I am running an online game with some friends that takes place in pre- and during Bug City Chicago. Now, quite obviously, insect spirits are going to be a common element in the storyline and there will be involvement thereof between the group and these insect spirits, including some that are "good merges".

Now, as only one member of the group is a mage in any aspect (and the closest the rest of the group comes is someone with two points of Magic Background), I want to throw some of them for a loop, but at the same time, don't want to violate game laws unless I have to (none of the group has fought against an insect spirit before, character-wise, so who's to say what they really are like?).

What I'm wondering is if a flesh form or good merge insect spirit is still able to use their cyberware that was implanted in them. I'm getting from the whole "Mental Attributes = Spirit's Force" that things like an SPU and other bioware and cyberware mental-boosting enhancements won't work. But when it says that the spirit's Physical Attributes = the host's physical attributes... does that still mean that I can have a dermal plated Troll wasp spirit with muscle replacement go completely to town on them?

Now, that's just an extreme example. There are other characters that I'm wanting to have cyber, I'm just curious as to how it'd work.

While Im not entirly sure, Id say that anything 'structural' would be fine. Bone lacing, muscle replacement, ect.

You want nasty? Have them merge with an adept.

Aw, just make them insect spirits merge with cybered up Drake vampires and be done with it.

Insect spirits loose there magical abilities they had as human. So adepts don’t work.

Edward

A spirit possessing a decker can deck and a spirit possessing a rigger can rig so I'd say that DNI cyberware is fine in a fleshform. I'd even let them benefit from the rare piece of 'ware that increases mental stats. All things being equal Fleshforms aren't possessing spirits they are dual natured critters.

Have a good merge fleshform worker. Yes, I said worker. Use Skill - Small Unit Tactics + Tac Comp implant.

For the record, I got a Termite worker with Tac Comp(+ all the bells and whistles) and 2 good merge fleshform cybered-up Juggernauts, along with half the hive all with BT cyberlinks. Have fun.