[DWC]

Despite the rules stating that the effected hardware melts into unusable slag, or releases all the magic smoke, or sparks and fizzles, the game mechanics make no mention of what happens to the end user and the authors have stated that a bricked cybernetic implant continues to provide all the functionality of the original organs it replaced.

Bricked cybereyes still let you see, bricked wired reflexes still let you move.  Neither requires any sort of surgery to repair.  Somehow, a basic Hardware test allows you to repair a piece of equipment that is completely inside the bounds of your corporeal body, because requiring surgery wound go even further to discourage leaving anything wireless accessible by driving the Risk/Reward curve even further out of whack.

[Crunch]

I suspect for a lot of that stuff "bricking" (and as far as I can tell "Magic Smoke," sparks and slag aren't major parts of the rules text) actually just trips the protocols designed to keep the implants from harming the user. So fooling the datajack to shut itself down because it thinks it's causing damage etc. Sort of the equivalent of tripping a circuit breaker.

Since one of the advantages of wireless access to cyberware is supposed to be being able to access the cyberwear "brain" for maintenance without surgery, being able to reset that kind of non physical damage seems reasonable to me.

[DWC]

This does bring out one of my pet peeves about SR5.  I hate that the game mechanics are written in the same narrative voice as the background sections.  The things that are game mechanics should be in separate subsections to avoid confusion, though I recall seeing that it was done that way on purpose.  Fuck it I know why.

[Emil_Barr]

I suspect for a lot of that stuff "bricking" (and as far as I can tell "Magic Smoke," sparks and slag aren't major parts of the rules text) actually just trips the protocols designed to keep the implants from harming the user. So fooling the datajack to shut itself down because it thinks it's causing damage etc. Sort of the equivalent of tripping a circuit breaker.

Since one of the advantages of wireless access to cyberware is supposed to be being able to access the cyberwear "brain" for maintenance without surgery, being able to reset that kind of non physical damage seems reasonable to me.

Protocols and non physical damage sound more like software than hardware to me.

As far as this being a 50 year old technology, its also been immune to hacking until fairly recently. And why should he corps fix the issue? Theyll blame it on the hackers and use it as another excuse to sell people security solutions.

[Crunch]

And if you want to house rule that you can (although why you would I don't know), but complaining about the base rule because of a house rule you've invented seems a little strange.

[Emil_Barr]

And if you want to house rule that you can (although why you would I don't know), but complaining about the base rule because of a house rule you've invented seems a little strange.

I was pointing out that it couldnt be doig what you are proposing. If thats what it did, it would require a skill other than hardware to fix.

Hardware refers te the physical portion of a device. If it isnt physically damaged in some way, then I dont see how hardware skill will fix it.

[calaen]

The thing is, black IC and the like?  They hit your neural pathways for a reason - hacking someone and frying their datajack, if only for a game balance reason, should not melt your brain.  Want a hardware reason?  Circuit breakers.  Think of it as a physical failsafe - the thing blows a fuse (sparks, etc) rather than gets so hot the circuit melts and makes you the next set of spare parts that Organ Grinders picks up for resale.  I know that I for one, don't want killing someone to be as simple as spiking their jack - if they are on VR with a DNI, then the reason that getting a black bat cooks your brain is because they're essentially bricking your brain; your neural pathways at that point are serving as a direct part of the wiring.

On the other hand, fixing a datajack seems like it isn't hardware.  A datajack is cyberware - which means that it should fall under the purview of cybertech.

[DWC]

If I can put in a breaker that stops a hacker from damaging my brain by frying my datajack, why won't a circuit breaker protect my brain from a different program attacking it through my data jack?

Cyberware can't be smart enough to protect you from the side effects of bricking in a world where Black IC exists.

[calaen]

Except that a breaker would only do that if it was the datajack being overloaded - they hit you with a black bat, they're not trying to overload your datajack, nor cook any of its parts - at that point, they're using the datajack against you, making it give your brain a good shocking.  Two seperate targets and processes.

[Emil_Barr]

I can maybe buy a circuit breaker argument. Problem is, it only works for ware thats externally accessable. If it happens to your Wired Reflexes, theyre still gonna have to cut you open.

I dont know if Black IC  causes your jack to give you a literal shock.

[calaen]

I do agree, going to have to cut you open to fix those wires, and anything else you can't get at externally.  And, I can see the corps loving that - they get to charge you for the operation and an 'overhaul' on your wires.  For resetting a circuit breaker.  I know that if I was a moneymongering corporate overlord, I would demand that setup.  I'd even build an ad campaign around it.  "Here at Evo, we provide you with the very best in human augmentation, and if an evil decker should ruin your ware, well, come to us, and we'll fix it faster than you thought possible, and in event of an invasive surgery, we have specially trained mage doctors who will help you recover with a minimum of discomfort. "

And maybe not a literal shock, but it could tell your heart to stop beating, or tell other parts of you something is wrong, so your body tries to correct and ends up damaging itself because nothing is actually wrong there.  Heck, it could overload your brain with junk data - your gray matter rewires itself every time you learn something new, so imagine having it rewire itself repeatedly at an extremely high rate of speed - your brain might start bleeding, which makes sense, because that is the only explanation I have seen for BTLs frying your brain.

[Emil_Barr]

Im fine with that, its just it isnt how RAW explains the repairs working.

And I think the reasons BTLs fry your brain is that theyre *literally* better than life. The emotions are more intense than your brain can naturally cope with. That combined with the unnaturaly prolonged exposure to extremely high amounts of the chemicals causing said emotions just wears your brain out.

[calaen]

this could be so, yeah.  Might also be how a black bat works too, to some degree.  Not hard to imagine that its generally a sensory overload.

[SoulGambit]

Generally speaking, in my game and in every good game I've seen run, the rules do what they say they do unless there is a specific house-rule. I'm certain we are all smart enough to come up with very good reasons why it should be X, and very good reasons it should be Y. Given two sets of very good reasons for two mutually exclusive things, it is our responsibility to justify why the rules work--not why they don't. If you feel conviction that the rules should be different, then your recourse is to talk to your GM for a houserule or to houserule your own game. In the meanwhile, and for the sake of making posts useful to noobs, the rules do what they say they do, and nothing more.

Also, none of this has to do with Gear for 5th Edition Samurai Builds.

The Samurai in my game (Human) prioritized Nuyen as A. He got a Cyberarm (Max AGI/STR, Armor +2), Aluminum Bones, Orthoskin 3, and Synaptic Booster 2. That was on top of some Headgear / Eyegear. It was a short, single run so he didn't have to worry about Wired Reflexes eventually outstripping the Synaptic Booster. He did really well, used his 12P Katana to cleave through drones and people like a hot knife through butter. He had some trouble with things staying away, but he choose to reach them with athletics rather than shoot. He had a gun, but I suspected he thought the challenge was more fun. He also enjoyed his Body of 5 for purposes of soak, plus armor in the upper teens. He waded into combat like it was nothing.

It seems absolutely essential to rush enough mods to get your third turn. While he used the Synaptic Booster, Wired Reflexes 1 plus Used Reaction Enhancers 3 are probably better the better investment. It gives you a base Defensive Roll of up to 16. I'd buy up Reaction Enhancer 4 and Wired Reflexes 3 as soon as possible, for the 13 Reaction, 18 Defensive Roll, and averaging four turns.

Cyber Hands and Feet seem like a better investment for armor than metal bones, both in terms of Nuyen and in terms of Essence.

At least one Cyber Arm for AGI 9 seems essential in the beginning.

The ability to stack Cybereyes and Vision enhancement 6 Goggles makes the Street Sammie an excellent scout.

I'd say a more efficient, twinkish raw-combat build would be:
- A = Attributes, B = Nuyen, C = Skills, D = Race (Human), E = Magic
- Magic Resistance 4*
- Body 5, Agility 3 (9**), Reaction 6 (10), Strength 4, Willpower 5, Logic 3, Intuition 5, Charisma 1, Edge 5
- Relevant Combat Skill 6, with a Specialty for +2 in your weapon
- Wired Reflexes 1 [2, 39000]
- Used Reaction Enhancers 3 [0.3*3*1.25, 13000*3*0.75]
- Cyberarm with Agility 6 (9), Armor +2 [1, 20000+15000+6500*3+3000*2]
- Betawear Cyberhand/Cyberhand with Armor +2 x3 [0.25*3*0.7, (6000*1.5+3000*2)*3]
- Orthoskin 3 [0.2*3, 6000*3]
- Cybereyes 2 [0.3, 6000]
    + Image Link [0.1, 1000]
    + Smartlink [0.2, 4000]
    + Thermographic Vision [0.1, 1500]
- Armored Jacket + Helmet [1100]
- Auctioneer Business Clothes [1500]
- Monofilament Whip [10000]
- Ares Alpha [2650]
- Steyr TMP + External Smart Gun [350 + 125 + 200]
- Transys Avalon + Sim Module [5100]***
- Goggles with Vision Enhancement 6 [50*6+500*6]
- Headphones 5 with Audio Enhancement 3 and Spacial Recognizor [50*5+500*3+1000]
- TOTAL: 5.95 Essence Cost, 207250 Nuyen... plenty left over for utility gear, Fake SIN, Lifestyle, bullets, grenades, et cetera

* May not be the best choice with all teams.
** Assumes Cyberlimb's replacement stats are not affected by augmentation limits. If this is not the case in your game, drop Willpower, Strength,  and/or Logic as necessary.
*** Master to all wireless devices and cyberwear, for protection, assuming your Decker isn't doing something better.

[Michael Chandra]

Aren't Reaction Enhancers capped at 3?