Re: [HOE] Buildin' Borgs

["Scott Pedersen" <spederse@hotmail.com>]

> > a couple of the Harrowed are already eyeballin' the Cyborg goodies.  Ok,
> > all of the Harrowed are.  But there's one little bit of info I can't
find
> > in any of the books; what's it take to become a borg in play?  Starting
> > out, fine, it gives the guidelines.  But assuming they can even find
> > someone to do the operation, what will it cost and what's the minimum to
> > install?  Can you be a 'borg without an AI?

As others have mentioned, the minimum to install is a spirit fetter.  A SRU
is extremely useful, but not strictly necessary.  A borg can live without an
AI, and many of the new ones made since the apocalypse are that way.
However, I can think of two other major concerns for the would be borg.

One, installing a spirit fetter is a delicate operation that is extremely
risky.  It is very easy to screw up, even for experienced and knowledgeable
people.  On the one hand you can leave the Manitou with too much freedom, in
which case your deader ends up with the unfettered hindrance and doesn't get
rid of the evil spirit in his skull.  On the other hand you can restrict the
Manitou too much, cutting off all of it's power and leaving the harrowed
finally and permanently dead.  And, even if the spirit fetter is properly
installed, the harrowed will instantly lose all harrowed powers.  The only
way to get those powers back is to gain the unfettered hindrance, or find
the piece of cyberware that allows harrowed powers to be used (spirit
focus?).

Two, the harrowed's Manitou isn't stupid.  It isn't going to go along with
this process to fetter it willingly.  I expect that most Manitou would
rather die fighting than allow themselves to be restrained in this way.  So,
even if your posse does find a qualified cyber-surgeon, he's likely to end
up dead rather quickly.

In short, becoming a cyborg is not a fast and easy road to ridding yourself
of all the harrowed disadvantages while gaining firepower.  It's more likely
a short, expensive road to more problems and misery.  Finding the hardware,
and the people who can install it, is only the first of your problems.  But
hey, such is H.O.E.

-Scott Pedersen