements: The listing of any feats, spell or other requirements to create the implant.

Donor Requirement: The mandatory talismanic cost of the implant, being described as a specific intact body part of the a creature.

Creation

The process to create a implant is quite possibly the most involved of all of the complex item creation options.

Feats

All implants are obtained from specific donor creatures and require the Craft Implant feat with the appropriate creature type available, as per the number of ranks in the associated Knowledge skill. Thus, in order to make implants from plant creatures, the creator must have the Craft Implant feat and 5 ranks in Knowledge: Nature, while creating implants from deathless creatures require the Craft Implant feat and 5 ranks in Knowledge: Religion.

Price

The base price of a implant is calculated normally, given the specific benefits of the implant. The final cost of a implant does not include the cost a guaranteed successful surgery, which is equal to 10% of the final price.

Cost

The cost in raw materials needed to create an implant is usually only 25% of the base price, plus the talismanic cost, which is the intact donor material. The only exception is certain undead, deathless and construct implants. Assuming the donor material is appropriate, these types of implants can be made with both the appropriate Craft Implant feat and either the appropriate spells and, in the case of construct implants, the Craft Construct feat. The construction cost for implants made in this fashion is the normal half of the base price because the donor material is new and not 'seasoned' with experiences. The creator does not have to spend the money to create an entire new creature, but does have to pay for any material components that would normally be used in the effects to create the creature, like material components for Create Deathless or any of the spells used to create a golem. All of the construction costs listed are assumed that the effort was made to track down and capture a donor, not create one from scratch.

Talismanic Cost

The talismanic cost of a implant is the specific body part(s) of the required creature or creature type mentioned in the specific implant's entry, listed as Donor Requirement. In order to be considered intact, the body part(s) must be removed from a willing or helpless creature that satisfies the donor requirement and is at full health (full hit points, no attribute damage or drain, no condition effects) through the use of the Heal skill, not through combat. This process has two steps: capture and harvesting.

Capture starts with tracking down and finding the appropriate donor. Then, in most cases, it requires engaging the donor and capturing it alive and intact. In theory, it is possible to simply convince the donor to submit to having a significant part of its body removed, but given the extreme rarity of that event, most implant surgeons hire experienced adventurers to find and capture live specimens for future use. Occasionally, implant surgeons will also have the skills to create the exact type of undead, deathless or construct creature and then immediately harvest it for the purpose of the implant. This bypasses the talismanic cost and provides a much more expensive, if safer, route. Creatures that have been summoned do not satisfy this requirement as the donor material disappears shortly after it is removed from the donor.

Harvesting is how the creator gets the donor material. In order to safely remove the material from the donor creature, the donor creature must be at full health (hit points, attribute damage or drain, most conditions) and is either willing or helpless. It takes a Heal check with a DC equal to Create DC and a number of hours equal to the Implantation Value. Harvesting from constructs can be done with an appropriate Craft check instead of a Heal check. You cannot take 10 or 20 on this kind of check, but you can retry so long as you do not fail the check by 5 or more. If you do fail by 5 or more, the donor creature dies and the donor material is useless. The donor creature permanently looses the material being taken. If it is important, the donor creature suffers Constitution damage equal to twice the Implantation Value. Undead and deathless donors take Charisma damage instead, while construct donors without a Constitution score loos permanent hit points equal their 1/2 their Hit Dice times the Implantation Value, minimum of 1/2 their Hit Dice. Taking donor material from a unwilling, helpless and sentient creature is considered an evil act.

Time

The time required to make an implant is the typical 1,000 gp per day of the base price. This does not include the time required for the surgery.

Process

Assuming the necessary donor material has been acquired, enchanting an implant uses the same process as making any other magical item.

Surgery

Once created, an implant needs to be installed using the rules for implantation out of the Technology Guide. The surgeon takes a number of hours equal to the Implantation Value of the implant and makes a Heal check against the Install DC of the item. During this time, the patient takes an amount of Constitution damage equal to the Implantation Value of the item. If the implant replaces one or more vital body parts, the patient's original body part is also permanently removed. If the check is successful, the patient now has the implant installed. It is possible to retry this check, but the patient suffers the same amount of Constitution damage per check. The surgeon cannot install an implant into himself unless the implant uses the arms or legs body slot, in which case, the surgeon takes a -5 penalty to the Heal check.

Removing an implant takes the same amount of time and causes the same Constitution damage as implanting it, but the surgeon gets a +10 bonus to the Heal check. Removing an implant from a deceased host does not require a check, but takes a number of rounds equal to the Implantation Value.

Implantation Value & Implant Types

The Technology Guide introduced a mechanic called Implantation Value to determine the maximum number of implants a single character can have. While only one implant can be placed into each body slot, the total Implantation Value of all implants cannot exceed the host's Constitution or Intelligence. If it does, all implants immediately cease functioning and the character takes a -4 penalty to all saving throws. If the host does not have a Constitution or Intelligence score, it can still benefit implants, provided that the total Implantation Value does not exceed the one remaining attribute. If a host does not have either a Constitution or Intelligence score, it cannot benefit from implants.

Unlike the information for cybernetic implants, the material presented here covers multiple different types of implants. If the recipient has an implant in the Body slot, he counts as both his own creature type and subtype, as well as the donor creature's type and subtype for the purposes of effects. If an effect would apply differently based on a specific creature type or subtype, whomever initiated the effect can choose whether the recipient is treated as his own type and subtype or that of Body implant. Other individual parts of the recipient's body that have implants are considered to be the donor's creature type and subtype of the donor only if targeted with a called shot, with the exception of implants in the Brain slot, which do not count as the donor's creature type or subtype.

For each different creature type implanted beyond the first, the recipient suffers a permanent -1 to Fortitude and Will saves, until the additional creature types of implants are removed. Thus, someone with two construct implants, a plant implant and an outsider implant would have a -2 to Fortitude and Will saves for two additional creature types attached beyond the first creature type.

Limb and Organ Loss

When installing an implant, the original body part of the recipient is lost or heavily modified so that the original function of the body part is not restored if the implant is later removed without the effect of a Regeneration spell or similar effect. If the implant is removed and the original body part is not immediately restored, treat this as a permanent debilitating blow to the appropriate body part, as per the Called Shot rules. Any related saving throws use the Install DC of the implant.

Use

Implants are used much like other slotless magical items, with some unusual benefits and complications, detailed below.

Benefits

All implants have the following benefits.

As One: All implants have the standard benefit of As One, as per Special Rules.

Dispel Immunity: All implants have the standard benefit of Dispel Immunity, as per Special Rules.

Magic Weapon: All implants that can be used as a weapon have the standard benefit of Magic Weapon, as per Special Rules.

Complications

All implants have the following complications.

Limited Transformation: All implants have the standard complication of Limited Transformation, as per Special Rules.

Locked Benefits: All implants have the standard complication of Locked Benefits, as per Special Rules.

Locked Size: All implants have the standard complication of Locked Size, as per Special Rules.

Implanting Other Items

Some enchanted items can be implanted without the need for the Craft Implant feat, provided that they meet the following requirements.

Feats Used: Craft Wondrous Item only. No other item creation feats can be used in the creation of the magical item.

Slot Used: Only slotless items can be implanted.

Weight: Nothing (i.e. those listed with a weight of '-').

Usage: Only magical items that do not require any manipulation, which includes wielding, of the object or for the object to leave the wearer for any reason can be implanted.

Effect: Only magical items that provide a constant effect or an effect that does not require destruction of the item can be implanted.

If the desired item meets these requirements, the surgery to implant it takes 1 hour, has a Install DC of 20 and deals 1 point of Constitution damage. The implanted item does not take up a body slot and has an Implantation Value of 0, but has all of the other benefits and complications of other implanted items, listed above. The actual creation of the enchanted item remains exactly the same.

Designing New Implants

Designing a new implant is much like designing a new magical item. The pricing formula for designing new wondrous items is used as the basis for determining the implant's cost. Setting the spells and caster level (or powers and manifester level) is subject to a bit more flexibility, but should stay within the rough guidelines of the wondrous item formula. Once you have decided what the implant will accomplish and the implant's price, you will then need to select the body slot or slots that the implant will use. Typical body slots include the Arm (one or more), Legs (two or more), Ears, Eyes, Body, Head, and Brain. Once the body slot has been determined, you will then to set the Implantation Value, using the below table as your guide. If the implant is unusually complex or simple, adjust the Implantation Value up or down by 1 or 2 points, as appropriate. Once the Implantation Value has been determined, the Install DC is equal to 20 + twice the Implantation Value + a flat modifier based on the body slot used. The Craft DC is equal to 20 + the Implantation Value. Again, adjust these DCs as appropriate, by as much as +/- 5.

Once the Install and Craft DCs have been determined, you must determine the type of donor creature and body that is needed for the implant. This is mostly determined by the nature and effect of the implant, but also determines the creature type and necessary requirements for the Craft Implant feat as well as the difficulty in acquiring the donor material. If the donor material is significantly difficult to obtain (compared to other implants already listed), consider reducing the implant's cost by 5-10%. The weight of the implant is proportionate weight of the donor material (largely inconsequential). The construction cost of the implant is 25% of the implant's price. If the donor material can be created through methods other than capturing and harvesting, then the standard option for paying the normal 50% of the implant's price applies.

Examples

The original grafts in the Eberron source material have been converted to implants and can be found in Implants & Symbionts.