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Message no. 1
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Allen Smith)
Subject: New cyberwear: SNSC (Sympathetic Nervous System Control) Implant
Date: Fri Jun 8 15:30:05 2001
Comments welcome, as always!

Thanks,

-Allen

SNSC (Sympathetic Nervous System Control) Implant

This implant, as the name suggests, acts to control the sympathetic
nervous system. However, unlike most devices in Shadowrun that control
the sympathetic nervous system or its outputs (e.g., wired reflexes or
adrenyl pumps), it _decreases_ the SNS's activity - primarily during
sleep, but also (with proper interfacing) to help stabilize a wounded
implantee.

Normally, during sleep, the SNS is somewhat depressed, but this is not
the case during dreaming (antagonists to epinepherine tend to disrupt
dreaming if they penetrate the blood-brain barrier). The SNSC prevents
the rise in activity during dreaming external to the brain (internal
epinepherine/norepinepherine levels are not affected, so as not to
disrupt dreaming; if necessary, norepinepherine levels inside the
brain are _raised_ in order to compensate for lower adrenyl gland
activity) and generally lowers the SNS tone during other portions of
sleep.

The effects of the SNSC are as follows:
-2 TM for all Physical Healing tests, so long as the implantee
has slept at least once since the injury was
taken. This is reduced to a -1 if the implantee has a
Sleep Regulator (since they don't get as much sleep),
although the Sleep Regulator can be turned off (see
below).
For 20-Quickness turns (minimum 2) after waking up suddenly
(10-Quickness if awaking naturally, minimum
1):
A. +2 to all Target Modifiers except vs Injury. This
can be removed by a Jolt-Alert (M&M pg 31), such as
one wired to a Retinal Clock or Math SPU.
B. No benefits from Wired Reflexes, unless the
character has a Reflex Trigger (including a Stepped
Reflex Trigger (M&M pg 32-33)).
C. Unless the Adrenyl Pump Regulator option (see
below) is used, Adrenyl Pumps cannot be used.

Several options can be used with the SNSC:
A. Stabilization Connection: A connection to a Biomonitor &
Diagnosis Processor (both are needed) - including their
Nanotech versions - or Metabolic Arrestor can be
installed. This also involves somewhat more selective SNS
inactivation - namely that to the skin is _not_ inactivated
if blood pressure is low (and thus skin blood vessels
remain contracted). (The Trauma Damper's SNS activation to
the skin to prevent bleeding (part of how it works,
realistically) comes after the SNSC's activities, and
overrides it when necessary anyway.) The overall result is
that, when dying, add (Body) turns to the period between
taking additional boxes of damage. This is cumulative with
the Metabolic Arrestor or Guardian Angel Nano-Implant, but
not with the Hibernate spell or Suspended State Adept
ability.
B. Adrenyl Pump Regulator: The SNSC can prevent adrenyl pumps
from activating by mistake - or cause them to
activate. Those with this option can activate or deactivate
an Adrenyl Pump with a Free Action; activation happens on
the end of that Initiative Pass, unless the Adrenyl Pump
would already have been activated except for the SNSC (in
which case it is immediate).
C. Sleep Regulator Interface: This allows turning on and off
the actions of a Sleep Regulator. If a Sleep Regulator has
been turned off, Stress to it is less of a problem; only
use the lower of the level of the Sleep Regulator's Stress
and the SNSC's Stress for the Sleep Regulator's
Stress. (However, this will only take place once the person
has slept one full night, of course.) This interface also
allows going to sleep via a Free Action, unless the Sleep
Regulator is malfunctioning.

Essence previously spent on Reflex Triggers is subtracted from the
Essence cost of a SNSC, although it cannot reduce it below .1 * Grade
modifiers; similarly, if a character gets Wired Reflexes and a Reflex
Trigger after getting an SNSC, Essence spent on the SNSC can be
subtracted from that for the Reflex Trigger (minimum .1 * Grade
modifiers).

Cyberware Essence Cost Avail Street
SNSC .3 20,000 6/8 days 1.5
Stabilization Connection .1 2,000 See Below See Below
Adrenyl Pump Regulator .1 6,000 See Below See Below
Sleep Regulator Interface .1 2,000 See Below See Below

The SNSC is Legal. The others have the same Legality, Availability,
and Street Index as the system they are interfacing to.

Putting together the above with some other cyberwear/bioware (e.g., a
version of the Cyberface Interface
(http://www.amurgsval.org/shadowrun/GoBorg.html) rigged to control
facial expressions instead of transmitting them) should allow someone
to control their external appearance of emotion to a pretty fine
degree. This would give minuses vs normal means of assessing
emotion/truth/etcetera; magical means would be at a lesser minus, but
given that the assumed emotions would be partially real (due to the
Chip & the CNS consequences of SNS regulation), they would still be at
a minus. (Of course, a good look at someone's aura would indicate that
the person had such implants, which would not do wonders for their
trustworthiness...)


--
Allen Smith easmith@********.rutgers.edu
Message no. 2
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Damion Milliken)
Subject: New cyberwear: SNSC (Sympathetic Nervous System Control) Implant
Date: Mon Jun 11 13:55:01 2001
Allen Smith writes:

> Comments welcome, as always!

Other than it being a bit full of medical jargon <grin>, I think it was
pretty good. Is there a reason that you made it cyberware rather than
bioware, as most of its functioning appeared (to me) to be better
represented by bioware. Also, how does it really differ from the existing
bioware sleep regulator? To me, at least, many of its functions appeared to
overlap.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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Message no. 3
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Allen Smith)
Subject: New cyberwear: SNSC (Sympathetic Nervous System Control) Implant
Date: Tue Jun 12 17:15:01 2001
On Jun 11, 2:07pm, Damion Milliken wrote:
> Allen Smith writes:
>
> > Comments welcome, as always!
>
> Other than it being a bit full of medical jargon <grin>,

Heh... well, yes.

> I think it was pretty good. Is there a reason that you made it
> cyberware rather than bioware, as most of its functioning appeared
> (to me) to be better represented by bioware.

Because bioware is hard to control precisely. Think about the amount
of control that datajacks, rigger interfaces, etcetera allow... then
compare this to the difficulty of real-world biofeedback (especially
without lots of machinery to note fine distinctions), for instance. In
regard to SR bioware, note that the normal adrenyl pump is triggered
on an automatic basis, and problems with it triggering when not
desired or not triggering when desired do exist; see the discussion of
ACTH and MAO on M&M pg 64.

The primary SNSC itself, as opposed to the added control interfaces,
could probably work as a piece of bioware, since it isn't controlled
directly by the person. However, it should be capable of interfacing
with a Retinal Clock or Math SPU to automatically turn off a bit
before the clock woke the person up, removing the penalties for being
woken up non-naturally (the added turns of grogginess); I will add a
note to this effect. It also should be capable of helping the person
get to sleep, including despite earlier caffeine or other stimulant
consumption (while not automatic unless the person has a Sleep
Regulator Interface, this would add to a Willpower roll); I will also
add a note to this effect. I can see making _just_ the added healing
(and, conversely, grogginess on getting up) effects of this a piece of
bioware - probably usually added onto the Sleep Regulator, and advised
as something to decrease long-term side effects from it. A .1 Bio Index
makes sense, and would remove the irritating odd-numbered .3 Sleep
Regulator Bio Index. The bioware in question would _not_ affect healing
rolls, of course, and might well remove the effects of the Sleep
Regulator's Bio Index on them (as would the cyberwear version).

> Also, how does it really differ from the existing bioware sleep
> regulator? To me, at least, many of its functions appeared to
> overlap.

Hmm? The sleep regulator primarily exists to make sleep more
efficient, most realistically by vastly shortening time spent in Stage
1 or 2 sleep (light, dozing sleep that isn't very restful, but is
common in later portions of a night's sleep) in comparision to Stage
3, 4, or REM sleep. Its effects on other hormones appear to be just
enough to make up for the resulting loss of rest for the body. (BTW,
one could probably go to 2 hours of sleep a night by also eliminating
Stage 3 sleep; one would, however, probably have to increase releases
of growth hormone and other hormones (e.g., immunological factors) to
make up for the loss of this portion of the time in which they're
normally secreted. However, stressful effects on the body would
probably make this inadvisable.)

The SNSC makes sleep more beneficial for the body, and also can help
with the conscious regulation of sleep, various implants, etcetera. It
doesn't decrease the need for sleep at all, and indeed is less
effective with less sleep.

Yours,

-Allen

--
Allen Smith easmith@********.rutgers.edu

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