From:	Mongoose m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject:	Quick Question
Date:	Thu, 1 Jul 1999 03:15:12 -0500

:I was playing around with a character idea (SR2). A physad who survived a
:lab explosion only to end up with an arm and leg replaced with artificial
:limbs (read: NOT cyber). Of course he'd take the essence loss and
:associated magic loss, but would he be able to wield a weapon focus with
:the artificial arm? Technically he's not in contact with it, but using the
:cybereye explanation in the book, since he's paid the essence for it, the
:replacement is considered natural.
:
:Thoughts?

Well, just one- why is there essence loss? Yes, injury can cause magic
loss. Yes, getting even a non-cyber limb transplant can cause magic loss if
it is not cloned- although just leaving the stump (and using a prosthesis)
would not. But none of that causes ESSENCE loss. Essence loss results in
magic loss, but the reverse is not true.
If they are prosthesis, he can't pay esence for them (unless its a
cyberpegleg, or cyberhook- I shit thou not, check out CyberPirates if that's
what you want). In that case, they are just "tools", and he can't use magic
through them. Although making the prosthesis a (weapon) focus is perhaps
do-able...
If they are transplants it would not affect his abilty to use a weapon
focus (or other magic) with those limbs, compared to his natural limbs-
magical abilty is not "localized" that way. On the other hand, there's a
pretty cool potential ofr a Geas there, if limits his magic to not using
those limbs...

Perhaps you should be more clear as to what you mean by "artificial
limbs"...

Mongoose