[Dal Thrax]

Ok, so I've been spending too much time on the forums today. 

Health Spell

Increase Nanite Metabolism
(Negative)
Type: P  Range: T
Duration: S  Drain: F-1

Each hit on the spellcasting roll increases the rate at which the body metabolizes nanites by -1NV/month.   

Gets around the problem with casting against a bunch of small things by encouraging the body's natural systems to metabolize them at a faster rate.  Four or more hits will cause the body to purge nanites faster than the CFD virus can create them.  To keep the virus from boosting production of hard nanites, the patient will need to be sedated and the spell sustained for the duration.  This could mean months in a medically induced coma.

It should work to get the voices out of a runners head, but it sure isn't going to scale in the face of a widespread outbreak.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Wouldn't keeping the headcase sedated prove problematic? We know they can resist toxins to a higher degree than ordinary metahumans, surely this would extend to pharmaceuticals as well.

[Reaver]

Yea, good luck with that. Or getting that spell approved by a GM....

[Dal Thrax]

Keeping the patient sedated might prove challenging.  As for approval, we've had decrease cyber attribute and the various toxin antidote spells.  Conceptually,  you're convincing the liver and kidneys that they really hate nanites.  From a game mechanics perspective it changes the value of a game stat (nanite degredation) tied to the character.  Personally,  I think the spell formula would be a better target of a run then something PCs are actually going to cast.

[psycho835]

Especially since a PC undergoing the treatment would be out cold for months.
Still, this actually sounds like a good idea. The sheer amount of sedatives would cost, and you would need an anesthesiologist to monitor 'em so that they don't kill you once the nanites are thinned out, but it might just work.

One problem though: spellcasters need to sleep too, so quickening metamagic is mandatory.

[Novocrane]

Old nanites are flushed from the body at a rate of  –1NV / month.

As long as the head case ingests food, the nanites are able to create soft nanites at a rate of +1 NV every week.
If the head case can eat some inorganic materials, the nanites can create hard nanites at the same rate.

The Nutrition spell provides a target with nourishment, allowing them to live off pure mana. One hit is enough to satisfy the target for a few hours[...]

Admittedly this is trading nanite infection for magical sustenance addiction, but eh.

Once you figure out how to prevent headcases eating anything nearby, possibly even themselves, then you're set. I guess that puts it on a list next to a bunch of other things that don't quite solve the issue.

[psycho835]

Easy, just keep'em restrained or sedated. I'm not so sure about Nutrition, though. I think I presented it as a possible cure in one of the previous CFD threads, but it was shot down for some reason. Can't recall why exactly, though.