Boosted Reflexes Options

[Runs-with-Scisso...]

Heya All

I've got a 9th Printing of FASA's Shadowrun Third Edition, and I'm looking for the game effects of Boosted Reflexes. I've checked the description, and it doesn't list anything as far as bonuses to react/quickness or init. The table shows they come in 3 flavors (Level 1-3), but again, no additional info.

Can someone let me know what they do? I've got a new Fanpro edition on order, and it'll be here in about a week.

Runs With Scissors

[Lilt]

It's on the table at the top of P303. Why they didn't list it in the text description is beyond me though.

[Runs-with-Scisso...]

Well, that would explain it. Leave it to me to mangle a Perception check to find something in the book! Thanks!

RWS

[fourstring_samur...]

aren't boosted reflexes compatible with a synaptic(sp) accelerator?

[spotlite]

yes, yes they are. And so are reaction enhancers. Unfortunately, apart from the reaction enhancers if you fit a reflex trigger, you can't turn either of those things off so you'd be hyper ALL THE TIME. You'll never get through a meet without trying to take the johnsons' head off every time he goes for his wallet to pick up the tab...

[Jason Farlander]

You wouldnt need to ever turn off a synaptic accelerator anyway, because it doesnt have the negative effects caused by boosted or wired reflexes. Those negative effects are only caused by cybernetic enhancement.

[Reaver]

[Shockwave_IIc]

Besides the negative effects come from bonus dice so the Enhancers wouldn't be deteramentle either.

As for Boosted and Synaptic together yes, but i wouldn't hold it against a Gm for saying no.

[John Campbell]

[moosegod]

Despite having used that table many times, I still have trouble finding it and wind up relying on memory most of time.

This has resulted in 3 or more variations of increases for the cyberware before someone noticed...

[BitBasher]

And as stated above there are no penalties to +reaction from cybernetic reaction enhancers. I chose to rectify that oversight as a house rule and add in a +1 to the Twitch Test TN for every 2 or 3 points of cybered reaction, to be agreed upon by all before a game.

[Drain Brain]

[Hasaku]

That reminds me. What's the rule on stacking enhancements? No cyberware enhancements stack with each other, but they all stack with all bioware and all bioware enhancements stack with each other?

[Teulisch]

Well, Bioware counts as 'natural'. Cyberware counts as augmented. You ccan only get one augmented bonus at a time, be it cyber or magic. And while most the attributes that bioware augments have upper limits by race, but reaction and initive do not.

So, synaptic accelerators give you a natural bonus to your initive. And at best, you could get a +2 +4d6 from boosted 3 and synaptic 2. compared to wired +6 +3d6, its about the same on average. +4 and a trigger, or +1d6.

Synaptic is the only chance someone with boosted 1 has for an 'upgrade'.

[Fortune]

[Lantzer]

This might be a little off topic, but....

Regarding boosted reflexes, do any of you _not_ apply the whole 'twitchiness' effect to some types of initiative enhancements?

The reason I asked:

I've always thought of the various reflex systems as broken up into two tasks: First, there's the simple communication speed of your nerves. Second, there's the speed at which your spinal cord and brain stem process information to generate your reflexive actions.

Boosted: uses _your_ natural reflex processing, just speeds up communications.
Synaptic Acc: much like boosted, uses your own natural reflex processing, but speeds up communications Just does it in a complementary way.
Reaction enhancers: Modifies reflex processing. Does nothing for communications.
Wired: Modifies reflex processing _and_ speeds up communications. Basically replaces your entire reflex system.
Move-by-wire: Messes you totally up. But you can _move_.

For some reason, I've always associated the twitchiness phenomenon with those systems that modify or replace your processing, because the 'twitch' isnt due to moving faster as much as having innappropiate reactions for the situation.

Thoughts?

[Siege]

Boosted reflexes is one of those weird bits of 'ware that don't make a whole lot of sense.

I'm happy with the twitch factor on Boosted just for the enhanced reaction aspects to the 'ware.

It helps me more believably explain the twitch element to boosted/wired and not the synaptic accelerators.

-Siege

[Namergon]

For me, synaptic accelerator is different from the other reaction/reflexes mods, because it only affect communications inside the brain, between neurons. This bioware speed up the decision process.

The others speed up communications between the spinal chrod and the rest of the body, but (IMHO) not between the spinal chord and the brain. Except for the synaptic accelerator, none reaction/reflex enhancers affect the brain. That's, for me, the reason behind the "overeaction" rules: as the reflex "pipeline" is boosted at the exception fo the brain part, the brain has to constantly catch up the reactions of the body.


That were my 2 cents.

[Lilt]

To me boosted should speed-up the descision-making process too. It's a chemical treatment, thus it would probably affect the entire nervous system.

[cykotek]

This is the way I work it in my games:

Synaptic Accelerator - No "twitch-factor". It merely decreses distances between synapses, tweaks the myelin sheathing, etc across the body. Not enough to effect decision making (no bonuses in surprise situations, i.e., reaction).

Boosted Reflexes - No twitchy here, either. A primarily chemical treatment, modifies the chemical transmitters in the nervous system, increases adrenaline output, increases bodies responses to adrenaline, etc. Just speeds things up in general. Top end systems are tweaked to provide broad-spectrum bonuses It's still "all natural" in the end, though. No more jumpy afterwords than before. Just if you're a naturally twitchy person, you'll be faster in your reactions.

Reaction Enhancers - rework of the spine to improve transmission speeds along spinal cord. Full rating 6 effectively replaces the main portions of the spinal cord with fiber optics and translation relays. No more jumpy with them than without. Same as boosted in this respect.

Wired Reflexes - An effective "short-circuit" across the decision-making centers of the brain. Basically, your brain can't perform the proper real-time analysis to reach proper reaction conclusions. Instead, you perform whatever is the apparent correct response. To a runner, a bang is a gunshot (whether it was a car backfiring, someone dropping a book on the floor or a real gunshot). The "twitch test" is to see if you can successfully stop yourself once your brain catches up with your actions and figures out what's going on. The higher levels allow less time for analysis; faster reactions, but less time to stop them.

Move-by-wire - Reworks the entire motor cortex. Allows a normal decision making process, but there is close to no delay before action. Additionally, completely changes the way movement and actions are taken. I've always described it as somewhat robot-like. Maximum acceleration and deceleration of limbs, under precise computer control. You don't slowly pick up the glass from the table; you snatch it at maximum speed, with computer-controlled precision. Hell yes, it's obvious. It's also why you can get big quickness bonuses, as well as bonuses to stealth and athletics. Incredibly smooth actions, with no accidental deviations. Your brain says "move", the computer intercepts the signal, and tells the muscles itself. Again, no twitch (everything is too controlled), but the nature of the movements are totally alien.

[Namergon]

[Lilt]

Is the response to addrenaline a purely physical reaction? I thought it affected the mental state too. In any case: Characters pumped full of addrenaline will usually be on addrenaline highs and feel either slightly euphoric or violent depending on their mood. Don't quote me on that though... I'll need to check with my flatmate who's a pharmacy student.

[cykotek]

Namergon -
I believe that any symptoms of that sort are drastically overshadowed by all the rest of the custom chem-cocktails that are going to be part of this treatment. I, for one, don't get twitchy at all when I'm on an adrenaline rush. I react faster, but I'm no more or less alert and conscious of my surroundings. I'm no more twitchy than a normal day. It should definately be possible as part of the procedure to modify the body's overall reactions to the standard 3-F hormone-shot.

I see other parts of the treatment involving better neuro-muscular transmitters, treatments to improve fast-twitch muscle count and fast-twitch rates, and improved anaerobic capabilites. By anaerobic, I'm referring to the ability of the body to function at high activity levels for short periods of time without increased oxygen flow, not an ability to function on lower oxygen overall. It's the ability to function at a higher level of muscular activity while the cardio system is working to improve blood-oxygen levels.

On an entirely seperate note, I want to say that the "Twitch Rules" sections of both Cybertechnology (where I was first made aware of the idea), and of M&M specifically mentions wired reflexes, but nothing else. That's part of my reasoning for all the other systems not causing problems. Since all the systems existed at the time of the writing of both sections, and there being precedent for "if we don't mention it, it's allowed" (see the Synaptic/Boosted errata)...

[edit] Lilt - Adrenaline causes more than a purely physical reaction. However, I'm not suggesting that boosted reflexes would cause a permenent adrenaline high (which is the impression I'm getting from your post). Merely that, in time of need, the body is able to produce more adrenaline (or a "better" substitute), and distribute it across the body faster and more efficiently. [end edit]

This post has been edited by cykotek: Feb 13 2004, 04:06 PM

[Siege]

[Namergon]

It seems so.