Cybernetics
Cybernetics are one aspect of character creation in Caves of Qud. They provide the bulk of character customization for players playing as True Kin, and are roughly analogous to the Mutations available to Mutants.
Cybernetics differ from mutations in that they are not obtained through leveling up and spending points; instead, they are found throughout the world in various locations, and installed into the player's body. They are unable to be leveled as mutations are.
Cybernetics are listed by their short display name below and elsewhere on the wiki. In game, they appear with the prefix [Implant] - <cybernetic name>.
In contrast to mutations, very few enemies possess cybernetic implants, a notable exception being the Putus Templar.
Character Creation
The player is permitted to select one cybernetic during character creation. Only a small portion of the cybernetics present in the game are available for selection when creating a character. Additionally, certain cybernetics are only available when playing as castes belonging to specific arcologies. The player can also choose not to take any cybernetic, which will grant them +1 Toughness, at the cost of starting with 0 license tier (instead of 2).
General Starting Cybernetics
| Cybernetic | Slots | Code |
|---|---|---|
 dermal insulation |
Body • Head • Back | 01 |
 optical bioscanner |
Face | 04 |
 optical technoscanner |
Face | 05 |
 night vision |
Face | 06 |
 hyper-elastic ankle tendons |
Feet | 07 |
 parabolic muscular subroutine |
Arm | 08 |
 translucent skin |
Body • Back | 09 |
 stabilizer arm locks |
Arm | 11 |
 rapid release finger flexors |
Hands | 12 |
 carbide hand bones |
Hands | 13 |
 pentaceps |
Feet | 14 |
 inflatable axons |
Head | 15 |
Arcology-Specific Starting Cybernetics
| Cybernetic | Slots | Arcology | Castes |
|---|---|---|---|
 air current microsensor
|
Body Head |
The Crustal Mortars of Yawningmoon |
Child of the Deep Child of the Wheel Child of the Hearth Fuming God-Child |
 cherubic visage
|
Face | The Ice-Sheathed Arcology of Ibul |
Artifex Consul Praetorian Eunuch |
 nocturnal apex
|
Head | The Toxic Arboreta of Ekuemekiyye, the Holy City |
Priest of All Suns Priest of All Moons Syzygyrior Horticulturist |
Obtaining Cybernetics
Cybernetics are not obtained through leveling up as mutations are. Instead, they are found in the game world and installed into the player's body at 
becoming nooks.
Installing a cybernetic requires the cybernetic itself, an unoccupied body part slot that varies depending on the implant, and the appropriate license tier. One's license tier can be upgraded at a becoming nook by spending 
cybernetics credit wedges, or by wearing certain equipment.
Just as cybernetics can be installed, they can also be uninstalled using a becoming nook, which will refund the license points used by that implant. Some cybernetics will be returned to the inventory when uninstalled; others, however, will be destroyed if removed.
Finding Cybernetics & Wedges
Cybernetics are fairly uncommon in Qud, mainly being located in 
cybernetics racks found next to becoming nooks. Becoming nooks themselves are sometimes found in Ruins, among other locations.
Credit wedges are also fairly rare, being found randomly as loot in chests, and are sometimes sold by merchants.
License Tier
Installing any cybernetic implant requires a number of available "license points" specific to each implant. Your available license points are equal to your "license tier" minus the number of license points required by your currently-installed cybernetics. By default, all True Kin begin with a license tier of 2, unless they choose not to start the game with a cybernetic implant (in that case, they start with a license tier of 0, but gain a +1 bonus to Toughness).
License tier increases are obtained one at a time by spending cybernetic credits (¢) contained within a cybernetics credit wedge at a becoming nook. Wedges contain 1¢, 2¢, or 3¢. Increasing one's license tier by 1 point requires from 1 to 4 cybernetic credits, with the cost increasing by 1¢ every 8 license tiers. Once you reach tier 24, further increases will require the maximum cost of 4¢ each.
| License Tier | Credits Required |
|---|---|
| 1-8 | 1 Credit per license tier point |
| 9-16 | 2 Credits per license tier point |
| 17-24 | 3 Credits per license tier point |
| 25+ | 4 Credits per license tier point |
It will cost 46 credits to reach license tier 24 from tier 2. If you did not select an implant during character creation, you will need an additional 2 credits to reach this point. There is no upper limit to the attainable license tier, and purchased license tier increases are permanent.
Additionally, one's license tier can be temporarily increased through other means, such as by equipping the 
Kesil Face. If unequipping such an item results in a negative balance of available license points, you will not be able to install additional implants until you uninstall some or increase your license tier in order to restore a positive balance of points.
If an implant is removed from your body due to dismemberment or other effects, its license points are implicitly refunded as it is no longer attached to your body. When an implant is removed from your body due to dismemberment of the body part within which it is installed, you may retrieve this body part and use the butchery skill to retrieve the implant from it, unless it is of a type that is destroyed when uninstalled.
Full List of Cybernetics
Toggle columns: Destroyed when Removed - Starting Arcologies - CyberneticID - Weight
| Cybernetic | Cost | Slots | Destroyed when Removed | Starting Arcologies | CyberneticID | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybernetic | Cost | Slots | Destroyed when Removed | Starting Arcologies | CyberneticID | Weight | |
| cherubic visage | 1 | Face | No | Artifex • Consul • Praetorian • Eunuch | CherubicVisage | 1.0 | |
 electromagnetic sensor | 1 | Head • Face • Back • Body • Feet • Arm • Hands | No | ElectromagneticSensor | 0.0 | ||
 force modulator | 1 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | ForceModulator | 0.0 | ||
 navigation system | 1 | Head • Arm • Hands • Body • Back | No | NavigationSystem | 0.0 | ||
| optical bioscanner | 1 | Face | No | General | BiologicalIndexer | 0.0 | |
| optical technoscanner | 1 | Face | No | General | TechnologicalIndexer | 0.0 | |
 Skillsoft [low sp] | 1 | Head | No | SingleSkillsoft1 | 0.0 | ||
 skin glitter | 1 | Face • Arm • Head • Hands • Feet | No | SkinGlitter1 | 0.0 | ||
 tibular hydrojets | 1 | Feet | Yes | TibularHydrojets | 1.0 | ||
| air current microsensor | 2 | Body • Head | No | Child of the Deep • Child of the Wheel • Child of the Hearth • Fuming God-Child | AirCurrentMicrosensor | 0.0 | |
 anchor spikes | 2 | Feet | No | AnchorSpikes | 1.0 | ||
| carbide hand bones | 2 | Hands | No | General | CarbideHandBones | 15.0 | |
 communications interlock | 2 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | CommunicationsInterlock | 1.0 | ||
| dermal insulation | 2 | Body • Head • Back | Yes | General | DermalInsulation | 3.0 | |
 fire suppression system | 2 | Head • Body • Back | No | FireSuppressionSystem | 3.0 | ||
 grounding shunts | 2 | Feet | No | GroundingShunts | 1.0 | ||
| hyper-elastic ankle tendons | 2 | Feet | No | General | HyperElasticAnkleTendons | 1.0 | |
| inflatable axons | 2 | Head | No | General | InflatableAxons | 0.0 | |
| night vision | 2 | Face | No | General | NightVision | 0.0 | |
| nocturnal apex | 2 | Head | No | Priest of All Suns • Priest of All Moons • Syzygyrior • Horticulturist | NocturnalApex | 0.0 | |
| parabolic muscular subroutine | 2 | Arm | No | General | ParabolicMuscularSubroutine | 0.0 | |
| pentaceps | 2 | Feet | No | General | Pentaceps | 10.0 | |
 phase harmonic modulator | 2 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | PhaseHarmonicModulator | 1.0 | ||
 pneumatic pistons | 2 | Feet | No | PneumaticPistons | 8.0 | ||
| rapid release finger flexors | 2 | Hands | No | General | RapidReleaseFingerFlexors | 1.0 | |
 reactive cranial plating | 2 | Head | No | ReactiveCranialPlating | 2.0 | ||
 Schemasoft [low-tier] | 2 | Head | Yes | Schemasoft2 | 0.0 | ||
| Skillsoft [medium sp] | 2 | Head | No | SingleSkillsoft2 | 0.0 | ||
 skin glitter | 2 | Back • Body | No | SkinGlitter2 | 0.0 | ||
| stabilizer arm locks | 2 | Arm | No | General | StabilizerArmLocks | 5.0 | |
| translucent skin | 2 | Body • Back | No | General | TranslucentSkin | 5.0 | |
 anomaly fumigator | 3 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | AnomalyFumigator | 1.0 | ||
 beautiful visage | 3 | Face | No | BeautifulVisage | 1.0 | ||
 bionic arm | 3 | Arm | No | BionicArm | 8.0 | ||
 bionic hands | 3 | Hands | No | BionicHands | 5.0 | ||
 bionic heart | 3 | Body | No | BionicHeart | 2.0 | ||
 bionic liver | 3 | Body | No | Cyberliver | 0.0 | ||
 custom visage | 3 | Face | Yes | CustomVisage | 0.0 | ||
 dermal plating | 3 | Body • Head • Back | No | DermalPlating | 10.0 | ||
 dopamine synth | 3 | Head | No | DopamineSynth | 0.0 | ||
 equipment rack | 3 | Body | No | EquipmentRack | 0.0 | ||
 giant hands | 3 | Hands | No | GiantHands | 3.0 | ||
 high-grade dermal insulation | 3 | Body • Head • Back | Yes | HighGradeDermalInsulation | 3.0 | ||
 intravenous port | 3 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | IntravenousPort | 0.0 | ||
 matter recompositer | 3 | Body | No | MatterRecompositer | 5.0 | ||
 medassist module | 3 | Body • Back • Arm | No | MedassistModule | 1.0 | ||
 palladium electrodeposits | 3 | Head • Body • Back • Arm | No | PalladiumElectrodeposits | 1.0 | ||
| Schemasoft [mid-tier] | 3 | Head | Yes | Schemasoft3 | 0.0 | ||
 security interlock | 3 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | Yes | SecurityInterlock | 1.0 | ||
| Skillsoft [high sp] | 3 | Head | No | SingleSkillsoft3 | 0.0 | ||
 transparent skin | 3 | Body • Back | No | TransparentSkin | 5.0 | ||
 ultra-elastic ankle tendons | 3 | Feet | No | UltraElasticAnkleTendons | 1.0 | ||
 fullerite hand bones | 4 | Hands | No | FulleriteHandBones | 18.0 | ||
 gun rack | 4 | Back | No | GunRack | 20.0 | ||
 magnetic core | 4 | Body | No | MagneticCore | 15.0 | ||
 motorized treads | 4 | Feet | No | MotorizedTreads | 75.0 | ||
 onboard recoiler | 4 | Hands • Feet • Body • Back • Face • Arm • Head | No | OnboardRecoiler | 1.0 | ||
 reactive trauma plate | 4 | Body | No | ReactiveTraumaPlate | 4.0 | ||
 Schemasoft [high-tier] | 4 | Head | Yes | Schemasoft4 | 0.0 | ||
 micromanipulator array | 5 | Hands | No | MicromanipulatorArray | 2.0 | ||
 biodynamic power plant | 6 | Body | No | BiodynamicPowerPlant | 2.0 | ||
 penetrating radar | 6 | Body • Back • Head • Face • Arm | No | PenetratingRadar | 0.0 | ||
 stasis projector | 6 | Head • Arm • Hands • Body • Back | No | StasisProjector | 1.0 | ||
 crysteel hand bones | 8 | Hands | No | CrysteelHandBones | 9.0 | ||
 high-fidelity matter recompositer | 8 | Body | No | HighFidelityMatterRecompositer | 5.0 | ||
 optical multiscanner | 8 | Face | No | OpticalMultiscanner | 0.0 | ||
 Skillsoft plus | 8 | Head | No | TreeSkillsoft | 0.0 | ||
 social coprocessor | 8 | Head | No | SocialCoprocessor | 0.0 | ||
 cathedra with black opal tracery | 12 | Back | No | CathedraBlackOpal | 20.0 | ||
 cathedra with ruby tracery | 12 | Back | No | CathedraRuby | 20.0 | ||
 cathedra with sapphire tracery | 12 | Back | No | CathedraSapphire | 20.0 | ||
 cathedra with white opal tracery | 12 | Back | No | CathedraWhiteOpal | 20.0 |