Cyberpunk RPG idea: yeah, it has an Essence/Humanity/Empathy stat.
It's drained by /money/, not cyberware.
In universe it's common knowledge that cyberware eats your soul, but it's based on conflation: the /rich/ are the ones that /can/ chrome the hell out of themselves, and none of them were even remotely human to begin with.
Thinking about this some more: the rules would have to be explicit in that having low Empathy due to wealth or whatever doesn't mean that you're some edgy '90s antihero who lacks the capacity to feel.
It means that you're fundamentally estranged from basic human morality.
Feb 2, 2026 00:56You have no filter on your deranged desires because you've never been limited in your damned life, thanks to the money, and you're surrounded by terrible people who will *literally* fuck their own family to make line go up, again thanks to the money.
You have to make constant Acting checks to pass as human, in pretty much ANY interaction where there's a definite and obvious human response. Make rolls to _not_ say things like "it's only a banana, how much could it cost, $10?" and "that 12 year old *is* pretty hot, I can arrange something for you"
Like all these other systems, Empathy/Humanity isn't recoverable. Once you've done the sorts of terrible things that money can buy, there's no coming back with it.
And if you _start_ with 0.01 Essence in Shadowrun terms?
You've /been/ a monster that should be shot in the street for public health.
And, unless your Acting is really good (or you have a contracted and complicit media working to whitewash your image), you _will_ be at some point.
