[HOE] Headbanger Chips

[PEGTeller@aol.com]

Well, actually it's not all fluff. I've included the full version, which, due 
to an error in files being sent to the printer, is slightly different from 
what you read in the book (I've enclosed the changes in asterisks). 

Teller

S

P

O

I

L

E

R


BTW, Judgement Day 2 should actually read The Harvest. Damn pesky gremlins!!

Headbanger Chip
The Combine loyalty chip, more commonly known as the headbanger chip, is the 
key to the rapid expansion of Throckmorton's armed forces. Without a way to 
control the wasteland scum and keep their equipment from falling into the 
hands of the opposition, the Combine might have had a short-lived existence.
All human members of the Combine, with the exception of some Gray Hat unit 
members, have a headbanger chip implanted during their indoctrination by 
skilled medical robots in the basement of the Barracks. Once the incision is 
closed, the chip is electronically activated and the self-destruct is armed. 
It usually takes two-three days for the chip to adjust to the individual's 
brain patterns and chemical mix, after which the chip is fully functional. 
Basic training for the Black Hats is designed to produce the various stresses 
that the chip needs to become acclimated to the host. 
Headbanger chips are manufactured at the HI Complex, and each chip is 
embedded with a unique identification code. These chips come in two 
varieties: common and command. Common chips are those placed in the rank and 
file Combine troops, while command chips are placed in the skulls of those in 
positions of leadership. Command chips allow the user to transmit signals to 
other chips within 100 yards under perfect conditions. These signals can 
transmit rudimentary orders to other chips through physical sensations. Black 
Hat command chips also allow the user to issue a detonate command to any 
common chips under his control. Common chips are tuned to their commander's 
code at the Denver Police Headquarters prior to a platoon leaving the city.
Red Hat chips can issue the detonate command to any Black Hat chip, and Red 
Hat command chips can issue the detonate command to any member of their 
command.
A command board is a laptop-like device that commanders of Red Hat platoons 
and Black Hat companies and above are sometimes issued. This device displays 
a map of the surrounding terrain, and can pinpoint the location of any nearby 
headbanger chips to give the commander an overview of the tactical situation. 
The Combine LandWarrior II systems also show the location of these chips on 
their displays. 
It is the presence of this code that allows the use of Combine weapons. A 
Combine weapon taken out of storage and issued to a trooper becomes active, 
and begins a constant scan for the presence of headbanger chips. If unable to 
detect a live chip within two yards of itself for two minutes, the weapon 
self-destructs. **Weapons won't fire for non-chipped individuals. A new 
version of the weapon chip, the Mark II, only detonates the weapon if an 
unauthorized person attempts to use it. These chips are usually installed in 
weapons used in close quarters combat where the explosion of dead trooper's 
weapons might injure or kill other squad members. Unfortunately for 
Resistance members, there is no way to tell which chip is in a weapon until 
an unattended weapon either explodes or doesn't.** 
The weapons are not specific for an individual chip and can be used 
throughout the squad. Vehicle chips are typically "armed" by a platoon member 
if left for a period of time. The chip then acts as an extreme car alarm, 
detonating the vehicle if it is moved, tampered with, etc. More than one 
patrol has awoken to the sound of an explosion as mutie car-jackers attempted 
to steal their vehicle in the dead of the night.
**Weapon chips in pistols explode with a 1d10 explosive force, the damage 
applied  to the would-be user's hand. Rifles and submachine guns do 1d20 
damage, and heavy weapons cause 2d20 damage. Except for the heavy weapons, 
the Burst Radius is too small to affect anyone other than the would-be user. 
Heavy weapons have a Burst 1.**
The headbanger chip also ensures troopers' loyalty. By monitoring the 
brainwaves and chemicals released throughout the brain, the chip can tell if 
an individual is under duress or is being interrogated. Throckmorton is a big 
believer in the "loose lips sink ships" theory, so if a chip detects any 
capture or other duress it detonates. Assume a typical Black Hat chip has a 
Cognition of 4d10 (3d12 for a Red or Green Hat chip) at determining this 
situation. They sometimes explode at the wrong times, like trying to bluff in 
a poker game, but hey, the equipment and good times were free, right?
Removal of the chip is dangerous but possible. The chip has an anti-tamper 
device built-in specifically to prevent this. Embedded at the base of the 
skull where the spinal column attaches, the chip must first be surgically 
exposed (Onerous (7) medicine: surgery check). Once the chip is found it must 
be disarmed and removed (Incredible (11) demolition check). If the demolition 
check is failed the chip detects the attempt and detonates, killing the 
bearer and causing 3d10 damage with a Burst Radius of 1.