Sandbox:Sneakyranger

A technomancer is an antagonist whose abilities come from the core on their back and the wide variety of tools they can order before they on arrive the station. Technomancer is one of the more open-ended antagonists as far as gimmicks go, given the wide variety of playstyles at their disposal.

Technomancer General Information
To begin, you spawn in wearing a large black item on your back. This is a manipulation core, or "core", which is what lets you use all your fancy abilities. Don't lose it! You're (almost) powerless without it. You can purchase functions for your core using the catalog item which should spawn in your pocket. More on those later.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind as you use your core. Firstly, your core requires energy, which should be displayed as both an icon above your internals indicator and as a number in the "Spell Core" tab on the UI. The majority of functions require energy in order to work, and so it is important to keep an eye on how your core is doing. While all types of core regenerate energy on their own (some faster than others), you can also purchase functions that generate energy when doing a specific action. Again, more on functions later.

Secondly, using the powers of your core generates instability. Instability is a result of your highly-advanced core doing what it does, and given the aforementioned highly-advanced nature of the core it is poorly understood. What is understood is that instability is incredibly dangerous. Instability will grow and cling to you as you use more functions more often, with more powerful functions creating more instability per use. While the effects of instability are generally harmless at lower levels and have minor effects such as sparks or forced blinking, high levels of instability will have progressively more dangerous and deadly effects.

Your core will tell you your current level of instability, and instability levels can be viewed in the "Spell Core" tab, right below your core charge. Aside from that, you also have a visual indicator of instability: purplish lightning will appear around your character (or the characters of others) if instability is present. At high levels of instability, affected persons will begin to glow a dark purple - this effect spreads the instability and is highly dangerous - multiple glowing objects can create a dangerous feedback loop if not separated. As for how to get rid of it, you're in luck! Instability will go away on its own over time.

You should strive to keep your core secure. To help with this, each core comes with a locking mechanism that prevents forceful removal by a third party until it is unlocked by the wearer. Note that your core will automatically unlock if you die. Additionally, if you do die, there is an anti-tamper mechanism installed in your core as well. If an unauthorized individual picks up your core, it will discharge large amounts of instability in to them until it is put down again.

With that out of the way, it's almost time to get in to your catalog. A few things to note before you do:
 * A function can be thought of as a spell, that you use by activating the function then holding the pseudo-item in your hands and trying to use it on a target of your choice. This did replace the wizard game mode, after all.
 * Some functions can have their abilities enhanced by a special rod called the Scepter of Enhancement. If a function is able to be modified with it, it will be shown underneath the description of the function as Scepter Effect:.
 * Functions can also be boosted with the core itself. A function that is able to benefit from this will have 'Spell Power:' underneath. Different Cores have different amounts of spell power.
 * When a function refers to 'allies', it means you, your apprentices, currently controlled entities (with the Control function), and friendly simple-minded entities that you've summoned with the Scepter of Enhancement.
 * A meter is equal to one 'tile'.
 * You can refund functions, equipment items, and assistance items so long as you are in your base. After leaving, though, you can no longer refund anything. You can still buy things in your catalog if you still have points remaining. To refund functions, just click the 'Refund Functions' button on the top, when in the functions tabs. For equipment items, you need to hit it against the catalog.

Finally, before we delve in to the functions category, one last note of general information: you spawn in wearing chameleon clothing, which you can customize to any appearance you desire by right clicking on it and selecting "Change (Item) Appearance". Your core can also have its appearance changed in the same way.

Technomancer Equipment
Now that you're in your catalog, you've got a lot of tabs looking back at you, each with a wide variety of things in them. Let's start with equipment.

Cores
Your cores are the key to all of your abilities. There are a lot of options, so they're condensed down here.
 * Manipulation Core: You spawn with this one. It's only in the catalog so that in the event you change your mind and refund a different core you can get the default one back. The stats are as follows:
 * Energy Capacity: 10k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 50/s
 * Instability Modifier: 80%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 100%
 * Spell Power: 100%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Rapid Core: This core has a faster power recharge rate, but a lower power capacity. It also makes you run slightly faster.
 * Energy Capacity: 7k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 70/s
 * Instability Modifier: 90%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 100%
 * Spell Power: 100%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Bulky Core: This core is optimized for power capacity over recharge rate. You may want to consider getting some energy generating functions if you choose to use this one, and you should also note that it slows you down slightly.
 * Energy Capacity: 20k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 25/s
 * Instability Modifier: 100%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 100%
 * Spell Power: 140%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Unstable Core: This core makes your instability increase faster in exchange for having other stats improved across the board. Interestingly, your energy recharge rate increases the higher your instability.
 * Energy Capacity: 13k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 35/s to 110/s+
 * Instability Modifier: 130%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 70%
 * Spell Power: 110%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Recycling Core: This core has a 30% chance of refunding half the energy cost of an action any time energy is spent.
 * Energy Capacity: 12k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 40/s
 * Instability Modifier: 60%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 80%
 * Spell Power: 100%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Summoning Core: This is the core to use if you want to summon a lot of creatures to do your bidding. The energy cost of maintaining summons is severely reduced and you can maintain up to 40 at once.
 * Energy Capacity: 8k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 35/s
 * Instability Modifier: 120%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 100%
 * Spell Power: 120%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Safety Core: This core lowers your instability gain drastically in exchange for having fairly poor stats everywhere else.
 * Energy Capacity: 7k
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 30/s
 * Instability Modifier: 30%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 100%
 * Spell Power: 70%
 * Purchase Cost: 100


 * Overcharged Core: Max spell power, max energy cost. Since every function costs twice as much, your energy capacity is effectively halved - though your functions are twice as effective, too.
 * Energy Capacity: 15k (effectively 7.5k)
 * Energy Recharge Rate: 40/s
 * Instability Modifier: 110%
 * Energy Cost Modifier: 200%
 * Spell Power: 175%
 * Purchase Cost: 100

Other Equipment
These items aren't as important as your core, but they're still very useful.
 * Hypo Belt
 * A medical belt designed to carry autoinjectors and other medical equipment. Comes with one of each hypo. Purchase Cost: 50.


 * Belt of Holding
 * This belt can both hold large items and more items in general. Almost essential for storage - your core doesn't function as a backpack! Purchase Cost: 50.


 * Thermoncle
 * A fancy monocle with a thermal optics lens installed. Allows you to see people through walls. Purchase cost: 150.


 * Night Vision Goggles
 * Exactly what it says on the tin. Useful for sneaking around in the dark. Purchase Cost: 50.


 * Omnisight Scanner
 * Think x-ray vision goggles and you get the picture. Very useful, but expensive. Purchase Cost: 300.


 * Medical HUD
 * A bog-standard medical HUD for monitoring the vitals of others. Purchase Cost: 25.


 * Scepter of Empowerment
 * This little staff modifies or enhances most of your core functions. To use it, you just have to hold it in one of your hands while you use a function. Purchase Cost: 200.


 * Spyglass
 * Look far ahead with this spyglass. Similar to binoculars, just minus one half. Purchase Cost: 100.


 * Boots of Speed
 * These boots both prevent you from slipping and make you run faster. Purchase Cost: 50.


 * Gloves of Regeneration
 * These gloves constantly feed a chemical blend into your system, greatly increasing your metabolism and therefore your healing rate. On the other hand, increasing your metabolism makes you get hungry faster, and putting the gloves on or taking them off hurts quite a bit due to their skin connection. Synthetic technomancers probably shouldn't bother, though these gloves are a bit more protective than some others. Purchase Cost: 50.


 * Personal Shield Projector
 * A personal shield generator. It can outright block lasers and it reduces the velocity of both bullets and close quarters attacks, lowering their damage significantly. The shield will block 75% of the damage from each hit, and removes energy from your core proportional to the amount of damage inflicted. Weapons with armor penetration have no effect on the shield. If your core runs out of power, the shield will deactivate. Purchase cost: 200.
 * Tesla Armor
 * This armor has a retaliation-based defense. After a moment of charging up, the armor will completely protect you from the next attack and strike the attacker with a bolt of lightning (if they are close enough). This effect requires fifteen seconds to recharge; if you are attacked during the recharging phase, a weaker bolt is sent out and the armor does not block the attack. Purchase Cost: 150.