[The_Gun_Nut]

In Earthdawn, everyone can use magic.  The spellcasters are just the ones that cast spells.  They all are called "adepts" and follow different Disciplines (think character classes that actually make sense in the game world).  At high Circles (what ED calls levels) everyone has some rather insane amount of power; like being able to summon a typhoon, animate and command every corpse within five miles, put an entire city into a small bottle, or to (theoretically) make up to 42 physical attacks in a combat round (or 21 in SR rounds).

[Rockopolis]

Does Earthdawn have anything similar to Essence, and cyberware?  Also...Fred Flintstone, Caverunner?  "Yabba dabba doo, omae."

[Charybdis]

Does Earthdawn have anything similar to Essence, and cyberware?  Also...Fred Flintstone, Caverunner?  "Yabba dabba doo, omae."

Kinda'. They have blood magic items, where you can install armour and tricky little devices (Ahh, death charms, how I love thee!)

These items directly subtract from your health (ED uses a hit Point total), and you can start suffering other penalties from having too many (Wound threshold I think is the tipping point here? Has been a while...)

[The_Gun_Nut]

It's Willpower, Char.  And you can have a bunch of them, but once you start failing the Depatterning test, the rating climbs up until it exceeds your Willpower.  When it does that, the next time you fail the test, something unpleasant happens.  Of the suggested things that happen to you, the nicest thing that happens is you have an instantly fatal heart attack.

[Charybdis]

It's Willpower, Char.  And you can have a bunch of them, but once you start failing the Depatterning test, the rating climbs up until it exceeds your Willpower.  When it does that, the next time you fail the test, something unpleasant happens.  Of the suggested things that happen to you, the nicest thing that happens is you have an instantly fatal heart attack.

Ahh yes. The standard Theran Cosmetic Surgery failure...I remember now. Well, when you replace your hair with living crystal, you're starting a very dangerous slide