SURGE question, yes, here we go again.... Options

[BookWyrm]

While re-reading the part in Runners Companion about SURGE, I remembered a little idea I had about stating myself as an SR4 character. Here's a bit of the origin background;

The character is born in the late 1960's & survives well into the Sixth World. He lives through the major events of The Awakening (VITAS, The Awakening, The Night of Rage, ect. all the way to the arrival of Hailey's Comet in 2061) into his early 90's. He's one of the few early Mages & learns by trial & error his magical capabilities. By the time the Comet makes it's debut into the solar system, he's living in assisted care & alone (all other living relatives have passed on, he never married) & slips into a coma on one of the nights that the Comet is visible to the unaided eye.
Most of the staff expect him to pass quietly.
When the Comet returns & makes it's way back out of the system, he comes out of his coma.....SURGE has returned him to half his age & vitality (physically in his late 20's-early 30's). It takes a while to reestablish his identity, despite his DNA being on file. He starts to get a semblance on his 'new' life.
Then the Crash 2.0 hits & nearly screws up his identity again. But this time he's a little more prepared. It doesn't take as long to have his SIN reissued & he's a 'citizen' again.

But he still runs the shadows.

My question is this, would "Age Reversal" be an acceptible SURGE effect?

[Tarantula]

Hey, leonization exists, I don't see why you couldn't tell the story that way.

[darthmord]

Why wouldn't SURGE be a valid reason behind age reversal? It's certainly not game breaking and it's far less extreme than some SURGE effects.

Perhaps SURGE activated some latent Elven genes that control aging and made his body comformant with those genes (and handily removing the base human old age physical effects).

If it makes for a good story and is well within the already published limits, why not? As I said earlier, it's not game breaking or over-powered.

[BookWyrm]

Thanks, both of you.

Darthmold: Good point, but my ctr. remained human, so the Elven genes switched off after restoring his age? That could work....

[Muspellsheimr]

Technically, it is not allowed as far as I can see. I am however with the 'why not' crowd. It makes sense, is not unbalancing, & I would certainly allow it.

[pbangarth]

I'm all for it. Born in 1953, it gives me hope!

Peter

[Ravor]

Personally I would allow it as a varient of the Metahuman Traits Quality, sure your character's ears didn't get "too pointy" (Or docked after the fact.), but a DNA Scan would probably show some odd results.

[the_real_elwood]

Personally I would allow it as a varient of the Metahuman Traits Quality, sure your character's ears didn't get "too pointy" (Or docked after the fact.), but a DNA Scan would probably show some odd results.

I'm with this. In-game, SURGE still isn't completely understood, and there could be numerous undocumented effects out there. But if someone does get a hold of your DNA samples, it probably shouldn't jive perfectly with a mundane human's either. Probably no game effect except in some rare circumstances, but that's up to the particular GM.

[Fortune]

I've explained a human character with mixed-race parents and the Low Light vision Edge (back in SR3) as getting the trait (and only that trait) from her elven mother. I wouldn't have a problem with this in my games.

[Glyph]

Not only would I allow it, I wouldn't charge for it. Shadowrun characters pretty much all start out in their prime (with the exceptions generally taking lower stats/higher skills to simulate this), so starting out as a young guy shouldn't "cost" a character anything. The whole thing about previously being an old man is only background flavor, nothing more.

My only concern would be plausibility/does it fit in the game world, and it's not quite out there that it couldn't conceivably happen. I mean, with wild magic, SURGE, and everything else. But I wouldn't charge you for it. Similarly, take, for example, someone who wanted to play a former mage, whose magic got completely burned out, who got cybered up, learned new skills, and is out for revenge. I would want him to take a few magical background skills, maybe, but I wouldn't charge him for the awakened quality and his former level of magic - they are only background, and don't give the character any tangible advantage beyond that.

[Fortune]

Yeah, I wouldn't make them pay for it either, as it really just flavor, and has no game changing elements.

[Tachi]

Thanks, both of you.

Darthmold: Good point, but my ctr. remained human, so the Elven genes switched off after restoring his age? That could work....

Well, do you want him to be juved then start aging like a human again, or, do you want him to age at an elven pace after waking? Keeping in mind that Haley's will return every 75 years; do you want the character to struggle to survive until the comet next returns and the genes are temporarily activated again, juving him again at an effective age of 105; or, does he age at an elven rate permanently, never again receiving a benefit of those genes (other than elven lifespan)? Personally, I would force one or the other; extra long life, or, normal aging with a rejuv every 75 years, though I'd probably lean toward the 75 year cycle. It'd make for good role-playing, if your game spans enough time for it to be an issue. Just a thought. Long life, or, eternal life with complications until the end of the 6th world?

[BookWyrm]

Interesting point, Tachi. The chartacter, before the Comet arrived, was 95; after the Comet left, he is physically & biologically in his mid 30's (but he still has his life-experiences from his 'previous' life). He knows that this might happen again when the comet returns 75 years later & may happen again, resetting his biologicals again--immortality is not someting he's looking forward to. He also knows that this may be a one-time fluke; he may age normally &, barring any unforseen events (being shot, run over, poisoning, or otherwise dying from anything other than old age), he hopes to live a relatively normal life.

Of course, he shadowruns, which kind of limits that.

[AllTheNothing]

I'm all for it. Born in 1953, it gives me hope!

Peter

Me too!!!
I look almost six years younger than my actual age, I'm quite confortable in lower than normal light conditions (compared to most of people I know at least) and I've got good hearing (even if high-decibel work conditions affected it); being past 20 pisses me off, I'm just not ready to grow old yet so I hope to express as an elf with the awakening (come on number of elves are completely screwed if they are born only), even if going an height from 1,65 meters to 1,80 circa is probably going to be painfull and is going to force me to buy an new set of clothes.

[BookWyrm]

Same here, Peter & ATN. I look a few years younger than I actually am, but the grey hairs are starting to get more prominant these days. But I'll wait & see if the Awakening does happen. Knowing my luck, it will come, & I'll still be just another mundane.

[BookWyrm]

OK, I'm thinking of writing this one up as a SURGE Quality or such, but for the life of me, I can't thnk of where the creation rules are....

[Muspellsheimr]

Because it has no actual impact on game mechanics, & campaigns are highly unlikely to last long enough for the age rejuvenation to have any discernible effect, I advise leaving it purely as character background, with no hard rules.

[TheOOB]

Now what would really create an interesting character is if after the comet they started aging in reverse...

[BookWyrm]

Hmmm, I can see your point, Muspellsheimr. I'll leave it alone.

Interesting idea, TheOOB.

[AllTheNothing]

Now what would really create an interesting character is if after the comet they started aging in reverse...

What you mean with reversed aging? He/she starts to grow younger ( (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif) ) until is reached the equivalent of 20 and stops there or it keeps going turning him/her into a toddler all over again?

[Ravor]

The latter is far cooler in my opinion, maybe Merlin was a Spike Baby after all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)

[Stahlseele]

i remember somewhere reading/hearing about some sort of sci-fi race that came into existance as an old being, bitter, experienced and grew younger so they could die in absolute innocence and go to heaven or something like that O.o
and there's flaws in RC for playing child like characters, so why the hell not? imagine all of your life being able to do certain things, like drive a car, smoke, buy alcohol and hookers . . and now the friendly lady on the corner asks for some sort of ID O.o

[BookWyrm]

What you mean with reversed aging? He/she starts to grow younger ( (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif) ) until is reached the equivalent of 20 and stops there or it keeps going turning him/her into a toddler all over again?

Hmm, if you mean like a Negative Quality, one level of the 'effect' would be that the person would age backward at a normal rate until they reach the physical age of 20, at which the process would stop. The next 'level' would be that the person ages at an accelerated rate, say 2 years for every normal year, until full reversion.

[Stahlseele]

why would the reversed aging untill 20 be considered NEGATIVE?
basically, he'd be getting stronger, faster, more resilent, quicker, more aware, better looking, more fit etc. all through his life again . . think about it, he starts at 80 . . that's 60 years where he's gradually getting better and better technically . . even without karma . . if he's completely unaugmented, he's going from being old and ugly and slow and cranky and weak and sickly to the prime of his life again O.o
if anything, that's be one HECK of an positive quality . . even if he started aging normally again at 20, he'd have ANOTHER 60 years untill he hit the 80 again . .
let's say he starts at 80, then goes backwards for 60 years, makes 140 years, then goes forward again untill 80, he's at 220 years experience in the end and only 80 years of real physical age in there . .
which is about at the life expectancy of dwarves and aleves, so it would fit . . orks and especially trolls would benefit a bit more, as they don't live all that long to begin with . .

[Wasabi]

Because it has no actual impact on game mechanics, & campaigns are highly unlikely to last long enough for the age rejuvenation to have any discernible effect, I advise leaving it purely as character background, with no hard rules.

Seconded