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Some Cybernetic devices are simply installed
into a person's body and that's the end
of it; but others are actual replacements
of existing body parts that compensate for
a physical loss. This document discusses
the means used to model this in the MetaCyber
setting. |
PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS AND CYBERNETICS |
The lack of basic assumed physical abilities,
such as the ability to walk, see, hear,
manipulate objects, and so forth is handled
by the Physical Limitation Disadvantage
in the HERO System. Cybernetics can be used
to offset the penalties and lack of ability
inherent to such Physical Limitations. |
ACCIDENTAL LOSS |
If a character has a Physical Limitation
representing a missing or non-functional
body part due to external actions taken
against them or as part of their starting
concept such as a character that was born
deaf or blind, then they must take a Physical
Limitation Disadvantage representing this
state. |
ELECTIVE LOSS |
If a character elects to gain Cybernetics
that represent a limb or organ that a normal
person has, the character must take a Physical
Limitation representing that they now lack
that limb or organ normally. |
PARTIALLY LIMITED BUYOFFS |
Whether the character has an accidental
or elective loss of limbs or organs, when
they add a Cybernetic replacement for that
limb or organ the character must include
a special kind of Power among any other
abilities granted by the Cybernetic device
called a Partially Limited Buyoff, which
is represented as a Custom Power with a
number of Base points equal to the Limitation
value being bought off, and with one or
more Limitations applied to it, particularly
one of the options for
Cybernetic Limitation. |
EXAMPLE: For instance if a character
gets Cybernetic eyes (CyberEyes) implanted
their normal eyes must first be removed.
Thus the character must take the Physical
Limitation "Blind" (All the Time
Fully Impairing) for -25 points. |
However, their new Cybereyes allow them
to see. One of the Powers in their Cybereyes
must be "Offset for Blindness; 25 base",
limited in a fashion appropriate to the
kind of Cybernetic device the character
wants (Restrainable, Focus, or Non-Limited). |
So effectively while the character's CyberEyes
are functioning they can see normally as
their Physical Limitation is being Offset
by the points allocated in the Custom Power,
but if the CyberEyes are destroyed the character
suffers the normal effect of their Physical
Limitation. |
NOTE: Partially Limited Buyoffs are
referred to as "Offsets" for short
because a) Partially Limited Buyoff is a
bit of a mouthful, and b) ultimately they
exist purely to offset a Disadvantage. |
CYBEREYE EXAMPLE |
A character with only one eye would take
the following Physical Limitation: |
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ONE EYE PHYSICAL LIMITATION:
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ONE EYED: Physical Limitation: Missing
One Eye: 1/2 OCV w/ Range (Infrequently,
Greatly Impairing); -10 points |
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That same character could have a "Cybernetic
Eye" device installed that would include,
among any other abilities it granted, contain
the folloing Power construct to offset the
Physical Limitation Disadvantage: |
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CYBERNETIC OFFSET FOR ONE
EYE:
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CYBEREYE: One
Eye Offset (10 Active Points); OIF (Cyber-Eye;
-1/2); Real Cost: 7 points, ~140,000 credits |
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The Disadvantage gives the character back
10 character points, thus to offset the
Disadvantage costs the same number of points.
The Offset Power has the Obvious Inaccessible
Focus Limitation, so the 10 points is modified
by a -1/2 Limitation. 10 / 1.5 = 6.66, which
rounds to 7 Real Cost.
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DISADVANTAGE MAXIMUM |
Physical Limitations taken in this fashion
can take a character over their Disadvantage
Maximum, and the character gets the points
from the Disadvantage. Any points not spent
on the Offset (due to Limitations placed
upon it), the character can do with as they
please. |
HIT LOCATIONS AND CYBERNETICS |
If a character is hit in a location that
contains a Cybernetic device it is up to
the GM to determine if the character's flesh
was hit or if their Cybernetic device was;
if the device provides Armor or other defense
to that Hit Location then it certainly was.
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If a location is hit that is completely
Cybernetic, such as a Cybernetic arm, then
the device is always hit rather than the
character.
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CYBERNETIC ARMOR EXCEPTION |
The only exception to this general rule
is for Cybernetic devices with the principle
purpose of providing Armor to the character,
such as Dermal Armor. This sort of device
should be treated as a hit on the character,
applying the Armor provided by the device
against the damage of the attack as if it
were normal Armor. |
HIT LOCATION MULTIPLES |
The Hit Location Body Multiple is ignored
when a Cybernetic device is hit. This is
true even in the case of Cybernetic Armor,
which makes Cybernetic Skulls and Dermal
Plating to the Stomach and Vitals somewhat
advantaging, but conversely it means that
Cybernetic limbs do not benefit from the
1/2 BODY multiple for the arm and leg locations
(not that it really matters). |
EXAMPLE 1: A character with Dermal
Armor that provides 10 PD / 10 ED to their
entire torso (front and back), is shot in
the "vitals" for 12 BODY, which
normally has a x 2 BODY Multiple. If the
character was wearing normal armor that
provided equivalent protection they would
take 4 BODY, but since the Body Multiple
is ignored they only take 2 BODY. |
EXAMPLE 2: A character with Cybernetic
arms is shot in the arm for 8 BODY. Normally
any damage that got past defenses would
be halved, but since it hit a Cybernetic
device the full damage is applied normally.
If any BODY exceeds the DEF of the device
it loses a Power. |
CYBERNETIC FOCI |
If a Cybernetic device is designed as a
Focus it can be targeted by others. If an
opponent wants to specifically target a
Focus that represents a replacement body
part (such as a Cybernetic arm), then the
normal penalty for that Hit Location is
used.
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If the Focus is not a replacement body part
then the Hit Location of the area that the
device is installed in is used as a base
and an additional -2 OCV penalty is applied. |
DAMAGE TO THE CHARACTER |
When a character is hit in one of their
Cybernetic devices rather than at a fleshy
location, while there is a chance for damage
done to a device to have some effect on
the flesh around it, in general it is safe
to assume that damage inflicted to a Cybernetic
device does not cause STUN or BODY damage
to the host character. The character still
suffers any knockback / knockdown or other
ancillary effect of being attacked however. |
NOTE: Due to the STUN ignoring benefit
from heavy Cybernetics, as a character becomes
increasingly Cybernetic they also become
increasingly Automaton-like. This is by
design. |
DAMAGE TO CYBERNETIC DEVICES |
Cybernetic devices that are hit directly
take all of the BODY damage from the attacks
that hit them and they might be damaged
or destroyed.
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Cybernetic devices not bought with the Foci
rules cannot be directly targeted,
but in any unusual circumstances whereby
non-Foci Cybernetics take direct damage
threat them as Foci for purposes of damaging
and destroying them. |
Thus all Cybernetic devices have a DEF equal
to the (Active Points / 5) of the largest
Power in the device, with a minimum DEF
of 3. If a device provides a defense, that
device may use the defense instead of it's
own DEF if it is higher.
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Each time a device takes one (1) or more
points of BODY beyond it's DEF, it loses
a Power. When a device has lost all of the
Powers in it, it is considered destroyed. |
For purposes of MetaCyber campaigns, a GM
should allow all CyberLimbs and Cybernetic
Armor to be considered Durable, which means
that they are considered to have double
their normal DEF for purposes of losing
Powers. Otherwise such devices are simply
too fragile. |
For instance, if allowed to be Durable then
most CyberLimbs will have 10 DEF which is
a reasonable number; otherwise they have
5 DEF and are very easily broken. |
NOTE: If a Cybernetic device that
has an Offset Power takes damage, the Offset
is always the last Power lost. |
CYBERLIMBS (PLURAL) |
A pair of CyberLimbs are typically written
up together and treated as a single entity
on a character sheet, with a single Offset
for the associated Physical Limitation that
they compensate for. However for logical
/ conceptual purposes, each limb should
be broken independently of the other under
most circumstances. |
If a character has a matching pair of CyberLimbs
and one of them is damaged to the point
that the Offset it contains would be lost,
instead the character only suffers from
having one limb of that type until such
a time as the destroyed limb is repaired
or the remaing limb is also destroyed.
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Thus if a character had a pair of CyberLegs
and one leg was shot and damaged, losing
Powers until finally only the Offset Power
remains, rather than being rendered completely
legless with the final shot the character
instead would suffer all of the penalties
of having one leg until the good leg was
also destroyed or the destroyed leg was
repaired / replaced.
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