Small Tech Devices

A Small Tech Device is an item found in the game. Small Tech Devices are initially unidentified. In general, they are less powerful, easier and less cumbersome to carry, and produce fewer Device Components (with the Scientific Genius mutation) than Large Tech Devices. Just as with all tech devices, some will turn out to be useless or dangerous. They are activated by 'u'sing them.

They are always depicted as yellow ASCII symbols.

Robots occasionally drop Small Tech Devices when killed.

The first Small Tech Device you find will always be the Tape Recorder. It is easy to figure out and will give you your first hint to the plot.

Grenades are one type of Small Tech Device. Unlike most small tech devices, they are 't'hrown at an enemy rather than 'u'sed.

Identifying Small Tech Devices

 * Starting out with a Small Tech Device identified
 * 'f'iguring it out, which is made easier by higher Intelligence. Some Small Tech Devices are harder to figure out than others. You may break a device if you are unsuccessful at figuring it out; grenades may go off, injuring you. Eating one type of berry temporarily makes it easier to figure out tech devices.
 * Finding information on by using an IBM Supercomputer, Computer Workstation, or microcomputer. These reveal more Small Tech Devices at a time than Large Tech Devices.

Small Tech Device Descriptions

 * Alza-seltzer: Relieves sickness, and can get rid of tapeworms
 * An Answering Machine: Will occasionally receive messages (game hints)
 * ArmorAll: Restores armor to pristine condition, and may even improve it
 * Backpack: Can hold up to 10 reasonably-sized items
 * Bionic Cranium Implant: Can raise your Mental Resistance & Intelligence
 * Bionic Muscle Implant: Can raise your Strength and Dexterity
 * Bionic Spleen Implant: Can raise your Constitution & Radiation Resistance
 * Boise Souvenir Ashtray: Useless
 * Brandy: Will boost your strength temporarily, but may make you sleepy
 * Breathalyzer: Will reveal your blood alcohol content
 * Cap'n Crunch: Gives you a sugar high and speeds you up temporarily
 * Cheese Grater: Useless
 * Chemical Analyzer: Reveals the potential effects of unknown berries
 * Chia Pet: Useless
 * Coffee: Will boost your constitution temporarily, and can keep you awake
 * Duct Tape: Can incapitate creatures, and repair damaged armor and suits
 * Flares: Will illuminate the outdoors when dark, but cause damage indoors
 * Force Field Generator: Will help protect you from attacks
 * Fountain Pen: Useless
 * Gas Mask: Will protect completely from poison gas
 * Geiger Counter: Reveals nearby radiation zones outdoors, or traps indoors
 * Grenade Launcher: Can fire grenades and berries accurately at long range
 * Hammock: Will put you to sleep immediately
 * Hand Massager: Will reduce fatigue
 * ID Card: Will unlock most locked doors, and can deactivate some robots
 * Kalediscope: Useless
 * Knife Sharpener: Can sharpen blade weapons so they are more effective
 * Lava Lamp: Will help illuminate during darkness
 * Medkit: Will restore some lost hit points and poison damage
 * Microcomputer: Can reveal a variety of useful information
 * MindWeb Generator: Will protect you from mental attacks
 * Mirror: Can be used to reflect laser attacks
 * Motion Sensor: Will reveal the location of invisible creatures
 * Mr. Misty: Provides nourishment, and also is an effective freeze grenade
 * Pencil Sharpener: Can sharpen pointy weapons so they are more effective
 * Pocket Instamatic: Can blind creatures that see it
 * Power Packs: Recharge devices which require energy
 * Radar Detector: Useless
 * Radar Gun: Will reveal how fast a creature can move
 * ServoBoots: Greatly reduce the effects of encumberance
 * Slinky: Useless
 * Sony Watchman: Can map levels in some of the special castles
 * Sunglasses: Protect against blindness & give added influence over robots
 * Sunscreen: Provides some protection against laser attacks
 * Tape Recorders: Reveal a variety of information about your mission
 * Tip O'Neill mask: Will frighten creatures away when worn
 * Toaster: Useless
 * Toilet Paper: Is an effective weapon against Dung Beetles and Seagulls
 * Tricorder: Will map castles and lairs, and can reveal creature specifics
 * Turbocharger: Will speed up any vehical
 * Tylenol: Can restore lost hit points, and when used at full hit points, give you temporary HP above maximum
 * UV Helmet: Helps greatly when searching for hidden things
 * Veg-O-Matic: Can injure nearby creatures, especially edible ones
 * VisiScope: Allows you to see long distances, but only outdoors
 * Voodoo Doll: Will kill all nearby creatures of a specific type
 * Wrist Watch: Will tell you how much time remains to complete your mission
 * Cannister Grenade: Inflicts modest shrapnel damage (kinetic damage type).
 * Disintegration Grenade: Is lethal to almost everything.
 * Fission Grenade: Inflicts substantial radiation damage.
 * Flash Grenade: Can blind everything in a large area.
 * Fusion Grenade: Inflicts tremendous damage in a large area.
 * Gas Grenade : Inflicts poison damage and leaves poisonous gas.
 * Glue Grenade: Will imobilize anything in its sizable blast area.
 * Incendiary Grenade: Inflicts moderate heat damage.
 * Lightning Grenade: Inflicts modest electrical damage in a large area.
 * Neutrino Grenade: Inflicts moderate damage.
 * Photon Grenade: Inflicts tremendous laser-type damage.
 * Psychosis Grenade: Inflicts variable mental-type damage.
 * Stun Grenade: Paralyzes and inflicts minor damage in a large area.
 * Vial of Acid: Inflicts modest damage.
 * Blaster: Can fire many shots at a time, inflicting modest heat damage.
 * Blowtorch: Does moderate heat damage.
 * Can of Mace: Does modest poison damage and makes the target flee.
 * Chainsaw: Inflicts horrible wounds.
 * Flamethrower: Does substantial heat damage in line with the target.
 * Freeze Gun: Does substantial cold damage in line with the target.
 * Fusion Rifle: Does substantial radiation damage.
 * Laser Pistol: Does substantial laser damage.
 * Light Sabre: Inflicts moderate laser-type damage.
 * Missile Launcher: Does substantial damage in a large blast area.
 * Mr. Clean: Is especially effective against slimes, molds, etc.
 * Pepper Shaker: Can be a grenade, and makes targets sneeze.
 * Phaser: Can stun (putting enemy to sleep) or kill (doing heat damage).
 * Raid: Is particularly effective against insects.
 * Salt Shaker: Can be a grenade, but is only useful on Slugs-like things.
 * Shock Rod: Does modest electrical damage.
 * Shotgun: Does substantial kinetic damage.
 * Silly String: Will immobilize a target.
 * Squirt Gun: Does minimal damage except against Fire Ants, Phoenixes, etc.
 * Staple Gun: Does minimal kinetic damage.
 * Stun Gun: Will paralyze a target.
 * Tickle Feather Gun: (from the UnderDog show) inflicts tremendous damage.
 * Weedeater: Is effective against plants.