Bio-Systems and Psionics

[darthauthor]

So I have a player character.

He has an eye injury.

He talked to a Cyber-Doc who can replace it with a Bio-System eye.

The Cyber Doc offered to replace both eyes for max benefits.

Player asked me if he could still use the psionic power of "See the Invisible" if he has both eyes replaced with Bio-System eyes?

I said the Cyber Doc will have to get back to you on that.

So does getting Bio-System eyes take away the psionic power of "See the Invisible?"

Psionic power of Nightvision?

[Grazzik]

So does getting Bio-System eyes take away the psionic power of "See the Invisible?"

Psionic power of Nightvision?

I don't know of any book that says bio-systems take away psionic powers of any kind.

[Library Ogre]

I have long since decided that bio-systems are bio enough that they don't impact magic or psionics.

[ShadowLogan]

Bio-Systems are (one of ) the go to solution for mages who lose limbs as it doesn't impose the usual casting penalties like normal cyber/bionic systems and is flat out stated in the books (has been since RMB days). Psychics have a threshold before you have to worry about implants impacting powers (IIRC), getting a pair of eyes shouldn't be an issue (though I don't know how many other implants said character has so it might be an issue there).

Bio-Systems also involve a certain level of cloning (IIRC) which might make them closer to organ transplants than artificial, so I don't see them impacting Psionic Powers per say. Being organic constructs Bio-Systems should have no trouble working with Psionic Nightvision (it is a form of bio-manipulation per text). See the Invisible (and similar "see" power) are going to come down to how the GM (you) see the powers functioning, do they work by some form of bio-manipulation (then yes), is it more of an sensory conversion (there are people who perceive what normal people would think of as one sense as two senses, example sounds having a visual component, in which case I would say yes), or unlocking some trait of the eyes only present in psychics (you're on your own).

[Stone Gargoyle]

Small implants don't affect psionics. It's only when you get into replacing whole limbs and such that it becomes an issue.

[darthauthor]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

What I think isn't always an accurate or fair interpretation.
I don't want to under or over power.

I seriously didn't have the bionic book around.
I didn't want to just say he, or anyone else, could get their eyes replaced without consequence to their psionics or spell casting.

With your feedback the player is gaming to min-max the rewards of bio-system eyes.
Told me he has a choice:

Night vision

Flash protection

Eyes that see well underwater

infra-red and Ultra-violet. Looks like the best but the eye color is Violet or Red but the player can't see the invisible.
To describe this to the player character, is it like the film Predator with his vision that sees body heat but not if you are covered in mud?
IF so, what is a good time frame for a guy to get used to seeing like this?
I assume a guy switches between which way he wants to see: normal, infra-red, or Ultra-violet.

If I read it right, the player can only have one.

[Grazzik]

I didn't want to just say he, or anyone else, could get their eyes replaced without consequence to their psionics or spell casting.

When in doubt as a GM, go with the penalty and blame it on the Cyberdoc swapping out the part during surgery for a low cost alterative that comes with penalties. What? Never bought a defective or off-brand product before? Let the PC deal with the consequences according to their alignment and priority - keep with the campaign or get distracted due to a revenge vendetta? Scoop out your eyeballs and there's likely some chance of something going wrong...

To describe this to the player character, is it like the film Predator with his vision that sees body heat but not if you are covered in mud?
IF so, what is a good time frame for a guy to get used to seeing like this?

Look on YouTube for real IR / UV footage and gauge for yourself how long it would take to get used to it. Also, you may want to factor in that 100 years of tech development during the Golden Age may have resulted in pretty sharp quality.

If I read it right, the player can only have one.

As GM, you can do anything you want. The bionics book doesn't expressly say you can't stack augmentations... it just recommends that you have eyes with the same augmentation otherwise you get penalties. I'd say it comes down to how good the Cyberdoc and their lab is... assuming you get what you pay for.

[ShadowLogan]

IF so, what is a good time frame for a guy to get used to seeing like this?

IMHO there will be several factors to consider how long it takes to get used to seeing in another part of the EM-spectrum. Characters with Optic Systems or Read Sensory Instruments (or whatever it was renamed to) skills are likely going to be able to adapt faster than someone without it as those skills allow the character to use/interpret camera/sensors that appear on a monitor.

I don't think a character is necessarily going to have a hard time adapting to seeing in another part of the EM-spectrum either, at least for basic things (simple recognition) but it will likely take longer (w/o above skill options) to get the more complex tasks down (more advanced recognition). Probably looking at a few days of use to adapt, maybe a few hours w/o the right supporting skills.

[thorr-kan]

Some further discussion with page numbers and quotes from last year:
https://palladium-megaverse.com/forums/ ... 117415617a