Crazy

"Sit down, Annie. You're bleeding," Priss told her.
It had been two years since they put her mind into this doll's body. It had served her well so far.
Take this latest hit, for example. That laser went right through her shoulder and she didn't feel a thing.
"Nah, that's just a bit of stuffing." She said. "We can poke that right back in, sew me up and I'll be good as new. We need to take out that sniper first."
"Leroy's taking care of the sniper, sit down and let me fix you." Prissy was the worrying kind and always treated her like she was some fragile person. It was kind of cute, in its own way.
Annie patted Prissy on the head like she would a child. Annie knew where the sniper was. It was obvious, even in the fraction of a second she had to make a mental snapshot of the abandoned ruins. Leroy was going to get himself killed if she let him go after it unsupported. So she popped back up with her grenade launcher pressed against that same holed shoulder, pulled the trigger and stepped aside as another laser burst strobed just past her head.
Ten seconds later, Leroy's call of "Sniper's down" came across the empty ruins. "Nice shot Annie" came next in Leroy's baritone.
"Okay, Priss. Patch me up and let's get to that bridge." She didn't lose much stuffing this time, but she lamented the blackened edges on it caused by the laser's heat. She'd need more stuffing when they got home.
Aside, Prissy whispered to Leroy when he made it back to them, "This is the third hit she's taken and she's lost a lot of blood. She thinks she's a doll and its just stuffing."
"Let her keep thinking that, it doesn't hurt anybody. We're almost there and we can rest a few days. We all need it."

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Crazy is a term given to people who have had brain implants installed to heighter their awareness, reflexes and strength, reduce pain sensations and otherwise turn a normal person into a super soldier. The downside is that the manipulation and interference of these implants creates a dissonance between the real world and how the recipient percieves it. That's how crazies get their name. They are all insane.

Career

Qualifications

Anyone can be a crazy. Most are humans. The more human-like a person is, the more successful the M.O.M. conversion will be.
Most crazies are not crazies by choice. Who would make that choice anyway? ...unless their sanity was already suspect.
Most crazies are forced into the conversion and forced into a form of indentured servitude as a soldier for a government or a criminal gang.

Career Progression

It is an unavoidable shock to the mind of a recipient when the Mind over Matter (M.O.M.) implants are first tested. Even at the gradual ramping up of testing during recovery prior to release is not enough to protect the mind from the dissonance created by their interference. The more reputable the facility that perfoms the implantation, the less severe insanity. But some measure of insanity is assured. Regardless of the capabilities of the facilitiy performing the installation, the onset of insanity is more dependent upon the recipient of the implants than on the skill of those who install them.
The more a crazy uses their augmented abilities, the more likely will be the onset of insanity. And any insanities the crazy has will get worse over time and use as well.

Payment & Reimbursement

Crazies working off their indenture will receive little to no pay until the end of their service, if they survive that long.
Free crazies can earn very good pay as mercenaries, but usually with the stipulation that they are responsible for their insanities and any harm or destruction that results from them.

Other Benefits

Crazies are super soldiers. They feel little pain, have intensely heightened senses, increased strength and absurd reflexes. In addition, their M.O.M.. implants also award them with some psionic powers.

Perception

Social Status

Crazies are humored usually. They can be easily identified by the end caps protruding from their heads and neck, which are difficult to hide under any but the loosest hats or largest helmets.
Since crazies serve primarily in servitude, they are often viewed with disdain. Free crazies can be welcome additions to mercenary companies for their skills and for the humor their insanities can bring to the mix. However, some crazies are inflicted with insanities that make them an unwelcome burdon.

Demographics

Almost all crazies are humans. There are a few demihumans that have successfully received M.O.M. implants.

History

Brain implants were begun around the turn of the 21st century as a means to allow recipients to use robotic prosthetic limbs. As its capabilities grew and technology advanced, it progressed down separate paths. The first path was closely related to the control of robotic, and later cybernetic and bionic body replacements. The second path started as a treatment for alzheimer's and evolved into brain augmentation. Eventually this second path enabled recipients to not just overcome defects, but to exceed the capabilities of even the healthiest humans. This became a study called Mind Over Matter and was the golden future of medical science.

But the more the implants interfered with the normal processes of the human brain, the less capable the human mind was of dealing with the dissonance. There was no clear delineation between what amount of enhancement was safe and what amount caused irreparable insanity. So as the unfortunate prospects of insanity became an unavoidable and irreversible side-effect of Mind over Matter (M.O.M.) enhancement, the world outlawed any further development of the technology.

Until the coming of the Rifts. Then everything came back on the table.

Operations

Dangers & Hazards

Insanity is the inevitible hazard of Mind over Matter (M.O.M.) implants. Mild at first, eventually crazies will lose their minds, though few will ever live that long owing to the violent nature of their employment.

When conductng a M.O.M conversion, even in character creation, roll for success using the higher of either healing or electronics skills of the person conducting the installation. For character creation, this is up to the GM's judgment. If no character backstory is provided to give the GM guidance at character creation, assume a single skill level of d12 in a high-tech facility.

Modifiers
• If the character conducting the installation has both skills, add +2 to the roll.
• If the procedure is performed in a high-tech medical facility with 3D imager, add +2 to the roll
• if the patient is a demi-human subtract 4 from the roll
• If the patient is far from human, subtract 8 from the roll

Results
• On a success, the M.O.M. implants are installed as per the book
• On a failure, add a permanent point of strain to the character
• On a critical failure, in addition to the penalties for a normal failure, roll a second time on the psyche degradation table.

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Type

Military

Legality

Crazies are legal in all societies, although performing M.O.M. implant procedure may be looked at unfavorably by nicer societies.

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Related Technologies

• Mind over Matter (M.O.M.)