Originally from the eastern european block, Alex migrated to the UCAS at the age of 20, separating from his parents and brother. Being a natural athlete, of nondescript appearance, having no family ties and a National SIN, Alex earned his soy as a private thief to governments and corporations. Oh, excuse me, "Physical security bypass specialist" is what the bean counter wage-slaves classed him as. They set up a new facility, a test, a new gadget and get Alex to get past it. No force, no magic, no matrix. Pay was decent, especially on the bigger facilities, but irregular hours and avoidance of human contact (part of the job, chummers) left Alex with insomnia and few acquaintances.
A few of years ago, Alex was contracted to test-infiltrate a data storage facility by a B-grade corp. No worries, regular job. This time, however, a team of shadowrunners ghosted his every step, gaining access to paydata in the facility. Alex spotted and confronted one of the runner, who made him an offer too tempting to pass up - Alex would let the runner go in exchange for a cut of the job - more than 10 times what Alex could make in a month. He took it, because hey - who would know?
Even though noone could prove it, the corps and government suspected Alex of letting the runners in. With that tag hanging over his head, the work became scarce. Who would touch Alex, if he could be leading a runner team in? Noone, that's who. Only dribs and drabs - dry runs, test setups, exercises. No corp would let him anywhere near a valuable facility.
The runners, in the meantime, attempted several contacts to enlist Alex. He refused. At first. Eventually, the cash ran dry and the work was still garbage; so Alex took the plunge and agreed. The run, though successful, nearly got Alex caught on the exfil. The day after the run, police questioned him on his whereabouts. With no answers to give or proof of presence anywhere, they arrested and 'Capone'd' him - pinned association with criminals on him and declaring the job done. 4 years later, Alex was out. With the above-ground career ruined, there was only one way - into the shadows.
Nerd stuff (Character generation/stats)
Metatype - Priority D (Human, +3 Edge)
Attributes - Priority A (+2Bod, +5Agi, +4Rea, +3Str, +3Wil, +2Log, +4Int, +1Cha)
Skills - Priority B (below)
Gear - Priority C (below)
Magic/Resonance - Priority E (none)
National SIN - Alex Zemlinsky: This is me.
Medium Lifestyle, Fake Licence - Wired Reflexes.
Fake SIN (4) - Richard Noonan: As far as the authorities are concerned, Richard and Alex live together; one typically is a day worker, the other takes the night shift. This alternate ID lets Alex walk around at night, when needed, while keeping his real ID safe at home.
Medium Lifestyle (shared), Fake Licence - Wired Reflexes.
Fake SIN (3) - Lars Pinto: A lowlife who does occasional work and generally lives with the dregs of society. This ID rents Alex' secret hole - the after-run hiding place, and stash for all the unlicenced gear.
Squatter Lifestyle, no licences.
Contacts
Jason Dela - 3/1 - Corporate Security Contractor. Jason used to get Alex the jobs for corporations and governments. After Alex' prison sentence was over, all Jason can do is test runs and unimportant jobs - nothing close to what he used to pull for Alex. However, his constant interaction with corporate security leaves him with an extensive network of contacts.
"Roach" - 2/1 - Fixer. Alex' first foray into the shadows introduced him to a dwarf fixer calling himself "Roach". Roach set up the run that led to Alex' arrest, though Alex blames his lack of preparation on the result, so the relationship with Roach is unspoiled.
Sgt. Lineus Cochrane - 1/4 - Detective. Local law enforcement used to hire Alex to determine how breaking&entering jobs could have been done. Through this time, Alex made one of his only friends - Lineus is decent enough at his job, but will hardly advance up the ranks.
Alex walked down the gray corridor. He was out. Finished. 4 years of stealing trinkets from other prisoners and dodging night patrols was over. Last door. It was raining outside, he could hear. Alex stopped at the door and looked at the drone camera above it. A few seconds later it crept open and fresh air and night light hit Alex. He expected no cheers, noone to meet him.
A figure stood in the rain, leaning against a car. Alex' eye narrowed. "You!"
The woman grinned. "Hey chummer. How was the lockup?"
"Maybe you'll find out." Alex growled back, "What do you want?"
"To see my favorite omae get out, ofcourse!" her grin widened, "Want a ride? A soycaf? My treat."
"Frag off." Alex started walking towards the city in the distance.
The woman got into the car and pulled up alongside him, driving slowly. Not another soul in sight. "Aww c'mon, don't be like that. You hosed yourself - joined a run as a corp bitch, of course they will throw you away."
"I didn't join you."
"You took the creds, chummer. Good as joining. Gotta say, those skills of yours can earn you plenty of jing, if you decide to..." Her voice trailed off. Alex looked over and saw her nodding her head at the passenger seat. "C'mon, let's go."
"I said frag off."
The woman's voice turned serious. "You really think any corp, gang or plex is going to hire you with your record? You're lucky you're not broadcasting a crimSIN as we walk. Ohh yeah, I'd be picking up your dumb hoop all the way back to town. You're done. They don't want you. We do."
Alex looked at her. "Who is we?"
She waved the comment away, "Don't be an idiot." She stopped the car. "You coming?"
Reluctantly, Alex got in. The woman took off for the city. "So that jing I parted with, you still have it?"
Alex dried his hair. "Maybe, why?"
"Because you are going to need a few things. Unless you liked it in there." She hiked her thumb back at the prison.
"What's your name?"
"Nope. Not happening. We don't know each other that well yet."
@ardent just a cursory look at your character for now, but is that a rating 4 fake SIN and license? cause i dont see how thats possible with 6k nuyen to your name. a R4 fake SIN would cost 10,000 (2500xrating).
also, and now that i'm looking, i cant seem to find this, but i thought that it said you had to have a separate license for each combat spell? maybe i saw that in the preview book...
some googling has led me to the first post on this page - but need to determine if he is talking about the actual book or the preview build
It's not particularly clear if you need a licence per spell. You definitely need one for spellcasting, and you need a separate licence for each "type of item / activity". I'd think that a spellcasting licence would cover having spells, or at worst you'd need a licence to possess combat spells in general rather than for each one specifically (in addition to your wizard licence).
Tri-Optimum reminds you that there are only one-hundred-sixty-three shopping days until Christmas. Just 1 extra work cycle twice a week will give you the spending money you need to make this holiday a very special one.
i remember distinctly reading that each combat spell required a separate license. its possible that i read that on the free rules preview from the website, and that's why i cant find it again, but clearly, as my link showed, as few as three months ago, someone else saw that also. and reading further, the guy answering seems to have worked on the book.
either way, i'd love a clarification/ruling from leper. if i dont need combat spells each individually licensed, thats 800 nuyen in my pocket
That first post is entirely consistent with what's in the Fake Licence entry. You need a spellcasting licence and a *Blank* Spell licence. So if you had say Punch and Blast as spells, you'd need a Combat Spells Licence. You wouldn't need a separate Punch Licence or Blast Licence.
Tri-Optimum reminds you that there are only one-hundred-sixty-three shopping days until Christmas. Just 1 extra work cycle twice a week will give you the spending money you need to make this holiday a very special one.
Fake license: For those who can’t or won’t go through
the standard legal channels, fake licenses are available for
all kinds of restricted items and activities. Items with no
letter next to their availability don’t require licenses. Items
that are Forbidden have no license available. Licenses,
therefore, are for Restricted items. Each type of item/activity
permission requires a separate license. Things that
require licenses include hunting (bow and rifle), possession
of a firearm, concealed carry of a firearm (separate
license), spellcasting, and any Restricted gear or augmentations,
etc. Just as SINs essentially exist on your commlink,
fake licenses exist on your SIN and are linked to it.
When you buy a fake concealed-carry license, you don’t
buy it for Murderman the professional shadowrunner,
you buy it for John Doe, one of Murderman’s fake SINs.
Each license must be assigned to a particular (fake) SIN of
the player’s choosing. Use the fake license’s rating against
verification systems (Fake SIN, p. 367).
If you have a different version @Chrysis please post it
@ardent just a cursory look at your character for now, but is that a rating 4 fake SIN and license? cause i dont see how thats possible with 6k nuyen to your name. a R4 fake SIN would cost 10,000 (2500xrating).
also, and now that i'm looking, i cant seem to find this, but i thought that it said you had to have a separate license for each combat spell? maybe i saw that in the preview book...
Yup. The R4 SIN cost me 5 Karma (which is the max) and Kaspar only has a R4 spellcasting license (general) tied to that identity, which would be enough for him even if you did need separate licenses for each combat spell. I don't think it needs to be spelled out, but if it does, the R4 is the Kaspar Jaeger identity. If you guys ever figure out he has a Corp SIN we can talk about who he really is.
@ardent just a cursory look at your character for now, but is that a rating 4 fake SIN and license? cause i dont see how thats possible with 6k nuyen to your name. a R4 fake SIN would cost 10,000 (2500xrating).
also, and now that i'm looking, i cant seem to find this, but i thought that it said you had to have a separate license for each combat spell? maybe i saw that in the preview book...
Yup. The R4 SIN cost me 5 Karma (which is the max) and Kaspar only has a R4 spellcasting license (general) tied to that identity, which would be enough for him even if you did need separate licenses for each combat spell. I don't think it needs to be spelled out, but if it does, the R4 is the Kaspar Jaeger identity. If you guys ever figure out he has a Corp SIN we can talk about who he really is.
For my money, a GM should never accept a negative quality that won't get used Or at least have potential to get used. So... die, corp scum!
Kaneski, just a heads up, since we're all checking each other's sheets so helpfully
You need the Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) skill to use a Grapple Gun. It's a non-default skill, so you gotsta have it! Also, did you consider going with a Criminal SIN to complement your backstory? The 5 extra Karma, plus your one leftover, would let you buy the Grapple Gun skill at rating 2!
Kaneski, just a heads up, since we're all checking each other's sheets so helpfully
You need the Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) skill to use a Grapple Gun. It's a non-default skill, so you gotsta have it! Also, did you consider going with a Criminal SIN to complement your backstory? The 5 extra Karma, plus your one leftover, would let you buy the Grapple Gun skill at rating 2!
Right, knew I forgot something. Damn grapple. Gonna dump the gun, I guess. Edited for more money and less grappling.
Also - Crim SIN... yeah, I did consider it. I actually had to soften the writeup a little after I read the descriptions more carefully. Don't want it. Considering the description of call-ins, random checks, etc... it affects too much of the other setup.
No sweat. I love your character concept, by the way! (and I don't think anyone goofed as hard as I did a couple pages ago, giving myself priority C twice by accident!)
Like I said earlier, I love EVERYONE'S character concept. I don't envy Leper having to whittle down the submissions!
@ardent just a cursory look at your character for now, but is that a rating 4 fake SIN and license? cause i dont see how thats possible with 6k nuyen to your name. a R4 fake SIN would cost 10,000 (2500xrating).
also, and now that i'm looking, i cant seem to find this, but i thought that it said you had to have a separate license for each combat spell? maybe i saw that in the preview book...
Yup. The R4 SIN cost me 5 Karma (which is the max) and Kaspar only has a R4 spellcasting license (general) tied to that identity, which would be enough for him even if you did need separate licenses for each combat spell. I don't think it needs to be spelled out, but if it does, the R4 is the Kaspar Jaeger identity. If you guys ever figure out he has a Corp SIN we can talk about who he really is.
For my money, a GM should never accept a negative quality that won't get used Or at least have potential to get used. So... die, corp scum!
You can't just disappear off the radars of megacorps when you're an Awakened asset. Kaspar has plenty of complications tied in.
You can't just disappear off the radars of megacorps when you're an Awakened asset. Kaspar has plenty of complications tied in.
Its' less about that. Total disclaimer - personal preference only. If you have a (usually expensive) thing to which the normal reaction from other PCs would be somewhere between GTFO and murder; it tends to be either free points until campaign end (because GMs are reluctant to break up groups), or it's revealed halfway, and the reaction from PCs is abnormal (because players are reluctant to break up groups). So fair warning, natural reaction
In my experience, the only real death sentence for any RPG group/team is when someone has rolled a character with a vastly different moral code from the rest of the characters.
In Shadowrun specifically, you might discover this is a problem when the players encounter their first corporate security team, and four runners whip out guns. Then the last player reveals that their character has a serious problem with killing anyone even in the course of a shadowrun. I've actually had a very promising IRC-based campaign completely disintegrate at exactly this moment--someone didn't want our runner team to be responsible for any killing, the game session devolved into gruesome ad hominems, and we never played again. It sucked!
When we're talking about something like a corporate SIN that a character (wisely) tries to keep secret from runner colleagues, I don't see the potential fallout being quite as bad as the above scenario, but I do agree with Kaneski's point. As soon as other PCs discover that Kaspar is basically a Saeder-Krupp homing beacon, they're probably going to be fairly pissed off that they're now his Known Associates in the shadows. Maybe it turns into a really interesting story arc rather than a sore point, though--the runners all decide it's in everyone's best interest to clean up the trail from S-K to Kaspar?
Either way, maybe start stockpiling toward 50 Karma to buy off your corporate SIN!
Fake license: For those who can’t or won’t go through
the standard legal channels, fake licenses are available for
all kinds of restricted items and activities. Items with no
letter next to their availability don’t require licenses. Items
that are Forbidden have no license available. Licenses,
therefore, are for Restricted items. Each type of item/activity
permission requires a separate license. Things that
require licenses include hunting (bow and rifle), possession
of a firearm, concealed carry of a firearm (separate
license), spellcasting, and any Restricted gear or augmentations,
etc. Just as SINs essentially exist on your commlink,
fake licenses exist on your SIN and are linked to it.
When you buy a fake concealed-carry license, you don’t
buy it for Murderman the professional shadowrunner,
you buy it for John Doe, one of Murderman’s fake SINs.
Each license must be assigned to a particular (fake) SIN of
the player’s choosing. Use the fake license’s rating against
verification systems (Fake SIN, p. 367).
If you have a different version @Chrysis please post it
Nope, that's the same. I'll bold the bits I'm stringing together. Spellcasting requires a licence. Restricted Gear requires a licence. Spell Formulae are restricted gear, so each type requires a licence. Spell types are broken down into Combat, Detection, Health, etc. So by the rules, if you want to have all your paperwork in order you'll need a licence to spellcast and a licence to possess Combat Spells, much like you need a Licence to possess a firearm (and realistically this would only apply to one type, such as SMGs or Shotguns) and a licence to concealed carry it. But of course that only matters if you're going to be showing the cops your licences rather than just showing them the combat spells. It's only illegal if you get caught.
Chrysis on
Tri-Optimum reminds you that there are only one-hundred-sixty-three shopping days until Christmas. Just 1 extra work cycle twice a week will give you the spending money you need to make this holiday a very special one.
Description on Corp SIN is more damning than 'homing beacon' risk, sadly. The reaction literally is between GTFO ("deep mistrust") and murder ("runners have been killed"). We'll see how it plays out.
Moral codes - Yep - which is why Code of Honor is a potentially equally damning to the group cohesion, though usually have a lot more room for playing out.
Maybe it turns into a really interesting story arc rather than a sore point, though--the runners all decide it's in everyone's best interest to clean up the trail from S-K to Kaspar?
Either way, maybe start stockpiling toward 50 Karma to buy off your corporate SIN!
Heh, "well, he's been with us for a few runs and he's given us no reason to doubt him" is the most common abnormal reaction. Simply murdering Kaspar clears the S-K trail to us quite quickly. I can see... Kaspar's close friends/family defending him, and if by the reveal point the running team is tight, rather than just professional - sure, that would be great. There's the flip side to still consider though - if even one of the team decides the risk is too great and just off Kaspar on the spot, doubtful others would protest too much.
Maybe it turns into a really interesting story arc rather than a sore point, though--the runners all decide it's in everyone's best interest to clean up the trail from S-K to Kaspar?
Either way, maybe start stockpiling toward 50 Karma to buy off your corporate SIN!
Heh, "well, he's been with us for a few runs and he's given us no reason to doubt him" is the most common abnormal reaction. Simply murdering Kaspar clears the S-K trail to us quite quickly. I can see... Kaspar's close friends/family defending him, and if by the reveal point the running team is tight, rather than just professional - sure, that would be great. There's the flip side to still consider though - if even one of the team decides the risk is too great and just off Kaspar on the spot, doubtful others would protest too much.
I honestly don't know if you can buy out a SIN with just Karma. Getting rid of that particular albatross is really more the makings of a couple of intense runs deep in S-K territory than simple Karma expenditure.
Which of course assumes anybody ever catches on. Kaspar's a shaman. Extraction and hit teams looking for him isn't going to be that unusual. I wouldn't count on the revelation coming all that early, but it's going to depend on glitches and Leper, really.
What does this mean?
Well for starters, it means that there aren't that many actual applications as of yet. It also means that a full 33.33% of the current applications are by users with 'Captain' in their name.
Anything else?
Yeah, if you're trying to roll up a character, it might be a good idea to stay away from a stealth/infiltrator type build. But that's just like, my opinion, man.
Hey, chummer, my name's not on the list!
Relax mate. It just means I haven't seen it yet. Give it time. This is not some official list or anything. Just some drek some script kiddie put up. Pay it no mind.
Kaspar's a shaman. He is an Elf after all. He's just not the sort of shaman anyone's seen before. His last name's Jaeger. So yes, his name means treasure hunter.
Is he also still a face? I just kinda went by what you said. Is it just the word mage that you take exception to?
0
Options
JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
wow everybody made professional heist guys. Usually I make the professional heist guy and everyone is like, "Thank god, someone who can actually open a door and drive a car"
@Kaneski I am also working on an eastern bloc guy, how would you feel if that brother of yours goblinized and sought you out in the less-bigoted UCAS?
Fake license: For those who can’t or won’t go through
the standard legal channels, fake licenses are available for
all kinds of restricted items and activities. Items with no
letter next to their availability don’t require licenses. Items
that are Forbidden have no license available. Licenses,
therefore, are for Restricted items. Each type of item/activity
permission requires a separate license. Things that
require licenses include hunting (bow and rifle), possession
of a firearm, concealed carry of a firearm (separate
license), spellcasting, and any Restricted gear or augmentations,
etc. Just as SINs essentially exist on your commlink,
fake licenses exist on your SIN and are linked to it.
When you buy a fake concealed-carry license, you don’t
buy it for Murderman the professional shadowrunner,
you buy it for John Doe, one of Murderman’s fake SINs.
Each license must be assigned to a particular (fake) SIN of
the player’s choosing. Use the fake license’s rating against
verification systems (Fake SIN, p. 367).
If you have a different version @Chrysis please post it
Nope, that's the same. I'll bold the bits I'm stringing together. Spellcasting requires a licence. Restricted Gear requires a licence. Spell Formulae are restricted gear, so each type requires a licence. Spell types are broken down into Combat, Detection, Health, etc. So by the rules, if you want to have all your paperwork in order you'll need a licence to spellcast and a licence to possess Combat Spells, much like you need a Licence to possess a firearm (and realistically this would only apply to one type, such as SMGs or Shotguns) and a licence to concealed carry it. But of course that only matters if you're going to be showing the cops your licences rather than just showing them the combat spells. It's only illegal if you get caught.
Hypothetically, do licenses have to be fake if you're a sinner? couldn't real national or corporate sin actually have the licenses, and then it's a question of do you buy them for "burner" IDs?
@JohnnyCache That would be alright. As long as you're not cousin Roman.
Licences - I think the game presumption is that since we're playing Shadowrunners, no actual legal authority would issue you a proper licence. I suspect that's part of the reason they got rid of the 'day job' negative quality - to hammer that point home.
0
Options
JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
@JohnnyCache That would be alright. As long as you're not cousin Roman.
Licences - I think the game presumption is that since we're playing Shadowrunners, no actual legal authority would issue you a proper licence. I suspect that's part of the reason they got rid of the 'day job' negative quality - to hammer that point home.
I guess it's sort of assumed that even if a corp sinner you're not still going into work every day - most shadowrunners should basically consider their birth ident. burned...Another mincing question, where is the line between "diving" and "swimming" ... if I am holding my breath, hiding in shallow water and approaching a sentry from behind is that "diving" or "swimming"?
Edit: call for opinions...if you cast combat sense on an adept with combat sense, does it stack, or supersede?
I believe that technically adepts can stack their abilities with the benefits of spells (and gear) as long as the result doesn't exceed maximums. So an adept with Combat Sense 1 could enjoy 3 more hits/dice from a friendly spellcaster in that sort of situation. Which is why Mystic Adepts pay a ridiculous premium on Power Points in the hotfix.
For 5e Missions. Think of it as "the game isn't playable without addressing these issues" pre-errata, like "how much do autosofts cost?" and "lol why would anyone be anything but a mystic adept?"
Diving is for freediving and SCBA-assisted diving almost entirely, I think. Which means Diving does have other uses than might initially present themselves, like setting a building on fire to smoke out the employees and then going in in fire gear.
In my experience, the only real death sentence for any RPG group/team is when someone has rolled a character with a vastly different moral code from the rest of the characters.
Warhammer Fantasy 2nd Ed. Border Princes setting. Everyone's characters were usual Warhammer rabble - hunter, camp follower, peasant, 1 mercenary (lucky roll). And one guy, new to group, decided he wanted to be a bright mage (fire wizard). We warned and warned and warned that magic users in Warhammer do not have a good time. Doubly so in Border Princes area, because no colleges.
Couple of fights - he was just whacking people with a stick, just like the rest of us. Then, he got bored and set someone on fire. We quietly murdered him in camp that very night, because he's a fucking witch and should be killed before he invites Chaos into this world. The guy was not amused and left.
sigh. Why do they insist on making physical barrier garbage in every single edition of the game? Make it do something worth while or take it out, ffs.
Edit: call for opinions...if you cast combat sense on an adept with combat sense, does it stack, or supersede?
im not sure what's making you think physical barrier is garbage? not that i disagree, just that i've taken it as a spell and didn't think it looked bad to me, but would like to hear other opinions
Well if you're gonna post pictures, I'mma post pictures.
We're down to the wire, kiddies! You have until tomorrow at approximately noon CST to add your stooges to the lineup.
After that, I'll be taking some time to mull things over, snip and cut, and generally let things rattle around in my dome until they settle in a nice spot. Announcements will be made around >>>>>TIMESTAMP NOT AVAILABLE<<<<<.
My schedule for tomorrow looks a little crazy. I've got a four hour drive to have a lunch meeting with a prospective employer, and if that doesn't work, then I'll be signing my life over to another company for two years. (for hopefully obscene amounts of cash) I'll be staying with a friend in town for the rest of the week, and he'll be (completely understandably) wanting to take a good bit of my time. This should give everyone the chance to hammer out the math-y bits, figure out inter-character relationships, and get things rolling.
To Everyone: You are the bee's knees, baby. It's great to see all the helpful comments and pointers, the friendly back-and-forth, advice, clarifications, etc. I'm sorry I've been so laissez-faire the past few days, but as you might guess from the above my life has been crazy as hell.
Also note that there is no such thing as a free lunch. (or free build points) Disadvantages will be disadvantageous. As a corollary, any benefit that doesn't come with mechanical bonuses will also be addressed. You bought it, you're gettin' it.
If my role play is hindered by rolling to play, then I'd prefer the rolls play right, instead of steam-rolling play-night.
Posts
Alex 'Goblin' Zemlinsky
Originally from the eastern european block, Alex migrated to the UCAS at the age of 20, separating from his parents and brother. Being a natural athlete, of nondescript appearance, having no family ties and a National SIN, Alex earned his soy as a private thief to governments and corporations. Oh, excuse me, "Physical security bypass specialist" is what the bean counter wage-slaves classed him as. They set up a new facility, a test, a new gadget and get Alex to get past it. No force, no magic, no matrix. Pay was decent, especially on the bigger facilities, but irregular hours and avoidance of human contact (part of the job, chummers) left Alex with insomnia and few acquaintances.
A few of years ago, Alex was contracted to test-infiltrate a data storage facility by a B-grade corp. No worries, regular job. This time, however, a team of shadowrunners ghosted his every step, gaining access to paydata in the facility. Alex spotted and confronted one of the runner, who made him an offer too tempting to pass up - Alex would let the runner go in exchange for a cut of the job - more than 10 times what Alex could make in a month. He took it, because hey - who would know?
Even though noone could prove it, the corps and government suspected Alex of letting the runners in. With that tag hanging over his head, the work became scarce. Who would touch Alex, if he could be leading a runner team in? Noone, that's who. Only dribs and drabs - dry runs, test setups, exercises. No corp would let him anywhere near a valuable facility.
The runners, in the meantime, attempted several contacts to enlist Alex. He refused. At first. Eventually, the cash ran dry and the work was still garbage; so Alex took the plunge and agreed. The run, though successful, nearly got Alex caught on the exfil. The day after the run, police questioned him on his whereabouts. With no answers to give or proof of presence anywhere, they arrested and 'Capone'd' him - pinned association with criminals on him and declaring the job done. 4 years later, Alex was out. With the above-ground career ruined, there was only one way - into the shadows.
Nerd stuff (Character generation/stats)
Metatype - Priority D (Human, +3 Edge)
Attributes - Priority A (+2Bod, +5Agi, +4Rea, +3Str, +3Wil, +2Log, +4Int, +1Cha)
Skills - Priority B (below)
Gear - Priority C (below)
Magic/Resonance - Priority E (none)
Attributes
Agility: 6
Reaction: 5 (+1 Wired Reflexes)
Strength: 4
Willpower: 4
Logic: 3
Intuition: 5
Charisma: 2
Edge: 5 (1 + 1(human) + 3(priority D))
Essense: 4.0
Magic/Resonance: 0
Physical Initiative: 10 + 1D6; 11 + 2D6 (Wired Reflexes)
Matrix Initiative: 10 + 1D6 (AR)
Composure: 6
Judge Intentions: 7
Memory: 7
Lift/Carry: 7
Movement: 12
Physical Limit: 5
Mental Limit: 5
Social Limit: 4
Physical Damage Track: 9
Stun Damage Track: 10
Qualities:
Blandness (8)
Catlike (7)
Insomniac (-10)
National SIN (-5)
Skills:
Disguise - 5
Palming - 5
Sneaking - 6 (+1 Karma purchase)
Combat Active:
Blades - 4
Throwing (Bladed) - 4
Automatics - 1
Physical Active:
Swimming - 1
Escape Artist - 2
Freefall - 2
Gymnastics - 3
Perceptions - 5
Running - 3
Social:
Etiquette (Corporate) - 2
Negotiation (Contracts) - 1
Technical:
Computer - 1
Cybertechnology - 1
First Aid - 1
Locksmith - 2
Knowledge:
Street: Security Companies - 2
Street: Corporation Territories - 2
Academic: Literature - 2
Academic: Mathematics - 2
Academic: Physics - 1
Professional: Security Systems - 4
Professional: Police Procedures - 1
Interest: Sports (Extreme)
Language (English) - Natural
Language (Russian) - 1
IDs & Lifestyle
Medium Lifestyle, Fake Licence - Wired Reflexes.
Fake SIN (4) - Richard Noonan: As far as the authorities are concerned, Richard and Alex live together; one typically is a day worker, the other takes the night shift. This alternate ID lets Alex walk around at night, when needed, while keeping his real ID safe at home.
Medium Lifestyle (shared), Fake Licence - Wired Reflexes.
Fake SIN (3) - Lars Pinto: A lowlife who does occasional work and generally lives with the dregs of society. This ID rents Alex' secret hole - the after-run hiding place, and stash for all the unlicenced gear.
Squatter Lifestyle, no licences.
Contacts
"Roach" - 2/1 - Fixer. Alex' first foray into the shadows introduced him to a dwarf fixer calling himself "Roach". Roach set up the run that led to Alex' arrest, though Alex blames his lack of preparation on the result, so the relationship with Roach is unspoiled.
Sgt. Lineus Cochrane - 1/4 - Detective. Local law enforcement used to hire Alex to determine how breaking&entering jobs could have been done. Through this time, Alex made one of his only friends - Lineus is decent enough at his job, but will hardly advance up the ranks.
Gear:
Middle - 3 months ($15,000)
Squatter (+extra-secure +obscure) - 3 months ($1,950)
Weapons
Combat Knife x 4 ($1,200)
Throwing Knife x 30 ($750)
Steyr TMP Machine Pistol ($350)
+ 300 rounds Regular Ammo ($600)
Smoke Grenade x 4 ($160)
Flash Bang x 6 ($600)
Flash Pack x 10 ($1,250)
Clothing
Street Clothes (5 sets) (5 x $500)
Urban Explorer ($650)
+ Helm ($100)
+ Electrochronic Mod ($500)
+ Thermal Damping (Rating 4) ($2000)
Electronics
Commlink - Hermes Ikon ($3,000)
+ Biometric Reader ($200)
+ Subvocal Mic ($50)
+ Trodes ($20)
+ Datasofts: Security Systems, Corporate Security, State Security, Control Areas. ($480)
Tag Eraser ($450)
IDs and Licences
Fake SIN - Rating 4 ($10,000)
Fake SIN - Rating 3 ($7,500)
Fake Licence Rating 4 - Wired Reflexes x 2 (2 x $800)
Optical & Audio
Glasses (Capacity 4) ($400)
+ Low-light enhancement ($500)
+ Thermographic enhancement ($500)
+ Flare Compensation ($250)
+ Image Link ($25)
Earbuds (Capacity 3) ($150)
+ Spatial Recognition ($1,000)
+ Filter (Rating 1) ($250)
Other Gear
Autopicker - Rating 4 ($2,000)
Lockpick Set X 2 (2 x $250)
Maglock Passkey - Rating 3 x 2 (2 x $6000)
Crowbar ($20)
Climbing Gear ($200)
Gas Mask ($200)
Rappelling Gloves ($50)
Medkit - Rating 3 x 2 (2 x $2,250)
DocWagon Contract - Gold ($25,000)
Cybernetics
Wired Reflexes 1 ($39,000)
Money left over: 2,495
Karma expenditure:
- Positive Qualities (19)
+ Negative Qualities (15)
- Contacts (8)
- Skill improvement (12)
- Skill Purchase (1)
= Leftover Karma (0)
Story Sample
A figure stood in the rain, leaning against a car. Alex' eye narrowed. "You!"
The woman grinned. "Hey chummer. How was the lockup?"
"Maybe you'll find out." Alex growled back, "What do you want?"
"To see my favorite omae get out, ofcourse!" her grin widened, "Want a ride? A soycaf? My treat."
"Frag off." Alex started walking towards the city in the distance.
The woman got into the car and pulled up alongside him, driving slowly. Not another soul in sight. "Aww c'mon, don't be like that. You hosed yourself - joined a run as a corp bitch, of course they will throw you away."
"I didn't join you."
"You took the creds, chummer. Good as joining. Gotta say, those skills of yours can earn you plenty of jing, if you decide to..." Her voice trailed off. Alex looked over and saw her nodding her head at the passenger seat. "C'mon, let's go."
"I said frag off."
The woman's voice turned serious. "You really think any corp, gang or plex is going to hire you with your record? You're lucky you're not broadcasting a crimSIN as we walk. Ohh yeah, I'd be picking up your dumb hoop all the way back to town. You're done. They don't want you. We do."
Alex looked at her. "Who is we?"
She waved the comment away, "Don't be an idiot." She stopped the car. "You coming?"
Reluctantly, Alex got in. The woman took off for the city. "So that jing I parted with, you still have it?"
Alex dried his hair. "Maybe, why?"
"Because you are going to need a few things. Unless you liked it in there." She hiked her thumb back at the prison.
"What's your name?"
"Nope. Not happening. We don't know each other that well yet."
"Well... where are we going?"
The woman's grin returned. "To see a Roach."
also, and now that i'm looking, i cant seem to find this, but i thought that it said you had to have a separate license for each combat spell? maybe i saw that in the preview book...
some googling has led me to the first post on this page - but need to determine if he is talking about the actual book or the preview build
either way, i'd love a clarification/ruling from leper. if i dont need combat spells each individually licensed, thats 800 nuyen in my pocket
If you have a different version @Chrysis please post it
For my money, a GM should never accept a negative quality that won't get used
You need the Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) skill to use a Grapple Gun. It's a non-default skill, so you gotsta have it! Also, did you consider going with a Criminal SIN to complement your backstory? The 5 extra Karma, plus your one leftover, would let you buy the Grapple Gun skill at rating 2!
Right, knew I forgot something. Damn grapple. Gonna dump the gun, I guess. Edited for more money and less grappling.
Also - Crim SIN... yeah, I did consider it. I actually had to soften the writeup a little after I read the descriptions more carefully. Don't want it. Considering the description of call-ins, random checks, etc... it affects too much of the other setup.
Cheers, Captain.
Like I said earlier, I love EVERYONE'S character concept. I don't envy Leper having to whittle down the submissions!
Its' less about that. Total disclaimer - personal preference only. If you have a (usually expensive) thing to which the normal reaction from other PCs would be somewhere between GTFO and murder; it tends to be either free points until campaign end (because GMs are reluctant to break up groups), or it's revealed halfway, and the reaction from PCs is abnormal (because players are reluctant to break up groups). So fair warning, natural reaction
In Shadowrun specifically, you might discover this is a problem when the players encounter their first corporate security team, and four runners whip out guns. Then the last player reveals that their character has a serious problem with killing anyone even in the course of a shadowrun. I've actually had a very promising IRC-based campaign completely disintegrate at exactly this moment--someone didn't want our runner team to be responsible for any killing, the game session devolved into gruesome ad hominems, and we never played again. It sucked!
When we're talking about something like a corporate SIN that a character (wisely) tries to keep secret from runner colleagues, I don't see the potential fallout being quite as bad as the above scenario, but I do agree with Kaneski's point. As soon as other PCs discover that Kaspar is basically a Saeder-Krupp homing beacon, they're probably going to be fairly pissed off that they're now his Known Associates in the shadows. Maybe it turns into a really interesting story arc rather than a sore point, though--the runners all decide it's in everyone's best interest to clean up the trail from S-K to Kaspar?
Either way, maybe start stockpiling toward 50 Karma to buy off your corporate SIN!
Nope, that's the same. I'll bold the bits I'm stringing together. Spellcasting requires a licence. Restricted Gear requires a licence. Spell Formulae are restricted gear, so each type requires a licence. Spell types are broken down into Combat, Detection, Health, etc. So by the rules, if you want to have all your paperwork in order you'll need a licence to spellcast and a licence to possess Combat Spells, much like you need a Licence to possess a firearm (and realistically this would only apply to one type, such as SMGs or Shotguns) and a licence to concealed carry it. But of course that only matters if you're going to be showing the cops your licences rather than just showing them the combat spells. It's only illegal if you get caught.
Moral codes - Yep - which is why Code of Honor is a potentially equally damning to the group cohesion, though usually have a lot more room for playing out.
Heh, "well, he's been with us for a few runs and he's given us no reason to doubt him" is the most common abnormal reaction. Simply murdering Kaspar clears the S-K trail to us quite quickly. I can see... Kaspar's close friends/family defending him, and if by the reveal point the running team is tight, rather than just professional - sure, that would be great. There's the flip side to still consider though - if even one of the team decides the risk is too great and just off Kaspar on the spot, doubtful others would protest too much.
Which of course assumes anybody ever catches on. Kaspar's a shaman. Extraction and hit teams looking for him isn't going to be that unusual. I wouldn't count on the revelation coming all that early, but it's going to depend on glitches and Leper, really.
What does this mean?
Well for starters, it means that there aren't that many actual applications as of yet. It also means that a full 33.33% of the current applications are by users with 'Captain' in their name.
Anything else?
Yeah, if you're trying to roll up a character, it might be a good idea to stay away from a stealth/infiltrator type build. But that's just like, my opinion, man.
Hey, chummer, my name's not on the list!
Relax mate. It just means I haven't seen it yet. Give it time. This is not some official list or anything. Just some drek some script kiddie put up. Pay it no mind.
@Kaneski I am also working on an eastern bloc guy, how would you feel if that brother of yours goblinized and sought you out in the less-bigoted UCAS?
Hypothetically, do licenses have to be fake if you're a sinner? couldn't real national or corporate sin actually have the licenses, and then it's a question of do you buy them for "burner" IDs?
I host a podcast about movies.
Licences - I think the game presumption is that since we're playing Shadowrunners, no actual legal authority would issue you a proper licence. I suspect that's part of the reason they got rid of the 'day job' negative quality - to hammer that point home.
I guess it's sort of assumed that even if a corp sinner you're not still going into work every day - most shadowrunners should basically consider their birth ident. burned...Another mincing question, where is the line between "diving" and "swimming" ... if I am holding my breath, hiding in shallow water and approaching a sentry from behind is that "diving" or "swimming"?
I host a podcast about movies.
Edit: call for opinions...if you cast combat sense on an adept with combat sense, does it stack, or supersede?
I host a podcast about movies.
I host a podcast about movies.
I host a podcast about movies.
Can't wait to see if this edition also has a splat book with 4+ pages of advanced diving rules that no gaming table will ever use.
Here's a complex system of dice rolls to recover from the bends!
I think this adequately describes my mood.
Warhammer Fantasy 2nd Ed. Border Princes setting. Everyone's characters were usual Warhammer rabble - hunter, camp follower, peasant, 1 mercenary (lucky roll). And one guy, new to group, decided he wanted to be a bright mage (fire wizard). We warned and warned and warned that magic users in Warhammer do not have a good time. Doubly so in Border Princes area, because no colleges.
Couple of fights - he was just whacking people with a stick, just like the rest of us. Then, he got bored and set someone on fire. We quietly murdered him in camp that very night, because he's a fucking witch and should be killed before he invites Chaos into this world. The guy was not amused and left.
im not sure what's making you think physical barrier is garbage? not that i disagree, just that i've taken it as a spell and didn't think it looked bad to me, but would like to hear other opinions
We're down to the wire, kiddies! You have until tomorrow at approximately noon CST to add your stooges to the lineup.
After that, I'll be taking some time to mull things over, snip and cut, and generally let things rattle around in my dome until they settle in a nice spot. Announcements will be made around >>>>>TIMESTAMP NOT AVAILABLE<<<<<.
My schedule for tomorrow looks a little crazy. I've got a four hour drive to have a lunch meeting with a prospective employer, and if that doesn't work, then I'll be signing my life over to another company for two years. (for hopefully obscene amounts of cash) I'll be staying with a friend in town for the rest of the week, and he'll be (completely understandably) wanting to take a good bit of my time. This should give everyone the chance to hammer out the math-y bits, figure out inter-character relationships, and get things rolling.
To Everyone: You are the bee's knees, baby. It's great to see all the helpful comments and pointers, the friendly back-and-forth, advice, clarifications, etc. I'm sorry I've been so laissez-faire the past few days, but as you might guess from the above my life has been crazy as hell.
Also note that there is no such thing as a free lunch. (or free build points) Disadvantages will be disadvantageous. As a corollary, any benefit that doesn't come with mechanical bonuses will also be addressed. You bought it, you're gettin' it.