GM NOTES

Quicksilver Gland Recipients (QGR's)

Darien Fawkes: Hey, could you explain something to me? Now that I can go invisible, I can't be let out of sight! Now how does that make sense?
The Keeper: You see, it doesn't have to. When you're invisible, the only person who can truly watch you is yourself.
Darien Fawkes: Wow, could you print that up and put that on a keychain for me?

Recently during a raid against a 6th Reich base, the Bureau has captured 6 biosynthetic glands, which are copies of the QS-9300 gland used by "Project I-Man". These glands operate in the same fashion as the gland used by Agent Fawkes with the exception that these 6 glands were created from the notes of Arnuad De Thiel (discovered to be an alias of known illegal arms dealer Arnaud De Fhern) and thus contain an engineered mutation that has allows the gland to work, but causes dangerous buildups of toxins in the hosts bloodstream over time.

The QS-9300 Gland:
Implanted in a subject's brain and linked to the adrenal gland, this bio-engineered gland continually produces an unusual substance dubbed "quicksilver". This quicksilver can be excreted via the pores of the subject and quickly coats any surface in direct contact with the host's skin. Via this method the secreted quicksilver forms a sheath over whatever surface it contacts. So long as the object in question is in physical contact with the host, the sheath's integrity can be maintained until such time as the QS-9300 gland exhausts its supply of quicksilver. If the object being quick-silvered is separated from the host or the host shuts off the flow of quicksilver then the sheath autoxidates and the quicksilver quickly dries into a brittle, crystalline form, which sloughs off the object rapidly.

Implantation:
In order to implant the gland for optimum usability, the operation requires that a opening be made in the occipital bone of the skull and the gland neurologically grafted to the subjects brain and connected to the brain stem, adrenal gland and connected to the blood vessels adjacent to the brain stem. After the insertion, a period of approximately two weeks is required for the gland adapt to the subject's brain chemistry and to intertwine itself completely with the host's central nervous system. Once the operation is complete the gland cannot be removed without killing the patient. After the operation, the connections of the gland should be tested via a fear stimulus. Exposing the host to something he is afraid of will trigger the adrenal gland and thus the quicksilver gland. With effort and training the host can learn to override the adrenal trigger and control the gland directly. In time, the host can exert a great deal of control over the operation of the gland but will always be subject to adrenalin rushes triggering the gland.

Quicksilver Madness stage by stage breakdown:

Stage 1: Marked increase in body temperature (approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and a state of general irritability.

Stage 2: At 100.1 degrees Fahrenheit the host's body begins to sweat in order to cool itself and the host begins to experience sharp pain similar to migraine headache, convulsions and bloodshot eyes.

Stage 3: The host's eyes become saturate with blood from the capillaries and his mental state degrades into violent paranoia and delusions of persecution. (STB and TMP each drop to 20, STR and CON both increase by 25% rounded up and the subject feels less pain from external sources so all damage is considered halved)

Stage 4: At this point the host loses all inhibitions and self-consciousness; the subject is at this point capable of literally any behavior patterns, regardless of known personality traits. The subject has no feelings of guilt or remorse and pain is also ignored wholesale.

Stage 5: Upon reaching stage 5, the host's eyes turn from blood red to silver as the quicksilver level in the bloodstream reaches dangerous levels. The host becomes convinced of his own invulnerability and infallibility achieving a megalomaniacal state.
When in stage 5 of quicksilver madness, the subject often seem calm and controlled, but is every bit as dangerous as when in stages 3 & 4. If a subject reaches stage 5, permanent brain damage will occur within 12 hours followed by the death of the host.

Game Mechanics of Quicksilver use and Quicksilver Madness.

SIGHT & DETECTION
The quicksilver creates its invisibility effect by causing light that contacts the completed sheathe to be bent completely around the coated object. This sheathe only affects the visible spectrum, ultraviolet and infrared are unaffected. If a sighted individual is coated, the person is not rendered blind as one might expect, but instead is able to see in a higher spectrum of light, which, although monochromatic, allows for excellent depth perception and detail. Subjects seeing through quicksilver are able to see exceptionally well in the dark or fog situations and are able to perceive other subjects coated with quicksilver as glowing shapes due to UV bleed at the curves or corners of the object. A quicksilvered subject can be detected by a variety of means:

Ultraviolet cameras can see the bleed in the UV spectrum given off by quicksilver.

Thermal imaging will detect the low temperature surface area of the quicksilver.

Sonar, ultrasonic or other sound based detection systems are unaffected by the quicksilver.

Due to the nature of the invisibility process, the outer surface of the quicksilver sheathe maintains a temperature of -4 degrees Fahrenheit, liquids that interact with the quicksilver surface tend to freeze. The subject is not as affected within the sheathe, the inner surface of the quicksilver sheathe maintains a temperature of approximately 5-10 degrees cooler than the object it coats, and actually will protect the subject from cold or hot conditions outside the sheathe within limits.

USE & EFFECTS
Coating an object and keeping it invisible require minimal concentration (5% penalty to all checks). Once coated, an object stays invisible for as long as it's quicksilver flow is maintained via contact. Once removed from the flow of quicksilver the sheathe will crystallize in approximately 2 seconds (1 round) unless a large coat is applied before severing the connection with the host. A larger coat can last for up to 30 seconds before oxidizing.
Using quicksilver to coat an object of less than 1 square foot of area incurs Ľth of a Quicksilver Toxin Point (QTP).
Maintaining an object of less than square foot in area incurs Ľth of a QTP per minute.

Using quicksilver to coat an object of more than 1 square foot but less than 10 square feet of area incurs ˝ of a Quicksilver Toxin Point (QTP).
Maintaining the object's invisibility incurs ˝ of a QTP per minute.

Using quicksilver to coat an object of 10 square feet or more of area incurs 1 QTP per 10 square feet or fraction thereof. A standard sized person requires approximately 10 square feet of quicksilver coating or 1 QTP to coat. A standard door would require 2 QTPs to make invisible and a car would require 8-10 QTPs worth of quicksilver to coat.
Maintaining these larger objects incurs 1 QTP per 10 square feet or fraction thereof per minute.
Note that the gland can produce enough quicksilver to coat 100 square feet for 1 minute before it is exhausted and needs time to renew its reservoir. Thus to cover a car and maintain its invisibility for 1 minute will exhaust the gland. The gland requires one minute to generate enough quicksilver for 1 square foot, thus requiring almost 2 hours to go from completely empty to full again. In most cases this has not been a problem since it is rarely necessary to keep a person-sized object invisible for more than 10 minutes at a time.

TOXIN BUILDUP
Note that not using the gland does not protect the host from quicksilver madness. Even when not in use the gland is producing quicksilver and this causes the buildup of toxins to continue, although at a much slower rate. The glands own production will incur a ˝ QTP buildup per hour in the subject, thus with no use the gland will still cause quicksilver madness after about a week.

Upon accumulating 100 QTPs the subject enters Stage 1 Quicksilver madness and begins acquiring additional QTPs at the rate of 1 per minute regardless of how much quicksilver the host uses. Roll for a grade temporary stability problem.

Stage 2 is achieved at 125 QTPs. Roll for a 2nd temporary stability problem

Stage 3 is achieved at 150 QTPs. If the subject gets this far, the 1st stability problem becomes permanent even after reagent is administered.

Stage 4 is achieved at 250 QTPs. Subject gains 1 permanent QTP, which cannot be removed) If the subject gets this far, the 2nd stability problem becomes permanent even after reagent is administered.

Stage 5 is achieved at 500 QTPs. Subject gains 4 permanent QTPs, which cannot be removed)

A suitable dose of QS-9300 reagent, will negate up to stage 4 Quicksilver Madness and reset the QTPs to 0 (unless the subject has gained permanent QTPs which cannot be removed). This counteragent is difficult to create (requiring 57 active ingredients), expensive to produce ($17,000 per dose) and does not store for more than 5 days refrigerated or 1 day un-refrigerated. If the host reaches stage 5 Quicksilver madness, the QS-9300 reagent will be unable to affect the host and a shot of QS-9300 Beta reagent (AKA "Arnuad's Counteragent") will be required, this formula is even harder to make (84 active ingredients), is more expensive ($72,000 per dose) and is only useful for a maximum of 24 hours before it begins to break down and becomes useless. Use of the primary reagent should be limited to use only when the host has accumulated 80 QTPs or more, since overuse of the reagent will cause its effectiveness to deteriorate (the host gains 1 permanent QTP each time he receives the reagent at less than 80 QTPs).

Quicksilver Gland Recipients must learn to use two new skills:

Quicksilver Control
Self Taught, Bureau Special Skill
Checked to activate Quicksilver gland without psychological stimulus. A successful check allows the gland recipient to activate the gland at will, activate it to cover only certain areas or to exude quicksilver onto an object.

Self Control
Military, Self Taught, Bureau Special Skill
This skill can be checked against to remain calm. Often used to resist fear effects or control reflexive actions.

All images are copyright Stu Segall Productions Inc. 2000.

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Source Material conversion: William Travis