On the subject of freaks, Building a more distinctive 'Runner Options

[JonathanC]

I just picked up Augmentation the other day, and the proliferation of options that are, shall we say...flamboyant (balance tails, surgery to get alien/animal features, extra cybereyes, horns, fangs, etc.) got me thinking. Usually, my games are full of non-descript people dressed in black trenchcoats, who probably own ski-masks. The most stylish I can hope for is a bunch of people who look like they wandered out of the Matrix (the movie, not the global network).

Would it really be so bad to have a decker with decorative horns? I mean, assuming that they aren't trying to pass in a corporate boardroom, would they really be shunned that much in a modern sprawl like Seattle or L.A?

Or what about someone who had cybereyes installed in an odd place? Like an extra pair set in their forehead? It almost makes more sense to add extra eyes rather than rip out your own, perfectly working eyeballs, after all. And you could cover them up with a hat or headband if you needed to "pass". I suppose you might need a cyberskull in order to add extra eyes though...any opinions on this?

What would someone have to do to get a more combat-oriented tail? Like some kind of bladed thing that they could use to cover themselves from behind in a melee? It's (more than) a little silly, but as a GM, I think I'd be inclined to allow it just to avoid seeing yet another cookie-cutter street sam. I realize that personality counts much more than appearance with good roleplayers, but when I look at the covers of the old books, and even some of the new ones, I see mohawked kids with nano-tats, not Leon the Professional.

There are so many weird, exotic options now (symbiotes, extra glands, etc.), have there been any good, practical builds using them? I'm throwing out some (admittedly dubious) ideas, but I'd love to hear about good, well-optimized weirdo builds too.

[Cardul]

Admittedly I like Fiber-optic Hair combined with that face changing bioware. You have your hair set to one colour on a run, inject the stuff for the face change..Voila..you have 30 minutes to get in, get out, and your face not be that recognizeable. Combined with that thing that makes any cells that fall off you turn non-usable for DNA analysis..and you have made it just a step harder for people to track you down.

[Seven-7]

Hatchetman would tell you that this is silly and unprofessional and that you're being very very bad >:(

[Cardul]

[hyzmarca]

[Fortune]

[Cardul]

[Fortune]

[Ryu]

You forgot dermal sheath 3 with ruthenium option for skin colour.

[Stahlseele]

[hyzmarca]

[Stahlseele]

aaaah . . yes, i remember now . . i thought you guys were talking about augmentation somehow @.@

[Synner]

In Shadowrun cosmetic mods, tattoos, and other forms of body modification are described as quite common in everyday (urban) society. Body modification is popular and trendy, and seen as a form of self-expression even more so than today. There's even a thriving cyberfetish underground and are booming markets for cybermods, biocosmetics, and nanotatts. While you an elf sporting a custom sculpted cyberlimb and chrome horns may stand out in a corporate boardroom, it's not something that would get undue attention at a trendy club - it might even get you the right sort of attention on the streets if it makes you look tougher and scarier.

The changes in the affordability of cyberware and bioware in the 70s have made cybermodifications and biosculpting more commonplace and a more acceptable form of body modification. People are always looking for making an impression - anything that makes their look and style unique and distinctive - and that is only going to become more popular as technology makes more options available. Stuff like SURGE and increased accessibility/functionality of cyberware has actually made unusual looks more acceptable though its taken a while (its hard to frown on the guy with the obvious cyberarm when your uncle has gills and scales).

How far a GM/group is willing to take it in his/their game is up to him/them, but in the default SR setting body mods are pretty commonplace in the 70s and less likely to tagged as freakish (obviously contigent on how freaky/extreme the mod is). It shouldn't be too hard to find a security spider with a nanotatt or minor cosmetic mod where today you'd have a computer tech with a couple of piercings or tatts (or a game developer with green rastas for that matter). Conservative corps and environments may frown on it, but people will be people and they'll put up with your excentricities if you're good at what you do.

[Ryu]

Blue collar workers always had more freedom in both conduct and style. White collars can mostly work via the matrix, only those working in customer relations have to be prepared for a real-world meeting.

A snobish part of society will demand you stay "pure", while most will embrace the new technology. Stylish AR elements capture your imagination, making you wish for a less bland physical body.

[Stahlseele]

sadly THAT is where the common sense comes and kicks in in the Ass every time . . GM:"i don't care if he has the edge bland, EVERYBODY and their mom is going to remember the 3m tall Troll with the obvious Cyber-Arms and Skull!"

[Karaden]

[Ryu]

Yep. And they will remember the troll had obvious modifications. You will get several descriptions, the combined essence value of which will make law enforcement search for a cyberzombie.
You might think the cyberskull makes things easier. It doesn´t. In exchange for a reduced set of the whole population you have to check, you just lost many of the most important individual features. Modular cyberlimbs are great for second identities. "Why yes, I´m aware that cyber-shotguns exist officer. But I´m a lawful engineer, I have much better use for this tool-hand."

[Stahlseele]

. . dammit, why did i not think to use those things like that untill now? O.o

[JonathanC]

[Kyoto Kid]

...awwww, you can't get any more distinctive than the Short One (#96). Distinctive Style goes beyond just appearance, for it also includes mannerisms and "modus operandi" as well. :grinbig:

[JonathanC]

The short one?

[Stahlseele]

i kinda try to walk the middle-way . . while in run my characters basically mostly wear all black/dark cltohing(at night and in dark places, of course) or camo armor . . when not on Run they tend to show off what they have . . more or less . . who's going to suspect the trolls belt is actually a whip and the chains on his leather-vest are chains he swings like a whip? Wearing Gang-Colour while not on the run is basically considered tres-chic *g*

[Fortinbras]

It's a variant on power gaming. Or smart gaming, depending on your philosophical bent. To buy cosmetic augmentation costs money that could be better spent on guns, spells or drones and gives no distinct advantage.
Plus it gives the disadvantage of being recognizable or distinct from the usual hoi-poi.

Why spend money on something my GM will use to bite me in the butt later?

If you want to put the "cyber" back in cyberpunk, makes mods an advantage in certain social scenarios. Make certain cyber mods free because they are so common. Give your players some incentive to be weird and wired or they will rules whore you to the bone and take all of the character out of their characters.

[JonathanC]

Well Fort, that's why I'm thinking about reversing the "standard" procedure on mods and visibility. Anyone hanging out on the street in plain, unadorned clothes, not dancing in the club, not drinking at the bar, is going to stand out way more than the techno-fetishist who at least makes an effort to look like they belong at the club.

[Moon-Hawk]