Ok, hear me out here, I have an idea.

Instead of having retroactive genetic modification be available as 'ware, let's put genetically modified people in the priority system as alternate metatype choices.

EG:

Priority C: Alpha Human. (0)
Priority B: Alpha Elf (0), Alpha Human (4)
Priority A: Alpha troll (0), Alpha Dwarf (2), Alpha Orc (1), Alpha Elf (4), Alpha Human (7), Delta Human (0).

Alpha: +1 to all physical and mental attributes, counts towards Augmented Maximum but stacks will all other sources. +1 initiative. +1 dice vs poison and disease.

Delta: +2 to all physical and mental attributes, counts towards Augmented Maximum but stacks with all other sources. +2 initiative. Low-light and thermographic vision. +2 dice vs poison and disease. +1 to all limits.

Thoughts?

Brings up the immediate question "why are the only deltas Human?".

I think this is probably better handled with the existing system. If you want high stats, prioritize your stat pick accordingly.

Would these bonuses only be available with a wireless connection?

~Umi

A second option is to go back through Man and Machine and Augmentation, collect the list of geneware mods, and then allow the player to choose one by spending one of the special points given with the racial priority.

Afb, but I don't recall any geneware being too abusive on its own, and none being too expensive essence wise. Personally I'd just hand wave away the essence costs as the 5e characters would all be the offspring of those who were modded, but for every point spent in such a way, permanently reduce the max edge by one. Ymmv, house rules need to be discussed before hand, and all that.

Or just port it over and have the table hammer out the details of costs, and then have the character spend the nuyen and essence while hand waving the details of where the character came from.

Obviously it's down to your GM.
If somebody is desperate for a Gene mod I'd say take a look at the SR4 source, adapt it if need be then pay for it out of your starting cash and essence as required.

With regard to "inheriting" genetic modification from your parents, does the SR4 source say the mods are passed on to offspring? I'd be surprised if they were, there's an enormous legal/ethical minefield there. Who would ever get a genetic mod if it meant giving EVO patent rights over their descendants DNA ?

Actually, with respect to DNA patents (though not gene mods that give you superpowers...yet) that's something of an imminent issue today. I'd honestly be surprised if it wasn't an issue in Shadowrun, unless the assumption is that GURT technology is fairly ubiquitous.

Come on, we all know that the Megacorps would NEVER abuse that kind of thing!

DNA patents today are weird, by the way. There's a handful of patents on naturally occurring cancer genes.
So yeah. I'd be surprised if it wasn't an issue in ShadowRun in some way. Monsanto is just screaming to be a triple-A corp.

Agreed. Not to mention the test cases where the patent goes to the discoverer of the naturally occurring sequence, not the host of the sequence.

Honestly though, now that I think about it for more than 5 seconds, the most likely scenario is that both possibilities (inheritance vs. GURT) are live in the Sixth World. Policies could vary from megacorp to megacorp, depending on their views on what the best method of control would be.

Fun stuff.

Well, just as a side note:
The crap Monsanto did to farmers in the US probably played a big role in them beeing kicked of the european market all together....
Patents on genes is a tribble edged sword....
(And their 7. google proposal beeing EVIL)

Tribble-edged sword, ha!

SCA Approved
SPCA Dissapproved

Rumours of the a Tribble-edged Bat'leth are met with stony silence from certain corners.

Hey, some referance to the great destroyers of grain has to be made, when talking about GMO and Monsanto...