Shadowrun

Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: Highroller86 on <01-21-16/1301:51>

Title: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Highroller86 on <01-21-16/1301:51>
So i was creating a new character and went with a pistol-adept,
because i was watching Equilibrium earlier that day.
Yes yes i know... Copycats are bad mkay...?
But i liked the concept of an emotionally cold-as-ice gunslinger with martial arts.
And then i though about that drug they where using in the movie... This "Prozium".
Why not? I could see my character locking out all those distracting emotions
that keep him from focusing. Or maybe there was an unfortunate event in his past
and he just wants to escape those memories?
Drugs surely could do that for ya, eh?
But which one of the drugs in the book (SR5) would have such an effect?
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: MijRai on <01-21-16/1420:27>
There's rules to make your own drugs now, I suggest them. 
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Reaver on <01-21-16/1443:05>
Personally, I equate the people in Equalibrium with people with extremely low Essence...

Emotionally dead.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Highroller86 on <01-21-16/1447:43>
In which book and which page?
I don't think i saw any of that in the core rules :/

Also i did think about just getting cyberware but that would not go so well with the Adept thing :(
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Herr Brackhaus on <01-21-16/1453:39>
Prozium is used to "suppress emotion and encourage obedience", though, and there's no drug in Shadowrun that does anything remotely close to this. I would just come up with something as a houserule if that's what you're looking for.

Example:

Prozium
Vector: Injection
Speed: Immediate
Duration: 24 hours
Addiction Type: Psychological
Effects: -X Willpower, Emotion Suppressant

Give it an addiction rate similar to kaf as Preston is able to stop taking it without much issue, but add a note that if you take it for a long time and then stop you might overload on emotion or something.

Make Emotion Suppressant act either as a lowered social limit (i.e. lack of empathy from Chrome Flesh) or some sort of psychosis (i.e. the user is functional but less willing or even unable to make decisions based on emotion). Largely, though, I think this is a drug that needs a heavy dose (heh!) of role playing to work, as I find it hard to quantify in game mechanics how it would affect a character.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Reaver on <01-21-16/1511:18>
Prozium is used to "suppress emotion and encourage obedience", though, and there's no drug in Shadowrun that does anything remotely close to this. I would just come up with something as a houserule if that's what you're looking for.

Example:

Prozium
Vector: Injection
Speed: Immediate
Duration: 24 hours
Addiction Type: Psychological
Effects: -X Willpower, Emotion Suppressant

Give it an addiction rate similar to kaf as Preston is able to stop taking it without much issue, but add a note that if you take it for a long time and then stop you might overload on emotion or something.

Make Emotion Suppressant act either as a lowered social limit (i.e. lack of empathy from Chrome Flesh) or some sort of psychosis (i.e. the user is functional but less willing or even unable to make decisions based on emotion). Largely, though, I think this is a drug that needs a heavy dose (heh!) of role playing to work, as I find it hard to quantify in game mechanics how it would affect a character.

Maybe give it a bonus to composure tests?
That's the only real 'emotion' test in the game.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: falar on <01-21-16/1512:30>
Prozium is used to "suppress emotion and encourage obedience", though, and there's no drug in Shadowrun that does anything remotely close to this. I would just come up with something as a houserule if that's what you're looking for.

Sounds like the Pacifier BTL from p193 on Chrome Flesh:

Quote
This chip is intended to make extraction targets easier to control without knocking them out. The program emulates the emotions and thoughts of a codependent individual, which make the user passive and compliant.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Herr Brackhaus on <01-21-16/1656:41>
That does sound about right. Any mechanical implications on that? Otherwise, it's down to RP.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Whiskeyjack on <01-21-16/1659:49>
There's also a good quality in Chrome Flesh that could model this.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: falar on <01-21-16/1738:42>
That does sound about right. Any mechanical implications on that? Otherwise, it's down to RP.

Quote
Effect: Reaction – 1, Intuition – 1, Willpower – 1, Charisma – 1
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Herr Brackhaus on <01-21-16/1744:56>
Hmm, not sure that works. I mean, Prozium suppresses your emotions, but the Grammaton clerics certainly don't seem any slower.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Reaver on <01-21-16/1801:56>
Hmm, not sure that works. I mean, Prozium suppresses your emotions, but the Grammaton clerics certainly don't seem any slower.

Well, then everyone is on it, it all washes out....
But yea.
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Herr Brackhaus on <01-21-16/1813:34>
True, and that would be a cool, subtle twist to the movie. Been a while since I saw it, time to rewatch!
Title: Re: Prozium in Shadowrun?
Post by: Critter on <01-22-16/0204:56>
Hmm, not sure that works. I mean, Prozium suppresses your emotions, but the Grammaton clerics certainly don't seem any slower.

Sadly the game wasn't made with them in mind.