Boosted Reflexes: A Quick Question Options

[Johnny Reb]

Unlike other cyberware, Boosted Reflexes is mentioned as a chemical treatment and, basicly, a bit of fiddlin' with your genetics. Like bioware, before there was bioware.

So, does it show up on cyberware scanners? All the other cyberware has mechanical parts (Wires, processors, whatever) but Boosted seems to not.

Anybody?

-- Johnny Reb

[Ol' Scratch]

Yes. By the rules, Cyberware Detectors detect cyberware, not just "mechanical parts." Boosted Reflexes have a Concealability of 3 just like any other implant, or 6 if it's alphagrade. Higher grades have higher Conceals, just like other implants.

If you have a problem with it, change it to Genetech or Bioware in your game. Those require detailed medical exams to detect in most cases.

One could argue that Boosted Reflexes is listed as cyberware because they are easily detected (for whatever reason), thus explaining why they show up so easily on Cyberware Detectors, and that they are so brutal on the system that they actually eat up Essence instead of Bio Index. At least that'd be one way to retcon their continued classification in that group...

[Cray74]

[Cold-Dragon]

true, but the muscle enhancer is grown to fit into you, being they don't make it match your natural body, and it weakens your essence, it's not exactly bioware.

If you can remove it and re use it (which, after a very messy surgery, you can with muscle enhancements), then I would call it proper cyberware.

If removing it and giving it to someone else has hte potential of making you choke yourself, I would say it's either a malfunctioning bit of cyber, or maybe bioware (I don't have a bioware book, so I'm working on limited knowledge here).

boosted reflexes is a chemical enhancement, technically it's cyber because 'burns' yoru body with new abilities, and it's stuck there forever. Essentially it's neither bio or cyber ware.

However, in the fair game of detection, the twitchy effect is still present, and you can't turn it off (so you have that trigger issue without a solution) and a cyberware scanner can probably detect the alterations from the chemicals used. There's probably a few signatures in your blood and body now that represent the procedure, hence being able to detect it.

[Catsnightmare]

Bu there can be an advantage to the "can't turn it off" issue, as our team found out when sent to prison in Amazonia, the poor street sam with wired 3 got his surgically turned off, while the rest of the team with boosted had our full reflex/initiative bonuses.

[Tanka]

[Johnny Reb]

Well, I was always reading Cyberware Scanners as more efficient metal detectors, really. It just seemed that Boosted wouldn't "Ping" them.

Sounds odd, I know, but, that was just how I'd always read it.

I don't think that they moved it to bioware out of a sense of tradition. Boosted have been around for a while, after all. Changing them would make a few polayers grumble.

Then again, I still miss the one cybertech item that got removed after 1st edition. (Points to anyone who knows without looking!)

[lodestar]

While wired reflexes seems to work by giving the body a pre-programmed set of instructions which would set of muscular reactions through electronic signals - hence the twitchiness - Boosted reflexes simply makes the original nervous system more efficient by changing the chemicals which the neurons transmit signals to a synthetic almost superconducting one - a chemical which would probably be detectable possibly due to various substances within. Something within the body also has to be altered to make sure it retains that balance of chemicals - maybe a device similar to an auto injector or nanite hive in principal - which when connected to the nervous system regulates the body's ability to sustain the new chemical balance. A device of course which due to its nervous connections accounts for essence loss and is, of course, detectable.

[Moonwolf]

Johnny: Program injectors? Or am I barking up the wrong tree there?

[Ol' Scratch]

[Tanka]

[Ol' Scratch]

[Cynic project]

How much does it realy cost to put into people on a macro scale? I am sure it is rather cheap. I mean the most costly thing on the macro level of soda,is the water. Okay, the container you want your soda in.

[lodestar]

The twitchiness in wired reflexes comes from the fact that the reactions are pre programmed ones which are set responses to certain stimuli - generally ones that are useful in an athletic or combat situation, but not necessarily useful outside of that. For example while in combat your wired reflexes will be geared into moving and avoiding all potential threats that might be within your personal space - useful in say a bar brawl - not as useful in say a mall where such "twitchiness" results from having to consiously override the pre-programmed "wired" reaction. An old lady comes too close to you with her shopping cart and your wired reaction might be to do a combat roll out of the way, when all you have to do is step to the side.

Personally I like the three different reaction enhancing cyber techs, they each seem to have certain trades which give them each pros and cons of their use.

Boosted would be the far most common, especially for those who might never be able to afford to upgrade or might never want to - it is also the most friendly essence wise of the bunch being the least invasive being a simple upgrade of one's nervous system.

Wired can give more performance boost than Boosted but at a price essence wise and in terms of its least "socially acceptable" use for everyday life - fortunately it can be turned off - but it also has the advantage of being upgadable.

MBW while having the best performance, also has the greatest cost essence wise and possibly mentally for the recipient. While a MBW user might not be twitchy, they might move unnaturally - too smooth to be metahuman, almost like a computer icon. The thing I always think about is how the major moves sometimes in GITS - almost like a doll rather than human. To watch one's own body behave so is where the real trouble comes from.

[DrJest]

The other advantage to boosted reflexes is that they are compatible with a synaptic accelerator. For :nuyen: 290000, 2.8 essence and 1 Body Index, you wind up with +2 reaction and +4d6 initiative. Wired Reflexes 3 costs :nuyen: 500000 and eats up 5 essence, giving you +6 reaction and +3d6 initiative - slightly higher performance on the average, but far more expensive and invasive. The trade-off is pretty good.

BTW, quick question on the subject - is the State of the Art edge still in the SR3 SRComp? It's the only way a starting character could get that combo, assuming the GM is sticking to the Availability 8/no cultured rules (I have mixed feelings about that, myself).

[toturi]

No, SOTA edge is no longer in SRComp anymore.

[Tanka]

[Ol' Scratch]

That tends to be a minor (ie, no game mechanic necessary or further extrapolation needed) side-effect of being constantly on edge and a hyperactive nervous wreck.

[Deamon_Knight]

I thought the description of boosted indicated some twitchiness, I may be wrong though. Never the less, is boosted really such a good deal?

Boosted 1 = +1D6 / E .5
Boosted 2 = +1 R , +1D6 / E 1.25
Boosted 3 = +2 R , +2D6 / E 2.8

but a Reaction Enhancer would add +1 R for .3 E apiece.

Surely boosted 1 and reaction 1 is a better deal, for .8 Essence gives you the same effect of Boosted 2 for 1.25 Essence. And for 2.3 Essence you get 6 Reaction Enhancers and 1 Boosted = +6 R /+1D6, pretty close to the statistical results of Boosted 3, for .6 Essence more you get better than Boosted 3.

The :nuyen: Costs really begin to go up when you try to match boosted 3, but Boosted 2 doesn't seem like it can match boosted 1 with +1 Reaction, or am i way off?

[Ol' Scratch]

Boosted Reflexes 1 is the only level I'd ever consider taking and is more than enough for any non-combat oriented character. Even for "street-level" combat types, BR 1 and a Synaptic Accelerator 1 is enough to keep up with the competition until the real money starts rolling in.

As you pointed out, Boosted 2 is outperformed by Boosted 1 and a Reaction Enhancer, and if you have the Essence and cash to waste on Boosted 3, you might as well just get Wired Reflexes 2; it's significantly better and only takes up 0.2 Essence more.

[Crusher Bob]

I had always assumed that the higher levels of boosted reflexes were for guys who started out on the street with boosted -1 they could upgrade to boosted 3 (boosted 2 is not worth the effort) and have a speed boost comparable to wired 2.

[Teulisch]

Boosted is good because its low-cost. Wired is expensive. boosted 3 also is less essence for the same +2d6 (just 2 lower on reflax, and reaction enhancers and bioware can increase that).

wired 2 is 165k for 3 essence.
Alpha boosted 3 is 180k for 2.24 essence.

both give +2d6, which is the important part.

there is a picture of boosted reflexes in the street samuri catalog.
its along both arms and legs, through the torso, and in the head. it looks like wires with a couple extra bits here and there.

from the rules, i would say that boosted does get that twitch , but its probably a different kind than wired.

[Tanka]

[Gilthanis]

[Ol' Scratch]