Hey guys,

Quick question. I have a player who wants to start out with a cybernetic limb due to an event in his backstory, and seeing as the cybernetic enhancements give a statistical advantage, how should I go about balancing his character? (We are just starting up)

Repli-Limb prosthetics don't give any statistical advantage. Some cybernetics do (like the Cybernetic Arm Mod V/VI or something along those lines). So as long as he doesn't want a hard mechanical benefit from his cybernetic attachment (like + to a skill or characteristic) you should be fine just giving him a "Repli-Limb." All you're doing is making him more vulnerable to ion weapons

Or just check the price of a bonus-giving limb and add an obligation (probably 10 points).

Awesome thanks guys!

Repli-Limb prosthetics don't give any statistical advantage. Some cybernetics do (like the Cybernetic Arm Mod V/VI or something along those lines). So as long as he doesn't want a hard mechanical benefit from his cybernetic attachment (like + to a skill or characteristic) you should be fine just giving him a "Repli-Limb." All you're doing is making him more vulnerable to ion weapons

I'd go with this instead of giving him a limb that has a Characteristic bonus.

If he's really insistent, say that the injury he suffered that required the limb to be replaced dropped either his Brawn or his Agility by one, and the limb he's got pretty much makes up for that. If the limb goes dead (such as getting hit by an ion blast and somehow surviving since only vehicle-scale weapons deal ion damage), then he also suffers the corresponding reduction to his Brawn or Agility until the limb is repaired/reactivated.

I wouldn't worry about any game mechanics due to them having a cybernetic limb. Have it be entirely narrative. It is essentially exactly the same as having a normal limb (such as Luke's cybernetic hand). You get shot in it, you still take damage b/c there will be systems in the limb that act as nerves in order to deliver feedback to the user's brain. If it gets ripped off, the player is still going to suffer the consequences of having a normal limb ripped off – blood loss, pain, etc...

If your player wants any crazy crap off the hop like this, I wouldn't stop them (unless it's clearly going to give them a game advantage, like a built-in blaster in the palm of the hand). Make it narrative, make it flavour, and don't worry about the mechanics.

If they want a cybernetic limb for narrative purposes I would have no problem with that. I would restrict them to the repli limb. I'd just avoid doing anything that would give them too big of an advantage. Of course, if every single player I had pushed for that character to have something not too over powered early on I might let them have a better one. Mostly I just don't want the other players to feel left out or screwed over because of someone else's character.

My character started the game with a cybernetic eye, arm, and foot. All completely cosmetic, with no real game advantage.

The backstory is she was just caught in a big explosion while on an assassination job (sold out by somebody on her own side). She now owes money to a crime lord who loaned her the money for the cybernetics. I made the cybernetics metal and obvious, with absolutely no stat bonuses, to reflect that she went as cheap as she possibly could.

Down the road I will probably upgrade the the eye and the arm to something with a bonus of some sort. Can't do much with one foot though (maybe something small like hide a shiv in it..)

My main character is a Wookiee pirate captain and when we were in character creation, my GM let me take a bionic eye boosting my perception and vigilance by one for free on 2 conditions, 1) I work a good backstory to explain why I have it, and 2) Whenever asked by NPCs i be able to give a different story a la Joker from TDK.

Guaranteed, it only boosts skills not characteristics, but we both thought it was fun and fair.

My character started the game with a cybernetic eye, arm, and foot. All completely cosmetic, with no real game advantage.

The backstory is she was just caught in a big explosion while on an assassination job (sold out by somebody on her own side). She now owes money to a crime lord who loaned her the money for the cybernetics. I made the cybernetics metal and obvious, with absolutely no stat bonuses, to reflect that she went as cheap as she possibly could.

And this is exactly how such a thing should be done. No crunch-based effects aside from a background explanation for the PC's starting Obligation.