 Unusual Cyberwear Malfunctions, Sammies beware |
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 Jan 25 2005, 06:57 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 807 Joined: 9-October 04 Member No.: 6,741  |
One thing I have been wondering about is unusual cyberwear malfunctions GMs come up with.
One of my favorite is this past weekend. The group got together and, unusually, I was trying out a decker. Among us was Nirvana (female elf street sam with the vindictive flaw), Nerble (male human mage with a custom flaw that meant every once in awhile he'd grope the nearest woman; name comes from the sound he made when Nirvana broke his jaw last), Timmy (troll street same with a strange flaw of failing dexterity rolls near wells), and Ooga Booga (dwarf rigger, long story behind name). We were inside a corp building and Nerble had just gotten a little too grabby again, so Nirvana was in the process of beating him unconcious. This, naturally, made enough noise to attract the guards, who had a nasty habbit of carrying tazers, which allowed them to torture the prisoners before parting them out to street docs and body farms. Two guards come in, hit Timmy before he can react, and much to everyone's surprise manage to (combined) throw him into Deadly range. Then Nirvana, without breaking stride, shoots both guards in the forehead with her Pred 3 and goes back to beating Nerble. After managing to convince her to let Nerble stay concious enough to heal Timmy, and Nerble to crawl over (in spite of the four bruised ribs) and heal Timmy, Timmy gets the joy of not being numbered amoung the dead, and Nerble passes out with four boxes of physical and a full stun bar. Nirvana is naturally unhappy that she doesn't get to finish the beating, but does nothing to my character for it. Timmy wakes up, sees his gun on the floor, and the following happens. Timmy: I try to grab my gun. GM: Cyberwear malfunction. You slap your face instead. Timmy: Ouch! I try to grab my gun again. GM: Same thing happens. Timmy: Drek! I know! I try to slap my face! GM: You succeed. Timmy: Frag it! |
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Jan 25 2005, 07:17 AM
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#2
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
That is your GM screwing you. There is nothing canon to support that.
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Jan 25 2005, 07:23 AM
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#3
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Senior GM Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,406 Joined: 12-April 03 From: Redmond, WA Member No.: 4,442 |
I had some bad Wired Reflexes 3 one time. Every time the 3 dice, contributed by the cyberware toward my initiative, rolled 15 or higher my character would fall to the ground convulsing for a Turn. The following Turn he'd lay still. On the third turn he could roll initiative as usual. This bad cyberware was simply the result of things that had happened in-game.
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Jan 25 2005, 07:24 AM
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#4
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
But boy is it fun! Reminds me of that far side cartoon with the brain surgeons.
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Jan 25 2005, 07:26 AM
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#5
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Resident Legionnaire Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,136 Joined: 8-August 04 From: Usually Work Member No.: 6,550 |
It sounds to me like the GM getting back at the players who wasted his time fighting amongst eachother.
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Jan 25 2005, 07:27 AM
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#6
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Senior GM Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,406 Joined: 12-April 03 From: Redmond, WA Member No.: 4,442 |
Did Nerble pass out from the Heal/Treat spell? If so, how did he sustain the spell long enough for it to become permanent on Timmy? (See "Permanent Spell Base Time" table on page 178 in SR3.) |
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Jan 25 2005, 07:32 AM
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#7
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
Correctamundo. The treat fails because it wasnt sustained the duration. |
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Jan 25 2005, 01:34 PM
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#8
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Senior GM Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,406 Joined: 12-April 03 From: Redmond, WA Member No.: 4,442 |
Since calling a shot is a free action, and you only get one of those per Combat Phase, you can't shoot two guards in the forehad on one initiative phase. (Unless, of course, you're an Adept that has the power to do two Free Actions in a phase.) |
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Jan 25 2005, 01:46 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 401 Joined: 7-June 02 From: Living with the straw sheep. Member No.: 2,850 |
Unless, of course, the GM was playing to the abstract nature of the SR game system and simply said "Whoa, staged up to deadly? That's a headshot sure enough...".
YMMV :cyber: |
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Jan 25 2005, 04:28 PM
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#10
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
Except that a deadly doesn't actually kill anything outright, they still have to pass overflow, and can be saved by an EMT or medic without too much trouble. A headshot doesn't really meet those requirements. :D |
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Jan 25 2005, 04:34 PM
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#11
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,453 Joined: 17-September 04 From: St. Paul Member No.: 6,675 |
Sure it does, you just get a really gool scar to talk about at all the high society parties.
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Jan 25 2005, 04:37 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 401 Joined: 7-June 02 From: Living with the straw sheep. Member No.: 2,850 |
That kind of depends on how big the hole in the head is, neh?
People can be shot in the head without being shot dead. (That doesn't mean it happens often, but still...) Indeed, technically, a headshot "called shot" will not necessarily do deadly damage. So a "called shot to the head" (to stage damage up a level) doesn't necessarily meet those requirements either (by your definition). That, however, is a whole different can of worms... :dead: |
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Jan 31 2005, 11:18 AM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,405 Joined: 23-February 04 From: Honolulu, HI Member No.: 6,099 |
Sometimes, getting shot in the head results in a face lift, and a talking car.
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Jan 31 2005, 11:25 AM
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#14
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Announcer: We now return to "Knightboat: the Crime-Solving Boat". Michael: Faster, Knightboat! We gotta catch those starfish poachers. Knightboat: You don't have to yell, Michael, I'm all around you. Michael: Oh, no! They're headed for land. Michael: We'll never catch them now. Knightboat: Incorrect: look! A canal. Homer: Go, Knightboat, go! Bart: Oh, every week there's a canal. Lisa: Or an inlet. Bart: Or a fjord. Homer: Quiet! I will not hear another word against the boat. - And Maggie Makes Three, [2F10] |
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Jan 31 2005, 12:48 PM
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#15
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
Nothing has yet exceeded the Nephritic Screen's shadowtalk in Shadowtech for the ultimate in cyberware embarassment.
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Jan 31 2005, 10:35 PM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 807 Joined: 9-October 04 Member No.: 6,741 |
GM decided to be kind and allow Nerble to stay awake long enough to complete it. Otherwise, Timmy would be quite dead right now. Very lethal run.
GM ruling, not player action. Whether or not they survived depends on how big a deal the GM wants to make out of their medical bills.
Except the human brain can actually recieve an amazing amount of damage and continue to operate enough to keep the person alive. Even today, we have cases of people that have lost up to half of their brain and are still alive, though admittedly they are not the same afterwards. |
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Feb 1 2005, 12:04 AM
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#17
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Street Doc Group: Admin Posts: 3,508 Joined: 2-March 04 From: Neverwhere Member No.: 6,114 |
I assume you mean by surgery? Theres a big difference between having a large section of your brain removed surgically and having half your brain puréed by the concusive force of a .45 round passing through your cranial cavity.... :eek: |
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Feb 1 2005, 12:07 AM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 478 Joined: 18-December 03 From: Louisville, KY Member No.: 5,918 |
Truer words were never spoken. And while we're on the subject of faulty cyberware, I'd love to see a character with one of those oral whips get a malfunction. Preferabaly on a motorcycle. Preferable at a speed in excess of 100mph. |
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Feb 1 2005, 12:10 AM
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#19
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
Not as bad as a .22 round... the .45 has a chance of just passing through, and you're more likely to die from the edema and hemorrhage than from the actual bullet (i.e. surgery can repair the blood vessels and you'd probably recover, with brain damage corresponding to the location of the shot). The .22 round bounces around in there and causes far more damage to the nervous tissue and blood vessels. Of course, the .22 round is more likely to deflect off of the skull on a glancing shot, whereas the .45 round would not... |
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Feb 1 2005, 12:12 AM
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#20
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Man In The Machine Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,264 Joined: 26-February 02 From: I-495 S Member No.: 1,105 |
Impromptu dental surgery?
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Feb 1 2005, 02:46 AM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 586 Joined: 22-November 02 From: Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A. (or C.A.S.) Member No.: 3,630 |
I can't recall where I read it, but something similar happened IRL.
A plainclothes police officer, armed with the department-standard .38 Special snubnose (i.e., it had a 2" barrel) revolver, fires at a perp at such close range that he can clearly see the muzzle flashes of his weapon reflecting off of the surface of the other guy's eyeballs, and hits him at least once. The criminal not only survived, but was sitting up and talking by the time the EMTs arrived to treat his wound(s). :eek: --Foreigner |
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Feb 1 2005, 02:52 AM
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#22
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
Are you seriously trying to say that you have a better chance of surviving a .45 shot to the head than a .22?? |
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Feb 1 2005, 02:55 AM
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#23
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,751 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Neighbor of the Beast Member No.: 5,375 |
Depends on your Combat Pool.
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Feb 1 2005, 03:07 AM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 865 Joined: 31-December 03 From: Shadows of Britain Member No.: 5,944 |
As a note from across the pond in a not so recent news item (2002 this happened)
a builder fell in a building sight and impales her head upon a 1 inche thick iron pole just behind the temple (it struck her just below the edge of the hard hat) clean through to a foot out the other side of her head. Fire crews had to be called to cut the bar down so she could be taken to hospital, after some careful surgery it was removed. She was awake through the whole thing save for the surgery itself. Also, last week. A man went to his dentist because he had incredible tooth ache. X-rays showed a six inche nail going up through his jaw, passing just behind his eye and into his skull. Seems he`d shot himsefl accidentally with a nail gun he`d been working with a few days before and somehow hadnt noticed. scarey stuff |
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Feb 1 2005, 03:40 AM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 470 Joined: 2-January 05 From: Quebec Member No.: 6,924 |
I heard that one too, it missed one of the eyes by only 2 centimeters I think.
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