// Streetwise Status :: 24 Karma Total //

Congrats guys! After completing last week's adventure you have earned enough total karma to be considered 'Streetwise', which is one step up from 'Green'. At 60 total karma, you will earn the recognition of being a tried-and-true Professional. Being established as reliable shadowrunners will ensure that your team will receive work more frequently and for better payouts, although risk factors and overall challenge will continue to increase as well.

Currently all members of the team have 2 Street Cred, which provides a +2 bonus to any test in which your reputation comes into play.  Bribing, threatening, negotiating, bluffing, or seducing are all examples of tasks in which your positive street cred will give you a bonus to your die pool. Performing extremely dangerous or heroic actions successfully can grant bonuses to your street cred rating. If a person is unaware of your credibility, you will generally not receive your bonus when interacting with that person.

The flipside of street cred is Notoriety. You gain this for unnecessarily cruel behavior, committing treason or betraying fellow shadowrunners, failing a mission, getting arrested, working for a dragon, or even for having terrible luck. Notoriety can impose a penalty in social situation if the opposing party is familiar with your notorious behavior or deeds, however, if a character is using a skill involving intimidation or fear, notoriety can add a bonus. Certain negative drawbacks give notoriety [Addiction, Bad Luck, Combat Paralysis, Poser, Gremlins, Incompetent, Infirm, Scorched, Spirit Bane, Uncouth, and Uneducated all give 1 notoriety.]


At any time, a character can burn 2 points of Street Cred to remove 1 point of Notoriety.


Public Awareness is a rating that measures how well-known a person is to the general public.  Known criminals usually have a public awareness rating of 3+, while household names and celebrities have a public awareness rating of 10+.  Public awareness is added as a bonus to any knowledge checks made to recall or access information about the person in question. Public awareness is equal to a person's Street Cred + Notoriety, divided by 3 [rounded down]. Right now everyone has a Public Awareness rating of 0, although that might change at the beginning of next session.

// Image Dump :: Player Character Portraits //

Dave here. I'm working on a recap of sessions 1-4, and I'm also working on a roster for the team of shadowrunners. I'm going to post some pictures below, tell me if any of them appeal to you.

If your character has any distinguishing marks or notable clothing/equipment, make note of it in the comments, and feel free to post any pictures as reference material for your character's appearance.

// Click Here to View/Upload Pictures //

// Game Talk :: Zipper's Commlink //

Dave here. Zipper's commlink is powerful, but it is well-protected.  Even though she is dead, her commlink will still make efforts to defend itself from unauthorized access. Here are the basic stats for her commlink, this includes regular device ratings but does not list any programs or data she has stored within.


// Device :: Customized Novatech Terminos Commlink //

• Firewall 5
• Response 4
• Signal 4
• System 4 

Spoofing an admin account, formatting the operating system and memory, or brute-force hacking through the firewalls and ICs will all yield different results and carry unique challenges. Post comments or questions below!

// Political Profile :: Humanis Policlub //

 // Political Profile :: Humanis Policlub //

Humanis is one of the most powerful policlubs in Seattle. It grew from an alliance of racist and hate groups aimed at “protecting humans against the rising threat of mutation”—mutation being Humanis-speak for metahumanity.
The group maintains that humans are genetically and culturally superior to metahumans, and want metahumanity treated as a disease rather than a natural state of being. Publicly, the Humanis Policlub works against metahuman-rights legislation and lobbies for laws that favor humans over metahumans. Behind the scenes, the policlub is responsible for a great deal more.
Humanis operates as a front organization for anti- Awakened terrorist groups like Alamos 20,000, Human Nation, the Hand of Five and others.
These guys are the hard-core racists, people who will kill or maim for their cause, or people who think bashing in a few metahuman skulls is a good way to spend a Saturday night. The public arm of Humanis denies any involvement with terrorist activities, of course. Local chairman Karl Brackhaven, the group’s regular spokesman to the news media, keeps saying so (and we all believe him, don’t we?). 
http://pl.shadowrun.wikia.com/wiki/Humanis_Policlub

// Originally posted by Karl Brackhaven //
// View Original Article :: the Humanis Policlub //

// Loot Gained :: 21.2.12 //

This is a listing of the gear and money you guys managed to abscond with after the run to Bellingham.
The value listed is the market price, sold value will depend on whatever market connections the team can make.

• Road flares, GPS system (rating 4), and towing winch :: 50-500 ¥ each
• Two first aid kits (rating 1) :: 100 ¥ each
• Rating 2 commlink (with Browse 2, Analyze 2, and Scan 2) :: 500 ¥ each
• Tool kit, tire iron, car jack, and jumper cables :: 25-50 ¥ each
• Three crates of ammunition :: 500 ¥ each
• Five Ares Predator heavy pistols :: 350 ¥ each
• One Nitama NeMax heavy pistol (smartlinked) :: 1,700 ¥
• Three portable weapon mounts (pintle mounts) :: 250 ¥ each
• Two spare off-road tires :: 400 ¥ each
• One Nanoweave Business Suit :: 800 ¥
• Seven armored leather jackets :: 450 ¥ each
• Aluminum barrel of synthetic wine :: 200 ¥
• 845 ¥ in paper money

// Movies from 2008 :: Sleep Dealer //

Sleep Dealer is a movie about two Mexican brothers who are hackers and riggers.  One of them gets a job at a military facility while the other starts working overseas as a 'sleep dealer', basically an illegal immigrant rigger. It's a low budget indie movie so it has some shitty special effects, but it has a solid plot and some really interesting ideas. I'd suggest renting it if possible.

// Brought to You by Maya Entertainment //

// Game Talk :: Commlinks, Programs, Response, and Signal //

Dave here. After going over the rulebook some more I made some cool discoveries. For the first few game sessions I was totally confused about the Response stat, and why it seemed to be connected between a character's commlink and whatever drone or vehicle he was attempting to remotely command.

Commlinks and the stats that go with Commlinks are almost like secondary characters.  The strength and effectiveness of your remotely commanded drones, vehicles, matrix constructs, and avatars are all determined by the stats within your Commlink.  The Computer and Pilot skill can be used to increase available dice pools during matrix actions, that includes hacking, rigging, and any actions taken in the Matrix.  There are cybercombat and cyberdefense skills specifically for combat use within the matrix (remember how Neo learned how to perform impossible feats in the Matrix?).

Programs are specific tools that add to die pools during Matrix actions. Think of programs like equip-able weapons or armor that you switch out to perform specific tasks.  Each program has a specific rating, that this rating is added to die pools for that specific action within the Matrix. Here are the available programs:

Response is basically a measure of how fast your commlink can send signals to wireless nodes. Response is like Reaction or Agility, it represents the ability to do something very fast.  Drones and Vehicles that are being remotely commanded use the Response attribute of the commander's commlink.  If Tron is using a Response 7 commlink to command his spy drones, the drones will use the Response rating for any Reaction or Agility-based tests.

Signal is a measure of the ability to send and receive signals.  These signals can be wireless transmissions from nodes or remote commands from Commlink users with the proper permission.  The higher a Signal rating, the easier it is for the device or drone to access information.  Signal should be used for a remotely commanded drone or vehicle in place of any Intuition or Logic test.

I hope these ideas made sense, post any comments or questions below!!

// HK970-Z :: Brought to you by Video Violence //

// Gang Profile :: The Halloweeners //

// sort :: by author :: by category :: by genus //
// communicating with security nodes //

The Halloweeners are a vicious gang from Downtown Seattle.  Known for their cruel, psychotic natures, and their absolute hatred for corporate security forces.  Constantly at war with them, they often come under intense fire from their enemies.  The current boss, Nightmare, is a man who loves nothing more than to cut his enemies and to enhance his grisly visage with some well placed Little Chiba Cosmetic Enhancement Surgery™.  The effect is usually well worth the Nuyen.

 

"There's nothing a good blade and a smiling face won't get you in this world." 

// originally posted by Bryce Cook //

// end session //

// Tech Update:: Cyberlimbs //

// Tech Update :: Cyberlimbs //

Cyberlimbs are an easy way to get increased attributes for active skills involving dexterity, motor skills, hand coordination, or weapons. A person armed with a Pistols skill of 6 and a cyberlimb with Agility 6 would roll a total of 12 die for the weapons test. In addition, cyberlimbs add additional condition boxes (one extra box per limb), allowing users to absorb more damage before succumbing to shock. Cyberlimbs can be outfitted with a variety of options, ranging from small smuggling compartments to AR tattoos to integrated cyberweaponry. Cyberlimbs can be upgraded beyond the natural limits imposed by the metahuman body, consult page 343 of SR4A to view all the vital statistics. In addition to arms and legs, a patient can recieve partial limbs, or even cyberskulls or cybertorsos.

 

Cyberskulls can provide added protection to vulnerable sections of the face and cranium.

// end feed //

// Tech Update: BTL Chips //

 

BTL

Stands for 'Better Than Life', a simsense virtual reality chip.

The high of choice for many an idiot lush. BTL technology is ironically one of the fastest developing and growing areas of Simsense technology. The term BTL can refer to any simsense recording where the ASSIST feedback exceeds recognized safety limits. There are many different types of BTL at the bottom end of the market are the so called "California hots" Cal Free has a far higher accepted ASSIST threshold than either CAS or UCAS. making many "Standard" Simsenses originating in Cal Free illegal in other countries. Needless to say California editions of popular Simsense are a common smuggled item. This form of BTL is relatively harmless, comparable to Strong alcohol or Cannabis, in terms of danger and social acceptability. There is also the possibility of low level subliminal conditioning through the ASSIST Feedback. This is why many Extraterritorial Mega corps uses this as the default level for company cinemas and training chips. True BTLS come in three distinctive types: Moodchips, Fantasy Chips and Persona Fix Chips.

• Moodchips work by stimulating specific moods and sensation, typically euphoria and the pleasure centers of the brain.

• Fantasychips work much like a normal simsense, in that they have a "Story" However unlike a normal simsense recording the emotional and sensation feedback has been elevated beyond all safe limits.

• Personafix chips are the most complicated, strangest and potentially most dangerous of all BTLS. They work by overriding the user’s personality and replacing it with an artifcal matrix. You to can be The Blackwood Sniper, Mc Bain, Dracula, Holly Brighton or any other individual you want to be. Like all BTLS they are addictive, more expensive personafix chips come with optically clustered skillsofts, so that the user gains some of the skill of the Persona. These chips lead to all kinds on incidents and extortion rackets as rouge users become convinced that all bystanders are vampires, or that they are a a superfast martial artist who can take down those bad mouthing troll gangers etc. Rumors abound of megacorps and organized crime using long life Personafix chips as a method of slavery. By crafting Personachips with personalities that want to be henchmen, prostitutes, unprotected toxic waste disposal workers etc, they get there victims in a double bind. When the chips running they want to work for them, when its not, all the poor victim wants another chip.

P2.0 Profile: Nukelas Ferrari

// upload P2.0 personality profile :: incompatible device :: commlink disconnect msg Ζζ.G //

// unregistered device //

// buffer reset :: reloading security suite... //

"Hell, I've seen all kinds in my days as a runner. Shell-heads, nightwalkers, corporate suits, full-on tube-grown vatjobs. Hell, I even seen an albino stargazer try to eat his own foot at a hockey game. Whatever gremlin bit that one bit hard and didn't let go!"

// upload Uniformat text file :: user Nukelas Ferrari //

// unregistered user tag //

// upload aborted :: anomaly recorded //