Calculating Random Humanity Loss using Power Core
The Nevereverend Slaine Fullerton, May 2001.
In Studio:187’s Fuzion power plug-in, Power Core, humanity loss for cyberware is a flat one point per Option Point cost of the implanted cyber-system not paid for with actual OP. Hence, an 18 OP device could be purchased in game with money, the character paying the monetary cost of the item in question. However, said character would lose the full 18 points of humanity. The character could opt to spend Option Points, in addition to the monetary cost of the cyber-device, negating humanity loss by one point for each OP spent, up to the total OP cost of 18.
While this is an excellent means of approaching the problem of Option Point expenditures and money in a game world, humanity loss becomes very flat, generic, and predictable. A character knows, before getting the cyber-implant, how much it will affect his psyche, and may prepare accordingly. While this predictability makes the accounting process much easier, it does little to reflect the way individual persons might respond differently to the replacement of meat with metal, and the whole cyber-surgical process.
This article proposes a variant method of calculating humanity loss while still using the excellent Power Core plug-in to create cyberware. Simply take the Option Point cost of the cybernetic device, and divide it by four, rounding down. This is how many d6’s are rolled in determining the loss of humanity, called a base Humanity Cost, or base HC. After rolling these dice, add one-tenth of the original Option Point cost to that number. This becomes the total humanity loss for the item.
The formula for this process is as follows:
OP for Cybernetic Device: (OP)
(OP/4)=HC
rolled HC total + (OP/10) = Total Humanity Lost.
For example: Bob the Plumber decides he wants a set of implanted forearm spikes that cost 10 OP. He doesn’t feel like paying any of that cost right now, so the full 10 OP are calculated into the cost:
OP (10)
10 divided by 4 = 2.5, rounding down to 2. This gives us a base HC2, meaning 2d6 rolled for the humanity loss. Bob rolls a 5 and a 3, for a total of 8 points.
Because the implant’s original cost was 10 option points, Bob suffers an additional 1 point (10/10=1), giving him a final Humanity Loss of 9 points. The actual Humanity Cost, HC, for his forearm spikes was HC2 + 1.
This method tends to average out at slightly fewer lost humanity points that the Power Core default. As in the example above, the average loss for a 10 OP implant is 8 points (2d6 averaging at a 7 total, plus 1), though it presents the possibility for a greater humanity loss as well.
Variant Option: To get results that give a higher lost humanity, round fractions to the least favorable number instead of rounding down. Hence, the 10 option point forearm spikes, would have an average Humanity Loss of 11 (2.5 rounds to 3. HC3 + 1 average roll is 10 + 1 = 11 points of humanity), instead of 8. It would also have a maximum loss of 19 points, instead of the "normal" method’s 13 maximum.
Option points may be spent on the cyberware at the time of purchase to reduce the base OP cost for the calculations. So, if Bob the Plumber had spent 3 OP on his Forearm Spikes, then he likely would have suffered less Humanity Loss. The calculations are made with a base of 7, instead of 10 (10 op – 3 op spent = 7). 7 divided by 4 rounds down into 1. So, the implant is HC1 + 1. This gives him an average humanity loss of 4 points.
Humanity Loss may be "bought off" normally at a rate of one OP per point of humanity. GM’s that wish to make things more difficult for characters, or are worried that players are hoping for a lesser average cost (and hence, a lower OP expense for their characters) may wish to use a cost of 2 OP per 1 point of Humanity, or prohibit the buying back of humanity altogether, excepting for special circumstances.