I had a thought while reading the armory section of the rule book.

Since mechadendrite are attached to the cyber-mantle, which the book implies is under the skin. "as you gain more implants, this mantle acts as a sub-dermal anchorage point (pg.366),does this mean they are basicly plugged in through ports and shunts in the skin and then bolted onto the shoulder or sternum? And if so is there any reason that an exploritor could not have a collection of mechadendrite and just put on the aproprite one as needed ("The capitan just sounded general quarters, better help me get the utility, manipulator and optical mechadendrite on."). Come to think of it, that would also have the advantage of being able to leave them off totally in situations where he had to deal with primitive superstitious folk.

Thoughts?

-Erich

As I understand it, mechadendrites are not removable. These are not mere tools. Its a blessing of the Machine-God surgically implanted. If you need an equivalent to removable mechadendrites, use servo-skull with MIU (I have an explorator NPC designed for social interaction who favors the servo-skull/MIU combination over mechadendrites).

It depend on the type of the mechadendrite, some can easy repleace others are difficult or impossible.

I see no problem with it. Though you might require a detachable model to be of Best craftsmanship.

Umm, MIU?

Sorry I haven't compleatly read the rules yet and the term is unfamiler to me.

-Erich

Erich said:

'Mind Impulse Unit' if I remember correctly.

In my campaign Mechadendrites are removable with a combi-tool, enough time (a few minutes (ie. not in combat)) and eventually some help by someone with Tech-Use (especially for the back-mounted ones). As with the '(un)-removable respirator' topic, I do not get where the notion of 'unremovable' regarding Tech-Priests come from. They are humans after all, even if heavily augmented ones. They most probably need sleep like anyone else and I suppose it is rather difficult to sleep with two sternum-mounted and two shoulder-mounted Mechadendrites...

Luthor Harkon said:

I could see some sort of vertical-posture sleep sling for those whose implants make laying down unfeasable. Or, if they're on a spaceship, simply a chamber in which the grav plating has been turned off, so a sleeper may float gently tethered to a sleep cradle. Or they could augment up their brain so they can sleep Space Marine style, one hemisphere at a time.

The flesh is weak , and mere human limitations will not be tolerated in seeking out the perfection of the Omnissiah.

Mechadendrites would be removable in the same sence that a car's axle can be removed. It can be done but the amount of things it is attached to make it improbable. And don't forget how much ritual is involved, starting up a computer would take at least 2+ minutes of mumbling incantations and one press of the button, attaching a mechadendrite would doubtless have hours if not days of ritual as you are 'joining' it to the tech-priest, plus remember what the tech is like, they don't have fancy wire clips like we do, plug-and-play is not really around.

Mechadendrites are basicly another limb to a tech-priest, to him removing it will be like one of us being willing to remove an arm just because the native's are suspicious of right arms. The visibility and akwardness of their augmentations is part of the drawbacks from the career (though they would never see it that way), just as playing a psyker will make people not trust you because of all your symbol's and holy seals tech-priests have the same issues (though less warented than the distrust of psykers).

As to sleeping and rest, In one of the Gaunts Ghosts books I seem to remember a tech-priest using her mechadendrite as a kind of support chair, leaning her weight against it to rest. The augmentation in their bodies and brains (they all have at least some, just not all are 'stat' worthy augments) possibly allow them to 'sleep cycle' like a computer, it may seem inhuman but being more like a machine is what they strive for.

But again its a roleplaying game and rules/lore can be bent or broken as much as you want in your own games. If you want tech-priests to have snap on limbs you can let them, they would just be extremely rare if even fesable in the actual lore.

Any mechadendrite can be removed..... ONCE! The BAD way....

Humour aside, there is the question of motive. Not many Techpriests would even contemplate the removal of implants once they are installed, unless the dendrite's machine spirit was especially grouchy and requires extraordinary appeasement and repairs.