Biowear maximum issue Options

[last_of_the_grea...]

For arguements' sake, suppose a player had a human whom he'd managed to get to strength 9 (the max) using karma and steroids, while avoiding the steroids' addictive and damaging properties. Could he then add Muscle Augmentation 4 to get his strength up to 13? Or, because biowear is considered natural, is he stuck with muscle replacement cyberwear? :cyber:

[Sphynx]

According to the FAQ:

[KosherPickle]

[Fortune]

I allow characters to start with Bioware that can only be implanted as Cultured, but disallow Cultured versions of regular 'ware at chargen.

[Cain]

Generally speaking, I allow cultured bio if it fits under the availibility cap, after adjusting for being cultured. Since all the culturing-required bio in the book has already been adjusted, I'll allow it under the same caveat.

[The White Dwarf]

We used to in a fit of munchy glory until we found out (well, re found out due to the faq drawing attention to it) it takes a beta clinic to install. Basically, its not fair to allow beta clinic for that unless you allow it for other things. Plus, having characters start off with mnemonic enchancers, cerebral boosters, trauma dampers, and synaptic accelerators is a bit much. Youd be surprised how much more balanced those things are when you have to aquire them in game, it really does make for a better SR imho.

[Sphynx]

[The White Dwarf]

No, I think getting it in game is fitting. It doesnt take but a few runs to start saving up the cash if you want to go that route. Most characters so inclined will have the connected edge to bypass the street index, and finiding a beta clinic is not hard at all (its delta thats a pita). Time is easy to use while other characters train or undergo similar things, really I see no issue with having people get the stuff as they go.

My point was that if you let culture in, you should let beta-grade cyber as well, since the character would have had to have had access to the clinic at some point. The specific pieces arent imbalancing, but at starting if you ahve them it can create a "glass barrier" so to speak, where there is little room to expand a character since they start "maxxed out".

I find our games to be both more enjoyable, and more representative of the shadowrun backdrop, when you follow the suggestion and put some bioware out of the characters reach. It gives them something to shoot for, npcs to interact with, and a goal to move story or characters forward. Like Ive always said, your milage may vary based on your play style, but our group really does like it better without it. Id suggest trying it for one campaign and checking things out, you may like it =)

[Buzzed]

But being maxed out can be fixed by surgery in many cases. Low essence? Get the standard version surgically removed and fill part of the essence hole with a beta version of that ware. Yes it costs alot of money and it takes extensive healing times, but that is what the character is willing to go through if they really want to free up some of that essence.

Let them find out the karma cost on their own (in bed at the clinic while the rest of the team are making cash and getting karma in runs)

I'm all for limiting availability to canon rules at char creation. It makes the game more challenging in a sense.