Hi everyone !

Just wanted to hear the opinions of the dumpshock oracle about this topic:

Genetic heritage lets you start with one genetic modification for FREE.
Does that mean it just doesn't cost you any money but you still pay the essence cost for it?
Or does it mean you get one modification for free and you DON'T pay essence for that mod?

Since it says that you INHERIT a modified genome from your parents, you don't "alter" your essence in anyway since you're born this way! Otherwise Surgelings would need to pay essence too, since their DNA is also modified from birth (altough not engineered DNA)? A Person is born with 6 essence. That would mean that genes that get inherited shouldn't cost essence right?

What is the dumpshock oracle's opinion?

Edit: (Runningwild) apparently warforms and chimeras don't have to pay essence for positive genetic modifications that get inherited when they breed and get children, why shouldn't this apply for humans (metavariants) ?

Ok nevermind!

Found the answer on the official Shadowrun 4 websites FAQ

"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."

You still have to pay the essence cost, even if it is inherited

I had wondered about the same thing once (glad they put it into the FAQ to clear things up).

But it surely is a fair deal. No Essence Cost would have been too good for the quality. See it as game balance.

Bye
Thanee

Of course, that also means it's really not a good idea to take that quality for anything that costs less than 50,000 ...

Which is why you always get Rank 3 Synaptic Accelerators.
And no... I would not allow that, though I would allow Rank 1.

Well, for R3 you'd also need Restricted Gar, right?

...

Now think of what sort of a history and background you would have, if you were BORN with an augment that has an availability of 18R?

Now let's add insult to injury, and pick up three qualities to go with it: "Wanted" (-10), "Records on File" (-10), and "Escaped Clone" (5).

And it'd only get worse, if you could talk your GM into letting you add in "Type O System". Yes, yes, that would go well over the Positive Qualities cap (it'd put you at 50/35).

...

But, can you say, "you were the property of a AAA research project ... and they REALLY want you back ...?" Think about it: a Type ) vat-grown organ donor, chock full of lovely Synaptic Booster parts-n-pieces ... which maybe grow back after being "harvested" ...!

You're not a person, you're a CROP. ;D ;D ;D

All Very, Very, True...
Every Decision has a Consequence...

Not really. It's the cumulative effect that you are purchasing. You can max out your resources - and then add Reakt on top of that. It's the same reason that min-maxers will play elves even though they come out 10 build points behind humans - you are paying for the ability to have that higher Agility and/or Charisma.

Eh. If I want a charisma monkey, I'll play a Pixie, thanks.

It's quite easier to establish deniability with elven runners than with the much more exotic pixie ones, though.

That, and you're not a freaking pixie.

Genetic Heritage is very good if you use it to get Adapsin. Note that the flavor text says that one should not take Adapsin at chargen, as opposed to actually forbidding it.

It is discouraged for character creation because it is new to the market in 2070. So it would, if anything, be even less likely to be allowed by the GM, if taken in conjunction with genetic heritage.

"But it doesn't actually say I can't!!!"

Isn't it 2074? So it would be old hat now.

Not old hat enough for a shadowrunner to have been BORN with it. Not even a thirteen or fourteen year old _prodigy_ of a shadowrunner.

Unless it represents a character that has the homozygous form of a biocompatability mutation.

Ah, reminds me of the good old days of Star Trek.

It's only logical.

It's true, simple logic: player wants things he shouldn't have, therefore he constructs silly justifications for them.

Or for a character who is the escaped clone of someone who had the procedure. The gene likely originated somewhere in the human population to boot. The genetic version of muscle augmentation is known to exist in the human population today. Its occurrence is naturally something like 1/20,000.

The naturally-occuring version of Adapsin is called the quality "Biocompatibility".

Hence my comment about a homozygous version.

Strictly by RAW, the two are actually cumulative with each other. House rule wise, the problem with allowing a "homozygous form of a biocompatability mutation" is that you are right back to the point of letting someone get Essence-free geneware (or bioware, since there is a vague snippet in the rules about a lot of bioware being available as geneware for similar cost or Essence). My personal suggestion, if a player makes that suggestion, is to power the dilithium crystals through the main deflector array and blast the hell out of the idea.

Just remember that doing that too rapidly will cause significant disruptions in the tachyon flow.

Born Rich is essentially paying 20 BP for 10 extra BP of cash; you're paying double. Genetic Heritage for, say, a 45000Y Genetic Optimization is only paying about 11% markup. And don't forget the discount on later purchases. It's a pretty solid quality.