Crazy Cyberware!, Mwahahaha Options

[GunnerJ]

Cyberware

SmartFire System Mk. 3 (aka "Smartlink 3")

Benefits: -2 TNs when firing a Smartgun L3, provides 2 points of recoil compensation when firing a Smartgun L3 in semi-auto, burst, or full-auto modes. Backwards and cross compatible with Smartgun L1 and L2, but only the -2 TN modifier applies. If using Smartgoggles L3, only half these benefits apply.

The third installment in the SmartFire series is designed for users who specialize in suppressive fire operations. The "goal crosshair" introduced in the level two SmartFire system has been replaced by an "indicator arrow" suggesting the best direction of aim to increase the probability of a hit in semi-auto, burst, and full-auto modes.

Costs and availabilities of SmartFire L3 cyberware, subsystems, modifications, and peripherals are the same as corresponding L2 cyberware, subsystems, modifications, and peripherals.

SmartFire System Mk. 4 (aka :"Smartlink 4")

Benefits: -2 TNs when firing a Smartgun L4, provides 2 points of recoil compensation when firing a Smartgun L4 in semi-auto, burst, or full-auto modes, +2 called shot modifier. Backwards compatible with Smartguns L1, L2 and L3; only the modifier(s) of the Smartgun linked to applies. If using Smartgoggles L4, only half these benefits apply.

The ultimate system for any serious professional firearms user. Probabilistic crosshair mapping and display techniques allow the ease of fire of the original SmartFire system, and both the specific area precision targeting and recoil correction features of the L2 and L3 systems.

Internal Smartgun L4 Mod
Cost: triple weapon cost

External Smartgun L4 Mod
Cost: 1000 nuyen
Avail: 12/1 week
SI: 2.5
Notes: -2 conceal

Smartgoggles L4
Cost: 4000 nuyen
SI: 2
Avail: 9/6 days

Smartlink L4 Cyberware
Cost: 4500 nuyen
Avail: 12/1 week
SI: 2
Essence: .5

Smartlink Processor L4
Cost: 3000 nuyen
Avail: 12/1week
SI: 2
Essence: .2

ThrillKill System

Benefits: Includes benefits of attached SmartFire system. Shooting and hitting a person with a firearm induces a "high" called killjoy from BTL feedback. Killjoy lasts for (10-WIL)*3 minutes, minimum 3, during which it requires a successful Willpower(8) test not to shoot any valid target. While killjoy is in effect, the user gets a special Firearms Pool equal to the number of hits so far divided by five (round down). Dice from this pool can be added to any firearms test while in killjoy, and the pool is reduced to zero once killjoy ends. Note that moderate, serious, and deadly wounds count as two, three, and four "hits" respectively. In addition, every three (apparent) kills give the user a karma point for the sole purpose of learning a new level in the skill of the weapon class being used.

(Concept taken from Blackjack's SR page [Link], my intent is to provide a mechanism.)

ThrillKill is a SmartFire system whose simsense rig has been outfitted with a BTL processor. This processor induces a rush of ecstasy in a character for a successful hit. The more damaging and efficient the hit, the greater the pleasure. Users enter a bloodlust-like state called killjoy that causes them to want to kill again and again and again... and better and better and better. Any SmartFire system can take a ThrillKill adapter. Note that users will have the urge to shoot and kill even when they are not in killjoy, and may suffer the effects of withdrawal if they can't get their "medicine."

It is highly recommended that GMs not allow PCs access to this cyberware. However, stats for the BTL modifier are provided below for reference. Note that technically, the BTL adapter can be programmed to induce any emotion or feeling in the user...

ThrillKill Processor Modification
Cost: 50,000 nuyen
Avail: GM
SI: 5
Essence: .2
Note: requires a Smartlink of some form to operate.

Glass Bone Lacing

Benefits: None. When hit with an attack whose power is greater than the user's body, user must resist 6L physical damage if hit in extremities or 9M physical damage if hit in the torso or head. No armor modifications apply, and only the character's Body dice can be used in this test. If a user takes damage from this, he/she is bleeding internally and takes one point of damage on the condition monitor until the bleeding is halted or the user dies. Weight +5 kg.

A grotesque form of retributive cyberware, this is often inflicted as a punishment by organized crime syndicates on hired fighters who botch up a job badly. Heavy trauma causes fractures in the glass that tear up the insides of a person, and can leave scarring and deformity that lasts for years, assuming the internal bleeding is stopped.

Cost: 8000 nuyen
Avail: 4/7 days
SI: 1
Essence: .6

Steel Bone Lace

Benefits: +2 body, +2 IMP, (STR+4)M stun unarmed, weight +12 kg

Nothing fancy, just good old hardened steel laced to the bones.

Cost: 40,000 nuyen
Avail: 4/14 days
SI: 1
Essence: 2

Diamond Bone Lace

Benefits: +3 body, +3 IMP, +2 BAL, (STR+1)M stun unarmed, weight +6 kg

User's bones are treated with a heavier version of Dikote, leaving a superhard nanodiamond shell around each bone.

Cost: 100,000 nuyen
Avail: 10/3 weeks
SI: 2
Essence: 3.25

Orichalcum Bone Lace

Benefits: +1 Body, +1 IMP, (STR+3)S physical damage against astral forms, user becomes dual natured, weight +5 kg

The theoretical abstract for this procedure appeared in the Journal of Cybernetic and Biological Implant Technology on August 15, 2063, developed by Dr. Hideki Shinkei and Dr. Lance McLind. As far as anyone knows, the JCBIT is still the only place it exists, for reasons of cost if nothing else.

Cost: projected at 50,000,000 nuyen, dependant on prices of orichalcum, not including surgery costs.
Avail: GM
Essence: 2.5

Mythril Bone Lace

Benefits: +1 body, +1 IMP, -2 to the power of all spells or powers directly affecting the user, gives the user two extra dice for all spell resistance tests, weight +2 kg.

Mythril, another "magical metal" like orichalcum, but composed of silver, aluminum, and lithium, is extremely malleable and tensile, and also dilutes the strength of magical effects.

Cost: 120000 nuyen
Avail: 14/1 month
SI: 2.5
Essence: 3

Adamant Bone Lace

Benefits: +4 body, +4 IMP, +3 BAL, (STR+2)S stun unarmed attack, if the power of an attack resisted by the user does not exceed the user's body, no knockdown test is required, +3 TN modifier to all stealth tests, weight +30 kg.

Adamant, the third of the "magic metals," is composed of iron, titanium, carbon, and a small amount of uranium. As befitting such a heavy metal lineage, this metal is unbelievably resilient to damage. Users of adamant bone lacing are virtual walking tanks.

Cost: 300000 nuyen
Avail: 18/2 months
SI: 3
Essence: 4

Dermal Kevlar Weave

Benefits: +1 BAL and +.5 IMP armor per level. Not compatible with dermal plating or mythril threading cyberware or orthoskin bioware, use half the rating of the armor to determine stacking and encumberment.

Weaves a layer of kevlar under the user's skin for a direct armor increase. Comes in six levels.

Cost: (10000*level) nuyen
Avail: (4+level)/(level*2)+4 days
SI: 1.5
Essence: .7 per level

Mythril Threading

Benefits: reduces the power of spells and powers that directly affect the user by one per level. Not compatible with dermal plating or kevlar weave cyberware or orthoskin bioware.

Threads of mythril are sewn through a user's skin to provide protection from magic attacks. Available in four levels.

Cost: (50000*level) nuyen
Avail: (6+level)/(level*3)+3 days
SI: 2
Essence: .4 per level

Bioware

Eagle Eyes

Benefits: L3 optical vision magnification, incompatible with Cat Eyes bioware and any eye replacement cyberware.

Eagle Eyes grants a person the long distance focusing ability of a bird of prey. This modification is obvious, as the inner pupil takes up 90% of the visible eye.

Cost: 20000 nuyen
Avail: 5/1 week
SI: 1
Bio-index: .2

Faceted Eyes

Benefits: +2 REA, +1 TN modifier to all ranged attack tests, incompatible with Cat Eyes bioware and any eye replacement cyberware.

Faceted eyes sacrifice deapth perception for increased peripheral vision. This modification is very obvious, as the user's eyes are not only three times larger than normal, they are covered with redish hexagon lenses, giving the apearence of a fly's eyes.

Cost: 17000 nuyen
Avail: 5/1 week
SI: 1
Bio-index: .2

Chitinous Exoskeleton

Benefits: +1 IMP, +.5 BAL hardened armor per level, compatible with orthoskin bioware, but not with any cybernetic dermal enhancements, stacks as normal.

Grows layers of chitin out of the user's skin. Very easy to notice at higher levels (conceal = 8-level); appearance ranges from slightly conspicuous hard scales to a full lobster-like exoskeleton. Maximum level is half the user's body, round down. If the power of an attack, modified by all armor above the skin, does not exceed the armor bonus from chitinous plating, the attack does no damage. Normal armor and clothing may have to be custom modified, adding ((level-1)*5)% to the cost of all clothing and armor. The exoskeleton molts after a number of weeks equal to the user's body, after which the armor is soft for (10-BOD) days before fully regrowing. Molting takes an entire day, and is very irritating.

Cost: 50000 nuyen per level
Avail: (7+level)/(level*2)+5 days
SI: 1
Bio-index: .75 per level

Silk Spinnerets

Benefits: glands and spindles tubes can produce (BOD*10) grams of spider silk per day. Multiple glands can be installed, and each can be placed anywhere on the body.

Spider silk is five times stronger than steel of the same weight, and while users of this bioware (probably!) cannot swing from building to building with it, they do get many more subtle uses out of it. Silk is produced in 2mm thick strands that have the same barrier rating as monowire, but not the "cutting" ability. Every meter of these strands weighs one gram, and is projected from the gland up to a distance equal to half the user's strength. A special quickness linked skill, "Silk Spinning," can be used to create more complex uses for silk than tripwires. For example: Silk Spinning can be used as a ranged combat skill to shoot silk into an enemy's eyes or onto their weapons; a millimeter thick sheet of spider silk, which is also a square meter in area, weighs ten grams and provides two points of ballistic armor, and can be made in 60 minutes, divided by the successes on a Silk Spinning(4) test; strands of silk make good ersatz grapple lines, and Silk Spinning can be used to attempt to grab onto a protrusion above the user's head which is within the spinneret's range; since the silk is slightly sticky, a "grid" or "web" five square meters in area can be constructed in 120 minutes, dived by the successes on a Silk Spinning(4) test, and requires a successful Strength(8) test to disentangle from; etc. GMs and players are encouraged to come up with creative uses for this bioware.

Cost: 75000 per gland
Avail: 8/10 days
SI: 1
Bio-index: 1 per gland

Extra Limb

Benefits: Gives user an extra limb with a strength and quickness equal to the user's original limbs.

Extra limbs can take many forms, from exact copies of a human arm, to crab-like claws, to octopus-like tentacles. Every extra limb adds one to the power of an unarmed attack, and every three limbs stage the damage level of unarmed attacks up. Limbs can be used to hold weapons, but use of these weapons suffer ambidexterity penalties, even if the user is ambidextrous. A user can have a number of extra limbs equal to half his/her body.

Cost: 25000 per limb
Avail: 4/1 week
SI: 1
Bio-index: 1 per limb

So, would anyone let this stuff into their players' hands (er, bodies)? Or would you keep these for NPCs only? Or not use at all?

[Lindt]

*waits for it* Your a loonie....
Well, not quite. But some of this is a BIT over powered. But I do like the numbers for the thrillkill system. You also might wanna make a melee compatable version...

[GunnerJ]

[Ed_209a]

Could I *please* have some bioware to make me look just like a flesh-form insect spirit? Please, please!

[Gyro the Greek S...]

Yeah, those big faceted eyes....
I think people would be more likely to shoot first and ask if it was bioware later.
Much later. :dead:

[Ed_209a]

None of it should be common, but some of it is kind of cool.

I'm afraid I don't care for the SG3 & SG4, but I like the way you put numbers behind the thrillkill system. The glass lacing is um... interesting? I can see bad people also just surcically implanting lab stirring rods for the same effect. Powdered glass in the synovium... Yow!

Orichalcum Bone Lace! Yikes! Can I please be a walking telesma?

I like the bioware, despite my above post. ;) I wouldn't make the chitin hardened though.

[GunnerJ]

I worried about the "Bug Spirit" thing with faceted (should be "Compound") eyes, but didn't know how big a deal it would be, as I haven't read much on them. Based on the reactions, I think it should be relegated to the "retributive" bin. (Imagine going in for cat/eagle eyes, and waking up with compound eyes... in Chicago.)

Re: Chitinous Plates: if they aren't hardened, then they're just a more expensive version of Orthoskin, and a bigger pain in the ass. The whole idea was "hardened orthoskin," and I tried to incorporate enough downsides (molting, clothing cost increase) to make it balenced.

Glass bone lacing is to encourage players who like to leave lots of bodies behind to use more subtle methods... A stick to acompany the carrot of Mafia/Yakuza/Triad/etc. money.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Where did you get the ingredient lists for the other two magical metals?

[GunnerJ]

[Herald of Verjig...]

I think there is some subtle reference to other magical metals, but no solid rules (in what I've read so far).

[Ed_209a]

I would think about the orthoskin and chitin like the difference between an armored vest, and an armored vest with plates.

IMO, it takes more than hard armor plates to make "hardened" armor, Gel packs to the contrary...

[GunnerJ]

From a stance of pure realism, chitinous plates being hardened armor doesn't make much sense. From a... I don't know how to describe it, it's basically like a "gameplay pattern" perspective, where you can have one version of a concept, and then another, paralleling and complementing each other. It's like the relationship between Boosted Reflexes and Wired Reflexes, they're the same general concept, but one is better than the other in some ways, worse in others. The way I see it, a hardened, high-maintainence version of orthoskin was sort of a logical progression, and a chitinous exoskeleton was the way in which I wanted to to appear.

[I am Jin]

The problem with that chittin, is that I'm just gonna get it at level 1 so that my armor is now hardened, and leave it at that. No more expensive clothes, doesn't cost much on my essence, and I'll just get some nice armor to wear on top of it and I'm all set. My armored jacket + my ffba make my ballistic a 7, and if I put on a helmet I'm deflecting assault rifle rounds with no problem. If I put a big coat over all of this (4/2) then I am absorbing just about every firearm I can think of (can anyone pull up a gun real quick whose base power is higher than 10 other than a sniper rifle?). The person I just mentioned will be impervious to anyone who's not using APDS ammo. Still think it's not overpowered? Even if it didn't add any armor at all, the fact that it grants the user hardened armor is more than enough to make it completely unbalancing.

[GunnerJ]

I am Jin, would you mind keeping a more civil tone? It sounds as if you're hell bent on trying to start a flame war.

I never claimed that I didn't think it is unbalanced, I said that I tried to balance it. Also, your last statement, that "even if it didn't add any armor at all, the fact that it grants the user hardened armor is more than enough to make it completely unbalancing" doesn't make sense; how can it function as hardened armor if it doesn't add any armor? Look at the description more carefully: it doesn't make all the armor a user wears hardened, it gives one point of hardened impact and a half a point of hardened ballistic armor per level. You example wouldn't even work; you'd have to get two levels of chitin to even have one point of hardened ballistic armor, so you won't be stopping assault rifle rounds right off the bat. As it stands, Chitinous Exoskeleton works like a bioware version of gel packs, as I understand gel packs.

Do you still find it "completely unbalancing" given this clarification?

Edit: I think I see what you were talking about, the line "If the power of an attack, modified by all armor above the skin, does not exceed the armor bonus from chitinous plating, the attack does no damage." This does have the effect you describe, but you'd still have to get two levels (with an availablity of nine, which is beyond starting characters) to stop bullets. This is something I had previously toyed with, but rejected. I thought I had edited it out, but appearently not. I think "bioware gel packs" is the route I want to go with this, though.

[GunnerJ]

On second thought, I should probably scrap the whole idea. My original idea would have made all armor hardened. The revision I planned, but never actually implimented, would make this sort of worthless. There doesn't seem to be any way of making somehting worthwhile that gives, at most in any reasonable circumstances, three points of hardened ballistic armor at the cost of making you look like a walking crab. At least, without making it completely unbalanced.

Or, I could make it a counterpoint to Orthoskin as an armored vest with plates is to a regular armored vest. IT'S BRILLIANT HOW DID I EVER THINK OF IT?

[GunnerJ]

OK, the final revision:

Chitinous Exoskeleton

Benefits: +2 IMP, +1 BAL armor per level, compatible with orthoskin bioware, but not with any cybernetic dermal enhancements, stacks as normal.

Grows layers of chitin out of the user's skin. Very easy to notice at higher levels (conceal = 8-level); appearance ranges from slightly conspicuous hard scales (level 1) to a full lobster-like exoskeleton (level 6). Maximum level is half the user's natural body, round down. Normal armor and clothing may have to be custom modified, adding ((level-1)*10)% to the cost of all clothing and armor. The exoskeleton molts after a number of weeks equal to the user's body, after which the armor is soft for (10-BOD) days before fully regrowing. Molting takes an entire day, and is very irritating.

Cost: 50000 nuyen per level
Avail: (6+level)/(level*2)+5 days
SI: 1
Bio-index: .75 per level

[I am Jin]

gel packs dont add armor, they just make it hardened, so I don't see what was so weird about that.

Also, making hardened armor bioware isn't a crazy idea, but it should have a lot of penalities, and probably a pretty serious bio-index since anything hard enough and fused that closely with your body is gonna be similar to bone-lacing in its invasiveness (I would presume). Hmmmm, maybe gel-packs welded to your skin? That'd make you look absurd and give you hardened armor and be costly on the essence/bio-index side of things, depending on what you wanted to make them out of.

I was hardly hell-bent on starting a flame war. Calling one of your creations "completely unbalancing" isn't an insult, it's saying that a piece of bioware is just that, completely unbalancing, and it was. I got the impression from your earlier posts that you felt you had gone to great lengths to make it balanced and that it was, and I was just pointing out a big hole that a player could easily abuse.

I guess it may have seemed like it was flame, but when I re-read it I don't get that impression, myself. If that's how you felt, well, sorry, I didn't intend it as such.

[GunnerJ]

Jin, I was probably over-reacting, but I don't think I was going to "great lengths" to make it seem balanced. Let's just forget it, OK?

[shirogr]

I don't think that Chitinous Exoskeleton (hardened version) is unbalancing. It is relatively expensive to begin with, it costs lots of BIO to accually have some decent protection and it takes away a character's ability to be incospicous. He would be stopped by EVERY officer and asked for papers and licences. He wouldn't be hired for all these lucrative silent mission. He would probably be sent on high risk almost suicide missions.Never forget the social impact of bio/cyber ware.

Great work, I will put it in good use. The killjoy was PERFECT!

[GunnerJ]

It was inbalancing, because even having one point of armor effectively made all your armor hardened (in the relevant category). This was left in the description, due to an oversight on my part. But, hey, I'm not going to argue with you too much if you liked my stuff!

[shirogr]

I was going to use only the purchased levels as Hardened anyway, it didn't make any sense to me otherwise, I had considered it a typo :)

[I am Jin]

Yeah, Gunner, whatever, no biggee. Shiroor, in a sense it would definately make sense if it was gonna be used that way, because each layer of armor the bullet has to pass through before it reaches the chitin will reduce that bullet's velocity, and as such its power. It's easier for the chitin to deflect something moving at 5 fps than 1000 fps, that's the basis for the layered armor rules and the like.

[The White Dwarf]

From what I read/skimmed, this is (for the most part) a pay-more-money-get-more-power list. While you may be unable to start with it, eventually the characters can spend nuyen to get SL-4 or Mithril Bonelacing.

From that perspective, Id veto or change most of these. The reason is NOT because these are imbalanced in and of themselves, but because in the current game there is an upper limit to PC power. Introducing (some) of these modifications Raises that Bar. And raising the bar is not something I want to do.

For me, upper end characters already have a means of increasing power, though higher level skills or getting better grade mods / more mods. As a GM I wouldnt want to deal with players upgrading smartlink, its already easy enough to kill stuff as is, no need for them to be able to do so at will.

Not flaming, and not saying its not balanced. Just wanted to point out that simply having it exist in the game world is going to fundamentally change the game for experienced characters in that world. And the change isnt something that I would be comfortable with in my games. Perhaps its just me, but thats my take on it.

[GunnerJ]

No, it's OK, I understand that a lot of this is high-power stuff, and some people won't want it in their games just for that reason. A lot of this was actually intended as evil GM stuff. Your high-power players won't be able to get it before your NPCs do...

(And if your PCs ever get Orichalcum Bone Lace... well, I don't know what to say.)

Although, SL3 is really not very over-powered at all, IMO, it's just an alternate version of SL2 that gives bonuses to multi-shot fire rather than called shots.

Eagle Eyes is similar: it gives different bonuses than Cat Eyes, but it's the same general concept.

As for "pay more, get more": Out of curiousity, would you like some things better if they were more like Move by Wire compared to Wired Reflexes, that you get more, you pay more, but you have to deal with more ocnsequences? The only thing that fits that bill currently is Citinous Exoskeleton. Would you allow SL4, say, if some sort of side effect was was included in its use?

[hobgoblin]

that armor stuff can be read so that the if the hardend armor dont stop the attack then normal armor rules kick in, first check for effect only with the hardend stuff and if that dont stop it then add the mormal armor and work from there. that means that it will only work as hardend for most attacks when its at say 9-10 or more but below that it acts like normal armor...

allso i take the connected smily to the original post to say that this stuff is consept only, designed to be used at your own risk only. remeber its your game, even tho you have rules for carriers dont mean you have to let the players get hold of them (fighting them is something else :vegm: ). just look at cyberpunk, mutch of the stuff in the chromebooks make me wonder why the entire world inst put in for treatment. if you dont like then make the stuff unavailabal...