Canon specifically makes an exception for Electronic Vision Magnification (as opposed to the Optical varient), in that it cannot be used by spellcasters.

There is a specific exception to this in the case of digital zoom and ultrasound vision. As is listed under the descriptions of these 2 items. There are no others I am aware of.

For economical reasons I would use a locking helmet that covers the face down to the cheeks with a display in front of each eye and a camera in front of that to provide “normal” vision. Of cause the focus would be a bitch as would recognising inmates except by the label on there forehead.

Edward

Which makes no real sense to tell the truth. I can understand needing the optical if you don't have cybereyes. But for them to make a distinction between a lens that makes a a larger image on the artificial retina, and extra sensitive retina that allows the brain to zoom in on the picture, when all that data was processed electronically, sent optically to the processor in the brain then converted to electrical impluses again is moronic at best. Might as well say you can't use a touch spell with a cyberarm. No one questions that one.

That ruling was tacked on to 3rd edition, it was explicitly allowed (iirc) in 2nd.

AFAIK, the rules have always been the same in regards to Electronic Vision Mag.

Well that's why I love being a GM I get to throw out the rules that fail to have any sense at all. And if you can justify how a mage can cast spells through cyber eyes but not the built in electronic vision magnification, I might listen. I don't allow casting through ultrasound becuase that is line of sound. lol

I never once stated it was reasonable ... only that it was canon.

Actually I look at it this way: It was expressly allowed for cyber eyed mages to have electronic magnification and to use it in first and second edition. Many mages might have gone fo this after all the slight magic loss was hardly crippling and the ability toi affect people farther way was a great boon. Now suddenly they are forced into the 3rd edition world and their eyes don't work the way they always have been. yeah right.

As I said before, I believe it has always been an exception.

It's a moot point though. If you as a GM don't like the rule, then don't use it.

I personally like the rule, because it forces Mages to either get total Cybereye replacement in order to have Vision Mag, or to run around with big-ass telescoping lenses in their eyes, as the Optical varient is very obvious in normal eyes.

No, I meant that the mage needs Cyber eyes to use the Electronic Vision magnification. If he just has the addon installed sure he can peep at the the sunbathing Cat shaman, but that is about it. With out the cybernetic eyes themselves there isn't the proper link to establish Spell LOS that way.

If you say so.

As I said though, I'm fine with the rules the way they are in canon. The explanation being the Optical version does not actually translate anything to electronic medium, being connected directly to the optical nerves (in some unexplained and mystical manner).

Well in a the meat eye I can see the need for the optical enhancement, but since a cyber eye already converts the image to electronic media and the mage can still cast spells. No harm no foul.

Um, folks? Whatever happened to the old-fashioned way of dealing with cyberpunk criminals? The cortex bomb - cheap to implant, no essence loss, hard to disarm without special tools and training. If they break out, their head blows up. If they cause trouble, their head blows up. If they don't bend over for the corrupt prison officials (Hey, it's cyberpunk, of course they're corrupt), then their head... well you get the idea.

People get pretty intimidated by the idea of their head blowing up.

And in response to earlier complaints that long-term use of mage-masks is inhumane... Probably - but remember that the UCAS, at least, has a strong anti-awakened bias. I could see an exception being granted to keep those scary mages in line. Some warped people would even see it as being a favor to the mage - the alternative would be to kill them. Too good for the buggers, if you ask Joe Mundane...

Trode rig. You don't need a datajack. What you would need, though, is a way to flip all the prisoners over every once in a while to avoid bedsores.

I was just thinking of something: Why not just chop of one of the mage's arms, replace it with one enhanced in such a way to bring their essense below a whole number, remove that, and then replace it with one with below-average strength? You put a little tracking device inside it and you know exactly where the mage is at all times.

Well hell, if you are going to just chop em up, screw imprisoning, just shoot them on the head. Bullets are cheap.

severely maiming prisoners is probably a bad idea. also, you will get some mages with a valid SIN who get sent to jail every once in a while. extreme stuff like cutting off arms is best reserved for those without a SIN. your main reason not to is high surgury cost- at that point its cheaper to just kill them.

implanting tracking devices may be a reasonable idea though. the kind that only transmit when they receive an encrypted signal.

There was mention in one of the books of a combined drug and surgical routine that would strip all magical ability from a patient. It was being used as a punishment for magical criminals. It did have unhappy side effects (mental flaws).

If you built a cyber prison you would need nurses (or nurse bots) to turn the patients and electrodes on there major muscle groups to prevent excessive muscle atrophy.

Edward

Just have the cubicle cells be padded on both sides, and automatically flip over every so often.

Mmmm. Rotisserie style prisoners.

Exaaaaaactly.

Heh, hack the prison system and add the 'slave to mr decker' pyscotropic ice.

Considering the amount of people who've been in prison, this gives mister decker a pretty big zombi army...

nah, forced implantation of chipjack, epoxy in a p-fix chip.

Instant "willing" cheap labor force.

[Insert warden speech from Shawshank Redemption here]

You do get several problems with the matrix system I had not previously considered.

How will they eat?

How will they excrete?

Edward

One of the cool suggestions from one of the books was an Aztechnology idea - stick the prisoners in a secure place with a whole lot of cameras, then make them fight for food, or a secure place to sleep or something. Broadcast the footage on pay-per-view.

I've always thought this would be a cool idea - collect really nasty prisoners (maybe using that Matrix BTL-loop idea) until you have enough to be interesting, disable (or implant) cyberware as needed to make it moderately even or at least interesting, then dump them in there. Maybe hand out prizes for the most unusual kill or something.

This is a little similar to that Christopher Lambert movie, but it's still pretty cool.

I just had an evil, twisted thought. All the kitchen waste goes to a common dump pile. Devil rats feed on the common dump plie. Strain 3 FAB feed on the devil rats. Would you want to go astral in that prison?

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but if the put a mage in prison for a long time, they'll prolly burn him out first. Not like anything's stopping them; and it makes costs lower for the prison corp.

Does anyone here beside me actually work in a prison?

IIRC BitBasher does.

~J

I have an acquaintance who did, and it's why I'd rather not RP it.

Heh-I can see that. I prefer the hopelessness and grit in my own game, so we do use some things...

Hmm. Well, 90% of what he told me I already knew from other people who had worked there or spent time as guests of the state. And given the circumstances, it's not a closed book. I've just never made a character who spent time in locked up, and the RP opportunity has never come up.

But I did think it was interesting that he's the umpteenth person tell me that 1) Federal prison beats the hell out of state prison, and 2) women's prisons are worse than men's, and he wouldn't work there for any amount of money.

I guess in this sorta scenario, I find it entirely more likely that awakened types, or even cybered up monsters with combat skills, etc, would be seen as a pool of potential recruits for any powerful corp/government/etc group who's looking for expendable or potential long term assets.

Let me be the first to disagree, but only sort of. Some Federal Joints are far worse than a lot of State Joints. However, some State Joints would scare me much worse than going to damn near any Fed Joint you could name-ever watch anything on some of these places? Hell the LA County Jail ranks in my top ten places I never want to be.

Of course at that end of the scale its like comparing which is worse -sh!t or sh@t. They both stink, they both get you dirty, and you'd rather not have to wipe either off your boots.

Indeed.

ADX Florence would suck, but in a whole other way than--for example--some of the things I've heard about Corcoran State Prison, or even the local ones here as far as day-to-day chaos.