About Nеko¥850 Character Sheet:
Attributes & Race 170 points
Body 4 Agility 2 Reaction 3 Strength 3 Charisma 4 Intuition 3 Logic 2 Willpower 3 Edge 1 Magic 5 (1/4) Essence 6 Contacts 40 points, 8 free per house rule Qualities +10 points
Focuses, Spells, and Adept Powers 13 points
Skills 180 points
Knowledge Skills 16, 15 free
Equipment 14 points
Neko's UCB Gear:
Evo Pegasus (¥59,320) ("Sarge") concept picture Handling +3 (+2 if failure would result in crash) Accel 31/62 Speed 144 Body 6 Armor 12 Bike (¥ 5,000) 11/10 slots
Smart Tires: Made up of thousands of moveable myomeric rods that extend and contract by wireless commands based on the vehicle’s sensory data, these tires provide a customized tire surface that perfectly mimics the ground, allowing it to pass over virtually any obstacle with a height of up to 15 centimeters, including rocks, curb edges, and even the edges of stairs, without noticing the obstacle. The vehicle becomes much easier to control, raising its Handling by +2. Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization: Thanks to technology, your bike no longer crashes to the ground when you forget to employ the kickstand. With motor-bike gyro stabilization, the motorcycle will stay upright in all but the worst conditions. In cases where a Handling failure may bring about a motorcycle crash, add 2 to the vehicle’s Handling to represent the gyro stabilization’s assistance in keeping the rider upright. As noted on Arsenal pg 123, this modification also allows the pilot software to drive the motorcycle on autopilot. Turbocharger: The turbocharger allows for sudden bursts of acceleration, giving a bonus of +5/+10 to the Acceleration value. The modification can be taken more than once, up to a maximum slot value of 4 or the vehicle’s Body, whichever is lower. Reinforced Weapons Mount: Front facing, external, fixed, manual & remote Pimped Ride: Neko's bike was designed to demand attention- it's an armored bronze and chrome monster that you can hear coming from a mile away. One of the engineering considerations when putting together the exhaust system was to create a loud and distinct bass roar; smart materials incorporated into the exhaust pipes allow the engine's noise to be modulated into a variety of unique and attention-getting rumbles. Trolls and other observers with an enhanced range of vision will notice the bike's thermal profile has been engineered to present a sleek and visually appealing signature that complements the overall aesthetic of the bike without unsightly hotspots or blemishes. He's plays up the shaman's aspect of his media persona with a few strategically placed fetishes and (meaningless) subtly engraved mystic symbols hidden away for observant viewers to discover. The bike's computer has a personality system based off a character from a military trid series Neko follows, a grizzled orkish sergeant from a nameless conflict in the eurowars. Level 2 pimped ride gives a +2 dice pool modifier on tests that involve intimidation and reputation in situations where the vehicle’s appearance is a factor. Anti-Theft System: Neko gets his money's worth out of his upgraded media system. The bike's been rigged to recognize his and his mechanic's biometrics (voice/face) and commlink codes, and zap anyone else who tries to take it for a spin. For security reasons the motorcycle's wireless interfaces are generally disabled and a fiber optic cable or vocal commands used to tell the bike what to do, the exception being if Neko expects to need it to drive itself somewhere to pick him up. There's a well-concealed manual override button for the anti-theft system hidden away, with a fingerprint scanner hardwired with Neko's prints... just in case. 10S Electricity damage to anyone in contact with the bike when activated Media Upgrade: Neko hopes to make it big as the face of UCB and has upgraded his bike to capture all of the action. The standard cameras have been modified with steadicam mounts, vision enhancement 3, flare compensation, and low-light adaptation. It was also fit with high-fidelity microphones to catch everything from the bullets whizzing by to the screams and explosions as his competition crashes and burns (audio enhancement 3). There's a full simsense recording rig built into the seat, Neko thinks there'll be a big market from second-hand thrill seekers if his agent can find a producer for a simsense series. Sarge's Stats & Autosofts
The bike's personality is based on an unnamed grizzled sergeant from one of Neko's favorite Trid dramas. The story followed a squad of mercenaries through the Eurowars in increasingly desperate and unlikely circumstances, and something about the character struck a chord with him. UCB's strict regulations don't allow rigging or autonomous decision making agents (pilot programs) to be used during races, but sometimes it can be nice to have a copilot when he's out on the town, and Neko was feeling indulgent after winning a large prize purse. Customized Colt Cobra Z-118 (7S/AP+2,SA/BF/FA,RC5(6),100d) (¥4,215)
Custom Look: Neko has copyrighted this distinctive adaptation of a standard Cobra SMG and hopes to make a fair bit of money on licensing the design when he makes it big. It's a hefty, somewhat impractical beast of a weapon that could just about double as a battering ram. He's a lousy marksman so he focuses on making it look good; at least once in every race he'll point it in an opponents general direction and let fly. The gun is definitely built for an orc as it is uncomfortably heavy for most unaugmented humans/elves, unbalanced for a dwarf, and too small for a troll. +2 dice pool modifier on tests that involve intimidation and reputation (in situations where you can brandish the weapon). Fire Resistant (4) Bike Racing Armor w/helmet, smart-link, sound filter, sound enhancement 3, flare compensation, respirator 6 (5/9) (¥2,825)
Character Background & Notes:
Neko and the Tribe
Kenta Takahashi has always been on the scrawny side, for an ork. He came from a stereotypical orkish family- dirt poor, the youngest of seven siblings, everyone working some dead-end job that only existed because nobody had figured out how to automate it into obsolescence yet. One of a hundred families crammed into some half-forgotten urban renew complex. Earlier generations might have had the option of rooftop farming to fill in the gaps, but it had been decades since this part of town had seen any sunlight so they did the modern equivalent- they stole. Protein paste from delivery drones, power from industrial hookups, scrap from condemned buildings. This kind of life style forced people to develop a certain level of technical expertise just to survive. Eventually, someone would get a little bit of money and spend it on classes to learn more about the nitty-gritty details of manipulating the matrix. They'd teach their pals and the pool of knowledge would grow, until eventually a rather bohemian atmosphere began to flourish in the Tribe. There was never a lot of money, but for once there was enough to go around. They took the menial matrix jobs that offered a bit of money to live on, and for a while things were good... then the gangs noticed their 'prosperity'. Violence, extortion, and drugs hit the community hard. Kenta was never particularly interested in the matrix, all the advertisements made him dizzy and all he really used it for was to get the latest sims. Instead he explored and he watched, and he got angry. He was a hotblooded teenager and one day he decided he wasn't going to put up with a bunch of lowlife go-gangers shaking down his friends; he got his hands on a rifle (a cheap AK97 knockoff) and tried to do the vigilante thing. If it wasn't for Neko-sama he probably would have gotten himself killed. He had one of the a*!+#~!s in his aim, the sights tracing figure-8s in his inexperienced hands, and was about to pull the trigger when he felt hot breath on the back of his neck. He slowly looked over his shoulder and found himself eye to eye with a 600lb tiger. The tiger told him to put the gun down and follow her. One does not argue with a 600 pound tiger. Cat led Kenta on a sort of vision quest across the city, his shamanic right of passage. She gave him wisdom that he wouldn't come to understand for years along with more practical lessons- Cat showed him how to touch the Wild, how to hide, how to hunt, and how to kill. Indeed, the last lesson in his initiation had him cross the path of a ganger and his drunken buddies riding home from a late night of clubbing. It was the same one Neko had in his sights earlier. A pounce carried him out of the darkness- the leap carried the low-life off his bike and the landing broke his spine. With a parting growl at the other two he fled into the night and eventually found his way home. Over the years Cat always looked out for him, appearing in other guises to teach him a new spell, give a word of warning, or demand a service. Eventually Kenta embraced his role as a shaman and protector and took the name Neko. People knew to come to him if there was a problem with outsiders and he'd 'take care of it'. He chased away the riffraff and left a strong message with organized crime in the area so that for now the Tribe is mostly left alone. Contacts Tsushima Mino is Neko's agent. He's a human in his early 40s who's solidly 'plugged in', having almost completely removed the need for sleep with various cyberware and bioware modifications. He's always looking to cut a deal and is one of the guys gambling on UCB being the next big thing. He's lined up a few sponsors for Neko and some top-notch gear, but needs to see some returns before the guys higher-up get tired of waiting. He has solid connections amongst various media concerns throughout the Tokyo prefecture, and a few friends in the national media. Neko has a number of business ventures that he'd like Mino to promote, but the agent has been leery of his idea for a simsense serial. He much prefers handling Neko's contract trid work and knows that he can count on the ork to deliver top-notch special effects. Usami Seika is Neko's mechanic, and one of the few people that he trusts to work on his bike. She's the most well-ground, methodical, unflappable person Neko knows- it's almost spooky. Her craftsmanship and reliability are what most endeared her to him most; part of it might have been her nature as a troll but she had this aura of deliberateness to her actions... a sort of solidity about her- and it didn't hurt that she could lift the bike without the aid of her drones, should the need arise. Her shop likes her too; one of the services Neko would provide is to rouse the spirit of the garage and have it watch over her work (use the guard power) when she was doing something particularly important. She has a solid grasp of the software and hardware side of modern mechanical engineering and can usually figure out how to install any interesting part Neko manages to get his hands on. The only real downside to working with her is that she doesn't like surprises or disruptions to her routine and isn't particularly tolerant of no-notice jobs or requests for rush work. The Tribe
Qualities Fame: Neko is most known for his flashy style in UCB, but also has a professional reputation as a special effects artist. Locally, everyone in the tribe knows who he is.
Vegas Contacts:
(connection/loyalty)
Saki Jotaro (2/4) – One of Neko's buddy's from Tokyo. They've known each other since they were kids but it's never been a particularly close friendship. Neko got him a job in the technical side of the entertainment industry, and from time to time they work together on a project. He's not adverse to doing Neko the occasional less-than-legal 'favor' to keep his skills sharp but it's generally simple stuff that doesn't carry any real risk. White Buffalo Woman (5/3) – A NAN operative who packs some serious mojo. She's some sort of bigwig in the Lakota nation who's liaising with the local cops as some sort of specialist in magical crimes. One of her investigations spilled into one of my stalks and we came to a tacit understanding. She doesn't like me, but I think she understands; sometimes she gives me names and dossiers of some rather unpleasant people and I take the problem off her hands and sometimes she'll do a favor for me in return. Jessica 'soybean' Lewis (3/5) – My mom definitely wouldn't approve, and who could blame her? I mean an Insect shaman- that's some bad juju. I don't have the whole story, but Jess was a stripper and was going through some real bad times when the Butterfly found her. She got herself out of there and has done well enough for herself since then. I mean, she's a little off but I can take some weird. She's a Good person, I mean really good and she makes me want to be a better person when I'm around her. She makes friends easily and everyone seems to like her... I didn't learn what she was until I'd been living with her for a while, and by then I just didn't care. Hell, she could have told me she was a dragon! She's always going on about teaching people to take care of themselves without the corps and showing them how to make rooftop gardens and stuff like that. Coyote (5/1) – He calls himself Coyote and he's kind of implied that he's the Coyote, but I'm pretty sure that he's a shaman. At least ninety-percent sure... I mean sure he's tricky, and he's coordinated some pretty whiz stuff but a spirit like that- nah. He's got to be human. I guess you'd call him a 'Mr. Johnson', although he's about as far as you could get from the typical corporate image. He's put together some rather intricate jobs that take advantage of my skills and he's been able to tell me things and give me the kind of support that makes a job go off like they show in the trids but- naah, he's got to be human. Denmother Maheegan (3/3) – A free spirit beast elemental who has taken it on herself to look after the city's children. The sight of a little boy shrieking in joy as he sits astride a wolf running down the sidewalk... only in Las Vegas. She respects Neko as a hunter and they sometimes help each other with their problems. She's not very good with money but wants to save up enough to set up a proper orphanage; Neko thinks it unlikely, but stranger things have happened and he wishes her the best... Tsushima Mino is Neko's agent. He's a human in his early 40s who's solidly 'plugged in', having almost completely removed the need for sleep with various cyberware and bioware modifications. He's always looking to cut a deal and is one of the guys gambling on the Urban Combat Biking circuit being the next big thing. He's lined up a few sponsors for Neko and some top-notch gear, but needs to see some returns before the guys higher-up get tired of waiting. He has solid connections amongst various media concerns throughout the Tokyo prefecture, and a few friends in the national media. Neko has a number of business ventures that he'd like Mino to promote, but the agent has been leery of his idea for a simsense serial. He much prefers handling Neko's contract trid work and knows that he can count on the ork to deliver top-notch special effects. |
