If a GM is crazy enough to allow it.

Yes, Jopp, but there's a clause about geneware being able to replicate the effects of most bioware.

Oh, page reference?

Augmentation 93: "Most of the functional changes available through biotech (p. 61) are also possible through transgenic alteration for comparable essence and nuyen costs but longer treatment times (typically several months)."

I'd allow it to discount the cost, but not remove it, and have the costs go towards the medication or procedures you'd need to survive having your synapses firing off like crazy while your brain is developing as a baby/child. Otherwise I could see you having problems with seizures and abnormal development along the way.

...have the costs go towards the medication or procedures you'd need to survive having your synapses firing off like crazy while your brain is developing as a baby/child. Otherwise I could see you having problems with seizures and abnormal development along the way.

In my games this does mean that you can get synaptic booster 2 for 10 bp (the equivelant of 50 000 nuyen).

I would really like to read the background the player wrote to explain that one.

I must admit I cant get my head around the idea that you can get bioware as a genetic heritage. Ok I get the fluff of it I'm not just improving myself but my kids too.

But its a very iffy interpretation of the rules. I'm guessing there is no official word on this one?

This quote is on the other hand only available under "Animal Features" so I would rule that this only applies to (as they write) "imbue the subject with full animal-like senses or abilities"

Enhanced senses and things like a balance tail is what I would apply under that rule but not ALL bioware

My 2 cents (and I'm a very liberal GM who like letting players, within the rules, get what they want so they all have fun):

I allow all the standard bioware to be available via this clause...up to the availability and rating limits. No alphaware (I believe it states that only standard can me genetically engineered)

In my games this does mean that you can get synaptic booster 2 for 10 bp (the equivelant of 50 000 nuyen). I have not experienced this to be more powerful than wired reflexes 2, though it is a tad harder to detect.

I also include the caveat that to upgrade with actual bioware you have to remove the actual parts of the nervous system, have a regular spinal cord implanted then have the bioware upgrade done. Tres expensive!

According to this point of view, a Synaptic Booster 1 should be allowed: there are mundane critters with 2 IPs. Call it Cheetah reflexes instead of Synaptic booster, and you're good.

Note that such physical alterations
do not automatically imbue the subject with animal-like
senses or abilities, remaining primarily cosmetic. Full functionality
requires much more profound metabolic alterations. Most of
the functional changes available through biotech (p. 61) are also
possible through transgenic alteration for comparable Essence and
nuyen costs but longer treatment times (typically several months).

Can I get bioware as genetech? If so, can I get it in different grades, and what is the Essence cost?

Sort of. Most of the functional changes available through bioware are available through the Animal Features transgenic alteration genetech for comparable Essence and nuyen costs (p.93, Augmentation); i.e., a transgenic digestive expansion would cost 0.5 Essence and 20,000¥.

The exact limitations of what is and what is not available are up to the gamemaster; as a rule of thumb for gamemasters out there: if it's in the animal kingdom already (echolocation, gecko thumbs, gills, etc.) it's probably fair game. More exotic implants like chemical glands for synthetic drugs, false front, and symbionts are a little more iffy; though anyone who's had children could at least make an argument for little parasites growing inside of you being completely natural.

Unlike bioware, however, genetech is not available in grades; therefore any transgenic alterations of this type will be based on the base Essence and nuyen cost of the bioware.

Yes, this does mean that a character with the Genetic Heritage quality can get a piece of bioware as a transgenic modification for "free" (i.e., no nuyen cost) with the gamemaster's approval; the character still has to pay BP for the quality and Essence for the bioware/transgenic modification.

though anyone who's had children could at least make an argument for little parasites growing inside of you being completely natural.

As a GM, I might allow synaptic 1, but I'd rule the character could never upgrade it or use any other form of IP booster except drugs.

I would actually go a bit further.

The "saving" of points (a mere 6BP) could be applied to the character having a -1 to social tests against unaugmented people - after all, he's got twice the reaction time as any kids he knew his whole life and he cannot understand why everyone is so slooow.

Someone being born with twice the reaction time or the ability to see the astral plane or talking to computers might have a slight problem talking to those different.

ESPECIALLY if they were BORN with it.

Must have been hell for a family with an overactive three year old who reacts twice as fast as his parents.

It's not just saving 6BP, but 6 extra BP of cash (30k), which is what an separate entire positive Quality does.

It's not just saving 6BP, but 6 extra BP of cash (30k), which is what an separate entire positive Quality does.

We all know that In Debt is actually a positive quality.

I would also limit it to a rating 1 implant.

Even implanted Bioware is a pain to detect, isn't it?

Generally. Most of the time, you need invasive surgery to get a straight answer... Genetics wouldn't offer much better.

I would really like to read the background the player wrote to explain that one.
Ofcource if i was GM:ng and someone had this on their charsheet i would be "okey you can have that, but your character is about 5 years old, see you in 2080:S"

Why, yet another of these "it escaped from the gene lab" characters, possibly, since genemods like this have only been around since the edition change, so unless the character is a 7 year old child ...

The description of the quality says that the technology has been around for "well over three decades", so someone with that quality hardly has to be a toddler.

Having bioware as trangenetic geneware certainly hasnt.
Geneware in general has been around for 30+ years, put some stuff is much never then that. Adapsin for example was grand new in 2070.

Would you not just need a blood sample and DNA testing?
We have baselines for DNA for most meta-humans.
Genetherapy is a known quantity.
If you know how to use genetheraty to modify for X, then you know how to look at the genesequences to look for X having been modified.

Like I said, geneware *isn't* better than bioware.

But it is certainly an option to look into... and there are a few things that even Bioware cannot do that are common place for Gene Therapy... Notice that you can have Gene Therapy to obtain most Biomods, but you cannot have Biomods that mimic what is available by Gene Therapy...

It all works in the end though...

Keep the Faith