I just rolled an Explorator and thought I hit the jackpot with a good quality Cortex Implant giving me the Unnatural Intelligence trait.

My first impression was that Unnatural Intelligence doubles the int bonus and gives +2 extra degrees of success for any successful int based skill test. But, looking at the description this is clearly not the case. The extra +2 degrees of success is only for Opposed Charateristic Tests. Opposed Intelligence tests?? When (if ever) is this check appropriate? I have played Dark Heresy for a long while, and never been in a situation where this came up, and it doesn't seem to be any different in Rogue Trader.

Also, in the description of the good quality Cortex Implant it states that it ".. performs all the functions of a cogitator system". So what does this mean? In the Inquisitors Handbook I found a small note on Personal Cogitators which says they give a +10 bonus on relevant tests, without any further details.

There is another implant called a Calculus Logi Upgrade which is an "Internal cogitator implant" and gives +10 to Literacy, Logic and Scholastic Lore Tests. So does the cortex implant include one of these? Since it isn't mentioned I guess it doesn't. So then, what does the cogitator do? Is it just a roleplaying prop

All this leaves me with the impression that the Cortex Implant which sounds like some serious general purpose brain augumentation seems to have it's only practical effect on first aid tests. Not on Tech-use, Logic, Lore etc. So why isn't it called a "Medicae-something" if this was the intended purpose?

At least I think I understand why it comes with 1D10 insanity points, because I'm feeling pretty confused ;-)

Well it does double your init bonus. Which isn't as good as say doubling your TB, SB or AB. It does help in healing. Many healing tests heal IB in damage, and you get the skill rank 2, and an advance for the next 3 ranks..... (I'm not aware of other uses for IB, but every DH group I was in wanted an adept or tech priest for healing for this very reason.) Certainly it sounds like you also get calculus logic upgrade as well.

One of the things I'm confused about is why the text for Unnatural Characteristic in the Rogue Trader rulebook did not include the additional benefit described in The Inquisitor's Handbook.

Per The Inquisitor's Handbook, an Unnatural Characteristic provides three benefits:

• Multiplies the bonus of that characteristic by an amount determined by the trait (most commonly x2), for all situations except for calculating movement distances.
• Grants a number of bonus degrees of success on opposed test using that characteristic by an amount equal to the multiplier (+2 DoS for a x2 Unnatural Characteristic).
• Makes all skill tests reliant on that characteristic one or more steps easier (one step easier for x2, two steps for x3, and so forth)

The third of these was not, for reasons I cannot discern, included within the text for those traits in the Rogue Trader rulebook.

If you actually look a couple of paragraphs before the "Personal Cogitator" stuff, you'll see which skills it assists with.

MILLANDSON said:

That's separate from the bonuses granted by an Unnatural Characteristic, though.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

I know. Just that he said that he didn't know what the "cogitator" part of the implant meant.