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Heroic Knight
 
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Thursday, November 27, 2008 5:54 PM
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Mr Daniels has raised the following:
"Plastic surgery? A lot would depend upon the bone structure underneath, but with a few grafts from less visible areas and liposuctioning out portions to the thinned down, we could probably go quite some way to changing the features. The horns might be a tricky bit though.
I was going to email in a query as to how far advanced 'transplant surgery' might be on the Riftworld. In our world, we can sew on lost digits and ears, and transplant organs from compatible donors. In the 'future', are there drugs and techniques that might be able to manage compatibility issues for limbs and the like from external donors?
Such a line of enquiry is of little benefit to Xenon, for whom a 'head transplant' is likely to be stretching things a bit. However, it would suit Westlitsiders who wish to retain purity and avoid the evil cyber-ness.."
Here is a topic for this chat.
- Come to Riftworld:the sun never shines, tomorrow is not a better day, but you can drink and swear all you like. That's when we attack.-
"And not to pull your halo down around your neck and tug you off your cloud....but I'm more than just a little curious..."
"This wicked tongue says, go on - taste everything...and the noise is as much as I can bear..."
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Squire
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Last Login: Thursday, May 01, 2008 12:54 PM
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Interesting question..
The races that tend to 'change' their appearance are the citier/cyberates and the nanolords and they each have their own ways of doing it that don't really involve bio-tech. Not really sure who else has the advanced medical tech to be grafting on limbs and so on..
Maybe someone could reverse-enginner the Fleshtech gun 
Riftworld: Xenon Kade
Waypoint: Crew/3rd goon from the left
Vikings: Crew
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Heroic Knight
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Thursday, November 27, 2008 5:54 PM
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Regarding the current cultures bio-tec (as opposed to pre-Fall), the most knowledgable are the Nanolords, by a clear margin. Persuading them to bother, rather than poke you is the greater problem.
The ability to do transplants with high success rate and minimum fuss also lies within the reach of Citiers, but as the specialism of synthetic cyberware is prevelant, this would be something for rare occasion or a quirky individual - ergo expensive reputationally and financially.
A side note on this - plastic surgery and Psi healing...- here lies an interesting issue. Mental and maybe even gene therapy also comes into play, because - a function prosthetic intergrated into the body does not register in the mind as damage, but do the massive number of (albeit healed) wounds involved in 'plastic' surgery mean that Psi healing may remove it all?
Medical/Psi inquiry would suggest that a replaced limb/finger present little problem here, but this becomes hazier with stuff like facial appearance.
A full transplant of an organic organ/limb may sit happily in the minds body-map and not interfere with Psi healing.
But are you sure the virus hasn't changed the body-map too?
- Come to Riftworld:the sun never shines, tomorrow is not a better day, but you can drink and swear all you like. That's when we attack.-
"And not to pull your halo down around your neck and tug you off your cloud....but I'm more than just a little curious..."
"This wicked tongue says, go on - taste everything...and the noise is as much as I can bear..."
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Champion
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| We just need another virus surely? One that goes the other way. One that turns twisted mutant creatures into pretty pretty human things. Not only would it help with Xenon's head, but we could throw it at Twisted, Tentaclids and other worrying creatures in order to reduce them to the sort of harmless creature we wouldn't mind taking tea with Of course I might not be the best medic to consult on this particular process, it being a problem that neither superglue nor tar will help out with
Internet Redcap: Don't make me put the hat on
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Prodigal
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Hmm, Xenon with a cybernetic head sounds like a plan...
_____________________________________________________It is not a competition. It is a web forum.
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Heroic Knight
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Bacon (12/10/2007)
We just need another virus surely? One that goes the other way. One that turns twisted mutant creatures into pretty pretty human things. Not only would it help with Xenon's head, but we could throw it at Twisted, Tentaclids and other worrying creatures in order to reduce them to the sort of harmless creature we wouldn't mind taking tea with It would take a genius... That's not to say I don't think its a good idea. Looking at the rules, its hard to see - mechanically - what path PCs can take on a subject like this. There are no bio-tech skills. There are cyber-tech and psi-skills, but the latter doesn't seem to work on Xenon's head and the former is cultural anathema to some (i.e. most of the current crop of mutants). The Nanolords can have the effects of bio-tech, but nothing apart from their character backgrounds to suggest any knowledge of it. So, I've mostly been looking at Medic as the bio-tech skill. It has levels 1-4 ranging from 'com' to 'vrare' and that matches culture specs[1] : - 'uncom' cultures - Westlitside, Nanolords, Shengui
- 'rare' cultures - City, Cyberates, Xadacians,
- 'vrare' cultures - None
Looking at what viruses might 'cost' in terms of RP, the rulebook doesn't give a cost for virus stuff other than to warn of its existence. Toxin Grenades are 'vrare' (but, oddly, Toxin Missiles are only 'rare'). Arcane Engineering skills don't have levels as such, but the skill is of equal or greater rarity to the things that they 'fix', so assuming a crude parallel for Medic, then you need Level 4+ Medic to even think of developing a virus and thats beyond most cultures currently (with the exception of smug little auto-meds - hates 'em). Still, with luck and a fair wind, Dr M is about to attain Medic Lvl 3 and achieve the kind of skill level available to more advanced (rare Gear) cultures. I'm assuming that this can include things like surgery and transplants, but is still some way off 'viral engineering' which is Lvl 4+. All of which stands on the assumption of Medic as an acceptable Biotech skill substitute. Is it? [1] The model I'm using assumes that 'Gear' levels equate to tech-sophistication rather than 'Skills', because Defenders (and therefore the Westlitside) have access to 'vrare' Skills like Forcefield engineering, so why not advanced transplants? The model falls down, because Nanolords don't have 'rare' Gear despite being more technologically sophisticated than the Westers (in theory).
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Insurrection:"Of course, if I used some extra resources I could raise my chances of success to very poor...."
Riftworld: "This? This is not a problem, its a challenge. Now can someone help me open this jar?"
LT: [Not allowed a speaking (or writing) part.]
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Initiate
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Last Login: Friday, November 28, 2008 10:27 AM
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| Why on earth would anyone want to heal Xenon? He's now a prime candidate to infiltrate Twisted groups. (Because that couldn't go horribly wrong at all...)
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Heroic Knight
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Masati (12/10/2007)
Why on earth would anyone want to heal Xenon?*thinks* (Because it would prove I am equal or better than 'Lime'.) *ahem* Out of a natural and honest concern for the wellbeing of fellow expedition members. Obviously. He's now a prime candidate to infiltrate Twisted groups. (Because that couldn't go horribly wrong at all...) That's not a bad idea. (There's a whole stack of other adjectives that could be used instead of 'bad'). 
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Insurrection:"Of course, if I used some extra resources I could raise my chances of success to very poor...."
Riftworld: "This? This is not a problem, its a challenge. Now can someone help me open this jar?"
LT: [Not allowed a speaking (or writing) part.]
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