I recently watched Elysium again and fell in love with the exoskeletons used in the movie by the protagonist and villain. While I am aware that the Iron Will described in Attitude includes a note stating that this kind of tech is essentially a dead-end, I still wanted to take a stab at creating a custom piece of gear based on an in-game researcher's mad ideas. This was initially considered to be an NPC only piece of equipment, but after a lot of reading and deliberation I believe I've come to a point where I'd also be comfortable offering this to players.
First of all, I performed some quick Google searches on current and predicted modern-day tech compared to the Elysium tech. The following articles proved to be anything from merely interesting and highly speculative to downright scientific in their approach. If you share a fascination for this kind of tech, I'd highly recommend all of these:
Elysium - The Tech of Elysium (Youtube video featurette from Sony Pictures Entertainment)How Long until We Have the Superhuman Exoskeletons from Elysium? (Scientific American article)The Real Tech Behind 'Elysium' Exoskeletons (livescience article)The science of Sony's 'Elysium': This is your brain on robotics (Fox News article)Is Elysium's Cyborg Suit Possible? Believe It Or Not, Yes (cinemablend opinion piece)Based on what I read and what I felt was appropriate for the Shadowrun setting, I decided that the following core principles would be used:
1. A mind-machine interface would be required to operate the exoskeleton
2. The exoskeleton would need to be grafted to the operator's existing skeleton
2a. In order to fully utilize the capabilities of it, the operator's skeleton would need to be enhanced
3. In order to function at peak operational capacity, the exoskeleton would be largely dependent on a state of the art sensor suite
4. To power some of the exoskeleton's more exotic functions, additional power would be needed
With these principles in mind I began trying to come up with what I thought were reasonable features. I drew inspiration from the previous 4th Editions, specifically from Augmentation regarding cyberware suites and 'ware in general, from Corporate Guide and Storm Front (amongst others) for source material on S-K, and from Attitude, Spy Games, the MilSpecTech and SOTA books, and WAR! for information on in-universe cutting edge and fringe tech both.
I should note here that none of this has been playtested, and so what this tech offers could very well prove to be unbalancing from a game mechanics point of view. Still, I have tried to remain within what I thought were reasonable limits where possible. The exoskeleton is expensive but yields significant benefits with some equally significant drawbacks, in my opinion. The exoskeleton deliberately pushes the augmented maximum limit and breaks the rating cap for reaction enhancers and muscle toners, and it's the only 'ware in the book that directly enhances the subjects Body attribute. These are all traded-offs for the inability to conceal the equipment and the incompatibility with any other augmentation that affects the same attributes, including initiative. At best, then, wearers of the exoskeleton will be tough and fast, but they'll never be as tough as a character wearing milspec armor, and they'll never be as fast as a fully-wired street samurai. The goal to my mind was to blend the features of existing tech and add some unique ones. The cost is based on an aggregate of equal ratings of reaction enhancers, bone density augmentation, muscle augmentation, muscle toner, and orthoskin (total for rating 1 is 87k and 1.25 Essence), with additional costs for the Aegis, fixed rating 1 wired reflexes, and custom datajack.
I see some potential abuse with the Restricted Gear allowing up to a Rating 4 system at character creation, but at 400k base that still requires a decent base attribute and with no additional armor modifications I think even this is an acceptable situation. Anyway, with that all said, I present my brainchild and ask you for some honest feedback.
Bodyware
Device Rating Essence Capacity Avail Cost
"Kruger" Class Exoskeleton 1-6 (Rating x 1) 8 (Rating * 5R) (Rating x 100,000)
"Kruger" Class Exoskeleton: The result of collaborative efforts led by milspec technology developer Vulcan Systems, the "Kruger" class exoskeleton represents a quantum leap in a field of enhancement technology long thought to be a dead end. Unlike previous designs which were bulky and highly limited systems, this model represents the culmination of years of intense research spanning disciplines such as bio- and cybertechnology, state-of-the-art computing, and materials sciences.
> Rumor has it that Lofwyr himself instructed several of his S-K subsidiary corps to partner up for a special project during the build-up to what has now become known as the Great Dragon Civil War. The objective was to produce a revolutionary cyberware suite aimed at enhancing the capabilities of an average metahuman while remaining cost effective compared to existing augmentations. Why the dragon would care about boots on the ground is beyond me, but it's clear to anyone who's seen the Kruger in action that the tech works.
> Spider
> He's not kidding; the Mark IV is impressive enough in and of itself, but the Aegis personal protection system featured as an experimental upgrade could revolutionize the biz. Of course, the more advanced models are still prohibitively expensive if you can even find one, and the liability waivers for the Aegis are a mile long. Or so I've heard...
> Max
> Holding out on us, Max? Anyway, some of the merc captains who led the charge against Alamais' compound were allegedly wearing trial versions of the Kruger. Who knows what that battle would have been like if more soldiers had had access to this tech.
> PrimeTime
In order to function at all, the exoskeleton must be connected to the subjects spinal cord through a modified datajack included in the initial surgery. Additionally, the subjects skeletal structure must be massively reinforced in order to handle the immense strains induced by the many high-powered servos and artificial muscles working to increase the subjects capabilities. Each Rating point increases the Body (for the purposes of damage resistance only), Agility, Reaction, and Strength attributes of the subject by +1. The sheer amount of protective plating and advanced materials used in the construction of the exoskeleton also provides the subject with an Armor Value of (Rating * 2) (8+Rating) that counts as Hardened Armor, and the subjects unarmed attacks cause physical damage instead of stun.
Finally, the base system provides the subject with several passive benefits; Strength is divided by 2 (round up) for the purpose of calculating Recoil Compensation, and each Rating point provides the same benefit as the Hydraulic Jacks cyberlimb enhancement including wireless bonuses. The capacity of 8 can be used for 'ware such as a cyberdeck slot, cyberweapons, and smuggling compartments, or for more mundane equipment like additional sensors, auto-injectors, or weapon holsters.
Wireless: When connected to the Matrix the capabilities of the advanced on-board sensor suite is greatly enhanced, resulting in increased fault tolerance that boosts performance and provides increased environmental and situational awareness. The exoskeleton adds +1 Noise Reduction, +1D6 Initiative Die, and attribute increases offered by the exoskeleton may ignore augmented maximums. Racial maximums still apply, however.
Note: Because of the extensive integration with the subjects central nervous system, the "Kruger" class exoskeleton is incompatible with any augmentation or enhancement that affects the subjects bones, skin, muscles, and reflexes. This includes, but is not limited to, Bone Lacing, Dermal Plating, Muscle Replacements, Reaction Enhancers, Wired Reflexes, Bone Density Augmentations, Muscle Augmentations, Muscle Toners, Orthoskin, and Synaptic Boosters.
Additionally, an exoskeleton is incompatible with all forms of armored clothing; included in the base cost is a form-fitting flexsuit (complete with hood) designed to conform to the subjects body and keep the graft points sealed. This suit has no Armor Value but has a capacity of 12 for armor enhancements, which can include chemical seal and environmental protection. An exoskeleton cannot be concealed or removed except through extensive surgery.
Activate Kruger!
Interrupt Action (-5 Initiative Score, must be activated before attack roll is made)
The latest version of the "Kruger" incorporates an Aegis personal protection system, the latest and greatest in active defense technology. The Aegis is an experimental force-field generator that consists of a power source, usually in the form of peak-discharge battery packs, and several emitters along both arms. When triggered, the shield provides an Armor Value boost against a single attack of (Rating*2) which is added to the hardened armor value of the exoskeleton itself. Each activation costs 10 power units and does not count as encumbrance, and each suit comes equipped with a single power clip. Satchel power packs and power backpacks can be fitted to the exoskeleton at additional cost, but the Aegis is limited to a single power source at any given time. Changing between power sources takes a Complex Action.
Because the Aegis is experimental technology the player must roll a number of dice equal to his Edge attribute when activating the system. With at least one success the shield actives normally, while no successes means the activation failed and the character lost Initiative but not energy. A Glitch could result in both initiative and consumed energy with no activation as the shield overloads the system, while a Critical Glitch could result in a spectacular failure of the system, electrocuting the user for (Rating)S(e) DV.