Cyberpunk Biochemical Injector

[swestrup]

I am building a cyberpunk character who wants to have a cyber-implanted biochemical injection system. He would buy standard vials of various drugs (dex boost, rapid heal, stun boost, etc) and slot them into the three slots in his injector.

At any time during a battle, he could use up a charge from a vial as a zero-phase action, and gain the benefits.

My first thought was to simply buy the various drugs as standard drugs, and the injector as a naked trigger advantage with a few limitations of its own.

The problem came when I tried to figure out the charges situation. If there was just one slot, I would buy the vials as 4 non-recoverable charges each and give the injector four charges to represent the fact that it can give four doses and then the old vial has to be ejected and a new vial inserted.

I have no idea how to handle the idea of there been three slots. Its almost like having a gun that can hold three clips of different bullets at the same time. You can switch between them on the fly, but once you've used up any particular clip, you need to replace it.

Any suggestions?

[Captain Obvious]

Build it as a multipower, with each injector slot as an ultra slot within the multipower.

[Aroooo]

If this is for a Heroic level game (well, maybe even higher), I would do it as a multi-power, each 'drug' an ultra slot in the MP. Then apply the Charges limitation to the multi-power pool directly. That way there are only 3 charges, regardless of how many different drug options the character has available.

If you don't want to have an MP with 20-something slots (not knowing how many drugs you'll have available in the game world), then just build the MP with three 'generic' slots, and rotate the vials of drugs in and out as needed. This really only works in a Heroic setting. Supers settings I think you'd have to build out every drug possibility... or build it as a VPP...

Aroooo

[swestrup]

That glosses over the very real desire to have the user have to keep track of how many charges of each vial he's used. Its part of the desired feel for the game.

A VPP without charges throws that away, and I can't figure out a way to build a VPP with charges that does the right thing.

[Aroooo]

True, but you could say the same for any power that uses charges. How do you track how many 'clips' of machine gun charges a character has? The rules stipulate (FRED, 5e, pg 284):


Charges define how many times per day the character can use the power. Th exact time needed to regain Charges varies depending on the special effects of the power. If a character has Charges which are bullets for a gun, the GM may allow him to go home to get new bullets. If the Charges represent a magic power that only works three times a day, all three Charges may be magically restored at dawn. Th e GM and the player should decide on a mutually agreeable method for the Charges to return.

I don't think you're going to be able to build what you want without some level of GM fiat in the equation.

For me, in my games, its been "...your gun has 6 rounds in it, you have 12 more rounds in your pocket [i.e. 3 'clips' of 6 charges]. If you need more, you're going to have to go home and get them..." thus taking that character out of the immediate action while s/he replaces/replenishes charges.

Aroooo

[ghost-angel]

If each Vial of any given drug has X Charges simply buy the Charges on the slots of either the VPP or MP.