Shadowrun: High Life (Closed)

Started by HopeFox, December 25, 2015, 09:12:36 AM

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HopeFox


The year is 2075. Magic returned to the world over sixty years ago, and society is still reeling from the impact. The world is ruled by massive corporations answerable to nobody but themselves. Populations have been devastated by plague, famine and war. Governments have fallen and risen again, many shaped by the customs and faiths of old.

Corporate executives live lives of unparalleled luxury, ruling from their palaces of glass and steel. Kings and presidents govern their nations as best they can, afraid of both the wrath of the corporations and the unrest of their subjects. Some fortunate workers - doctors, magicians, managers - enjoy the fruits of the modern era's technology, living comfortable if sterile lives. Beneath them, wage slaves work ninety hours a week for their masters, with no hope of freedom nor thoughts of a better life. And beneath them, the SINless eke out a living in the shadows of the towers, ignored and forgotten by the system that holds the world in thrall.

And then there is you.

Perhaps you were born into wealth. Perhaps you were born with nothing, and earned your way to the top through hard work and ruthlessness. Perhaps you had wealth and fame thrust upon you through a strange series of events. However you got here, you are at the top of your game. You live a life few dare dream of - comfortable quarters, regular rations, 24-hour five star room service. But this doesn't mean that you have forgotten your roots, or your ideals. There is work to be done, and injustice can be found in these hallowed halls as easily as on the streets. The skills that brought you here will serve you in good stead as you set out to live your life the way you decide, not the way the world demands.

Welcome to the High Life.


Shadowrun: High Life is an ongoing Shadowrun, Fifth Edition game. Currently, we are looking for two new players to replace players who have dropped out, to round out a team of five players. IC, the team is currently lacking a decker and a rigger, so those concepts would be very welcome. If this post gets a lot of responses, I'll choose new players based on the appeal of their character concepts and IC and OOC compatability with the current team, rather than any kind of first-come, first-served basis. Character creation is using a modified version of the High Life rules from page 350 of the Shadowrun Fifth Edition core book, although I'm not interested in seeing sheets just yet.

Feel free to ask questions and post potential concepts here if you're interested!

UPDATE: New concept submissions are now closed! The current players and I will look over the potential new players and make a decision in the next few days.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Sain

More specifically we are leaning a bit heavily towards magic/melee side right now :P With one mage one mystic adept melee and one mostly melee monowhipper. We have only female characters, but (I think) everyone is playing theirs bi so that is no problem for those who want to make more girl runners.

These are the active characters

PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

MissFire

This is a shame. I love Shadowrun, played all the PC games, but don't know anything about the pen and paper rules. Best of luck to you all!
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

TheVillain

Had an idea!


NAME: Heian Nailo AKA "The Augur"
RACE: Elf (UCAS)
HAIR: Blond
EYES: Milky
HEIGHT: 5'4"
WEIGHT: 140lbs

ARCHETYPE: Decker

DESCRIPTION: Either a living proof of elven grace or a living disproof depending on how you consider the fact that he's blind. He can still move pretty well, though with the inbuilt sonar that's not to hard. Milky eyed he does joke about this as an excuse to dress with a slacker vibe, hawaiian shirts and sandals when he can get away with it. A bit brash and showy, like the decker stereotypes play anyway.

BACKGROUND: I sometimes wish everyone could see as I see. The surface of things is something you are all stuck in, the Awake can add new surfaces which is keen but I see below surfaces. I see in the cracks created by the system they made and the smaller systems we all made. I have too, or I'm in the dark completely. My real name doesn't matter, I am the Augur.

Elves like to sell themselves as graceful and charismatic, but then I came along. Neurologists will tell you that your eyes and your brain, especially the occipital lobe are so deeply interconnected that some of them just flat out consider your eyes to be a part of your brain. I rolled snake eyes on my DNA in that regard, I have a genetic disorder that killed most of the nerve tissue in my optic nerves and chunks of my occipital lobe. Maybe I could of ended up normal if my parents could of afforded the gene therapy when I was still in the womb but by the time they could afford the procedure I was almost a teenager and it was just damage control. As a result I've not only been blind my whole life but my brain developed without learning how to process visual data. Even if I do get the hardware fixed, I don't have the software to run it.

That's alright though. The brain can rework itself if it tries early enough. Mine did, in ways that nobody expected until much later. There isn't anything really left for the genuinely blind, since 99 out of a 100 times you can fix the problem with some quick cybernetics. When even the most expensive market bioware would only half fix things at best there's really not a whole lot they can do and I certainly can't afford the good bioware. I grew up in the dark, relying on whatever my parents could clip together to find out my world - until they found the braille adapter for a basic 'trix link. It was the first time I ever came across somethixng that I could control, but only if I did everything right. When I did something wrong, which happened a lot, I had nobody to blame for myself.

Actually, I got pretty good at it. A blind programmer can't really get a legit job because most HR departments just see a drain on the health plan but I could do a few favors for my parents, then some family members, then some friends - and soon some 'Runners started asking a question or two. Granted, very minor stuff even by runner standards but just the whole idea that there was an under layer to society was enough. The idea that if I got good enough I could be in that world was enough.

After my first official job I got my head chromed to work the data around me better and to function better. I still can't really see physically but I can make up for it in other ways. In a way, I can sort of see using data streams now. I picked up some drone knowledge and started seeing that way too - through my Drone-Doberman's Scanners. Handy for weapons too. And with the improved decking I picked up its really incredible the kind of things I've hacked open. Information's natural inclination is to spread, and I'm good at liberating it. Augur, as in like the seers of old. The Augur, who sees all - for a price of course.
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

HopeFox

Quote from: MissFire on December 25, 2015, 10:48:00 AM
This is a shame. I love Shadowrun, played all the PC games, but don't know anything about the pen and paper rules. Best of luck to you all!

If you're willing to give it a shot, we'd be happy to help you get the hang of the tabletop rules. I take care of most of the mechanical calculations anyway. If there's a particular type of character you'd like to play (street samurai, adept, face, rigger etc.), we could definitely help you get a character sheet sorted.

Quote from: TheVillain on December 25, 2015, 12:14:34 PM
Had an idea!


NAME: Heian Nailo AKA "The Augur"
RACE: Elf (UCAS)
HAIR: Blond
EYES: Milky
HEIGHT: 5'4"
WEIGHT: 140lbs

ARCHETYPE: Decker

He sounds cool! He is definitely under consideration.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Sain

He looks pretty cool, but what makes him a high tier runner? Will Heian be able to put on an Armante suit to be allowed into the right circles :P
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

TheVillain

As I picture it, it's all in the interface customizations. Since very few people are genuinely blind anymore computers are programmed with sighted people in mind. If you go hot and hop into corporate servers you see virtual red filing cabinets and moats with dragons and all that jazz.

But Augur's brain doesn't work that way, he's had to customize his interface to create workarounds to his other senses just to function. As almost a side effect this means he perceives the 'trix and all that accompanies it differently. Sometimes this goes as far as to mean that weaknesses in other people's and Corp programs that are normally hidden are to him plain as day.

He doesn't see the meat world, but he can "see" AR and VR to a deeper level, right past the first few layers of code.

At least that's the story fluff for it. :P
My O/O's / My A/A's / My Ideas
Update - Apologies to all my partners, real life is exploding and I've gotten far behind.

MissFire

Quote from: HopeFox on December 26, 2015, 03:20:25 AM
If you're willing to give it a shot, we'd be happy to help you get the hang of the tabletop rules. I take care of most of the mechanical calculations anyway. If there's a particular type of character you'd like to play (street samurai, adept, face, rigger etc.), we could definitely help you get a character sheet sorted.

I already have a face/rigger character ready, but nah, since you're already running I would just slow you down. I appreciate the offer though.
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

TheRaven

#8
A concept! With the potential to also grab some Decking skills on the side. Maybe. At the moment I'm leaning more towards having some Adept infiltration abilities on the side.




Alfie Fairchild, a.k.a. Edmund Yates, Boniface Bellamy, "Janus"

Are you familiar with the concept of original sin? The idea that humans are eternally cursed as guilty the moment they've been born? Well, what about original SIN? It might as well be the same thing in the Shadows, especially with a corp SIN.

That's why I like to collect SINs: so no one finds my original one, especially the people I Run with. I'm partial to pride, lust, and greed myself, but when I'm playing nice with corporations, I'm Edmund; when I'm doing other things out and about, I'm Boniface.

Runners call me "Janus;" they're right about that one, more than they might care to know. Or that I like for that matter, but you don't pick your nicknames. Well, I was "Babyface Brit" when I was working in Berlin, but those aren't days I like remembering. I had to do a lot of things to survive outside of corporate reach in East Berlin. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Alfie. That boy worked for Transys. He was good; very good. He was climbing the corporate ladder. He had a shot at the big leagues. And then his competitor let slip to his boss that he was slipping it to a secretary from Renraku. Of course, the fact that he was using her for information wasn't something that the competitor was willing to share.

So, thrown out into the cold and unforgiving wasteland of the Edinburgh barrens, Alfie did what he did best: lie, swindle, self-promote, and negotiate. Why? Well, first it was for survival. Then it was for profit. Then it was to stay on the way up. He was climbing a ladder again, but this time it wasn't corporate: it was Shadowy.

Now he (which is me, yes) is living the high life: still being paid to do what he does best, but doing it both exorbitantly and in style. He's come a long way from his second origin, and he's more than willing to work to keep it that way.




Alfie's SINS are these:

Alfie Fairchild: His original SIN, first for Transys and now for NeoNET since their merger following the Matrix's second crash. Between paying for his return to the high life and paying for gear for more runs, he hasn't pulled together enough nuyen to pay someone with enough connections to delete this one. It's a Corporate SIN with a license as a magical adept. Alfie hasn't used his own name in connection to Shadowrunning, and he's hoping it stays that way. Alfie's native accent shines here, and it's pretty clear he's from Edinburgh.

Edmund Yates: The SIN he's broadcasting more often than not. Edmund's SIN is issued by the United Kingdom, and he has a flat in London in his name. Edmund's job history is that of a security consultant, someone hired by a corporation to test the security of one of their sites. However, he hasn't really worked that job in years; family inheritance set him up for life. A National SIN with licenses for a lot of Alfie's Shadowrunning gear that isn't outright illegal. Edmund speaks with with a Reserved Pronunciation accent.

Boniface Bellamy: A SIN for palling around with the rich and famous. Boniface's SIN was originally issued by the UK, but he moved to the UCAS in his mid-twenties. Boniface is an investor, primarily in trideo content, and he merits some invitations to fancy events this way. If there's legitimate business being done, it's often through this SIN. Another National SIN with the same licenses as Edmund. Speaks with a diluted Estuary English accent.
"Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are"
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
"Say 'Nevermore,'" said Shadow.
"Fuck you," said the raven.

Sain

PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

TheRaven

#10
I just realized I goofed my timeline somewhat. By my reckoning, Alfie would've been around 10 when the Flux State fell. Thought that was 2065 for some reason. Time for some fixing.

Quote from: Sain on December 27, 2015, 03:52:53 AM
He looks very teasable for Funf ;D

Alfie's prone to teasing himself. He knows he's pretty.
"Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are"
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
"Say 'Nevermore,'" said Shadow.
"Fuck you," said the raven.

Phaia

I was wondering if there is room yet for a concept/idea?

Phaia

HopeFox

Quote from: Phaia on December 28, 2015, 06:17:35 PM
I was wondering if there is room yet for a concept/idea?

Phaia

I'd certainly be interested to see what you have in mind! It's not first-come first-served. I'd be especially interested if you have a rigger concept to hand, although we'll consider anything.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Re Z L

I was kind of rattling around ideas in my head to piece together a Rigger, though I'm not super familiar with Shadowrun (the setting or the system).  I played once long long ago.
A&A

Videospirit

If it was 4e I could have made a Technomancer Drone specialist easily enough. I have never looked at fifth edition's rules though, and I'm not sure I want to do that for a slot that's not guaranteed. Shadowrun character generation is a very long and detailed process.

Phaia

Quote from: HopeFox on December 28, 2015, 06:45:29 PM
I'd certainly be interested to see what you have in mind! It's not first-come first-served. I'd be especially interested if you have a rigger concept to hand, although we'll consider anything.


hmm, not really ... I had a concept for an elf technomancer/concert violinist new to the Aztlan orchestra. I had considered a submerance to get mind over machine [equal to a RCC1] but honestly 30 karma didnt work with the concept I was trying to build [espeacilly not being able to take neg qaulities to make up some of that big expense]...I could, I guess change her up some to work in a technorigger. but with 5e technos work much better as a weird out there class.



Phaia

HopeFox

Quote from: Phaia on December 28, 2015, 07:44:26 PM

hmm, not really ... I had a concept for an elf technomancer/concert violinist new to the Aztlan orchestra. I had considered a submerance to get mind over machine [equal to a RCC1] but honestly 30 karma didnt work with the concept I was trying to build [espeacilly not being able to take neg qaulities to make up some of that big expense]...I could, I guess change her up some to work in a technorigger. but with 5e technos work much better as a weird out there class.



Phaia

You'd probably be able to get a technorigger to work pretty well. Submersion is only 13 Karma for the first grade, and if someone else is making a decker, you wouldn't need to worry about hacking skills so much, and could concentrate on vehicle stuff. High Life character creation is pretty generous with stats and stuff. I'm sure we could make it work. The concert violinist angle sounds interesting.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

HopeFox

Quote from: Re Z L on December 28, 2015, 07:21:35 PM
I was kind of rattling around ideas in my head to piece together a Rigger, though I'm not super familiar with Shadowrun (the setting or the system).  I played once long long ago.

Quote from: Videospirit on December 28, 2015, 07:27:38 PM
If it was 4e I could have made a Technomancer Drone specialist easily enough. I have never looked at fifth edition's rules though, and I'm not sure I want to do that for a slot that's not guaranteed. Shadowrun character generation is a very long and detailed process.

You're both welcome to submit a concept! You wouldn't need to worry about getting the numbers right until the decision was made.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Phaia

Quote from: HopeFox on December 28, 2015, 08:26:11 PM
You'd probably be able to get a technorigger to work pretty well. Submersion is only 13 Karma for the first grade, and if someone else is making a decker, you wouldn't need to worry about hacking skills so much, and could concentrate on vehicle stuff. High Life character creation is pretty generous with stats and stuff. I'm sure we could make it work. The concert violinist angle sounds interesting.

13 karma? where does that come from? On page 257 of 5e it says 'Each Grade has a karma cost eqaul to 10 X [Gradex3] Karma.' By my figureing that is 30 karma?

I hope there is errata to change that?

Phaia

HopeFox

Quote from: Phaia on December 28, 2015, 08:39:01 PM
13 karma? where does that come from? On page 257 of 5e it says 'Each Grade has a karma cost eqaul to 10 X [Gradex3] Karma.' By my figureing that is 30 karma?

I hope there is errata to change that?

Phaia

Huh, I never noticed that! There's no errata about it, but it's clearly a typo: it should be "10 + (Grade x 3) Karma", the same as Initiation for magicians. That's certainly how I'm running it.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Phaia

Quote from: HopeFox on December 28, 2015, 09:07:19 PM
Huh, I never noticed that! There's no errata about it, but it's clearly a typo: it should be "10 + (Grade x 3) Karma", the same as Initiation for magicians. That's certainly how I'm running it.

;D ;D ;D ;D

I checked the errata about it and no where has it been changed. 10+ was 4e and being 30karma for a submernace was the killer for my concpet of a technorigger! Now I have to decide if a 'RCC 1 or 2 is better [16 karma for 2nd submerance which does give her an 8 resonance ...hmmmm....hmmmmm??]

Thanks for the update I will work up a better concept for Phryne...

As for concert voilinist its her cover and she will probally have perfromance of an 8 with a special in violin [which would make her per the rules one of the best in the world and why Aztlan might want her]. Of course being a techno in the heart of an area that would love to crack open her head to see how she works adds some spice.

Is there any such things  as a fine crafted musical intrustment and if so do they add anything?

Also could she have registered a higher level sprite then allowed. limited to resonacne level yet she could compile one at 2x level. Also to be clear transhuman quality is 10 karma and gives a 'free' essense that can be used to cyberware?

Phaia

HopeFox

Quote from: Phaia on December 28, 2015, 09:25:24 PM
;D ;D ;D ;D

I checked the errata about it and no where has it been changed. 10+ was 4e and being 30karma for a submernace was the killer for my concpet of a technorigger! Now I have to decide if a 'RCC 1 or 2 is better [16 karma for 2nd submerance which does give her an 8 resonance ...hmmmm....hmmmmm??]

Well, the higher the control rig rating, the more ridiculous stunts you can do in your vehicles. :) (You don't actually get more Resonance for submerging, though - it raises your maximum Resonance, but you would still need to raise it with Karma.)

Quote
Thanks for the update I will work up a better concept for Phryne...

As for concert voilinist its her cover and she will probally have perfromance of an 8 with a special in violin [which would make her per the rules one of the best in the world and why Aztlan might want her]. Of course being a techno in the heart of an area that would love to crack open her head to see how she works adds some spice.

Interesting! Concert violinist by day, techno-rigger by night? I like it!

QuoteIs there any such things  as a fine crafted musical intrustment and if so do they add anything?

Well, 500 nuyen gets you a "nice" musical instrument, according to Run Faster. Paying more than that might get you +1 Social Limit for your performances. There are also "smart instruments" which provide bonuses almost identically to a smartgun.

QuoteAlso could she have registered a higher level sprite then allowed. limited to resonacne level yet she could compile one at 2x level. Also to be clear transhuman quality is 10 karma and gives a 'free' essense that can be used to cyberware?

Phaia

Well, you can compile and register a sprite at up to double your Resonance, but you take Physical Fading by doing so. Registering a Level 7 sprite means taking 2P Fading for each hit it rolls on 14 dice, so it's very risky. You can also buy sprite services for 1 Karma each at character creation, from sprites of Level equal to your Resonance.

Prototype Transhuman costs 10 Karma and allows you to purchase up to 1 Essence worth of bioware or genetech (not cyberware) without losing any Essence.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Videospirit

If i'm just throwing out a character concept here's one:

The child of a rich man who got radicalized by the injustice in the world and built up strong connections with neo-communist organizations while getting high and partying with their college buddies.

Could be either a decker or Face, and could also be an adept.

Re Z L

Here's a vague outline for a character:

Family History unknown currently (Org Crime?)
Go-Ganger during early youth (begins Rigging experience)
Go-Gang assault accidentally targets small group of Runners (Oops)
Gang gets mostly scattered, due to skill doesn't get immediately killed
Runners point character in direction of Shadowrunning
Falls in with a team of Runners
Goes on for a few years, gets pretty good
One new job goes south in a bad way
Team gets wiped, unintended target gets killed in the fight (Corp Engineer/Scientist?  Maybe "freelance" engineer)
Character takes the place of the unintended target (gaining access to their resources, and taking over their SIN)
Takes a few years off running to settle into new persona, eventually "gets the itch" and gets back into the game

Metatype...I'm thinking either Human or Elf.

Character
Icon
A&A

TheRaven

Set up Alfie's SINs more in-depth just for fun because I have to be up to catch a train.
"Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are"
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
"Say 'Nevermore,'" said Shadow.
"Fuck you," said the raven.

Phaia



Name: Demoiselle Phryne Townsend
Race: Elf
SIN: Tir Tairngrie
Shadow Alias: Eidolon
Build: Slender, 5'8" 130 pounds, 34-22-34
Features: Pale yellow hair and grey [almost silver] colored eyes



...~from the private blog of Eidolon~
...I am still not sure exactly why 'jukebox' wanted me to write this up. He can be very weird and difficult at times but he gets that flashy lights thing going and those sad country songs playing and it is just damn hard to say no... so here it goes. I am from a family steeped in magic from the very days of the 'awakening'. Some that have become well known in various circles. Misttalker the shaman and White Raven I am sure many have heard of and then there is Black Squirrel. No I do not know where 'Squirrel' is at and if I did I would turn his ass in for the bounty.
I grew up surrounded by magic. Spirits in my bedroom at odd hours, magic dancing along the walls and weird smells and sounds echoing though our big old clan estate. That may sound like fun and it was for my siblings and cousins yet for me there was nothing. I could not summon a single tiny spirit nor grasp the slightest magic. My talent seemed to be with music and the computer both of which I lost myself in. If I had payed better attention I may have noticed odd things happened when I was online and linked in with my 'trods'. It happened in '64 with the CRASH 2.0. I had been running the matrix as best I could at the age of 14 with what I had and ...well for now I will save for another time what happened. Needless to say I was in a coma for a week. Funny thing is my family knew I had changed before I did. They used everything they could and saw my astral self shift and change. That was when they realized I to had magic just of a much different sort.
I kept up my violin while I explored my new abilities, only my close family knew what I had become. When I was 18 when they arranged for me to be in an Orchestra  as well as keep tabs on the corps in the Emerald City. So I went off to Seattle and joined their orchestra. Slowly worming my way into various corps I arranged quiet transfers of nu-yen and other things and earned a street rep for my ability to run silent like a ghost...hence the name 'Eidolon' which means spirit.
As good as VR can be and as good as I am in it I feel that it cannot catch the true nuances of music which is why I love to play and sing. At times I swear I can feel the vibrations of my music echoing within the matrix. So it was with some surprise that Aztlan offered me a spot in their Orchestra. Though in a way it is step down to be second chair Violin. They are far and away better then Seattle and maybe one of the top 5 in the world. My concerns are walking into the heart of Tenochtitlan and Aztechnology since the last I had heard one of my kind were still considered terrorists and could be killed on sight. Worst would be getting caught and my brain cracked open to see how I worked.

Of course this adds a bit of spice to the whole thing and Jukey assures me ...he and the rest would help if it ever seems like my pretty head is about to be drilled open for a looky see...
Being a Technomancer can be such fun....




Contact: 'Jukebox'
Loyalty: 5
Connection: 10
Description: No one seems to be exactly sure who 'jukebox' is or even if he/it is a real flesh type being. He is found only in the Matrix, in a hidey hole country bar sim in the Nashville area and always appears as a big flashy jukebox. The whole bar is hidden by a Resonance Veil and one has to know where to go to find it or have found their way there. Eidolon chased a wandering sprite to the place when she was 17. There has at times been 1 or 2 others there when she has visited and all were technomancers like herself. Jukebox seems to be clued into the all sorts of weird and hidden things in the Matrix. He does not really bother with the corps but if you need to find someone hiding in the matrix or some absurd source of knowledge he/it probally knows where to look. Jukebox also seems to know everything there is about technomancers. He seems to know all the complex forms, tricks for helping sprites, what fading feels like. Yet no one knows what he truly is.




okay this is the basic idea for Phryne

Phaia


Sain

She would make up for shadowrun not having a bard class :P You would have points for another high level contact like that it's basically cha*6 for this game (or *10 with friends in high places).
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

HopeFox

Phryne sounds pretty cool! I do like the idea of a technomancer from a highly magical family.

One point, though - Transhuman Prototype is something that takes place before a child is born. It involves tampering with the embryo's DNA in order to give them the bioware or genetech modifications as fundamental parts of their body, just like having lungs and a pancreas. I'm happy with Prototype Transhuman characters - we have one already - but they come from top secret research labs, not ordinary families.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Phaia

Quote from: HopeFox on December 29, 2015, 05:51:49 PM
Phryne sounds pretty cool! I do like the idea of a technomancer from a highly magical family.
I liked it as well and can make up stories about her child hood and have knowledge of magic most mundanes wont.

Quote from: HopeFox on December 29, 2015, 05:51:49 PM
One point, though - Transhuman Prototype is something that takes place before a child is born. It involves tampering with the embryo's DNA in order to give them the bioware or genetech modifications as fundamental parts of their body, just like having lungs and a pancreas. I'm happy with Prototype Transhuman characters - we have one already - but they come from top secret research labs, not ordinary families.

Hmmm...well how about this as a 'hook' Phryne has no idea that she came about from experimentation...was never told and could be why they family kept close eyes on her as a child. She believes the changes happened as part of her being in the matrix but she had already begun to manifest some of the tecnomancers gifts before that...the crash just 'pushed' the needed buttons.

Should I continue with character ctreation? I found your ooc page with the guide for creating.

I do hope you do not mind a strange contact like Jukebox? I made him so he could be a crazy powerful techno, a strange magic creature or even an AI.

Phaia

Phaia

I looked over things and realized I was trying for too much and not staying within a concept. So I will drop the 'Transhuman' and alter the text a bit. I plan on adding in 'Friends in high places' to account for jukebox and then add 2 more tasks to a sprite.

Works good just had to shift an attribute point or 2.

Phaia

Videospirit

Hmm, looks like remote control became more difficult in 5e. You don't get to replace your attribute for the test with the command program anymore.

Phaia

Quote from: Videospirit on December 30, 2015, 07:15:22 PM
Hmm, looks like remote control became more difficult in 5e. You don't get to replace your attribute for the test with the command program anymore.

I am more familair with SR3 then SR5 lots of changes to the techno that I am having to wade through and understand how they have changed. Very hard to make a reall good dronemancer now. Not impossible but you have to shift skills to make it really work and even with 46 SPs it looks weaker compared to other classes. Sprites help as i read them but now it seems a techno is more a support class then before. I am still reading things when I have the time and may shift to a full decker class.

Phaia

HopeFox

Quote from: Videospirit on December 30, 2015, 07:15:22 PM
Hmm, looks like remote control became more difficult in 5e. You don't get to replace your attribute for the test with the command program anymore.

Yes, the new Matrix is much more about the hacker's Attributes than about program ratings. Programs with ratings really only exist for vehicles and drones now, and for Agent programs on cyberdecks.

Oh, and because the rules are ambiguous on this front: the Control Device action uses Reaction for piloting vehicles, but Logic for Gunnery and anything else that would use Agility.

Quote from: Phaia on December 30, 2015, 07:45:55 PM
I am more familair with SR3 then SR5 lots of changes to the techno that I am having to wade through and understand how they have changed. Very hard to make a reall good dronemancer now. Not impossible but you have to shift skills to make it really work and even with 46 SPs it looks weaker compared to other classes. Sprites help as i read them but now it seems a techno is more a support class then before. I am still reading things when I have the time and may shift to a full decker class.

Yes, dronemancer doesn't work very well in 5E. A technomancer's Living Persona is built in such a way that it replaces a cyberdeck, and it does an alright job at that. It doesn't do a very good job of replacing a Rigger Command Console, especially since running multiple drones relies heavily on using the RCC's Sharing to run programs on all drones simultaneously, and technomancers can't even run programs at all. The other abilities of a technomancer - Complex Forms and sprites - are very Matrix-oriented, and have little application to drones or vehicles.

I think the Mind Over Machine echo is best for technomancers who want to operate one vehicle at a time, rather than lots of drones. Then they don't need Sharing, and can use a machine sprite to enhance that one vehicle.

In any event, go with whatever you like the look of best! A technomancer with some good vehicle skills and Mind Over Machine would make a decent rigger, and could also support the team's decker in the Matrix. A decker-technomancer tag team is a brutal combination.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Videospirit

Quote from: HopeFox on December 30, 2015, 11:27:28 PM
Yes, the new Matrix is much more about the hacker's Attributes than about program ratings. Programs with ratings really only exist for vehicles and drones now, and for Agent programs on cyberdecks.

Oh, and because the rules are ambiguous on this front: the Control Device action uses Reaction for piloting vehicles, but Logic for Gunnery and anything else that would use Agility.

Yes, dronemancer doesn't work very well in 5E. A technomancer's Living Persona is built in such a way that it replaces a cyberdeck, and it does an alright job at that. It doesn't do a very good job of replacing a Rigger Command Console, especially since running multiple drones relies heavily on using the RCC's Sharing to run programs on all drones simultaneously, and technomancers can't even run programs at all. The other abilities of a technomancer - Complex Forms and sprites - are very Matrix-oriented, and have little application to drones or vehicles.

I think the Mind Over Machine echo is best for technomancers who want to operate one vehicle at a time, rather than lots of drones. Then they don't need Sharing, and can use a machine sprite to enhance that one vehicle.

In any event, go with whatever you like the look of best! A technomancer with some good vehicle skills and Mind Over Machine would make a decent rigger, and could also support the team's decker in the Matrix. A decker-technomancer tag team is a brutal combination.

So Techno's can't have machine sprites pilot drones for them anymore?

HopeFox

Quote from: Videospirit on December 30, 2015, 11:33:30 PM
So Techno's can't have machine sprites pilot drones for them anymore?

A sprite could pilot a drone, I guess, but they don't have any of the Pilot skills like Pilot Groundcraft. A machine sprite could do a good job of "shepherding" a drone, though, using its powers to enhance the drone's maneuvers and prevent it from suffering accidents.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Re Z L



Name:  Marzena Naumann
Metatype:  Elf
SIN(s): 

  • High Life:  Sylvie Elisabet Harper
  • General Purpose:  Natalia Theissen
Shadow Alias:  Mouse
Build:  Slender and petite
Features:  White hair, light skin, and blue eyes
Role:  Rigger with a minor in Decking (The deck is rigged!)



Don't believe everything you read on the net, chummer.  Truth is stranger than fiction though, so here's a little story 'bout an ex-ganger what learned to run the shadows.  The Allied German States sure are a nice place to live, an even nicer place if you don't belong anywhere in particular.  In the wake of the Great Anarchist Experiment in Berlin a huge number of folks got pushed out the door without so much as a reach-around or by-your-leave.  Of course anarchists are an interesting bunch, you never can be too sure what might happen next.  You learn to adapt in one of two ways, either you figure out how to blend in or you make the world around you change the way you want it to.  For a mousey little elf girl blending in was the easier of the two options.  Path of least resistance and all that.  Of course blending in didn't necessarily mean going completely unnoticed.

Naturally gangs rose up from the dregs of the chaos, like a thin film of scum rising to the surface of a dirty pond.  Germany, being a long-time center of industry and engineering meant Go-Gangs were a natural fit.  It suited the young elf just fine, she tended to get along with machines a bit better than people anyway--uncharacteristically for a pixie.  The thrill of riding alongside some random Fred on his way to work and running him off the road was great.  Things got bloody sometimes, but the adrenaline rush was just the fix she loved.  Thrills aren't without their costs, though, and eventually the gang was about to bite off a little more than they could chew.

They ran afoul of a group of runners returning from a run.  Probably best that they were returning otherwise all kinds of hell would've broke loose.  When unstoppable bravado meets unmoveable blase then sparks are bound to fly until something gives way.  In this case the gang's bravado didn't really match up to the runner's firepower.  With most of the rest of the gang on the ground geeked or about to bleed out, the little mousey elf managed to quickly jury-rig together a mediocre projectile weapon from some random parts from one of their crashed cycles.  The weapon did little more than amuse the Troll that was lumbering over to her with a shotgun rested on his shoulder.  Amused as he was, and reasonably impressed by her tenacity and technical know-how (especially on the spot) he decided to "keep" her.  This meant that now the Troll had his own personal mechanic, along with anyone else from the Troll's team.  It was less thrilling, but the work was fun, and she even got some steady money.

Stories from the "front lines" eventually got her interested in the idea of running the shadows for herself.  She already knew she'd need gear so she was saving up every scrap of nuyen she could until she could get a deck, an RCC, and a Control Rig.  If it went beep, boop, vroom, or zoom she wanted to be the expert.  The matrix was always a little less interesting than the hardware in meatspace though, so that tended to fall by the way-side.  So she got into the running gig, and a mousey little elf with a handful of drones backing her up is sometimes just what you want to have looking out for you on a run.  She was pretty good, too, good enough to survive at least.

Her and her team were on a run, it was supposed to be a simple smash-and-grab operation that would pave the way for the rest of a run, but they ran afoul of some automated defenses which also alerted the local security team.  The facility was owned by a freelancing engineer that usually worked jobs for various corps that they could keep "off the books".  The fight was rough, but eventually she managed to get control over the defenses, but not until everyone else had already been geeked--her team and the engineer.  The security team was on its way still too so she didn't have much time to recover, or even escape.  When the odds suck and you've got no other options, then it's time to push all your chips onto the table.  She pretended to be the Engineer when the security finally showed up, and with everyone else dead there was no one there to argue the point.  It was a bluff that probably wouldn't have worked if the Engineer hadn't tried to work so anonymously--even the security team had never seen her before.  She felt a little sorry as the security cleaned up and got rid of the bodies of her old team, but they were dead and she was alive so best to make what she could out of a rotten run.

Now she was at the top, so to speak, with a workshop she might have only dreamed of having, and the creds to finance all kinds of stuff.  She still had some work to do hunting down the details she needed to fully take the place of her predecessor, but soon she'd be back to running, you can't deny that adrenaline addiction for too long after all.

So, chummer, that's the way of the Life, you either get geeked, claw your way to a mediocre life, kill a few people to achieve some kind of greatness, or trust to luck and eventually have something fall into your lap.  Course luck only gets you so far, still gotta have the skills to take advantage of your opportunities.

Til next time.

Stats

Priorities

  • A - Resources
  • A - Skills
  • A - Attributes
  • B - Metatype
  • E - Magic/Resonance

A&A

Videospirit

Are we allowing Beta and Deltaware at chargen?

HopeFox

I've changed the thread title and opening post so that it's closed to new applicants. We're going to take a look at the current expressions of interest and make a decision over the next few days (although it may take a bit longer if some of the existing players are still on holidays). I very much appreciate the work everyone has put into their concepts, and I'm sorry that we only have room for two new players! :(

Quote from: Videospirit on January 01, 2016, 02:50:45 PM
Are we allowing Beta and Deltaware at chargen?

Yes, betaware and deltaware are available at creation. The only limit is Availability 24 or less.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?

Re Z L

Quote from: HopeFox on January 01, 2016, 05:26:11 PM
I've changed the thread title and opening post so that it's closed to new applicants. We're going to take a look at the current expressions of interest and make a decision over the next few days (although it may take a bit longer if some of the existing players are still on holidays). I very much appreciate the work everyone has put into their concepts, and I'm sorry that we only have room for two new players! :(

Yes, betaware and deltaware are available at creation. The only limit is Availability 24 or less.

I'll have my bio up here in another 30 minutes or so.

And good luck to the other applicants   :-)
A&A

Videospirit

#39
I'm not doing a full bio as it would be influenced by build decisions, but here's the basic concept I'm going with in my head.

Qualities:
Transhuman Prototype + Astral Beacon
Trust fund high lifestyle + SINNER

Skills before karma:
8 Computer(Matrix Perception)
8 Hacking(Devices)
8 Leadership(Command)
8 Ettiquette(Corporate)
8 Pistols(Ruger Superwarhawk)
2 Software(Data Bombs)

Skill Group:
Stealth 8
Acting 2


Daddy is filthy rich with strong connections among Horizon, my character(Not committed to Male or Female or Human or Elf) got radicalized by the injustice in the world and built up strong connections with neo-communist organizations while getting high and partying with their college buddies. Doesn't have to work for a living, as his monthly allowance from Daddy is enough to survive on, and is mainly a shadowunrunner just for the fun of it. Was engineered from before birth with Tailored Pheromones and some gene treatments.

Role would be Adept Decker/Infiltration Specialist with some Face ability to help with Infiltration.

Could develop rigging potential later, but that stuff costs too much on top of everything else to start(Drones only need gunnery and 1 vehicle skill at minimum on top of what a decker already has, it's the Nuyen that's the killer).

Phaia

well gee nice to hear Re Z L has a rigger that helps me out a good bit since it makes it far easier to build and concept without haveing mind over matter [an extra registered sprite of lvl 6 is always nice to have]
I should have something more for Phryne later just finishing up football with the hubby and have the evening free

Phaia

Re Z L

Quote from: Phaia on January 01, 2016, 07:42:51 PM
well gee nice to hear Re Z L has a rigger that helps me out a good bit since it makes it far easier to build and concept without haveing mind over matter [an extra registered sprite of lvl 6 is always nice to have]
I should have something more for Phryne later just finishing up football with the hubby and have the evening free

Phaia

Happy to help!  :D
A&A

Videospirit

Congratulations to the characters who were chosen.

HopeFox

It was a tough call, but I've chosen the new players for the game, and they've all accepted the invitation. Thank you to everyone who submitted a concept - I very much appreciate the time you put into your ideas, and I'm sorry we don't have room for everyone who applied.
If you're such an iconoclast, where were you when we trashed Constantinople?