[忍]

Are there any specific rules for getting so much 'ware other than a lowered Social limit? I couldn't find anything in Chrome Fresh.

Help me out?

[Kuirem]

It's harder to heal character with low essence (-1 per 2 points of lost essence), Healing Magic is also affected. A single hit from Essence drain and you are dead and of course you lose Magic and Resonance.

You might also be victim of social shunning because at <1 essence it's really obvious that you are wared. Of course it is reflected by the Social Limit but your GM could decide to add something to it, like some people thinking you've gone too far.

[firebug]

Actually the penalty is the amount of Essence lost, rounded down.  Any Health spell with the [Essence] tag applies this penalty.

But otherwise, there are no other automatic penalties.  In the setting, many people who get such extensive augmentation often suffer from a lowered immune system (usually due to them having to take suppressants to stop their body from rejecting the 'ware).  This can be represented by 'Implant-Induced Immune Deficiency", on page 58 of Chrome Flesh.  This can apply to anyone who's taken at least 1 Essence worth of augmentation.

One page earlier in the book is another, less common issue.  Cyberpsychosis.  You can only take this is you have 1 or less Essence remaining.  It represents the extreme end of the spectrum, those who's psyche does not adjust to being so physically inhuman.  It requires taking the Antipathy negative quality as well, meaning really it's an -18 NQ.  The effects of Cyberpsychosis are more explained in the later chapter on Cyberware, as they go beyond what the quality enforces, if you want to roleplay it more.

[Kuirem]

There is two penalty on healing for low essence runners. One for First Aid/Medicine which is -1 per 2 points of full essence and the other on Heal Magic which is -1 per essence lost, rounded down.

[Novocrane]

Anything other than the social & healing penalties are OOC elective.

You can choose to have complications physically or mentally, and the range of qualities available for that is fairly broad, but it's not a certainty when you go below any given amount of essence.

[Whiskeyjack]

I will note that wired faces are extremely viable. The Social Limit loss from low Essence is trivially offset with ware and gear.

[El Diablo]

You're at a very high risk when you are the target of Essence drain and similar attacks.

If a target character’s Essence is drained to 0, the character dies.

[Quatar]

Essence drain isn't a very common attack form however, and it requires an extended test that takes at least one minute, but likely more for someone with only a little bit of essence remaining (as the target number is now 9 or 10). It also requires the target to be at the attackers mercy, i.e. restrained, unconscious or magically controlled.
So it's not like in D&D where the vampire touches you and it's gone.

If you're helpless for that long, honestly they don't need an Essence drain power to take you out, if that's what they want.

So while technically true, it's not really a penalty that's ever going to matter.