Good day to All!

Sergeant Forden NPC from Purge the Unclean (Shades on Twilight) have huge cybernetic arm. BUT. It does NOTHING in his stat block. This huge mechanical arm even can't be used as a weapon. Hm... It is strange really.

And an implant system as a whole is, I would say, bad. My player wants a cybernetic arm, that can really boost strength and be powerfull. But regarding to rules - all that he can get from good quality bionic arm is +10 to Strength test with that arm and +10 to fine dex actions. So it does really next to nothing and have power similar to normal arm (no boost to damage in melee? O_o)

Any ideas?

Power Fists are my answer to everything.

It really is powerful, though. Let him have one built in, but charge him for both the fist and the arm, and he can't use that arm for delicate manipulation.

Hmm... It's quite expensive. Moreover, it is not 'power fist built in arm' - it is cybernetic implant, without weapon.

AFAIK, I thought that bionic limb implants were simply to replace the previous limb and all of its characteristics to its best abilities. It doesn't make them stronger, because it'd rip the body apart from strain, especially if you turn the dial on strength up to 11.

But, in all seriousness, isn't it somewhere in the main rulebook where it expresses that point? I'll look it up.

...

"Bionic replacement limbs are assumed to operate at the same level of strength and dexterity as the body they attached to (rather than risking ripping themselves out of their host due to overpressure)." Page 153 of the Core Rulebook, first sentence in the Bionic Limb Replacement.

Well, I guess if you want it to increase their strength, or the player does theirselves, let them learn a horrible grisly lesson as they stare in horror when they punch someone in the face, their fist going through their face, but the arm rips itself off and causes massive trauma. That'll be a good lesson.

One thing I might do is have the bionic limb count as brass knuckles in melee, to represent the fact that it is, y'know, metal...

Just a thought.

Yes, I understand your point.

Nevertheless it seems illogical and non-fluff (etc. etc.) that rude huge cybernetic implants (like NPC mentioned) doesn't grant any bonuses in melee.

You could use the stats for a Mining Helot Augment without the breacher or insanity side effect. +10 str and toughness for -10 agility isn't bad at all.

I've always made bionic arms count as brass knuckles in melee, and the best quality offer unnatural strengthX2. Factor into that the +2TB given by all bionic limbs its not a bad call. The more obviously large the machine is I may give other more rollplaying spicific quirks like the ability to choke people without getting a strain on the wrist, the ability to brake blades with a snap of the fingers. Just remember, it should cost alot more for those quirks, if its in thrones or some negative boons by the arm (like -10 to fellowship because of how ugly the arm looks, ect).

When you're wanting a cybernetic replacement to do more than it's normal biological counterpart, you're looking at upgrading the quality of the machinery. An ordinary cybernetic eye of "Common" quality functions on more or less the same level of a human one, but one of "Good" quality might incorporate such advancements as telescopic zoom capabilities (usable as telescopic sights), night- or thermovision, etc. If you check on page 155 of the core rulebook, it demonstrates those qualities. A page turn before, on 153, it states that Poor quality bionic arms will "half the owner's Agility score where matters of fine dexterity are involved and Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests take a -10 penalty when using the limb." A common quality replacement mimics a human arm exactly (except in makeup), while a Good quality bionic gives +10 bonus on fine dexterous manipulation Agility Tests and also giving +10 to Strength Tests using the arm.

As for the discrepency between Forden's statline and his portrait, well, he certainly looks pretty sweet, doesn't he? And it does describe it as a "graceless but powerful" cybernetic. As the GM you always have the option of changing up his stats to better represent the fluff, perhaps changing his strength characterstic, but inferring a penalty on Agility tests using that arm. Your call.

Remember that these are artists wanting to make this as bad-ass a world as they can. You've got to expect some license in their character depictions.

-D

Ah, but in this case it is not just the artist's image, but the adventure text describing the character that includes the "powerful" Cybernetic limb.

I think the arm not being included in the stats was more likely an oversight of the "oops" variety than any sort of artistic license issue. Has their been an errata for Purge yet?

One thing to keep in mind is in 40K bigger isn't always better. Poor quality cybernetics are huge bulky, noisy, and crude things. High quality limbs are smaller and look like a normal limb. It sounds more like he lost his limb way out in the middle of nowhere. The tech priests managed to put together a replacement out of what they had on hand. It's servicable, but nothing special, and really big. By the time he got back to where he could get it replaced he was used to it, and didn't want to under futher surgery.....

If a PC wants a stronger limb and doesn't care about looks. I'd reason that he could certainly get either unnatural strength or a +20 to str. This would require replacing not just the arm, but the shoulder, collar bone, and part of the rib cage.

PS- In the RT book there are muscle grafts that give +10 to unnatural stregth. Certainly if you have the money the weapons, and cybernetic sections alone are worth a look.