Having a spreading, not aspected background count affect your area of symbiosis is definitely an environmental problem, the way I see it. Of course, YMMV.

Oh, and the Steppin' Wulfs I last saw detailed in the LA section of Corporate Enclaves.

Doesn't the CZ thing say the character becomes a domain in her own right?

The trick is that it's a domain the character isn't accorded to... Maybe if you're a toxic mage youy might be able to accord with it, but that would open a whole new can of worms. And even if you're accorded to it, a fixed magic of one won't get you far.

The biggest problem with symbiosis is that the character is compelled to settle down and bond with an area, and background count expands when you stay in one area for too long. So even if you rule that the background count doesn't count as pollution for purposes of the symbiosis, the expanding background count will still eventually draw attention.

Unless I get a regular Cleansing right? I still think, if I want Glamour, I'll go for SURGE rather than Dryad. A Dryad's Symbiosis doesn't seem to work with what I'm going for, thematically speaking.

yeah, it's tricky . .
the CZ gains a magic of 1 that keeps him alive, if i remember correctly.
either he is allways in an Rating 4 BGC that makes him effectively Magic 5 or he is dead because the -4 takes his life keeping magic down to -3 . .

Or, he's always equal to 1, can't have any other magic powers/skills/qualities, and no sneaky crap. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

i won't even begin arguing that.
but he IS in a BGC of 4 with a magic attribute of 1.
If he did not start out with a Magic Attribute of -3(impossible to begin with) something doesn't add up.

His Magic is always a 1, just his effective Magic for well, using magic, is a -3.

Since the cyberzombie is demonstrably not dead by its very existence, I would postulate that the background count is either aspected towards the cyberzombie, or doesn't affect it. In the former case, they would still not have a Magic of 5, since their Magic of 1 is explicitly defined as not able to be increased by any means.


The other thematic problem with a charismatic elf that doesn't look like a cyberzombie, is that getting to a negative Essence is virtually impossible with limited resources and the low Essence cost of most bioware. So I would get some choice bits of bioware (such as tailored pheromones), but still use cyberware whenever possible - there is a lot of cyberware that is not cosmetically obvious. Things like wired reflexes: 3 with reaction enhancers: 3, senseware with the works, etc. I would use cyberware even when there is a more optimal bioware alternative (muscle replacement: 4 instead of muscle augmentation/toner, for example). Because, again, you are trying to get your Essence down to a decently high negative number.

Another Question:
What is the maximum you are allowed to use for negative essence for your character?
Did the GM say anything about that?

That's not a real problem, even without resorting to "the rules don't say you can't" crap. Just get as many Reusable Autoinjectors (Used? Just kidding.) as you need. Or Datajacks, or Smuggling Compartments, etc. Right? After you've already got all the real 'ware you want, of course.

Don't the rules limit the negative essence, something about making the magic/life support harder?

To a -6, yes. And it makes the process harder because with the necessary test after the CZ surgery, when they have to roll well enough to avoid a crapload of Negative Qualites or, in the worst-case scenario, not waking up at all, every point of negative Essence or part thereof adds to the threshold for that test. There might be other associated difficulties during the actual procedure too, but I can't remember those atm.

Hmm, does it get harder for other people to tell if the CZ is still alive too? O.o
I mean . . place some modded out the ass(literally) CZ next to a JarBrain Cyborg and ask somebody to tell the difference . .

Well, you see, the JarBrain Cyborg is the one with less chrome! It may be the more obviously mechanical of the two, but one of those things has positive Essence, and the other does not. And I'm limited to a -6 Essence, as per the rules.

Ok, so I'm having a bit of a time figuring out all of this guy's 'wares, but I had a question - can I pick up new SURGE qualities after chargen? I ask 'cause it would be nice to be able to pick up Metagenetic Improvement at some point (I plan to pick up Glamor to begin with).

You cannot purchase qualities after Chargen, except with explicit GM approval. I would say that this goes double for metagenetic qualities. Triple if you've already purchased some at CG. As far as I'm aware, you can't Goblinize/Changlingize(?) twice.



~R~

That's what I thought, though given the nature of SURGE (Sudden Recessive Genetic Expression) it seems reasonable to SURGE after chargen.

Oh, and if I say, wanted to be able to do some magic stuff, despite my Magic being limited to 1 and my BGC of 4, what would I do? And what can I do that doesn't really care that my Magic is 1?

A cyberzombie can attack astral forms physically, and use the assensing skill, and that's about it. This is assuming someone who was mundane prior to becoming a cyberzombie.

Getting the magician or adept quality for someone you know won't lose Essence from implantation, and won't need a Magic rating higher than 1 is, in my opinion, a bit cheesy, even for a "freaks" campaign. If you lack any sense of shame, though (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ... for a magician, it is best to be an aspected sorcerer (especially if the optional Expert Aspected Magician rules (pg. 31 of Street Magic) are used). You can get counterspelling, and suddenly your cyberzombie is even more resistant to spells. Actively dispelling will just give you physical Drain, but spell defense is not affected by your Magic rating (or even by background count... I think). For an adept, you can get 1 Power Point in abilities - say, kinesics: 1, commanding voice, and cool resolve: 1 for your elven face. A mentor spirit could add bonuses to either option.

Given that the qualities say, "not allowed if you're not really going to 'explore' being Awakened', it still seems well within the 'rules' for the GM to laugh at you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Cheesy, yes. But an interesting thought exercise none the less. I'm interested to see what I could do, if I went that route.



But that's precisely what I want to do! I want to explore being Awakened in the context of someone who has been turned into a mockery of life and held together by obscene magics (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) !

Which would be completely useless, as the background count he's in negates up to 4 point's worth of Adept powers and he has only one...

Part of the Cyberzombie process is that you DIE .. and they use dark possession magic to force your spirit back into your body. Making you dual natured, giving you a magic rating of 1, and an astral hazing BC of 4.

You can't be an adept, because even if you WERE an adept in the past, your magic rating went down to 0 during the procedure. You burned out, you lost it. The magic Rating of 1 is a mechanic to show that you're dual natured.
Not that you get to keep some adept powers.

I think it's even worse than that, sabs. I think they're saying, Awakened *after*, if you can imagine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Is that what Chicanery they're saying?

I mean.. the CZ process turns the person's soul into a bound Toxic Free Spirit inhabiting the cybered up body in a way that he can still use the cyberware in the body.

it's creeeeeepy weird voodoo magic stuff. (Literally, rumor was that Aztlan when developing this technology used Voodoo magic and blood magic )

The idea that you awaken afterwards and get Adept powers.. WTF