| From: | "Paul J. Adam" <shadowrn@********.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Magical Reaction |
| Date: | Thu, 3 Apr 1997 01:39:22 +0100 |
<jkoke@****.EDU> writes
>
>Cybered characters have shown some disregard for the sancitity of their
>bodies by the simple act (or not so simple) of installing chrome.
I disagree.
If I've chosen to run the shadows, I'd prefer not to have my body
damaged by high-velocity hollowpointed lead projectiles :) Hence, I
protect it by getting its nervous system enhanced.
I _love_ my body, since I have to live in it, and I'm doing what seems
most likely to keep it from getting so badly damaged that it leaks to
death. If that means faster nerves and sharper senses, so be it. I'm
helping my body realise its true potential, not violating it.
This is what bugs me about the cyberpsychosis argument. I accept
completely the Cybertechnology "wired reflexes are a mixed blessing"
argument - read Timothy Zahn's "Cobra" for an excellent view on
cyberware and the reaction of society to it, plus ISTR a similar Star
Trek-TNG episode on that theme.
But it need not be a disregard for one's body. Why is a samurai
installing wired reflexes different to a bodybuilder eating a programmed
diet, taking steroids and following a brutal regime of exercise? Both
are manipulating their bodies into desired form, be it superfast combat
machine or a toned and precise mass of muscle: neither are "in touch
with their natural essence".
>Perhaps
>this means their increased reaction makes them constantly on edge--jittery.
>I believe that samurai's will eventually get used to this (though maybe
>those around him or her will not), and I also believe that the best cyber
>(deltaware) will have a less pronounced affect. A noteable exception to
>this is the "move-by-wire" system in Cybertechnology; it specifically states
>that this gives the recipient extremely smooth and fluid motion. The system
>puts your body in a perpetual state of seizure, but controls the seizure. I
>believe this would burn someone's nervous system out if used a lot.
I used that as a game balance mechanism for over-used Increase Reaction
+3 and Combat Sense in SR1: they tended to respectively induce paranoia
and cause nervous system disorders (since IR3 was a massive boost to the
nerves, overloading them sometimes, and CS was a limited precognition
and telepathy: imagine every irritable shop assistant's "what a
dickhead!" registering as a threat of imminent death).
--
There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy...
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
