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CyberWolf is referring to the character generator software and/or webpages that keep track of the buildpoints for you. They don't allow you to add skill groups and then split them while keeping the BP correct. I admit I am not sure about the '+ x1 karma + x2 nuyen.' either, lol.
Hear, hear! Yay, Prof. Devries...er, Neko!
Disappointing, but I admit I suspected and anticipated this based on the words "moving" and "baby shower" which appeared earlier. Lol! A new human will revolutionize your priorities, and rightly so. Good luck with your upcoming infant and settling in to your new place. Hope to see you on the boards again some months (or years) down the road! On the other side of this, is anyone willing to take up the helm of GM? I have unfortunately little experience with the ruleset of SR4A as every game I have tried to join dies off so fast. While conceptually understanding the rules, I would feel better playing for a little while before plunging ahead with GMing. I am not opposed to alternating the duties in the future if someone feels confidant enough to start up the game and get us rolling.
Incidentally, it looks like most of you found your way to the 1000 BP recruitment thread that was started back on May 3rd. I sent a PM to the originator, but no word back yet.
Absolutely still lurking and waiting to see "10 new" on the PbP thread when I hit 'Focus'! :P
"The Matrix? Why I might know a trick or two that could acquire that information," Peter says with an easy smile and a wink. The little fairy drone on his shoulder puts a small metallic hand to its face and a noise like tittering is heard. "Are we doing our planning here, or moving to a more 'private' location?" If we are planning here:
"Give me a moment to quadgoogle it."
Peter leans back in his seat, sets his drink down, and begins to twitch his fingers in the air. Mentally he summons the Data Sprite he calls Georgie Porgie despite it resembling a large sunflower and whispers his last task request to the Matrix being. A data stream of acquiesence is pushed to his mind, and Georgie Porgie speeds off to find out whatever it can about the security and hiring procedure for the old and venerable Luxor casino.
Georgie Porgie returns after a few passes of the Matrix and provides the information to Peter. Knowing he doesn't have the time to re-register Goergie, Peter regretfully bids his sunflower goodbye, a digital tear leaking from his living persona's eye. Peter blinks rapidly a few times and sits back up. "So this is what I was able to gather..." If we are convening elsewhere: Peter nods and takes a final sip of the liquor, placing the glass on a sidetable the rest undrunk. "Then if it isn't too much trouble, I suggest we move our 'business' there, messieurs." Peter stands as if to leave.
@DaWay: Any word on that PM coming through?
"5000Y each? To steal a book?" The concept is puzzling to Peter. How could any book be worth that much? Unless there was a catch somewhere...Tinker DLL has already begun running a search string which begins to turn up several books which might qualify if they're rare enough. I guess if someone wants them that bad, someone else might be willing to try just as hard to keep it. Peter considers all the things he could do with 5000Y. He shrugs, and says, "If the run looks good and clean, I am up for it."
I just realized I was misinterpreting "connection" for Contacts. I was thinking this was their connection or closeness to the the PC. Tinker DLL absolutely does not have a 6 in that case, lol. I guess I found some extra points to use for Linguist.
@DaWay: I sent another PM, so let me know if you get it.
That never crossed my mind since it would basically be a "free" quality. I don't really have a problem with reducing Peter's skills to add some points to squeeze it in though which was Neko's other suggestion. But I didn't want to assume changing stuff was still available. :)
Megacorp-uption: Peter considers Saeder-Krupp to be the least offensive of all the megacorps. Since it is owned and run by a dracoform, Peter considers the megacorp the least likely perpetrator of the laboratory where he spent most of his life. While he doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility, deep down Peter wants to believe a dragon would never have done this. Dragons were his favorite things when he was a boy. Well, he thinks they were. Maybe they're just his favorite thing now.
Peter also finds himself considering the notion Aztechnology wasn't involved since a large portion of their business is focused on magic and consumables. Other than that Evo seems somewhat "decent" as they seem to promote that all metahumans deserve good products, but Tinker DLL suggested this could be due to heavy testing on said metahumans, and Peter recognizes this could be true. The one of most concern to Peter is Neonet. Peter and Tinker DLL find their readiness to help "restart" the Matrix in a new and super-improved format was just too quick, too perfect. That they had potentially already been waiting for something like this or were somehow involved in causing the Crash 2.0 to begin with was something Peter couldn't ignore. Peter strongly suspected that Neonet's bright star might have begun by burning the lives of thousands, and that could only be done with research of a most secret kind...
@Neko: Thanks for the suggestion. I might do that if it's not too late to make those kinds of adjustments.
For those who like reading:
The most recent time they had conversed in the Matrix, Widow had seemed somewhat nervous. She seemed to think some kind of surveillance was happening and indicated that if Peter went to a special location, there would be a secure anonymous node she had set up for conversations like this that they could use for the special request she had for him. She advised him that she would provide him the location through the usual methods
As usual, a courier met him at a cof-faux shop with a letter that was all in trinary code. Returning home, Tinker DLL had easily translated this letter into a list of holosim names, a character name and a seemingly random number. From this, Peter than watched and waited for the spoken word from that character that matched the number provided. Then taking the same number Peter would count the letters for the words found starting at the beginning of that word again if the number exceeded the word's count until he had determined the letter of the word. Taking these letters and rearranging them based on the alphabetical order of the word they came from, Peter was able to get the name an off-Strip club named Velvet Lounge. This cypher had been a joint invention of his and Widow's, and one of the reasons his relationship with Widow had grown so well. Then Peter used one of his favorite hacking tricks. Instead of breaking into Velvet Lounge's node to add himself to their VIP list and risk failure, he simply spoofed the source of an instant message to the bouncer at the door. It simply looked like the doorman was getting an "Oh, I forgot to add Simon Simpell to the list" message with a sent-from name of Velvet Lounge Administrator. No big deal. It had amazed Peter how often no one questioned this at all. And true to form, Peter flashed the large troll a winning smile (the fact the bouncer currently on duty was a woman didn't hurt), gave his name, and in he went. She may have blinked at the cute silvery drone in the shape of a slim fairy with darkish monofilament for hair perched on Peter's shoulder, but the boy looked like Petey Pansy, so it wasn't really too out of character. It is Vegas after all. And who knew what convention this one had just come from. Dressed in a cream leather jacket, leather pants and an electric blue shirt, belt and shoes, Peter looked quite similar to the character. His tinted goggles perched as if forgotten on his forehead. Once inside, Peter was shown to one of the few VIP tables close to the stage. He thanked the topless young(-ish) woman with a wink who gave him a generous smile and swiftly returned with a glass of brown liquid in ice. Genuinely surprised by this rather unexpected gesture, Peter unassumingly accepts and after picking up the glass sees a written scribble on the napkin. Widow had warned him she may have to contact him through some mundane means as to where he would be able to safely access the node, so Peter wasn't too worried. He could feel Tinker DLL in his head though, and she seemed to be suspicious enough for both of them. They had a short conversation (milliseconds) and Peter tried to reassure her. Boy, she could get grumpy. Who would have guessed an AI could get grumpy? Peter could see the fit two-toned hair dancer on the stage looking at him while she undulated, and "Simon" transferred her a few nuyen. The name Daisy was on the AR in front of the stage. Peter lifted his glass in her direction and pushed the napkin forward once she noticed, she gave a small nod and finished her tour. Peter did notice a couple of other people were interested in Daisy as well. Tinker DLL indicated that probability was high this was a run being put together and Daisy was the method of entry to the meet. Again her protective suspicions came through to him in the PAN which he soothed, and she acquiesced but he could feel her sending out some pulses into the Matrix. he rolled his digital eyes knowing she was already trying to set up some kind of emergency exit if necessary. Once Daisy finally came around to him, he noticed she was taller than him and her features suggested they may not have started out looking the way they did now. Not that Peter even cared. Whatever remained of his memories, he did know that he had been surrounded by every type of metahuman, and Peter knew rather than remembered race was not a determining factor in cruelty or affection. Daisy smiled and gestured him towards a hallway leading to the back. He picked up his drink and moved in that direction. He felt a light smack on his rump and Daisy said, "I loved Pansy." Peter gave a giggle and replied, "One of these days, I am going to have look that one up." Daisy laughed as if Peter had made a joke, but he kept smiling anyway and followed her down the hall.
Thanks! I actually did overlook 'Linguist' but my build is so tight I guess I am missing how I could squeeze it in. If you have some advice there, I am all ears. Will get my introductory post in and answer the megacorp question above tomorrow for sure. Hopefully, I will have all my gear added in. I have it written down from back when I first made the character, but since that was over a year ago, I need to go back and re-read the stats and stuff to make sure I understand what I was doing, lol. Some of my notes look Greek to me, heh. @DaWay: I have more backstory for Peter and Tink that should probably be for your eyes only, but you say you're not getting my PMs? Is there another way I could get it to you? Maybe PM me an email address?
Holy crap that took forever! I did it between work requests. Probably been typing in this on and off for close to six hours, lol. One question I had to skip, otherwise should all be good. Whew! Let me know if there is anything you need me to adjust.
Inheritance:
Most of the memories Peter has of his parents has been damaged or purged. What could qualify are the memories of the doctors, researchers, and the other patients. Behaviors Peter absorbed was a natural inclination to be curious and methodical when testing, repairing, or creating something. When confronted with challenges, Peter may swing wildly from confident and encouraging when helping others face their issues to hopelessness and indecisive when situations similar to those he endured while sequestered arise. On rare occasions, a very malevolent and cruel side of Peter can surface, one which would be able to perform atrocities and horrible acts with which he is disturbingly familiar and do so with utter remorselessness.
Parents:
I assume they would be thrilled and confused to know their son is alive as the megacorp responsible for treating their son of that strange “Matrix” sickness informed them the “disease” had killed him. They even think his corpse was buried in the plot that was generously donated on their son’s behalf.
Memories:
Peter remembers very little of these due to his amnesia, but he has a pretty good recall of the past few years as he is intentionally using memorization techniques to absorb as much as he can. He has a lot of holes in his memory, and intends to fill them with memories of a much more recent variety.
Shadowrunning:
Shadowrunning offered Peter and Tinker DLL the chance to improve their resources. Being a technomancer, playing with the Matrix is almost a compulsion for Peter, and Tinker DLL certainly enjoys her little pranks as any good “pixie” program does. As Peter tries to stay off the grid as much as he can, legitimate work is hard to come by. Yes, he gets by making little drones and robotic toys. But it is barely enough to cover basic expenses, and if he is ever to acquire enough to give him the security he probably needs to stay hidden (and hopefully begin his own investigation into his past) he will have to take some risks. And that’s what shadowrunning is all about isn’t it?
Living Space:
With a decent size space in the half-sunk flat in a not-so-nice neighborhood, the most unusual thing about the space is the plethora of small flying drones or ambulatory robots roaming around. Usually cartoonish in appearance with exaggerated eyes and smiles, these little critters are somewhat ubiquitous and humorous. Exaggerating the effect of numbers is the fact most if not all electronic device one would expect to find in a home has been modified with legs, wings, hover jets, whatever. The rare few people who have seen inside Peter’s home seem slightly off put when the holoview decides to meander into the cramped restroom or the hydrator tries to crawl onto the sofa.
Beliefs:
The one prevailing belief Peter maintains is that the megacorps cannot be trusted and will try very hard to put as many filters and/or buffers between himself and them when shadowrunning in order to try and protect himself from being discovered. Not knowing which of them is responsible for his past lends itself to a healthy paranoia of corporate backstabbing.
Tinker DLL on the other hand definitely keeps her interests very close. Only the belief that Peter must remain alive seems to be a constant.
Personality:
Sometimes Peter is inappropriately cheery, and he seems to be very desensitized to some things which would disturb or cause others to become ill. Sometimes the cheeriness will slip and the comments made in regards to these types of moments might be heard as sardonic or jaded, and something can be seen in his eyes which is both terrifying and sad. It’s these moments when that cruel and sadistic side of Peter is at its closest to the surface of his emotions.
Additionally, Peter sometimes has an annoying habit of “borrowing” other people’s memories. After hearing or seeing a story, anecdote, eBook, holosim, whatever Peter may later regurgitate this information as if it is or was something he lived and experienced. Whether it’s an intentional fib to hide his secrets or an unconscious absorption to fill the void of his own past is unknown. But one thing is for sure, it’s damn irritating when you’re about to tell that hottie that awesome story which will be sure to impress only to hear that you shouldn’t be stealing that cute blue-haired boy’s stories since he just got done telling that one!
(I will need to re-read those when I get home and give you a better response, but suffice to say, the margin of regard won’t be by much either way.)
Tinker DLL:
Tinker DLL was just there concerned and damaged somehow when Peter first woke up inside the laboratory. They have surfed the Matrix together ever since. And as her curiosity of the real world became increasingly apparent, Peter made her a robotic drone and created a node for rigging which she could use. Ever since she seems determined to protect Peter as well as she can. Part of her is damaged as if so encrypted even she cannot access it. A part of this also seems to link her to Peter as if her encrypted parts are also encrypting certain portions of Peter’s mind. He is unaware of this so far, and anyone who attempts to hack this part of either of them will swiftly discover that the further in they go, the more powerful Tinker DLL seems to become.
Most of those who may have foolishly stumbled on the pair’s PAN in search of spamming or identity theft and decided to give cracking that blurry node inside their PAN a go have awoken with sections of their mind damaged horribly, become comatose, or even died. Those who may have tried only half-heartedly or out of idle curiosity may have gotten off with what could be called a slap on the wrist, cursed with night terrors from which they awake screaming “She knows, she knows! I had to do it! She told me to!” Many for whom concerned loved ones have sought treatment have been found to exhibit unusual brain activity similar to the way devices communicate to and from the Matrix. All tests to show latent technomancy have proven inconclusive, and the activity seems to be unconscious on the part of those affected. No one is quite sure what to make of it, but when a particular doctor heard about one case from one of their medi-clinics, the megacorp he worked for began to quietly investigate this unusual situation. A new lead had been found. And these new “loose ends” couldn’t be allowed to remain… While it is clear to him Tinker DLL has her own designs and intentions, Peter knows that she is utterly reliable. Any compiling task he asks for assistance with she is usually willing to comply with and has brought him information regarding shadowruns, their employers, and fellow runners. All in an effort to make sure none of these could compromise them. Unfortunately she is damaged, and as such she may not catch everything… Widow:
How else would a technomancer first acquire a conbtact except in the Matrix? Their relationship is extremely guarded on both sides, but so far Peter's business relationship with the drider persona has been mutually beneficial.
Lazy Sunday:
Peter might watch some holosims or play games. Inevitably he tinks around with his little robots, he just can’t seem to help it. He might step out to enjoy the weather or visit a club or two, but those are treats and usually at the insistence of Tinker DLL when she’s being extra curious about “real world”
Skills:
No real answer here. Peter doesn’t know why he seems to know as much as someone with a Phd in engineering and he has an affinity with machines. The only thing he can assume from the little he remembers and what Tinker DLL is able to tell him is that somehow this knowledge was acquired during his internment however many years that was.
Peter also attributes his multilingual capabilities to having been surrounded by other test subjects who must have spoken those languages. Having been rather young, Peter imagines he must have been able to pick up a smattering of all of them as time passed .
The Line:
Peter absolutely cannot abide experimenting on metahumans against their will. Any job that involves assisting in this deplorable practice will probably illicit the opposite response in Peter, and he may choose to actively undermine any run being made by his own team or the team that is chosen in place of his if Peter’s comrades wisely choose to pass on such an offer.
Technomantic quirks:
Simply put, Peter is broken. Trauma has left him with certain eccentricities when it comes to the area for which has the most control. He prefers things to be cartoonish or cutesy and his reality filters work to make these types of skins all that surrounds him in the matrix. Similarly, the sprites he compiles will resemble cartoonish versions of fairies, gnomes, wide-eyed animals, and occasionally anime-style buxom young women (a persona style in which Tinker DLL often seems to be seen in, especially when Peter is in the Matrix)
I admit I haven’t read the section on Paragons, so if you think I should include that, I can do so, and adjust my build to include that Positive Quality.
Implants:
Peter is not aware of any. And for the sake of his Resonance, I hope he has none ever!
Normalcy:
Peter wishes he could live it. Well, to be specific, he likes to convince himself he wishes he could live it. Realistically, Peter wouldn’t even know how to do so. Considering the last normal day he spent with anyone was sometime when he was a preadolescent, Peter has no concept of normal life except what he sees through the glass of what the media tells him normal should be. He probably would never admit it to himself, but Peter frequently self-sabotages anything that would actually take him on the path to a “normal” life.
Nightmare:
Absolutely rooted in the experiments perpetrated on him during his years in the lab. All the things done to him in order to try and exploit his technomancy were cruel, sadistic and terrible. He will probably be haunted by dream memories forever.
Importance:
In a word combination, Tinker DLL. Peter feels drawn to the AI almost as if he couldn’t function without her. And that is exactly what she wants.
Goals:
Unbeknownst to Peter, his dream career was to become a sim star. With his shattered memories, Peter no longer recalls this clearly. Now his goals are merely to survive and stay hidden. He feels a strong urging to find out what happened to him and if there were any others, but Tinker DLL discourages this tremendously as she fears they would be located and captured if Peter begins to poke around.
Appearance:
Peter appears as a hip young man who typically has goggles on his head that never seem to be over his eyes. He comes across as fairly cheerfully and likable. His general appearance seems to match an animated simtoon that was popular about seventeen years ago leaving many of the metahumans he meets amused at Peter’s apparent eccentricity. Peter isn’t quite aware that this simtoon was his favorite as a boy, and as a result of his trauma identifies himself with this character since the simtoon always prevailed with a laugh and a smile no matter what hardships faced him. The fact that the character’s name was Petey Pansy is not something Peter remembers, and when asked about the similarity, he is genuinely confused.
PANdora: When Peter first emerged back into society, his technomancy was out of control and unexplainable powerful. He remembered the name Pete which he repeated when he encountered people. Inevitably, his persona would “break” their PANs, rending their nodes to digital ribbons. No one realized it was him, but it came to be understood it only happened when he was around. Thinking he was carrying a virus in his own PAN or was one of “those” people who had that effect on machines, he acquired the moniker “Peter PANdora”. Eventually, the way word gets around, people began to assume that someone “who broke PANs” was some kind of elite hacker and while their reasoning was off the truth was coincidentally true which led to a rather timid first contact from a Matrix persona named Widow. |
