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Message no. 1
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Info wanted
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 13:04:44 -0300
Alex van der Kleut escreveu:
>
> To bring it back to Shadowrun topic, there are a lot of references to
> orbitals. A lot of them are going to be automated factories, basically
> giant robots. But there are several living facilities, the 2 most famous
> being Zurich orbital and Daedulus. There are more implied. And once you
> have platforms in orbit, it makes it much more effiecient for the corps to
> build systems to go to the moon and asteroids, for instance. A lot of
> reserach would go on up there, both for the unique environment and the
> security (we have to go HOW FAR to get that scientist???).
>
> Sommers


Deadalus? Please, I'd like some info on that... And since I'm at it,
can someone explain me what's the difference with Body Index and
Essence?
I don't have Shadowtech, it's hard to get it where I live...

Ubiratan
Message no. 2
From: Alex van der Kleut <sommers@*****.UMICH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 16:48:30 -0400
> Deadalus? Please, I'd like some info on that... And since I'm at it,
>can someone explain me what's the difference with Body Index and
>Essence?
>I don't have Shadowtech, it's hard to get it where I live...

Daedalus was the new orbital put up by Ares after they were using Freedom
for a while (which turned into Zurich Orbital). There's a whole section on
the ZO and some space stuff in the Corporate Shadowfiles.

Essence is a measure of how (meta)human you are, your soul, or just how
much cyberware you can fit in there without croaking, depending on your
slant. Body Index is a measure of how stressed your physical body is from
all of the bioware you've had that's changed you so much. The higher the
Body Index, the closer you are to shutting down. The lower your Essence,
the closer you are to shutting down. The worse both are, the more magic a
mage loses.

Sommers
Message no. 3
From: Rune Fostervoll <runefo@***.UIO.NO>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 21:09:20 GMT
Ubiratan wrote:
> Deadalus? Please, I'd like some info on that...
Not much to have, I'm afraid. It's not covered much in any sourcebooks.

.. that I know of.

>And since I'm at it,
>can someone explain me what's the difference with Body Index and
>Essence?
Essence.. hm.

Good question!

Essence (loss) is much like damage to the person's 'aura' from
installing cyberware.

Body index is a track of how biologically altered the body is. This is only
done by bioware. Bioware 'strains' the body by altering the parameters of
its chemical and biological balance. That strain is the body index.
IIRC, going beyond the body's body index doesn't lead to instant death, but
it's not fun either.

What makes it a good question is that it appears to me that both really
gauge the same thing, and that the differentiation is very artificial.
The current net result is that sammies get a whole new load of stuff they can
plug into themselves, and mages/adepts get just the same restriction as before.

As a result I keep Bioware as a very rare option in my campaign, so as not
to leave the physads behind. Another option I've seen used is to let mages
use bioware without loosing essence, but that is probably not a good idea.




>I don't have Shadowtech, it's hard to get it where I live...
No argument there.

--
Fade
ADVICE, n. The smallest current coin.
-Ambrose Bierce
Message no. 4
From: NEWSHADOW <NEWSHADOW@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 17:58:09 EDT
In a message dated 98-04-30 17:24:50 EDT, you write:

> Another option I've seen used is to let mages
> use bioware without loosing essence, but that is probably not a good idea.

I think somewhere in the Shadowtech book it has a target number that the
magically active person rolls against to see if they lose anything from their
magic rating. I can't quote you a page number right now since I lost my
Shadowtech book.

SHADOW
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/6852/index.html
Message no. 5
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 11:41:05 +0100
Ubiratan P. Alberton said on 13:04/30 Apr 98...

> Deadalus? Please, I'd like some info on that...

It's a large space station owned by Ares Macrotechnology, which owned
Freedom (the international station) since 2016 when it took over NASA.
They used NASA's knowledge to build larger stations, eventually turning
Freedom into Zurich-Orbital in 2020. This info is in Corporate
Shadowfiles, page 89.

> And since I'm at it, can someone explain me what's the difference with
> Body Index and Essence?

Body Index is built up from 0 when you get bioware installed, Essence
counts down from 6 when you get cyberware. Body Index is theoretically
unlimited, though when it gets higher than your natural Body you're in
trouble.

> I don't have Shadowtech, it's hard to get it where I live...

Can't you mail-order it from somewhere they do sell it?

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html - UIN5044116
You're gonna like it, but not a lot.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

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Message no. 6
From: Wafflemeisters <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 08:07:41 -0500
> Re: Info wanted (Rune Fostervoll , Thu 16:09)

> >And since I'm at it,
> >can someone explain me what's the difference with Body Index and
> >Essence?

The biggest diffrence, mechanics-wise, is that essence is something you
can loose to several causes, and can not gain back, while body index is
INCREASED by bioware implants only, and can be reduced by its removal.


Cybertechnology gives a good "theory" of essence and its loss to
cyberware, basically that cyberware puts your body out of "synch" with
your aura. In fact, the problem is more that your aura does NOT change
to accomodate the presence of cyberware in the body...

>
> Body index is a track of how biologically altered the body is. This is only
> done by bioware. Bioware 'strains' the body by altering the parameters of
> its chemical and biological balance. That strain is the body index.
> IIRC, going beyond the body's body index doesn't lead to instant death, but
> it's not fun either.
>

Well, its "just" a +1 to all body tests for each point BI excedes
body... But I'm sure you loose that "healthy glow" real fast. :)
There is no reason why something like druguse or disease shouldn't add
to body index, temporarily, but those topics are adressed in Shadowtech
breifly, and its not brought up. Nasty trick to playon your "Meat
Junky" samuria players, though. Most folks would just never notice...

> What makes it a good question is that it appears to me that both really
> gauge the same thing, and that the differentiation is very artificial.
> The current net result is that sammies get a whole new load of stuff they can
> plug into themselves, and mages/adepts get just the same restriction as > before.
>

Thats the effect. It doesn't mean the ideas are unsound. Bioware has
other drawbacks, but does clearly make for more powerful mundanes. More
poweful than mages- well, no, probably not.

> As a result I keep Bioware as a very rare option in my campaign, so as not
> to leave the physads behind. Another option I've seen used is to let mages
> use bioware without loosing essence, but that is probably not a good idea.
>

It works rather well to have them not loose essence, but to add BI to
essence lost for determining total magic loss.
IMO, the fact that physads fall behind is a problem with PHYSADS, not
bioware. But thats a whole differnt (and risky) topic.
If Bioware is imbalancing in your campaign, increase the BI cost and
prices. Doubling both will make things like Muscle Augmentation and
synaptic accelrators less attractive, and generally make cyberware the
more price effective option. It keeps a lid on "resource A" samurai,
but allows a few cool options, and returns cyber to its rightful place
as the more effective implant option. It also keeps "second hand"
bioware, if allowed, from being outrageously cheap.

-Mongoose
Message no. 7
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 10:24:36 -0300
Alex van der Kleut escreveu:
>
>
> Essence is a measure of how (meta)human you are, your soul, or just how
> much cyberware you can fit in there without croaking, depending on your
> slant. Body Index is a measure of how stressed your physical body is from
> all of the bioware you've had that's changed you so much. The higher the
> Body Index, the closer you are to shutting down. The lower your Essence,
> the closer you are to shutting down. The worse both are, the more magic a
> mage loses.
>
> Sommers


Then B.I works like Essence, only it increases instead of decreasing?
What's the limit?

Ubiratan
Message no. 8
From: MC23 <mc23@**********.COM>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 09:31:21 -0400
Once upon a time, Ubiratan P. Alberton wrote;

> Then B.I works like Essence, only it increases instead of decreasing?
>What's the limit?

Body, hence Body Index for it's name. Pretty scary what you can do
to a Troll.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Ancient cultures believed that names held great power, personal names
more so and they were guarded very closely. To protect themselves, they
answered to another name, because if another discovered their real name,
it could be used against them.
History repeats itself.
Welcome to the Digital Age.
I am MC23
Message no. 9
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 11:23:33 -0300
Gurth escreveu:
>
> Ubiratan P. Alberton said on 13:04/30 Apr 98...
>
> > Deadalus? Please, I'd like some info on that...
>
> It's a large space station owned by Ares Macrotechnology, which owned
> Freedom (the international station) since 2016 when it took over NASA.
> They used NASA's knowledge to build larger stations, eventually turning
> Freedom into Zurich-Orbital in 2020. This info is in Corporate
> Shadowfiles, page 89.
>
> > And since I'm at it, can someone explain me what's the difference with
> > Body Index and Essence?
>
> Body Index is built up from 0 when you get bioware installed, Essence
> counts down from 6 when you get cyberware. Body Index is theoretically
> unlimited, though when it gets higher than your natural Body you're in
> trouble.
>
> > I don't have Shadowtech, it's hard to get it where I live...
>
> Can't you mail-order it from somewhere they do sell it?
>

I already have, but it hasn't got here yet :) .

Ubiratan
Message no. 10
From: Joshuwa Jenkins <colossus@***********.NET>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 15:16:08 -0400
Ubiratan P. Alberton wrote:
> Then B.I works like Essence, only it increases instead of decreasing?
>What's the limit?
> Ubiratan

Well your max Body Index is equal to your unaugmented Body attribute.
So if you have a 5 in Body, your Body can hold/take the stress of 5 points of
Body index.

Each piece of Bioware as a modifier for Body Index loss.
Of the top of my head say a Cerebral Booster(2) as a Body Index modifier of .8

So you would add .8 to your body index, and still have 4.2 left to play with.
Message no. 11
From: The Vagabond <nomad74@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 14:52:40 PDT
>Alex van der Kleut escreveu:
>>
>>
>> Essence is a measure of how (meta)human you are, your soul, or just
how
>> much cyberware you can fit in there without croaking, depending on
your
>> slant. Body Index is a measure of how stressed your physical body is
from
>> all of the bioware you've had that's changed you so much. The higher
the
>> Body Index, the closer you are to shutting down. The lower your
Essence,
>> the closer you are to shutting down. The worse both are, the more
magic a
>> mage loses.
>>
>> Sommers
>
>
> Then B.I works like Essence, only it increases instead of
decreasing?
>What's the limit?

No. Your body index is like your body index. It's a gauge of how
much bioware you can put into your body, and it doesn't increase or
decrease- it just is. If you have a body of 5, you can put 5 points
worth of bioware into your body. Bio and cyber mods do NOT count when
determining your body index.
As I said, the limit is your unmodified body rating. All of this is
in ShadowTech.
And note: When a magically active character uses bioware, the B.I.
rating is the same as it's cost in essence.
For example, if a mage used a piece of bioware that had a BI rating
of 1, he would subtract also one point of essence.


-Vagabond
"Under wandering stars I've grown"
________________________________________________________
<nomad74@*******.com> <ICQ 4297972>


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Message no. 12
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Info wanted
Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 14:43:51 +0100
The Vagabond said on 14:52/ 1 May 98...

> No. Your body index is like your body index. It's a gauge of how
> much bioware you can put into your body, and it doesn't increase or
> decrease- it just is. If you have a body of 5, you can put 5 points
> worth of bioware into your body. Bio and cyber mods do NOT count when
> determining your body index.

The Body Index is the sum of the Body Costs of all pieces of bioware you
have installed. I'll grant you that Shadowtech does start off explaining
it in a bit of a strange way, by saying the Body Index is the maximum
total Body Cost, but if you read on a bit it becomes clear the BI is equal
to the total cost of all bioware items.

> And note: When a magically active character uses bioware, the B.I.
> rating is the same as it's cost in essence.
> For example, if a mage used a piece of bioware that had a BI rating
> of 1, he would subtract also one point of essence.

A common house rule is to say that bioware doesn't cost Essence to a
magician, but lowers Magic as if it did -- IOW the Magic Attribute is
equal to Essence minus Body Index, rounded down.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html - UIN5044116
You're gonna like it, but not a lot.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
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