Augmentation Q&A, Ask the developers and the authors Options

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Talia Invierno]

Thanks, Rotbart van Dainig and the_dunner. Overlooking a page or two like that is what happens when a PDF keeps crashing a computer.

I'd disagree on cost-benefit when there is a greater than 1% chance of the benefits becoming permanent at no ES cost, and in the past I've found that a months-long cancer seems to be no deterrent at all to most players: but that's a matter of personal taste.

[Ravor]

Talia Invierno we are talking about Genetic Infusions correct? If they become permanent it costs 0.4 Essence.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

..which really sucks, because there is no way to avoid it, even if it kills you: You can't use Edge on the test.

[Ravor]

Besides, with a possible debate on the merits of "Sideways" combined with an implanted Biomonitor none of the Genetic Infusions strikes me as anywhere close to being worthy of 0.4 Essence, even if it doesn't kill you in the process.

[Talia Invierno]

And missed that again. Thanks, Ravor.

(Sorry for the dumb questions: I've been wrestling a cranky computer and printer all morning. Now it's the printer that's choking on the file size.)

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Actually, Endure is better than Neo-EPO concerning Dice per Essence.

..of course, that means that you are now Tyler Durden.

[Ravor]

Yeah, the downside just doesn't outweigh the upside on that one. At least in my opinion, even for the Pink Mohawk Crowd in most cases. :cyber:


*Edit*

Err, strike and reverse what I just said. :cyber:

[Ravor]

Ok, here's a question that I've had for awhile, can you "turn off" bioware like Synaptic Boosters or do you forever have a harder time sneaking past Motion Sensors?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Indeed.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

BTW... what dice are you actually rolling when using the Radar Sensor?
Rating?
Rating + Perception?
Intuition + Perception?

And why exactly is it (and Ultrasound) affected by lighting conditions? Both are active systems that bring their own 'light' source...

[FrankTrollman]

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[FrankTrollman]

[Rotbart van Dain...]

So the Rating is only used to determine max wallstrengh and finding guns?

[The Jopp]

Several questions today. First:

Modular cyberlimbs. Do i even calculate a new capacity or is for example a Drone Hand integrated into the arm and I still have the 15 capacity on an obvious limb or do i reduce it by (Obvious Hand) cap? It seems like excessive book-keeping to keep track on a full cyberlimb who suddenly is a full modular cyberlimb minus hand. Besides, one already pays for the limb to be modular AND the drone hand upgrade.

Second, will the Drone hand have the same physical attributes as the limb? (Body 8 drone on a troll arm for example. Or strength for that matter.)

The Radar System. It says in the description that:

"It can penetrate its rating x 5 of cumulative barrier Structure ratings"

Now, that DOES mean that a lvl 4 radar can penetrate eiither up to 4 rating 5 barriers or up to one rating 20 barrier structure?

Or is it limited to rating 5 walls? Would be kinda fun to see through concrete walls...

[Cursedsoul]

Adding on to the drone hand train of thought, what are the thoughts on capacity space for cyberlimb plug-ins?

For example, I'm thinking of a guy whose basically a swiss army knife. He'll have a pair of cyberlimbs, one basically combat oriented and one with all the sensors and gizmos.

What I think'd be cool is to have say, the grapple hand attachment with a shockhand upgrade. Same with the drone hand. Probably especially with the drone hand because thoughts of a cybernetic Thing from the Addams family tugging on a guy's pantleg to get their attention and then zapping them is amusing, not to mention I think potentially handy.

Same with stuff like perhaps a magnetic system or adhesive whatnots so it can climb walls.

Now I know a typical obvious hand has 4 capacity which is basically enough for only one or two things but a lower arm has 10, which is much more.

Additionally, if I want my cyberhand to have an autoinjector with a hypodermic needle attached to it in order that I can jab someone with and inject them with the contents, does that necessitate a fingertip compartment?

Furthermore, is a fingertip compartment only the fingertip or is it as I'm imagining, the entire finger is hollowed out and modified? I think it'd be just dandy to have a guy with a pneumatic jack in his hand that'd store a cigarette in a finger, pop it up on command and then be able to light it with a lighter concealed in the thumb.

Probably a GM call on this one, but do smuggling compartments consist solely of what is more or less a hollowed tube and little more or does it include a device for snagging, inserting, and retrieving the object?

Same example as above except instead of a cigarette the guy has a cigar stored in a smuggling compartment. He'd command it to open up and pop the cigar into his hand, similar to a cyberholster and he then lights it with the aforementioned thumb lighter.

I suppose all that really involves is buying and modding the compartment, but I'm still curious a to how the whole operation works because if I get a large one installed and stuff it with a grenade or some throwing knives, it'd be cool to be able to rig it to slide'em into my hand or make it so that it'd pop it out and I can drop it into my palm.

[The Jopp]

Another thing with the radar. How would you describe the visual representation in a characters POV?

I mean, I've got this character with a Drone Hand with MAD scanner, Motion Sensor and the character got a Radar rating 4 and a cyberware scanner.

According to the descriptions he would gain an X-Ray visual of anyone he looks at and see guns, gear, cyberware and what brand of undies that hot little gunbabe is wearing among other things.

That not just a handy piece of ware it's pure gold when looking for hidden equipment, or for a pickpocket no less to know where the wallet is hidden...

Oh, and another thing. Although one can control the Drone Hand as a drone when it pops off there shouldn't be anything against using its onboard sensors through mental command while it is attached right?

[FrankTrollman]

[The Jopp]

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Buster]

New question (maybe already answered): Does the Genetic Heritage positive quality also apply to bioware-as-genetech or just the genetech listed in Augmentation (starting on p72)? In other words, can I start the game with a Synaptic Booster 2 for 10 bp?

[neko128]

For how Radar is presented in the character's POV, I can't think of a good reason why it wouldn't be highly customizable. The whole thing is processed and then fed as data to your visualization controller (be it glasses, cybereyes, or a sim module) anyway.

For myself, when thinking about ultrasound in older editions, in my head I always saw it as kindof a featureless grey blob (like an objected rendered by a 3D application with no texture applied) inserted into the field of vision, since it wouldn't have any color information associated with it. I'm leaning towards thinking of Radar Sense the same way. Another option, though, could be wire-frame overlays, as if things were glowing through the objects hiding them; or maybe even user-controlled "depth of view" so that it shows you what you would be able to see at a specific distance - guessing at colors, or just assigning grayscale. Or maybe "fading", so that it makes things closer than the range you've set it to to be semi-transparent...

[Cthulhudreams]

[neko128]