How? Why? When? Where? How does grade effect it? Does the essence of the implant change how easily it is detected? Differences in methods with cyber and bioware? Halp?

Page 255 of the SR4 Core Rulebook has a millimeter wave detection system aka "cyberware scanner" that can scan from up to 15 meters for cyber and weapons - roll device rating dice and check results on the table on page 254, where basicly higher grade requieres more hits but standard ware and weapons are detected with one hit. Wich means, that if you walk by one of these without a jammer active, it's pretty sure to go off... see also the radar headware from Augmentation.

*Edit: Ohh, and the "Scanner system" cyberlimb accessory p45 Augmentation, wich seems a little more reasonable with a range of 1 meter.

Ahh. So bioware, short of a MRI is undetectable? And even then, maybe not if it's not visible? (Synaptic booster might look a bit funky, while a suprathyroid gland is going to stick out like a sore thumb)

bio, especially higher grade stuff,will require a complete genetic test . .
or a mage with good assensing i think . .

Yeah, 4 hits on the Assensing test (regardless of grade, though).
To reliably detect bioware outside of a medical facility, you need either a dedicated Assensing specialist or a spirit around Force 6 and up who does the work for you.
Only TMs and initiates with masking are harder to spot.

I would suppose it depends on the implant right? I mean if someone had silver cybereyes, box cyberears, and replaced both arms with obvious cyberarms, those would be so easy to detect.

Another trick that was used in our game was a weighing scale. The PCs put several digital weighing scales under each door. Someone who comes in and weighs more than they should (based on appearance) is probably packing some cyberware ... or hardware.

Sorry, what does MRI stand for?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Specifically fMRI, actually. They use them in hospitals to scan people's insides.

I would imagine that MRI scanners are pretty rare in the Shadowrun world. Probably wouldn't find one in a standard medical facility. After all what hospital wants a piece of equipment that, when used correctly, can rip the datajack right out of a patient's head?

Only if datajacks contain ferrous metals, which they needn't...

Is it realy that strong the magnetic field?

While the more spectacular effects of ripping bits of metal out of the patient will occur with ferromagnetic materials everything is influenced by magnetic fields at some level. Exposing sensitive cyberware to a magnetic field strong enough to effect things on an atomic scale is likely to invalidate the warranty at the very least.

it won't effect it enough to effect the warranty or the operations, After all a Mag pulse won't effect your wired reflexes and will only cause you static on your comlink since in shadowrun all there chips and what not are now optical,

But ya with out enough hits on your mages or spirits assencing test you can't detect bioware, and really, If the other side has you straped to a table to examin you then you should be more conserned with the hair cut of your next char then if there going to find any bio in you

I'd also expect an fMRI machine to nuke whatever power supply your ware is using.


Mag pulses are far, far weaker than an fMRI. An fMRI scanner is powerful enough to magnetise the hydrogen atoms of the water in your cells. It is obscenely powerful.

I doubt they are that powerful, or they would be seriously affecting the iron content in blood as well. Regardless, they will fuck up most cybertech or nanotech in a body; at least harming or destroying the power system.

It can take metals out of your jailhouse tattoos and fillings from your teeth with ease.

MRI machines have pretty powerful fields, yes.

Wrong sort of iron compound. The iron stores in the body are not ferromagnetic so the amount of movement in an MRI is minimal.

This page describes and shows some MRI accidents. My personal favourite is the one showing the consequences of venting the coolant incorrectly.

... HOLYDRECK!!!

The MRI scares about tattoos are mostly rumor. Even if made with low quality ink the worst that happens is a few blisters, and I have never heard of metal teeth being affected.

Besides, ware isn't bad with ferromagnetic metal, that would be stupid. It's made of non-magnetic metals, plastics, and carbon fiber.

Anyways, I'd imagine most very high security facilities would keep 1 or more bound spirits assessing everyone who comes in for awakened talent and ware, reporting what they find to the person operating the millimeter wave scanner also running. Only really high security places would do this though, as spirits are expensive to keep bound (1 karma per force to keep bound for a year on a single task), and not completely reliable.

yup, the mage would make a mint or at least the compay running the mage hehe,

As for power to cyber according to how SR explains how cyber works it wouldn't effect the power to internal cyberware, eh,

But why bother worrying about when there are so many other fun things to do with cyber people and mages MOB MIND! now cyber sam. go kill your buddy over there, then make me a sandwich,

The teeth occured no more than a month ago in my area. Not explosively, but a molar that was thin was torn apart and lodged in the soft tissue in the roof of his mouth.

.... I do NOT want to understand what you said.