[andrew_980]

Can you get beta/delta cyber with it or not???

[ARC]

I believe so.

[Joush]

It's somewhat ambiguious.

The character knows just the right person to get ahold of that one elusive piece of restricted gear or miltech weaponry she really needed. Every time the character takes this quality at character creation (max 3 times), she may exceptionally buy a piece of gear with an Availability of up to 20. The character may also save the quality to buy one such item during play.

My reading would be that this removes normal restrictions on equipment, limiting you only to a max availability of 20. Thus you could buy beta or delta quality gear.

Some may argue that this quality only allows you to get around availability limits, but doesn't let you get beta+ gear.

Given that beta and delta-ware are hugely expensive and offer no more power then their alpha or normal quality counterparts, it's hard to say that they would unbalance the game. Do note that this quality only allows you to buy an item, you still need to pay the cost of the restricted item in nyuan.

[ARC]

It's somewhat ambiguious.

The character knows just the right person to get ahold of that one elusive piece of restricted gear or miltech weaponry she really needed. Every time the character takes this quality at character creation (max 3 times), she may exceptionally buy a piece of gear with an Availability of up to 20. The character may also save the quality to buy one such item during play.

My reading would be that this removes normal restrictions on equipment, limiting you only to a max availability of 20. Thus you could buy beta or delta quality gear.

Some may argue that this quality only allows you to get around availability limits, but doesn't let you get beta+ gear.

Given that beta and delta-ware are hugely expensive and offer no more power then their alpha or normal quality counterparts, it's hard to say that they would unbalance the game. Do note that this quality only allows you to buy an item, you still need to pay the cost of the restricted item in nyuan.

No matter the grade, it's still Gear.  They still have to buy the gear even if it's paid for in Karma, you don't just get gear, it's just a Guaranteed available.

[Medicineman]

Can you get beta/delta cyber with it or not???

By RAW you can only get Standard or Alpha up to an availiability of 20
but Why not Beta or Delta (If You pay for it) ?
It would be OK ImO

hokaHey
Medicineman

[Phylos Fett]

It's a touch odd that the only cyberware that has an Availability modifier is second-hand...

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Not especially.  When designing SR4, it's clear to me that the designers desired to streamline things.  Getting access to a delta clinic, the availability of the single piece of gear you can afford, etc. etc. -- it's all fairly time-consuming to figure out out of game, much less in-game.  So the availability mods were dropped in favor of simplification.

Of course, the idea is that the GM still controls you getting the gear via who you know; after all, you still need to know someone who can get you access to a delta-grade clinic.  Once you're in, though, hey, you're in ...

[Phylos Fett]

I can see how making Beta +4 and Delta +8 Availability overly complex.

[Mason]

IIRC delta clinics have an Availability of 24. Was it in Augmentation? Anyway, the idea is that no normal shadowrunner would have access to such a thing until they are epicly high level doing international runs.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

MedTech Provider	Typical Skill	Availability/Interval	Basic Care	Intensive Care
Delta Clinic	6-7	24/1 week	5,000¥	10,000¥

I'll grant you that some pornomancer Faces may be able to get you into a Delta clinic after only, say, a month -- 24 hits might take a roll or two more than usual -- but all things considered, it isn't 'I'm Kane, I can finally get into a delta clinic.'  It is, again, who you know, and who they know.  Obviously, a corporate fixer/Johnson would be your best bet.

What the thing is going to be is expensive...

[FastJack]

MedTech Provider	Typical Skill	Availability/Interval	Basic Care	Intensive Care
Delta Clinic	6-7	24/1 week	5,000¥	10,000¥

I'll grant you that some pornomancer Faces may be able to get you into a Delta clinic after only, say, a month -- 24 hits might take a roll or two more than usual -- but all things considered, it isn't 'I'm Kane, I can finally get into a delta clinic.'  It is, again, who you know, and who they know.  Obviously, a corporate fixer/Johnson would be your best bet.

What the thing is going to be is expensive...

Yep, that's about how long it would take Mercedes to set you up.
Availability Test (16d6.hits(5)=5, 16d6.hits(5)=7, 16d6.hits(5)=6, 16d6.hits(5)=5, 16d6.hits(5)=7)

[Kontact]

It also depends on how your GM likes to handle getting gear.  Some guys like to run it so that finding the guy who has the gear is a matter of rolling and making the deal without getting ripped off is a matter of role playing.  Either way, access to a delta clinic isn't something that can fall off the back of a truck.  It requires you to deal with someone who operates a delta clinic.

[Phylos Fett]

Roleplaying it is definitely the ideal way to go, but some concept of Availability relative to other items gives a good ball-park figure on how hard it is to acquire something. At the end of the day, naturally, the GM can always turn around and drop the classic "not in my game" line...

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

MedTech Provider	Typical Skill	Availability/Interval	Basic Care	Intensive Care
Delta Clinic	6-7	24/1 week	5,000¥	10,000¥

I'll grant you that some pornomancer Faces may be able to get you into a Delta clinic after only, say, a month -- 24 hits might take a roll or two more than usual -- but all things considered, it isn't 'I'm Kane, I can finally get into a delta clinic.'  It is, again, who you know, and who they know.  Obviously, a corporate fixer/Johnson would be your best bet.

What the thing is going to be is expensive...

Yep, that's about how long it would take Mercedes to set you up.
Availability Test (16d6.hits(5)=5, 16d6.hits(5)=7, 16d6.hits(5)=6, 16d6.hits(5)=5, 16d6.hits(5)=7)

Yeah, that seems about right.  The Pornomancer (28 dice, right?) will do it somewhat faster: Availability Test (28d6.hits(5)=11, 28d6.hits(5)=10, 28d6.hits(5)=9, 28d6.hits(5)=7, 28d6.hits(5)=10) for a total of 3 weeks, though buying hits would be 7 each time, for a total of a month.

I agree that five or ten minutes of RP per Interval time is definitely the way to go, especially if the GM will add an extra die or four if your RP is good (or especially good).  And, of course, there's the whole 'appropriate contact' thing ... friend-of-a-friend ... favors owed ...

Never underestimate the value of a favor owed either to you or to a contact.  Remember, there's RP in them thar hills.  And maybe a whole 'nother shadowrun...

[Glyph]

A traditional face would do better than a pornomancer, who is hyper-specialized in seduction.  Although the term has come to be used as a catch-all for any face with a big dice pool.