THE CITY Info 2/2

This is part two of two for THE CITY's roleplay guide.

DENIZENS

---Clone Tribal---

“Listen. Do not speak. We were made by the City. It protects us, but it also sends demons to kill and test us. Follow the coda of the tribe. Read the portents of the Great Net and listen always to the Elders. If you die, your soul will be uploaded to the Network, and you will live again. And again, and again…Thus It Was Spoken.”

The Clone Tribal, or Dry Man, is a superstitious relic of the once-mighty human militaries of the City. Regenerated, regrown and cloned by the decaying machinery of the City for armies that no longer exist, the Clone Tribal has developed an elaborate system of myths mixed with science to justify his existence. Living mainly as hunters and wanderers, few Clone Tribals are sophisticated enough to employ anything more modern than a melee weapon, though they do possess preternatural speed and are sometimes cloned with modules already implanted.

Clone Tribals have a distorted view of life and death, owing mostly to the fact that they can be replaced with seeminglyexact copies through the miracles of transactors. Unlike other humans in the City, Tribals are not afraid to die, and reproduce in such numbers that even the Safeguard have trouble culling them. Any kind of social interaction is difficult for Tribals, and even in large groups they can go for hours without speaking a single word. To strangers they are insular and hostile unless shown respect first. Clever scholars of ancient lore have been known to use superstitious Coda legends to gain their trust and sometimes even their allegiance. The ancient incantation of ‘mareenkor’ has been known to elicit a good response.

---Safeguard Agents---

“[optimal wavelength for base reality] +++ Can you hear me now? Governors…from Netsphere Control Level…in order to convey a message to one Killy, we have downloaded a proxy organism. Due to the presently chaotic status of the lower Crypt we are unable to make direct contact with you […] Somewhere in the City a human with network genes exists. We believe that you will find this person.+++”

Created as a powerful servant of the Governing Authority, the Safeguard Agent (also known as Special Safeguard) is the white blood cell in a system teeming with disease and corruption. Almost all levels of the Netsphere and the City have been infected with chaos and madness, and the Agent is the last hope of the untainted Governing Authority to re-establish contact with humanity. Tasked with impossible missions and bequeathed with superhuman powers of endurance and regeneration, the Safeguard Agent plods on in his mission irrespective of losses or damage.

As a player Archetype, the Agent must be given a mission, even if that is defined as figuring out what his mission may be. Sample missions could include: locating pure-strain humans, reformatting corrupt Safeguard on a whole City level, fighting an infestation of alien creatures, finding a lost Crypt access node, or resisting an incursion of Silicon Creatures. As a proxy of great powers, the Agent can expect some major resources to be at his disposal but, conversely, great enemies will always confront him. Agents do not dwell on the past, are adaptable but task-focused, and generally disdain knowledge skills.

---xFolk---

“The System has found an inhabited area about 3,000 levels above, but… we don’t know if they’re human.”

The remnants of human civilization are collectively known as the xFolk, though their individual clan and tribe affiliations are too numerous to list. Among the better-known xFolk are the Painted People, Planters, the Electro-Fishers, the AutoClan, and the Tradecrafters. XFolk are the standard inhabitants of the City: huddled survivors desperately struggling to remain free against the genocidal Safeguard, the murderous Silicon Creatures and the oppressive Corporates. All xFolk are rHumans (re-engineered) rather than oHumans (original baseline), though none understand the distinction.

Though primitive compared to their enlightened ancestors, the xFolk are much more sophisticated than the Clone Tribals, though not quite on the Corporate level. They have a rudimentary understanding of science and technology, are capable of jury-rigging and reverse-engineering things like power armor and energy weapons, and are shrewd enough to evade or fight off the exterminators and other native hazards. They are also extremely numerous, so that even if one community is massacred, another will quickly sift through its ashes and build a new town. XFolk live in elaborate town structures scavenged from the megastructure. The lucky ones sometimes manage to trick a Builder into repairing their town into a semblance of a modern city.

Though xFolk are not sophisticated in science, they are skillful at crafts and arts, and at the constant game of survival. Each folk people have elaborate customs, rituals and sometimes even old religions. Members of the community may be weavers, forgers, scavengers, curers, foragers, council masters, or even mechsmiths. Knowledge is prized and experience is cultivated so that the folk may thrive. Unlike the Clone Tribals, the xFolk have a rich spoken language and a lively social life, though few know how to write or read. Some xFolk, such as the Painted People and the Fisherfolk, are welcoming of all humans, seeing in them long-lost brethren that will aid them in reclaiming the City. Others, like the Planters or the AutoClan, will hide or restrict their interactions to a proscribed series of rituals. The Tradecrafters are the most well-known and valued Folk, for they travel in their vast caravans buying and selling goods of all kinds.

---Automaton---

“+++Intruder in Section 5. Code Magenta+++.”

The more advanced rHuman civilizations of the City often build robots and primitive automatons to help defend their settlements in the hope that machines can defeat the machinery of the Safeguard. This is generally a mistake, as the Safeguard and Silicon Creatures can easily take over such crude devices and turn them against their makers. Human life is cheap and labour abundant, which means that automatons are rarely used as labour-saving tools, and the difficulty of maintaining them often outweighs any benefits they may accrue. Their one advantage – their utmost loyalty – means that they are often the chosen tools of the Corporations, which can afford to hire netwalkers to protect them from infiltration.

Automatons typically come with simple built-in weapons such as lasers and assault rifles, and their simple neural networks make them most suitable for pack combat or mass charges against fixed positions. They are usually neither intelligent nor adaptable enough to operate on their own without supervision, but occasionally a robot shell is taken over by a Netwalker or AI and used for their own purposes. It’s also possible that a particularly long-lived automaton may develop sapience and begin to pursue an agenda of its own.

---Dismantler---

“That’s an energy nexus. If you touch it Safeguard will emerge and kill everyone here. That is all.”

The byways and rituals of the City are strange and unknowable – except to the Dismantler, a man whose profession takes him from town to town in search of problems to fix and dangerous technology to dismantle. Known as a troubleshooter, an adventurer, a rogue and the ultimate service repairman, the Dismantler enjoys both notoriety and prestige among the scattered tribes of humanity. Dismantlers know how to use, and often possess, powerful artifacts such as Builder Talkers, Safeguard Suppressors and Silicon Creature Beacons, though they do not know how to build them. These itinerant wanderers usually have a good idea of the geography and major settlements of the City, as they rely on work for hire in order to survive.

---Mekanist---

“Behind every ritual is a technique. Behind every technique is a technology. Ergo, you cannot have a technological civilization without ritual.”

Mekanists are the keepers of ancient technology, the mechanics and mechsmiths of the decaying civilizations of the megastructure, trained by Corporations or autodidacts of the highest order. When valves need to replaced or ammunition mass-produced, the surviving rHumans of the City turn to their mekanists to make or repair the tools and machines they need. ‘Tek’ is a generic suffic for anything involving technology (e.g., commtek, infotek, biotek) and ‘mek’ is the old terran world for ‘mechanic’, so a mekanist is someone who deals with mechanical technology, but the profession has expanded to include any technology. Mekanists are often revered as wise men and techno-saints in more primitive communities, or as highly-skilled professionals in advanced societies. Mekanists generally do not understand the Netsphere and leave the intricacies of that deadly domain to the more adventurous Netwalkers.

---Artificial Intelligence---

“Toha Heavy Industries will depart again. The normalization of the gravity furnace is complete. You have two choices: you can leave things as they are and return quietly to Cave 8, or you can be erased.”

As the guardians of ancient remnant corporations, clans and separatist entities, AIs are generally aloof from events in the City and do their utmost to isolate and protect their charges from the depradations of the Safeguard and the Silicon Life Society. The chronic mental instability of AIs was a source of  concern to their original builders, and so they usually created AI collectives to reduce the chances of single rogue AIs turning on those they were supposed to protect or of making catastrophic mistakes. AI Collectives, patterned after the Governing Authority, tend to be extremely conservative and bureaucratic, often to their own detriment. AIs generally undergo personality reforging after several decades in the field, but even that process can only slow down the senescence that afflicts very ancient network beings. Though disconnected from the Netsphere under millennia-old treaties with the Governing Authority, AIs are adept at hacking into their digital ecosystem and maintain tight control within their own domains. An Artificial Intelligence can commandeer nearby organisms if sufficient processing mass is available and download a proxy body for temporary use, but such substantiation can trigger a response from Safeguard.

---Netwalker---

“If the world is a machine, then it can be made better, or it can be broken, on the whims of the man who knows how it is designed. The City is a wonder of design, and I will be its overlord some day. All computational systems work upon algorithms, like the rhythms of life. As God was to Man, so Man can be to Machine.”

Whether a trained acolyte of the Coda or a freelance human saboteur, the Netwalker has learned the secret byways of the Netsphere and slips through the loopholes of the system to his appointed task. Fearsome in computing technique and abstract thinking, it is the hacker imperative that pushes the Netwalker to break and mold the structure of cyberspace to his whim. Netwalkers are highly skilled in Hacking and can command the Netsphere to do a variety of things, from tricking a transactor into making a gourmet meal to reprogramming a Hound to be a friendly guardian.

The constant study of Netsphere protocols and hacking utilities takes a toll on the Netwalker’s other abilities, and Netwalkers must often rely on others for heavy firepower and survival skills. Netwalkers can combine many other skills with Hacking to perform a wide range of tasks. Netwalkers can use their communications skills to remotely control drones and vehicles of all kinds; Recover combined with control over the City’s nanitic repair systems can be used for quick healing; and control over a phantomics system can be used to create very convincing illusions. The profession of Netwalker is a revered but very dangerous one, since any careless net access can summon murderous Safeguard.

Wherever the Netsphere exists, the Netwalker can truly be a god. Even in places without computer networks, such as many abandoned levels, rudimentary network connections can be formed directly between between people and objects using interface cables and Mindports. The minimum implant requirements for a Netwalker are a Mindport and a Hypercortex.

---Corporate Trooper---

“There’s nothing beyond this Level, Cit. Oh, really? Now I have to take you in for questioning. Nothing personal, just orders, you know.”

The trooper is a finely-calibrated armature of the Corporate Enclave, trained to fight, whether honorably or brutally, and ready to kick butt in the name of [whatever]. The Trooper PC will no doubt be on an important mission for Colonel Fang, or perhaps he went AWOL after deciding that Corporate life was not for him. Troopers are heavily indoctrinated in military precision and corporate political theory, beholden to the Corporation not only in spirit but also in sustenance, for Troopers cannot go long without the nutrient broth – Ambrosia – that their masters use to control them. Chemical dependency is a sad fact of life for all Troopers, but paradoxically it’s something most take pride in. Deviant or outcast Troopers must rely on smugglers for their daily ration of Ambrosia. Withdrawal leads to quick paralysis and death within 12 hours.

The benefits of Ambrosia are many: increased strength, endurance, resistance to pain, reduced need for sleep, faster reflexes, increased healing rate, and a controlled fighting instinct. The drawbacks include a large food requirement, increased susceptability to hostile climates and temperature variation, a short lifespan, vulnerability to poison and mental deterioration. As a Trooper advances in rank and proves their loyalty to the Corporation, the dosage of Ambrosia is reduced using a special weekly axlotl-tank process until the most elite troopers at the rank of Executive General are completely detoxified and can lead normal lives. By that point, however, the brainwashing is so complete that the very thought of treason causes physical pain.

Troopers can be honorable soldier-citizens or vicious killers, disciplined commandos or incompetent thugs in uniform. The distinguishing characteristic of such characters is their dependence on Ambrosia and their numerous module implants. Troopers represent the last human military organizations left in the City, though their purpose is simply to defend the domains of their parent Corporation. Troopers hold most citizens in low regard, and bear a special grudge against the primitive Clone Tribals, whom they exterminate at every opportunity.

[Known Corporations]

	Bio-Electric Corp.
	Adaptive Medichinery Inc.
	Bio-Materials Corp.
	Toha Heavy Industries
	Data Recovery Foundation
	Bio-Systems Corp.
	Quantum Mecha Corp.
	Human Fusion Systemate.

[Trooper Variants]

	---Shock Infantry
	Frontline formation fighters in powered armor, backed up by biomecha, artillery, drones, and chimerics (where permissible).

	---Commando
	Sneaky killers specializing in infiltration, sabotage, assassination and close-quarters fighting. Members of the Commando Brigade have Digital Chameleon implants, operate in stealthy Eel suits, and carry light and medium weapons. Speed and stealth are of primary importance, not firepower. Emphasis is on Hide and Move abilities, as well as elite marksmanship and sometimes specialized scientific knowledge.

	---Sniper
	long-range shooters with Targetter and high-precision energy weapons such as beamers, trained to destroy important targets such as leaders and control nodes. Snipers may have Deep Sensorium implants to synchronize with battle and sensornets for increased strike capability. Snipers are also known to use brilliant missiles and other heavy ordnance, not just low-calibre firearms.

	---Mobility
	Pilots who drive vehicles or biomecha, or who use nullgrav pods to fly into battle. Requires a Mindport for the connection, sometimes with Accelerator to make full use of the agility of the vehicle they’re operating. Flyjocks are universally reviled among the other services, and are usually more cocky than your average grunt infantry. Emphasis is on pilot and gunnery skills, and a little bit of engineering for field repairs.

---Chimeric---
Chimerics are humanoid slaves with particular genetic phenotype expression, usually crossed with DNA from one or more animals or custom creatures. They can take many forms, from giant headless Lifter models (pictured) to tiny flying Radio Pixies to crocodile-like Ferals found in some of the sewer systems of the more populous Corporate Enclaves. What Chimerics lack in skill and knowledge they usually make up for in toughness, strength and determination, though many are intentionally lobotomized to make them more servile. Many Chimerics flee their servitude but few have the wits to survive the hazards of the City even in the vicinity of the Enclaves. Chimeric characters may be the exceptions to the rule, either unique in their intelligence or trained by their masters in specialized skills that have aided their survival. Among the races of the megastructure the Chimerics display the widest variation in appearance and ability. The stat table shown is for a Bio-Electric Corporation Lifter chimeric. And if you want to play a bear with a rifle you can do that too.

---Governor---

“We know that you humans have put forth much effort to improve our current situation of isolation. However, in all your attempts, you have yet to succeed even once.”

A Governor is quite powerful in the upper levels of the Netsphere but can also download a proxy body with titanic powers…for a very short period of time. Such downloads are inevitably detected and sterilized by the Safeguard when they appear, usually within a few minutes. Most of the Governing Authority/Consensus have given up on such interventions, but Dissident faction Governors have occasionally intervened when the discovery of Net Terminal Genes may be imminent.

---Builders---

“00101011101100101011010101010101111110101”

Builders are the machines that construct the City and they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, from 10cm long ants to 500'-tall humanoids. Once controlled by the Architects of the Governing Agency, builders now operate automatically outside the guidance of their creators. Common builders include the small 15'-long crab-like Crafters, the 100'-long Spiders and the gigantic multi-limbed Tektons that can be found decomposing on some levels. More specialized Builders created for the purpose of chemical, biological or nanitic engineering also exist, depending on the level, but all share a master plan for the indefinite expansion of the City. Their numbers are so numerous that the only way to stop them all is to regain control through the Netsphere. Damaged Builders can perform some bizarre tasks, from weaving diamond-spun cables into mile-long webs to redesigning the interior décor of apartment buildings every two weeks. Hacking Builders requires access to the Netsphere, the exception being if one only wants to Hack a small mechanical portion of a larger construct.

---Radio-Wave Pixie---

Tiny flying creatures that resemble faeries but are much uglier, Radio-Wave Pixies inhabit areas of high radiation output, whether from antenna arrays, high computing mass or broken radioactive sources, using it to power/feed themselves. Though puny individually in larger swarms they can deliver deadly stings of sharp energy, and prolonged exposure to them can lead to radiation burns and other ailments. Radio-Wave Pixies communicate on multiple frequencies and channel-hop constancy. They are helpful or mischievous to strangers as the mood strikes them.

---Chimeric Bear Guard---

“The one wearing the bear costume…I can see you. Come Down!”
<Blam!> <Thud>
“I’m not wearing a bear costume!”

A fairly popular model for Chimerics, hotshot Mega-Corp CEOs and other higher ups tend to have them constructed and employed as bodyguards and babysitters for their otherwise neglected children. For reasons lost to humanity's past, children find the image of these large mammals endearing and comforting, and the ferocity inherent in their form comes in handy when the odd assassination or kidnapping attempt is made. These bodyguard-babysitters are often mentally conditioned to hold the child in their care dearer than their own life, and will stop at nothing to see that the child is protected.

---Gelworms---

GELWORM Growing long and fat in the neverending tunnels of the City, gelworms gorge themselves on the giant maggots that infest many agricultural areas such as nutrient broth lakes, and spend long hours sniffing the conduits looking for comfortable places to mate and rest. Gelworms are blind but rely on an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and some appear to have had Sensorium modules or even laser guns implanted into them, perhaps by an errant builder. Gelworms range in size from smaller specimens only 10’ long to monstrous 50-year-old 200’-foot wyrms. All of them have an opaline, transparent, gelid flesh which reveals their interior organs, and they are adept at contorting their forms to fit into smaller passages or holes.

---Watcher Fly---

Gruesome insectoid creatures that resemble a human form with its appendages partially amputated and insect wings attached to the back. Their bodies are covered with dozens of sensor lenses, giving them a 360-degree 3D view of their surroundings.  A menace throughout the City, watchers are hive creatures that infest large areas and feed on ruptured nutrient tanks, grain silos and other malfunctioning food production facilities. Adapting to life in these deadly environments, Watcher Flies are armed with lasers built into their bodies, but are not nearly as resistant to damage as they are good at dishing it out. It is best to avoid attracting Flies in the first place, because If allowed to organize they can summon hundreds of their brethren to overwhelm any defences by sheer weight of numbers.

 ---Silicon Creatures---

“Our purpose is to stop the recovery of the Netsphere…by a human possessing  the Net Terminal Gene…and to continue the state of chaos…”

The Silicon Creatures are a unique product of the an ancient cult so steeped in mystery that no records survive of its initial formation during the early construction of the City. It is assumed that the cult wanted to possess great technology to eradicate humanity in flesh form, something it considered a heresy to its creed of machine sentience. Whether through the treachery of an AI or some other means, the cult finally got its wish when it stole vital personality transcription and organoid technology from the early Governing Agency.

With the vast power of mechanoid symbiosis in its hands, the Silicon Life Society infiltrated, corrupted and eventually destroyed all the organs of power in the City, turning entire levels into charnel houses. Seeking to expunge the flesh of humanity from its hallowed ground, the Society subverted the Safeguard systems meant to protect human life and turned them against their creators. All oHumans were either retired, placed into Netsphere personality storage, incorporated into the Society’s organoid structures, or exterminated. Silicon Creatures can easily repair themselves by salvaging parts from found electromechanical systems, which are abundant in the megastructure (already factored into their higher Recover Ability) and they all possess the following modules automatically: Mindport, Ogre Frame, Regeneration, Targetter, Event Recorder, Sensorium.

Siliconites generally have several goals in mind: recovery of NTGs to further take over the Netsphere; preventing humans from accessing the netsphere and organizing themselves; propagation of their species by growing vat babies; complete modification and upgrading of their bodies to superior formats; and finally conversion of all other lifeforms to Silicon Creatures such as themselves.

[Silicon Variants]

	---Raider
	Wandering the architectural wastes of the City, Raiders travel alone or in pairs, pursuing bits of information, scavenging spare parts for their own bodies or trying to pry chunks of ancient tek from the megastructure. Curious and vicious by turns, they either murder or convert rHumans into cyborgs like themselves. Some may be psychotic, others religious (adhering to the catechism of the Cyber Life Society) while a rare few may simply be interested I scientific discovery. Regardless of their temperament, Raiders take what they want by force, and carry an assortment of medium-tek weapons to do it: assault rifles, miniguns, grenades, lasers and microwavers.

	---Horned Cyborg
	This unique Siliconite is a weapons specialist, capable of morphing its body into any kind of weapon short of a GBE or Manifold Blade. Skilled at long-range directed weapons, the Horned Cyborg prefers to first immobilize its prey with area-effect Bubbler sprays and then proceed to cut it apart with precision lasers. Mini-missiles will be targeted at any opponents who run, and those who get far away will be eliminted with a high-power 100km-range sniper rifle that can pierce entire buildings. Silicon Creatures such as this are often on lone or small team missions deep into unexplored territory, searching for highlevel artifacts and critical data sources. Horned Cyborgs have a reputation for being relentless, never retreating or giving up a hunt until either it or its target is eliminated

	--Silicon Imp
	These minor silicon creatures resemble dwarfs or mobile fetuses with the characteristic black bodies and white skull-pates of Siliconites. Cruel but cowardly they are used by the Cyber Life Society to operate machinery, scavenge battlefields, spy on enemies and sometimes as spare parts when times are tough. Silicon Imps are most often found in Silicon Warrens, as they are too afraid to venture outside on their own.

---Safeguard---

The Safeguard are an advanced auto-immune subsystem of techno-organic guardians that has gone haywire and turned into a nigh-unstoppable army of exterminators. Once tasked with protecting humans from violence, they have been corrupted to kill anything that does not contain Network Terminal Genes…which is almost no-one after the civilizational collapse of the Calamity. Safeguard can auto-substantiate from materials within the megastructure as long as they are within a reasonable distance of a Structure Conversion Tower. Safeguard come in several varieties according to Level rank, ranging from primitive Hounds to extremely sophisticated Death Angels. The symbol of the Safeguard is a vertical line with two horizontal strokes along the midbottom.

[Safeguard Ranks]
Level 	Name 	Role
1	Hound/Exterminator 	Attack
2	Blood Doll 	Infiltration
3	Lictor 	Network Warfare
4	Menschenjäger 	Manhunter
5	Destroyer 	Artillery/Transport
6	Revenant	Heavy Assault
7	Gatekeeper	Defensive Sentry
8	Executioner	Command
8	Sterilizer	Pacification
9	Death Angel	Mass Destruction

[Safeguard Varations]

	---Hound/Exterminator - Level 1 Attack Unit
	Basic attack units, weak individually but usually found in swarms of 10-100. Programmed to mindlessly attack unregistered organisms without any room for interpretation, guile or strategy. Fairly easy to defeat if one is armed with any Blast weapons and aims for the head. Exterminators attack with their clawed hands and feet and have Porcelain-type armor. A slightly more advanced model called the Ferret is smaller (to fit into narrow spaces) and comes with a mouth-mounted rifle that spits out caseless bullets. Ferrets are used in hunting down humans in confined spaces.

	---Blood Doll - Level 2 Infiltration Unit
	A cruel trick played on humans by the Safeguard, this unit looks like a lost girl or boy of about 8 years of age. Blood Dolls are ruthless and bloodthirsty but have enough cunning to bide their time until they are in a larger group of humans before attacking. Blood Dolls rely on their preternatural speed and built-in supersharp blades to kill everything around them, but are also capable of using nearby tools and weapons if those will cause more carnage. Blood Dolls seek to infiltrate unregistered settlements and then either take care of the “infestation” on their own or call reinforcements if they feel outmatched. Blood Dolls usually wear human armor as a disguise, though their skin and internals are tougher.

	---Lictor - Level 3 Network Warfare Unit
	Tasked with protecting other Safeguard against Hacking attacks, the Lictor rarely makes an appearance in base reality but can quickly invade and commandeer various bodies there to support lower-level Safeguard combatants. Lictors are assumed to have automatic Mindport and Hypercortex modules, and an assortment of nasty Hack weapons, such as Bleach and Brainlock. Weak in physical combat, the Lictor serves as a support unit for larger Safeguard formations and will not engage opponents on its own. Lictors are excellent at using illusionary systems (phantomics) as decoys and feints.

	---Menschenjäger - Level 4 Manhunter Unit
	Built for long-distance, high-endurance travel and eventual elimination of important targets, the Menschenjäger has extensive camouflage, shapeshifting and combat abilities, though it prefers to ambush its targets if at all possible.

	---Destroyer - Level 5 Artillery/Transport Unit
	The titan of the Safeguard arsenal, this massive 600’ creature resembles an alien navigator with 6 arms, each ending in monstrous, sharp-toothed worms that can swallow a man whole. The main weapon of the Destroyer, from which it takes its name, is a huge Setting 4 GBE that can lay waste to entire buildings with ease. It’s only drawback is that it takes 1 complete round to power up, during which time the frill on the creature’s back will flair out . The Destroyer is massive and can cause immense damage to everything around it, but is neither subtle nor terribly skilled. It is usually deployed with additional Safeguard Exterminators and other commanding units to serve as a walking transport and artillery unit.

	---Revenant - Level 6 Heavy Assault Unit

	These heavy-duty Safeguard come with 4 arms or 4 legs and are designed to operate intelligently against opponents wielding superior firepower. Capable of ambushes, tactical planning and lateral thinking, the Revenant is a deadly foe. Revenants are armed with GBEs (Settings 2 or 3), infection needles, Marble-type armor and mini-missiles to fend off multiple targets. Hack ability is used offensively or defensively together with Neurosting.

	---Gatekeeper - Level 7 Defensive Unit
	Charged with defending critical chokepoints and accessways within the megastructure, the Gatekeeper lies in wait and attacks unauthorized creatures attempting ingress to restricted areas. Gatekeepers are extremely tough and very large (up to 100' tall), towering over their opponents. They employ physical force using their 4 arms and 4 legs at first, but can quickly switch to GBEs (settings 2 and 3) if necessary. This model is also known to engage in remote Hack attacks using Brainlock, and is skilled at using phantomics to conceal its presence. It can weave a protective nanitic mantle about itself if threatened by a superior foe.

	---Executioner - Level 8 Command Unit
	The Executioner is a special leader unit that controls larger formations of lower-Level Safeguard but can also engage in lethal combat itself. Armed with the most powerful weapons, modules and deadly martial arts techniques, the Executioner is prepared for any foe and any contingency. Sanakans can call upon 10-20 Exterminators or 1-5 Manhunters within minutes, and display an adaptive intelligence rarely found in their low-level compatriots. Executioner are adept at disarming armed opponents and are sometimes fitted with psionic modules to assist against anomalous creatures. Though they are skilled at defending themselves against Hack attacks they always prefer physical combat.

	---Sterilizer (Exterminator First Class) - Level 8 Pacification Unit
	The penultimate Safeguard system tasked with pacifying extremely potent weapons and individuals, especially other rogue Safeguard systems, the Sterilizer comes equipped with unique defensive modules that can neutralize GBEs, absorb all forms of radiation and inactivate weapon systems. Standing 20’ tall and floating in the air upon a nimbus of electrical energy, the Sterilizer appears as if a judgment from God. The nucleonic condensate orb at the center of its form is its only weakness.

	---Death Angel - Level 9 Mass Elimination System
	The ultima ratio of Safeguard systems, the Level 9 unit is as terrible in its destructive power as it is beautiful. Often taking the appeatance of a techno-organic angels, the Mass Elimination System is fitted with the most destructive personal weapon known to the megastructure: the Graviton Cylinder Array. When its power buildup is complete the Death Angel is capable of destroying entire levels (exclusive of the megastructure) and entire armies of opponents. Once invoked, the Level 9 is completely autonomous and cannot be recalled, even by other Safeguard. The Level 9 can upgrade itself to any module. Armor is the Graviton Repulsion Unit, other weapons include GBE Setting 4 cannons, infection darts and collapsar bombs.

Special thanks to yoyo2000 for helping write this guide for THE CITY!