Suggestions for "mysterious cyberware" to give a player?, I always have a hard time with this one... Options

[Vegetaman]

Help me brainstorm. Usually my players avoid this flaw like the plague, but what are some good pieces of mysterious cyberware to give a player to set that little piece of fun up for later in the game?

[the_real_elwood]

Cortex bomb? Ok, maybe that's not fair.

If you want to give them something useful, you could always put in an Invoked Memory Stimulator in the package too, that could make for some interesting possibilities.

[Vegetaman]

Yeah, that was the only one that really sprung to mind (Cortex Bomb). It would be a mean trick, at least.

[Dumori]

a cyber hold out gave it go off or get detected some time. Have flesh over it so it's not easy to find same think for an oral gun. May be a skin pocket full of drugs. A fingar storage compartment with some thing in. Auto injecter or cyber triggered chem gland knockout drugs or a experimental combat drug. The list goes on I might be useful when four and fixed in some way but it should be a bitch in genral. Such as a K-10 gland/injector trigered when somthing happens. Take some thing that must be lived with. Some thing that will ruin plans. Even a biomimiter and tracking rfids or such would do.

[Heath Robinson]

A nanohive with hooked to a remote trigger, deploying something fun?
A flashback system programmed to scan for particular stimuli, only recording the events that follow certain kinds and replaying them after another kind. Essentially canned 'Nam flashbacks.
Dynamic Handprints/Voice Mimic/Retinel Adjustor that randomise themselves every day.

[hyzmarca]

Cyberholdout? Please.

There are three classes of mysterious Cyberware, Annoying, Funny, Interesting, and Plot Hooks. Yes, I know that's four categories. There is some overlap. You really want to avoid purely Annoying/Funny and go for Interesting/Plot Hooks. Otherwise, there is no point.

My personal favorite combines elements of all, being annoying, funny, and an interesting plot hook - A nano-hive, but not just any nanohive, one that turns his digestive system into a drone-producing nanofax. He has to take metal suppliments to feed the nanites or else they leach metals from his blood, which would eventually be fatal (10% lifestyle (food) cost increase). Once every other day a micro drone makes its way down his digestive system and exists the normal way. This drone, not under his control , then goes about its mysterious business, whatever that may be. He will be tempted to follow one of these drones, to understand what it does, why it does what it does, and where it comes from. This is a great plot hook.

Another favorite is a remotely-operated data-filter. Missing time and lost memories are sure to prompt the PC to investigate, creating another interesting plot hook.

[kanislatrans]

My personal favorite combines elements of all, being annoying, funny, and an interesting plot hook - A nano-hive, but not just any nanohive, one that turns his digestive system into a drone-producing nanofax. He has to take metal suppliments to feed the nanites or else they leach metals from his blood, which would eventually be fatal (10% lifestyle (food) cost increase). Once every other day a micro drone makes its way down his digestive system and exists the normal way. This drone, not under his control , then goes about its mysterious business, whatever that may be. He will be tempted to follow one of these drones, to understand what it does, why it does what it does, and where it comes from. This is a great plot hook.

hyzmarca, that is pure genius! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

[Backgammon]

Invoked Memory Stimulator.

That should mess with his head good.

Or maybe cybereyes that have a nasty tendency to edit the feed they see, injecting things that aren't there, or removing things that are.

[Mickle5125]

I see dead people...

[Dashifen]

Back in SR3 days when memory was important, I gave used head memory space to a player. He thought it was a pretty stupid one until he found some interesting paydata still on the drive that the previous owner didn't wipe clean. Lead to all sorts of mayhem. Good times.

I second what hyzmarca said above and would take it even a step further: don't be afraid to make it mysterious because it's prototypical. Come up with a new piece of ware and say that it was installed along side or instead of what the character expected to receive. Let's say that the character took Wired 2. Instead of Wired 2 he actually got Wired 2.5 (or some other name) which does everything exactly like Wired 2 but is prototypical so it also does something else. Maybe the neural information that it sends back to the brain is messed up so this person is down two dice on surprise tests, I don't know. Then, it can be plot to switch them out for not-broken ones or something.

Granted, that sucks a little, but it's off the top of my head and I'm on cold meds (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Muspellsheimr]

Can someone give me a page reference or quote of the Invoked Memory Stimulator? I can find it in the charts in the back of Augmentation, but cannot find the description in either Augmentation or SR4.

As for ideas - assuming the IMS is not something similar, an implanted PAB unit, slowly reprogramming the characters memories.

Or perhaps a nanite system that for some reason sustains FAB in the characters system, causing them to trip wards. Now my question - why the fuck would nanites do that? Seriously, I have no idea.

[Ravor]

A tricked out cyberlimb that seems to have a mind of it's own. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)

[Muspellsheimr]

A tricked out cyberlimb that seems to have a mind of it's own. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)

AKA is the home node of an AI. To make things interesting, give the AI the Multiple Personality Disorder &/or Dementia negative qualities (p.163-164, Augmentation).

[hyzmarca]

Can someone give me a page reference or quote of the Invoked Memory Stimulator? I can find it in the charts in the back of Augmentation, but cannot find the description in either Augmentation or SR4.

Its in the Cybermancy section. It causes you to vividly recall certain memories at regular intervals so you won't zone out and forget to live.

[Vegetaman]

Invoked Memory Stimulator.

That should mess with his head good.

Or maybe cybereyes that have a nasty tendency to edit the feed they see, injecting things that aren't there, or removing things that are.

Okay, this one sounds... Like it has the most epic potential. I can drop little hints before I let the big hammer hit the fan.

[MaxMahem]

Go for the works!

Embedded Persona-fix chip along with that selective memory deal.

On command he becomes your secret agent...

---

Or how about a built in sim-rig? It's secretly set to transmit a compressed set of his daily experiences back to the corp. He's actually the star of his vary own Truman show, and doesn't even know it! But strange people come up to him from time to time with odd product type placements or what not. Heh. And then maybe the corp decides they need to inject some 'spice' into his life (terror? romance? tragic comedy?) to enhance their ratings!

Oohh... I like that one. I'm going to use it for the baseline of my next run heh...

[kanislatrans]

one option is give them something that shows up on a scan but doesn't seem to do anything. Then every once in a while have it buzz or something. link it with other ware to keep them from just cutting it out.

Runner Joe:" what do you mean by"thats odd." doc?"

Street Doc:" Well, according to this scan your testicles are cyber and they are linked to your Move-by-Wire system. let me just take a look and see if I can..."

Runner Joe: "Hey,Hey, get that laser scalpel away from there.!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[DocTaotsu]

Far worse than a simple cyberlimb that has gone rogue.

A ocular drone/hand that evvvvveryonce in awhile wanders off in the night, but never far.

I have this image of a runner waking up in the middle of the night to realize she's half blind. Stumbling out into the living room she finds... her eyeball on the floor... watching the trid.


Another twist would be a piece of headware that very subtlety edits the characters visual processing. Make it follow certain rules (some of which are nested and complex, giving the appearance that the output is random) maybe every dog under a certain size presents as a toaster or cans of beer appear as weazing rats sitting on their haunches. But throw in the occasional useful twist. Every exit in view is always highlighted neon blue, even if the character really hasn't noticed that there's an exit back there. People who are lying throw off auras but only under some bizarre situation (like the character needs to first engage the in conversation about poultry. It's a trigger phrase somehow). etc. etc.

Basically it's a piece of cyber that can be used to fuck with a player mercilessly but as Hyz pointed out... also serve as a plot hook. What are the rules this mod follows? Why is it in me? Is it trying to tell me something? Why can't the cyberdoc's figure out where it is?


I'd also suggest a piece of cyber that appears to give players a mild phobia... but it shuffles every couple of days. The player just wakes up one morning and instantly knows that he's terrified of bugs one day, and open spaces the next. Again, I think the key is to make it infrequent so it doesn't totally dominate the game or the player... but just often enough to make those negative points worth it.

[Stahlseele]

just give him full sensory recording that in the middle of the night calls home and tells the owner god only knows what he's sensed . .
all the easier, if he / she / it allready has cybereys or ears. just build in a dedicated transmitting unit that would have to be operated out to mess with it. aside from killing the connection on the other end point O.o

[nezumi]

I had a player who let me design his character for him.

The character has amnesia and mysterious cyberware. The cyberware is a full memory suite. The character is the perfect face. Not only does he play a role, he becomes the role, and the memory suite supports that, deleting all of the character's old memories and installing a set of new memories. Additionally, it has a hallucinatory guide who appears to guide the user during tough times and help him on whatever his particular mission is. The guide can ONLY be seen by the user, and is programmed based on the job at hand.

In the character's case, the job went bad and the memory suite got activated, wiping all his memories, but not installing anything new. The guide hasn't kicked in, but when it does, it too will be damaged, giving him bad or simply inappropriate advice.



Another possibility is the cyber version of the belt of gender changing.

[hyzmarca]

Additionally, it has a hallucinatory guide who appears to guide the user during tough times and help him on whatever his particular mission is. The guide can ONLY be seen by the user, and is programmed based on the job at hand.

His name is Al and he's a bit of a womanizing lech, right? Please tell me that the guide looks remarkably like Dean Stockwell.

[Ravor]

*chuckles*

I can't believe I used to like that show. (The series final completely and forever destroyed any joy the show ever gave me.)

[nezumi]

The idea was inspired from that (via another poster on DSF). It really is a fantastic way to bring out the wacky.

[DTFarstar]

I have always wanted someone to take Mysterious Cyberware in my games, but no one has ever been brave enough to try it.

Chris

[Tarantula]

I definately think a sim rig/data filter/data lock/IMS combo could be a lot of fun.

Data filter keeps them from remembering what happened, sim rig feeds to the data lock, and the IMS pulls it up at the worst possible times.