Editing Paradise City:Cyberware Catalog (section)

==Appearance==

Semi-natural:  -50% to cost.

Unnatural:  -80% to cost.

The player should assign an appearance to each piece of unnatural or semi-natural cyberware.  Unless the GM rules otherwise, cyberware that does not look natural should be in a prominently visible location (assuming normal clothes) or cause some other easily noticed side-effect.  Such side-effects can be physical, such as making the body a strange shape, or behavioral, such as making the subject’s hands shake.  All the same, the GM should feel free to allow non-natural cyberware to be non-prominent if doing otherwise defies credibility – there is no plausible explanation as to why someone would have to have a watch implanted in their forehead rather than in their thigh and no plausible explanation as to why doing so should cause the subject to behave in strange ways, so an unobtrusive watch implant should be allowed.  Similarly, if someone gets a non-natural sexual implant, there is no reason why should not be able to hide it in their pants.  On the other hand, it is easy to come up with plausible side-effects of having one’s nervous system interfered with, so a side-effect should be required for non-natural nerve augmentation – whether it be nervous tics, chattering teeth or a strange walk.

Keep in mind, the more unnatural a character looks, the more monstrous they will be assumed to be by society in general.  Cyberware that does not look like a natural part of the body marks someone as a punk, a rebel, an outsider and likely a criminal.  Such cyberware makes a public statement and the statement is “I am not human”.  There are times when this is useful, such as when trying to intimidate someone or to impress a street ganger.  On the other hand, there are times when this is a major hindrance, such as when you want someone to trust you.  This effect varies depending on the cyberware in question and the subculture being dealt with.  For instance, a visible datajack might actually mark you as a dedicated and capable employee, though you would never land the really good promotions.

For a more complete discussion of the social ramifications of cyberware, see '''Introduction to Paradise City''' [http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Paradise_City:Introduction_to_Paradise_City]