[Raven2049]

not to go back to the skilljack/skillwires thing, but did you consider making it a 2 part system like they are?

the implants are the portion that costs essence, and can therefore be more or less essence friendly depending on which 'ware grade you buy. make it a rating x60,000 for example cost (pulled the number out of thin air)

then also make the exoskeleton a separate piece, that is also rating based but not subject to 'ware grades. somewhere in the vicinity of 40-50k per rating (again pulling the number out of thin air but trying to keep along the lines of your 100k per rating)

this way as rifts suggested it can be removed, as the two parts are no longer considered a "whole" and your armorer test would be applicable.

this also gets around the whole "essence for a exoskeleton?" problem, and still lets you get all the benefits of the armor and etc.

I also thought about mentioning about a social skill penalty, and i would think that your social prowess would go down considering, you now have cyber implants all over your body and quite possibly head that cant be hidden when (and if) your out of the exoskeleton. but since darzil already mentioned it, i wont

[mjack]

The initial suggestion seems over-the-top, especially with a rating up to 6 and avaiability of 5R. Maximum rating 3 and 8F sounds more appropiate to me for such an all-in-one solution.

In general, an exoskeleton is an interesting idea. But I would rather think of something more simple mainly used to enhance your workforce for carriying heavy loads. This one is more like experimental high-end milspec gear. Might do a good job for an individual (non-player)character concept, but not for a common use case in the SR universe. Of course, this is only concerned with MyGame™.

A system with a cyberware control interface (similar to a Control Rig) in combination with a removeable exoskeleton would be more after my fance. For example maximum rating 3, every rating adds STR +1, BOD +1 (for damage resistance), Physical Limit +1 (for Knockoff) and increase the height a character can fall without damage by 1m. Capacity might be Rating x 3 and a situational modifier for the Social Limit is not a bad idea. Does not provide Armor Rating, but is compatible with all Armors not classified Restrictive. The +4 limit for augmented Attributes should also apply. I must confess - it is not as cool as the Kruger

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

May not be as cool, but a much more believable solution. Especially considering the lack of armor overall with the original version, even hardened. One called shot with adps on a sniper rifle and the meat in the suit as modified body to roll. At least dedicated "tanks" can still have a decent soak pool with the suggestion above. I would still make it super expensive and raise the availability as well, with minimum of R restriction.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Raven2049
I did not consider making it a two-part system as the design principle from the beginning included the exoskeleton not being removable. I can see how this would be a later generation, perhaps ironically more like the wearable model Kruger himself uses in the movie, but that's not what I set out to make, really

I don't personally see an issue with "essence for an exoskeleton" as the skeleton would most certainly need major modification to support the dramatically increased performance capabilities if it was to be grafted onto the user like the one Max gets installed in the movie.


mjack
One important thing to note; the availability is Rating * 5R, meaning a Rating 6 device is availability 25. I considered making it Rating * 6 so that the maximum a character could get at character generation would only ever be Rating 4.

As for Rating 6, this is important to me at least because part of the draw for the exoskeleton is to be able to go past augmented maximum for a steep cost (minimum investment is 500k for this to occur, but it's possible). A wearable system, in my opinion, is more realistic but less cool


Rift
Indeed, this is science fiction with an emphasis on the fiction and rule of cool. As for armor, I'd like to point out that both Max and Kruger take some pretty serious blows while in their respective exoskeletons. Considering the abstraction of damage and combat in SR5 leads to an armor vest potentially protecting your legs and arms from damage, I have no issue with believing that the various metal plates, hardened pistons, and reinforced skeletal structure required by the exoskeleton would add enough protection to function like an armor vest (AV8+).

To my mind, tank type characters will always be better off in heavier armor than this is intended to convey. To my mind, this piece of tech bridges the gap between stealthy infiltrators and all-out combat types; you could even add ruthenium polymer coating to it and be relatively stealthy.

I don't see an issue making a wearable version of this; it's just not what I set out to do