[Vystek]

Bit new, and would very much like a bit of input on something from some people who've been playing this game a while. I've been trying to understand something about essence--I get that once it's gone, it's gone for good, but is lost essence, for lack of a better word, "hollow" essence? Specifically, let's say a character takes an enhancement that reduces his essence by one. If he later has that cyberware removed, can that lost essence be "refilled" with one point's worth of new enhancements, without further loss? Can a rich character replace standardware with twice as much deltaware, if they're so inclined? As always, preemptive thanks to anyone who'd help me out.

[Ryo]

Yes, it works exactly as you described. Removed 'ware leaves an Essence Hole, which you can basically use as Credit towards new ware. So if you remove your Cyberarm, you've got 1 essence of free cyberware to install before you start losing it again.

However, it has to be the same type of ware. When you remove cyberware, you cannot fill that hole with bioware, and vice versa.

[Vystek]

Awesome, I just made a lucky guess. Thanks, I really appreciate the clarification!

[Ultra Violet]

Btw: There is a way or two to regenerate Essence. One way is commonly known, it's a gene therapy, the other is a gap in the magic rules and can be munchkinwise used.
If you ask what? It's easy to tell it is a combination of to spirit powers without a weakness. Okay, I tell you... it's Endowment + Essence Drain without Essence Loss. How a character get that combination together is a whole different story, but if he does he can get Essence up to 12 without losing points over time.
And be warned most GM would kick you out of the group if you try that stunt.

[Chaemera]

Now now, UV, if you can figure out how to pull off that stunt in my games, I'm more likely to decide that some seriously powerful magical / spirit bad-asses are curious about you.

Imagine how tasty an Essence 12 character looks to anything with Essence Loss... good luck fighting off the hordes of hungry hungry vampires, you need to sleep sometime. 

For every munchkiny cheese, there is a GM with a Superhuman NPC answer...

[Ultra Violet]

I though more in the other way around, it is a good GM-Explanation if a superhuman NPC has to much 'ware in his system to exist under normal conditions.
But imagine a CZ with that premises, 18 Points of Essence to fill up with 'ware! In the end he or it wouldn't be tasty at all...

[Chaemera]

That's why the vampires need to find him before he goes into surgery... or perhaps, during?

It's all about timing.

And of course, there's the beauty of botched surgery, or the magically gained essence abandoning him when he effectively tries to go cyborg without the penalties, after all, magic and technology tend to behave like oil and water.

[Ultra Violet]

LOL

[Vystek]

Btw: There is a way or two to regenerate Essence.

That brings up a question in my mind: if I'm a magician, I lose some essence, I lose a point of magic, then I later regenerate that essence, do I get my magic back or do I have to buy it back with karma?

[Ultra Violet]

That brings up a question in my mind: if I'm a magician, I lose some essence, I lose a point of magic, then I later regenerate that essence, do I get my magic back or do I have to buy it back with karma?

No, lost Magic or Resonance points don't regenerate, you have to buy them again with Karma, and if the Attribute is falling under 1 you lose the quality forever!

[FastJack]

That brings up a question in my mind: if I'm a magician, I lose some essence, I lose a point of magic, then I later regenerate that essence, do I get my magic back or do I have to buy it back with karma?

No, lost Magic or Resonance points don't regenerate, you have to buy them again with Karma, and if the Attribute is falling under 1 you lose the quality forever!

Another question comes from this. If their Magic/Resonance drops below 1, would you (as a GM) allow them to 're-buy' the quality with Karma to regain Magic/Resonance?

[Ultra Violet]

Another question comes from this. If their Magic/Resonance drops below 1, would you (as a GM) allow them to 're-buy' the quality with Karma to regain Magic/Resonance?

That depends on the story and situation.
I.E. if the player hadn't made a mistake or self-inflicted doing, than probably yes, he could buy it back (but only with a long story behind it, played out in game). If he had it coming and done all things to get there on purpose, than probably not.
It should be decided case by case.

Generally as rule by thumb, if it's active self-inflicted by the player of the character: No! And if the GM is the main reason (maybe for the plot) than... a maybe up to yes, sure!

[Vystek]

Speaking of GM-inflicted magical difficulties, if replacing part of your body with cyberware harms your essence, does losing a body part (i.e. mobsters cut off your little finger) kill your essence even if you don't replace it with ware? That seems terribly inconvenient.

[Ultra Violet]

No, lost limbs does not mean you lose Essence only if you replace it with tech that will change your body chemistry you lose Essence. In your example, if he lost his arm he doesn't lose Essence, and if he clone a new one he does not lose Essence at all, but if he gets a cyberarm instead he lose Essence for the new 'ware.
But there are some other situations where a PC can really lose Essence.

[Ryo]

I've always wondered why the gene therapy doesn't also increase your Magic/Resonance, or at least let you buy up to that score again. It makes no sense to me that those stats are permanently stunted. The gene therapy has a ridiculous cost and time requirement to gain back even one essence, and you have to remove the ware before you can do it. So if you're a mage with a cyberlimb, who then gets it replaced with cloned arm and gets gene therapy to get back up to Essence 6, you're officially a completely unmodified, essence 6 metahuman again. What's the harm in allowing that mage to buy himself back up to Magic 6?