At first I was pondering the possibility of replacing a (damaged) spinal cord with rigger controlled limbs. Then I read about Snake-eyes. Could skillwires be used to provide a means of control for a rigger? Could a rigger control other people? Teammates? Enemies/victims? What would the mechanic be? Successes on a control test limited by skillwire rating? Discuss amongst yourselves. I'll be back in about 16 hr to check in.

I'm sorry, I know it's rude to start a topic and then scoot, but I just thought of it and had to put it up here.

Tootles

Remind me to NEVER take mysterious cyberware in one of your games

Nothing canon that I know of, but I would think it would be a special use of a skillwire system that would completely dominate the skillwires, so you couldn't run this and any other skillsofts along with it.
The obvious answer is that you can't roll any more dice for a skill than the rating of the skillwire system. And no pool. Unless you're using an expert driver. Just like skillwires.
The most disturbing thing about this is that the person would still be conscious; a spectator having to watch and feel as their body is forced to commit unspeakable acts of, well, use your imagination. And like Kremlin said, never, EVER take mysterious cyberware in Da9iel's game.
And snakeeyes is obviouly there for feedback.

Actually, it’d be incredibly useful. Have the team streetsam jump out of his body to take a look at something a drone’s looking at while the rigger jumps into his body and keeps it trucking.

~J

Check out Renraku Arcology Shutdown and Brainscan. Deus did some remote controll stuff in there. Though I think he just used brainwashing and told people what to do through head radios and limited BTL signals.

I think there's something in the underworld sourcebook about this. I can't remember what the term they use is, but I think it was Japanese for "meat puppet" or something. If I recall correctly, it was mostly used as a cyber mod for sex workers, but I imagine that the computer programming could be replaced by rigger control, and the consciousness filters could be done away with if you really wanted. Also, you might want to augment it with simsense recording gear, so the rigger would experience everything and not just the visual sensory output. I don't know what you'd do to keep your friends from running out on you, though...

The bunraku parlors primarily involve personafix BTLs and/or memory blockers (I forget the name, they're in Man and Machine).

~J

But even as deltaware such a system would take up a buttload of Essence.

First you need the skillwires. These actually wouldn't be too bad if you can spend huge amounts of money: use a rating (ASIST-rating) 1 skillwire system with a huge MP (pulse) rating, and run your Controlsoft with lots of pluscode in it. So .2 Essence. Then you have to pay to rigger-adapt the skillwires, if that's how you want to do it. The hardware and software for this would be by far the most expensive part of the system.

The Snakeeyes system costs 2.5 Essence. This doesn't include the Encryption module, which is another .2 Essence.

You'd probably want a Data filter too, to keep your subject from remembering anything you do while in his body, so that's another .3 Essence.

So by the end of all this you have 3.2 Essence taken up by someone else's cyber. Even with deltaware that's 1.6 Essence. That alone is probably more than the -3 point Flaw is worth; what do you think?

Well, that is really harsh on a 3 pt. flaw (I'd increase it personally in this instance) but what if some of it was external??? I know, it defeats the purpose, but if they think it's part of their wired reflexes they're not about to rip it out.

I did something similar with an NPC, except the skillwires were well-known. So was the CED 6, this being before the errata came out. It was the Implant chip with Kung Fu 6, DIMAP 6, and Overdrive-6 that was covered under the flaw. When the PC's discovered what the otaku was capable of, they were mightily impressed-- it became known as the "I Know Kung Fu!" chip.

Basically, you're looking for the Implant option on p 61, CC. It even gives mention about it being remote-activated, so you can pull off a lot that way.

What was the name of that book? The one where the city was divided horizontally. The lower class lived below and couldn't come up without work permits. Some lower people would make a living by having their bodies taken over by top-siders who would slum around for the night. They wore some kind of collar so that everyone knew it wasn't really them. I just remembered that book, but I can't remember the title. I think it rather fits this idea. What better way to go out and experience the barrens than in someone else's body?

PC: Do you thing I should take mysterious cyberware?
GM: Sure! I'll give you a nice, high-rating skillwire system.
PC: Gee! All that for only 3 pts?
GM: Yup. Tell ya what! I like you. You're my kind of player. I'll throw in a snake-eyes system for free!
PC: Hmm. I don't know. That sounds like an awful lot. What's the catch.
GM: No catch. It's all quite useful. I promise that's all there is. The reason it's a flaw is that nobody knows exactly where it came from, and maybe they want it back! Yeah, that's the ticket.
PC: Wow! Skill wires and Snake-eyes too! I'll be "The Man." I'll be the most useful player in the group!
GM: Yes, yes you will!

Now all I have to do is get his data jack cross connected into his skill wires.

*shudders* ever had one of those days where you can't remember what you did... and you acted extremely different from yourself... this would be so much worse.

I'd only consider doing something like this if the person was munch-festing his other flaws too, like an Allergy to orichalcum or a phobia of great dragons or something equally dumb.

But even then that's a tough amount of Essence to account for. Maybe just GM-rule it as some sort of hardwired custom job that combines all of those elements necessary to have a rigger come in and take over the guy's body, but have no other benefits, and make it cost 2.00 Essence base? Then your Mysterious Cyberware flaw would give you a Delta version of it for 1.00 Essence. That's still a big chunk to lose for only 3 points, but you might get some schmuck to agree to it.

nah this is about the point where, as GM, I would get the M&M surgery rules drunk, and abuse them like there is no tomorrow, let's me set an arbritary essence cost...

This would be the perfect extra function to sneak into a MBW system. You could even argue that since MBW already controls all muscle use, the basic level 1 drone pilot would function without added penalty and a rigger stopping by would have access to every skill the rigger knows with a small penalty when the attributes are different (+1 to TNs for every 2 points the relevant physical attribute varies between rigger and rigged).
Still, you'd need to toss in some support ware to give the sensory feedback to the pilot or rigger.

Add a pilot program for an arthreform drone and a rigger can run his body as one of his drones.

Aside from eth essence cost it could be useful in an astray projecting mage as well. keep his body near the teem while he scouts ahead astray (not far enough that he would need to look far for his body).

The sex workers where more often personofixed.

Edward