Cybernetics

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Cybernetics Nook dialogue

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).

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

Main article: Cybernetics locations

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

Main article: 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 BionicLiver 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
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
phase-adaptive scope 4 Back No Phase-Adaptive Scope 0.0
precision force lathe 4 Head Arm Body Back No PrecisionForceLathe 0.0
reactive trauma plate 4 Body No ReactiveTraumaPlate 4.0
Schemasoft [high-tier] 4 Head Yes Schemasoft4 0.0
grafted mirror arm 5 Arm No GraftedMirrorArm 8.0
micromanipulator array 5 Hands No MicromanipulatorArray 2.0
biodynamic power plant 6 Body No BiodynamicPowerPlant 2.0
gun rack 6 Back No GunRack 20.0
holographic visage 6 Face No HolographicVisage 0.0
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
stasis entangler 8 Feet Back Body No StasisEntangler 3.0
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