Tilnar's page

Ok. I imagine, at this point, any restart/launch will happen after the holidays - so lots of time to look things over.

The Synaptic Accelerator (which you'll find in Man and Machine) would be the bioware way to move faster - but it only gets 2 levels and isn't quite as good Wired.

Also, for legality, most augmentations (like Wired Reflexes) get worse as you go up the scale in levels - like Wired I is no big deal and generally available -- whereas Wired III .... well, less so.

(Sort of like why most people, IRL, can get a licence for a pistol, but not so much an RPG.)

..and, of course, the other thing about legal cyberware and permits is that it means your chrome is all registered. So if you ever get Law Enforcement looking you up in the database, well, they'll know you've got Wired Reflexes or whatever. (As will border agents, etc.)

It's a matter of degree.

Almost everyone has some cyberware, so setting off a detector isn't a big deal -- you literally need a datajack to do most work, and then you get all kinds of people with cosmetic stuff, and it's not uncommon to have some sort of protection, or skillwires. Some reporters (and actors) get fully sense-wired so they can record everything.

Of course, it also matters what you have -- and how invasive the search is - and what you can have for a cover story. I can say that it's not uncommon for folks who set up a cover ID to have 'legal' skillwires (or, at least, certificates saying so to explain their high-level wired reflexes).

Other people prefer things like Bioware that are more subtle and harder to detect (without running medical tests) - so that they're mostly natural.

Now, in terms of damage soak that isn't obvious, there's Orthoskin bioware
(though it does reduce your sense of touch), and, of course, bone lacing - neither plastic nor ceramic would set off metal detectors, if that's your concern. (Also, bioware muscles to be stronger and, especially, faster, are quite useful too, in terms of the combat pool)

Except that you're not astral, and in SR3, spells are restricted to the plane in which they're cast. So the manaball won't affect you (unless you're doing Astral Perception and in a dual state, in which case they don't need to target your focus).

The (loss of) the ability to ground combat spells through a focus is a change that happened between SR 2 and 3.

That said, sure, your focus *could* be destroyed by someone in Astral Space.

Tilnar wrote:

You could look into a Spell Lock -- er, Sustained Spell Focus (thanks SRIII), to handle the oxygenate without needing to worry about concentration. (Or, gain some karma and initiate and Quicken it).

Also, you could (thematically) replace Clout with a Hydroblast that does the same thing - except it's firehose-ing rather than being telekinetic - using the rules for elemental manipulations... if you wanted. I suppose it's mostly just flavour, but making a jet of water could have other uses. Like dealing with fires.

Sustaining Foci are great, and they are also (1) expensive and (2) a great way to say "Hey! Ground your Mana Ball astrally right here!". So, Cyan probably won't use a Sustaining Focus until she initiates and learns Masking. (Also, a +Initiatve focus is probably first on the list.)

Sustaining foci don't have the old spell-lock "boom" problem. I guess that's why they changed the name? ;)

I did strongly consider a Water Elemental Manipulation spell for combat, but eventually settled on Clout as you are getting blunt-nosed by a bottlenose dolphin. A water combat spell is high on the list to learn (along with Trid Invisibility, Magic Fingers, Barrier, Stabilize...)

Ahh, magi. Never enough Karma. At least the rules let you trade cash for karma now.

You could look into a Spell Lock -- er, Sustained Spell Focus (thanks SRIII), to handle the oxygenate without needing to worry about concentration. (Or, gain some karma and initiate and Quicken it).

Also, you could (thematically) replace Clout with a Hydroblast that does the same thing - except it's firehose-ing rather than being telekinetic - using the rules for elemental manipulations... if you wanted. I suppose it's mostly just flavour, but making a jet of water could have other uses. Like dealing with fires.

Ok, so the point purchases seem correct, though I will offer two concerns - which you can take with whatever number of grains of salt as you'd like.

One, this character seems very specialized for aquatic missions, which will likely tend to be the minority of runs (though I suppose there are probably a few facilities with wide enough water pipes that you could use that as a way in).

Two, and it relates back to one (somewhat), is that this character isn't really built for subtle, blend-in with a crowd sort of runs (the armour, for instance, has a conceal of "--", which means "it's not) -- not a dealbreaker, but it does limit the sorts of runs you'd be likely to get asked to do (or be in a position to execute).

I also note that you don't seem to have a regulator for the SCUBA tank - I assume you have it (primarily) for the water carbine, then -- though I do note that the artificial gill is only good down to 7 meters.

Ok, sounds good. I'll have time to reverse-crunch the shaman this weekend.

I was waiting for characters to review. ;) But I'm still here somewhere. I'm just hard to see with the City Spirit concealing me.

Sounds good, if they're keen.

I should note that we used slightly irregular build rules - per this post. -- and then there was an update to Etiquette, as well.

Do y'all have a replacement player in mind, or do you want me to see if I can recruit someone?

If you know a potential bullet-bag (assuming you're going with the shaman), then by all means.

Well, I wouldn't kill them off, just have them go do something else.

Well, it's not like you don't know it was the Quickling, You're just looking for a way to prove it. And it's also not like you don't have access to divination magic that could (potentially) help - even if you'd need to sleep to regain them (or, for that matter, that you mightn't find at least enough evidence that it wasn't the kid either inside the room upstairs or where the body was found).

The actual mystery you folks are facing isn't so much a murder mystery as wondering what's got the orcs worked up - and what's got the townfolk worked up (beyond their natural distrust and generational feeling of abandonment by the folks you represent), now that you're pretty sure that the answer to #2 isn't just the orcs, as the nice people back at the Castle told you (and Rickan thought was the case when he asked for help).

Which isn't to say there's not enough going on to get some nice web-patterns as you connect the pushpins with yarn and try to map things out - but that was sort of the point of this part of the adventure, so that you could all feel good as you (a) nailed the quick little jerk and (b) figured out what was happening and stopped it.

However - all that being said - if we choose to move forward with a recruitment (which I'm not sure there's really enough interest for, nothing against the two of you who are still here, but that's less than half) - we would have to move things forward (or at least diagonally) so that you'd have a better idea of what's going on - something we could do with a few narrative posts (think of them as cutscenes) so that everyone coming in has some solid ground under their feet (though we wouldn't necessarily have the whole bridge built just yet).

Sorry, recovering from a nasty cold-thing. It's fun having wee folk bring home stuff from the germ factory.

I'll say that you generally can't Shadowrun without a mage or shaman. Because, well, it's an Awakened world and you kind of need someone who can deal with that. Otherwise, your careers are likely to be very short due to magical security, spirits, threats and other magi.

I'll also say that having some sort of muscle is also very useful and highly recommended -- because, while I have always maintained that the perfect Shadowrun is one where you don't need to fire a single shot and that you're in and out without anyone ever knowing -- well, sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Sometimes there are guards out of position. Sometimes you trip manual alarms, or stand-alone security systems that can't be hacked remotely. And that's just inside, and doesn't deal with potential Critters, gangers, and all the other fun dangers of the 'sprawl.... And, of course, the ol' double-crossing Johnson.

That said, when it comes to a samurai-type, it can be anything from a massive Troll that wants to crush stuff to a wee little elven razorgirl -- all can be very effective with the right gear, enhancement and tactics (though, generally, the Troll will be harder to actually kill).

What I will say about decking is that (in 1e, 2e and 3e), it's a little slow to run compared to meatbag work -- there's a whole trope about "Oh, he's jacking in, let's all go for pizza" for just that reason -- and so it's often easier to have an NPC Decker that's "part of the gang" (like Figment) to avoid slowing things down, because I can do all the rolls offline, basically.

It would require a new recruitment, and skimming forward and sideways enough that new folks could follow along and not be drowning in mystery.

Partial reboot, I'd say. You lot finished this, get a few karma, turns out that Onyx and her brother were just too rough to get along with, and work from that point.

Of course, that assumes you three are in - and we can maybe steal 1-2 more.

Oh, hi Limey. Didn't see you lurking. Well, if the two of you are still about, that's a start - especially if we have at least one more interested party. Still, probably be good to have a mage and a meat ba -- er, samurai. ;)

That's one vote to keep moving - of course, I'd prefer if there were a few more before figuring out the right way to move to a good new entry point.

With the total lack of forward, the vanishing of Treppa and DSX, and now CH bailing...

...that kind of feels coffin-nail-ish to me.

That said, if people feel otherwise and want to try to recruit (and we can figure out a way to make an entry point that isn't a total maze), then let me know -- otherwise, I'll mark this one dead next week.

No problem, CH. I mean, hate to see you go, obviously, but totally get how life moves on.

Now, with CH officially gone and Treppa MIA since June (and Limey since September), kind of seems to me like we might need to take the hint, Thom...

..unless you want to basically draft an entirely new party (and, presumably, skip to the end of this and have a totally different 'first run').

Sounds like a plan. Were you guys going to use Rhino to fence what you've gotten so far?

The dwarf shrugs, "She's an ork, brown eyes, still mark one naturals. Looks like she's got a mix of native blood based on her skin tone, but that could be anything, or come out of a bottle. Maybe a hand shorter than a doorway. Weird mop of red and black hair, kinda spiky. In her teens, but, you know, ork, so looks like she's in her late 20s. Blueish-black jacket - looks armoured - think she lifted it from a 'Star and painted it. Helmet's the same color, mirrored visor. Almost always has a duffel full of tools and toys she's working on."

He shrugs again, a little apologetically, "I'll ask if any of the other whelps have a vid, if so, I'll send it."

He rubs the back of his head for a moment, then says, "For hardware? We've got a storefront, but we've not made any big buys in the last couple of days. Castoff doesn't like big hardware - which might be why nobody bothers 'em - so it's mostly tech and maybe a few popguns. There's a kid calling himself Powderburn that mods gear - and will buy stuff, but only if he knows and trusts you. Other than that, there's probably some back-alley folks that'll take your stuff for a handful of cred and a stack of beetles, or you'd need a fixer to find you the right customers."

Well, other than getting COVID again a few weeks ago, life's mostly ok around here in terms of the actual happenings (well, other than being forced back into the office 4/week. That's less good, too, especially after the promises made over the previous years.. But hey, still not wealthy enough to quit, so what can you do?).

That said, hectic does seem like an apt term, nonetheless.

The dwarf nods, "So that lines up, last check-in we got was the same night. Fragging drekking Triad, stopping us from patrolling .. or for being able to keep track."

The dwarf quickly pulls out an inhaler and takes a puff, which seems to calm him slightly, then pulls out a pocket secretary and hits a few buttons, causing your phones to beep. "Here's her number. She's got a gunmetal racing bike, an Aurora, that she's been modding -- but it looks like her tracer's off... or, the EW she's been wiring up is on."

He adds, "She normally crashes at one of our flophouses, but since she's not been there, you can check at the Castoff -- it's where she's been getting most of the toys for her bike... it's a store with repurposed, refurbished and found items.. you know the type I'm sure. Anyhow, think she's got a pal there, or deeper pockets that we knew."

To be fair, that was sort of what everyone agreed to at the jump (way back when) - of course, people were also posting multiple times a day back then. ;)

In terms of the current situation, I can certainly be more prescriptive about potential things you could do in cases (i.e. - "so, do you want to go in and look for evidence, try to find the trail and track it or go to the loft?") in order to keep things moving, it's generally been more a matter of not wanting to put people on rails/in boxes.

Small edit, above, to deal with that.

He rubs his face, "Been busy with our new fragging friends, so we cut back patrols - if only to stop 'em from being nice targets to hit. But, Guar-- sorry, Fallen Star... well, we owe her, so I'd been making sure someone keeps an eye on the place. Just a whelp, not a full member -- figure'd he'd stand out less... and we couldn't spare one."

I've always liked 5, personally, but that's a me thing.

But if we're going to try to bring in new blood to get things moving, we need to make sure that those of us who are still here want to do that -- that is to say, that they want to continue, that they want to pick up the pace, and that they're willing to change the party composition/dynamics to do so.

You're pretty sure, Jay, that this is the boss himself.

The dwarf looks at Jay, his smile dropping only for a moment, then he says, "Don't like when drek goes down on my turf. 'specially not when we're supposed to be looking out. Bad for the rep."

He rubs his face, "Been busy with our new fragging friends, so we cut back patrols - if only to stop 'em from being nice targets to hit. But, Guardian... well, we owe her, so I'd been making sure someone keeps an eye on the place. Just a whelp, not a full member -- figure'd he'd stand out less... and we couldn't spare one."

He throws back his beer and says, "Gimme a sec, I'll go fetch you the wannabe..."

With that, the dwarf heads over to the table to talk to some of the other older-looking companions - then jolts for a moment before coming back.

"Kid's name is Nessa. Goes by Coalburn. Here's her number.... but, apparently, she's not checked in a couple of days - something we were a little too busy to notice. What night did you say Guardian's place got hit?"

Sorry, folks. I came in here to post a "huh, where is everyone" only to find that you're looking for me and that I stopped getting updates.

That said - we seem to have the three of you still actively posting, but Treppa has largely vanished and DSX seems to have fallen into a metaphorical pit.

I'm all for moving forward and rebuilding momentum (including by being clever about stuff, as Fiona suggested), but I do worry there's a lack of critical mass here -- so, I'm not really sure what the best next steps are.

Fey are Kn: Nature

Still kind of waiting for someone to tell me what they're doing so I can adjudicate that.

The dwarf says, "I doubt that they're done, though they'll likely be licking their wounds for a bit. Still, we hope we can make it clear that it's not worth the cost of expanding into our turf and go find something less painful to do...."

Prim's body was found in a burned-out barn about a mile away. If you ask, Jacob will tell you he brought it to the healer to have her cleaned up and prepared.

Think you used the cargo van to do that.

That's why I went with the cybereyes. Also, I don't need sunglasses anymore.

Seriously, though, ouch.

I'm much better, thank you. The bandage contact lens should be removed today, and I can finally see well!

For those who are curious, this is the culprit. The docs remove the raised tissue - like the skin of a blister - and put in antibiotics, dilation drops for the iritis, and the bandage contact. It takes a week or so to heal because I tend to tear off large chunks.

Well, that sounds decidedly unpleasant. Glad it's relatively easily handled and that you're mostly recovered.

Agreed.

I'm sorry for my slowness. I tore the cornea off my LEFT eye this time, so haven't been able to use a computer this week until today. I'll try to update tomorrow.

Yes, it hurts.

What's with you and shredding your own optics? Yeesh!

Seriously, though, that's too bad, and get better quick-like.

I believe you've met Prim at Hamish's school on at least one occasion. So, you know that while she's not a wee slip of a girl and it's clear she worked on a farm, she's also not built like a longshoreman and could have slipped out the window without too much difficulty. She was about a hand and a half over 5 feet, and probably a little less than 10 stone. (The half-elven lad being accused is taller and heavier, but only a little broader than Prim -- not so much that he couldn't fit himself through the window).

So, that to say, she could have gone out the window - though it would have been hard to do so without waking others if she was struggling at all...

Intelligence: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 That'll do

...and that's before you have to account for someone else going through the window with her to keep her restrained.... really, if we're talking human-sized folk, this only works if she was either pushed out first or pulled out afterward as they both couldn't go at the same time.

You're looking at the house - Prim slept in the loft -- so the building is basically, a floor and a half. The shuttered window is pretty small - it's really just there as a vent more than anything - enough that a dwarf or a full-sized man would likely not be able to go through. Someone with a more slender build would have less trouble.

Which, I guess, is in and of itself, a clue.

The track up the building is pretty clear, and would seem to have been made by something with slightly less of a reach than Merlan.

Working together, standing on shoulders, you follow the climbing trail up and between yourselves and Squeaky, you note that some of the roof's thatching is no longer bound - though whatever did that did take an effort to place things back in such a way that there's no obvious gap... in fact, you'd guess the roof in its current state still wouldn't leak... though a decent wind would change that.

It seems a lot of work, though, given that there's a shuttered window that could provide access (and, based on the farmer's story, that's where they found some of the evidence).

Merlan examines the thorn carefully, It looks like a Bloodrose thorn, though the color is off just a little bit... and it's longer than mo -- wait... don't some fey - Atomies, though this is too big, but whaddya call those evil sprites - Rosebloods! right! --- treat thorns alchemically to use as weapons and tools... This one would make a decent knife... or javelin tip... or climbing piton... Yeah, it'd slide right between the mortar -- and probably leave a little hole... just like that one.... and that one... and....

The dwarf chuckles, "In more ways than one."

He says, "I imagine they're still trying to figure out what went wrong... and where their second strike team went... and their air support." He chuckles again, then offers, "Speaking of, if you got the rigger's gear, I know a buyer. Get you a fair shake."

He rocks his head back and forth, and you hear a bit of metal grinding as well as a few loud pops, and he looks over at you, "But you're not here for that, you had other biz. So, let's hear it."

Lysander Perception (Aid): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Merlan walks the perimeter of the house, seeking signs and when he gets close to the back door he stops, his eyes narrowing as he looks about, something bothering him but he can't quite put a finger on it... even with Squeaky's help... He sighs, and is about to stop when Lysander comes around the other side and also stops, as if something caught his attention in the same area -- wait, no, he's looking a bit more to the right...

The halfling shifts his focus and he sees it this time - a long green and violet thorn partially lying inside (and masked by) a small bed of pansies -- it looks to be about the length of the halfling's palm (and not at all like the other plants in the flowerbed).

...somehow I was not getting notices of new posts, until today when I went to My Campaigns instead of just the forums. Sorry, I was literally thinking I'd need to post a "guess this died", and you've been waiting on me...

The group heads over to the bar, the sky starting to change colors as the sun moves toward the horizon and its light reflects off the smog, diffusing what was probably a lovely orange-pink into a somewhat sicklier shade.

Unlike your last visit, the bar is considerably more full, and the reception is much more welcoming. As you're directed toward the back of the place - not the rear booth, but into a small room that's marked utility closet -- each of you have a tankard of dark-amber liquid pushed into your hands.

Opening the door, you see shelving - including the back one that's been turned, revealing a stairwell that leads into what looks like a collapsed bit of tunnel - maybe from a metroline extension that was never finished -- forming an oval chamber about 3 meters by 4. A number of weapon racks adorn the back walls, and a large table with a built-in touch display -- oldschool 2-d, not holo -- takes up the centre of the room.

A well-built dwarf turns to face you, looks to have a touch of native blood, with wind-scarred skin and black hair shaved down close against his head. "You wanted a meeting, here it is," he says, "..ahead of schedule, even."

He tosses over a certified credstick, "Told we owe you that.... and, well, we did give you a car..."

Merlan (and Squeaky) take a look around, and he kinda sorta almost notices things, if only someone might help the poor guy out? Or look themselves and roll better. Or... whatever else people might do to increase the chance of success....

Ok, so everyone is heading to the house for now, with some going to talk to the parents, the others investigating the loft where Primrose sleeps.

It takes another ten or fifteen minutes for the knot of folks to disperse enough that the lot of you feel safe to leave -- though you keep some distance back from Sahar, Fiona and Yacob. The trip to the farmstead takes about 40 minutes, and would normally be lovely, but there's a tension in the air that drives home how fragile the current calm is.

Jacob asks to go into the house first to speak to his wife - giving the rest of you time to catch up.

From the outside, the house is larger than what you'd have expected -- easily 30 feet long, about 20' wide, and about 12 feet high. The building itself is stone - held together with a mortar of straw and mud. The face of the building is covered with patches of various ages, the scars giving it an almost piebald appearance. The roof is a woven thatch of prairie grasses and straw.

Behind the house is what you assume to be a barn, the building also made primarily of stone, and about half again the size of the house. Large stones form a mostly natural ring on one end, where two aurochs are currently eating from a trough. The ground around the barn (other than the approach) is marked with organized rows of edible plants - though the majority of them are not yet mature.

The area around the house - and the path to the barn - is clearly well-worn, with years of walking having eroded the native grasses. However, on the barn-side of the house, a set of stones mark off an herb and flower garden the length of the building - with a set of stepping stones in the middle that aligns with the rear door.