[gradivus]

I guess if you're going to spend the nuyen and karma on restrictive gear and subscriptions why wouldn't you go with MBW 3?  Not saying MBW are bad, but you're not getting Restricted gear and SkillJacks and subscriptions with the other options.  It's not apples to apples.  MBW are more expensive overall, but get you more.

Let's say you start with a character REA 5 INT 5
MBW[2] Initiative 10(18)+1d6(2d6) Avg 25
MBW[3] Initiative 10(22)+1d6(2d6) Avg 29 {5 of 18 31+]

Since I'm not buying it less than Alpha, 96000 seems to much to me to have a slightly less than 1/3 chance to go4 times instead of 3.

edit-and an activesoft[4] is 20k so that 96k is short of 5 skills for the MBW[2] character. And, I really would only use this option with a LOG 8+ Character (Rigger or Decker) and since they have other needs the MBW[4]+Skilljack[4] is already eating a third of 450k they have. To me, more of a problem to the rigger than the decker but this is not the thread to discuss that.

[falar]

Not to mention that you can only get Standard or Used MBW3 at Character Generation.

Restricted Gear, after all, doesn't get rid of the Availability cap. It just doubles it for one item. MBW3 is 24, so you can't get it Alphaware at CharGen, because that makes it 26 Availability.

[gradivus]

Would be nice if restricted also circumvented 'ware grade restriction.
Has nothing to do with this conversation.
Just musing.

[kyoto kid]

...the one other nice part about bio or geneware Initiative enhancement (besides the lower essence cost) is it doesn't set off MAD scanners.

...and just how does Synaptic Acceleration sidestep the rule about reaction enhancers?  According RAW in the core book, they only stack with Wired Reflexes and then only if wireless is turned on.

[Hobbes]

Synaptic Acceleration doesn't add to Reaction, it adds to initiative and Defense tests.  Reaction Enhancers add to Reaction.  So, they stack.

[gradivus]

Synaptic Acceleration doesn't add to Reaction, it adds to initiative and Defense tests.  Reaction Enhancers add to Reaction.  So, they stack.

It's the only reason that I'd think of buying synaptic acceleration.
If it stack with reaction enhancers I'd just pay the extra and do boosters or pay less and get wired.
Though for a non-combat heavy character that just wants to guarantee 2 passes it's ok.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Synaptic Boosters are a better deal as you actually get +1 reaction instead of just +1 initiative and +1 defense tests. Both grant +1 initiative dice, and they only differ in cost by 17k. Neither show up on cyberware scanners, either, but synaptic boosters can be further enhanced while synaptic accelerators cannot. It's a terrible piece of gear in my opinion.

[Novocrane]

On the other hand, Synaptic Booster combines with absolutely nothing. No magic, cyber, bio, gene, drug. Zip.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Wouldn't intuition boosters, I forget their names, work with both wired reflexes and synaptic boosters?

Either way, at least with synaptic boosters you can eventually get to +3 Reaction and +3d6 initiative. It's expensive, but doesn't show up on scanners and costs very little essence.

[gradivus]

On the other hand, synaptic booster [3] is only 1.5 ess standard.
Wired [3] is 5 ess standard
and yup you can increase your initiative/reaction w/reaction enhancers[3] for .9 more standard.

285k +3Reaction, +3d6Initiative 1.5 Ess
vs
256k 6 Reaction +3d6 Initiative 5.9 Ess

In isolation the second is better.
But the first allows a lot more implants

At chargen you have to use restricted gear for both options but either used or rating 2 for the enhancers

Option 2 can go biocompatability and alpha for the WR and Used for the RE
so 289650 at 4.54ess

Now they're about the same cost
For me the extra 3 Reaction isn't worth the extra 3.04ess

And for those tables that allow 'used' cultured <reasoning it was grown with inferior techniques/though I'm not sure that it should be allowed> getting +3 Reaction and =3d6 initiative dice for 1.88 (or less if using biocompatability) and 213750 is quite hard to pass up.
Edit: maybe I should refresh my page and see the in between comment first, would have saved  part of this comment

[gradivus]

Wouldn't intuition boosters, I forget their names, work with both wired reflexes and synaptic boosters?

Either way, at least with synaptic boosters you can eventually get to +3 Reaction and +3d6 initiative. It's expensive, but doesn't show up on scanners and costs very little essence.

Cerebellum Booster, as far as I know, stack with every initiative boosting ware.

[kyoto kid]

So option two is best for cost in both essence and nueyen. Good to know.

Also can't use Drugs or Magic to raise to a higher Initiative that Options #1,  #3, & #4 allow you to do. Which brings up the point between SRM & non-SRM games... since SRM qualifies everything as Augmentations not just 'ware.

¥50k for a +1 to Intuition is WAY overpriced by the way! I haven't been able to justify it in an theory crafted builds yet.

...would that also include adept powers?

[gradivus]

Best an adept is doing is Improved Reflexes [3]+Improved Attribute(REF)[1]
for a total of 4+3d6
I'm not including Cerebellum Booster, nor your REA or INT as this is a variable. And of course your starting +1d6 Initiative is added to the total.

You could go the other route and get Improved Attribute(REF)[4] which will allow you in theory to get (w/ExcAttribute-Magic) 7 levels of ADRENALINE BOOST for a 18 Initiative plus your natural REA and augmented INT. Drain 7 says this is not the way to go...but since you can continuously raise MR you can keep raising ADRENALINE BOOST.

T'm not discussing whether drugs can bypass the +4 augmentation limit.

A mage casting Increase Reflexes and Increase Attribut(Rea) could get a higher initiative than an adept w/IR[3]+IS)REA_[1] bit it's not a given since you can roll poorly on the spellcasting test.

[kyoto kid]

...do you mean Improved Attribute :Reaction 4?

[gradivus]

...do you mean Improved Attribute :Reaction 4?

Yeah-me and my horrid typing. REF is actually REA