Factions are groups that a character can join and try to help gain power and intrique over the course of the game. An example might be a gang that they slowly level up from a group of street thugs to a large criminal syndicate.
Factions can have stats and skills just like characters, though they have different ones.
Their stats, or attributes, are as follows:
Personnel: A measure of the size of the faction in terms of members or employees.
Intelligence: A measure of the decision making capability of the faction
Resources: A measure of the gang's wealth and ability to locate specalized equipment.
Area: A measure of the gang's coverage area, can be as small as a building or a few blocks or as large as being a global organization.
Clout: The gang's political influence.
Strength: The gang's muscle or intimidation influence.
Magic: The gang's magical ability (the only score which can be a 0).
Their skills can be measured as follows:
Public Opinion: The gang's ability to garner public support.
Recruitment: The gang's ability to recruit new members or to increase it's intellgience score.
Income: The gang's ability to create income for itself or its members or to increase its resources.
Growth: The gang's ability to increase it's area.
Politics: The gang's ability to increase it's clout.
Brass: The gang's ability to increase it's strength.
The GM sets opening scores for the gang based on it's specifics. (The "gang" could be a lover lodge, which would have higher magic but less brass, or it could be street thugs with no magic but good brass.)
There are several ways to increase the power of a faction.
Money: Money, weapons, or other items donated to the faction can help increase it's income score. It needs $20,000 * (1 + current wealth bonus) to increase the income score by 1 point.
Karma: Players may spend karma on behalf of the gang. It can level up gang skills as if they were action skills (with no specalizations). So to increase politics from 3 to 4 it costs 8 karma.
Missions: Certainly at GM discresion, certain missions may increase skills or attributes on the part of the gang.
To increase attributes, the gang must make successful checks using their skills. They roll a skill check with a TN equal to the new attribute total they want. They need a number of successes equal to that attribute number to increase the attribute. (So to increase resources from 3 to 4, they roll an income check with a TN equal to 4 and must get 4 successes).
Gang Actions: A gang can attempt a number of actions each month equal to its intelligence score. Some actions include:
Create Income: The gang can attempt to create income for its members by rolling an income check TN 4. Each success gives $1000 to the top members (usually the PCs who helped set up the gang). They must split this. This can be done multiple times with multiple actions.
Find Goods: The gang can roll an open resources check. The number achieved indicates the largest availability item the gang can get for its members (the item must still be purchased at street price). Any month this is not done, the gang can not find any special equipment for the players.
Increase Attribute: The gang my roll a skill check to increase a linked attribute. (Like rolling income to increase wealth or recruitment to increase either personnel or intelligence). Each roll is 1 action regardless of success. This represents taking new members, taking over territory, etc.
Increase Magic: The gang must "initiate" to increase magic, which costs a karma point total equal to the initiation cost. If no PC wants to pay this, the gang can roll a resources check (DC 5+ new grade desired), and each success contributes 2 karma to the cost of group initiation with ordeal. This can be done to get from 0 to 1 magic. The gang does not gain metamagic feats.
Gang Advantages:
A gang can provide other services to players without using actions.
Group Initiation: A gang can provide groups to intiate with with a total available grade equal to the gang's magic rating.
Lifestyle: A gang can provide a free lifestyle to members based on its resources (1-2 = squatter, each 2 points raises a step).
Buy/Sell Equipment: The gang can purchase or sell equipment to/from players with no questions asked, though regular prices apply.
Bail out PCs: The gang can roll a clout check to try to bail PCs out of a tough spot. They can also try this with strength if the pcs are in trouble by a rival gang.
Provide Backup: A gang can roll a personnell check to try to bring in assistance to PCs. Special skills (decking, magic) are TN 8+ at GM call. Grunt help is TN 4, multiple successes mean more support.
Requisition: A gang can try a resources check with a TN = to the availability of the item you want to requisition, and provide it to you, so long as it's not expendable and they can reasonbly expect to have it returned. (Cars yes, poison and cyberware no).
Safehouses: When in a foreign city, the gang can make an area check against a TN 4 for same country different city, TN6 for different country same continent, TN 8 for different continent, TN 12 vs small island or remote areas. Success means there is a small safehouse available for the PCs to hide out in while out of town which is faction controlled. Multiple successes increase the level of the hideout using lifestyle levels. (6 = luxury!).
Find Work: The faction can make a public opinion check to try to find a job for a PC, number of successes = better job, and TN based on specifics set by GM.
Answer Questions: The gang can make a personnel check against a TN set by the GM related to the difficulty of the information. Each success means that gang members are able to supply information to the PCs relevant to the topic. The max TN the gang can even attempt is limited by its intelligence score.
While gangs can be expensive to maintain and support (both in terms of money and karma), they can be an excellent source of missions, and once you build them up they can really help you find better equipment and johnsons.
Showing posts with label contacts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contacts. Show all posts
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Your Little Black Book
With the discussion about contacts comes the obvious question: what kind of contacts should I have?
Well, from an RP perspective- whoever you like hanging out with! (And it doesn't hurt if they can help you out!) Here are just a few sample contacts you may wish to consider.
Doctor: Hopefully one who doensn't mind keeping things off the books. Dr. House would be a wonderful contact for that shadowrunner who needs stitching but not snitching!
Lawyer: Better Call Saul when you find yourself in legal trouble. Besides, who else knows how to launder money, fight drug charges, bug offices, locate people, and provide a front business, for just a hefty amount off the top?
Talismonger: Mages, you know you need those talismans: fetishes and foci! Plus, access to someone who works at a lodge (or circle) can get you buddies to initiate with!
Cop: While a lawyer gets you out of jail, a cop gets you out of tickets, can fake blood work, or do any number of things for you- if he likes you enough. He might also be willing to snag items from evidence- for a price. Get really friendly and he can make sure to keep an eye on your house for you while you're out.
Reporter: Need some spin, or just want to hear the latest scoop before everyone else does? April O'Neal is the person you need to see!
Ammunation: Need guns? No questions? Come down to the gun show and find a guy who can help you locate those hidden items on the streets. Why use your negotiation when you can use his, and for a modest price of the street index!
Decker: Of course you need matrix security. With all the hackers out there, your identity needs to be kept safe! And if you can't do it yourself, why not ask that kid down the street who's "good with computers"?
Corporate Employee: If you have a friend in every company, you've got a potentially open door, a "mugging" that grants you a uniform, and plenty of good info.
Fixer: Who else hooks you up with johnsons and sings your praises? If you were in D&D you'd go to the bard, here you find the fixer. Without him you have no new johnsons.
Driver: Whether he drives limos, cabs, or rents cars (even works at an impound lot) he can usually provide you with a car to drive around town (or maybe in a foreign town). Even better, he might find a driver to get you the hell out of there.
Fencer: Whether it's diamond, gold, or just used guns (even used cyberware!), there's a market for it, and the fencer can put the buyer with the seller. Just bring the goods!
Cyber-Surgeon: So you've bought that highly illegal piece of headware, have you? Who the hell is going to implant it in your skull without you having to worry that he leaves you unconscious and robs you, lets you die, or calls the police?
Well, from an RP perspective- whoever you like hanging out with! (And it doesn't hurt if they can help you out!) Here are just a few sample contacts you may wish to consider.
Doctor: Hopefully one who doensn't mind keeping things off the books. Dr. House would be a wonderful contact for that shadowrunner who needs stitching but not snitching!
Lawyer: Better Call Saul when you find yourself in legal trouble. Besides, who else knows how to launder money, fight drug charges, bug offices, locate people, and provide a front business, for just a hefty amount off the top?
Talismonger: Mages, you know you need those talismans: fetishes and foci! Plus, access to someone who works at a lodge (or circle) can get you buddies to initiate with!
Cop: While a lawyer gets you out of jail, a cop gets you out of tickets, can fake blood work, or do any number of things for you- if he likes you enough. He might also be willing to snag items from evidence- for a price. Get really friendly and he can make sure to keep an eye on your house for you while you're out.
Reporter: Need some spin, or just want to hear the latest scoop before everyone else does? April O'Neal is the person you need to see!
Ammunation: Need guns? No questions? Come down to the gun show and find a guy who can help you locate those hidden items on the streets. Why use your negotiation when you can use his, and for a modest price of the street index!
Decker: Of course you need matrix security. With all the hackers out there, your identity needs to be kept safe! And if you can't do it yourself, why not ask that kid down the street who's "good with computers"?
Corporate Employee: If you have a friend in every company, you've got a potentially open door, a "mugging" that grants you a uniform, and plenty of good info.
Fixer: Who else hooks you up with johnsons and sings your praises? If you were in D&D you'd go to the bard, here you find the fixer. Without him you have no new johnsons.
Driver: Whether he drives limos, cabs, or rents cars (even works at an impound lot) he can usually provide you with a car to drive around town (or maybe in a foreign town). Even better, he might find a driver to get you the hell out of there.
Fencer: Whether it's diamond, gold, or just used guns (even used cyberware!), there's a market for it, and the fencer can put the buyer with the seller. Just bring the goods!
Cyber-Surgeon: So you've bought that highly illegal piece of headware, have you? Who the hell is going to implant it in your skull without you having to worry that he leaves you unconscious and robs you, lets you die, or calls the police?
Contacts and Maintenance
Contacts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's the guy who sells you newspapers who sees what's happening at that Crip hangout across the street. Sometimes it's an Aztechnology cybersurgeon who likes you well enough to "accidentially" leave a door unlocked.
Contacts need maintenance. No one wants to be part of a one-sided friendship, especially when it's not one-sided in their favor. Higher level contacts require more in terms of maintenance.
Contact maintenance comes in 3 forms: Time, Money, and Favors.
Time: Just hanging out and bullshitting with your contacts can go a long way to keeping them as friends. Roll an ettiqute test with a TN of 6+the contact level (1,2, or 3) every month. No successes means you've failed to upkeep the contact. Each success provides 1 unit of contact maintenance. This time should generally be non-business related, such as going out to a club or bar, a sporting event, dinner, or watching TV, whatever.
Money: This might be combined with time, but it involves sending cards, attending sporting events together, christmas presents, flowers when the contat is sick, getting dinner together, and various other expendatures you make on the part of the contact. The shadowrun companion (I believe) gives monetary values for contact upkeep. Failure to pay means you've failed to upkeep the contact.
Favor: Just like you, your contact will occasionally call you with a favor. Sometimes this can be mundane (I need you to help me move!), sometimes it's more severe (I need you to hack into the LA police department and erase all my parking tickets), or for high level contacts, very severe (I need to you take my wife's friends out on the town, make sure they all get back safely, and by the way, the mafia may have a hit out on one of them). Generally speaking, refusing a failure is failure to upkeep the contact. Attempting a favor but failing may be considered upkeep or not as the situation warrants, and of course, accomplishing the favor is upkeeping the contact.
Failure: Failing to upkeep a contact will generally lower a contact's level. (Going from 3 to 2). A level 1 contact no longer considers you a friend and may stop taking your phone calls or helping you out.
Upgrading a Contact: A contact can be upgraded. This should generally be left up to the GM, but may include you helping the contact with a very difficult favor or spending lots of time and money towards hanging out with the contact, and usually requires some kind of etiquette or charisma check.
In game terms, this can simply mean writing a check and saying "during my down time I upkeep my contacts". Favors come up as the GM sees fit, and will probably come up about as often as the PCs request favors from the contact.
When a contact does a favor for you, the contact generally needs special upkeep. This may be in the form of a gift (money), spending time together, or a return favor. The new upkeep need not happen immediately but should be on par with the favor provided. (A guy who risks his job and being investigated by the police generally needs a big favor back, but a guy who sews you up with no questions asked could probably just do with tickets to the Nicks game).
Contacts need maintenance. No one wants to be part of a one-sided friendship, especially when it's not one-sided in their favor. Higher level contacts require more in terms of maintenance.
Contact maintenance comes in 3 forms: Time, Money, and Favors.
Time: Just hanging out and bullshitting with your contacts can go a long way to keeping them as friends. Roll an ettiqute test with a TN of 6+the contact level (1,2, or 3) every month. No successes means you've failed to upkeep the contact. Each success provides 1 unit of contact maintenance. This time should generally be non-business related, such as going out to a club or bar, a sporting event, dinner, or watching TV, whatever.
Money: This might be combined with time, but it involves sending cards, attending sporting events together, christmas presents, flowers when the contat is sick, getting dinner together, and various other expendatures you make on the part of the contact. The shadowrun companion (I believe) gives monetary values for contact upkeep. Failure to pay means you've failed to upkeep the contact.
Favor: Just like you, your contact will occasionally call you with a favor. Sometimes this can be mundane (I need you to help me move!), sometimes it's more severe (I need you to hack into the LA police department and erase all my parking tickets), or for high level contacts, very severe (I need to you take my wife's friends out on the town, make sure they all get back safely, and by the way, the mafia may have a hit out on one of them). Generally speaking, refusing a failure is failure to upkeep the contact. Attempting a favor but failing may be considered upkeep or not as the situation warrants, and of course, accomplishing the favor is upkeeping the contact.
Failure: Failing to upkeep a contact will generally lower a contact's level. (Going from 3 to 2). A level 1 contact no longer considers you a friend and may stop taking your phone calls or helping you out.
Upgrading a Contact: A contact can be upgraded. This should generally be left up to the GM, but may include you helping the contact with a very difficult favor or spending lots of time and money towards hanging out with the contact, and usually requires some kind of etiquette or charisma check.
In game terms, this can simply mean writing a check and saying "during my down time I upkeep my contacts". Favors come up as the GM sees fit, and will probably come up about as often as the PCs request favors from the contact.
When a contact does a favor for you, the contact generally needs special upkeep. This may be in the form of a gift (money), spending time together, or a return favor. The new upkeep need not happen immediately but should be on par with the favor provided. (A guy who risks his job and being investigated by the police generally needs a big favor back, but a guy who sews you up with no questions asked could probably just do with tickets to the Nicks game).
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