Cyberware? Any disadvantages?

[Soapwater]

Hi there , I recently purchased this game and I'm having a blast but, I'm not so sure about the Cyberware.

I understand how it all works but,is there is real disadvantage of having them other than they're bad for Shamans or Mages?

I understand each time you pick up an implant you're losing your humanity but,is there any real meaning in that?
Lol

I'm currently creating a Decker build and I see Datajack and Eye Datajack and can someone please tell me their uses?

In every other Cyberware I see the perks and passives it gives but,for these two that supposely benefit deckers, I don't see any buffs.

Thanks in advance!

:)

[bunny de fluff]

Cyberware to the best of my knowledge mostly Affect two things negatively: Hit chance of magics, and available Spell slots. I think Datajack is required for some weapons and jacking into matrix. The eye and hand datajack are basically same.

[Zadok]

Also all your spells' cooldowns go up by one per point of magic you lose.
Besides that "losing humanity" is not implemented :P

In the PnP RPG you may be required to play less empathic, perhaps partly apathic and your character would (or could based on the gamemaster) suffer personality changes. It is up to the group to play that for the most part - it's roleplay.

In SR:HK it also costs a bunch. You ought to know what you are doing as it is bad to replace expensive chrome because something better came up. Bad for money and essence.

You need a Datajack to use smartlink weapons, drones or a cyberdeck. If you started as a Decker you already have one. Two are pointless. Where the Datajack is installed does not matter, you can just check which slot you can spare. Head is a good standard - little reason to install it in your eye or hand.

[Mack Yuu]

Datajacks allow for jacking into the Matrix and equipping Smartlink weapons. Smartlink weapons grant a small, but worthwhile bonus to accuracy (I want to say 5%, but that feels like it'd be OP; it may only be 3%). This bonus does stack, so if you get, say, +acc% eyes, smartlink weapon, and a mage with aim buff, you'll be able to hit even the hardest targets.

The importance of selecting your datajack "slot" is that in doing so, you block off that body slot from taking other cyberware. So, taking the eye datajack means you can't then take +aim eyes or the cyberlight (whatever can stun the target, whatever it's called). There are good cyberware options for every body slot, so you'll always be giving something up if you're going to chrome yourself out.

As for drawbacks, it's really just that you can't spec into mage/shaman. That's about it. And, as mentioned, it gets expensive. With HK's payouts, it's going to be tough to afford more than one, maybe two alpha cyberware parts. You really have to balance your income between weapons and cyberware upgrades.

[Soapwater]

@everyone

Thank you guys for the great feed-back!
It was actually more than I expected and I'm happy to see this game has a helpful community :)

So the Data-Jack helps you plug into the Matrix but,I basically can already do that since I started my build as a Decker is that right?

If that were the case it doesn't seem like there that'll be helpful with my main focus being in the Matrix than Meat-Space?
I'm also putting Karma into Long Range and Rifles.

Also another question ;

Does the Cyberware change the way your avatar looks?
Like does it add small cosmetic changes upon your character or is it all just pure stats?

Thanks again everyone!

[di eshor ribly]

Originally posted by Soapwater:

Does the Cyberware change the way your avatar looks?
Like does it add small cosmetic changes upon your character or is it all just pure stats?

Thanks again everyone!

Yeah there are a few different arms/legs, and you can see a cyberweapon on most of those options.

[red255]

Bumping this topic.

I took a smartlink gun, and a non-smartlink version of the gun and compared them side by side. same accuracy. Didn't look at critical chance.

Essence lost a pop up explains it, you lose spell slots and your spell cooldowns go up 1 every essense lost.

other than that you can't go below 1 essence. might be other drawbacks but I didn't notice any.

Finished the game with 2 Essence, just had a heal spell and a magic resistance spell from some minor points in Chi casting and spell casting. just need 2 ranks in for those spells. the heal spell had a pretty hefty cooldown of like 7 turns but its mainly there as a backup if someone takes more than say 20 damage.

[DeadlyAlbatross]

Compared to magic\shamanic builds cyberware is seriously overpowered, especially in HK, where you can get yourself a +1 free AP implant fairly soon and go all Gloria.

[di eshor ribly]

Originally posted by red255:

Bumping this topic.

I took a smartlink gun, and a non-smartlink version of the gun and compared them side by side. same accuracy. Didn't look at critical chance.

Smartlinks are mostly for non-combat builds like the Rigger (your drones are your guns) and Deckers who may not have chosen to bump their Ranged Combat up. They're pretty much useless once your Ranged hits the 7-9 range as your accuracy is excellent at that point.

Smartlinks add 3% accuracy in the lower Ranged Combat levels, the basic cybereyes add 3% and the Alphas add 6%.

Edit: Personally I prefer the Laser Designator eye instead of the normal cybereyes. 0 AP cost and works like a Decker's Mark Target ability, adding a +10% aim bonus for your team for 1 round.

[red255]

I prefer the bright eyes system, while I yell SOLAR FLARE while I use it.

[Clockwork]

Originally posted by di eshor ribly:

Smartlinks are mostly for non-combat builds like the Rigger (your drones are your guns) and Deckers who may not have chosen to bump their Ranged Combat up. They're pretty much useless once your Ranged hits the 7-9 range as your accuracy is excellent at that point.

In Dragonfall, I once bought the Smartlink Ranger Arms and the standard version for my human with 11 Quickness and 8 or 9 Ranged Combat.

On some situation, I remember a difference of at least 3% on Very Hard.

Edit : Even 11 Quickness and 9 in Ranged Combat isn't enough to have an excellent accuracy in Dragonfall on Very Hard though. You still need a shaman buff, and sometime a decker to mark the target. However, since we're talking about Hong Kong, it's pretty much right, more or less.

[red255]

Yeah, I just tested with the Ares HVAR and Ares HVAR (smartllink)

literally 1% chance to hit improvement. this being late game cybered up with high stats.

[Rax Savvage]

unless you wanna do spells for some reason , none

[Zadok]

Originally posted by Rax Savvage:

unless you wanna do spells for some reason , none

After having played the pen & paper RPG years ago I have to conclude that combining cyberware and magic is a lot easier in HBS Shadowrun. In fact I do that every game. Some spells don't need a low cooldown, so they work perfectly fine with low magic. Combat magic is the only thing that's pretty much shut down by low magic (higher CD hurts, unless we talk Qi Strike & summoning), high magic skills are generally less useful (fewer spell slots) but low level utility magic is still powerful.

[red255]

Yeah in the genesis game the loss of essence greatly influenced spell success rate.

In this game hell you get an extra point of body at cyberware affinity 3 and another at 6.

I left myself with 2 essence which gave me 2 spell slots, just using the magic resistance passive and heal spells. its fine.