[Slippery_Chicken]

This is a relatively simple question; If a character hits zero essence, then loses more to cyber-enhancements, what happens? Can a nonmagical character simply load up on unlimited cyberware and basically turn into a robot? Or does one become an NPC after hitting zero essence? Can one have a negative essence score?

[Ryo]

if you hit zero essence, you die. Zero essence is a corpse, negative essence is purely the realm of cyberzombies.

[Slippery_Chicken]

if you hit zero essence, you die. Zero essence is a corpse, negative essence is purely the realm of cyberzombies.

Can I get a page number on that? I wasn't able to find anything to that effect.

Also, this is about 5th edition, if that helps. Just changed the title to reflect that.

[Ryo]

Doesn't matter what edition it is, zero essence is always fatal. That's true throughout the fiction and the mechanics. It's not outright stated in the 'Essence' section, kind of like how they forgot to mention that filling up the Stun monitor knocks you unconscious, but that's the way it works. The lowest essence you can hit without dying is 0.001, and you're pretty far into cyber-psychosis by then.

But if you want an exact quote to support this, check out page 387, in the Essence drain power.

If a target character’s Essence is drained to 0, the character dies.

[Xenon]

SR5 RAI = In all previous editions hitting 0 essence and you die or turn into a cyber zombie GM controlled NPC.
SR5 RAW = 6.0 Essence act as a limit to how much augmentations you can get. No mention that you would die if you hit null essence from buying augmentations. Only that you can not buy more augmentations than you got essence.

Infection critter power (think vampires) can only pass on the infection on a target that are drained to zero essence and a target that is drained to zero essence "die". After 24 hours the target raise as a GM controlled NPC critter with 1 essence and will be desperate to feed to get more essence.

Aaron's response was pretty much that he would be very surprised if you can have zero essence in this edition, but that he would check with developers if it changed in this edition.

A lot of things got simply simpler in this edition. Having 6.0 essence as a hard limit for augmentations and not dying if you get augmentations down to 0.0 essence might or might not be intended. The rule text actually does not say and should be in an errata (IF it is wrong that is, if you DON'T die then RAW make perfect sense not mentioning death by augmentation).

[RHat]

A lot of things got simply in this edition.

Hilariously, I think you forgot the word "missed", or perhaps "forgotten".

[Xenon]

A lot of things got simply in this edition.

Hilariously, I think you forgot the word "missed", or perhaps "forgotten".

Nah. They simplified a lot of game mechanics.
But yes, they also missed and forgot a lot of things.
They also introduced ambiguous rules that is in desperate need of clarification on every second page or so.


If it helps, personally I think 0.0 essence = death or you turn into GM controlled cyberzombie.
- But there is nothing in the rules about it.
Not even in the quick starter (which is the only place you find any rules about what happens if you fill your stun condition monitor).

[RHat]

Nah. They simplified a lot of game mechanics.

Ah, so you meant "simpler" - not as self-demonstrating, I suppose.

[Slippery_Chicken]

If it helps, personally I think 0.0 essence = death or you turn into GM controlled cyberzombie.
- But there is nothing in the rules about it.

The word "cyberzombie" doesn't even appear in the book, nor is there any fluff to support the idea.


Where does it say you can't take more augmentations than you have Essence for?

[Michael Chandra]

Cyberzombies are extended core in SR4, will likely be in SR5 as well.

"If you get too far, whatever animated you is going to disappear, until all the gear you bought just collapses and becomes indistinguishable from any other pile of silicon, steel, and chrome."
"Each character starts with an Essence rating of 6, and it acts as a cap on the amount of alterations you can adopt."
"If a target character’s Essence is drained to 0, the character dies."

[Reaver]

If it helps, personally I think 0.0 essence = death or you turn into GM controlled cyberzombie.
- But there is nothing in the rules about it.

The word "cyberzombie" doesn't even appear in the book, nor is there any fluff to support the idea.


Where does it say you can't take more augmentations than you have Essence for?

you have to remember, that even though the edition changed, all the old canon is still there..... so until the new extended core books come out, anything and everything that is in the previous edition still holds true (unless it directly conflicts with rules/fluff in the SR5 CB).

yes that means you will have to do some work converting some stuff, but it is still useable...



For Cyberzombies the important thing to remember is that at 0 or less essence, you are DEAD (D...E...D!!!! DEAD!!!!) it is only the use of complex, expensive and powerful magical rituals is your soul bound to your body.... for a time. Even CyberZombies eventually turn to piles of goo as tumors and cancers eat away at any fleshy bits the cyber zombie still has. (life expectancy is in the months to weeks, depending on how deep down the essence hole you go!)

Cyber Zombies are totally in the realm of GM tool box only.... and not meant to be a playable option for PCs.

[Mirikon]

Where does it say you can't take more augmentations than you have Essence for?

Where does it say you can't buy more gear than you have nuyen for? Where does it say you can't buy more skills than you have points/karma for?

Essence is a finite resource. Barring utter nastiness (cyberzombies), you drop down to 0 Essence, you're dead. Period.

[Sengir]

"If a target character’s Essence is drained to 0, the character dies."

To be fair, that is about about was vampires and similar critters do, which might conceivably be different to what regular cyberware does. By RAW there is indeed nothing explicitly saying "at 0 you're dead, or worse", although it seems obvious that they intended to keep it the old way.

[Michael Chandra]

Except for the two other lines. And yes, there's no 100% RAW, but RAI is clear.

[emeketos]

Simple math terms
Essence must be greater 0 or >0 for the mathleets
0.000000000000000000000000000....01 is technically ok
=<0 your an NPC cyber zombie.