From:	Phil Levis <pal@**.BROWN.EDU>
Subject:	Extreme Essence Reduction <LONG> (was: SUPER EPSILON Cyberware
Date:	Sat, 2 May 1998 18:16:54 -0400

On Sat, 2 May 1998, Jonathan Andrews wrote:

> I don't know... I _could_ see the possibility of 99% essence reduction,
> and here's why:

<speaking up for the first time on the matter>
I certainly can, as well. However, it would seem to me that it wouldn't be
something that you could really just *buy*.

> Now also take as a given that essence might not be the only drawback to
> cyberware. Sure, you can attune your cyber to match your aura better--I
> can see that as plausible. Heck, you might even be able to attune your
> aura to match the cyber better, down the road. But what's that going to do
> to your aura? And what's that going to do to you?

(For those who don't like Earthdawn, please ignore the terminology used.)

As far as I understand things, the 'party line' for essence costs is that
the addition of cybernetic implants disrupts your pattern, such that it is
different from your aura, or what your 'more true' pattern is. This
dissonance is what can eventually cause death, when mana becomes incapable
of flowing into you.

Now, what if a piece of cyberware were especially designed to minimize
this dissonance? I'm not talking about technological, but magical means...
for example, constructing parts of the implant from objects that are
greatly synchronized with the aura of the recipient. This route is quite
different than that taken in Cybertechology, in which the 'sympathetic
objects' are destroyed; instead, if the implant could be better
synchronized with the aura by, for example, melting down a wedding ring
and incorporating the metal in the implant.

What I'm basically suggesting is a way of making the cybernetics itself a
'sympathetic object', or Pattern Item. This would most probably require
the incorporation of previous sympathetic objects, and a great deal of
magical work.

<breaking into Earthdawn-style magical theory here>

Indeed, the implications of these actions could be rather immense; not
only have you made the cybernetic implants congrous with the patient's
aura, and then possibly less magically invasive, but you have made parts
of the patient's body pattern items in themselves. The patient, or someone
else, could then create magical connections to these objects, perhaps
strengthening them further.

<Earthdawn theory off>

Of course, there would be a limit to this sort of operation; one can't
just keep on creating sympathetic objects. However, for one, or perhaps
two implants, I could see it being possible. This begins to bridge the gap
of the magical/technological barrier... a datajack that is, in essence (no
pun intended) a personal Focus?

The approach taken in Cybertechnology seems slightly different; by
destroying these objects, or people, that are synchonized with the aura of
the subject, then one can (hopefully) have a greater deal of freedom with
what sort of warping the aura can sustain.

I don't envision this ever being available to player characters, unless
you run a game of extremely high proportions; in my eyes, this sort of
effort might be done for a Prince of the Tir, or perhaps a highly
initiated member of a Tir na nOg path. A datajack, for example, not wired
reflexes.

Phil