I just realized what I did. I figured out how to do cyberpunk d20, and not have it fucking explode from tech or magic. You just give 8 "real" item slots, and say... 5 "1/2" item slots as the character/player can explain. So you can get everything from fast running cyborgs, or super sprinters; and everything from 'same strength as a human' to 'above average strength' and 'super strength'.
While a non-borg just has items that do things; and are explained as either implants, or things that they wear, or magical enhancements.
While a non-borg just has items that do things; and are explained as either implants, or things that they wear, or magical enhancements.
Mundane: A crowbar, flashlight, basic front wheel drive automatic* . Allows you to make checks related to a skill or ability. This is everything from using an old .22 rifle to make a ranged attack, all the way to using a car to cross town, or chase after someone.
You know fighting is where people hurt each other.
*:Anywhere but the states or canada: a basic stick shift car; 5 front, 1 reverse.
Good A Chang Practical Sword, a maglight, a rear wheel drive car
Better than average, and it's obvious.
You know how to fight.
Same as above, +1-5 to related attack, damage, skill or stat based checks. This everything from attack and damage, to skill checks. This bonus stacks with nothing
Excellent A sword made by a master swordmaker, a 1,000 candlepower flashlight, an all wheel drive with nitros.
Think a guy who owns a Harely in a TV show about bikers, and the rest drive less well known bikes. Or the guy who owns a masterwork sword, in a setting where only veteran heroes carry magic swords.
You know how to fight, better than most, or you've practiced.
Same as Mundane, but +1/2 level to related skill checks. This bonus stacks with nothing
Genre Iconic: An advanced blaster rifle, or magic sword, a laser flashlight, or the ability to see/hear around a world, a custom-made racing motorcycle, or a very well made chopper in a modern setting, a flying car or a small space ship in a sci-fi one.
You're using one the most advance, and therefore not commonly seen devices of your society, however, when people talk about your series, they talk about what you use. People use them because they're awesome. Usually rich people, since they're probably expensive.
You're an accomplished and well rounded fighter.
This item always grants a level appropriate bonus to checks. This bonus stacks with nothing.
Character Iconic: You carry the Sword with no Blade, or a Lightsabre; you carry a palantír, or can speak or see across great distances; a flying car in a modern setting, you ride the Flying Dutchman, or a Borg Cube.
You have abilities that make you fight unnaturally; you are Bene Gesserit trained, or are a Metabaron.
You're using something that only you have. No one else owns, not can own, Darth Vader's Force Abilities, just like no one else owns Tetsuo's Telekinesis at will brain ability, or say Briareos' insight into the world of Appleseed.
This is an item supremely above what other people are working with. Maybe as much as 4 levels higher than your own. Maybe even more. I'd say no more than 6 levels though.
Tetsuo's Telekinesis brain graft? He's a fighter, weak, but he knows how fighting works, that's at least a BaB or two. His TK at-will ability, with Wall of Force and Major Creation powers
I think that I solved how to do the "what is character iconic" problem. People pick things.... probably 1 Character Iconic; 2 Genre Iconic, 4 Excellent, 8 Good, and as many mundane as they feel like carrying or storing. On a space-ship, you'll probably have everything from basic rifles, to stuff that lets you breathe with no air, and that stuff can be handwaved. Stuff that isn't trivial needs to be paid for, at a lower level.
Perhaps, it's able to be assumed that how common something is, will determine how many sub-features it can have, or perhaps the maximum level of any sub-features.
So, a Borg Ship is the max rank for the Star Trek series. The Death Star for the Star Wars series is the same. Character Iconic. Only one person/Empire/hive-mind controls these massive things.
The NG Enterprise class and Star Destroyers where the next rank down; Genre Specific. There's a bunch, and they're all awesome.
Then the late DS9 space ship, or Voyager, and Millenium Falcon are the next rank down. They're cool, but they're not super powerful. Expensive, but individuals can be expected to be in charge of one, or captain one.
Runabouts and X-Wings. Next rank down. Small, not very powerful, able to do basic things that others can, but not all at the same time, or all that well. Sometimes more agile, or able to do things larger things can't, sort of how a knife can sometimes beat a sword, due to surprise, or an X-Wing can fly into a trench and blow up a Death Star.
Slow moving space ship, Slow moving space ship. Trade ships that travel short distances, or very long distances before stopping, ships with Cryo pods. The Nostromo from Aliens, the ship in 2001: A space Odessy; Space Ships from Larry Niven's Ringworld and related series.
Escape Pods, Escape Pods: usless at almost everything, except the bare minimum needed for the task. Survival.
I'm not sure how you would 'buy' these things, but there could be a system arranged to make this idea usable.