Table of Contents
Mk
Mk refers to the quality level of Items, Components, Cyberware, Mods, and other objects.
The Mk of an Item, Component, Cyberware, or Mod determines the effects you recieve as well as the Value and Upkeep costs you must pay when purchasing and using them.
Example: Purchasing a Mk.1 Heavy Specialised Jobber would cost 900 Credits with an Upkeep of 90 Credits. It would also provide Handy - D4 to a specified Skill Check or Attack. Whereas Purchasing a Mk.2 Heavy Specialised Jobber would cost 7,200 Credits with an Upkeep of 72 Credits. But it would provide Handy - D6 to a specified Skill Check or Attack instead.
You can raise the Mk of Items, Components, Cyberware or Mods by Augmenting them as described below.
Augmenting
Augmenting is the act of increasing the Mk of an object, including but not limited to: Mods, Components, Items and Cyberware.
To begin Augmenting you must first obtain the raw materials and parts for the Augmentation. To do so you may pay a vendor the difference in Value between the Mk of the object you own and the Mk you wish to Augment to. You may also use an existing object of the same name and equal to or higher Mk. Objects of a different name but same Archetype or Subtype can be used but penalties may apply, see the table below. In exceptional circumstances a Character may supplement or replace these raw materials entirely with Trade Goods or other methods as Appropriate, see Wuntch’s Whatever below for more.
Once the raw materials have been obtained, you can begin applying the Augment. Applying an Augment takes time based on the nature of the object being Augmented, the materials being used and the skill of the Character Augmenting it. When Augmenting an object you perform a Ritual of an Appropriate Skill, Severity and Interval, refer to the table below for examples. Once this Ritual is Successful the Object is Augmented to the chosen Mk.
Most Characters prefer to have a professional Augment their objects to avoid damaging them. Should a Character choose to have a professional perform the Augment, they will charge an additional amount, between 5 to 20% of the Value of the materials, with the Augment being perfomed safely after an Appropriate amount of time, see the table below for suggested times.
A Character may choose instead to perform an Augment themselves, when they do so it is always done under the effects of the Dangerous Property. This Dangerous Property has an effect the Players deem Appropriate commonly a temporary Condition that lasts until repaired, loss of the materials or in more extreme cases a long term Condition or even destruction of the object. Additional negative Properties will apply based on how the Augmentation is performed as Appropriate. See below for example Properties and why they may apply.
Timeline Examples
| Pro Timeline | Severity | Interval | Type of Augment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 - 4+ Hours | 50 - 75+ | Hourly | Augmenting a hand held Item such as a Tool or Fascinator. |
| 5 - 9+ Hours | 110 - 150+ | Hourly | Replacing a Cyberware limb such as an arm or leg. |
| 1 - 3+ Periods | 50 - 75+ | Periodic | Augmenting easily reached or replaced Components such as wheels and turrets. More advanced Augmentation on handheld items such as a Weapon's Mk being increased from 1 to 4 |
| 1 - 2+ Cycles | 150 - 200+ | Periodic | Augmenting more central Components such as Compartments or large cargo bays. |
Example: Fhern the Fantastic has a Mk.1 Confetti Cannon and wants to Augment it to a Mk.2. Fhern goes to a vendor buying the materials and parts needed to perform the augment. Fhern pays the difference between the Mk.2 Confetti Cannon and the Mk.1 which is 2,800c. Fhern requests the vendor perform the Augmentation and is charged 10% of the 2,800, an additional 280c. Fhern leaves their Mk.1 Confetti Cannon with the vendor, returning 3 Hours later to pickup their newly minted Mk.2 Confetti Cannon.
Example 2: Fhern takes the parts and materials and performs the Augment on their Mk.1 Confetti Cannon by themself instead. To do so they begin a [Tech] Ritual of Severity 65 with an Hourly Interval under the effects of the Dangerous Property. The conditions in which Fhern is performing the Augment are not great as they are missing the correct tools and don't have a workshop to perform the Augment in. This means their Ritual will additionally be performed under the Disadvantage, Fickle and Unreliable Properties. The Players agree that performing the augment in these conditions is extremely dangerous and thus, the raw materials would be destroyed if the Dangerous Property is triggered.
Situational Modifier Examples
| Suggested Properties | Situation |
|---|---|
| Disadvantage or Fickle | Performing an Augmentation without the Appropriate tools. |
| Disadvantage or Fickle | Using [Trade Goods] or similar objects of a higher Mk to perform an Augment instead of bought parts or materials. |
| Poor or Unreliable | Performing an Augmentation without the Appropriate surroundings such as a workshop, operating room or dry dock. |
| Poor or Unreliable | Performing an Augmentation while in a high pressure situation. |
| Disadvantage or Fickle and Imploding or Troubles | Performing an Augmentation while lacking the Appropriate tools and surroundings. |
| Poor or Unreliable and Imploding or Troubles | Performing an Augmentation with Trade Goods in a high pressure situation. |
| Disadvantage Imperfection Troubles Poor | Performing a desperate Augmentation under the complete wrong environment as well as lacking the correct tools and materials. Example: Performing open heart surgery in a dirt trench with only sharpened scraps of metal for scalpels and a baboon heart as a transplant. |
| Please note these are rough guidelines, and you should add, remove or even Upgrade Properties as Appropriate. | |
Wuntch's Whatever
There's going to be many edge cases and ideas that players will come up with to facilitate Augmenting that are not covered by the rules here, our hope is with the examples and base rules offered, everyone at the table can feel empowered to facilitate those ideas. Perhaps the players are currently camped in a rich mine of mithril or iron ore. If it is reasonable to assume smelting and forging facilities may be available and if the players wished to spend an appropriate amount of time, likely Periods or even Cycles, they could Augment their metallic gear and ship components under the effects of the Dangerous keyword. Situations like this may not come up often, but when they do, we recommend rewarding creative thinking and use of the setting. It is an RPG after all.
Changelog
Version 0.5c - Sep 2026
- Page moved and updated.