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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Cosmetic Modification

Posted by: Alexandru Jan 2 2006, 09:09 PM

Is there a section or something in SR4 about simple and complex cosmetic modification, its prices, and the level of sophistication.

Due to parallel technology, I can assume you can do amazeing things with plastic surgery etc. Posibbly makeing yourself into a compleate copy of somebody, with some face surgery, jaw implants, eye work, and a vocaliser etc. What would be the prices etc. And some ways of idenfiying the differences etc.

/discuss

Posted by: Bullet Raven Jan 2 2006, 09:49 PM

the entry is on the cyberware bit, it's a price range of 1 to 20 k i think it's bodyware.

i spent ages looking over the bioware section for it

edit: The entry is pretty much bare, you have to work it out yourself (with GM permission and all that)

Posted by: Alexandru Jan 2 2006, 10:08 PM

Im interested less in mechanics but in thematic information. Such as is it a legal thing, to have yourself look like a famous movie star etc, and how common is it.

I remember in a old cyberpunk book I had there was that gang called "The Kennedys" who all looked like a famous 20th century member of the Kennedy family walking around. Whats the social implementation etc.

How about DNA gene splicing and modification. DND codeing and genetics is a big part of current scientific studies. I know that cloneing science is obviousley well refined because of the biotech etc. but how about pre birth modification. Such as altering dna to make you smarter, taller, more resistant to disease at birth.

Or like in the "Transmetropolitan" graphic novel, where they mix thier dna with alien dna to become wierd half breeds. Could you mix your dna with animals dna etc. to become some wierd "Island of Dr. Moreau" type thing.

Posted by: SL James Jan 2 2006, 10:17 PM

There's a whole bunch of info in Man & Machine on mechanics, but the social aspect is covered more in Sprawl Survival Guide. All sorts of body modifications and cosmetic procedures are available and commonplace, even casual gender alteration.

The genetech is in SOTA:2063; there's a whole chapter on it, and yes you can do prenatal gengineering and there are genetic cosmetic modifications available for minimal bio index cost (.1 or .5, depending on how severe the change is), and it's really actually pretty damn cheap. DNA masking, OTOH, isn't.

And now I see you're asking a SR4 question in the SR1-3 forum. El sucko, but technically this still applies from a flavor POV.

Posted by: Alexandru Jan 2 2006, 10:28 PM

Ohh I see. I thought this was just a general Shadowrun forum, not really version specific. I ment my question in a thematic way anyhow.

Posted by: Bullet Raven Jan 3 2006, 12:46 AM

QUOTE (SL James)

And now I see you're asking a SR4 question in the SR1-3 forum. El sucko, but technically this still applies from a flavor POV.

My bad, I thought this thread was in the SR4 forum

Posted by: spotlite Jan 4 2006, 08:29 PM

I dont' think there's a great deal in the way of canon on the legalities of mimic-style cosmetic, but think of it this way - corporations and stars already protect their image like turbolaser batteries protect a super star destroyer (ain't no WAY that A wing got through, but I digress) - by 2060 I'm guessing that's got even worse. You deliberately alter yourself and then walk around looking like maria mercurial, whether she's still alive or not, and the corp that owns the rights to her image is gonna sue you for copyright infringement. You won't get arrested by the Star, but you can expect a nasty letter from a lawyer, especially if you're using that image for profit.

Oh, unless you can pull the 'legitimate satire' card anyway, assuming that defence still exists by the late 21st century. What I'm saying is, It Is Not Written, and therefore you can do what you like.

I really miss Transmetropolitan. I'm going to go read my collection again, right now. Come, my flithy assistants, my journalistic gonads need action. And I've got all 11 trade paperbacks with which to satiate their lust... Royce is gonna have to wait for his firking story again

Posted by: Bullet Raven Jan 4 2006, 08:44 PM

it's mentioned somewhere that many imitation groups exist who have surgery to look like their favourite stars.

edit: and nobody seems to be getting sued

Posted by: FrankTrollman Jan 4 2006, 09:44 PM

I don't think you can get sued for trademark infringement. The best that the corporation could do would be to demonstrate that you were breaking their law while in their territory and have you shot. Or apply to the corporate court for a declaration of war against whatever territory was hiding you on the grounds that you were damaging their intellectual property.

As long as you keep a low enough profile to make the final solution unprofitable for the corporation, there's not much they'll do.

-Frank

Posted by: PlatonicPimp Jan 4 2006, 10:19 PM

Actually, there is something they can do. Unless you get modified to look like Maria in a clinic licensed to perform Maria-look-alike surgery through Maria-corp LTD, the clinic that did the surgery would be the one sued for copyright infringment.

Much like minors and smoking around here, it isn't illegal to look like someone, but it is illegal to perform surgery to give someone the appearance of a registered trademark.

Posted by: Moon-Hawk Jan 4 2006, 10:21 PM

Can a person's face be a registered trademark?

Posted by: PlatonicPimp Jan 4 2006, 10:23 PM

Hell Yes.

Posted by: Aku Jan 4 2006, 10:42 PM

It should constitute "likeness" so yea, i agree with PP that it would be possible to trademark a face, or any other body part (I'm sorry sire, but that looks too much like Ron Jeremy's...)

Posted by: TheNarrator Jan 4 2006, 11:23 PM

QUOTE (spotlite)

....like turbolaser batteries protect a super star destroyer (ain't no WAY that A wing got through, but I digress)

Heh. Not to get things off topic, but I gotta comment. Actually, it was mentioned in one of the X-wing books that while a Super-class destroyer has more guns than any other ship, ever, they're got a slightly lower guns-to-surface-area ratio than smaller destroyers. Bigger ship means bigger "valleys" in the superstructure for a fighter to hide in. Stripped of their 144 TIE fighters, they're vulnerable to what Alliance pilots call TRD: Trench Run Disease.

Anyway, on the subject of cosmetic surgery, I always got the impression that it could be done quickly in a mall if one wished, rather like getting a datajack installed. Of course, one of the quickie boutiques (I've forgotten the name... Nu You or something like that?) might not do the likeness of a celebrity to avoid getting sued. But making somebody look like an extraction target to decoy a Saeder-Krupp team? Yeah, we've done that.

Posted by: emo samurai Jan 4 2006, 11:23 PM

Any essence costs?

Posted by: TheNarrator Jan 5 2006, 12:44 AM

I didn't see a mention of any when I skimmed Man and Machine. And in a game recently our whole team was given cosmetic surgery to change our identities, and the GM didn't say anything about essence loss. Take that as you will.

Posted by: nick012000 Jan 5 2006, 04:48 AM

In SR4, cosmetic surgery costs no essense. Take that as you will.

Posted by: hyzmarca Jan 5 2006, 05:06 AM

So, would a full conversion into a Chakat be considered consetic surgery for the purposes of determining essence cost in SR4.

Posted by: nick012000 Jan 5 2006, 06:17 AM

With the centauroid lower torso? Doubtful. A more conventional feline anthro is definately possible.

You might be able to become a chakat with some bioware mods, though. You'd probably get the same kinds of bonuses as Kid Stealth legs, balance tails, and probably a bonus against knockback checks, at the expense of people mistaking you for a paracritter. You could probably do it with a set of synthetic Kid Stealth cyberlegs, a set of synthetic cyberarms, a synthetic cybertorso, and a synthetic balance tail.

QUOTE (SR4 p. 333)

Cosmetic Modification: Outpatient treatments that take about 2 hours can be obtained to alter the user's appearance- shape, coloration, and pigmentation of the face and body along with addition and removal of hair (fiberoptic hair with changing color patterns is still very popular). Exotic modifications like scaly skin, colorful fur, cat ears, ork tusks, or tails are more difficult to come by.

QUOTE (SR4 Bodyware table)

Cosmetic Modification
Essence -
Capacity -
Availability 2-12
Cost 200-10,000

Posted by: RunnerPaul Jan 5 2006, 06:44 AM

Somewhere, in one of these books (may be all the way back in Shadowtech, not sure), I think I saw a disclaimer to the whole "cosmetic surgery costs no essence" that said that things that'd involve neurological connections, such as a mohawk crest of bony spines that the owner can flex to raise and lower on demand cost token amounts of essence. I'd say getting yourself modified into a chakat would more than count in this category, since we're talking about a set of extra limbs.

Posted by: nick012000 Jan 5 2006, 07:14 AM

I just statted up a 400bp Chakat Street Sam for the heck of it. It's a cybered Ork.

Posted by: Sandoval Smith Jan 6 2006, 03:27 PM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman @ Jan 4 2006, 04:44 PM)

I don't think you would get in legal trouble just for going under the knife to look like your favorite star. I can readily imagine that just being another facet of extreme fandom in the 2050s-70s. Now, if you try and profit off of that, like booking apperances as Ms. Mecurial Lite, then you're going to have neo-lawyers serving you up with court papers. You want to be an Elvis impersonator? Either join the union, or work underground, never knowing when Graceland Inc's legbreakers are going to break up your act. I can also easily imagine some low level salaryman, whose job is to surf the Wired, making sure no one steps over the line. You want to look like a star? Fine. You want to make a buck off of it? Wow, you're in trouble.

Cosmetic surgery is all lumped in one catagory, and has no essence cost, because it's not supposed to have any radical in game effects. You want horns? Fine, but if you use them to try and gore a ganger hasseling you for your wallet, they're probably going to break. You could get claws, but all they'll be able to ruin is the sheets, not your oppenents day. I don't remember about SR4, but in SR3 (Man and Machine, IIRC) they had listings for important stuff, like voice sythesizers (for making accurate and believeable impersonations of other people's voices).

Posted by: xizor Jan 19 2006, 05:03 AM

something that many runners should consider doing is erasing thier finger prints (or wearing gloves, take your pick.)