It is common to end up doing extractions, protection, and thefts from scientist as part of shadow runs. So I started thinking about what types of ware and modifications would be commonly used by scientists to enhance on the job performance. As the academic knowledge skills are all Logic linked a large number of Logic boosts are included.

To start with a corp would start investing in a promising student, intern, or bachelors student as part of a program to create new employees. In this situation to enhance studying the relevant ware would be enhancements to the Extended Intuition + skill Test required to learn a skill.


Mnemonic Enhancer (Bioware) - This will benefit an aspiring scientist from start to end of their career. At maximum rating +3 dice to Instruction rolls for teaching, and the same to knowledge skill rolls mode later.

Learning Stimulus (Nanoware) - reduces karma costs to increase skills by rating.
Neocortical Stimulator (Nanoware) - increases logic linked skill test by rating.
Limbic - increases intuition tests by rating

A rating two nanohive at this stage would also be useful to reduce nanoware costs.

For the karma costs of starting and improving a knowledge skill

rating 1 - 2 karma
rating 2 - 2 karma
rating 3 - 3 karma
rating 4 - 4 karma - bachlors
rating 5 - 5 karma - Masters
rating 6 - 6 karma - Ph.D

Normally Masters level is needed to start doing research. Even a new Ph.D. will have masters graduates working under them at a lower pay scale.

Karma needed Masters level skill ratings:
- 16 unaided
- 11 Learning Stim 1
- 8 Learning Stim 2
- 5 Learning Stim 3

Ph.D. Level would similarily be
- 22
- 16
- 12
- 8

For a student unaided by cyber to advance knowledge skills with 4 intuition an average 1.33 +1/3skill success per week. An average instructor (3 instruction + 3 charisma) would provide 1 bonus die or 1/3 of a success on average
rating 1 - 2 weeks (1.66 successes per week)
rating 2 - 1 weeks (2 successes per week)
rating 3 - 2 weeks (2.33 successes per week)
rating 4 - 2 weeks (2.66 successes per week)
rating 5 - 2 weeks (3 successes per week)
rating 6 - 2 weeks (3.33 successes per week)
is a total of 11 weeks

For a student with Limbic intuition boost would average 1 more success per test:
rating 1 - 1 weeks (2.66 successes per week)
rating 2 - 1 weeks (3 successes per week)
rating 3 - 1 weeks (3.33 successes per week)
rating 4 - 2 weeks (3.66 successes per week)
rating 5 - 2 weeks (4 successes per week)
rating 6 - 2 weeks (4 successes per week)
is a total of 9 weeks.

To me it is unclear if the mnenomic enhancer's bonus to knowledge related skill rolls would influence the skill learning test beyond its boost to the instruction roll for additional dice. So it will provide and average of 1/3 success from the instruction test bonus of 3 dice, and maybe 3 more die for a total of 4. If the +3 dice does not apply to the learning test the mnemonic enhance probably would not be supplied to a student until they begin their masters studies, and start doing more lab work. If it does apply its 3 dice give an average one more success + 1/3 from instructor roll bonus.
rating 1 - 1 weeks (4 successes per week)
rating 2 - 1 weeks (4.33 successes per week)
rating 3 - 1 weeks (4.6 successes per week)
rating 4 - 1 weeks (5 successes per week)
rating 5 - 1 weeks (5.3 successes per week)
rating 6 - 2 weeks (5.66 successes per week)
is a total of 7 weeks.

Neocortical r3 and Learning Stimulator r3 and mnemonic enhancer would probably be in any University student that is being groomed for a lab position, it would take about half the time to get this student through university and into the lab for the first time. A 6-7 years bachelors+masters would be done in roughly 3.5 years or a Ph.D. in 5 years instead of 9-10 years.

In terms of increased time being a profitable employee a Ph.D. student can be prepared for little more cost than a Bachelors student + 49,500 to install. Nanohive add 12000 per year to the costs. A university level instructor gets 40-150 thousand a year. The main saving comes at the Ph.D. and masters level when a Ph.D. level instructor is needed to teach new students, but even just a Learning stimulator and R1 nanohive will get a student through their bachelors in half the time at a wage savings of 80,000 and that pays for the whole package.

So from this we can seen a corp identifying loyal high school grads with an academic bent and getting them this cyberware. When a student is in the lab what else would be added to maximize employee performance. Assuming the quality of work produced is determined by dice pool size:

Un-augmented Lab Tech. 4 skill + 4 logic. Lets assumed our corp is selecting above average students to recruit.

Once in the lab we can drop the neocortical stimulator and go with the Limbic booster for +3 logic.

Head ware will add cerebral booster (+3 logic), and sleep regulator for more hours at the lab.

Lets assume a math SPU helps with calculus and statistics so grab one of those for +2 to math tests, and most scientists will make use of it about half of the time.

So the total productivity ware boosts are
+3 mnemonic enhancer
+3 Limbic
+3 cerebral booster 3
+1 from SPU (assuming it is only 50% effector at boosting output from a scientist)

So for this we have +10 dice. So output is increased by %112.5. Sleep regulator probably adds 3 hours a day a person could work so assuming 9 hour days it is a 30 percent boost.

A cost conscious company will drop the nanoware due to the monthly upkeep costs. For 30 years of employment each nanoware will add 180000 to the cost and 32500 initial costs for install of 2 nanoware boosts and hive. At 57000 nuyen per person for non-nanoware augmentations the that is enough for about 4 other people to be outfitted with the above package.

Transgenics such as PuSHeD have a lower lifetime cost than the nanoware and similar installation cost is only 1/3 the benefit.

Due to the usefulness a scientist is likely to want to make extensive use of knowsofts to become a cross disciplinary expert as required. This and other interfaces will likely require a large number of datajacks. A partial lower cyber arms would be useful to reduce essence costs especially with the nano hive options. This can also hold a biomonitor, GPS locator, and a tattle tale recorder so that the corp can locate their scientists on demand. A kink or area bomb could also be added to cut losses on a stolen or compromised asset.

Overall this doesn't leave a scientist with any combat boosts. There is a significant boost to logic linked chemistry, demolitions, and hacking. Most scientist probably also have a fairly good comm link and firewall, but a lack of hacking specific programs would limit their combat effectiveness.

At 2000 nuyen per rating there are probably going to a number of skillwires in the mid to high range as the Electronic group would be desired by the majority of experimental scientists for experiment setup, and maintenance.

This takes about 2.2 essence for the main package, 2 more for the level 5 skill wires, and half an essence for an half arm with mods. This gives an approximate %150 in productivity so paying a years salary on augmentation will return its value fairly quickly. With 1.3 essence remaining the scientist won't scare too many street sams but would give Einstein at 7skill + 7Logic + 2specialize = 16 dice a good run for his money.

This also leaves some room for Attention Coprocessors and Encephalon and other less general augmentations.



What else do people think a research scientist would have?

-I'm sure they're not cutting off every employee's arm, I'd refuse that.
-The sleep regulator is most likely something students will want fromt the beginning, so they can study AND party. not study more!
-no need for datajacks for knowsofts anymore.

I like the calculation, that early installation of ware saves money. The corps will like this, too.

Second-generation or cloned candidate might have PuSHeD as a prenatal genetic modification. I think both cybereyes (or at least a display link) and internal commlinks would be common, as well as data locks for sensitive data.

While combat boosts are not too likely (other than stealthy last ditch things like maybe a fingertip needle with atropine), but some (not all) corporate research types could be competent hackers or drone riggers.

I would see less implanted gear actually.

Most would have enhancers but not the commlink or internal memory because of data security. Quite a few places would have them use site commlinks vs their own.

For drone rigging scientists I could see that giving runners a number of surprises. It would be fairly easy to have a research lab work with experiments weighing hundred if now thousands of pounds, this would require overhead cranes, forklifts, and lifting trolleys that could be rigged by a scientist trying to protect themselves. Remote manipulator arms would also be common inside of man labs were toxic or radioactive materials are used.

I tend to agree with MortVent on the amount of implanted ware. A scientist could be kidnapped form their home, and disassembled for their implanted comm link or datalock. It would be more secure to store the on the job comm links inside a safe when the scientists are off site.

If security is like many secure installations today there will be two networks on site, and any computer/comm link only accesses one of those networks ever. One would be an unsecure network with access to matrix and easy to log on to and everyone can use. The second would be the secure network that can access facility resources and data feeds, this one would be controlled strictly requiring facility issued security programs on the connecting device and only allow on pre-approved devices.


I would also agree that voluntary limb replacement is rare, but no way to show company loyalty like branding yourself with the company hardware.

In that case they are likely to operate only inside an hermetically enclosed area where the nasty stuff is, and are likely to be the least of the problem any runner stupid or unlucky enough to get there.

True, didn't think that one through entirely. Waldos are much less common in areas that you can expect to walk through and not die next week.

I think this also depends on the company--Omnitech is known for having much more heavily augmented staffers than other corps.

For some of these guys, there really isn't such a thing as "off site". They are kept under the proverbial lock and key.