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Old 12-08-2011, 02:28 AM   #1
captaincomic
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Default Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Finally our campaign is about to start. Last week was character brainstorming. Today will be character creation and an intoducory session.

We are creating mutations and cybernetics with the Basic Set and this article Better, Stronger, Faster.

One of my players would like to have a cybernetic arm with built in diagnostic tools and maybe healing abilities. I have troubles finding appropiate rules for such a thing.

One obvious option would be the Healing advantage (B59), but it's 30 points, and we start with 100 point characters, so that's pretty steep. Also another player will maybe play a tribal medicine man, and if the doctor had a cyber-arm with this powerful healing ability, I guess there wouldn't be much need for tribal esoteric medicine.

I was thinking to just say the arm contains a First Aid Kit and Surgical Instruments (B289), purchased as Signature Gear. A question about the point cost: this wouldn't cost more than the avg staring wealth, so this means it would cost just one CP?
Is there also some equipment that helps with the Diagnosis skill?

He also suggested his arm was unreliable. Can you put the Unreliable modifier on Signature Gear?

I guess there could be something tailor-made in High-Tech, Ultra-Tech, or Bio-Tech, but I don't have these (yet :)).

Any ideas, suggestions?
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Old 12-08-2011, 03:22 AM   #2
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Depends on campaign. In a more-or-less realistic TL9 campaign, this is likely to be either Signature Gear or an Accessory Perk (medical tool set). UT and BIO have a bunch of medical tools listed - you might want to pick some from them.
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Old 12-08-2011, 03:33 AM   #3
captaincomic
 
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

It's a post-apocalyptic (post WWIII) campaign, with some pre-war high-tech stuff still available. Realism is not the main goal.

I don't have Ultra- or Bio-Tech.
Could you cite me some equipment? Or is this not allowed?
Ordering them will take to long before character generation, and I only really need this diagnostic arm, everthing else we'll manage to do with the Basic Set.

The first book I will order is probably High-Tech for the all the stuff the PCs find in the wastes.
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Old 12-08-2011, 03:38 AM   #4
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by captaincomic View Post
It's a post-apocalyptic (post WWIII) campaign, with some pre-war high-tech stuff still available. Realism is not the main goal.

I don't have Ultra- or Bio-Tech.
Could you cite me some equipment? Or is this not allowed?
Ordering them will take to long before character generation, and I only really need this diagnostic arm, everthing else we'll manage to do with the Basic Set.

The first book I will order is probably High-Tech for the all the stuff the PCs find in the wastes.
Basically, a full tool kit of that sort will provide roughly up to +4 to appropriate skill(s) - check B345 - and allow actual skill use (e.g. in case of Surgery). There's more specialized stuff than that. B289 has medical gear on it.

Each level of Signature Gear provides Base Starting Wealth * ½ worth of an item (or thematically linked kit of items).
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Last edited by vicky_molokh; 12-08-2011 at 03:49 AM.
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Old 12-08-2011, 03:54 AM   #5
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
Basically, a full tool kit of that sort will provide roughly up to +4 to appropriate skill(s), and allow actual skill use (e.g. in case of Surgery). There's more specialized stuff than that. B289 has medical gear on it. I'll be back shortly.
Ok, thanks. So maybe simply +2 on First Aid, +2 on Diagnosis, +1 on Surgery (and ability to do Surgery) for ~5 CP of Signature Gear.

I also found some medical gear in GURPS Fallout:

e.g.
Quote:
Diagnostic Scanner: This hand-held electronic device, when used within
10 ft. of a given subject (the scanner must be directed towards the target),
will scan its bloodstream, electrical impulses, and general chemical
content with a variety of sophisticated sensors. The scanner has a
compressed memory bank filled with a large library of diseases and
general illnesses, and the information gleaned from the scan is cross-
referenced with its memory to diagnose whatever disease or sickness (if
any) is affecting the target. The diagnostic scanner detects and accurately
identifies diseases, chemical contaminant levels, the presence of parasitic
infestations, radiation levels, broken bones, degenerative genetic illness,
poison, etc. It also grants a +3 bonus to Diagnosis checks.
Power Source: Micro Fusion Cell
Its cost is listed as 10,500, that would be 10,5 times starting wealth, so 21 CP, but that seems like a fair cost for the automatic detection of all common sicknesses.
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Old 12-08-2011, 03:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by captaincomic View Post
Ok, thanks. So maybe simply +2 on First Aid, +2 on Diagnosis, +1 on Surgery (and ability to do Surgery) for ~5 CP of Signature Gear.

I also found some medical gear in GURPS Fallout:

e.g.

Its cost is listed as 10,500, that would be 10,5 times starting wealth, so 21 CP, but that seems like a fair cost for the automatic detection of all common sicknesses.
The one from the Fallout compilation is (AFAIK) unofficial, and is likely a TL9 / TL7+2 item, and likely priced for the Fallout setting. Just in case these facts are important to you.
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Old 12-08-2011, 04:21 AM   #7
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
The one from the Fallout compilation is (AFAIK) unofficial, and is likely a TL9 / TL7+2 item, and likely priced for the Fallout setting. Just in case these facts are important to you.
Yes, I guessed it was unoffical. And the prices are very different from the basic set.
E.g.
First Aid Kit (Basic Set) gives +1 to First Aid skill, costs 50$.
First Aid Kit (Fallout) gives +1 to First Aid skill, costs 400 bottlecaps (1 bottlecap = 1 GURPS $).

But it makes sense that in a post-apocalyptic world the prices of weapons, medical gear and survival stuff are much higher.
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Old 12-08-2011, 04:26 AM   #8
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by captaincomic View Post
But it makes sense that in a post-apocalyptic world the prices of weapons, medical gear and survival stuff are much higher.
Well, under that assumption, where any medical gear is rare, having a kit always with you and enjoying plot protection (i.e. if it breaks, you're likely to find a fix soon) makes it quite worth it, IMO. But I'd still prefer a full surgery kit (Black Bag + miscellanea) to an ultra-tech diagnostic tool. Just more versatile.
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Old 12-08-2011, 04:51 AM   #9
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Default Re: Cybernetic Diagnostic Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
Well, under that assumption, where any medical gear is rare, having a kit always with you and enjoying plot protection (i.e. if it breaks, you're likely to find a fix soon) makes it quite worth it, IMO. But I'd still prefer a full surgery kit (Black Bag + miscellanea) to an ultra-tech diagnostic tool. Just more versatile.
Yes, that's true. That's why I was surprised having a first aid kit and surgical tools as signature gear would only cost 1 CP. But I now realize I calculated it kinda wrong. In the basic set the tools have a variable tech level, but I should assume they are high tech in case of a cybernetic arm. So the cost TL 9 stuff in an average TL5 campaign is multiplied by 2^4. And I increase the cost for survival gear and other useful stuff by an additional x2.
A TL9 first aid kit would be 50*2^4*2 = $1600
TL9 surgical tools 300*2^4*2=$9600
Thats more that 2 times starting wealth => 5 CP
Put in some diagnosis kit for base price 50 for an extra 1 CP.
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