Pilot Ability: Enhanced Imaging Implant

[Fear Factory]

Enhanced Imaging Implant

Unit Type:  BattleMechs, Battle Armor (Clan)
SPA Cost:  3 points

     A rare ability used during the Invasion era, only the most fanatical Clan warriors accepted the Enhanced Imaging Implant.  It has since been adapted for use in ProtoMechs.  This SPA gives the Clan warrior a wireless link (via cybernetic tattoos) to his/her BattleMech or Battle Armor, enhancing their abilities, but with drastic (and fatal) side effects.
     A unit with this SPA can activate or deactivate the Implant at the start of the game or during the End Phase.  When activated, the unit ignores all modifiers for night combat and other visual conditions (like snow, rain, fog).  Also, when targeting units in woods, jungle, planted fields, or smoke, a +1 modifier is only applied.  Rules for Line of Sight still apply.  The unit also gains a -1 bonus to skill when avoiding skids and making physical attacks.  If the unit is a BattleMech, any time the unit suffers internal structure damage roll 2d6, a result of 2 or 12 kills the pilot, and the unit is destroyed.  A critical hit roll of 2 "Ammo Hit" will also kill the pilot even if the unit has CASE.  If the unit is Battle Armor it suffers an extra 0* damage on each hit.

[Sereglach]

Sounds more like what the DNI (Direct Neural Interface) would do . . . aside from the fact that those also drive the pilots insane AND kills them/drastically shortens their life.

[Fear Factory]

This is what the EI Implant did...  It's in Maxtech and in the Somerset Strikers book.

[RunandFindOut]

Also in TRO 3060 in the protomech section in the back. 

Never did much like the way they hit everything that could improve pilots or make things more cyberpunk with a massive nerfbat.  We know in RL that implants allowing one to directly control devices are possible, that they show no signs of causing psychosis, and so far don't appear to have any of the OTT health effects shown here.

[Jewelfox]

Never did much like the way they hit everything that could improve pilots or make things more cyberpunk with a massive nerfbat.  We know in RL that implants allowing one to directly control devices are possible, that they show no signs of causing psychosis, and so far don't appear to have any of the OTT health effects shown here.

Seconded. I personally feel that it was an instance of backlash against the cartoon, and/or the cartoon's fans. EI implants don't work like that in my headcanon.

I'm also a bit skeptical of these rules. I would tone down the benefits and negate the drawback. Having a 1/18 chance of instant death on a crit isn't really a "drawback" per se, so much as a gamble. And you could partly minimize your chances of having to face it by fielding a ton of light mechs with few structure points anyway.

Of course, I prefer energy weapons, so maybe I'm not the one who should be assessing others' preferred death traps. :P