I was just thinking of nasty things I could do to the tech-priest in our group, and I had a thought:

What if the group was lured into a position where an electro-magnet was concealed in the ceiling? You know the sort used to lift cars around the junk-yard. The powerful things that easily lift a several-tonne heavy metal thing. Would it work on a tech-priest composed of more metal then flesh?

Would it do more than just "glue" him to the ceiling? (or wall, floor, whatever) Would it mess with his electronics?

Considering many techpriests pride themselves on the robustness of their systems, I'd assume that any electromagnet capable of doing more than "glueing" them to the wall (which, by the way, would rely on the techpriest using ferrous metals in his implants, which isn't assured either) would be about equally harmful to non-techpriests (though they might compensate for the increased toughness of a techpriest). Strong electromagnetic waves aren't exactly healthy.

Darth Smeg said:

The metals used by tech-priests might not be magnetic, I think.

egalor said:

Some of them would have to be - afterall, many Tech-Priests use their implants to generate and manipulate magnetic fields...

...which of course gives them a convenient means of trying to defend against the use of electromagnets against them - a Tech-Priest with the right implants and training can manipulate the fields safely.

You could always have the magnet interfere with their inhibition unit, ala Bender from Futurama. Though that is neither Grim nor Dark.

Agmar_Strick said:

Surely that depends on what a given Tech-Priest's inhibitions are...

Rather down to a judgement call on the GMs part. A Magos Biologis can make a pretty good argument that they are mostly meat. A Secutor... *CLANG! Stuck-to-magnet*

You might use "Do they have the Machine trait?" as a means of determining if they are susceptible. In my case I think the answer would have to be "Yes, it works on the Techpriest/cyborg if the plot requires it to." Of course I would also allow a quick thinking Tech Priest player to attempt desperately-heroic uses of their own magnetic-mastery style implants and talents to help overcome the problem.

If Futurama is inappropriate for the 41st millenium then apparently I am doing something wrong in my game. We have both a TB7 Tech Priest with Dragonscale armour implanted AND a full-cyber-rez Guardsman in our group (they are obviously the "unsubtle" part of the team) and it is rare for there to not be a moment in the game where "Bite my shiny metal ass!" does not get uttered by someone, usually OOC, but on a few appropriate occasions....

I think i'd invoke the 'hand-wavium' clause and take the route that Kyle Reece took in Terminator...

**************

Terminator

Dr. Silberman: Why didn't you bring any weapons, something more advanced? Don't you have, uh, ray guns? Show me a piece of future technology.

Kyle Reese: You go naked. Something about the field generated by a living organism. Nothing dead will go.

Dr. Silberman: Why?

Kyle Reese: I didn't build the ******* thing!

Dr. Silberman: Okay, okay. But this cyborg, if it's metal...

Kyle Reese: Surrounded by living tissue!

**************

So simply say that the interaction between the Tech Priest and his technology, coupled with advanced EMP hardening and inherently non-magnetic components, the 'big magnet' thing doesn't worry the average Tech Priest...

A big electromagnet should work (initially) on most tech priests. The real fun kicks in when they bring in their own tech control and mag level powers to counter it and change things up. Any magos worthy of his title should be able to think of at least one way of turning a powerful EM field and electrical current to his advantage.

Any tech priest with Mechanicus Implants also has Electoo Inductors- which can emit or siphon power out of something, thats just a base abiltity.

Well, least if he bothered to read the fine-print on the implant box at some point... if not, punish the noob.

While it certainly would play havoc with the delicate computer components the bulk of Mechanicus implants and described as being heavily Plas-Steel. So most likely the EM would muck up fine motor skills and higher mental functions but not actually stick the TP to the magnet. Plus as was stated before, most TP pick up one if not more abilites to manipulate magnetic fields.

But if the plot demands a TP stuck to a magnet while the group needs to figure out how to free him, during a firefight of course, then that what the plot calls for.

Any tech priest with Mechanicus Implants also has Electoo Inductors- which can emit or siphon power out of something, thats just a base abiltity.

Well, least if he bothered to read the fine-print on the implant box at some point... if not, punish the noob.

Just as any guardsman starts with muscles which can dodge twice per combat round. It still needs a talent for proper use, like the talents with the prerequisite "mechanicus implants". "Emit or siphon power out of something" is luminem charge and drain. Not base abilities.

But all in all implants dont have to be terribly magnetic. You could easliy build an electromagnet which does next to nothing when turned off and the rest can be armaplas or somethign not so affected by magnets. Which would make lots of sense seeing as how tech priests play with magnetism all the time, it'd be a shame to acidentally your whole spine.

While it certainly would play havoc with the delicate computer components the bulk of Mechanicus implants and described as being heavily Plas-Steel. So most likely the EM would muck up fine motor skills and higher mental functions but not actually stick the TP to the magnet. Plus as was stated before, most TP pick up one if not more abilites to manipulate magnetic fields.

But if the plot demands a TP stuck to a magnet while the group needs to figure out how to free him, during a firefight of course, then that what the plot calls for.

Tech priests regularly manipulate magnetic fields strong enough to lift them of the ground, are you telling me they aren't shielded against disruptions of fine motor skills and higher mental functions? Does not compute.

Given that the explicit detail is...lacking on the implants, I'd say 'given no opportunity to compensate', the tech-priest can indeed be affected by an electromagnet. Work out roughly what portion of him is bionic and use that as a factor for figuring out vaguely ferromagnetic aspects.

Given that I always figured a tech-priest's higher toughness and wounds is linked to their augmentation (certainly via things like autosanguine), I'd say that making opposed tests of 'Magnetic Strength' versus 'Cybernetic Toughness [robustness/insulation', you can probably just test against the TP's toughness (with modifiers based on how strong, unexpected etc the situation is). An Int/Tech-Use test might be permitted to see if the TP can properly manage his augmentations to compensate for magnetic effects (certainly if he has ferric or maglev talents).

It's an interesting bit for a bit of 'pseudotechnical gaming', or at least permitting the techpriest to really be challenged (and to opt for viable solutions) with his bionics in more than just the normal/currently-ruled ways. Quite fun, I imagine, too!