From: wildcard@nevada.edu ( WildCard !!)
Subject: Re: SR: Cyberware without Essence-loss?
Organization: Shadowland BBS, Enlightenment Division
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 19:29:31 GMT

In article <1992Apr6.151446.23453@acsu.buffalo.edu> v102jq23@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Hex Martin) writes:
>In an article before this one, WildCard !! wrote that ...

[ someone writing how in losing a limb you lose essence ]

>>No. I don't think you do in either game. you are just legless and people call
>>you lefty. :)
>
>Sorry - I think you do ...

BZZZZZZZT! Sorry and thank you for playing!

> They say that if a mage loses a limb/organ he must get a cloned replacement
>from his own DNA to regain the magic. Thus, I read it to mean that when you
>lose a limb, you lose essence (since magic and essense are linked). You can
>``replace'' the essence by getting a normal, flesh replacement, and it must be
>an exact clone to regain the magic ...

No they do not. They say if you lose a limb and *not* get it replaced by your
own DNA'd clone, *then* you risk *further* loss of essence due to getting
the cyberwear.  You *risk* losing magic when you take a Deadly Wound (which
is when you risk losing a limb or organ). Then you risk losing magic if
you replace it with anything other than your own DNA'd clone. You also
risk losing magic if a doctor doesn't treat you correctly.  You only
lose *essense* when you get cyberwear. Losing essense effects magic, *not*
the other way around. Essense is linked to magic but magic isn't always
linked to essense.  You can be a mage with a 1 magic and 6 essense (usually
this would happen when you get fragged up and fail all your rolls to keep
from losing magic).

>>>[ deletion of question about whether non-cyber prosthetics lower essence]
>>Again, no. Those braces and prosthetics are not connected to your nervous
>>system,they are just mechanical aids to help you appear more physically able.

>But you ARE disturbing the nervous system.You have had some of it ripped away.
>Thus, you are not working with a full system. Again, I read this to be a place
>where one would lose essence.

I believe that "Essense" should have been titled "Nervous-System-Stability."
(like the beginning of my post stated.) Not havin a leg, for example, is very
stable. Just not fun. More accurately you don't have it "ripped away" oyu have
it trunkated.  The only time that (in SR) you lose essense, is when you
do something to destabilize the existing nervous system (adding machine to
meat or having your "life" sucked away).  According to your theory, I'd lose
a teeny-tiny bit of essense if I get an ulcer!  You've lost part of your
nervous system haven't you? Part of the stomach eaten away. It's connected
to the brain, aint it!  You're not working with a full system!
Really, now.  My whole body system isn't destabilized so I shouldn't lose
essense because I've got an ulcer!  Re-read my original post, you may
understand it better the second time around.


                                - WildCard !!


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+ wildcard@redrock.nevada.edu                                                 +