Cyberzombies are very powerful before you even factor in all their cyberware.

Negative essence drives most of their powers. In addition to gaining magician powers and astral perception with no penalty, they have a rating 4 aspected background count extending from them at <negative essence> meters that negatively affects everyone else but them. All maximum attribute scores are increased by <negative essence> allowing you to get incredibly powerful custom cyberlimbs for cheap. And finally, they have Immunity to Normal Weapons giving them hardened armor equal to <negative essence>*2.

Therefore, the name of the game is to get your essence down to -6 for the cheapest price possible.

Cyberzombies are usually made with deltaware, but they don't have to be. If everything is second hand cyberware, you get more negative essence for half the cost. A double win!

If you've always wanted to lead the glamorous life of the cyberzombie, but are on a budget, here's what you can do:

0.2 50k Invoked Memory Stimulator
0.5 1.5k cyberears rating 4
0.5 1.5k cybereyes rating 4
4.0 60k 4 cyberlimbs
1.5 20k cybertorso
3.0 32k wired reflexes rating 2
0.25 4.5k cybergill
---------------------------------------------
= 9.95 essence = -3.95 essence for 169,500 nuyen if standard ware
= 11.94 essence = -5.94 essence for 84,750 nuyen (or free) if second hand

For 54,000 nuyen, all cyberlimbs would be Body 12, Agility 12, Strength 12.
He has hardened armor 12, and is protected by a rating 4 background count out to 6 meters.

Assuming you actually paid for all that used cyberware (why pay for it when you can scrap your enemies for parts?), it would cost you only 84,750 nuyen. Toss in 100k for a chemical facility for your maintenance juice and you're ready to take on the world. It isn't the most optimized design, you might even be able to do it cheaper or get better gear, but it's pretty cool you can be a cyberzombie for so cheap. If you only had access to a cybermancer, you could be a cyberzombie at chargen.

Now THAT is a beauty of a hilarious idea.

Wow, that is, in fact, char-gen doable. Coolness.

I wonder, say you went all Terminator on some punks, got some cred from a Johnson, and wanted to upgrade. Could you get one piece of cyber removed? Would this create an essence hole like with normal people? Would the change in essence affect those negative essence-dependent abilities? Could you then fill yourself up with some other, better cyber?

That. Is. Cool.

That could make for a great plot... some underworld clinic spitting out Cyberzombies on a crappy budget. Imagine the difference in appearence between a Delta grade CZ and second hand CZ.

My guess the Second Hand CZ would look like something our of a Lovecraft novel or H.R. Giger's mind. Very scarey and barely recognizable as anything remotely metahuman anymore.

Just a thought.

To make it even cheaper, hook up with a hotish White Wolf LARPer and have her shave off 5 spoints of your essence before you start implanting.

If you were looking at doing it on the cheap and effective post char-gen...

Find someone who would be willing to Essence Drain you from 6 to 1. **THEN** do as above. That'll lower your Essence another 5 points and give you a whole lot more oomph.

He cannot actually go below -6 essence (if aztechnology hasn't managed it, jokers making Cyberzombies out of second hard parts won't either), and he is currently at -11.94

Edit: In other news though, this is BRILLIANT.

sorry not to be clear - responding toget vamped