OK - so if I understand this correctly, a Manei Domini Pilot of Gun 2, Pilot 1, has a default BV adjustment of 2.1 x BV
AS PER PAGE 190, IO
If this Pilot then has a Pain Shunt they are adjusted by -1 on the Pilot Modifier to be an equivalent 2/0 or a BV adjustment of 2.24.
If this Pilot ALSO has the Buffered VDNI that accounts for a -1 to Gunnery and so becomes a 1/0 Pilot for a BV adjustment of 2.56.
Is that correct?
Yeah. I dug into a lot of this recently too. All of the versions of VDNI cause an increase in BV that corresponds the the equivalent increase in Piloting / Gunnery.
VDNI: -1/-1
bVDNI: -1/0
Prototype VDNI -2/-3
They all come with increased chance of pilot damage. Prototype to such a point that I’m pretty sure a hailstorm during a mission could melt that pilot’s brain. So unless there is another selling point, they are all worse in a BV balanced game than simply putting a better pilot in the mech. You need a different reason to put them in (fluff).
There is an exception when it comes to small cockpits. I think they all allow pilots to ignore the effects of a small cockpit.
Pain shunt is exactly as you said. Treat BV-wise as a -1 to piloting.
I do need to reread the IO section on the equipment that interfaces with VDNI. There’s a way to get your pilot and mech essentially immune to gyro hits but it almost requires a custom mech due to rarity.
Now I’m gonna look at what a gunnery 1, piloting 1 pilot with VDNI, Pain Shunt, TCP, and every other MD implant I can add would play like. Make a 5k BV “hero/villain” mech for a pickup game.
Anyone correct me if I got it wrong.