 July 22, 2008 - 5:17pm | While reading over this excellent article I was impressed with the effort made to keep the feel of the 1980's view of advanced technology. It must have been a chore trying to keep things feeling "old-school". I am endeavoring to create a set of rules to address cybernetics systems and would like to achieve the same retro-effect as well. This article made a couple of points regarding the Biocom I'd like to get some clarification upon. "Biocoms can be installed only at a handful of medical facilities. Prenglar has a research and development team that works independently for several mega-corps that will implant one for just under 2,000 Credits. The implant attaches itself to the central nervous system of the wearer, drawing bioelectric power from its host. Implanting one will permanently lower the maximum STA of the wearer by 2 points, though it doesn’t affect his current STA score unless his current score is greater than this new maxim." |
 July 22, 2008 - 6:30pm | I'm not Bill (Mr. Logan, Clean Cut Rogue here) but I'll give you my take. I like the idea of the cyber implants reducing the character's Stamina with a greater cost for bigger implants. You could let this represent shock to the biolgical system and trying to deal with the foreign implant. I would allow buy back of the lost Stamina as per the normal rules, expend the XP on a one to one basis. This would represent the character's system learning to deal with the imlpant. This can be the XP cost you were originally planning on having, just translate it into an immediate Stamina loss and then the XP can be expended to build it back up, or not and the character can just deal with the lowered Stamina. You might add some sort of limitation, say the number of cybermods can never exceed more than half of a character's Stamina score. This would also help limit their proliferation. For example, say my PC has a Stamina of 45 and mods already totalling 18 points. I want to add a mod that costs 5 Stamina, I couldn't do it right away as that would lower my stamina to 40 and give me 23 points of mods, over half my current stamina. I'd need to raise my Stamina by six points first, to 51. then getting the implant would lower me back to 46 which is just double the cybermod count of 23. I'd need to spend even more points if I wanted further modifications, but you could never have more than 50 points of mods. If you set the limit at 50%, basically you could get up to 1/3 of your starting Stamina in mods before you had to start spending XP to boost it back up. Of course at that point, you'd only have 2/3 of you orginal Stamina. So if you started at 45 you'd be down to 30 and if you started at 60 you'd be down to 40, but you'd have a bunch of mods. Or you could allow characters to cross this limit line, but if they do, the character is more machine than man (used loosely) and is now legally considered a robot instead of a person or some such liability. Or maybe that percentage varies from planet to planet just to keep them guessing. i.e. you can be 70% modded on Outer Reach but if you show up on Histron with more than 25% mods you have to be accomanied by a "living" being and aren't allowed in some establishments "Hey, we don't serve their kind here." "Huh?" "Your droids, they have to wait outside."  Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 July 22, 2008 - 8:27pm | Or better yet.... "Your body parts, they have to wait outside. We don't serve their kind here." |
 July 23, 2008 - 1:22am | Nice...kind of like the Humanity Cost rules from Cyberpunk. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
July 23, 2008 - 7:39pm | Thanks, Terlobar. I'm really beginning to think that the STA cost is the way to handle this. The 50% of Stamina score as a character's maximum cybermod potential is a great way of balancing cybernetic PCs with other characters. Players will not want to invest in to much cybermod knowing that it would be their character's "Achille's Heel". A great insight! It took me a few minutes to 'get' what you were meaning when you were describing the starting off with 1/3rd of STA worth of cybermod. A 45 STA character could not begin with 22.5 points of cybermod as 1/2 of the reduced stamina score would be 22.5 (and thus cybermod total would be equal to new stamina total; and thus a violation to the rule.) I like the legallity issues too, for how different systems would recognize cybermod vs robots. Something like that is a little beyond the scope I was originally thinking. I'm not all that familiar, yet, with the various systems of the Frontier and wouldn't know where to begin setting up this aspect of cybermod. I would think that this would relate to obvious cybermod as more discreet (and outright stealth) augments would not be as obvious to an NPC. This is definately an area that needs to be addressed as I seem to remember a module that had a robot assasin that could be easily mistaken as a human. Also, there are those pleasure androids to consider: they certainly have no rights (being just property -- are there really such human-like or race-like robots in the Frontier?) As for Dralisites and cybermod; does anyone think that this race should be penalized by barring them from cybernetic compatibility? Could this have been the case up until recent years where newly discovered procedures have overcome obstacle? Anyone care to weigh in on this issue? Thanks for the help! Ben |
July 23, 2008 - 7:58pm | I would think that Dral mods would hinder their ability to change shape and movement but based on STR would be able to get more.... Hrm...  I would like to see the Sathar beef up their agents with cyber doohickeys. Something well hidden but very sinister (kinda like that freaky Yaz in Bugs in the System). Dral Facts: A fully cybermoded Dral is nothing more than a talking bowling ball. One Dral took it seriously when a human said "Grow a pair dude." which he acquired a pair. Brass in fact. |
 July 24, 2008 - 4:49am | I could see drals using advanced exoskeltons. Just squeeze into it. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
August 7, 2008 - 6:42pm | When it comes to NPC baddies, I would think it okay for a Ref to bend the rules a little as to how much cybermod would be allowed. Sathar patrons might be willing to foot the bill for much of the implants their agents recieve. |
August 8, 2008 - 7:23am | Anyone remember a batman cartoon where it was a teenager that took over the bat suit in the future when the original batman was old? I remember a patch technology where you peeled off the resign and slapped it on your skin and you became extremely strong. Kinda of a diff take than bio implants. Food for thought. Now back to my regular scheduled c0ff33! |
August 8, 2008 - 8:54pm | Bio-mod... That sounds like a whole new kettle of fish! That might be something kind of cool as an alternative Sathar take on cyberware; though they have many canon examples of cybertech monstrosities. |
August 9, 2008 - 1:20pm | Anyone remember a batman cartoon where it was a teenager that took over the bat suit in the future when the original batman was old? I remember a patch technology where you peeled off the resign and slapped it on your skin and you became extremely strong. Kinda of a diff take than bio implants. Food for thought. Now back to my regular scheduled c0ff33! Batman Beyond, where Terry McGinnis becomes the ward of Bruce Wayne and dons a suit of powered bat-armor. I remember the patch technology as well. Also, there's the viral technology used in Steve Perry's Matador series, particularly the FTS virus which souped up your reflexes something fierce. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
