[Teknodragon]

A fellow player put the seed of this idea in my subconscious a month or so ago, and I keep coming back to trying to figure out how to make it work!

Thus far, I've figured that something similar to a wingsuit's effects is what to aim for, and either require a cybertorso or arm replacement. That's about as far as I've gotten-- anyone have any thoughts?  Well, other than the obvious, well, obvious-ness of such a mod.

[CanRay]

Chrome wings with metal feathers.  He can't fly, but damned (s)he looks good.  And that right hook just got lethal with the wings!

Or bioware one white angel wing and get the Otaku Women screaming. 

[Teknodragon]

Chrome wings with metal feathers.  He can't fly, but damned (s)he looks good.  And that right hook just got lethal with the wings!

Or bioware one white angel wing and get the Otaku Women screaming. 

*groan* +1 for the laugh, though!

[Mirikon]

Hmm. Well, actually, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible, either as cyberware, bioware, or SURGE. My first thought when you said it was that clearly the falcon drone from Arsenal has shown that the tech to do realistic flight is around, though still new enough to be very expensive.

Reminds me of that recent Shadowrun computer game. Only (and I do mean only) thing that did that didn't make me want to scream was introducing this backpack hang glider thing. That was actually pretty cool.

I agree that full, functional wings would likely require a cybertorso (or getting put in milspec armor) if they were cyberware. Bioware would require adding muscles and such in the shoulder area to accommodate, and of course you'd need to get all your clothes custom made since you'd have two big ol' wings sticking out your back. SURGE is the same as Bioware, the cost would simply be BP instead of nuyen.

Now, if you simply wished for some kind of glider functionality, like the wingsuit, then I'd recommend getting your clothes modified as well, because whether or not you went with cybertorso, the clothes would be damaged when what essentially amounts to two telescoping spurs shoot out either side of your back, and deploy a glide wing, possibly with internal structure like that of a bat. Yes, I'm inspired by Batman in this, but it could definitely work. Then, when you command it with your PAN, it retracts back into your back. A backpack style approach to the same thing is also possible, for those who don't like (or can't afford) to lose Essence.

[Xzylvador]

Cyberware sounds kind of heavy. Every piece of metal added to fit the wings in needs bigger wings to manage the extra weight, which in turn again needs more metal pieces for stronger motors to power the bigger wings, which increase weight which... you get the idea.
Bioware or SURGE might be possible, though I have no idea how you'd make rules for this and the costs + distinctive style points would probably be outrageous.

[CanRay]

OK, more seriously (What, me?)...  The Chrome Wings I suggested before, with Skimmer Discs from Augmentation (Page 47) integrated into them.

Not subtle, but one hell of a surprise when you shoot out the window and glide down on your heavy as hell wings, turbines roaring like a T-Bird.

[Mirikon]

Not necessarily, Xzylvador. What I'm envisioning is using lightweight but sturdy materials such as aluminum or titanium for the skeleton, with fabric between being the main part of the wing. A bat or 'demon' wing is what I'm basing this idea on. Here, I'll steal a picture from the D&D SRD for a sec to illustrate.


See the succubus in the bottom right? That's the general idea I'm going with. Wouldn't have to be that bulky, either, if you were doing simple gliding. But full flight would need that kind of bulk.

[CanRay]

And if they fold up right, it looks like you're wearing a duster or cape.

[kirk]

Actually, take the glider wings. Then steal a trick from Astroboy and put minithrusters (from Spy Games) in your cyberlegs.

[CanRay]

Music's going through my head again, and this thread made me think of this.

[Xzylvador]

I understand that full metal wings like on a Boeing were never an option :p
But unless you're fine with just gliding on bat-like wings instead of actual flight, I can imagine quite a lot of force being required to flap your wings hard and fast enough to fly.
In cyberware that force would be created by electric motors which I imagine weigh quite a lot and require a serious amount of space (probably enough to make a cybertorso required).
Could be wrong though *shrug* Can't say I'm all that familiar with aerodynamics of winged flight or 2072 electrical engines.

[CanRay]

Been too long since my aeronautics class in High School.  Sorry.

I also kind of almost failed that part of the science course.  My theory was unsound, but was based on proven work (Just on larger wings than I was allowed.).

[hobgoblin]

heh, i recall OGL Cybernet having something like this based on some crazy EM system (not unlike what you find in Deus Ex HR to protect against fall damage).

[Mirikon]

The speed the wings flap at isn't the issue, but the lift generated by them. This depends on the wing area, and the power of the downward thrust. A hawk, for instance, takes relatively long, slow, powerful flaps of its wings, while the hummingbird flaps very fast. This is due to the surface area of the wing, in relation to the mass of the body.

For bioware or SURGE, this would be represented by some added musculature in the back, to cause the wings to move. I agree that a cybertorso would likely be required for cyber-wings capable of actual flight. Of course, you may also want to say that a person flying with such wings (regardless of source) cannot fly while encumbered, either through wearing too much armor, or carrying heavy loads, as determined by their STR. And then there's always the fact that wings require a certain amount of space to spread out in. Human-size functional wings would probably have a wingspan of no less than seven feet, perhaps as high as ten. A Troll would probably have a wingspan of ten to fifteen feet.

[CanRay]

There's also an issue of radar return on a person flying.

I remember more than one pilot complaining about "Non-Compliant Biological Flights" getting in the way, referring to Dragons.