[JimmyCrisis]

Three things here. 

Holy ground?  I can't conceive any reason why a setting-specific concept would be too taboo to talk about.  What's the point of a shared universe if we can't discuss what that universe is?  However, I do encourage anyone who would rage out at the notion of discussing the setting to just ignore me.

First, my ignore list is getting bigger.  Not raging out, but you're being myopic as hell, and I can't have a conversation with someone who so blatantly ignores two decades of canon in favor of a house rule, and then treats the rest of us like morons.

It's still in the books that your essence can be restored.  That's part of canon now, has been since 4th edition.  Considering that it is canon that no one really knows what essence is in SR, this leads me to believe that there may be other untapped methods for the same process.  What I'm interested in seeing is where in the fluff, fiction, what-have-you directly supports or explains what essence is.  I don't think that supporting material actually exists. 

Second, martinchaen covered the specifics of Essence loss in the rulebooks well enough that I don't have to repeat them.  I will simply point out that Essence can ONLY be restored in this one method.  That's the crux of it.  You are free to house rule it sure, but don't go acting like the rest of us don't know what we're talking about or acting like your house rule is somehow more canon.

If you don't consider it worth discussing, why would you discuss it?

Third point: I'm not the OP.  I didn't create this topic to discuss it.  I commented on what the OP asked, which is the restoration of Essence.  You actually started this "regenerative Essence" line of discussion, and I rebutted it with fact.  If you want to house rule your regenerating Essence, go for it.  But again, don't go acting like it's anything other than a house rule.

I honestly don't know where you're getting that attitude from.  Regardless, I've said my piece and don't have anything else to add to it.  I would like to point out that as a "house rule", it is both in line with and doesn't change the setting, such as, say 'Teleport.'  Honestly, it's a question of GM purview and group consensus.  If you and your players don't want to be flexible with the system or setting, don't be.  There's no wrong way to play.  I just don't think it's unrealistic, and I'm glad that other people are receptive the to idea.

If say essence regrew at a rate of 0.1 per year.  How much essence would be regrown in average life expectancy of the normal shadowrunner?

The average shadowrunner?  At that rate I'd say .03, maybe .05.  Depends on how snarly the dragons are.

[Senko]

Maximum magic loss can be offset by initiation grade I mean I want to be at least grade 5 so I can summon all 10 spirit types (even if I'm not sure how I'm meant to pick their role is the spirit of fire combat, illusion, healing?) and I probably wont raise my actual stat that high so I'll wind up with a higher max than I actually have anyway.

Nah make it common if largely uknown. If the players want to deal with a dragon to recover essence loss do it then show them WHY one of the big rules of runners is "Never deal with a dragon."

Honestly though essence holes are of less interest to me than this ability to restore loss that doesn't leave a hole. There's a bunch of cyber/bioware that interests me e.g. implanted links for accessing the matrix, only needing to sleep 3 hours a night, improved logic and memory functions. Right now I'm avoiding most of them due to the essence hit if there was a way (rare and expensive as it would be) to have them and still get my essence back to its maxiumum that would be very, very interesting.

[Namikaze]

Maximum magic loss can be offset by initiation grade I mean I want to be at least grade 5 so I can summon all 10 spirit types (even if I'm not sure how I'm meant to pick their role is the spirit of fire combat, illusion, healing?) and I probably wont raise my actual stat that high so I'll wind up with a higher max than I actually have anyway.

This isn't related to the discussion, but I feel like I should warn you that you can only summon spirits that are appropriate to your tradition.

Honestly though essence holes are of less interest to me than this ability to restore loss that doesn't leave a hole. There's a bunch of cyber/bioware that interests me e.g. implanted links for accessing the matrix, only needing to sleep 3 hours a night, improved logic and memory functions. Right now I'm avoiding most of them due to the essence hit if there was a way (rare and expensive as it would be) to have them and still get my essence back to its maxiumum that would be very, very interesting.

You can't get Essence back if you still have the cybernetics installed.  The only Essence that can be restored is from an "Essence Hole" caused by the loss of such cybernetics.

[martinchaen]

Namikaze has it right on the money, Senko. You can't have your cake and eat it too (even though it's a stupid saying);

In game terms, revitalization regenerates the Essence “hole” left by the removal of an implant from the body. Revitalization is slow and Essence is restored by recurring gene therapy sessions at a rate of 0.1 Essence per month. Though Essence points lost to implantation, Energy Drain, and addiction may be restored through gene therapy, Magic/Resonance points lost are never returned and reductions to the maximum Magic/Resonance attribute remain in effect.
Revitalization can be performed without permanent hospitalization during the treatment time. Characters have to spend at least 7 days per month in the clinic to continue the treatment. If the character has not attended the clinic for two months the treatment stops and has to be started anew (including the starting costs) to continue the effect. Note that this treatment cannot be attempted if the implant is still present.

Emphasis mine.

Also note the underscored part; this is the paragraph that deals with healing Essence lost to drain attacks and similar.

[Xenon]

...and SR5 core dont have essence "holes" at all (at least not yet)

[martinchaen]

Xenon
Or the Revitalization rules, so that's a moot point all together...

[Senko]

Maximum magic loss can be offset by initiation grade I mean I want to be at least grade 5 so I can summon all 10 spirit types (even if I'm not sure how I'm meant to pick their role is the spirit of fire combat, illusion, healing?) and I probably wont raise my actual stat that high so I'll wind up with a higher max than I actually have anyway.

This isn't related to the discussion, but I feel like I should warn you that you can only summon spirits that are appropriate to your tradition.

Honestly though essence holes are of less interest to me than this ability to restore loss that doesn't leave a hole. There's a bunch of cyber/bioware that interests me e.g. implanted links for accessing the matrix, only needing to sleep 3 hours a night, improved logic and memory functions. Right now I'm avoiding most of them due to the essence hit if there was a way (rare and expensive as it would be) to have them and still get my essence back to its maxiumum that would be very, very interesting.

You can't get Essence back if you still have the cybernetics installed.  The only Essence that can be restored is from an "Essence Hole" caused by the loss of such cybernetics.

I was referring to that comment about great dragons healing pattern damage which from the context seemed to indicate they could heal essence loss that didn't leave a hole as there'd have been no cybernetic back then just essence draining creatures.

[Namikaze]

I was referring to that comment about great dragons healing pattern damage which from the context seemed to indicate they could heal essence loss that didn't leave a hole as there'd have been no cybernetic back then just essence draining creatures.

So you were talking about Earthdawn?  Cause dragons in Shadowrun don't do that without house rules.

[DeathEatsCurry]

Apparently, not in 4th edition.  What makes SR unique among RPGs is that each edition follows a coherent timeline in which all the other editions still exist.  A technique or practice from S4 still exists in the setting. 

Skinlink says hi.

...and SR5 core dont have essence "holes" at all (at least not yet)

Its not unreasonable to file this under RAI though, since otherwise replacing cyber would be downright unsustainable.

Honestly though essence holes are of less interest to me than this ability to restore loss that doesn't leave a hole. There's a bunch of cyber/bioware that interests me e.g. implanted links for accessing the matrix, only needing to sleep 3 hours a night, improved logic and memory functions. Right now I'm avoiding most of them due to the essence hit if there was a way (rare and expensive as it would be) to have them and still get my essence back to its maxiumum that would be very, very interesting.

Interesting in what way, anyways? It would beat the entire point and fluff of essence, the fact youre giving uo a piece of your humanity for that extra technological edge. If you could regain esence that is in use... Cyber would have no consequence, it wouldnt be a tradeof.. It would ruin the concept of essence!

[Michael Chandra]

Essence Holes exist under the HotPatch errata for now. They weren't in Core in SR4 either.

Skinlink, on the other hand, was in Core. And anything dropped from the same book is likely dropped forever.

(You know, with the wireless bonuses added to the game, I'm not entirely sure why skinlink was removed anymore. If they'd given us a system or suggestions where wires are risky and can get caught on things or damaged, I'd understand, but if the sole advantage is not having a visible wire, and you still lose out on the wireless bonuses, I don't really get it anymore. In SR4 it was overkill because you could avoid using visible wires and would have a dozen items skinlinked, but in SR5 the wireless bonuses already punish you for avoiding being hackable.)