'Exceptional Equipment' (20 points)
You have access to impressive resources, or have had such access in the past and retain some advantage. You may spend up to 75 points on equipment, instead of the normal 50.

Based on the exceptional attribute quality.
Alternatively:
'Exceptional Equipment' (5 points)
You have access to impressive resources, or have had such access in the past and retain some advantage. You may spend more than 50 points on equipment, but each additional point only grants 2500.

Based on purchasing the last point in an attribute (which costs a lot more).

Thoughts?

That translates into a 45 BP cost for 125,000¥ boost. That's crazy.

Personally, I don't have any problems with players breaking the 50 BP limit for Resources if they have a good reason. Every BP they spend there is a BP not being spent elsewhere. And if they really want 1,000,000¥ in implants, go for it. That's 150 BP weaker they're going to be where it really matters, however.

I'd personally do it as a 5 per quality that instead of giving extra cash gives +1 to the availability cap at character gen...

so if somebody spent all 35 points on the quality, they could get availability 19 stuff

This would allow certain concept characters at creation - like "Captain Cally" - a full body armor weapons specialist concept I had once (like Samas from Metroid) before I noted the availability on body armor.

It'd also allow Riggers to start with a helicopter - something I always think a Rigger character should be able to have.

It could continue to benefit them after Char-Gen (something a costly quality should do) by functioning as a -1 availability mod per 5bp on checks to get more gear - representing the contact networks the character must have to get the high-availability gear. Might also require the character to have a high-loyalty, high-connections contact when they start (like a 5/5 contact who is a quartermaster at Ft. Lewis).

- Scope_47

Another option is to do what they did in Augmentation: A quality that gives you one free item of your choice within certain limitations. Say:

Military Connections (20 points)
You've been able to get your hands on some really hot military hardware in the past, be it through your contacts, robbery, a military background or whatever. As a result, you may begin play with any piece of weapon, armor, or military-grade drone or vehicle with an Availability up to 18 and a price under 100,000¥. Your GM has final say on the item, as always. Additionally, you gain a +2 dice pool bonus on any rolls to acquire similiar gear in the future.

Something like that. Would be much less open to abuse and still allow characters to get a really nice item at character creation without going overboard.

That could work, but it'd be really expensive for someone who, say, just wanted a Ranger Arms SM-4.

Of course, that could be used to get a really awesometastic suit of armor... or a fantabulous alphaware implant.

I think it should be a scaling quality though,

Military Connections (5 to 20 points)
You've been able to get your hands on some really hot military hardware in the past, be it through your contacts, robbery, a military background or whatever. As a result, you may begin play with any piece of weapon, armor, or military-grade drone or vehicle with an Availability up to 18 and a price at or under 25000¥ per five points. Your GM has final say on the item, as always. Additionally, you gain a +2 dice pool bonus on any rolls to acquire similar gear in the future.

<Edit - changed my mind on the details>

I'm not certain it's a good thing to start meddling with the Connection rules.

How do you mean?

There's already a precedence for such a rule (the Genetic Heritage positive quality in Augmentation). It allows you to start with any one genetech treatment of choice for free (no price or Availability limits given) and offers a 20% nuyen discount on all future genetech. Genewipe, for instance, is an Availability 16F treatment costing 45,000¥ (and a really awesome one to have for a runner). All for 10 BP. Quite a steal.

These suggestions are just variations of that based around gear rather than genetech implants.

No, that's not it... your quality gives +2 dice for availability. If it gave a 20% rebate, it would be just the same.

No it wouldn't. They're two completely different qualities that only share a philosophical similarity (allowing you to get one piece of gear you normally wouldn't be able to).

Genetic Heritage (10 BPs) allows you to pick a single genetech implant with no limits whatsoever. Any treatment you desire is yours for the taking regardless of cost or Availability. In addition, you get a 20% nuyen discount on all future genetic treatments, which is a huge savings considering the price for most.

The proposed houserule variation (5-20 BPs) allows you to pick a single item of choice up to Availability 18 and/or 25,000¥ per five-points of the quality. In addition, you get +2 dice on rolls to acquire similar gear in the future. That's not even a single hit (thus no effect at all) on average and saves you no money whatsoever. It just gives you a slightly better chance of finding a small group of gear in the future.

Thus, I'm not sure where your concerns lie.

This is the quality we use for our super availability characters. So far it has worked pretty well.

I was more interested in lots of money than in high-Availability stuff.

Then just remove the 50 BP limit. It's that simple; the basic mechanic already handles Resources vs. Other Stats just fine, and the 50 BP limit was completely arbitrary and probably introduced for the same reason they claim the Attribute limit was added: To prevent people from overspending on one aspect of their character and gimping themselves elsewhere.

But if you want to gimp yourself or allow your players to gimp themselves so that they can get a few more disposable items during character creation, as opposed to more defining characteristics like Skills, Contacts, or Attributes... there's nothing unbalancing about doing so.

Requiring people to spend 45 BP for 125,000¥, though, as you proposed? That's crazy talk. Game balance works both ways. Not "if it fucks over the player, it's good; if not, it's bad."

I´d actually increase money per BP for higher spending on ressources, if I would allow it at all. The more points are spend on this the less skills and attributes the char has, and the more gimmicks he owns. The important things tend to fit into 250k¥.

In a regular group, try handling this via individual agreements. We did things like "you get a Ares Dragon as a group transport, but cows from space if you sell it" in the past. Forcing the rigger to buy one is crippling.