I have a player who wanted to be almost fully cybernetic at the start of the game (arms, legs, armored torso, eyes). I took into account that the combined total for these upgrades would be around 55000 credits, a pretty hefty sum for a new character and was going to completely disallow it during character creation except for the fact that the parts were going to be degenerative. The character's backstory is that he has amnesia as to how or why he has cybernetic parts but he understands that they are breaking down on him. I thought this was too interesting of an idea to pass up, so I started to work with the rules to balance the benefits that they would provide early on and see if I could create rules to acknowledge the degenerative characteristics of his cybernetic enhancements.

To handle the character's amnesia, I just added a perpetual setback to all Knowledge checks for the character and felt that sufficient, but looking at the cybernetics and the benefits that they would bestow seemed to require a more creative solution.

First, the cybernetics and their benefits that he is beginning the game with include:

BIOTECH INDUSTRIES CYBERARMS MOD V (+1 BRAWN)

BIOTECH INDUSTRIES CYBERLEGS MOD III (+1 AGILITY)

ATHAKAM MEDTECH CYBERNETIC EYES MOD III (+1 VIGILANCE/PERCEPTION)

IMPLANT ARMOR (+1 SOAK)

My solution was that at the start of each session he would roll 1d4 to reduce an attribute by 1, using the following table:

1 - Reduce Brawn, Agility, and Willpower by 1

2 - Reduce Brawn by 1

3 - Reduce Agility by 1

4 - Reduce Willpower by 1

I considered replacing the crit-fail with a crit-success and have no effect occur for the session, but think that he's pretty well buffed to be able to handle the chance of his degenerative parts all working against him.

What do you think of my solution?

I'd tell him make a droid and he can have some squishy parts.

You aren't honestly going to let him have all that and a normal amount of xp to start as well are you?

If he was going to have all of those, he'd need MUCH larger penalties. As it is, each session just slightly removes a major boost to 1-3 characteristic that he wouldn't have otherwise. So essentially, at the absolute worst of it, his character is sitting at about the same level as a normal character, with the exception of a setback to knowledge checks. But at the best, he's running around with a characteristic at 5 and another at 4 - at the same time - from character creation. Not to mention he's sitting at 6 implants when his base Brawn is probably going to be a fair bit lower than that.

There's two options. Let the player have tons of cybernetic parts - but all of them are repli-limbs that incur no bonuses; at this point, I'd consider tossing the player some extra experience since they'd now be susceptible to ion weapons, and if the limbs are noticeably electronic, then that actually gives cause for more common enemies to actually shoot him with ion weapons.

Second option is to give him the bonuses, but with severely harsher punishments. Here's some suggestions.

• Implant Armor - Took huge amounts of damage and needs to be removed or replaced as it is susceptible to breaking up; +10 to critical injuries taken, Despair on any physical task could mean he takes a critical with an additional +10.
• CyberArms/Legs - Highly damaged and generally failing. Using boosted characteristics more than 3 times will cause the enhancement to drop in effectiveness, essentially lowering his brawn/agility back to what it's supposed to be. Can be restored with 300 credits in spare parts with 3 difficulty mechanics check, but boost only lasts 2 times; then 4 difficulty for 1 time. Despairs can remove all boosts available, and without constant general repairs (say 2 difficulty with 100 credits in parts every 1-2 weeks) the arms/legs will stop working until repaired.
• Cybernetic Eyes - Roll a percentage die or 1d4; when 2-4/anything at or below 75% is rolled, eyes work fine, when 1 or 76% or higher is rolled, setback on all rolls involving sight, Perception and Vigilance checks get upgraded once.
• And for having too many cybernetics; player has to make a 3 difficulty resilience check at the beginning of each session (upgraded once for every cybernetic installed above his base Brawn). Failure adds a setback to all checks for the session, threat hits him for strain damage, and Despair knocks the wound and strain threshhold down by 1-2 for the session.
• Cybernetics can be fully restored with their base price in credits and a successful 3 difficulty mechanics check.

In general this lets the player still gets pretty big bonuses, while punishing him for keeping them long term without seeing to removing and/or fixing them, as well as causing a decent chance of them giving big inconveniences from the beginning to give more balance.

Thanks for the suggestions. His obligation already is to replace the cybernetics and I think applying some of your harsher punishments might help him to role play out the physical distress that the deterioration is causing him. I'm going to discuss this with the group/player and they see that these rules for their character are fair and appropriate.

No need to get overly complex about it. Let him have said enhancements, but give him an additional 20-30 Oblligation (Debt, Favour, Dutybound or a mix of these) to represent how he got the enhancements. And yes, I'd give him that much Obligation. It's 55,000 credits' worth of equipment. And remember, he'd need to have a high Brawn characteristic to "fit" those enhancements. And then, finally, he'd get no XP at character creation. He'd be starting with base skill ranks, no talents, and any increase in characteristics would come solely from his cybernetics.

I just think it's a lot of complication needlessly. Just have him use the Droid character option and call him a cyborg. Then if absolutely necessary just roll one characteristic +1 randomly at the start of each session to simulate the finicky nature of his parts and call it done.

Does he want cybernetics in general? Or does he specifically want the advanced cybernetics that provide bonuses.

If it's the former, I'd recommend just giving him several Repli-Limb Prosthetic Replacements (page 175) for free. Since they don't provide any stat modifiers, it's probably fine to just let him start with them for free.

If it's the latter (which it sounds like) that's absolutely ridiculous. As others have said, he's getting a massive boost in power. Those implants are almost the same price as giving him a personal starfighter, except there's essentially no way to separate him from them. He's basically starting the game with everything he wants materially, as well as making his character the center of the plot. Personally, I'd flat out shut him down.

If you're really okay with it, the rest of the party had better get something to compensate. And by "something", I mean you might as well give the Force-Sensitive his Lightsaber now, since that's about the power level you're setting by letting him take all those cybernetics.

I really cannot understate the power of those upgrades, especially if he is a combat character, and I don't think tacking on a bunch of situational penalties that will probably be forgotten in the heat of the moment will balance it out. If you want to run a high-level campaign, go right ahead, but just be aware that's what you're doing, and make sure everyone is okay with it .

I agree that you are making this a bit more complicated than it needs to be. It also sounds like the player wants ALL THE THINGS at the get-go, which is a bit of a problem.

Remember that "cyborgs" fall into two categories: those that were given replacements for natural parts (like Ton Phanan who had a bacta allergy and needed to replace nearly everything, or Luke needing a replacement hand after being cut off) or those who undergo these "upgrades" to be better or more dangerous.

My notes on a "normal" cyborg (i.e. someone with replacement parts for some reason) involves taking the Droid "species", nuking the skill discount, adding whatever skills are granted by the species in question, and make the need for air optional (5-10XP difference; notes are elsewhere thanks to the move).

Certain species abilities are on a case-by-case basis; a Trandoshan's regeneration is out, but a Twi'lek with lekku intact may still rely on that (XP costs are variable here).

Cybernetic Augmentations get a bit wishy-washy, but in the end, you can simply "build in" tools (like General Grevious would have climbing tools built into his limbs) and only use the current Cybernetics as enhancements.

With what you have, you could easily take what I've written above, allow the player to take a higher obligation for XP to raise traits instead of taking the cybernetics augments (the high stats can just be written off as "augments" acquired during the backstory), have a "reinforced frame" (i.e. heavy clothing) for an extra soak value and macrobinoculars as an equipment purchase for the eyes, and voila, instant cyborg!

Simplest solution is to allow the PC to start with the equivalent of repli-limbs, in that they have cybernetic replacements for limbs and/or internal organs, but said replacements don't offer any sort of mechanical bonus. The cost of the replacements is easily waived by the the role-playing fact this person is a cyborg and the mechanical fact that they're now vulnerable to ion-based weapons, which I believe even includes droid-only stun damage effects (not 100% certain on that one though). The player can simply narrate that some (or even all) of the Characteristic or Skill increases that they purchased with their starting XP budget was a result of the cybernetics enhancing his performance in that area.

Starting with bonuses that degenerate sounds like he just wants to take out a loan to start with his cybernetics.

If it's just for his character story and appearance, make all his parts be broken and have them add no bonuses. If he spends the amount it would take to replace the part he can then get the bonuses.

As others have suggested I'd allow the Player's PC to have all the cybernetic limbs they want but they function as normal limbs until they pay the cost to "activate" them. Once they do they can receive the bonuses. You can skin this as either the limbs are damaged or the PC needs time to acclimate to them or whatever, it's not important why they don't get the bonuses only that they don't get to leapfrog the other Players. I wouldn't add tons of Obligation because it effects the entire party as well and they are gaining no direct benefit, besides I think there's a starting cap anyway (I'm AFB).

I could be reading several of these posts wrong, but there seems to be a pervasive misconception that all cybernetics impart enhanced stats per RAW. While the majority of "cybernetic enhancements do give bonuses, there exist the "Prosthetic Replacements," including the Repli-Limbs Dono was talking about. Page 175 of the CRB.

Regular cybernetics simply function as normal body parts. Consider your character to be loaded up with these, and you now have a perfectly viable starting character. No need to account for tens of thousands of credits' worth of equipment that raises multiple stats across the board.

Later, the PC can acquire new "improvements" that offer him better protection/skills/characteristics/etc. It's not like he needs to "activate" them or anything else that might break immersion; Repli-Limb Prosthetics are totally different from the other Cybernetic Enhancements.

I could be reading several of these posts wrong, but there seems to be a pervasive misconception that all cybernetics impart enhanced stats per RAW. While the majority of "cybernetic enhancements do give bonuses, there exist the "Prosthetic Replacements," including the Repli-Limbs Dono was talking about. Page 175 of the CRB.

Regular cybernetics simply function as normal body parts. Consider your character to be loaded up with these, and you now have a perfectly viable starting character. No need to account for tens of thousands of credits' worth of equipment that raises multiple stats across the board.

Later, the PC can acquire new "improvements" that offer him better protection/skills/characteristics/etc. It's not like he needs to "activate" them or anything else that might break immersion; Repli-Limb Prosthetics are totally different from the other Cybernetic Enhancements.

Yeah, this seems about right.

I can even imagine an obligation or motivation tied into such prosthetics.

Obligation debt to the surgeon that gave them to you and motivation droid rights as since you have been wearing such implants you have grown increasingly aware of the terrible way androids and cyborgs are treated all over the galaxy.