Simple Cybernetics

[amechra]

So, you want a little something to give you an advantage? A new set of peepers, maybe? We have a deal on Micron Oculus products this week. No? Fine.

Your loss.

Cybernetics are, at their core, simply replacement limbs and organs. What nature has neglected, the fruit of modern science can provide - and all that jazz.

In this dystopian cyberpunk future of ours, you can go down to your local chop-shop or hospital and get remove any Personal Tilt inflicted by Aggravated damage with a cybernetic equivalent. Snazzy! The default, cheap-as-dirt model goes for a measly Availability ••, but has a small... issue. Namely, it's ugly as hell - even with the complimentary anti-rejectives, you've got puckering and scarring, not to mention the jarring look of metal erupting from flesh.

You're going to be taking a -1 penalty on Social rolls with anyone who hasn't been spending time around cybered, plus another -1 if the graft happens to be in a particularly obvious place, like on your face.

Now, there are a few options you can go for! Each one is gonna cost you - a nice rule of thumb for all you punks out there is that you're looking at +1 to the Availability for each of these, and you can only pick 'em twice each, at the most.
• Reduce that penalty to Social rolls with people that haven't been around cyborgs before by one - they either made your implants blend in, or you got something made that's pretty nice looking.
• You picked the right brand for whatever implant you got - you're going to get a +1 to Social rolls with people "in the know" because of your fine, fine taste in cybernetics. You only take the best Social bonus from branding; no loading up on bling and expecting to be king, OK?
• You got something a little... extra added to the hunk of metal that just got jabbed into your body. Something worth a whole 1xp, if you'd believe it! Unfortunately, you lose the benefits of whatever you got through this option whenever you suffer a Personal Tilt to the appropriate body part, but them's the breaks!

Now, there are a few things to keep in mind - namely, you can't disable cyberlimbs or cyberorgans with pain. No pain receptors, you see. However, electricity is still fair game, so be careful about shoving your metal fingers into wall sockets, alright?

If you happen to be that kind of guy... you know, the kind that can heal from lost limbs or whatever naturally? Cybernetics is not for you. The stuff'll fall off (or out) when you heal the wound you needed closed in the first place. If you've got some way of keeping scars around, you can use that to prevent your body from rejecting the machinery that was so graciously shoved into your body, if you're into that kinda thing.

[Almarck]

Well, these are most assuredly simple.


I'm assuming "simsense" is included with the assumed default packages? Things like touch are kinda important forsome jobs because the sensory feedback provides better coordination to certain tasks.

[amechra]

They are; the basic Availability •• package gets you a pretty good replacement, just not a pretty one.

The reason you can't disable cyber-arms with pain is that the pain sensors are going to shut down before you get to the point where you actually get disabled by it. Plus, it fits in with the tropes associated with cyborgs, so eh.

[Vent0]

Any thoughts regarding tying the base cybernetic to a condition? Merely to mirror the mechanical effect of abjuration (namely, do something to the underlying condition, for example Cyber-Arm, and all conditions/effect reliant upon it go away).

Probably too clunky.

[miss_minty]

a condition makes the most sense. Like new encounters are always one step lower on the social maneuverability chart. Granting a beat whenever a roll to open a door fails or something like that. I remember. I think it was project twilight in the old world of darkness that cybernetics penalized humanity.

[monteparnas]

It would make sense with the trope to penalize Integrity a little. Something so one implant won't give you a sizable penalty, but a lot of them together can bring up Cyber-Psychosis.

The use of Conditions, could be a better rule, though those aren't bad at all. And the option to add something to the Availability of an equipment to turn it into an implant with the normal penalties. An implant could work as if benefited by a 1-dot Merit, or simply could be the explanation for any Merit purchased with the Beats gained from the Condition it imposes itself.