New Ideas for Augmentations and Cyber-suites, Jackpoint style responses aren't mandatory, though they recommend Options

[ryu238]

(Note: As sixth edition hasn't had its Augmentations supplement released yet, I will be using 4th & 5th edition Augs, though more through the latter than the former. Still the occasional 4th edition description for an Aug might be referenced to. For example I am using 4e rules for nanohives. For now I just would like help with determining Essence and Nyunen cost.)



(Oh and in-universe JackPoint responses are not required but encouraged)



New from Ware+ a division of EVO:



Orthoskin+ & Smartskin+:

Folks how often have you thought "Wait if orthoskin threads biocompatable fibers through my skin, and Smartskin does the same with carbon buckytubes, why aren't they compatable?" Well the answer is that these separate systems did the exact same thing with different and incompatable materials...until now! During our experiment to create a better orthoskin, we (re)discovered a brand new material to thread under your skin: spider silk!



But what does this new othoskin material (buy your own spider silk orthoskin today!) have to do with nanomachines and buckytubes? Well Billy what are buckytubes made of? Graphene! So what you may ask? Well by feeding our Aztechnology brand spider silk producing goats graphene, they were able to produce graphene laced spider silk!



Still confused Billy? Well while this breakthrough has lead to our proprietary Othoskin+ (buy yours today!) the true genius of our discovery is how the graphene in the silk can be modified to be rolled up into carbon nanotubes during developmemt!



The result of this? A new Smartskin that combines the Kevlar level properties of our Orthoskin+ in its unactivated state!



Whats that? What about the smart polymers that make up the other half of weak non plus Smartskin? Well Jimmy, this goes into a second component of our Orthoskin+: Cellulose! Long used as the basis for artificial skin, this includes our recent Orthoskin+ ware with an added bonus: our cellulose is treated with a secret blend of biocompatable chemicals to make it fireproof! Yes that means our Orthoskin+ essentialy comes prepackaged with the normal Dragonhide upgrade at no extra essence cost to you! Almost forgot to mention that part!



As for our Smartskin+ well did you know cellulose can be used to make smart polymers that are also biocompatable?



That's right, we made a Smartskin that looks and feels normal when deactivated, but is as durable as kevlar and fireproof to boot! But what about when it is active? The Smartskin's raiting still gets added to your Armor, further protecting you from whatever this cold cruel world can through at you.



Remember to order your Smartskin+ with an internal router to take advantage of the Smartskin's wireless functions without fears of being attacked on the Matrix by hackers/deckercs/technomancers/AI/CFD carriers/Sprites/yo mamma/the kitchen sink!



Is there more? Can there be more? Yes! For every raiting of this wonderful product (up to 6!) You can get either the Sealer, Shifter, Armor, or Chamelion functions of Altskin programed into the nanites. The Sealer option comes included with the regular protection against contact chemicals that normal Altskin possesses.



But wait there's another option! We've modified the smartskin's secondary "microspine" function to take the shape of the Sharkskin orthoskin upgrade, because when you think about it, they are pretty simikiar in design and function. Not only does it further increase the skin's abrasive properties, we were able to imitate the actual hydrodynamic properties of actual shark skin! Yes this can act as a replacement for the Sealskin orthoskin upgrade as it has similiar effects with no additional surgery required!



A final option is our Insulation/Electroshock option, taking advantage of graphene's "magic angle" we can grant our Smartskin the same normally incompatable Orthoskin upgrades at the same time!



Order your Smartskin+ today!

Musculoskeletal rebuild:

Ever wonder why Muscle toner and Augmentation are incomplatable with vat grown Replacements? Well this is due to the latter's nature as a biohybrid construct; you can't simply just grow muscle tissue in a vat, but be able to shape it into something resembling a muscle group in a human. This means using a biocompatable scaffold like hydrogel for the muscles to grow on. Combine that with fast growth methods and making sure it is compatable with the recipient, further alterations after implantation make it too dangerous, and the bioware versions were developed from the muscle growth processes from the Replacement procedures, making adding them during vatgrowth redundant at best.



Needless to say this is disappointing to those who want as much muscle as possible. However there is hope! By combining our new "Super-Sprinter" genetic aug with the Muscle Toner to essentially double the raiting of the Toner. With the Muscle Augmenter, we combine it with a Myostatin Inhibitor for a similiar effect. That's right cummer, its essentially a raiting 2-4 Muscle Replacement with out the invasive surgery and greatly reduced essence cost!



Speaking of the Muslce Replacement, know how part of that treatment includes calcium treatments and skeletal reinforcement to help anchor the muscles? Well here we also combine the Bone Density Augmentation with Skeletal Pneumaticity. While we are aware of their incompatibility due to their opposing methods, we should point out thst both work at improving density, the later augmentation redistributing existing mass to hollow out bones while keeping the density roughly the same. While some of the bone's existing mass is removed in this process to help lighten the load, the redistribution of mass is extremely important in this procedure, as opposed to the basic Bone Density Augmentation which simply adds mass.



Well for our skeletal reinforcement we combine these procedures to double the effective raiting of the Bone Density Augmentation without a proportional increase in mass!



Finally, we take aspects of multiple joint replacement technologies to create the SuperFelx! All the joints in your body are replaced with a hardy Titainium-Gold alloy thats 3-4 times stronger than normal titanium. The articular capsule is replaced with a graphene foam substitue and finally tendons and ligaments are regrown and augmented with both our muscle enhancer procedure seen above and Double Elastin Transgenetic treatments (all of our procedures here use it, but it is particularly important here) to make each joint have the properties of both Enhanced Articulation and Elastic Joints. This allows you to use your full augmented strength without worry of dislocation!

(Note: Credit for most of this comes from here)



Accelerated metabolism :

This system is composed of a series of implants that are carefully synchronised and activated slowly, accelerating your bodies overall metabolism slowly up to your new working limit. The augmented thyroid gland regulates a faster and better metabolism. The catabolism (break down of food) and the anabolism (making complex sugars from simple available molecules) are increased, with a corresponding increase in appetite. For increased responses, extra adrenal glands that produce an augmented adrenal analogue are implanted. These glands trigger the other implants without effecting the bodies natural responses. The normal adrenaline prepares the muscles for rapid action, increasing heartbeat and respiration while shutting down other activities like digestion. The New liver tissues are ready to release large amounts of simple sugars into the bloodstream, providing the energy for rapid action, and metabolise fatigue toxins in the blood more efficiently, keeping your system in peak condition. Muscle tissue with Customised mitochondria organelles is added to all of the major muscle groups and allowed to grow and spread. The endorphin levels in the blood rise, supplemented by enlargened glands that keeps levels high during adrenal response and directly afterwards to cushion the comedown. Modified spleen and customised bone marrow produce amplified levels of leukocytes to combat diseases and infections that the overstrain body may be prone to. The digestive system is also altered to allow better consumption, breakdown, and absorption of nutrients to keep up with new metabolism.



Augmentations used: Superthyroid gland, Hyper-Gluceon, Elastic Stomach, Thickened Disgestive Track Lining, Neo-Epo, Amplified Immune System, Adrenaline Pump w/Complementary Genetics, Lung Expansion/Expanded Volume, Nephritic Screen, Trauma Damper, Digestive Endosont w/Complementary Genetics, and Synthacardium



Warning: All augments for this system must be custom-tailored at least, as acceleration of your metabolism may lead to premature ageing and could take years off your life without proper customization.

(Thoughts so far? Ideas?)

[ryu238]

Hello?

[Ka_ge2020]

I'm hoping that someone (other than me) replies soon as, I believe, you're after both background and rules support, right?

This is not where I'm at currently. I'm going through all the materials mostly to understand what it does and why it does it (hence the vehicle control rig question).

I have previously questioned whether established technologies like Wired Reflexes actually improves (rather than just becomes five times cheaper over two decades), and while there are some answers in Shadowtech it's still an open question). It seems that your answer to this question is integrating many different products into a single one?

How do you see that working in terms of Essence cost, for example?

[ryu238]

I'm hoping that someone (other than me) replies soon as, I believe, you're after both background and rules support, right?

This is not where I'm at currently. I'm going through all the materials mostly to understand what it does and why it does it (hence the vehicle control rig question).

I have previously questioned whether established technologies like Wired Reflexes actually improves (rather than just becomes five times cheaper over two decades), and while there are some answers in Shadowtech it's still an open question). It seems that your answer to this question is integrating many different products into a single one?

How do you see that working in terms of Essence cost, for example?

My hope is that using biocompatable materials for the orthoskin will significantly reduce essence cost. Cellulose and spidersilk are shown to act as a scaffold for skin tissue growth, which normal orthoskin and smartskin seem to ignore. It should reduce the Essence cost by 20% I think.

Same with the Musculoskeletal Augmentation, especially since we are using lower rated augs and getting them to work at a higher one.

[Ka_ge2020]

So, you're using real-world developments in science/technology to generate technological development in SR? That seems to be cool, the contra-argument is that they've already done this and it's already built into the technology.

Either way, cool. I guess it's like going to Walmart vs. going to a "mom 'n' pop" store?

[ryu238]

So, you're using real-world developments in science/technology to generate technological development in SR? That seems to be cool, the contra-argument is that they've already done this and it's already built into the technology.

Either way, cool. I guess it's like going to Walmart vs. going to a "mom 'n' pop" store?

I like to think that with all the havoc of both Great Crashes, VITAS, and the return of magic, technological advancement in certain areas greatly slowed or had their focus shifted. I also mentioned that the spidersilk thing was a (re)discovered bit of tech. Likewise we don't quite get the full explanation of what the materials they use in the normal products are.

[Ka_ge2020]

I like to think that with all the havoc of both Great Crashes, VITAS, and the return of magic, technological advancement in certain areas greatly slowed or had their focus shifted. I also mentioned that the spidersilk thing was a (re)discovered bit of tech. Likewise we don't quite get the full explanation of what the materials they use in the normal products are.

Well, hoping that people that are more experienced with SR are going to come in and help out. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[ryu238]

Yeah where is everyone?

[ryu238]

Got new idea fo augmentations. Use nanoetchers (seen in Chrome Flesh) to lay down the super conductive material into the spine. Specifically inbetween the vertebre and spinal meninges. This replaces the need to remove and replace vertebre, reducing the essence cost.

Also in Chrome Flesh on p. 166 we have the Reaction Optimization which is: "This optimization increases the width and myelination of the lower spinal motor neurons, which in conjunction with the superconducting materiel of reaction enhancers, allows more rapid innervation of skeletal muscle fibers. Add +1 Initiative to the bonuses already received with reaction enhancers. This augmentation has no effect by itself and does not give additional bonuses for higher Ratings of reaction enhancers. It is only compatible with reaction enhancers and cannot be combined with any other Reaction or Initiative enhancement."

First off, considering the wireless bonus it shares with wired reflexes, we can ignore the last bit, especially if ethers are used to implant reaction enhancers. Second we can combine this with the Increased Myelination aug on p. 160 in Chrome Flesh, which involves improving "the electrical insulation of your nervous system by increasing the thickness of the myelin sheath surrounding the central nervous system." This should double the gains of a reaction enhancer.

[ryu238]

Now, looking at the Cybertechnology supplement for 2e, it gives a picture of the cyberware and where it attaches to the body on p. 39. It looks like it attaches to the hindbrain and, based on its description seems to work with/enhance the cerebellum which, among other things, is associated with regulation and coordination of movement, posture, and balance.

Now why? Well: https://www.ssmhealth.com/neurosciences/stroke/brain-anatomy

"The cerebellum is located behind the brain stem. While the frontal lobe controls movement, the cerebellum “fine-tunes” this movement. This area of the brain is responsible for fine motor movement, balance, and the brain’s ability to determine limb position. A stroke in this area of the brain can lead to paralysis or “jerky” muscle movements."

From what I see MBW causes "seizures" by taking control of the Cerebellum but also having to do microcorrections as it receives data from the rest of the brain

There is a connection between that and TLE-X:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3071464/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/artic...525505013002047
https://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S10...0655-6/fulltext

Now how to combat both this and the tremors? For the latter a Tremor Reducer would help since Move-By-Wire seems to have a have a habit of overcorrecting them by itself. For TLE-X, the brain itself needs three things. One is the Flashback Nanoware, especially its wireless simrig function, second is a nanohive containing a Control Rig Booster.

Now naturally the last thing we need is a Control Rig implant. As per Chrome Flesh: "

This specialized breed of neural amplifier nanites are designed to complement implanted control rigs (p. 452, SR5). The nanites organize themselves into artificial neural pathways, building and maintaining a network of nanofilaments. This extends the normal interface between the control rig and the middle brain to parts of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus—areas of the brain that manage subconscious movement, sensory interpretation, and instinctive decision-making. The booster colony’s dedicated neural pathways allow a rigger to make greater use of the brain’s intuitive understanding of spatial positioning and capacity for instinctive motion control when jumped in to a vehicle or drone. The control rig itself translates the resulting neural impulses into rigging data like speed control, inertia handling, and so forth."

As for the Flashback System:

"An advanced form of the old invoked memory stimulator cyberware, this system features a micro-memory module, a processor, and a dedicated nanohive supporting a specialized neural amplifier colony. Flashback nanites organize themselves into a network of sensors and nanofilaments—similar in many respects to a trode net—over the surface of the user’s brain. These probe nanites register neural activity associated with memory formation, backing up the patterns to digital memory. If the subject suffers a brain injury or even simple forgetfulness, the system can access these neural records and stimulate the same neural activity, prompting recall."

My idea is to have these work in tandem with the Move-By-Wire via an Internal Router. This should reduce stress on the Cerebellum and remove the need for induced seizures.

I think this could be a spealized Cyberskull replacement. Your thoughts?

[ryu238]

Now let us see where the MBW is attached to:

Brain Stem – The brain stem is located beneath the limbic system. It is responsible for vital life functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure. The brain stem is made of the midbrain, pons, and medulla.



Pons – The primary role of the pons is to serve as a bridge between various parts of the nervous system, including the cerebellum and cerebrum. Many important nerves that originate in the pons, such as the trigeminal nerve, responsible for feeling in the face, as well as controlling the muscles that are responsible for biting, chewing, and swallowing. It also contains the abducens nerve, which allows us to look from side to side and the vestibularcochlear nerve, which allows to hear. As part of the brainstem, a section of the lower pons stimulates and controls the intensity of breathing, while a section of the upper pons decreases the depth and frequency of breaths. The pons is also associated with the control of sleep cycles, and controls respiration and reflexes. It is located above the medulla, below the midbrain, and just in front of the cerebellum.



Medulla – The primary role of the medulla is regulating our involuntary life sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate. As part of the brain stem, it also helps transfer neural messages to and from the brain and spinal cord. It is located at the junction of the spinal cord and brain.

You could slap a nanohive with a Trauma Control System and Nanobiomonitor (Augmentation p. 114) and get the effects of a Syncardium, Gastric Neurostimulator, and Nephritic Screen.

[Iduno]

What would highly-regarded jobs need for cyberware?

I'm sure Doctors could do well with anything that improved manual dexterity. Enhanced Articulation, Flex Hands, and something that improves agility score. I'd say a high-rating muscle toner, but that's not cyber. And muscle replacement requires you to also pay for an unnecessary strength boost that might not make sense. Hopefully someone can remember appropriate cyberware better than me and solve that one. The flex hands also covers the "one weird piece of cyber that nobody would normally get" that is implied fits with these suites.

High-threat security guards/other people who are going to get shot at a lot is a weird one. You don't want to invest heavily in them, because they don't have the largest lifespan, but also you can get the most gains by implanting some average person off the street and not needing to really train them much. Move-by-wire, implanted biomonitor, and cybereyes with flare comp, smartlink, and 2 good vision modes would probably get you there. MBW 1 gives them the ability to dodge and a skillwires (although that's only very useful at higher ranks of skillwires). Higher-end could toss in a dermal sheath for added survivability.

[ryu238]

Right, cybersuites are usually for more commercial endeavors and not runners. Still these are thought experiments done to find synergies and reduce essence const, while giving narrative reasoning for such.

[Ka_ge2020]

What would highly-regarded jobs need for cyberware?

This is a thread in its own. Wonderful!

[ryu238]

And yet I am getting little feedback

[Ka_ge2020]

And yet I am getting little feedback

Might I humbly suggest that you look at the feedback and try and build something based on those?

In my threads I've got awesome responses even if some of those have been, I guess, more negative than not? Suffice to say there was push-back. And, yet, this is awesome. Everyone one of them gave me something to think about so that I can push it into my builds to make a better game for my players.

So what in the above is pushing you to new builds?

Heck, look at my "rigger thread" and see the, ah, pushback there. Each one of them is a golden response even if I don't agree with them because it pushes me to do better.

[ryu238]

Might I humbly suggest that you look at the feedback and try and build something based on those?

In my threads I've got awesome responses even if some of those have been, I guess, more negative than not? Suffice to say there was push-back. And, yet, this is awesome. Everyone one of them gave me something to think about so that I can push it into my builds to make a better game for my players.

So what in the above is pushing you to new builds?

Heck, look at my "rigger thread" and see the, ah, pushback there. Each one of them is a golden response even if I don't agree with them because it pushes me to do better.

No one is really giving me feedback though ��

And can I have a link to this thread?

[Ka_ge2020]

Here you go...

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=42313

I've received some negative pushback and telling me that I'm just doing badwrongfun stuff. This is just natural. Sometimes a concept doesn't just sit right with the people and the the nuances of a given board.

Have you considered trying to post some suggested stats/etc. for what you're taking about?

Your post seems to suggest that you want more help, but if you post something as an example? Could that work more?

[ryu238]

Here you go...

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=42313

I've received some negative pushback and telling me that I'm just doing badwrongfun stuff. This is just natural. Sometimes a concept doesn't just sit right with the people and the the nuances of a given board.

Have you considered trying to post some suggested stats/etc. for what you're taking about?

Your post seems to suggest that you want more help, but if you post something as an example? Could that work more?

Well as far as stats go, let's look at my idea here: http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...t&p=1353714

As it involves a control rig, it might interest you. My idea is to use one in tandem with a Move-By-Wire in order to move the body around without going full on seizure. Likewise I would use a Flashback System nanoware as a simrig per Chrome Flesh as a pusedo-image/sound link. Your thoughts?

[ryu238]

Hello?

[Ka_ge2020]

Dude, that was 31 minutes before posting one and the other replies that was, at least in my time zone, when I was asleep.

Also, this forum doesn't seem very active. This means that you might have to wait a little bit longer, especially if you're going outside of the RAW.

What you're trying to seemingly do here is well out of my bailiwick so I hope that it appeals to others on this board. Clearly I'm not the one to help. Also, and clearly, I'm not the one to give advice on how to get people interested in a specific thread.

/Kage

[ryu238]

Thanks Kage, and apologizes if I was too pushy.

Anyone else wish to chime in?

[ryu238]

OK, perhaps I need to start talking more....

Idea! Remember the Control Rig Booster?

This specialized breed of neural amplifier nanites are designed to complement implanted control rigs (p. 452, SR5). The nanites organize themselves into artificial neural pathways, building and maintaining a network of nanofilaments. This extends the normal interface between the control rig and the middle brain to parts of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus—areas of the brain that manage subconscious movement, sensory interpretation, and instinctive decision-making. The booster colony’s dedicated neural pathways allow a rigger to make greater use of the brain’s intuitive understanding of spatial positioning and capacity for instinctive motion control when jumped in to a vehicle or drone. The control rig itself translates the resulting neural impulses into rigging data like speed control, inertia handling, and so forth.

By using a sound link, and using my MBW idea, we can get the benifits of a Spatial Recognizer and Balance Augmenter without needing the implants!