Item from Iron Prince by Bryce O\
AI weapons that bond to human users, manifest as armor and weapons, and evolve through training and combat — the technology that makes humanity's stand against the Archons possible.
CADs are the series' central technology and its most important worldbuilding element. Every CAD is an artificial intelligence bonded to a specific human host. The AI processes combat data, adapts to the user's fighting style, and evolves its capabilities through a feedback loop: the user fights, the CAD learns, both grow stronger. Every CAD has ranked specs: Speed, Strength, Endurance, Cognition, Offense, Defense, and Growth. These determine baseline capability, and Growth determines ceiling. Most cadets receive CADs with balanced specs appropriate to their potential. Rei received a CAD with F-rank everything except S-rank Growth — a pairing so lopsided it had never been seen. Growth types define combat specialization: Brawlers fight close with fists, Sabers use blades, Maulers deal heavy damage, Phalanx types tank, Duelists excel one-on-one, Lancers use reach weapons. But these are guidelines, not prisons — and Atypical CADs like Shido cross boundaries that standard types cannot. At the highest levels of development, CADs evolve into Devices — a qualitative transformation that represents a fundamental advancement in capability. Rei's Stormweaver classification is a Device path that has never existed before.
CADs manifest differently based on type and rank. A Brawler's CAD appears as gauntlets, greaves, and body armor optimized for close combat. A Saber's manifests elegant bladed weapons and lighter armor. A Phalanx produces heavy shields and reinforced plating. Higher-ranked CADs are visually more complex — more coverage, more detail, more integrated. The manifestation is the user's combat identity made physical.
Also known as: CADs, Combat Assistance Devices, Devices