| From: | Wafflemeisters <evamarie@**********.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: The talks on my Cyberware post. |
| Date: | Sat, 2 May 1998 20:55:30 -0500 |
>
> >> EPSILON (-90% essence, x100 cost, Avail. +20)
> >> SUPER EPSILON (-99% essence, x200 cost, Avail. +35)
>
> Munchkinism.. I think not, you mearly miss my point.
Actually, I find it more Implausible than unbalancing. Both are pretty
plainly not cost-effective, and thus not worth developing. [No market-
with that availibilty, 1 in 10,000 interested people with ettiqutte 5
can find it, and maybe one in 10,000 has the cash. Thats 1 in
100,000,000, or maybe 50 in the world. Even calling it 100, where is
the Return on Investment?]
>
> I was mearly taking the "Essence" term of shadowrun to its logical
> conclusion. I DON'T want runners with every piece of cyberware in the
> books instaled in them. What I was going towards is the perfect synergy of
> man and machine. Think about it. Essence cost IMHO is not just a
> "limitation" for players so they do not get to powerful, but an indication
> of "Man vs. Machine." So it is quite logical that as time passes, we as a
> culture (in shadowrun), will be able to implant people with cyberware
> without making them more "machine."
>
If that were the root cause, removing cyberware (and putting back
approriate cloned organs if needed) would allow essence restoration, as
the person would be then less "machine". However, just removing cyber,
say, demal plating 3, does not in fact restore essence. Essence cost is
not just a limitation, you are right (well, it is, but so is skill
level,attributtes, cash...). Cyber costs essence because it does
something for you thatchangeshow you live and function. That will
always be a factor in any "quality" of cyber. In additon, it is very
possible that BEFORE the awakening, cyberware did NOT cost essence.
Also, perhaps certain items and did not exist becuase they could not
function WITHOUT costing essence. "Magic and tech don't mix"- but
cyberware DOES affect magic (use of healing, target attributtes, loss of
magic) in some ways. Essence cost is not a purely mundane effect, and
probaly has some mystic "absolute minimum".
The "Essence terms logical conclusion" is probaly not
"logical" at all.
> Think about the artificial limbs out now ( in the real world) for people
without arms and legs, in the beginning they were little more than steal hooks, and now we
have them computer controled, and very real looking, yet
> of course, not like the real thing.
A) No current limb prosthesis, afaik (from regularly reading the
National Prosthsis Foundation's magazine), is actually implated.
B) Cyberpirates has implanted hooks and pegleggs, and they in fact cost
LESS essence than fully capable cyberhands and such, which are more
"human normal".
C) Synthflesh covered limbs do not cost less essence.
Apparently, Similarity to "human norm" is not the determining factor in
how much essence an item costs. Fuction, I expect,
Better wares, being made to function more like living materials, cost
lesse essence, but still have a deviation from human fuction. For
example, evenamongnon-custom wares, dermal platingandthe dermal sheath
are fairly similar infunction. The dermal sheath does its job more like
skin, but is still quite diffrent from anybody's skin in function, no
matter how well made and carefully implanted.
> So if you or I have players that want every piece of cyberware in the
> books, we can stop it by as I said destroying the cyberware in some way, or
> simply rule that they can not find it (Due to its EXCESSIVE availability).
>
Well, once you have delta + grade titanium bone lacing implanted, it
is pretty hard to justify its removal or destruction by most non-godlike
methods.
And why create something that is impossible to find- it effectively
does not exist, in that case.
> I mean REALLY guys, I did read CyberTechnology, and IMHO I would much
> rather have a runner with GAMMA or EPSILON implants than have to deal with
> a Cyber Zombie PC.
>
> Again I welcome you opinions, as this message is mine...
MMM- I'll take the zombie, actually. Even gamma implants allow an
"base" 30 points of cyber to be used, which even a solid delatware
zombie would be hard pressed to fit in without dying. The zombie is
also much more restricted, having MANY drawbacks. He's not actually to
hard to deal with- a failed reaction test, a missed drug pickup, a
single deadly wound, could mean the end. A mage can get some rather
imbalancing stuff for 1 point of Gamma, given the cash, which seems to
basically be its only "sensable" use.
Seeing as neither is really an "open" option for PC's, and both are
fairly non-cost effective for NPC's, I'd call it a moot point.
The real question for me is "why do you need EITHER?" We've run in a
moderately high powered campaign, and betaware has always been both
plenty effective and prohibitivey expensive. Lucky and desprate
characters get less expensive bits of cyber at up to x.48 cost by
getting beta ware and / or a really good surgeon, in one case a PC who
burned team karma contributed by the patient in order to buy succeses.
Good surgeons are cheaper than good wares...
I don't think we' have ever felt "unchallenged" because our opponents
are not suffciently augmented.
-Mongoose
