‘Dark Water’ introduces a new model of Cyberman. It is likely that Missy acquired their technology from the same era depicted in ‘Nightmare In Silver’ and modified them.
The chief difference is that the Cybermen can now convert others without the need of a cyber-mite or lengthy surgery. Further more they no longer require living organic material to create a new Cyberman.
Designed to be controlled these Cybermen are not as intelligent as their immediate predecessors. Newly resurrected Cybermen are also likely to be disoriented and disorganised.
Missy created a process to upload the minds of the dead into the nethersphere. Here the subject is prompted into deleting their emotions to spare them the emotional pain they feel from their physical body.
Not all subjects make this choice and when downloaded into their new cyber body find that their emotional inhibitor is not activated. This can be activated manually by anyone but the cyberman.
Since full conversion is now a choice it is more likely that there will be rogue Cybermen, free to make their own decisions. Potentially such a Cyberman could be a PC.
Dark Water/Death In Heaven Era
Awareness 2 Coordination 3 Ingenuity 3 Presence 3 Resolve 4 Strength 7
Traits:
Armour [Major Trait]
The cybermen have created a slim armoured body made of an unknown metal. Their armour reduces damage by 25 points.
Cyborg Immunity: Cold/Disease [Major Good Trait]
The modifications made to their organic bodies have rendered these cybermen immune to cold and disease. Their chest units provide them with oxygen, even in a vacuum.
Detachable [Major Good Trait]
A limb does not need to be physically linked to the Cyberman body for it to be controlled. They can either detach their head and control their body independently. For each limb which is operating independently a cumulative –1 modifier is applied to all their rolls.
Flight [Major Good Trait]
Due to rocket boots Cybermen can fly, using their arms to stabilise themselves. They are capable of going at least as fast as a commercial plane. They use this mobility to reach optimum height for pollination, move to strategic positions and intercept aircraft.
Gadget: Scanner [Major Good Trait]
A chest mounted unit can scan a subject, scanning them to ascertain their identity. It is unknown if this information is gathered from the Cyberiad or from the memories of the resurrected.
Hive Mind [Major Good Trait]
Part of the Cyberiad all Cybermen are linked together by a wireless network. This version of the Cybermen do not have a Cyberplanner, instead following the orders given to whoever wields the control bracelet.
A Cyberman can only gain access to the Cyberiad if their emotional inhibitor is engaged. Without this they must make Resolve check against a Difficulty of Hard (18) to ask one ‘Yes or No’ question from the Cyberiad.
Immortality [Major Good Alien Trait]
Thanks to suspension technology these Cybermen were able to survive for a thousand years, without their organic components dying. As long as they have access to their technology a Cyberman is virtually ageless.
Infection [Major Good Alien Trait]
A Cyberman contains Cyber-Pollen. Every particle contains the blue-print to build another Cyberman. If a particle makes contact with compatible living, organic matter it can convert the host into another Cyberman, covering them in circuitry and a metal shell.
Missy has upgraded this process allowing the dead to be converted. At least one resurrected Cyberman originates from the 18th century so this process works on corpses several hundred years old.
Not all of the dead reactivate suggesting that not all of the dead are suitable. This could be due to levels of decomposition or if the body is incomplete. The process involves ‘downloading’ the mind of the dead so it may require the brain to be intact or for their minds to have been previously ‘uploaded’.
To initiate the infection process a Cyberman must self-destruct as demonstrated when Danny destroyed several Cybermen in close proximity to Clara and she did not become infected.
The pollination process creates a cloud large enough to cover a major town or city. It is possible that this cloud is still linked to the hive mind, allowing it to rain in selected areas. The infection is carried within the rain droplets.
Natural Weapon: Blaster [Major Alien Good Trait]
Basic: 3, S: 4, G: L, F: L
Cyberman possess a blaster that emerges from their wrist, firing blue lasers. A lethal shot is enough to disintegrate a target or cause a Cyberman to explode.
Natural Weapon: Stun (3/S/S) [Minor Alien Good Trait]
Touching a subject unleashes an electrical shock, sufficient to stun for several hours.
Skill: Convince 1, Fighting: 3, Marksman 3, Medicine 1, Science: 1, Technology 4
Story Points: 2-5
Bigger On The Inside 