| From: | Wafflemeisters <evamarie@**********.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Info wanted |
| Date: | Fri, 1 May 1998 08:07:41 -0500 |
> >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
