One of my players is going to play a character that has lost an arm and has it replaced with a cybernetic one. Feeling that the cybernetic arm in the core book is a bit too powerful to have from the get-go, I wanted to come up with my own version.

So far I was thinking of having the arm do +1 damage when used in a brawl, but I also wanted to have a downside to using the arm, activating when rolling 2 or 3 threats (still have to decide). This is what I came up with:

The arm becomes stuck on enough threat, having the player use a mechanics check (2 or 3 diff, not sure yet) to get it going again. Any threat rolled during this check, would upgrade the difficulty dice for using that arm again. When rolling Despair due to the upgraded difficulty, the arm would become useless and count as a critical injury that can only be healed with a mechanics check. The arm can only be used again when the crit is removed. Upgraded difficulty dice can also be removed on a succesful mechanics check.

I was also thinking of letting the player get his arm unstuck during combat, but that removing the upgraded diff or the crit can only be done during 'downtime'.

What do you guys think? Does this seem 'balanced', especially to players who do not have this kind of bonus damage? Might also be worth mentioning that the player's character is a Togruta, who already have an ability to do bonus damage when engaging a target already engaged by an ally.

Feel free to share your ideas, I'd love to hear how you would handle this.

I think it's pretty harsh actually. Although you could just go for a normal cybernetic, not enhanced, arm. Sort of like a cyber replication (or whatever its called), but looks and is a cybernetic arm, but gives no bonuses.

If going your way, I'd say the Mechanics shouldn't need to be more than Average to fix, as this would take up at least one action in one round (unless you're considering making it a multi-round effort, I'd advice against that though). Losing one action is pretty bad during combat. The drawbacks you apply are pretty harsh compared to the benefits it supplies.

I'd just go with a normal, non-enhanced cybernetic arm, and let the player save money for a proper enhanced cyber limb. Or perhaps look in the Beyond the Rim module for some ideas, like applying a boost die to Brawl attacks, and perhaps Brawn checks to lift, open and push things, but not on resilience or melee checks. Or go for a flat +1 damage as you suggest, but tone down the drawbacks.

I had a character start with a cybernetic arm and eye. I just made them the prosthetic version they have in the book, that gives no stat bonuses. In roleplay, I had it so she bought it on the cheap, so rather then looking like a human arm, it's obviously mechanical. Some of her starting obligation is in fact paying off the money she borrowed from the crimelord to pay for the cybernetics after she was caught in an explosion.

I've been playing her for a while now and she's upgraded the eye. I didn't see something I liked in the book, so I chatted with the GM, and we had her eye able to see in the dark (no setback dice for darkness). I can't remember how much we had it cost. A few thousand I think. I'm thinking of upgrading the arm soon. Plus 1 Str seems a bit wierd to me for one arm, so I will probably see about just giving it a +1 skill boost on Shooting, or something similar, for a slightly reduced price then the full cybernetic limb.

Why just give the PC a standard prosthetic replacement? It doesn't have to be a "concealed" prosthetic like Luke's was, but instead could be a very obvious replacement much like Anakin's right forearm in the movies.

That said, if you really do want to give them a boost to damage on Brawl checks, I'd instead suggest that they suffer a setback die on any tasks using that arm that requires very fine manipulation. It's not something that comes up very often, and a setback die is easy to deal with if you've got the right talents, but by the same token a bonus to Brawl damage isn't all that useful either given melee-fighters are at a disadvantage, and Brawl attacks are some of the worst close-quarters options in the game; even a high-Brawn PC is better off using a Melee-based weapon with Brawl being a means of last resort.

You all make so very valid and interesting points. To give a better idea about the situation: the Togruta in question is a mechanic who lost his arm during a repair accident. While he was out cold, another player (they share part of their background) convinced a Hutt to patch his friend up. The new arm he received is, as Donovan stated, clearly a construct. As part of their obligation, both the Togruta as his friend are now indebted to this Hutt.

So the arm isn't pretty, but it gets the job done. The Togruta works (or well, used to... as both of them kinda made a run for it) as the Hutt's go-to repair man. So the armu has to function in a way that it won't hinder his work.

At first we were debating on just having the arm be nothing more but narrative fluff, but I really like the idea of having it be like a double-edged sword. The arm aids the player, but is/can also be a hindrance.

Maybe I'll just have him add a setback die to any check where he uses that arm, but still let him do the +1 bonus damage when using brawl. I agree that the bonus damage to brawl seems underwhelming, but it makes the most sense to me. Maybe I should give it to his melee checks as well. And maybe I should give him a boost die for when he wants to do some heavy lifting with that arm?

I think I'll check out the Beyond the Rim section first, see what kind of Cybernetics they have put in there.

You could also grant him pierce 1 or 2 (or 3!?!?!), and add a setback die to the attack rolls...?

An interesting idea I thought of: treat it as a regular prosthetic, but maybe give it 2 hard points so the Togruta can eventually pick up the weighted head attachment. If the user wishes to stick to fisticuffs.That's the only attachment I found that can be used on brawl weapons, except perhaps the superior weapon customization.

Hmm, Pierce doesn't seem applicable here. It's still a blunt object (a closed metal fist), so I don't see how it could pierce armor.

I do like the idea of giving it Hard Points, but I'll have to look up that attachment later, as I don't have the book here with me.

I'm starting to think to make the arm more cluncky, instead of an improvement (after all, it is a replacement for the one he lost). So how about I drop the bonus damage (because of not being able to put enough force into it), add a setback die to any task that requires that arm (clunkiness), add a boost die for lifting things (not muscle tissue strain), and give it Hard Points for future upgrades? Am I missing something?

I really want him to stand out a bit because of the arm, but not give him too much benefit or disadvantage.

Oh, I'm not sure that piercing needs to be particularly pointy. My interpretation of Pierce is that it's a particularly effective tool of destruction, superior material or technology. Pierce could also be a sort of reverberating fist type of effect, where it bypasses part of the armour due to pure kinetic vibrations, shock or something along those lines. It need not be a sword or arrow, a highly focused blaster bolt isn't necessarily more pointy, thinner, but it is more powerful and therefore can gain the pierce effect. That's my take on it at least, but YMMV.

What would those HPs be used for? I see now, the one particular attachment. That is a good idea too.

Option one is to have the arm function just like a normal arm. Neither Luke nor Anakin seemed to gain any great advantages or disadvantages from their respective arms. Darth Vader is a bit of a different case.

Option two is to give it some game effects. I like the idea of a boost die for brute strength based tasks, melee combat, lifting, brawling, etc paired with a setback die for fine manipulation and subtle hand eye coordination tasks. Piercing to me represents attacks that in some way are more effective at penetrating or bypassing armour. In this case the arm is strong and tough, plus feels no pain, so it hits HARD! Two hard points and the weighted head modification would also serve to make it more effective in combat.

Is it shut down by ion weapons I wonder...? I like the idea of having it be a bit of a double edged sword, very much fitting a "gift" from a Hutt.

Put like a little diagnostic computer in the arm, so it gives a +1 to mechanics checks, or some other appropriate +1 skill boost with matching special effect. For a negative, maybe if he roles a despair, or enough threat, it locks up for a round or two. Taking it offline for the whole combat seems a bit harsh, but having it out of whack for a round or two while it's power cycles or it reboots is probably fair. There's also the ever present negative of cybernetics, where if they get hit with an ionization gun it shuts down.

I think the diagnostic computer is a bit too advanced for the type of arm we're going for.

I still like the idea of having the arm go haywire during combat, but maybe I should just reflect this by upgrading the difficulty after rolling enough threat instead of it locking up. Maybe the despair that gets rolled with that upgraded difficulty could maybe indicate that the arm locks up for a single round, instead of being unusable for the rest of combat.

As for the bonus, I could give him a boost die for actions that would benefit from the added strength of that arm, as well as Pierce 1 when using Melee of Brawl (instead of the +1 damage bonus)... as you said: it hits HARD.

I'll have to think about the ion blast. I feel it makes sense to have it disrupt the arm, but maybe that's giving the arm too many disadvantages?

You all make so very valid and interesting points. To give a better idea about the situation: the Togruta in question is a mechanic who lost his arm during a repair accident. While he was out cold, another player (they share part of their background) convinced a Hutt to patch his friend up. The new arm he received is, as Donovan stated, clearly a construct. As part of their obligation, both the Togruta as his friend are now indebted to this Hutt.

So the arm isn't pretty, but it gets the job done. The Togruta works (or well, used to... as both of them kinda made a run for it) as the Hutt's go-to repair man. So the armu has to function in a way that it won't hinder his work.

At first we were debating on just having the arm be nothing more but narrative fluff, but I really like the idea of having it be like a double-edged sword. The arm aids the player, but is/can also be a hindrance.

Maybe I'll just have him add a setback die to any check where he uses that arm, but still let him do the +1 bonus damage when using brawl. I agree that the bonus damage to brawl seems underwhelming, but it makes the most sense to me. Maybe I should give it to his melee checks as well. And maybe I should give him a boost die for when he wants to do some heavy lifting with that arm?

I think I'll check out the Beyond the Rim section first, see what kind of Cybernetics they have put in there.

If you want a minor bonus mixed with a minor hindrance then have the arm be heavy. In this case it can always be used as brass knuckles (it hits harder than flesh and bone) but, just like brass knuckles, it has Encumbrance 1 (unless the arm is removed). Minor good, minor bad, and so simple.

Hmm, the Brass Knuckles idea is actually pretty solid. I also like the idea of adding 2 Hard Points to it, so if the player wants, he can upgrade it with the weighted head attachment for a cost.

This indeed keeps it simple enough. I'll probably add boosts/setbacks depending on the situation (heavy lifting vs meticulous

work).

And seeing how the Brass Knuckles aren't that expensive, it shouldn't make the other players too jealous.... I hope.

I take it prosthetics are also affected by ion blasts, right?

Hmm, the Brass Knuckles idea is actually pretty solid. I also like the idea of adding 2 Hard Points to it, so if the player wants, he can upgrade it with the weighted head attachment for a cost.

I would recommend not adding hard points. Giving something that no one else has access to is too much for a freebie IMHO.

True. Is there a way he could add Hard Points himself, later on? You know, if he wanted to that is. This character probably isn't going to go brawling unless he has no choice.

True. Is there a way he could add Hard Points himself, later on? You know, if he wanted to that is. This character probably isn't going to go brawling unless he has no choice.

If this arm does malfunction from time-to-time and needs maintenance from the group's mechanic, have a triumph add the hard points to it.

It doesn't have to be the first time the mechanic scores a triumph, just whenever it is appropriate.

True. Is there a way he could add Hard Points himself, later on? You know, if he wanted to that is. This character probably isn't going to go brawling unless he has no choice.

You could allow the Tinkerer talent put a point on it. The talent says weapon or armor. An arm seems like it could reasonably be called a weapon in the right context.

Awesome, thanks guys! I'll go with the Brass Knuckles option, with the possibility of the arm gaining Hard Points in the future, and giving boosts/setbacks that seem logical in certain situations. Simple and balanced, just what I wanted.