Perhaps this is a foolish question, but can boosted reflexes be upgraded from the level they start at as other cyberware can? For example, if a character started with level 1 boosted reflexes, could she later upgrade to level 3?

My take on this, given what's written in the book, is no. It says in the description of the cyberware that it is a "one-time electrochemical treatment", and that it cannot later be removed. On the other hand, pretty much all other cyberware is upgradeable...

Thus, the conundrum. Opinions?

I figure that while it may be "one time" it could be upgraded by adding additional chemicals. The higher levels are, in theory, just more/better chemicals, and could be added at anytime. Furthermore, since it can be removed via gene thereapy (in SOTA) I see little reason to disallow an upgrade (as it no longer has any other "alteration" function that cyberware doesnt also have).

This brings up an interesting question...if you can "remove" Boosted Reflexes without a trace, is the Essence from it recovered? I know the canon-freaks will immediately jump in and say "no", but I say why not?

Of course, I'm all for letting Essence recover...albeit VERY VERY SLOWLY, like 0.1 per year or so. I stand by the mind and soul healing themselves.

no. why? because. in-character explanations for essence cause nothing but trouble; it's a tool for game balance.

I'd allow upgrade too, though any 'grading' on the upgrade would only apply to the essence difference between the levels. So going from regular boosted 1 to alpha boosted 3 would be (.5 + (2.8-.5)*.8 ) essence. Though you would still pay the full cost for the alpha boosted 3. This gives you an upgrade path for those goons that had a smartlink and boosted 1...

well, i would judge that boosted reflexes can be upgraded to a certain limit.
so upgrading it from rating 1 to rating 3 would be allowed. but upgrading it to alfa or betaware at the same time would not be plausible, since this would require the old cyberware to be replaced with more advanced materials/chemicals.

so to make a long story short: yes i would allow the rating to be upgraded, but i'm more doubtful when it comes to upgrading the cyberware grade...

Well it is cyberware so should follow all the rules as such. On the grade thing, since you can both remove and add it, you could remove the standard version and add the beta version. Thus, even if its a bit fuzzy, it makes sense to allow an straight upgrade. However like all cyberware all this chemical swapping cant be good for you so Id rule that you dont get essence back, just as with normal cyber. Using the one surgery option to create an essence "hole" something else can be implanted in is fine, but no refunds. This is one case where "explaination" gets a tad fuzzy, but if you try to work with the system as is, it does work out in the end following its own rules correctly.

SR3 page 300 says " this one-time electrochemical threatment..." and follows with " ... nor can boosted reflexes be removed at a later date. The treatment is permanent." One time means one time. I'd say no upgrade. As for an alpha or beta upgrade, I don't think ANY 'ware can be upgraded like that unless the original is removed and a whole new piece of 'ware is implated. And again, boosted reflexes is a one time mod. I say whatcha get is whatcha keep. Guess maybe I'm alone in that.

Yea it does say that. But STOA specifically mentions its removeable and replaces SR3 as the current ruling. And thus, through that logic, the other options with regular cyberware become available. Thus I stand by my logic and statement.

I see it as upgradeable, but, despite it's 'biotech' description, we treat Boosted and Wired similarly. It's electronic in nature (to be cyberware) and so is upgradeable. The only reason it stacks with Synaptic Acc, is because unlike Wired, it doesn't replace the nervous system infrastructure, but is wired to work with it instead. So, in our game (this IS all House Rule BTW), wired reflexes replace alot of the nervous system allowing faster reaction time, and boosted reflexes adds a 2nd 'channel' to work WITH the nervous system instead of replacing it. That's why it's slower than Wired, since it only acts as a tunnel (using the speed of your brain) and not an amplifier/tunnel.

Sphynx

I agree that you should be able to upgrade it from level to level and even grade to grade, but I'd require genetech for the alterations. I could give some BS bio-chem to support that viewpoint, but I'm feeling particularly lazy. Suffice it to say that the quite possibly the only difference between boosted 1 and boosted 3 delta is the method by which the chemicals are bonded to your nervous system.

As several of you have quoted, SR3 tells of a "one-time electrochemical treatment..." for Boosted.

Do any of you have any opinions about what this means?

When they say electrochemical treatment, do you think they mean something endocrine, like a suprathyroid gland or Ad-pump?

Do you think the "treatment" refers to some kind of chemotherapy that alters the structure of the nerves permanently?

Perhaps it uses a nanite solution to supplement or replace the myelin sheath around nerves with something that is a better insulator.

My opinion, based entirely on squat, is that as an electro-chemical treatment boosted reflexes is basically being put in a nutrient bath, nanites being injected into ya programmed to inject chemicals into your central nervous system. Then the nutrient bath becomes a conductor for controlled electrical impulses that bond/activate or whatever to make the chemicals injected into the central nervous system work. Voila: optimized nerves!

Now, to remove such chemicals which have been electrically bonded to/made a part of you, it really would take that crazy bio-treatment in SotA...after all, your nerves have been not just added to, but chemically altered.

The major advantage to boosted reflexes over wired reflexes (and this is a double edged sword) is that it cannot be "turned off." So, no way of shutting them down when ya get on that airplane...but bet your butt that if the cyber's detected they'll be watching you if they allow you on the plane at all. I'd house rule it that ya don't have to deal with the "reflex accident" like shooting a pal who happenned to approach quitly. Justify this however you like: enhanced reflex control training, a more "natural" enhancement, whatever. Without this, there's really no reason to take boosted except for price and maybe a little essence.

Well, Boosted are harder to detect, per the legality code.

My feeling is that unless you are 100% sammy, Boosted 3 is the way to go at chargen. I would say the same for Sammys, except for the possibility of eventually upgrading from Wired-2 to beta Wired-3.

Ya...for non sammies, boosted three (Alpha! Always alpha because ya can't upgrade it) is primo. Plus, it stacks with Synaptic Accellerators! Expensive combo, but totally worth it if ya manage to gain access to a Beta clinic and have the cash.

I was of the opinion of that you need to get Symaptic first then boost the new wider pathways.

See having normal neural pathways then boosting them, and then widening them with something that hasn't been treated with the same proceedure that is done when you boost your refelexes. Just seems... backward. No doubt it could be done by reappying the treatment but then your getting into why not upgrtade at the same time and all that.

Anyway just some ramblings

That's actually a written house rule for my game, Shockwave. I dunno where I put it, but I say you have to get Synaptic first.

The way I always figured it was Boosted Reflexes was a drug that when injected into the body caused the nervous system to go under some fundamental changes, basically amping up reaction time. No nanites, no implants, just drug cocktail that alters your body chemistry. I was always of the oppinion that Boosted came before Wired, hence why it would be much more lowtech. Also, given it's price, it's probably very easy to get done.

Before SOTA, Boosted could never be removed. In regards to upgraing, IMHO, I would say No, just because it's bleak. All those gangers who juice up on boosted and eventually make it big suddenly realize they can never upgrade and they are stuck going pretty slow compared to the wired sams. Sometimes taking the cheaper option can screw you over in the long run

What if newer, higher-level treatments just overlap the older ones? So instead of replacing the chemicals in the body, you're just adding even more. I'll just use an example...

Character starts out with Boosted 1, standard treatment for 0.50 essence. He later decides to upgrade to Boosted 3 beta (1.68 essence), which would bring him to 2.18 essence for the Boosted, because he's just adding even more chemicals to what was already there.

Upgrades have never been restricted in 3rd Edition. Boosted Reflexes simply couldn't be removed and there's no need for upkeep (because it's a "one-time treatment"). In no way does that mean you can't upgrade to Boosted Reflexes at a higher rating, and you can even improve to a higher grade if you like, though I personally wouldn't allow it to reduce the Essence of the original treatment.

And it's perfectly logical as well. I can drip a drop of red wine on a white carpet and never be able to get it out, but I could drop a cup of red wine on top of it and it would definitely be a bigger, nastier stain... that I still couldn't get rid of. But it is without a doubt a bigger, nastier stain that completely overrides the original tiny little stain.

Now, the whole non-removable factor of boosted relaxes is rather silly.As it chemical changes yourbody.but at the same time, right now youcan have all your fuild replaced...

Non-removable is only a big problem when it takes stress. Then it can get messy.

I could maybe allow upgrade in level of the Boosted, just adding more chemical, but baring Genetech, I would say upgrading Grade wouldn't be possible. You can explain it away as raising the Level just means adding more chemical, but upgrading the grade means using a different, more body friendly chemical.