Tweak/remove the recipe for Strange Reagent

[RSOD]

the key issue is that having 200U of SR on backorder is bad (especially as you need... 1u per corpse)

SR being a revive only while it's in your system would go hard.
I'd be thinking on a criteria to make it permanent that will take some time (that isn't just another chemical doctors will stockpile)

what if being above 20% health while alive will incrementally slow its decay, up until not decaying at all if you've been above 20% for about two minutes. otherwise, it slowly drains from your person.
however, going into crit slowly speeds up the decay rate based on how long you've been in crit for -- makes you more unstable if you have a small dose in you and means doctors can't just stabilize your health and take their time. perhaps SR could only be done once per body? (i.e. patient revived with SR needs to be cloned before being able to use SR again)

[Skotcher]

I do like the idea of altering SR in some way. I agree that cloning should be "the standard" path for reviving, and SR should come with strange effects on the body. As a joking-not-joking idea, you'd probably see a lot less people use SR if revival by SR made your character bald (maybe even give you a cursed bald cap you cant take off).

If the idea is to make SR a bit more involved to use, it could be interesting to involve other departments in medical.

What if revival by SR gave you a gene(s) that required the assistance of genetics to fully save the patient? As an example, what if it gave you two genes; one activated (which kills you if removed and also slowly damages all your organs + 1 each of Brute/Burn/Tox/Oxy) and one inactivated (which would negate the negative effects of the aforementioned gene, except the removal kills you part).

What if SR only works on Cyberhearts, like Torchwick mentioned? Or maybe only Cyberhearts or Synth Hearts? Take this a step further - what if revival by SR mutates some limbs (like it gives you a changeling limb) that causes you to attack yourself & others?

No idea here is in any "final form". Just some ideas to consider. Ultimately, I would like to see the "strange" part of strange reagent play a bigger role. I think I would prefer SR to be more of a backup, riskier procedure. Kind of like agreeing to experimental trials for a new drug. You don't know if it'll work or what effects it might have (it should still work, of course, but the effects should be surprising).