In the gritty, "retro-future" environments of Orbital 2100 and Hostile, technology is usually bulky, industrial, and prone to breaking. Bio Power Armor in these settings isn't a sleek superhero suit; it’s a terrifying, high-maintenance experimental fusion of corporate genetic engineering and heavy hydraulics.
Below are three specialized bio-armor suits designed for the 2d6/Cepheus Engine mechanics used in these games.
1. The "Mycelium" Siege Suit (Bio-Exoskeleton)
Developed by secret labs in the Jovian moon system, this suit uses a fungal-synthetic hybrid "nervous system" to increase reaction speeds beyond human limits.
Setting Fit: Orbital 2100 (Experimental Luna/Earth Special Ops).
Protection: Armor 10 (Full Body).
Performance: +2 to STR and DEX checks while active.
Bio-Feature (Photosynthetic Skin): On moons with high radiation or if exposed to direct sunlight, the suit filters and recycles 50% of its oxygen, doubling its air supply duration.
The "Kink": The suit’s fungal fibers must be kept at a specific temperature. If the internal heaters fail (requires a Troubleshooting check), the fungus goes dormant, freezing the suit’s joints and trapping the wearer inside until it is thawed.
2. Weyland-Style "Chitin" Commando Plate
A product of Hostile’s brutal corporate warfare, this suit uses force-grown crustacean plates reinforced with carbon nanotubes. It looks less like a machine and more like a giant, upright insect.
Setting Fit: Hostile (Corporate Extraction Teams / Marine Heavy Support).
Protection: Armor 12 (Heavy).
Performance: +4 STR (allows the use of "Vehicle Scale" weapons like a 20mm Auto-cannon without a tripod).
Bio-Feature (Adrenaline Gland): Once per combat, the suit can inject the user with a bio-cocktail. The user gains an extra Action for one round but must make a Stamina (END) check afterward or suffer 1D6 damage from heart strain.
The "Kink": The suit is semi-sentient. When the wearer is under high Stress, the suit may enter a "Feeding Response," forcing the user to attack the nearest target (friend or foe) unless a Difficult (-2) INT check is passed.
3. The "Parasite" EVA Rig
A lightweight, skin-tight bio-suit used by asteroid "tunnel rats." It isn't a hard shell; it's an extra layer of muscle and skin that grafts onto the wearer's own ports.
Setting Fit: Orbital 2100 or Hostile (Asteroid Miners / Belt Spies).
Protection: Armor 6 (Flexible).
Performance: +1 DEX. No "Clumsy" penalties for Zero-G maneuvers.
Bio-Feature (Neural Link): The suit provides a +2 DM to all Recon or Perception checks by "tasting" the air for chemical shifts and feeling vibrations through the floorboards.
The "Kink": It "eats" what you eat. To maintain the suit, the wearer must consume double rations. If the wearer goes hungry, the suit begins absorbing the wearer’s muscle mass, dealing 1 point of STR damage per day.
In the world of Hostile and Orbital 2100, bio-weapons aren't just tools—they are parasitic or symbiotic organs grafted directly into the suit's neural and circulatory systems. They don't use magazines; they use the suit's (or the pilot's) nutrients and chemical reserves.
Integrated Bio-Weapon Systems
| Weapon | Range | Damage | Special Effect |
| Serrated Bone-Spike | Melee | 2D6+STR | AP 4. Can be retracted into the forearm. |
| Caustic Bile-Sprayer | 5m | 3D6 | Acid. Continues to deal 1D6 damage for 2 rounds. |
| Neuro-Toxin Harpoon | 15m | 1D6 | Paralysis. Target must pass an END check (10+) or be stunned. |
| Myothermic Pulse | 3m | 2D6 | Stun. A bio-electric shock. Ignores non-insulated armor. |
| Serrated Shard-Launcher | 30m | 3D6 | Fragmenting. Uses "Bone-Seed" ammo that regrows over 24 hours. |
1. The "Wasp" Shard-Launcher
This weapon consists of a honeycomb-like protrusion on the shoulder or forearm. It fast-fires calcified, needle-thin shards of bone.
Bio-Function: The launcher "grows" its ammunition. It has a capacity of 10 shots.
Regeneration: It regrows 1 shot every 2 hours. The user can "force" a reload by taking 1 point of STR damage to regrow the clip in 10 minutes.
The Mess: On a "Natural 2" hit roll, the launcher jams as a shard shatters inside the housing, requiring a Difficult Medical check to clear the organic debris.
2. The "Viper" Acid Gland
A specialized sac located in the chest or palm that pressurized and sprays a concentrated digestive enzyme.
Bio-Function: This acid is designed to melt through bulkheads and heavy plating. It ignores the first 5 points of any non-biological armor.
The Mess: If the suit takes a critical hit to the torso, the gland may rupture. The wearer takes 1D6 acid damage internally every round until they can flush the system.
3. "The Lash" (Neural Filament)
A 3-meter long, whip-like tentacle tipped with a sensory-overload barb.
Bio-Function: Instead of physical trauma, it delivers a massive electrical and chemical jolt to the target’s nervous system.
Mechanical Effect: Targets hit by the Lash take a -2 DM to all actions for 1D6 rounds due to excruciating neural feedback.
The Mess: The Lash is semi-autonomous. If a target isn't designated every few minutes, the Lash may start "sampling" nearby objects—or allies—out of curiosity.
4. "Cysts" (Living Grenades)
Bulbous, pulsating growths on the suit’s thighs or belt area that can be plucked and thrown.
Bio-Function: These come in three types: Spore (Smoke/Obscurity), Viral (Toxin gas), and Concussion (Rapid gas expansion).
Regeneration: These are expensive to grow. A suit can only support 3 "Cysts" at a time. They take a full week to regrow unless the user consumes "Growth Stimulants" (Cr 1,000 per dose).
Installation & Compatibility
Installing these weapons is a Major Surgery.
Surgery Difficulty: Formidable (-4) Life Sciences or Medical check.
System Strain: Each bio-weapon grafted to a suit reduces the wearer’s maximum END by 1 point while the suit is donned, as the body struggles to provide nutrients to the extra organs.
Detection: Because these weapons are made of flesh and bone, they do not trigger standard metal detectors, though "Bio-Scanners" will flag the user immediately as a Class-A Biological Hazard.
In the corporate-heavy landscapes of Hostile and Orbital 2100, the company behind these controversial bio-suits is Zubrin Biotech. While other megacorps like Weyland-Yutani or Biotech Euphrates focus on androids and colonist genomes, Zubrin carved out a niche in "Tactical Symbiosis."
Corporate Profile: Zubrin Biotech (A Division of Zubrin-Gould)
Headquarters: Valles Marineris, Mars (Independent Sector)
Primary Assets: The "Garden of Gethsemane" orbital lab (Jupiter orbit), various "Nutrient Vats" on Titan.
Corporate Slogan: "Evolution, accelerated."
Dark History: The "Nectar" Incident
In 2104, Zubrin Biotech was nearly liquidated following a disaster on a Jovian mining platform. They were testing an early version of the Mycelium suit designed to help miners "interface" with the asteroid’s mineral veins. The suit’s fungal network didn't just interface; it consumed the crew, turning the station into a pulsating, organic hive.
The incident was officially blamed on "industrial sabotage," but internal memos suggest Zubrin's board was delighted by the efficiency of the "hive-mind" labor. They simply moved their operations to the fringe of the American Sector to avoid UN oversight.
Current Operations
Today, Zubrin is a "deniable" partner for many planetary governments. They provide the bio-power armor used by black-ops "Extraction Teams" and deep-space "Tunnel Rats." Their tech is often found in places where traditional electronics fail due to radiation—because a living suit doesn't short-circuit; it just gets angry.
The air in the Zubrin "Med-Bay"—a converted hydroponics shed on a rusted asteroid station—smells of ozone, copper, and something sickeningly sweet, like overripe fruit.
"Deep breaths, Contractor," the technician says. He isn't wearing a lab coat; he’s wearing a rubberized apron stained with dark, viscous fluids. He kicks a foot-switch, and the Chitin Plate suit suspended from the ceiling groans. It doesn't sound like metal; it sounds like a heavy wet rug being wrung out.
The Grafting Process
The Connection: You are strapped into a vertical rack, stripped to your undergarments. The tech moves behind you, his fingers cold as he locates the neural jacks at the base of your skull. "This is the 'tasting' phase. The suit needs to know you're worth the calories."
You feel a series of sharp, needle-like pricks along your spine. It starts as a cold tingle, then rapidly turns into a searing heat. On the monitors, your heart rate spikes to 140 BPM.
The Enveloping: The suit is lowered. The internal lining is slick, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic throb. As it touches your skin, the "hairs" on the inside—thousands of microscopic cilia—begin to latch on. It feels like a million tiny insects are walking across your body at once.
Roll for Willpower/INT (Target 8+): > * Success: You keep your breathing steady as the suit’s nervous system merges with yours.
Failure: The sensory overload is too much. You vomit inside the mask, and the suit "tastes" the bile, tightening its grip in a panicked reflex. Suffer 1 point of Stress.
The Synthesis: Suddenly, your vision flickers. You aren't seeing through your eyes anymore; you're seeing through the suit’s multi-spectrum optical sensors. The gray, dim shed explodes into a riot of heat-signatures and chemical trails. You can feel the air pressure on the hull three decks away.
"Initialization complete," the tech grunts, wiping his hands on a rag. "Don't fight the hunger. If you feel like you're starving, it's just the suit's metabolism syncing with your thyroid. Try to walk. And for God's sake, don't think about anything you don't want the suit to feel."
Your Status
Current HP: Full (but you feel a deep, aching fatigue).
Hunger Level: High. (You'll need a Nutrient Slurry dose or double rations within 4 hours).
Neural Sync: 92%. The suit feels slightly tighter on your left side—a minor calibration error.
What is your first action in the new body? * A: Test the strength of the Chitin-claws on a nearby piece of scrap metal.
B: Check the internal HUD to see what Zubrin "backdoors" are running in your brain.
C: Ask the technician why the suit is whispering in a language you don't understand.
Mission Seeds
1. The "Wet" Salvage (Hostile)
The PCs are hired by a rival corp to salvage a "High-Value Asset" from a drifting Zubrin transport ship. Upon boarding, they find the ship isn't empty—it’s alive. The ship’s internal life-support has been replaced by a massive, ship-wide bio-suit organism.
The Twist: The "Asset" is a prototype suit that has bonded with the ship’s captain. To "salvage" the suit, they have to perform surgery on a man who is currently part of the hull's nervous system.
2. The Spore-Cloud Coup (Orbital 2100)
A Lunar separatist cell has stolen several crates of Zubrin "Cysts" (the living grenades). They plan to release a mutagenic spore cloud inside a crowded Earth-orbit station to "force evolution" on the elites.
The Goal: The PCs must infiltrate the station, identify the carriers (who may be wearing Parasite Rigs under their clothes), and neutralize the spores without rupturing the organic containers.
3. Hunger Pains (Extraction)
A Zubrin-funded mercenary team went dark on a frozen moon. The PCs are sent to recover their gear. They find the mercenaries dead—but their Chitin suits are still active, walking around like mindless zombies.
The Conflict: The suits' "Feeding Response" has kept them mobile for weeks. The PCs have to fight the suits without destroying the valuable bio-components inside, all while the suits try to "recruit" the PCs as new food sources.
4. The Rogue Gene-Map
A whistleblower from Zubrin’s Titan lab has fled with a "Master Gene-Map" that proves the company is using human DNA from "disappeared" colonists to grow their armor.
The Choice: The whistleblower is hiding in a lawless asteroid belt station. Do the PCs turn him over to Zubrin for a massive payout, or help him leak the data and risk being hunted by "The Lash"—Zubrin's elite bio-assassins?
When you are dealing with Zubrin Biotech, you aren't just buying hardware; you are investing in a living relationship. Their black-market "Service Technicians" (often failed med-school students or ex-corporate gene-splicers) operate out of pressurized shipping containers in the asteroid belt or the backrooms of Martian casinos.
Zubrin Biotech: Contractor’s Price List
Item / Service Cost (Credits) Description / Usage Nutrient Slurry (Standard) Cr 500 / dose Heals 1D6 of suit "HP." Required weekly for suit survival. "Nectar" Growth Stimulant Cr 1,500 / dose Forces a Bio-Weapon to regrow in 1 hour instead of 24. Neural Buffer Shunt Cr 5,000 +2 DM to Troubleshooting rolls. Dampens painful feedback. DNA Masking Patch Cr 2,500 One-time use. Hides suit signatures from Bio-Scanners for 4 hours. Adrenal Overclock Cr 8,000 +1 DEX permanent suit upgrade. Increases food consumption x3. Anti-Rejection Serum Cr 1,000 / week Prevents the suit from grafting to the pilot's skin. Biological Maintenance & Logistics
1. The "Wet-Ware" Service (Cr 10,000)
A full biological overhaul. A Zubrin technician flushes the suit’s circulatory system, trims overgrown connective tissue, and recalibrates the neural link.
Effect: Clears all current "Kinks" or minor malfunctions. The next Troubleshooting roll is an automatic success.
Risk: There is a 1-in-6 chance the tech accidentally introduces a minor mutation (roll on the d20 Mutation Table).
2. Nutrient Consumption
Standard power armor runs on fusion cores; bio-armor runs on calories.
The "Hunger" Mechanic: For every 24 hours the suit is active without a dose of Nutrient Slurry, the pilot must consume a "Double Ration."
Starvation: If the pilot cannot provide food, the suit enters a Feeding Response. It begins consuming itself (Armor rating drops by 1 per day) or, if desperate, the pilot (1 point of STR/END damage per day).
3. Black-Market Installation (The "Back-Alley" Graft)
Installing a new Bio-Weapon (like the Viper Acid Gland) costs roughly 25% of the weapon’s value in surgeon fees.
The Zubrin Guarantee: Zubrin tech is notoriously difficult to remove. "Uninstalling" a bio-component requires a Difficult (-2) Medical check. Failure results in permanent scarring and 2D6 damage to the pilot as the organ "fights" the extraction.
Procurement Note: "The Deniable Surcharge"
Zubrin rarely deals in hard currency. Most technicians prefer "Biological Data" or "Rare Samples." * Trade-In: Bringing a technician a sample of alien tissue or a rival company's proprietary genome can reduce any price on this list by 50% or more.
In the gritty, industrial horror of Hostile or the hard-science of Orbital 2100, mutations aren't "superpowers"—they are messy, unpredictable, and often gross biological adaptations.
Use this table when a character is exposed to extreme Jovian radiation, experimental mutagenic "sludge," or when a Bio-Armor suit's DNA begins to overwrite the pilot's own.
The Bio-Mutation Table (1d20)
| d20 | Mutation Name | Mechanical Effect | Narrative / Visual Horror |
| 1 | Redundant Vitality | Gain +2 END. You can ignore the first "Stun" result in combat. | Your torso thickens; you have two hearts beating out of sync. |
| 2 | Photosynthetic Skin | If in bright light, you don't need to eat. -2 DM to social checks. | Your skin turns a mottled, waxy forest green. |
| 3 | Prehensile Tail | Can hold (but not use weapons with) a third item. +1 DM to Athletics. | A hairless, muscular tail vertebrae grows from your spine. |
| 4 | Chitinous Patches | Permanent Armor +2. -1 DEX due to joint stiffness. | Hard, insect-like plates erupt from your shoulders and shins. |
| 5 | Hyper-Olfactory | +4 DM to Recon/Perception checks involving scent. | Your nose elongates, and you constantly "taste" the air. |
| 6 | Acidic Blood | Anyone hitting you in melee takes 1D6 damage from spray. | Your blood is a yellow, smoking vitriol that eats through floorboards. |
| 7 | Bioluminescent | You can emit light at will (3m radius). No stealth possible. | Veins of glowing blue liquid trace patterns under your skin. |
| 8 | Hollow Bones | +2 DM to Zero-G maneuvers; -2 to END checks vs. physical trauma. | You feel light as air, but your limbs snap like dry twigs. |
| 9 | Secondary Eyelids | Immunity to flashbangs/blindness. +1 DM to Navigation. | Your eyes look like milky orbs with horizontal pupils. |
| 10 | Thermal Vision | You can see heat signatures. Bright lights cause "Blindness." | Your eyes glow a dull, infrared red in the dark. |
| 11 | Adrenal Gland Swell | +2 STR, but you must eat 4x normal rations or suffer exhaustion. | You are constantly twitching; your sweat smells like ozone. |
| 12 | Pheromone Leak | +2 DM to Persuasion (if species is the same); -4 to Stealth vs. animals. | You emit a cloying, sweet scent that others find "magnetic." |
| 13 | Retractable Claws | Unarmed attacks deal 1D6+STR damage. | Your fingernails are replaced by jagged, serrated black bone. |
| 14 | Subcutaneous Fat | +2 DM to survival in Cold; -2 DM to survival in Heat. | You become bulky and bloated; your skin feels cold to the touch. |
| 15 | Neural Webbing | +2 DM to Initiative. Suffer -1 DM to all Logic/INT tasks. | You react before you think; your nerves are visible under the skin. |
| 16 | Toxic Respiration | Immunity to "Toxin" atmosphere. Exhaled breath is foul. | Your lungs rattle; you breathe out a faint, grey mist. |
| 17 | Hyper-Flexibility | Automatically pass checks to escape restraints. -1 STR. | Your joints can pop in and out of sockets with a wet "thud." |
| 18 | Vibration Sense | Detect movement through walls (10m). -2 DM vs. Sonic attacks. | Fine, needle-like hairs cover your face and neck. |
| 19 | Rapid Scabbing | Heal +1 HP per hour. Scars are hideous (-2 Social). | Your wounds close in minutes, leaving thick, ropey keloid scars. |
| 20 | Unstable Genome | Roll twice on this table and take both results. | Your body is a canvas of shifting, terrifying evolution. |
Implementation Notes
The Cost of Evolution: In Hostile, mutations should be treated as a "Medical Emergency." Most Corporate colonies will quarantine or "liquidate" mutated individuals to protect the bottom line.
The Orbital 2100 Angle: These might be the result of "Gen-Modding" gone wrong in the lunar labs. Characters might need to take "Suppression Drugs" (Cr 500/week) to keep the mutation from becoming debilitating or obvious.
This document is printed on synthetic vellum (genetically modified pig skin) that feels unnervingly warm to the touch. The signature line requires a drop of the user's blood to "initialize" the suit's DNA-locking sequence.
ZUBRIN BIOTECH: END-USER BIOLOGICAL LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA)
Document Ref: ZB-BPA-882-Ω Subject: Tactical Symbiosis & Neural Grafting
1. OWNERSHIP OF GENETIC MATERIAL
The User acknowledges that while they "own" the physical chassis of the suit, the Genetic Intellectual Property (GIP) contained within—including all muscle fibers, neural clusters, and waste-reclamation organs—remains the sole property of Zubrin Biotech.
1a. Any offspring, budding, or cellular shedding produced by the suit is the property of Zubrin.
1b. Spontaneous "Evolutionary Deviations" (Mutations) discovered by the User must be reported within 24 hours for "Harvesting and Study."
2. SYMBOLIC CO-DEPENDENCE
The User understands that the Bio-Power Armor is a symbiotic organism. By engaging the neural link, the User consents to a "Two-Way Data Stream."
The Warning: Zubrin Biotech is not responsible for any "Memetic Contamination," "Ancestral Memory Bleed," or "Involuntary Predatory Urges" experienced by the User during or after suit operation.
3. MAINTENANCE & CALIBRATION
The Suit requires a proprietary Zubrin Nutrient Slurry (ZNS).
3a. Unauthorized Feeding: Use of non-Zubrin biological material (e.g., standard rations, local wildlife, or "unprocessed" biomass) to feed the suit voids the warranty.
3b. The Parasite Clause: In the event of Nutrient Slurry depletion, the suit is programmed to preserve the "High-Value Genetic IP" (The Suit) over the "Biological Housing" (The User). The User accepts the risk of caloric extraction from their own soft tissue.
4. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
In the event of the User’s death, the suit is programmed to enter "Scuttle Mode." * 4a. The suit will begin rapid self-digestion to prevent rival corporations from salvaging Zubrin DNA.
4b. If the User is still inside during Scuttle Mode, the suit will attempt to "reclaim" the User’s protein to fuel its own dissolution.
5. LIABILITY WAIVER
By providing the required blood sample and initializing the neural graft, the User waives all rights to sue Zubrin Biotech for:
Involuntary grafting of armor to bone.
The growth of secondary, non-functional limbs.
Sudden, violent changes in dietary requirements (e.g., craving for raw marrow).
The suit’s refusal to unlock during sleep cycles.
USER SIGNATURE (BLOOD PRINT): __________________________ WITNESS (ZUBRIN TECH): __________________________
"Welcome to the family. Remember: You aren't just wearing it. You're part of it."
Mechanical Summary (Cepheus Engine / 2D6)
| Suit Name | Armor | Weight | Cost | Special Requirements |
| Mycelium Siege | 10 | 120kg | Cr 250,000 | Requires "Bio-Interface" Surgery |
| Chitin Plate | 12 | 250kg | Cr 500,000 | Requires "Battle Suit" Skill |
| Parasite Rig | 6 | 15kg | Cr 85,000 | Requires Neural Jacks |
In the world of Hostile and Orbital 2100, bio-tech isn't just a piece of equipment—it's a living organism that can get sick, stressed, or rebellious. When a suit takes significant damage or the user pushes it too hard, a Troubleshooting Roll (2d6) is required.
Bio-Armor Malfunction Table (2d6)
| Roll (2d6) | Result | Effect on User |
| 2 | Necrosis | The suit's organic tissue dies. Armor rating drops to 0; user takes 2D6 damage from toxic rot. |
| 3-4 | Muscular Spasm | The suit's limb-fibers lock up. Reduce DEX by -4 until a successful Medical or Life Sciences check is made. |
| 5-6 | Adrenaline Spike | The suit pumps the user with too many stimulants. User gains +2 DM to attacks but suffers -1 Stress/Sanity per round. |
| 7 | Glitchy Interface | Standard feedback. No immediate effect, but the suit emits a loud, wet "hissing" sound (Recon checks at -2). |
| 8-9 | Neural Feedback | The suit's pain sensors bleed into the user's mind. Suffer a -1 DM to all actions due to phantom pain. |
| 10-11 | Hyper-Aggression | The suit's predatory instincts take over. User must move toward and attack the nearest target. |
| 12 | Symbiotic Surge | The suit enters a "flow state." Heal 1D6 of the suit's "HP" and gain a +1 DM to all physical tasks for 10 minutes. |
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