Most Useless cyberware |
Most Useless cyberware |
Jan 19 2008, 05:34 PM
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#1
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
Ok now I've seen the threads about the dikoted, Cyberzombie, vampire, ninja armed with a silvergun, and the new rules include the cyber genitals we've joked about for years, one imagines the editor/line designer saying "OK it's been 19 years I give up, let 'm have it." but what do you think is the most useless cyber/bioware in the books and why?
I don't know anyone who's used the hand magnets, especially not like in the pic of the guy, spider man like, hanging on a train or the foot pitons to anchor yourself to the floor-though they do make a hold out weapon. But I got to go with the cyber tail. not because of it's limited game use-I so do not want to know what you guy are doing with a cyber one eyed worm-but for role playing. it pretty much says 'shadowrunner here' in big chrome letters and even in the post SURGE world you stand out. Clothes ALL have to be tailored for you, you can't go to an entire grade of neighborhood-try hiding that under a tux or LBD- and sitting in a freaking car is nearly impossible. Other than a really cool picture in the book, did anyone think this was a good idea? |
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Jan 19 2008, 06:04 PM
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#2
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King of the Hobos Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,117 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 127 |
I always figured like every most other pieces of cyberware that it's have the option of coming with an on/off trigger so that when it wasn't in use it could be coiled up. The book description says it isn't under conscious control or something like that but if you can turn wired reflexes off why not this as well? Player in a group I was in wrapped it around his waist underneath his shirt , IIRC he eventually wore a homemade strap under his shirt around his waist with belt loops so that it wouldn't flop about as much. And there are enough fat people in the world that baggy clothes and a bit of a bulge around the waist should be able to be passed off in a lot of circumstances. Mind you he was the only person who I ever saw that used it for a PC. |
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Jan 19 2008, 06:07 PM
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#3
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
If it had been retractable or at least prehensile then it would be useful.
For my money it's the Single Cyber eye. Sure you get some flavor of only replacing one eye and it actually makes the eye-drone potentially useful, but really, is it necessary? |
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Jan 19 2008, 06:11 PM
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#4
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,168 Joined: 15-April 05 From: Helsinki, Finland Member No.: 7,337 |
The Hand Magnets? Those were the cause of one of our funniest moments ever, where my sig came from. One of our players had a cybermage with a bunch of heavy ware, and the magnetic hands. He tried to attach himself to underneath a helicopter with it, after preforming a series of complete and utter blunderous decisions. We called it the ''Sanctuary Swing into the High-Five Dive'' about a kilometer to the ocean. |
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Jan 19 2008, 06:33 PM
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#5
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
Wired Reflexes . . granted they add some speed, but they are too expansive to be usefull for anyone who ants to be anything besides fast . . ok so it is compatible with VCR . . but put both VCR and Wired Reflexes into your body and there's nothing left of you most of the time. . . and yes, the magnetic hands are fun stuff to have ^^
you can actually do the jedi trick about getting your weapon into your hand from a short distance away if you prepare it *g* other than that . . try to get a weapon out of the hand of a troll with STR16 and those things in the hands . . makes a whopping 24 STR to hold on to anything metallic O.o and one COULD stretch that to mean that you can actually get the third point of recoil compensation from strength, if you're supplying the GM with candy ^^ |
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Jan 19 2008, 06:57 PM
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#6
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
The cyberhorns. A reach -1 weapon that isn't even as concealed as cyberfangs. I can think of good uses for everything everyone's mentioned thus far, and would be sad to see any of them go, but I've never even had a neat idea that involved cyberhorns in an important way.
~J |
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Jan 19 2008, 07:02 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
Tooth compartment. There is just nothing small enough and useful to be hidden.
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Jan 19 2008, 07:08 PM
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#8
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Well, i used to use it to hide a data chip back in the sr3 days
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Jan 19 2008, 08:06 PM
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#9
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
not retractable Horns/Fangs . . use on Trolls/Orks and make em look like the natural parts . . best concealed weapon carried in the open ever! @Toothcompartment: use for little bit of toxin either to kill yourself or immunize yourself against said toxin and use it to give poisonous kisses to other people ^^ |
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Jan 19 2008, 08:41 PM
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#10
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Since horns deal (STR)M damage, their only advantage over the standard human fist is that they deal Physical damage, which isn't nothing because of the existence of pain editors and stimpatches, but since the point of Reach gets lost (two points for Trolls, effectively), I'm going to have to say that it's still worse than the open hand. It's not like you can share the skill with something else, either, because cyberhorns use cyber-implant combat and if you've got a different cyber-implant weapon you should be using that instead.
~J |
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Jan 19 2008, 10:02 PM
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#11
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
as far as i understand they are meant as a last resort weapon . . or in the case of fangs as an assassination weapon for S&M lovers . .
and as for the skill . . heck, defaulting to unarmed combat would only be a +2 modifier, so i most often go that way . . if i ain't going the whole nine yards of someone who is full with cyber-implant weapons *g* |
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Jan 20 2008, 04:13 AM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,286 Joined: 24-May 05 From: A 10x10 room with an orc and a treasure chest Member No.: 7,409 |
Eyeguns and eye datajacks. I can't imagine a use for an eyegun because they have eyedarts which take away the I use Nacroject on it angle. The datajack means you have to stick the thing into your eye which means you lose vision in that eye and if someone sees you they will at best think you are an oddball.
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Jan 20 2008, 07:59 AM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 861 Joined: 27-November 07 Member No.: 14,397 |
Yeah, but the eye datajack is stealth when not in use, which is good for not broadcasting "Decker over here!!", and who cares if you can't see out one eye while it is in use? You usually can't see anything anyway. Oh, and don't you mean 'eye'ball? *bah bush bush pish* |
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Jan 20 2008, 09:58 AM
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#14
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,286 Joined: 24-May 05 From: A 10x10 room with an orc and a treasure chest Member No.: 7,409 |
Datajacks are so common it really doesn't matter. Basically everyone has one, so what's the point of trying to hide it? If you really want to hide a datajack you can always get a fingertip compartment and have a datajack installed in it for no additional essense cost iirc.
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Jan 20 2008, 10:17 AM
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#15
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,537 Joined: 27-August 06 From: Albuquerque NM Member No.: 9,234 |
Just go subdermal.
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Jan 20 2008, 10:33 AM
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#16
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
Yeah, Eye-Guns and Oral-Weapons more or less are useless . . aside from the variation of an Dart with Gamma Scopolamine *g*
Even Trolls will be hard pressed to roll the 8 needed 10's to completely resist the Power of ZZZZ's coming to get them ^^ |
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Jan 20 2008, 10:58 AM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 219 Joined: 26-April 02 From: Emerald City, Oz Member No.: 2,648 |
The Hand Blade. It's a sodding underbarrel bayonet for my hand. Can anyone honestly say they bought one?
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Jan 20 2008, 11:16 AM
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#18
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
yes, once an not retractable one . . but that was mainly for show and fixed onto replaceable cyberhand together with not retractable Handrazors for . . interrogation-purposes *g*
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Jan 20 2008, 11:56 AM
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#19
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
The SR3 and earlier Cranial Cyberdecks were completely lame (especially in Shadowtech). Instead of setting your entire essence on fire you could spend a lot less money and get your cyberdeck made really small and then carry it in a body compartment. It's even easier to upgrade because it's not in your head.
So for less money and less essence you could get a better internal deck using different rules. What the advantage of the cranial deck was supposed to be was always completely lost on me. Why anyone would scoop out parts of their brain to get the benefits of something they could get from draining parts of their peritoneal cavity is something that the world may never know. -Frank |
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Jan 20 2008, 12:00 PM
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#20
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
main disadvantage of built in cyber-deck?
no way to pull the plug if needed be *g* also we just did with cyberdecks what the books did with rigger decks and made them available as built into cyberlimbs . . where would i find those rules that allow one to make the deck as small as an pocket secretary or something like that you are speaking about ? O.o Our Decker(s) would love something like that *g* |
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Jan 20 2008, 12:51 PM
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#21
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
There are rules for miniaturization in one of the SR3 supplements, but I can't recall exactly which one.
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Jan 20 2008, 12:53 PM
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#22
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
*eyes his stack of SR3 stuff vary and sighs* <.<
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Jan 20 2008, 01:30 PM
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#23
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Well, there's the rules for improving Concealability on page 291 of the (SR3) Core Rulebook. Then there is some more rules on downsizing equipment in the spook section of SotA:'64. Might be a couple of good places to start.
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Jan 20 2008, 02:06 PM
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#24
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
yes, excellent places to start, thank you ^^
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Jan 20 2008, 08:31 PM
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#25
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...you not only can downsize but also disguise a piece of gear to look like a common everyday object. Had a character (an fallen angel of the Seraphim) with all sorts of cute little disguised toys from a microtransciver necklace, a cigarette holder that was a single shot microdart tagger blowgun, to a PDA that was actually a sequencer. How James Bond-ish you want to get is pretty much up to your imagination (within the framework of the rules of course).
There is a table of concealbility of normal items that is a useful guide on p 34. |
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