Abilities and skills

It is difficult to differentiate the Outrider from their armor, for on the field of battle they are truly one and the same, integrated wholly on a biological level. Numerous neural synaptic symbiote systems provide Outriders with all manner of esoteric, supernatural abilities; the most universal of these are their supernatural resilience, regeneration, speed, and strength, outpacing what can reasonably be explained by mere technology. The lightmatter systems powering the Outriders biology are variable in output and defy scientific measurement, making them somewhat temperamental and unreliable as they interact with their pilots mind in difficult to comprehend ways.

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The abilities displayed by an Outrider can partially be linked to the biosystems they are installed with, but the exact specifics tend to manifest in different ways for different individuals. Where ones Lightwhip may coalesce a burning tendril of crimson heat, anothers may be a forked tongue of lightning lashing out at their foes.

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The most frequent Outrider biosystems, beyond the primary ones relating to armor, are their mobility enhancers. Typically only one is equipped due to the high power requirements of them; however, a very strong outrider may be able to reliably use multiple at once. The Wings of Light biosystem permits Outriders to manifest spectral wings of Lightmatter, surging across the battlefield at breakneck speeds or gliding through the air. A Distortion-drive enables short range teleportation, ripping holes in the fabric of spacetime to permit an Outrider to dodge incoming fire or appear right at an enemies weakest point. The most powerful Outriders can even use a distortion-drive to teleport individual body parts without damage, essentially permitting them to instantly change their bodies position. An alternative mobility system is the Lighttunneler, which projects bridges of spectral energy between an Outrider and their target, allowing the Outrider to dive through a bridge of distorted spacetime with a blast of light, arriving at distant targets nearly instantly.

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These systems are all limited in some capacity however; the Lighttunneler must recharge between uses and is essentially limited to unidirectional movement, the Wings of Light must accelerate and cannot instantly move an Outrider out of the way of incoming attacks, and the Distortion-drive has a limited range of around twenty meters (though rapid-firing of the drive can permit crossing further distances). As well, the amount any biosystem can be used is based on the Outriders Knight's personal strength.

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Other than biosystems many utility and weapon biosystems exist. Lightwhips project long tendrils of spectral energy to rip targets apart with or grapple onto distant objects, Lightdarts fire tiny homing Lightmatter shards that detonate in a display of spectral fury, and Hyperresonators are a chaotic weapon which create diverse effects based on their users mindset, projecting walls of blazing flame in response to rage or perhaps creating unbreakable force-fields in response to a dire need to protect. More conventional defensive technology includes adaptive barriers and super-regeneration.

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One of the Outriders unique advantages is in their Artifact status. Every artifact is intrinsically linked to an idealized form of itself, and are able to reform into that shape regardless of how damaged they become. Regenerative feats that would be impossible for ordinary matter- even other Cytaari biomechs- become possible, such as restoring the memories from damaged neural systems or perfectly repairing a destroyed biosystem which would normally take months to rebuild. These feats are however sporadic and unreliable, as are most things with Lightmatter systems, and cannot be relied upon in the heat of battle.

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On a more personal level, Outriders are tremendously talented; they are the highest exemplars of martial virtue and valor known to the Cytaari, focused solely on valor in battle. They completely eschew stealth or subtlety for all-out, lethal frontal assaults, neither pausing nor hesitating in their bloody crusade until every opponent has been carved into bloody pieces. Their bladework is as exquisite as it is straightforward, quickly and painlessly ending countless lives, a whirlwind of thrashing death on the battlefield. With reflexes and situational awareness outpacing that possible by mundane creatures, Outriders perform seemingly impossible feats on the battlefield, deflecting bullets in midair or predicting their opponents moves before they even know they are making them. On the rare occasion that Outriders engage in a prolonged duel, they favor a unique strategy where every blow they make reduces the  possible moves their opponent can make; little by little, their foe is forced into more and more difficult maneuvers until finally they cannot respond quickly enough to prevent the Outriders final coup de grace.

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Because of the nature of the Outriders, their esoteric abilities are typically powerful close-combat ones; while it is certainly not unheard of for them to have more supportive abilities, they rarely have the kind of supernatural spells that Sage's and Divine Avengers do.