It's damn near impossible to find a portrait I like. The Paizo needs to include more... trichologically challenged character portraits. Balding sentients, unite! until then I'm going to have to settle for a sufficiently Irish-Gnomish character picture. Plus, hats are cool.
The character page is one I'm re-using, and I'll upload the things there tomorrow.
My character isn't complete yet, but I've changed some things around to have a larger focus on decking; he's a former member of the Knight Errant High-Threat Task Force, part of their counter-hacker division. He's skilled in short-to-mid range combat with a shotgun, as well as having good computer skills. He can use a sniper rifle fairly well too, but he likely won't purchase one at character creation.
”I’m having second thoughts,” Sylvie sighed, gently rubbing Devi’s shoulders.
”I will hear none of it,” Devi replied stubbornly, turning to look at Sylvie with those big, doe eyes of hers that made her heart melt. ”The landlord is about three days from grabbing his shotgun and breaking down the door.” Devi ran her chrome hand through her hair in that cute little nervous way. ”We’re waaay behind on rent. I know you’ve turned down jobs, tried to settle down a bit for me, but it isn’t working out. Plus, it isn’t just our apartment on the line. It’s Fix’s head.”
Sylvie sighed. ”Fine, fine. I’ll go to the meet.” Gently removing Devi from her lap, Sylvie lumbered to her room and began gearing up. ”Alright. If you even think that anything’s off, the Warhawk is on the second cupboard on the left, run to the nearest motel, and call up Fix. He should be able to put you up for the night, at least. Remember that if somebody catches you, we installed a cyberspur a while back, and-”
Devi cut her off. ”I know, I know. Quit worrying about me, and take care of yourself out there, okay?”
Gauntlet walked out of her room, fully decked out. Her helmet was emblazoned with the symbol of two crossed, spiked gauntlets, and although her vest bulged outwards, it provided more than enough protection.
”Okay.”
***
It’s always here whenever there’s a big job, Gauntlet thought to herself as she pushed open the doors into the Inferno. Not Dante’s Inferno. Just the Inferno.
The inside of the club was cluttered with the detritus of metahumanity. Dealers hawked cram, deepweed, nitro, and everything else not under the sun. Sylvie counted no less than three brawls in the mosh pit, and five more about to erupt. The DJ were Siamese elves, each twin working a separate console. The result was a brilliant, if somewhat discordant, sound. The scorched iron walls and the almost-exclusively goblinized staff with red skin body mods gave the place its name. Inferno was a lot more hellish than it’s more trendy counterpart.
The crowds automatically parted for the massive troll. They knew runners when they saw them. A belligerent, drunk, and high ork turned around, probably think he got punched hard in the shoulder when Gauntlet bumped into him, but he paled when he saw the runner, and quickly turned away.
Thrusting open the door to the backroom of the Inferno, Gauntlet was met with a disheartening sight. Two humans and a dwarf huddled around the table, with the Mr. Johnson standing cooly to the side, brushing off some not-so-imaginary dirt off of his cuff. She was going to have to break into a clique.
Gaunlet hated cliques.
The Johnson looked the troll up and down, and she apparently met his standards. Just barely, though. He walked up and primly offered a hand. ”Mr. Johnson. I represent Saeder-Krupp. You come highly recommended.”
Gauntlet was tempted to crush his hand to fragments, but managed to resist the urge. She shook his hand with perhaps ten percent of her strength, but he still winced. ”I see that Felix was not exaggerating your abilities.”
The Johnson gestured broadly to the group that was still whispering behind him. ”Gauntlet, meet Reptile, Bleach, and Zero.” He almost winced again, obviously not used to the pseudonyms. ”Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.”
Gauntlet sat down in the chair that seemed to be designed to accommodate trolls. It still creaked under her weight. The dwarf snickered, but immediately stopped as soon as Gauntlet glared at him.
The Johnson cleared his throat. ”The job is simple.” That was never a good sign. ”A corporate complex in Back Bay has a valuable piece of biotech. Saeder-Krupp needs this sample to continue research on a rather… important research project.” The Johnson tapped his commlink, and the blueprints, guard rotations, astral security, and matrix gibberish of the Azzie warehouse was downloaded onto everyone’s commlink. ”Please take a moment to review the intel.”
Gauntlet sifted through the data the Mr. Johnson gave her. The packet had everything that a runner needed for a heist. Every single last thing. And there were no discrepancies. As far as Gauntlet could tell, the intel was legit. All of this added up to one thing: the Johnson was drawing them in, convincing them that the job was easy, most of the legwork was already done, really, the planning could be done in fifteen minutes, wheels out in twenty after that. In the shadows, that had one big, fat asterisk attached to it: there was some gaping, massive, life-threatening complication that the Johnson wasn’t telling them.
The troll eyed the other runners. They saw it too. Gauntlet spoke up, in a low, rumbling growl. ”Two hundred thou.”
The Johnson’s eyes widened. He said smoothly, ”I’m not allowed to negotiate-”
Gauntlet cut him off. ”We both know that there is something in that complex that, in all likelihood, is going to kill us all, or at least make our lives very, very difficult. I’m not committing to this for anything less than two hundred thou.” It was a bluff, of course. Gauntlet might be able to wring another twenty-five out of the suit. But it got the attention of the other runners. They looked at Gauntlet in a new light now.
The Johnson swallowed. ”Fine.” Gauntlet’s eyes widened under her helmet. This job is going to go very, very badly…
The Johnson got up from the table, and said curtly, ”You have two days to plan and execute the job. Don’t come here emptyhanded.” With that, he left the room.
The dwarf spoke first. ”Well, s%$+. If you weren’t… you know, I’d say you’ve got quite a pair on you.” He then got up and extended a hand. ”Name’s Reptile. I’m the team’s infil/exfil specialist. Been awhile since I’ve seen another adept.” He gave a sympathetic smile. ”Let me guess: you made a pact with Bear?” Gauntlet nodded stiffly. ”Yeah, I figured.” Reptile looked her up and down appreciatively, but not lustfully. ”If that’s the case, you’ve got some serious mojo. Teach used to say, ‘A fat ass is about the least intimidating thing unless you’re dealing with a Bear. If a Bear has a fat ass, run the hell the other way.’” Gauntlet gave a deep, throaty chuckle and shook his hand.
Reptile gestured towards the human woman with the bleached hair and biker jacket. ”That’s Bleach, if it wasn’t obvious already. She’s our rigger and hacker, so unless you want to be left behind, don’t piss her off.” Bleach gave a small, businesslike nod towards Gauntlet. ”And, last and most threatening, is Zero.” A pasty, human man in a tweed jacket and messy black hair awkwardly waved. ”He may not look like much, but he packs a mean ice spell. He’s the de facto leader of our little band, since he’s the only one with enough brains to put together a half-decent plan.”
Zero shifted in his seat. ”Alright, team, and, um, new person! Let’s plan, and stuff.” His voice had a distinct Brit accent. ”As Gauntlet said, we obviously don’t know a major aspect of this mission. Whatever it is, it must be really dangerous, especially if the Johnson doubled the price at the drop of the hat. He clearly doesn’t expect us to come back.” Zero steepled his fingers and gave a wicked smirk. ”So, let’s prove him wrong.”
Also, as a side note" Wraith, I noticed looking at your sheet that you have a Gas Vent IV system installed on your weapons... which doesn't exist. They were around in SR3, but in 4 it only goes as high as three points of recoil compensation.
In other news, character should be done tonight-ish. I was about to question why I got the "Paladin" nickname, but I'm going to stick with it as my runner handle. Thanks for the idea!
You're welcome ^_^ Seemed fitting, since you were a former Knight Errant.
Once again I find myself without the true time for a full note here going over everything, this time thanks to an unexpected but welcome visit to see some family, but! I once more also have a simple note.
While I do love what people are doing so far, especially your continued backstory work, Doomkitten, I'd prefer that backstories be kept to more mundane affairs at this point. A few runs here and there, some shootouts, that sort of thing is fine, but I'd rather not have you writing up characters that have already been on "the big one" or had direct contact with anything more supernatural than usual Shadowrun is. After all, a lot of the fun of Shadowrun is seeing your characters truly grow into their own and take on bigger and tougher jobs, and a lot of the fun of Cthulhu-inspired games is seeing your characters have their minds melted and turn into gibbering maniacs learn about the truth of a mythos they couldn't have imagined at the start of the game. (Just kidding with the strikethrough there, I fully expect everyone to come out of this alive and sane-ish.)
That said, having slight tie-ins to mythos themes and such is a good thing. So while I can't give any real "rules" for what to include and what not, I guess a fast-and-loose guideline would be indirect contact and fitting thematically, not in experience. The game will make more sense and hopefully be more interesting if your characters have never even heard of a shoggoth, let alone already fought one (for example).
(Final note: If you've already done writing like this, don't feel like you need to toss it out or stop if you're midway. Feel free to finish it up and post it! I'll count it as a sort of "non-canon" exploration of what your character would do in that sort of situation, and as a writing/RP sample on your end. Certainly wouldn't want that time and effort to go to waste.)
Thanks for the tip! I was actually planning on her just getting a hint of a conspiracy and something more, something weird enough and sinister enough for Gauntlet to keep on digging, but nothing too major.
And I'm glad to know that the thousands of words I'm typing out aren't going to go to waste if I do get in :P
I feel kind of like I'm being lazy not having some awesome adventure story to write.
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Buncha stuff, buncha stuff.
JDPhillips, yes, thank you. This is based of a character that I made for SR3e. I'm, sorta, done converting her over to 4e. (I still have to do cyberwear. Don't hate me! =p)
Anya "Wraith" Whiteangel - Soldier (Augmented)
Yeah...yeah. I get that a lot.
*lights dim* *pulls up a stool* *takes microphone*
One of the subtler themes of SR is that of "How much is too much?" The Corps are obvious examples of too much power and money. The BTL chipheads are symbols of too much drugs. But what else?
Wraith is designed to explore the theme of "too much of a good thing." We all like cyber, but is there such a thing as too much?
Negative Quality: CyberPsychosis
As the game goes along, I think it would be neat to watch a personality that is already frayed at the edges between personal loss and a pre-existing cyber stigmata, coming into conflict with the sanity-destroying netherforces of the Cuthulu mythos.
Negative Quality: Addiction, Moderate: The drink. A wee bit o' th' creature. Hooch. Firewater. Grog. The Irish handcuffs (I'm half Irish so I can say that. =) Juice. Moonshine. The Sauce. A wee tipple. Booze. (-10 pts)
Positive Quality: First Impression
*pours bourbon into glass with a single ice cube* *drinks bourbon*
Into this Brompton Cocktail of psychosis, we add an already unhealthy relationship with alcohol, covered with a thin veneer of the ability to put on a mechanical smile to new business contact, while her friends behind the scenes have to worry about the Great Old One outside, and the Wraith inside.
Gear: Glasscutter w/suction cup. Autopicker 6. Keycard Copier 6. Wire clippers
Add to this a borderline savant ability to Infiltrate, and I'm really really excited about the RP possibilities. =)
tl;dr: Soldier/Infiltration. =p
I probably won't be able to get the last part of Gauntlet's run up today, since I have an epic eight-hour marathon of D&D ahead of me.
When Alpha Dog enters the party, all eyes focus on him. Dramatic swoosh sounds follow his movement, and trails of glowing sparks follow his gestures. While those are simply technological gimmicks, he would draw attention even without those. There's just something about him.
Most people take him for an ork at first, but after a while they realize he's perhaps the shortest troll they've met. He's only a smidge over two meters, and relatively slim for his kind. He speaks with a British accent, a saucy scouse tongue.
-----
Later at the meet, he seems more refined. He's changed into sedate businesswear, though many will notice it's holographically enhanced. His accent is now a crisp received pronunciation, until he sees the identity of the Johnson before him. He switches to German, a formal academic tone.
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At 3 am, he's on the run and he's a little hard to see in his stealth suit. He's no specialist, but he's no slouch. As the runners gather behind the corner, a slim fiber scope snakes to check out the guard. She's alert and ready for intruders - Paco must not have covered all of their tracks. Words come from the center of the room, like a drill sergeant, "Quick toss me your gun! She reacts instinctively, disarming herself as the group rushes in.
-----
More to come
Here's Alpha Dog, my face character. He's damn good at voice-fu, and got decent all-around skills.
Alpha Dog (Fomori Adept)
B 7, A 4, R 3/5, S 5, C 4, I 4, L 3, W 4, E 1, Ess 6, M 6, Init 7/9, IP 1/3
Condition Monitor boxes (Physical/Stun): 12/10
Hermes Ikon Commlink Condition Monitor: 10
Sony Emperor Commlink Condition Monitor: 10
Armor (Ballistic/Impact): 7/1
Skills: Athletics Group 1, Blades 1 (Knives +2), Exotic Ranged Weapon: Ares S-III Super Squirt 1, Influence Group 3, Intimidation 1, Pistols 1 (Semi-Automatics +2), Stealth Group 1, Unarmed Combat 1 (Cyber-Implants +2)
Knowledge Skills: Arabic 1, Business 4, Celebtrities 3, Chinese 1, Club Music 3, English N, German 1, Hindi 1, Or'Zet 1, Russian 1, Security Companies 2, Spanish 1, Sperethiel 1, Welsh 1
Metatype Abilities: Enhanced Senses: Thermographic Vision
Qualities: Addiction (Mild): Betel, Adept, Arcane Arrester, Celerity, Changeling (Class II SURGE), Exravagant Eyes, Glamour, Impaired Attribute: Strength, Linguist, Reduced Scent, Neurological (1), Sensitive Neural Structure, Sensitive System, The Speaker's Way: Kinesics, Voice Control, Commanding Voice
Adept Powers: Combat Sense (3), Commanding Voice (13dicepool vs. Willpower + Leadership), Improved Reflexes (2), Kinesics (3), Linguistics, Voice Control
Gear:
. . Alphonse Diggory III with Fake License: Concealed carry (3), Fake SIN (3), Middle Lifestyle
. . Betel (CorpCandy, Jaw) x25
. . Bunker Helmet with Flare Compensation, Low Light Vision, Thermographic Vision, Ultrawideband Radar (3)
. . Certified Credstick x3
. . Concealable Holster
. . Concealable Holster
. . Contact Lenses (2) with Image Link, Skinlink, Vision Magnification, Optical
. . Endoscope
. . Evo HEL Suit with Chemical Protection, Fire Resistance, Insulation, Radiation Shielding, Ruthenium Polymer Coating
. . Form-Fitting Shirt with Biofabrics, Massaging Liners
. . Hermes Ikon Commlink with Analyze (3), Analyze (Viral Resistance) (3), Basic+ Suite, Browse (3), Command (1), Edit (3), Iris Antivirus, Iris Orb Operating System, Purge (Viral Resistance) (3), Reality Filter (1), Skinlink
. . Medkit (6)
. . Nano-fixx x3
. . Sony Emperor Commlink with Analyze (Viral Resistance) (3), Iris Antivirus, Iris Orb Operating System, Purge (Viral Resistance) (3)
. . Strict-9 Jacket with Holo Hood, Skinlink
. . Subvocal Microphone
. . Tag Eraser
. . White Noise Generator (4)
Weapons:
. . Ares S-III Super Squirt [Special Weapons, DV By Chem., SA, 20 (c)] with DMSO Gel, Neuro-Stun x40, Laser Sight, Metahuman Customization, Skinlink
. . Morrissey Alta [Pistols, DV 5P vs. B-1, SA, 12 (c)] with Laser Sight, Metahuman Customization, Skinlink
. . Attack of Will (vs. Spirits) [DV 4P vs. I]
. . Katar Weapon Focus (1) [Blades, DV 5P vs. I-2, Reach 1] with Ceramic/Plasteel Components (Level 1), Chameleon Coating, Metahuman Customization, Weapon Focus (1)
. . Shock Glove Weapon Focus (1) [Unarmed, DV 5S(e) vs. ½I, Reach 1] with Chameleon Coating, Internal Battery x10, Metahuman Customization, Skinlink, Weapon Focus (1)
. . Unarmed Strike [Unarmed, DV 3S vs. I, Reach 1]
I feel a bit late with this submission, but here it is:
Alexandria Minerva Paradine, human and social adept. She also has a few augments.
Attributes (200)
Body: 3 (4)
Agility: 5 (6)
Reaction: 3 (5)
Strength: 1 (2)
Charisma: 5
Intuition: 5
Logic: 2
Willpower: 4
Special Attributes (40)
Edge: 2
Magic: 3
Positive Qualities (35)
Adept
The Speaker's Way
Biocompatibility (Cyberware)
Restricted Gear (Rating 1)
Martial Arts (Krav Maga) - Ready Weapon as a Free Action
Negative Qualities (-30)
Allergy (Uncommon, Mild): Grass (-5)
Distinctive Style (-10) - Trid-star looks and an unforgettable smile
Poor Self Control (Thrill Seeker) (-5)
Prejudiced (Specific, Biased): Journalists (-5)
Vendetta (-5)
Enemies (-5)
Enemy: Connection 3, Incidence: 2
contacts (16)
Connection 5, Loyalty 5
Connection 2, Loyalty 2
Connection 1, Loyalty 1
Skills Groups (50)
Influence (Con, Etiquette, Leadership, Negotiation): 4
Stealth (Disguise, Infiltration, Palming, Shadowing): 1
Active Skills (44)
Gymnastics 6
Intimidation 1
Perception 1
Pilot Ground Craft 1
Pistols 1
Unarmed Combat 1
Knowledge Skills (*27)
English N
Area Knowledge (Boston)
Art
Adept Powers
Kinesics (Rating 3) (1.125 - discounted by The Speaker's Way)
Combat Sense (Rating 2) (1.0)
Improved Ability: Leadership (Rating 1) (0.25)
Sustenance (0.25)
Commanding Voice (0.25)
Cyberware
Wired Reflexes, Betaware (Rating 1) (44,000n)
Bioware
Suprathyroid Gland, Alphaware (90,000n)
Tailored Pheromones (Rating 3) (45,000n)
Gear: Nuyen (50)
Lifestyle
High (2 months) (20,000n)
Armor
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit (1600n)
Actioneer Business Clothes (1500n)
Form-Fitting Half-Body Suit (900n) - to be worn with the long coats.
Lined Coat (700n) - for slumming
Mortimer of London: Greatcoat Line (3000n) - for when not slumming!
Weapons
Shock Glove (200n)
Ares Predator IV (485n)
-Smartgun System, Skinlink, Concealable Holster, Spare Clips (2)
Ceska vz/120 (1035n)
-Smartgun system (internal), Concealable Holster, Skinlink, Spare Clips (2), Silencer
50 Ammo: Gel Rounds (Heavy Pistol) (150n)
50 Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Heavy Pistol) (400n)
50 Ammo: Regular Rounds (Heavy Pistol) (100n)
50 Ammo: Gel Rounds (Light Pistol) (400n)
50 Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Light Pistol) (150n)
20 Ammo: Regular Rounds (Light Pistol) (40n)
Gear
Glasses (Rating 4): (700n)
-Flare Compensation
-Vision Enhancement (Rating 3)
-Low Light
-Vision Magnification
-Skinlink
Contacts (Rating 3): (725)
-Image Link
-Smartlink
-Skinlink
Earbuds (Rating 3): (930n)
-Audi Enhancement (Rating 3)
-Select Sound Filter (Rating 3)
Fake SIN (Rating 4) (4000n)
Fake SIN (Rating 4) (4000n)
Fake License (Rating 4) (Ares Predator IV) (400n)
Fake License (Rating 4) (Wired Reflexes) (400n)
Fake License (Rating 4) (Ceska vz/120) (400n)
Fake License (Rating 4) (Shock Glove) (400n)
Fake License (Rating 4) (Contact Lenses) (400n)
Commlinks
Sony Emperor (for basic use) (1605n)
-OS: Mangadyne Deva
-Skinlink, Printer, Subvocal Microphone
Transys Avalon (14,965n)
-OS: Novatech Navi
-Programs: Agent (Rating 3), FTL Matrixware Power Suite, Mapsoft [Boston] (Rating 4), Empathy Software (Rating 4)
-Skinlink, AR Gloves, Biometric Reader, Printer, Satelite Link, Sim Module (Cold), Simrig, Subvocal Microphone, Trodes
Vehicles
Suzuki Mirage (10,000n)
-Vehicle Sensor, Anti-Theft, Manual Control Override (Drive-by-Wire), Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization
Though born to loving, Ork parents, Alexandria has failed to express any metahuman gene and remains human. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed by them her whole life for their lower class lifestyle, Alexandria vowed as a child that she would one day be rich and important, regardless of what it took.
Now an adult in her 20s, Alexandria has parlayed her adeptness with the social graces into a career. She currently make her living as a high class fence, working as a go-between for museums, universities and the rich so that they never have to see the lower class thieves and smugglers who procure their items for them. She has managed to make something of a name for herself and enjoys the large commissions that she receives.
She would most likely be at the Stuffer Shack to grab a snack after one of her meetings with her less than reputable sellers of exotic goods.
Alexandria, you know you should have a magic rating of 1 right? you bought 3 points of magic (which gets you a 4 magic base) and you have 2.54 essence loss of augmentations, which drops your magic by 3, and makes you lose 3 pp worth of adept powers.
Also, Suprathyroid gland has a availability of 20f, meaning you can't start with one, as the availability cap is 12.
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Alexandria, you know you should have a magic rating of 1 right? you bought 3 points of magic (which gets you a 4 magic base) and you have 2.54 essence loss of augmentations, which drops your magic by 3, and makes you lose 3 pp worth of adept powers.
Also, Suprathyroid gland has a availability of 20f, meaning you can't start with one, as the availability cap is 12.
As you'll note, she spent 40 BP on Magic (Meaning Magic of 5). Also, she has the Restricted Gear positive quality. It allows one piece of gear of an availability up to 20.
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That and a Power Focus (Rating 4) are almost literally what the Restricted Gear quality is written for. The power focus is 29 BP to buy and bind with the quality and it's *still* worth doing at character creation rather than in play. Which is one reason I really dislike BP rather than karmagen. But, it could be worse...it could be priority! :P
In my day we used priority as we walked uphill both ways in a foot of snow just to pull a run on Renraku and smiled and asked for more!
I don't know why I made a young runner. I swear the next character I make is going to be a decker coming out of retirement who complains about how no one can service his program carriers anymore.
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Having to live with priority for ten years before Companion came out was painful. But yes, back in my day we did it. I mean, we also played Traveler, Palladium, and Tunnels & Trolls. Thankfully, games have gotten better. With some hiccups, of course. (I'm looking at you 5th edition Shadowrun. Directly.At.You.)
Vrog Skyreaver wrote:Alexandria, you know you should have a magic rating of 1 right? you bought 3 points of magic (which gets you a 4 magic base) and you have 2.54 essence loss of augmentations, which drops your magic by 3, and makes you lose 3 pp worth of adept powers.
Also, Suprathyroid gland has a availability of 20f, meaning you can't start with one, as the availability cap is 12.
As you'll note, she spent 40 BP on Magic (Meaning Magic of 5). Also, she has the Restricted Gear positive quality. It allows one piece of gear of an availability up to 20.
TY aptinuviel, that is what I did on my character sheet.
I missed restrictive gear, but even with a 5 she still has too many points of adept powers. Here's the math I took to get there:
5 points of magic=5 power points
Wired Reflexes, Betaware (Rating 1) -2 essence (x.7 essence loss) is -1.4 Essence
Bioware
Suprathyroid Gland, Alphaware (90,000n) -.7 essence (x.8 essence loss) is -.56 essence
Tailored Pheromones (Rating 3) (45,000n) -.6 essence
for a total of -2.56 essence.
according to page 177 of sr4 20th,
Anything that reduces a character’s Essence will also reduce Magic.
For every point (or fraction thereof ) of Essence lost, the character’s
Magic attribute and her Magic maximum rating are reduced by one.
that means her magic is reduced by 3, to 2 points.
she has the following adept powers:
Kinesics (Rating 3) (1.125 - discounted by The Speaker's Way)
Combat Sense (Rating 2) (1.0)
Improved Ability: Leadership (Rating 1) (0.25)
Sustenance (0.25)
Commanding Voice (0.25)
According to the document here, reductions should round to the nearest .25, since that's the cheapest a adept power costs. Even ignoring that, however, she's still .875 pp worth of powers over her max.
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I missed restrictive gear, but even with a 5 she still has too many points of adept powers. Here's the math I took to get there:
5 points of magic=5 power points
Wired Reflexes, Betaware (Rating 1) -2 essence (x.7 essence loss) is -1.4 Essence
Bioware
Suprathyroid Gland, Alphaware (90,000n) -.7 essence (x.8 essence loss) is -.56 essenceTailored Pheromones (Rating 3) (45,000n) -.6 essence
for a total of -2.56 essence.
Oh, I see the misunderstanding:
Her Wired Reflexes should be -1.2 (She has biocompatibility)And the Bioware would be -0.58 (Half of -1.16)
So her Essence should be 4.22
I think you're just missing that the lower of Bioware or Cyberware loss is halved? Does that clear it up? (Meaning she's down 2 Magic, not 3).
And for the most part, it looks like she did round to the nearest 0.25...ish? She's got that weird 0.125 from the Kinesics left over. But even beside that, I wouldn't go by an unofficial errata. Rounding to a .25 will cause a *lot* of problems down the road when she gets to discount a second ability and actually use that .125. (It would mean that she would literally get no benefit from her paid for positive quality if she used it on the "wrong" ability.) Which just makes for a bad ruling, in my opinion.
With that said, it's not really up to either of us. :P
Edit: I cannot recommend Chummer enough, by the way. It makes figuring out this sort of thing crazy-easy.
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On a completely separate note, I haven't actually looked too deeply into people's character sheets, but I did notice something in Alpha Dog's (only because it comes up with my own character): The Linguistics positive quality is completely worthless if you only have Rating 1 language skill. It's a "Rating Modifier", which is limited to boosting a Rating up to 1.5 times the "base skill modifier". Which means you need at least 2 ranks in a language to take advantage of a +1 rating modifier and a 4 in the skill to get the full +2 from the positive quality. It has made me rethink the quality on my own character. (I'm still waffling on what to switch it out for.)
With the ease of using Linguasofts in 4th edition there's very little room for a linguist anymore. It's a bit sad, but at least Linguisofts are really easy for anyone to use. So that's a bonus! :)
Hey guys! This is the last part of the run that’s going to get Gauntlet all a’ investigatin’. A note: please disregard all Boston-related references I previously made, as this story is set in Brookly. Bleach is an elf now. Also, if any of you are curious as to why I made Gauntlet overweight, it was a combination of two factors: a) a troll can have low Charisma. It’s pretty much assured that a troll will have low Charisma. But the thing is, intimidation-related rolls are also tied to Charisma, and it makes sense that most trolls will be pretty damn terrifying to most everyone. So I decided to give Gauntlet a physical trait that would make most people take her less seriously as a runner, so I chose to make her overweight, since obesity is associated with a low amount of physical activity, unhealthiness, and a general lack of motivation. I can attest to how much this isn’t true, since I have two very overweight friends who can bench press 150 pounds of me. Admittedly, Gauntlet is partially inspired by these people. b) As it was justified in-story, it personally made sense for me that mentor spirits would leave subtle-or not-so-subtle-marks on their students, as a way of showing their influence and, in their view, showing their approval if their student excels. After all, for bears, a large amount of fat is desirable.
The SUV was cramped, smelled of beer, and had numerous nasty-looking hypodermic needles scattered on the floor. But then again, they stole it from a drunk gnome in a bad neighborhood at the team’s earliest possible convenience, so they couldn’t exactly complain.
With a twitch of her left eyebrow, Bleach accessed the car’s mp7 archive, and began blaring some classic rock so ancient it was probably being studied by anthropologists, piercing the tense silence. Reptile yelled over the guitar chords, ”Bleach! Jeez, try to turn that down, wouldja? I’m bleeding out of my ears!” The elf smirked slightly, and turned down the music by about five decibels. ”More!” Another five decibels. ”Alright, alright, I’m sorry! I was hurting for money!”
Bleach deigned to respond. ”And?”
”And I cheated, okay!”
”I could barely make rent that month, you son of a b+##~!” The technomancer exploded, glaring at Reptile.
”Yeah, but-”
Zero cut them both off with a sinister glare. Zero cut them both off with a sinister glare. ”I swear to the Powers, if you don’t stop arguing right now, the next person you sleep with is going to have a very nasty disease.” That shut them both up, and the music turned down.
”Since it’s now quiet enough to think, let’s review the plan, shall we?” The rest of the team groaned, including Gauntlet.
”How many times is this now? The dozenth?” Reptile whined.
”And we will keep on drilling it until you all know it by heart,” Zero said matter-of-factly. ”The first part is already taken care of. Zero, you still have that keycard you swiped off that off-duty guard, right” Zero nodded shortly. ”You changed it?” Zero rolled her eyes and nodded again. ”Good. And, unless my eyes deceived me, Reptile’s contacts outfitted this SUV with all the Aztech bells and whistles to make us look legitimate.”
***
The three rent-a-cops prowled around the van checking everything from its sunroof to its wheel wells for authenticity. Meanwhile, Reptile was buying time.
”C’mon, Joe, you know us!” Reptile pleaded, barely keeping the panic out of his eyes. ”I mean, how many nondescript white vans pass through her every night?”
Joe stared down at Reptile through his drooping moustache. ”Three. Three vans. You’re the fourth. And unless you display proper clearance within the next fifteen seconds, I am authorized to eject you from the premises using lethal force.” Joe paused for a moment. ”And my name isn’t joe. It’s Paul.”
Inside the SUV, Zero looked at Bleach worriedly. Her eyes were glazed over and she was developing a nosebleed. Finally, she slumped, and whispered hoarsely, ”We’re in the clear.”
One of the guards who was watching his commlink closely turned and gave a nod to Paul. ”They have the clearance. Let them in. Management was just letting them sweat a little.” Sighing with relief, Reptile clambered back into the car as Paul gave him a suspicious glare, and the gate opened.
***
Zero continued with the review of the plan. ”Once we’re in, we ditch the car in the parking lot. This complex is far larger than Mr. Johnson told us in our initial briefing, but luckily, he did give us a map.” A smallish building labeled, in quotation marks,“Janitorial Maintenance,” started pulsing a deep crimson on Zero’s commlink. ”That’s where we’re going.”
”Unfortunately, all five points of ingress are blocked by patrols of five guards, one patrol on the entrance and one on the exit. Each patrol is on a thirty-second rotation from one point to another. We’ve got three guards tied up in my apartment, who were assigned to an alleyway with several large containers and a backdoor into the complex cafeteria. Bleach intercepted some eMails that concluded, after some deliberation, to put a single patrol of seven guards in the alley our good captives were assigned to.” One of the alleyways leading up to the building glowed a bright purple. ”It’s company policy to send two guards away to investigate,” Zero cleared his throat, ”’Minor Disturbances of a Potentially Benign Nature,’ leaving Gauntlet to deal with only five guards when I cast the illusion.”
Gauntlet shook her head. ”I’m still not entirely convinced of this part of the plan, Zero. They’ll be on high alert, and I’ll be outnumbered five-to-one. And I’ll only have a few seconds to deal with both them and them and the other guards once they come back.”
Reptile socked the massive troll in the arm. ”Gauntlet, I’ve seen you take out seven Halloweeners in less than ten seconds. You can handle some rent-a-cops.” Gauntlet sighed and gave a reluctant nod, and continued listening to Zero’s plan.
Zero continued, ”While Gauntlet takes care of the guards outside, we get into the cafeteria, get rid of anybody inside, and then wait until Reptile gives the signal to move.”
***
Reptile’s voice crackled over the radio. ”Alright, time to show us your chops. Your window opens in three, two, one… Gauntlet, your window is open. Be quick, be nimble.” Gauntlet was off in a flash. The troll darted into the alleyway, which stank of rotten banana peels, and leapt upon the patrol of guards. The first one didn’t even have time to react as a punch to the back of the head knocked him out cold. A lightning-fast roundhouse cracked the armored vest of another guard and sent him flying, and he collapsed against a wall.
Two of the remaining guards, a burly ork and a somewhat frightened looking elf, started frantically spraying their HKs at Gauntlet. Despite her size, the troll nimbly sidesteps the majority of the hot lead, but a stray bullet scores her arm, spraying blood over the already terrified elf guard’s face.
Sounding panicked, Zero screamed at Gauntlet over the radio. ”Gauntlet! The last guard is a mage! Geek her before-” - but it was too late. The grimacing human woman in a smart-looking suit finished weaving her spell, and, bleeding slightly from the nose, launched a crackling bolt of blue and white energy at Gauntlet. Swearing, Gauntlet braced herself for the impact, squaring her shoulders and strengthening her stance. The troll didn’t even flinch as the energy hit her.,
Her ears still ringing, Gauntlet faintly heard Zero say frantically, ”Gauntlet. Gauntlet! Are you alright?!” Cracking her neck, Gauntlet didn’t waste time replying, and charged at the rather surprised looking mage. Her surprise didn’t have time to morph into panic, due to how Gauntlet’s fist smashing into her face caused a major concussion, which, in turn, caused unconsciousness. Before the two corpsec guards could flee, Gauntlet smashed both of their heads together, and they fell like a sack of potatoes.
With the battle-if it could really be called that, the way it went for the guards-over, Gauntlet finally had time to respond. As she piled the unconscious bodies into the nearby dumpster, she grunted into her helmet radio, ”I’m fine, Zero. Got grazed by a bullet.”
Zero exploded into hysterical laughter. ”Fine? Fine! You neglected to mention that you got hit straight on by a highly-charged powerbolt!”
Gauntlet squeezed herself into the door to the darkened cafeteria, where the team crouched among the bodies of the few poor saps who wanted a midnight snack. ”I wasn’t hurt, so it wasn’t relevant.”
Zero sputtered, but before he had a chance to reply, Reptile interrupted drily, ”I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but the two guards that Zero sent off are coming back. Come out… now.”
Gauntlet stepped out of the door and downed the two guards with a brutal double uppercut, and before they even hit the concrete, she hoisted them up over her shoulders and threw them into the dumpster, before stepping back inside the cafeteria and carefully closing the door behind her.
The runners waited in the darkness for a tense two minutes, waiting for the guard patrols to pass over the alley that they had cleared. With Reptile’s signal, they burst out of the cafeteria and sprinted towards “Janitorial Maintenance,” with Gauntlet in the lead. The gargantuan troll threw open the door and ushered the others inside before ducking in herself.
***
Zero paused for a moment when Bleach rolled down a window and yelled profanities at a nearby driver. She was given a middle finger in return. Grumbling, she hoisted herself back into the SUV. ”Perfect. A gridlock. We’re going to be late at this rate. This job is going swimmingly so far,” Bleach groused.
Zero shifted in his seat. ”Um, anyways, the Janitorial Maintenance shed has a tunnel concealed inside. I called in a few favors from some spirits, and got its location, so we won’t have to waste valuable time. After we get into the lab, it should be a cakewalk. There should only be a few guards, and maybe a bug spirit if they Azzies are paranoid. Should be smooth riding from then on out.”
Reptile groaned. Zero turned to him, quizzical. ”What is it, Reptile?”
”You idiot! You never, ever, ever say, ‘This is going to be easy,’ or ‘this is going to be a cakewalk!’ The job always goes rotten after that! You’ve doomed us all!” Reptile said, throwing up his hand. It was clear that he was only half-joking.
Zero shook his head. ”I’m a mage, and you’re more superstitious than me! It’ll go fine, I promise.”
***
Reptile was right.
The actual infiltration and exfiltration went fine. Nobody got hurt, and spirits were high when the group piled into the SUV. Then they all heard the beeping. Frantically, the runners dove out of the vehicle, and barely cleared the blast area by the time the bomb went off, spiraling smoke and flame into the sky, no doubt alerting the guards as to what happened.
Painfully picking herself up from the ground, Gauntlet muttered, ”The f!~#…” before shaking off her bewilderment. She roared, ”We need to get out of here!” and hoisted Reptile over her shoulder, his backpack containing the sample they had been sent to fetch in the first place. Zero and Bleach picked themselves up, and began running after Gauntlet, cursing all the way. That is, until Zero’s face exploded, as a .50 caliber sniper bullet ripped through his skull. Bleach gave a pained cry, but only slightly slowed down as she joined Reptile and Gauntlet at the sturdiest-looking car that the group could find. With a flick of her wrist, the car started, and it was off before Gauntlet could even close the door.
They blasted through the gate and as the bewildered guards dove out of the way, Gauntlet cursed. ”The deadlock! The g#+%~*n deadlock!” Bleach’s eyes widened as another bullet tore through the windshield, just barely missing her, and she wrenched the car into an alley, uttering a stream of profanities.
Reptile blinked his eyes open. ”Ugh… what’s happening?” he asked, before making an accurate deduction. ”The job went bad, didn’t it? I warned Zero...” His brow furrowed. ”Wait. Where’s Zero?”
”He’s… I’m sorry,” Gauntlet said, choking slightly. Reptile bowed his head and closed his eyes. He whispered, ”Lord, who thou art in heaven, into your hands I commend Michael Locke Westen’s soul…” He continued praying even as Bleach, losing control for once in her life, crashed into the brick wall of the alley, the force and angle of the impact sending the car tumbling upside down. Bleach’s neck tilted at an odd angle. It took a moment for Gauntlet to realize that it was snapped. Struggling, she grabbed Reptile and dragged herself out of the wreck.
Time started fading, distorting. One moment she was limping out of the alleyway. The next, in a blind fury, she was snapping the neck of a grizzled human in a chameleon suit on a rooftop, a once-more unconscious Reptile lying next to her. Then she was forcing a shaman to heal the dwarf at gunpoint. That’s when things snapped back into focus.
The ork woman, her hands bloodstained and her eyes frightened, staggered backwards, her nose bleeding profusely. ”He’ll… he’ll be okay,” she mumbled, before collapsing into a folding chair.
Gauntlet paced the length of the street clinic, examining the vial in her hands. It was simple, really, some piece of spongy flesh in a clear liquid. ”I need some things from you,” Gauntlet said slowly, barely controlling her rage. ”I need some disinfectant gel, two vials, a knife, and some catamari.”
The shaman nodded wearily and pulled herself out of her chair, shuffling over to the fridge and shifting through its contents, fetching Gauntlet her request. The troll gaver her a short, curt nod, before setting to work.
Ten minutes later, three humans in business suits and muddy, indistinct features, calmly walked inside the clinic and shot the doc in the head. The lead one began weaving a spell to kill Gauntlet, but they paused when they saw what she was holding.
”Take one step closer,” Gauntlet said calmly, ”And I’ll drop this.” She held the vial that the runners had retrieved from the Aztech compound.
The magician dropped their spell and spoke. Their voice had an odd, discordant buzz, making it completely sexless. ”We will wire one million nuyen to your account if you let us have that vial,” they said calmly.
Gauntlet gave a short, almost hysterical laugh. ”No. If I give you this vial, you’ll shoot both me and Reptile. What is going to happen is that you’re going to let me carry my good friend out of here. We are going to take your car. And then we might-just might-let you have the vial.” Wordlessly, the three beings made an opening that let Gauntlet, carrying Reptile, through. The lead one-or was it one of the others, they shifted all the time-tossed Gauntlet the keys. Gauntlet said flatly, ”The real ones. And not the spare fake ones embedded with a tracker that you have, either.” Hesitating slightly, they tossed Gauntlet slightly different keys.
The young troll staggered out into squeezed into the driver’s seat and took a breath before delicately placing Reptile into the shotgun seat, and started driving like the very demons of Hell were after here, which maybe they were.
The drive was a blur, and so was the stumble through Inferno. When she finally entered the back room, Mr. Johnson gave her an irritated glare. ”You’re late,” he barked, before noticing Gauntlet’s wounds and the unconscious dwarf over her shoulder. ”Where are the others?” he asked rhetorically.
”Dead,” Gauntlet answered brusquely, before handing the Johnson the vial. She paused for a moment, before saying, ”This thing has some very, very bad people after it right now. I would suggest that you treat this thing like it’s the Holy F#!$ing Grail if you want to keep your hands on it.”
The Johnson nodded. ”For that tip, and extra fifty-thousand nuyen is currently being wired to your account. Saeder-Krupp appreciates loyalty,” he said, before pulling a silver briefcase from under the table and carefully unlocked it, as if if he got the combination wrong, it would explode in his hands. Which it probably would. He gingerly placed the vial inside it, then, giving Gauntlet a brusque nod, snapped his fingers. A gate of geometric magic appeared behind him, and he strode through it. When he was gone, the gate snapped shut, and Sylvie was left alone. Once again grabbing Reptile, she strode through the back door, and tapped the nearest, most well-to-do-looking person on the shoulder. The slick-looking elf turned and gave the troll an irritated scowl. ”Whaddya want,?” he drawled, incensed.
Sylvie simply stated, ”Give me the keys and location to your car and I will pay you twenty thousand nuyen.” Without missing a beat, the elf took out his commlink and looked at Sylvie expectantly. The troll swiped her considerably less fancy commlink over his, and while his bank verified the transfer, the elf said, ”Good run, huh?” and Sylvie laughed.
***
Sylvie threw the door to the apartment open, and she was greeted by a Warhawk aimed squarely at her face. As soon as Devi saw her girlfriend, she relaxed and lowered the revolver. ”Sylvie! I thought that you would knock like-” Sylvie shoved past Devi and rushed to the bedroom, yelling, ”Grab the emergency bag while I get the rest of my gear!” Realization dawned on the elf’s face and she ran to the coathanger, where an overstuffed, bright red backpack hung.
***
The truck churned across the pavement as the tense silence between Devi and Sylvie began swelling in volume. The troll finished ripping the smartgun systems out of her guns, and motioned for Devi to stop. They screeched to a stop, and Sylvie clambered out of the truck, the look of a woman who has had more than enough of her share of crap for the day on her face, AK in hand. Holding a panicked human in a chrome sports car at gunpoint, Sylvie tossed her helmet, commlink, and smartgun system, as well as all of Reptile’s weapons and electronics, into his shotgun seat, then motioned for him to start driving. More confused by this odd carjacking than anything else, the man drove like a bat out of hell. Sylvie squeezed back into the pickup and sighed before saying, ”Alright, ask your questions. I’m fairly certain that we’re bug free right now, and they’re tracking the wrong person.”
Devi exploded with queries as she put the pedal to the metal. ”What the hell happened?! Who the hell is that dwarf?! Why are you wounded?! Why did you just throw all of your most valuable equipment away?!”
”The thing we were after is wanted by people worse than Lofwyr. That’s Reptile, the only other surviving member of the team. Bullet, crash, another bullet, knife, bruised ribs. Like I said, they could probably track us via anything that emitted a remote signal.”
The young elf took a deep breath and calmed down slightly. ”We have the emergency bag. That means…” she said.
”We need to get out of here,” Sylvie responded evenly.
”Where to?”
”Boston. Nobody ever willingly goes to the biggest a&~**~~ of the UCAS, so they would look for me in Detroit. They wouldn’t expect me to go the second-biggest a#!&$!%.”
”Does that mean going to Lucas?” Devi asked, although she already knew the answer to that question.
”Yep,” Sylvie said, resigned.
”I hate that slimeball,” Devi said, fuming.
”Either we get groped by him, or we get killed. That’s the math.”
”I still hate him.”
***
Lucas’ voice erupted over the intercom. ”Alright, ladies! We’re taking off, so put on your seatbelts. Or not, if you don’t want to, so you can… cuddle…”
Devi yelled, ”F#~* you, Lucas!”
”Gladly,” he replied smarmily, leaving Devi grumbling.
The young elf sighed and did, indeed, snuggle up next to Sylvie. ”I’m scared,” she whispered.
”So am I.”
Reptile glanced at the two of them, and offered a tremulous smile. ”I’m glad you have someone, Gauntlet.”
Gauntlet returned the smile. ”So am I, Reptile. So am I.”
The dwarf leaned back into his chair. ”We’re going to find those sons of b%@!@es, right?” Devi was already snoring.
”We are. And we’re going to find out what they wanted with… that.” Sylvie sighed, running her free hand through her hair. ”We can’t go on many runs together, you know. They might make the connection.”
Reptile nodded. ”Sad thing, that. You are one of the best walls of meat I have ever encountered. Well, some meat. Mostly flab.” Sylvie gave a deep, hearty chuckle at that.
”At least we have one lead.” The vial couldn’t have weighed an ounce, but it felt as heavy as a truck in her pocket.
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Ok, so I have tried to build a technomancer character, but as this is kinda my first attempt I would appriciate anyone in the know to take a look at him and see what I need or missed, if you dont mind. I thought we might need a dedicated hacker for this adventure...and if this does not work, then I will fall back on a regular decker (oops..no decks anymore...hacker it is then..lol)
Hate to date myself, but I remember when Shadowrun 1st edition came out (I still have my copy!)Been roleplaying since the late 1970's and have played, I think, almost all the game systems out there..lol. Yeah, I'm old and a geek...anyone remember the computer game Hack?
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Here it is....thanks
Jace Vanderhal (Human Technomancer)
B 2, A 3/1, R 3/1, S 2, C 2, I 5, L 6, W 2, E 2, Ess 6, R 6, Init 8/6, IP 1
Condition Monitor boxes (Physical/Stun): 9/9
Living Persona Condition Monitor: 11
Armor (Ballistic/Impact): 10/2
Skills: Cracking Group 3, Electronics Group 3, Etiquette 1, Perception 2, Pilot Ground Craft 1, Pistols 3, Tasking Group 3
Knowledge Skills: Arabic 3, Classical Literature 3, Corp Matrix Security Procedures 4, Data Havens 5, Dutch 5, English N, Jazz Music 3, Operating Systems 4, Safe Houses 3, Spanish 3
Qualities: Allergy, Uncommon (Moderate): Yellow Gold, Codeslinger: Hacking, Enemy, Hung Out to Dry, Mania/Phobia, Uncommon (Mild): Open Water, Paragon: Daedalus, SINner, Technomancer, Trust Fund (Medium lifestyle, 500 nuyen allowance)
Complex Forms: Analyze 1, Armor 1, Attack 1, Biofeedback Filter 2, Browse 1, Command 4, Edit 1, Exploit 1, Medic 1, Scan 1, Smartlink 1, Spoof 2, Stealth 1
Gear:
. . Armor Clothing
. . Ford Spiral 115Ti
. . Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit
. . Jace Vanderhal with Trust Fund: Middle Lifestyle
. . Terry Pol with Fake SIN (4)
Weapons:
. . Yamaha Pulsar [Tasers, DV 6S(e) vs. ½I, SA, 4 (m)] with Smartgun System, Internal
. . Attack of Will (vs. Spirits) [DV 2P vs. I]
. . Unarmed Strike [Unarmed, DV 1S vs. I]
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Crack Sprite (Crack Sprite)
Rat 6, Fir 6, Pil 6, Rsp 7, E 6, R 6, Init 18, IP 3
Matrix Condition Monitor: 11
Armor (Matrix): 0
Skills: Computer 6, Electronic Warfare 6, Hacking 6
Knowledge Skills: English N
Sprite Powers: Suppression (3 combat turn delay)
Complex Forms: Analyze 6, Exploit 6, Stealth 6
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Ford Spiral 115Ti (Ford Spiral 115Ti)
Body 10, Sensor 1, Handling +2, Firewall 3, Pilot 2, Response 3, Signal 3, Initiative 5, Initiative Passes 3
Physical Condition Monitor: 13
Armor (Vehicle): 6 [6]
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Machine Sprite (Machine Sprite)
Rat 3, Fir 5, Pil 3, Rsp 3, E 3, R 3, Init 6, IP 3
Matrix Condition Monitor: 10
Armor (Matrix): 0
Skills: Computer 3, Electronic Warfare 3, Hardware 3
Knowledge Skills: English N
Sprite Powers: Diagnostics (6dicepool), Gremlins (6dicepool vs. System + Firewall), Stability
Complex Forms: Analyze 3, Command 3
Ok, so I have tried to build a technomancer character, but as this is kinda my first attempt I would appriciate anyone in the know to take a look at him and see what I need or missed, if you dont mind. I thought we might need a dedicated hacker for this adventure...and if this does not work, then I will fall back on a regular decker (oops..no decks anymore...hacker it is then..lol)
Hate to date myself, but I remember when Shadowrun 1st edition came out (I still have my copy!)Been roleplaying since the late 1970's and have played, I think, almost all the game systems out there..lol. Yeah, I'm old and a geek...anyone remember the computer game Hack?
I'm not so sure it's as much as the group needs a hacker, or that a hacker could be really cool in this particular mix of genres. There's a dark and mysterious side to everything and the net is no exception. Unfortunately I can't help you much with 4th edition Technomancers. The last hacker I played in 4th edition was years ago and we used a whole lot of house rules to smooth over handling matrix-y stuff and get rid of a few weird loopholes. (And tone down the sheer number of rolls that need to be made by strict rules.) I've managed to forget most of it. :(
And I think there's at least four of us here that played 1st Edition, so far. Looks like an old crowd!
So, looking through people's sheets as I finish up my own, the big thing I noticed (partially because people were discussing her sheet) is that Alexandria does still have a piece of 'ware she's unable to have at creation, which is her Betaware Wired Reflexes. While Restricted Gear allows you to purchase things at Higher Availability, you are explicitly prohibited from buying any 'ware at a rating higher than Alphaware in the Core Rulebook.
Hope there's still time to get submissions in, travelling visiting family, won't have time to finish up my submission until Wednesday evening.....
Fixed the wired reflexes. Still need to finish up my skills, so will post up an updated sheet when I get that done. Likely later tonight since I will traveling back home today.
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@Daniel Stewart I don't know enough about 4ed to make that call. In SR 5, not having a hacker makes it significantly more difficult to do many runs. I've read that 4ed allows for an easier use of scripts & programs, and doesn't necessarily NEED a dedicated hacker guy.
That's anecdotal, though, I don't have enough experience to make that judgment myself.
Hey all, sorry I've been a way for a bit. The end of the first class week required some attention, and now I've come down with something (as one will when viruses from around the nation and beyond all come together in a small space). But I'm here right now, and I'd like to take this opportunity to begin winding down recruitment. We already have so many great submissions here, and I don't want to have to choose from too many more.
As such, RECRUITMENT IS CLOSED TO NEW INTEREST. That means everyone here who's already posted something to the effect of "this is neat, I'd like to do something here" is still in, so continue to work on stuff! I still don't want to put a hard end-date on this, but I'd guess I'll choose the team by the end of the week, possibly sooner. I have a shortlist in mind right now, I'll be going over submissions in depth, but nothing's fully decided yet. So everyone please, continue to work on submissions, continue to help each other out as you can--good to see that happening--and keep an eye out for when I make a decision.
In terms of questions that have come up, 1: How do we round Adept power benefits? I'd say round them down as low as you can. Essence drops to the hundredths, even thousandths of a point, so Magic can do the same. 2: Should we have a dedicated hacker? If someone wants to play a hacker they should, but don't force yourself to do that if you don't want to. We'll be doing almost entirely homebrewed missions, so I'll build them with the team in mind. If you don't have a hacker, I'll throw in elements where you need that rarely, as a story thing. 3: How do rating boosts interact with base numbers? Not a question anyone asked but one I'll comment on: you do round up to determine the possible bonus. So if you have rating of 1 in a skill you can get a +1, if you have a rating of 3 you can get a +2. That comes from the core rulebook comment of always rounding up by default.
Keep on doing good stuff, everybody, and I'll be here keeping an eye on things.
If I remember correctly, Magic always rounds down to the lowest whole number as per the Core Rulebook; I'm not sure if you made your current ruling because you didn't know the Core rules, or if you've decided on changing it. I figured I'd pass it along just in case. My character should be up tonight.
Kinda curious as to what people think of my short story. I was bored out of my mind, and just wrote it up in my spare time because hey, why the hell not? And considering that Gauntlet doesn't really fit within a Mythos archetype, I figured it would be a good idea to have something for her to investigate.
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If I remember correctly, Magic always rounds down to the lowest whole number as per the Core Rulebook; I'm not sure if you made your current ruling because you didn't know the Core rules, or if you've decided on changing it. I figured I'd pass it along just in case. My character should be up tonight.
Magic, as a rating, is never rounded. It's always a whole number. Essence and Adept power costs can be fractions of a number.
My understanding was that it was to clarify that an adept power that comes out to 1.125 isn't effectively a 1.25 cost power. It's a 1.125 cost power. But I could be misinterpreting what was said.
If I remember correctly, Magic always rounds down to the lowest whole number as per the Core Rulebook; I'm not sure if you made your current ruling because you didn't know the Core rules, or if you've decided on changing it. I figured I'd pass it along just in case. My character should be up tonight.Magic, as a rating, is never rounded. It's always a whole number. Essence and Adept power costs can be fractions of a number.
My understanding was that it was to clarify that an adept power that comes out to 1.125 isn't effectively a 1.25 cost power. It's a 1.125 cost power. But I could be misinterpreting what was said.
I think we're saying the same thing, here. I was merely confused when the GM mentioned "Magic" as being able to do the same, but now that I see what you're saying I get what he meant. I originally thought he was saying that if your Essence dropped to, say, 4.6, then your maximum Magic could be 4.6 as well instead of 4. I misread.
Kinda curious as to what people think of my short story. I was bored out of my mind, and just wrote it up in my spare time because hey, why the hell not? And considering that Gauntlet doesn't really fit within a Mythos archetype, I figured it would be a good idea to have something for her to investigate.
I thought is was pretty decent. Personally, I find building characters that don't fit a mythos archetype and are then dragged in to the weird s&#* fits the feeling of strangeness and unknown powers better than having 'paranormal detective A' and 'college professor who found the necronomicon' who aren't going to be terribly interesting or all that scared when the things that should not be show up.
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I think we're saying the same thing, here. I was merely confused when the GM mentioned "Magic" as being able to do the same, but now that I see what you're saying I get what he meant. I originally thought he was saying that if your Essence dropped to, say, 4.6, then your maximum Magic could be 4.6 as well instead of 4. I misread.
Yeah absolutely, I think we're on the same page. I was just noting it was probably in response to the specific question that came up. But I have been known to be wrong. Well known, in fact. ;)
Thanks for the compliments!
Kinda curious as to what people think of my short story. I was bored out of my mind, and just wrote it up in my spare time because hey, why the hell not? And considering that Gauntlet doesn't really fit within a Mythos archetype, I figured it would be a good idea to have something for her to investigate.
I wouldn't sell yourself short on genre. A criminal with an axe to grind is just as genre appropriate as the PI desperate for a case, or an academic that doesn't know how to stop looking.
I liked the write-up. As a nitpick: teleportation isn't within the realm of shadowrun magic. Other than that it was a cool story. Well written, gave a good sense of the character, and while it involved high powered beings and entities, it handled them appropriately. (And mostly "off-screen")
It was supposed to be him activating a ritual, not casting a spell that let him teleport out. I guess that wasn't immediately obvious. I mean, from what little I know of SR magic, teleporting without a ritual would probably make your brain literally explode.
Ah, yeah. In shadowrun there are a few inescapable rules to sorcery. One of them is that time travel and teleportarion are not possible. The system is incredibly flexible but it has a few fundamental rules that date back to the beginning.
This partly has to do with the creators of the game actually believing in magic and writing and astoundingly robust meta-ruleset for their magic system. There are rules, but those rules are (in game, at least) suffuciently complicated that people don't know all the answers to how magic works. They just know what they observe and offer theories. Like physics. :)
To be fair, there are any number if ways to make it *look* like you're teleporting. Even without magic.
To be fair, burning all your Edge doesn't so much bring you back as make it so you were miraculously alive the whole time! Vampirism is a weird case because I believe that's partially due to HMHVV moreso than anything else. Cybermancy is more putting enough chrome into a dead body that you can make it get up and move than bringing it back to life.
So yeah, dead is dead.
Of course, with Cthulhu, who knows?
Thanks for the setting info, guys. I suppose a flashy invisibility spell could look like teleportation to somebody who isn't well-versed in actual spells.
Either or. As Cthulhu type Ancient Ones enter the world, who knows what will happen? (I don't foresee much teleportation and certainly no time travel, though.)
As far as the Magic vs. Adept power thing, yeah, you guys figured it out. I'm still feverish so it probably didn't make as much sense typed out as it did in my head. Basically yes, Essence loss brings your Magic stat to a whole number as always (and in fact you round up the Essence loss to determine the Magic loss, eh?), but I was talking about Adept powers having as low a cost as you can figure mathematically, if you get any Qualities that alter them. After all, why would they include powers with a .25 cost on the possible list if the lowest a power can cost is .25?
I hope that made sense.
Hey, Effin Fixer, when are you going to make the final selections? I just have a bit more of story to do to explain how Mr. Fix-It also ended in Boston...