OK: imagine an implant that cranked a user's natural senses up-to hot ASIST/BTL levels. I'm thinking of this as a dangerous and addictive implant (incorperating some form of psychotropic conditioning?) created by a corp or other power to control gangs ETC. Dubbing the implant an LBTL (Life Better Than Life) It'd give them a dangerous temper and a mild initiative boost but krank-up the TN mods for wounds ETC too.

This'd be a bit of a sub-story arc for the players where they'd meet (fight?) a BTNL gang then get hired to investigate... It's a kinda standard arc (corp/whoever has drug/whatever making people slaves/zombies/whatever) but I think it works, I'm just seeing what happens if I expose the idea to the dumpshock effect... and I don't mean 11S stun.

Just think if these kids got hit with Hyper while implanted... Sensory overload indeed.

You might want to actually consider it some kind of experimental "Juicer" (to borrow from Rifts)-like technology that artificially boosts the implantee's abilities when activated. But the addictive nature of it and the heightened abilities burns the body out in short order.

Considering how deadly the Addiction rules are in Man & Machine, that would be a great place to start.

Ooh! Ooh! I know! Let's make it a Sims game!

If you went chip-wise, the Berserker Chips from Threats (Winternight) would be the best idea. It does tend to make them bloody murderers, but, hey, you can't always have chips that turn them into minor deities with no side effects!

It does sound alot like the Juicier from Rifts. Also, check out the novel 2XS (arguably the best SR novel there is). Theres a scene in the book regarding a new Yamatetsu combat drug/chip--I guess that s the best way to describe it. It seems to do similar things to yours and w/ similar side effects.

If you take the theoretical limits of the tech, a BTL could crank your body to redline and leave it there -- endorphines, adrenaline and so on.

Since it can inspire emotions, imagine a psychotic rage as the desired effect.

There are plenty of ways to design the mechanics to reflect the changes, but the tech is there -- the logical extension of it, anyway.

"When Gravity Fails" explores what SR calls p-fix chips in a fair bit of detail, including a version of the Winterknight "Berserker" chip.

Mind you, I'm not going to explore the issues of game balance with chips that can simulate low-end cyberware.

Although the stress checks for having your body redline for hours at a time would be absurd.

-Siege

Uh, probably a few overloads and many bad health problems (Popped vessels, for one).

Include an addictive streak and you've got mass-produced weapons that any two-bit kid could slot and walk over unaugmented troopers.

And nihilist, thrill-seeking gangs that don't plan to live past 25 anyway would eat them up like candy -- cheaper than cyber and damned dangerous.

Live Fast, Die Hard and Take as Many as you can With you.

-Siege