Cyber Exoskeleton: This system adds a mostly external cybernetic musculature, bolted onto the users bones, fully replacing the role of the bodies normal musculature. Originally developed for those suffering from spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, and other forms of non-cerebral paralysis, it has gained popularity as lower cost and less invasive alternative to traditional strength and agility enhancement. Unlike traditional muscle augmentation the Cyber Exoskeleton completely replaces rather than augments the strength and agility scores of the user. It grants a new strength score equal to twice its rating and an agility score equal to its rating. While a Cyber Exoskeleton is active, this new strength and agility score cannot be adjusted by any means, including magical, chemical, and cybernetic enhancements (and hindrances). At the GMs discretion a user with a Cyber Exoskeleton may be immune to some paralysis effects as well. The Cyber Exoskeleton is incompatible with both skillwires and reflex recorder bioware.

The disadvantage of a Cyber Exoskeleton compared to traditional augmentation is that it is nearly impossible to conceal (+8 concealment modifier) and requires special tailoring to wear with armor (increase price of armor by 100%). It also potentially vulnerable to cybernetic attack, bricking the system completely paralyzes the user, and at the GM’s discretion, a compromised Cyber Exoskelton could even be used to control the user like a puppet. Removing or installing the external components of a Cyber Exoskeleton takes a Cybertechnology [Mental] (6, 1 minute) Extended Test.

Wireless: The system functions as skillwires of its rating.

>> These used to be extremely popular with gangers as a cheap way to acquire muscle. But since Crash 2.0 it has fallen out of favor as a medical treatment and so is harder to find and more expensive. Many places still prohibit them without a legitimate medical excuse. Today they still find popularity with some decker gangs like the Brain Eaters in Seattle. << -Sawbones

>> Yeah you get a great bang for your buck with this ‘ware, but it has some serious drawbacks. If you use it wirelessly, make sure your defenses are up to stuff because getting paralyzed or worse on a run is no fun. << -Metalo

Design Notes: Obviously inspired by the movie Elysium, the Cyber Exoskeleton is provided as an interesting alternative to conventional muscle replacement. It is cheaper in terms of essence and nuyen, but this is balanced by its stat replacement nature, concealability drawback, and limited agility. Compared to muscle replacement, you get a small advantage when it is taken at ranks 3 and 4, assuming the runners Strength and Agility are mini-maxed at 0 for both stats. Its a piece of gear designed to be most attractive to deckers, riggers, or any other archetype who might have more limited physical agility needs. It is also a great piece of gear to turn an otherwise plain NPC into a possible threat.

To Adapt for 4th edition, simply reduce the cost to 5,000￥ or 7,500￥ times the rating, and possibly change the availability to Rating x 3.

You can also find this on my blog, or check out the original google doc. Thoughts and suggestions are welcomed.

Limited Cyber Exoskeleton
Alternatively, instead of getting a full body exoskeleton, a more limited version can be installed. The primary recipients of this are paraplegics who use the system to provide mobility, but versions exists to replace the musculature of any single limb or combination of limbs. Much like the Full Cyber Exoskeleton, the limited Cyber Exoskeleton completely replaces the ability scores of the affected limb, giving it a new strength score equal to twice its rating and an agility score equal to its rating. While the limited cyber exoskeleton is active, the attributes cannot be adjusted by any means. A limited cyber exoskeleton functions similarly to a cyberlimb when determining what attribute rating to use for a test (SR5 455). The Limited Cyber Exoskeleton is also incompatible with both skillwires and reflex recorder bioware.

A limited Cyber Exoskeleton is still difficult to conceal (increase the concealment modifier by 1 for every two points of rating per limb) and requires special tailoring to wear with armor (increase price of armor by 25% per limb). It also potentially vulnerable to cybernetic attack, bricking the system paralyzes the affected limbs and, at the GM’s discretion, a compromised Cyber Exoskelton could even be controlled externally. Removing or installing the external components of a Cyber Exoskeleton takes a Cybertechnology [Mental] (2, 1 minute) Extended Test per limb.

Cost Rating x Limbs x 5,000￥
Availability Rating x Limbs x 3
Essence Rating x Limbs x .25

This is also included on the original google doc, which has had some minor adjustments from the original posts.

My biggest question after watching Elysium was 'how do you change your clothes with that thing on' XD

Anyhow. I do like the idea of this piece of 'ware, though it would probably be far too obvious to fly in my game (despite it looking like an insanely cool piece of gear) and of course, hackerbait.

Elysium setting clothing

Wireless bonus: Clothes reconfigure around any exo armors worn.

I would also suggest that this changes your damage to physical. Given how the nanotech needed to implant a lot of cyberware have become so unreliable I could easily see this type of gear becoming more common. Humanis would support their use since it gives a human worker strength to work side by side with orks and trolls.

I considered that, but decided against it basically because the exoskeleton (despite its name) really doesn't reinforce the bodies skeleton in the same way bone lacing or a cyber arm does. In fact the name is a bit of a misnomer, the exoskeleton depicted in Elysium (and detailed here) really isn't an exoskeleton, as it is bolted onto and relies on the bodies existing skeleton. It is more of an exo-musculature or something really, but that name isn't as catchy.

BTW I like your rebalanced cyberware costs. I agree that cyberware is moderately to expensive in SR5. And in fact I think all the prices are inflated a bit to much in general but that's a topic for a latter post.

I can see the Iron Will becoming popular again, fluff wise (Attitude, page 154).

It lost popularity?

Going by the bit in Attitude, from page 153: "As the prices of augmentations and drones dropped, things like the Iron Will became less popular, and now there’s maybe two hundred still in use."

Ahh... Yes, I remember that now. Thanks Spellbinder.

Wow never knew about the Iron Will exoskeleton. Good to know at least some other authors were thinking similarly to me rules wise.

the reason I suggested you also get physical damage is that when you were to strike you'd make contact with a piece of the armor instead of you hand. If you look here you can see that part of the machine is on even his fingers, which is how you'd be able to apply the enhanced strength.

After some discussion on the official forum I think that a better idea would be to raise starting cash vs making one type of gear cheaper. After all, all gearcentric characters had the price of their toys raised.

I suppose you could go either way on the damage thing. That picture makes me think I need to stat up that Chemrail rifle.

I cannot, for the very life of me, figure out why an exoskeleton like this needs to be bolted on to the body. It would be intensely uncomfortable, and the social ramifications would be enormous. The wearer would only need trodes to use DNI, plus you can take it off at the end of the day. Nobody, but nobody, would want something like this.

Taking info from another sci-fi RPG, the concept there was to be able to properly reinforce the human body with the enhanced strength and speed the exoskeleton gave. Being anchored to your skeleton meant that it would not happen to rip your arm off if you had to throw something, or tear your legs apart when you ran.

The in-game reasoning for bolting it onto the users bones is to provide the proper leverage for the enhanced strength (and potentially agility). A cyber exoskeleton that actually provided its own reinforcement might be considerably bulkier, and more expensive. In addition, bolting it to the users bones provides for much better coordination with the users movement then you could achieve by merely strapping the exoskeleton on externally. In terms of a neural interface, I'm assuming that a greater degree of integration is needed than what a standard DNI or 'trode net provides to give the full range of mobility. You don't just 'rig' they cyber exoskeleton, you control it just as you would a cyber arm or leg.

As for who would use it? Well the intended medical recipients are those who are permanently disabled due to something like muscular dystrophy. I'm assuming that no other treatment options offer the same cost-benefit as the exoskeleton does (you can of course make other assumptions!). As for those um... other people... that might get the cyberware implanted, it offers some significant cost and essence savings over muscle replacements, but with some significant drawbacks. It's not a piece of cyberware your average sam would pick up, but a decker or rigger with a low strength and and agility score anyways might consider it.

The limited versions are medically intended as an alternative to amputation and cyber-replacment for injuries that would result in paralysis of a limb. On the street they can serve as a poor mans cyber-limb, costing less nuyen and essence (most of the time) for a limb of similar strength, but obviously lacking all the extra fixings a cyberlimb might bring.

Out of game the reason its built such was to provide an option to a player who saw a cool cyberpunkish film and though, "hey I want that!" and to provide an interesting alternative to the traditional options for stat enhancement.

I'd welcome rules for a strap on version like you envision though. In fact, its not entirely clear from the film if the version Kruger wares is bolted on or not. I might stat up the alternative version he might be wearing at some point.

There's also Superficial Cyberlimbs (Spy Games, pages 143 & 144). No Essence required.