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MaxHunter
Hi there chummers, just came from a very interesting conversation with my creative, innovative and slightly munchkin oriented players.

Sensing much discontent and puzzledom with the highly expected encephalon that came in Augmentation, they came with a new encephalon, posted here as an additional alternative to the one that is in the book.
Here it is, right from the vat :grin: Comments welcome.

Cyber:

New Encephalon ratings 1-2 0,5 essence per rating, 30k per rating

Each rating point gives a +1 to cracking and electronics skill groups.

Cheers,

Max
Cheops
Too good. For 1 Essence and 12 BPs I've just increased all my Hacker skills by 1 (which normally costs 20 BP). Unless you think that 1 Essence is worth 8 BP, but Wired Reflexes doesn't seem to support that (1.1 BP/Essence).
tyweise
Really it's just a cyber Reflex Recorder for Cracking and Electronics skillgroups. For increasing two skillgroups, it's too cheap. Two skill group Reflex Recorders would run 0.4 essence and 50k. Which is like 0.1 essence for 20k, or 1 essence being worth 200k, or 40BP. (Put in Cheops' terms.)

Plus, there's the option of rating 2...

I think if it was rating 1 only, and cost 1 Essence and 20k, it would be more in line with a cyber version of a Reflex Recorder.

Of course, I haven't seen the version in Augmentation, so I didn't have that to compare it to.
Ryu
The official Encephalon does more (bonus from level 1 is on all logic-linked active skill tests), but costs much more essence. But level 2 would only work on AR/VR tests.

So I could allow the different effect, but the 0.5E saving on level 2 is too much.
Nostalgic Jester
!? Max, the version I made up for my players is almost the same! The only difference is that I only apply the bonus towards said skill groups while the character is interacting with AR/VR.

We didn´t like the encephalon proposed in Augmentation, though I wanted it on my games because I loved the old one. I think that as long as it ads its bonus "only" when the user is on AR/VR, it fulfills its role as a brain-matrix interaction enhancer system...

That´s the function we think it must acomplish and not the +1 to ALL Logic linked skills granted by rating 1 (too much and undesired "flavorwise" by us) but the bonus given by its second rating.

We also like streamlining, so our Encephalon simply ads + to Electronics/Cracking tests (not to said skill group ratings) while the character is using AR/VR and costs .5 essence/30 k-nuyen per level. All and all, fairer and simple (to us) that the one in Augmentation.

By the way, I am under the impression that neither Cheops nor tyweise are very familiar with said book because no one on earth that knows what PuSHeD does/costs can say what they did: you could always have said that Max´s proposition was not of your liking but not that it was unbalanced (had your opinion been an informed one).

Hope no one finds me insulting because that is by no means my intention but I do not like when someone´s ideas "get the shaft" without reason.

Cheers to all of you (and I do mean ALL of you), The Nostalgic Jester.
ElFenrir
I dunno, to me it doesn't look so bad, but perhaps that's because we rarely get hacker types in our groups.

I guess, a good rule of thumb when making new cyber/bioware(or not even new, Encephalon has been around awhile), is afterward, look at it and say ''Is EVERYONE of the samurai/decker/rigger/techwhiz/etc occupations going to take this?''

If the answer is yes, maybe it should be looked at. One thing of course was the old Enhanced Articulation. Yeah, it was good. REAL good. I mean, sure it was 45k nuyen(or 40k? been awhile), but it gave a +1 to absolutely anything you did physically. Shoot, run, jump, fight, drive without a rig, anything. In addition to +1 to reaction. Even people who weren't combat monkeys took this thing. It had a steep price tag, but anyone who planned on even part of the time doing something physical, so long as they had resources of around 200k or more(you could get it with 90k but thats half the funds), this was easy to get. Thus, it was changed, and it was for good reason.

But if you look at the piece and say ''ok, not everyone and their brother is going to take this'', it should be ok.

If i were to change anything about your Encephalon, i might make it either cost a little more nuyen, essence, or both(.75/level and 40k perhaps). Otherwise, though, i don't see a problem.
MaxHunter
I would find illuminating to know whether all of you have read augmentation or not in order to consider your comments. My current reasoning is similar to the one nostalgic jester posted. If the new encephalon is too good then PuSheD is totally broken. However, I might consider making the nuyen cost steeper...

The debate is open, still...

Cheers,

Max
Cheops
Good point Nostalgic Jester. I always forget about the new Genetech. You are right it is the 2nd point that seems really excessive at the reduced cost. Plus I also don't have a problem with the Encephalon RAW.
MaxHunter
I also would like to add that I do not plan on removing the old encephalon or anything. I am just considering adding a new, more specialized version of it;
Also, the actual effect would be to add +1 dice to electronic and cracking skill tests and only when operating in AR/VR. I should have clarified that earlier...

Cheers,

Max
Ryu
I read the book. I don´t think the new encephalon is too cheap moneywise/does to much, but costs too little essence. This should cost roughly the same as the canon version, as it does exactly the same as canon, but costs much less. Effects can´t be judged in BP, as muscle enhancement, cerebral booster etc. show.
tyweise
As I said in my post, I haven't read Augmentation. I just looked at the suggestion compared to a Reflex Recorder, since that's what it seemed mechanically most comparable to.
MaxHunter
alright
Nostalgic Jester
Ryu, the Encephalon I added to my games is just an alternative version of the RAW one (not a substitute) and as both of its levels work as the second one of the gadget proposed in Augmentation, it does not work exactly the same as the official one (nor mechanically nor fluffwise speaking): it gives you less from a "munchy crunchy" point of view, costs roughly the same in nuyen and costs less in essence.

Based on existing pieces of equipment (as you accurately pointed out) finding a perfectly balanced system for modifying anything is a daunting experience I desire for no one, so at the end of the day it just ends up being a "well, it looks well enough" and a "to each its own" kind of issue.

All and all, the version we use works well for us and I find it balanced enough (both to the game in general and to the canon Encephalon in particular) as to share it with others who might also find it useful.

Speaking of others, thanks to Cheops and tyweise for not being pissed off by my words.

Cheers to all!
MaxHunter
@Nostalgic Jester... I agree with your take. Thank you Ryu and Tyweise for your insight.
Let's see if there are any more comments, I am still considering what to do about that in my game. Also, I do have some extra proposal for alternative cyberlimb armour.

Cheers,

Max
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