IRIS
IRIS, or Intuitive, Reconstrictive, Integrated Symbiotics are a network of highly advanced nano-machines which maintain and enhance the human body from within. Though they are technically a medical technology, their potential to enhance human capabilities is so great that a person with well-calibrated IRIS can excel beyond others in almost any field. Unlike most of the technology used today, every human being alive has IRIS. It is self-sustaining; passed down to evey child in the womb, helping to form and stabilize the unborn child until birth, at which point it begins to grow a unique identity alongside its new host. Despite its ubiquitousness however, great differences remain in any given person's ability to wield it. IRIS is a learning system and seeks to meet the needs of its host. As such, individuals can subconsciously shape its development over time as it adapts to their lifestyle, but the extent of this influence depends on the host themselves; this is referred to as, “affinity”. When the Feral Plague swept Horizon, those with weak afinity for IRIS were the most susceptible, since they lacked the ability to retain control once infected by the dominant Feral IRIS. On that basis, most of the surviving population have a generally higher affinity for IRIS than the Earth average. This in itself does not make them super-human by any means, but their subconscious influence over IRIS is demonstrable, even if not usually focused beyond a general degree. Player Characters are noteworthy in the world of Horizon partially for this reason, as they are considered to have greater than normal affinity. This means Player Characters, along with other high-affinity individuals, tend to stand out as being exceptional, or at least above average when compared to most people they meet on Horizon. Raw skill, talent and practice still have a great impact on overall capability however, making it an uncommon claim that someone succeeds only because their affinity is greater. Such comments would normally be considered jealous or spiteful and will often be derided as such.
IRIS Index:
IRIS Overview
IRIS has many effects in the human body, improving performance in almost every area of the user's abilities. When measuring the specific effects, two metrics are used, called Traits and Passives.
Traits are the defining attributes of a Character and express the degree of natural talent they have when using their abilities. The higher a Character's rank in a given Trait, the more dice they will roll when making tests related to that Trait. Every die has a chance to improve an action's effect, so more dice means better odds for bonuses and more bonuses means better performance.
Passives represent the Character's specific attributes, such as how fast they are or how much weight they can carry. The number of ranks a Character has in each Passive will determine their ability in that area: more ranks in Speed lets them move further; more ranks in Strength lets them carry more. Not only do Passives contribute a great deal to a Character's playstyle, but they are especially important to get right because they control the Character's greatest limitations and are very difficult to change after Character creation.
