🤖 Full Body Conversions
“Flesh is weak. Steel is forever… until your mind starts to crack.”
A Full Body Conversion (FBC) is a human brain stuffed inside a cybernetic body. The user’s brain (and other choice bits) are scooped out and installed into a Biosystem — a hardened life-support pod — which then slots into a purpose-built FBC body. The procedure is permanent: you can switch FBC bodies, but you can never go back to meat.
For individual FBC body stats, see the FBC catalog in the Database. For Humanity rules and therapy, see Humanity.
⚡ Quick Reference
FBC At A Glance
Aspect Rule Core requirement Biosystem (10,000eb, HL 14/4d6, Hospital) — permanent Stats kept INT, COOL, TECH, WILL, LUCK, EMP, all Skills Stats replaced BODY, HP, Death Save (set by FBC body) Stats that may change REF, DEX, MOVE (via Internal Hydraulics) Immune to Wound State penalties, diseases, poisons, drugs, radiation, suffocation Healing BODY HP/day (nanomachines) at Good Prepack lifestyle (600eb/mo) Full repair DV15 Cybertech, 4 hours — self-repairable Body switching DV17 Cybertech or Surgery, 4 hours — self-transferable Doubled slots Foundational cyberware + Internal/External options get 2× slots Food Glucose-Rich Brain Solution (100eb/mo) — free with Good Prepack
🧠The Biosystem
The Biosystem is the core of every FBC. It is a revolution in human-machine interface — a hardened biopod containing the user’s brain, essential organ tissue, integrated computer systems, and batteries.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | 10,000eb (Super Luxury) |
| Humanity Loss | 14 (4d6) |
| Install | Hospital |
What the Biosystem Does
- Contains the user’s consciousness. Their Skills, INT, COOL, TECH, WILL, LUCK, and EMP Stats remain the same as their meat body
- Hardened against all EMP effects and immune to Radiation
- Can operate independently (no mobility, but basic senses + speaker for communication and braindance therapy)
- Access port on the back of the neck or chest for injecting medications and Glucose-Rich Brain Solution
Biosystem Safety Rules
Critical Safety
- Being violently removed or spending longer than 1 minute outside the biopod after surgical removal = instant death (no Death Save)
- When not installed in an FBC body, the Biosystem shell has 25 HP of Cover. The brain inside dies instantly if struck directly
- A Biosystem installed in an FBC body cannot be targeted
- A user in a standalone Biosystem can observe and communicate — nothing else
🔧 Going Metal: The Process
Most surgeons require the patient to:
- Remove all non-medical-grade cyberware (including Neuralware)
- Undergo therapy to prepare for the massive Humanity Loss shock
- Have the Biosystem surgery performed at a Hospital (HL 14/4d6)
- Be installed into their chosen FBC body (HL varies by model)
Choosing to Take the Average
A user being installed in an FBC body can choose to take the average HL instead of rolling. This applies to both the Biosystem and the FBC body’s package HL.
What Happens to Old Cyberware?
You can install some of your old cyberware into your FBC body. However:
- If you uninstall it first and undergo therapy → installing it into the FBC counts as a fresh install with new HL
- If you carry it over without uninstalling first → the existing HL carries over (no fresh roll, but no therapy benefit either)
Bazooka Joe Goes Metal
Joe removes all cyberware, undergoes therapy (Humanity goes up to 80), gets Biosystem surgery (rolls 18 on 4d6, drops to 62), undergoes more therapy (gains 14 back, up to 76), then is installed in a Militech Enforcer (takes the average of 55). Joe wakes up at 21 Humanity — with room to regain up to 50 via therapy over the coming year.
🛡️ FBC Baselines
Every FBC body — regardless of model — shares these properties:
Stats & Skills
- Kept from meat body: INT, COOL, TECH, WILL, LUCK, EMP, all Skills
- Set by FBC body: BODY, Hit Points, Death Save
- May change via cyberware: REF, DEX, MOVE (typically via Internal Hydraulics Upgrades)
Immunities
| Immune To | Details |
|---|---|
| Wound State penalties | Ignore Check and STAT penalties from all Wound States (Death Saves still apply) |
| Diseases, poisons, pharmaceuticals, street drugs | Unless administered via Airhypo directly into the Biosystem’s access port (impossible against the user’s will unless fully immobile) |
| Radiation | Full immunity |
| Suffocation | Do not need to breathe |
| Starvation | Do not need food or water (but need Glucose Solution — see below) |
| Sleep discomfort | Immune to penalties for uncomfortable sleeping or cramped living |
| Certain Critical Injuries | See list below |
Ignored Critical Injuries
The following Critical Injuries are completely ignored while in an FBC body (do not reroll for a new one):
Broken Jaw · Collapsed Lung · Concussion · Cracked Skull · Crushed Windpipe · Lost Ear · Spinal Injury · Torn Muscle · Whiplash
Healing & Maintenance
- Nanomachine healing: At Good Prepack lifestyle (600eb/month) or better, the FBC body regains BODY HP per day of natural healing
- Full repair: DV15 Cybertech Check, 4 hours. Users can repair themselves. Failure wastes 4 hours and restores to half HP (unless current HP is higher)
- Healing aids don’t work: Cryobags, Cryotanks, and Speedheal have no effect on FBC users
Feeding the Brain
Glucose-Rich Brain Solution
FBC users must inject a Glucose-Rich Brain Solution (100eb, Premium) via the access port once per month.
- Included free in Good Prepack lifestyle (600eb/mo)
- Miss 1 month: Starving → -2 on all Checks
- Miss 2 months in a row: Biological systems crash → death
Doubled Option Slots
When installed in an FBC body:
- Foundational cyberware (Cyberarms, Cyberlegs, Cybereyes, etc.) and Internal/External Body Cyberware categories grant double their usual number of option slots
- The user automatically meets any Grafted Muscle and Bone Lace requirement for additional cyberware
Zero-HL Cyberware
The following cyberware causes 0 Humanity Loss and does not depress maximum Humanity when installed in an FBC body:
Cyberarm · Cyberaudio Suite · Cybereye · Cyberleg · Cyberskull · Internal Linear Frame · Neural Link / Neuroport
Simulated Senses
All FBC bodies have simulated touch, smell, and taste. These can be toggled off without an Action. FBCs can eat and drink recreationally — they just need to empty the storage tank eventually.
🔄 Switching Bodies
A Biosystem can be transferred to a new FBC body:
| Aspect | Rule |
|---|---|
| Check | DV17 Cybertech or Surgery |
| Time | 4 hours |
| On failure | No harm done — can reattempt any number of times |
| Self-transfer | Yes, an FBC user can do this on themselves |
| HP | Transferring into a new body restores HP to the new body’s maximum |
Humanity When Switching
- New body (never inhabited before): Suffer full Humanity Loss for all applicable cyberware in the new body, even if it duplicates what you had before
- Returning to a previous body: Check Current Humanity against Maximum Humanity in this body. If current is higher, reduce to the max. Take additional HL only for cyberware installed since you last inhabited it
- Only the Biosystem and cyberware in the currently inhabited body count toward Maximum Humanity depression
- All cyberware in the previous body is uninstalled (not the Biosystem)
đź“‹ FBC Body Catalog
Full stat blocks for each body are in the Database.
All FBC bodies require a Biosystem and Hospital installation.
Entry-Level & Civilian
| Model | Cost | HL (Avg/Roll) | Linear Frame | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocklin Augmentics Alpha Class | 9,900eb | 21 (6d6) | Sigma | General-purpose baseline |
| Raven Microcybernetics Gemini | 10,200eb | 14 (4d6) | Sigma | Social — looks fully human |
| Trauma Team Kildare | 12,200eb | 39 (avg) | Sigma | Medical / Surgery |
Specialist & Industrial
| Model | Cost | HL (Avg/Roll) | Linear Frame | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynalar Aquarius | 13,000eb | 37 (avg) | Sigma | Underwater exploration |
| Militech Enforcer | 16,800eb | 53 (avg) | Sigma | Law enforcement |
| Cybermatrix Copernicus | 17,300eb | 52 (avg) | Sigma | Space exploration & construction |
| Dynalar Brimstone | 17,600eb | 53 (avg) | Sigma | Firefighting — Brimstone Coating |
| Moore Technologies Sheol | 19,600eb | 32 (avg) | Beta | Hazardous operations |
| NovelTech Samson | 20,500eb | 39 (avg) | Omega | Industrial construction |
Military & Covert
| Model | Cost | HL (Avg/Roll) | Linear Frame | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Militech Spyder 2.0 | 24,900eb | 73 (avg) | Beta | Espionage — 4 arms |
| Raven Microcybernetics Wiseman | 27,480eb | 70 (avg) | Sigma | Netrunning — 4 integrated cyberdecks |
| Militech Eclipse | 29,200eb | 67 (avg) | Beta | Stealth assassination |
| Militech Dragoon Revised | 35,000eb | 64 (avg) | Omega | Heavy military warfighting |
Fixer Availability
Cost doesn’t always equal difficulty to acquire. For example, the Alpha Class costs 9,900eb but GMs should treat it as Expensive (not Super Luxury) for availability. Check each model’s listing.
⚙️ FBC-Specific Cyberware
Coatings (External Body Cyberware — FBC Only)
| Coating | Cost | HL | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brimstone Coating | 1,000eb | 7 (2d6) | Immune to fire damage; cannot be set on fire |
| Chameleon Coating | 1,000eb | 7 (2d6) | After standing still 1 min → cloak (DV17 Perception to spot). 2nd install = 30 sec. 3rd = 9 sec |
| EMP Coating | 1,000eb | 7 (2d6) | Absorbs one EMP effect per installation (sacrificial) |
| Gemini Sculpt | 1,000eb | 0 (N/A) | FBC looks human (revealed by IR as cold metal). Cannot fit Omega frame or BODY 16+ |
| Integrated Bodyweight Coating | 1,000eb | 7 (2d6) | 2 hardware-only cyberdeck slots shared across all integrated decks per installation |
Internal Hydraulics (Internal Body Cyberware — FBC Only)
| Upgrade | Cost | HL | REF / DEX / MOVE Set To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 1,000eb | 3 (1d6) | 4 |
| Tuned | 5,000eb | 3 (1d6) | 6 |
| Perfected | 20,000eb | 3 (1d6) | 8 |
Stats are set at the listed value unless they would otherwise be higher. Still affected by Armor Penalties and Critical Injuries.
Heavy Armor (Borgware — External Body)
| Item | Cost | HL | SP | Armor Penalty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Subdermal Plating | 5,000eb | 14 (4d6) | 13 (body + head) | -2 REF/DEX/MOVE (negated at BODY 14+ or FBC) | Nanomachine repair: 1 SP/day |
| Dragoon Plating | 5,000eb | 14 (4d6) | 15 (body + head) | -2 REF/DEX/MOVE | Magnetic hot-swap; nano repair 1 SP/day. BODY 16+ or FBC |
| Dragoon Plating (Metalgear) | 15,000eb | 14 (4d6) | 18 (body + head) | -3 REF/DEX/MOVE | Magnetic hot-swap; nano repair 1 SP/day. BODY 16+ or FBC |
Dragoon Plating Tricks
As an Action, jettison plating (removes SP + penalty). As an Action, magnetically summon unattached plating within 6m. Extra sets cost 1,000eb (standard) or 5,000eb (Metalgear).
Other Key FBC Cyberware
| Item | Type | Cost | HL | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberskull | Internal Body (3 slots) | 5,000eb | 14 (4d6) | Head no longer a 2Ă— weak point; immune to Cracked Skull + Broken Jaw |
| Linear Frame Omega (Internal) | Borgware Ă—2 | 10,000eb | 28 (8d6) | BODY set to 16 (changes HP + Death Save). Requires BODY 10 + 3Ă— Grafted M&BL |
| Linear Frame Omega (External) | Gear | 10,000eb | — | BODY set to 16 (no HP/Death Save change). Requires 3× Interface Plugs |
| Prehensile Cyberfoot | Cyberleg Option | 1,000eb | 3 (1d6) | Transform leg → arm as Action (-4 MOVE unless zero gravity) |
| Zero Gravity Thrusters | Cyberleg Option (paired) | 1,000eb | 3 (1d6) | Negate zero-gravity movement penalties. Fuel: 100eb/24hrs |
| Reinforced Cyberlimb | Cyberlimb Option | 1,000eb | 3 (1d6) | Immune to Broken Arm/Leg Critical Injury on that limb |
| MicroWaldo | Cyberarm / Neuralware Option | 1,000eb | 7 (2d6) | Medtech gets +1 Surgery |
⚡ EMPs and FBCs
Not a Kill Switch
EMP effects (like Microwavers) treat an FBC body like a collection of parts, not a whole. An EMP doesn’t shut down the entire body — just individual cyberware components. The Biosystem is hardened and immune to EMP.
🔨 Techs & FBC Construction
A Tech can build an FBC body from scratch:
| Aspect | Rule |
|---|---|
| Check | DV29 Cybertech |
| Time | 1 hour assembly (does not destroy components on failure) |
| Minimum components | Cyberarm Ă—2, Cyberaudio Suite, Cybereye Ă—2, Cyberleg Ă—2, Cyberskull, Internal Linear Frame, Neural Link/Neuroport |
| Substitutions | Allowed where appropriate (e.g., Kiroshi MonoVision instead of 2Ă— Cybereyes) |
| Upgrades | Applied to individual components, not the body as a whole |
No Medical Grade
Medical-grade cyberware cannot be used to create an FBC body.
âť“ Quick Answers
Can I go back to a meat body after the Biosystem?
No. The procedure is permanent. Your meat body is returned to you “cleaned and individually bagged.” Most people burn or bury it.
How much does going Borg really cost?
Biosystem (10,000eb) + FBC Body (9,900eb–35,000eb) = minimum ~20,000eb for the cheapest setup (Alpha Class). Add Hydraulics Upgrades, extra cyberware, and ongoing Glucose costs (included in 600eb/month lifestyle).
Can I still use drugs and pharmaceuticals?
Only via Airhypo injected directly into the Biosystem’s access port. This cannot be done against your will unless you are fully immobile or incapacitated.
What happens to my BODY stat?
It’s replaced by the FBC body’s BODY stat, which is determined by the Internal Linear Frame installed. Sigma = 12, Beta = 14, Omega = 16.
Can an FBC wear regular armor?
FBC bodies use subdermal/plating systems, not worn armor. Heavy Subdermal Plating, Dragoon Plating, or Skin Weave / Subdermal Armor work normally. Standard external armor does not fit FBC chassis unless the GM rules otherwise.
How do I get REF, DEX, and MOVE?
Without Internal Hydraulics Upgrades, these stats may be 0 (unmovable). Most FBC bodies include hydraulics in their package. Standard = 4, Tuned = 6, Perfected = 8.
Can I have multiple FBC bodies and swap between them?
Yes. You can own several bodies and transfer your Biosystem between them (DV17 Cybertech/Surgery, 4 hours). Many Borgs keep a Gemini body for social situations and a combat body for work. Humanity recalculates when you switch.
Is an FBC automatically a Cyberpsycho?
No. Most cyberpsychosis cases don’t involve FBCs. The prejudice is real, but the danger is overstated — especially with therapy. Budget your Humanity carefully and keep up with therapy sessions.
đź”— Related Topics
- Cyberware — Installation rules, option slots, all 8 categories
- Humanity — Humanity Loss, Cyberpsychosis, therapy, removal
- FBC Database — Full stat blocks for all 13 bodies
- Repair & Crafting — Fixing and upgrading chrome
- Gear Durability — Maintenance and malfunction rules
- Database — Browse all items
(Source: Interface RED Volume 3, Chapter 11 — Going Metal: FBCs)