| From: | Fade <runefo@***.UIO.NO> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Cybertorso and genitals (LONG) |
| Date: | Mon, 15 Dec 1997 07:47:55 +0000 |
> >With an artificial diaphram that cycles air into and out of your lungs,
> >with the plate big enough to hold hold your lungs at full capacity. It'd
> >look like you were always holding your breath, tho. If you wanted the
> >natural look, then you'd have a problem, true.
> But i was under the impresion that you'd keep your own internal organs?
> Otherwise couldn't you get mods like internal air tank for no ess?
The problem is partially that cybertorsos and so on are never clearly
described. We don't know if you keep internal organs and a skin/flesh
layer, or if everything is chucked out, and so on. It's fairly
obvious with cyberlimbs (They appear to be completely replaced
with chrome) but once you mess with internal organs the change is
slightly more drastic. Image: A hand is chopped off. Patient lives
just fine. Metal hand is put on. Works fine, no difference. It
wouldn't be the same with a torso replacement, since you need a
heart, milt, and so on to maintain the brain in perfect working
order.
There's a few options on how it could be handled, and most
probably it could depend on wether it was plain, alpha or beta tech.
This is my outline on the subject, and is, of course, only my
impression. It's in no way official. I also add a few rules on how it
might work, game -wise, and what effects it has on game mechanics.
It assumes that all of the body must be replaced (including the
skull) to mount a torso, and that the head and torso must be the same
grade. I use the words 'full conversion' and so on assuming that
their meaning is understood, with no allusion to CP2020, which I have
never read and barely heard about.
When I say something is optional, that means it is a rule I am not
sure about. Everything is optional anyway, but if you want to use
these rules as a whole then what is optional you should think about
and not adopt blindly.
For movie/litterature reference, 'plain' conversion is robocop,
alpha is 'terminator' and beta is 'ghost in the shell'.
And so, on to the meat of the matter:
Plain conversions, which is what most cyberlimb replacements are, are
chrome replacements. It is nowhere like the original flesh, and thus
has the highest essence cost. The essence cost is so high, that a
full replacement using this technology would kill the client. Thus
this tech is not capable of torso replacements unless using
cybermancy, in which case the brain is kept artificially alive. Due
to a strong reduction in emphatic functionality (no hormones etc.)
this reduces charisma to 0 and may only be bought and raised as a
skill, at the GM's discretion. Note that physical enhancements of
quickness and strength of this type is 20% of listed price. On the
downside, any damage is mechanical damage, and requires
hospitalization. You still go to a hospital, not a mechanic, of
course, although a mechanic might do the job with some penalties.
Reduce hospitalization time by half, and quadruple cost, since you do
not need to wait for flesh to heal, but at the same time the
replacements, spare parts and body work is more expensive. The
subject is extraordinarily heavy, at 50 kilos per point of (modified)
body. For a 10% additional cost the subject is modified to look
human. This includes, but is not limited to, fake hair, skin (about
0.3 CM layer), and external or internal genitalia.
This last feature is not functional, since the brain no longer
receives the hormones needed for any kind of physical or mental
sexual reaction. The client commonly wishes to be able to reproduce,
and it is suggested that samples of the required genetic carriers
(ova or sperm) is kept outside, in separately stored containers, for
artificial reproduction. This is commonly done free of charge.
Also note that since gender is immaterial to the design, the apparent
gender of the subject may be changed or ignored, since it is a purely
cosmetic change. It is usually kept to reinforce the identity feeling
of the subject, but it is a purely psychological crutch, and
sometimes the benefit is arguable. Their value as a parent is
questionable; their right as a human being to reproduce is not.
Usually, the required nourishment is purely chemical and electrical,
with no material waste disposal required. Lungs are still required to
supply the brain with oxygen and for expunging the few waste
materials remaining. (Some versions, specifically inhuman ones,
replaces the lungs with oxygen tanks. Holding one's breath for long
periods of time (several hours) is a minor feat.
The client needs to have a lifestyle of high or up to maintain all
the necessary chemicals and facilities to keep living. The
chromed needs resupplying once every 48 hours, preferrably more
often. All internal containers are sized for 48 hours, which means
that after 48 hours the system fails rapidly. The required
chemicals can be obtained in most regular drug stores, with a 48 hour
dosage costing 400 nuyen. (Since this is stuff you have no choice in
buying, the corporations overprice it greatly. A pharmacist contact
can supply this at half cost.). Some of the chemicals have high
containment demands (refrigerated, pressurized, sterile, heated) and
so carrying around a 48 hour dosage needs a pack weighing 3 kilos.
(Add one kilo per added dose it can carry.).
Survival time with this tech is, technically, unlimited, but the
brain is not maintained as well as it would be in its natural
environment, and deteriorates slowly. While this can be repaired or
alleviated somewhat, current projections, taking into account future
developments in the area, does not expect the unit to remain active
for more than twenty to thirty years after cybernetic transformation.
The body is also completely immune to injected poisons and
diseases. If the body uses lungs, then gases may still enter the
bloodstream (such as it is) - only toxins that would affect the brain
would have any effect. This includes neurostun, but not mustard gas.
Substances might still lead to discomfort. The brain case has been
susceptible to molds or fungi as the immune system is non-existent,
but if this is detected early it can be removed.
As the plain conversion is pure chrome, it is a minor matter to add
insulation, grounding and reinforced electronics to make it
completely immune to electrical and emp weapons. (approximately
50000 nuyen , and no essence cost.).
Compatibility issues:
A plain conversion contains no flesh except for the brain, and gains
no benefit from any bioware except the cerebral booster. It is not
compatible with structural cyberware - muscle replacement, bone
lacing, dermal armor, deraml sheath and similar - but most other
cyberware. Included in the cost is cybereye and ear replacements.
Alpha tech, the next step up, keeps some of the flesh.The reason for
this is dual - to reduce the essence cost, and to keep some of the
biological functions necessary for a 'near - human' existence. The
chrome in question is mostly endoskeletal and invisible unless its
size or armoring changes the basic human shape. The torso keeps most
of the internal organs, but since the metabolism is greatly reduced
their size is often reduced, leaving room for armoring and
various failsafes. The essence reduction of an alpha full -
replacement makes this possible without cybermancy, and is generally
a very attractive solution compared to the plain chrome replacement
from a human view. Since some meat is kept, the body is still, in
effect, human, and capable of supporting the hormones for natural
empathy and emotions. Charisma is unchanged. Damage is considered
as being only to the flesh if it is light, and thus able to heal
naturally. Moderate damage or higher is at least partially mechanical
and requires hospitalization, at half time and quadruple cost.
If severe damage is sustained, the flesh is killed. While this does
not result in immediate system failure, it leads to a somewhat rapid
deterioration of the brain. Every day thereon adds another box of
damage, leading to death within a few days unless hospitalized.
(TN: 10 first aid test to jump start the flesh and ignore this.).
The cost of physical augmentation of alpha forms is as listed. It
comes with damage compensation - II (Damage to the flesh has no
effect on the cyborg's functionality.). Optionally, natural eyes and
ears may be retained (for physads or metahumans in particular) but
may also be added at no extra cost, either monetary or essence -
wise. Extra cyberlimbs or gun mounts is only recommended for plain
replacements, but can be mounted on alpha conversions if the
appropriate location (usually torso, back) is armored. Armoring is
considered endoskeletal for limbs and integral for the torso and
skull, and is not visible unless its rating is higher than the
subject's natural body in which case it must also be partially
external. This also goes for modifying body beyond twice natural
body. (Not counting the automatic +1 body per set of limbs.).
Genitalia is markedly different for a male or female using an alpha
conversion. The male, in general, is luckier as their genitalia
requires a lot less physical components and can easily be retained,
fully functional, in an alpha conversion. The female may retain the
outer and inner genitalia for identity and recreational purposes, but
will not be able to support a pregnancy. She may still have children
brought forward artificially or by a surrogate mother and function as
a mother in a natural manner afterwards. A few versions has been
tried where the torso replacement was designed to support a physical
pregnancy, but without promising results. (The children was either
stillborn, drastically malformed, or, as was most common, aborted
early.). It is therefore considered a risk to keep the ovaries and so
they are most commonly kept separate. The female still has
menstruation. This is not a requirement, but in general reduces the
impact of the conversion on the client's hormone balance, and leads
to an emotionally more stable and human person, and its detrimental
effects are generally reduced.
Nourishment consist of natural food and some electricity. Some
chemicals are needed to keep the cyberware components functioning
flawlessly, but is needed only once every few weeks. Longer intervals
are not immediately detrimental to functionality but may raise
maintenance costs. Electricity demands are not very high, and is not
much more of a problem than with ordinary cyberware. (While it uses
more the capacity to store electricity is also higher.). Generally
the food intake is less than normal, with a reduced metabolism. The
client often has to be slightly more particular about his or her
diet, but as a bonus generally will not become fat.
Electricity can be recharged in a number of ways. One of the more
common is a fingertip compartment with a recharge socket. Some has
modified this one to use their internal batteries for a taser - like
weapon, but it is not generally recommended.
An alpha conversion is very human - looking. Weight is not as high as
that of a plain conversion, as the metal components are fewer and
smaller. Still, at 40 kilos per point of body, it is higher than any
unaugmented human.
Lifestyle is not as expensive as that of a plain conversion, and
generally requires only 500 nuyen a month in chemicals and similar.
If the lifestyle is high or higher, it is included for simplicity's
sake. Survival time is an issue here as well. With reduced metabolism
and good maintenance partially balanced by higher physical strain and
the reduced essence, expected length of life is about the same as
without the modification. For people with certain disabilities, life
time might be greatly increased, though. As for other health issues,
diseases generally is not as detrimental since the body is less
dependant on its meat parts, but they can ultimately be just as
deadly. The same goes for poisons or toxins - not as effective as
long as it doesn't kill the cyborg.
The alpha conversion is not quite as easy to insulate against
electrical weapons as the plain conversion - it can still suffer
shocks that paralyzes the heart or similar, but the chrome parts can
be insulated effectively. For 50000 they are treated to withstand
electrical shock and assist in grounding out any currents, as well as
being shielded against EMP. The flesh part will not be immune, and
may suffer secondary (non-stun) effects from electrical weapons.
Beta conversions are the next step up in cybernetic evolution. It has
aspects of both the plain and alpha conversion, in that it retains no
flesh, but also mimicks the human body almost perfectly. It uses
smart metals and advanced biochemistry to recreate a mechanical
human, rather than a human with mechanical components, or a machine
that just looks like a human. This similarity to the original
structure reduces the essence loss greatly, even though no flesh
remains - not even the brain. Through a process called imprinting the
brain pattern is copied into an advanced electronic brain equivalent.
This patterned brain behaves, apparently, exactly like the original,
retains the memories, and the same behaviour. Test subjects are
reported to claim not to notice much of a difference, except for a
certain clarity of thought. They also retain emotional and emphatic
abilities as the mechanical body is better able to interact with a
mechanical brain. The brain pattern, or 'ghost', has been attempted
duplicated, but with limited success - any duplications, as opposed
to direct transfers, are fairly inferior. There has been some
speculation about beta conversions - or ghosts - running the matrix.
They are intrinsically very good at it, but, their brains, being
mechanical in nature, takes huge risks, since any MPCP damage may
become direct personality damage, resulting in loss of memory,
skills, or mental capacity. This is sometimes called ghost jacking,
as opposed to ghost hacking, meant as attempts to alter the
brain patterns installed in a cybernetic brain. If you create a
person for more than 50 million nuyen, you might be interested in
installing a sense of loyalty - but ghost hacking is not, at this
time, easy or safe, and generally comes at a cost in efficiency.
The mechanical body is, unlike a plain conversion, modeled upon the
original human body of the subject, and is structuraly almost
perfectly similar. Except for being stronger, faster, more durable,
smarter, and immortal. They are designed to be very similar to the
original shape, both internally and externally - only better. The
actual effect of this is that strength and quickness is natural,
adding 2.(Maximum is (recommended) optionally racial maximum).
Body is natural, add 4. (Normal cyberware rules.). The brain retains
charisma, intelligence and willpower, and adds the equivalent of an
encephalon - IV. Move by wire is very easy to install, and the
'default acceleration' is MBW - I. Unless other systems are
specified, MBW-I is installed as beta - cyberware (in essence cost)
free of charge, and with none of the associated penalties of a MBW
system. MBW I, II, or III may be installed at extra grades (alpha or
beta) for even lower essence costs. Eyes and ears are automatically
cybernetic replacements, and metahuman bonuses are lost.
A beta conversion can have a system similar to bio damage
compensation. It does not cost body index, only nuyen, and involves
mostly modifiers to the tactile system and redundant control systems.
The ghost conversions are slightly lighter than alpha conversions, at
35 kilos per point of body. They use light compounds by default,
but heavier compounds leads to a stronger structure with no impact on
size, only weight. They look very human, but can still be spotted for
what they are by a certain 'ghostly' look consisting of subtle
differences - no noticeable veins, different shadings, no
perspiration, light is reflected off the skin, lips, eyes, hair in a
subtly different manner. This can be alleviated by cosmetics and can
be mistaken for other modifications. Tactile inspection can also be
mistaken for simple muscular augmentation, but not for someone
unaugmented. Beta conversions are fairly rare, and so the experience
to spot one from someone 'just' heavily augmented isn't generally
available, but to spot one as augmented isn't particularily
difficult. A dead giveaway is that they, as other conversions, can
weigh as much or more than half a ton.
Further muscle or body augmentations must be purchased at beta cost,
using normal rules. (Max +3 strength and quickness before the changes
in structure gives an essence cost.). Soft armor may be purchased
without visibility penalties, but hardened armor must be
externally visible.
None of the corporations able to manufacture beta conversions are
also capable of cybermancy, and these two design 'directions' have
not yet proven compatible.
Length of life in a beta conversion is theoretically unlimited, but
requires some advanced maintenance, especially if damaged, and in
the case of the civilized world being destroyed or deteriorating
beyond a certain point this maintenance might become unavailable.
Physical destruction is a risk, but advanced restructuring techniques
can restore a conversion completely as long as at least a third of
the brain is still intact. If the body receives deadly damage, it
will shut down and initiate damage control procedures aiming to
preserve the information in the brain. Time will further damage the
shell at a rate of one point per hour, and if overflow reaches
critical then the body is lost. The brain patterns remains in frozen
storage for up to a year and may be installed in a new body unless
specifically destroyed.
Life as a beta conversion is not unlike that of an alpha conversion.
Most chemicals can be attained by eating food, although chemicals are
extracted rather than nurtients. Unneeded chemicals are dumped as per
normal procedures. In the case of special foodstuffs there is little
or no waste. If the system is low on certain chemicals it will result
in a feeling of hunger, interpreted as a craving for certain
substances rich of these chemicals. No known diseases or poisons
affects the unique mechanical metabolism of a beta conversion, but
Mitsuhama in particular has sucessfully designed substances
specifically aimed at incapacitating a beta conversion. Molds or
fungi can also affect the body if it is neglected. Energy is also
required, especially if normal food is ingested. Electricity is used
to modify chemical balances and to power the optical 'nervous
system' while chemical reactions power the muscles (much as the human
body) so the energy needed is very low as long as the chemical
balance is maintained in the food and the activity level is normal.
If not, recharging may and will be necessary. High and up lifestyle
can maintain a moderate activity level and the balanced diet
required. If not this has to be role played and specified a lot more
- that is not to say that the role playing aspects should be
neglected with high lifestyle, only that it would not be a
survival problem.
A beta conversion is fairly capable of regenerating damage on its
own, having many of the self-repair functions of a human body.
Roll normally for hospitalization of light or moderate damage.
Sexually the beta conversion can, obviously, only function for
social, identical, and recreational purposes. While cross - ghosting
has been known to happen it is not common.
A beta conversion is not affected much, if at all, by electricity,
except for the brain itself. It is considered shielded by default,
and the body and mind is immune to emp and electrical weapons.
Breathing is useful but not vital for the chemical balance, and not
breathing simply counts as a somewhat higher activity level for
electric use purposes.
Compatibility issues:
It is not compatible with any bioware. (Which is why the damage
compensation doesn't cost BI).
As for cyberware, it is compatible with headware and most bodyware,
but keep in mind that to mount cyberguns or similar that part of the
body must be a plain cyberlimb, not a beta, to negate the essence
cost. Also, cyberware like dermal sheath, dermal armor, muscle
replacement or bone lacing is not compatible.
General cyber conversion rules and notes:
Increasing attributes and skills:
Once a body goes through a full conversion, physical attributes may
not be raised by karma. Charisma depends on the conversion type, but
intelligence and willpower can be raised as normal.
Optional rule:
Social skills are harder to acquire and maintain, and can be reduced
by one point each when the conversion is done, if the GM is so
inclined, and their cost to increase as if they were one point higher
than their actual value. (Especially for the plain conversion.).
You need to replace both arms and legs to mount a cybertorso.
You need an alpha grade torso to retain the head, neither plain
nor beta may sustain a meat head. Cyberlimbs may be of the torso's
grade or plain. Plain limbs are the only kind that can mount
cyberguns without essence cost.
About delta grade:
'delta' grade is any of the above three grades at 0.1 less essence
multiplier and doubled material cost (and pentupled medical cost)
*OR*
ghost conversions is delta grade, while plain can either be plain or
alpha, and alpha can either be alpha or beta grade cyber.
*OR*
delta grade is an unknown conversion type.
Full conversions, due to their weight, would sink like rocks. They
can use air balloons to add lift, enabling them to swim and dive, but
it would be risky if the balloons burst. Plain and beta might be able
to walk to the shore, though, given some navigational method.
Stealth and athletics:
This is generally not much affected directly. Depending on the GM,
there might be some advantage to being able to stand totally still,
or some disadvantage from mechanical noise or heavy steps.
Athletics, though, is more affected. Assume that as long as they
have any strength enhancement in their arms they are able to suspend
themselves from a rope or ledge, despite their weight. If they have
strength enhancements in their legs, then they are able to jump
despite their weight. Running is limited to a *2 multiplier unless
they have strength enhancement in their legs. It might be
advantageous to think of strength as 'combat' strength and body as
'internal' strength (for carrying and moving purposes) since body is
generally a lot higher than strength in full conversions.
Okay, if you've read this far, I'm impresed.
What do you think?
--
Fade
And the Prince of Lies said:
"To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven."
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
