Monstrous Characters are combat beasts. They are the Jason Voorhes of their race. Through some mistake of genetics, they have become stronger, more resiliant, and very difficult to drop in combat. Of course, this tends to modify their intellect accordingly.
Monstrous Character (+15 build points as a metatype)
+2 body
+2 strength
-2 quickness, intelligence, charisma
-1 to running modifier.
Monstrous Characters ignore all wound penalty modifiers for any test.
Monstrous characters have tough skin, providing them free impact and ballistic armor ratings equal to 1/2 their body (round down)
They gain distinctive style flaw and stigma flaw. They get +2 TN penalty to all social skill rolls (except intimidate).
They are larger than others of their species.
They start with only intelligence *1 languages and knowledge skills.
They also choose one advantage:
- Regneration (based on essence)
- Immunity to normal weapons (based on essence)
- Take only 50% essence loss from cyberware and 50% bio index from bioware.
They also choose two disadvantages:
- Get +4 TN penalty when using ranged weapons
- Take a -4 penalty to reaction score
- Take -2 to any mental score (int, will, cha)
Monstrous characters make excelled combat brutes, especially with melee weapons. Monstrous trolls or minotaurs are rediculous. Of course, everyone distrusts them and looks at them with disgust. Still, if you want murder and mayhem, this might be the way for you.
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Outerplanar Races
Angels An angelic being appears as a humanoid figure, either male or female, with perfect skin and feathery wings. While there is debate as to whether these are actual celestial beings or just the result of goblinization has yet to be seen. The fact of the matter is that they can die, and they can be just as evil as anyone else, though unsurprisingly most do act kind and richeous (and many do favor christianity as a religion).
Mechanics:
+1 Body -1 Str
+2 Charisma +1 willpower
Angels have wings and can fly at their movement speed.
Immunity to normal weapons using their essence.
Bio rejection flaw. Allergy to iron (medium). Angels suffer double penalties for any background count due to negative emotions or toxic waste, etc, but not from strong postive emotions. Distinctive Features flaw. Innate spell: Heal.
Build Points: 25
DevilsDevils look quite different from angels, having long scaly tails in place of wings, and horns on their head and pointed teeth. Their skin is typically dark (usually some tint of red) and their eyes tend to have a red glow to them. As one might expect, devils do tend towards violence and "evil", though it is quite possible for there to be good ones, furthering the notion that this may be goblinization and not demonic beings on earth.
Mechanics
+3 body, Dermal Plating (+2 body)
+2 Strength +1 intelligence, +1 willpower, -3 charisma
Allergy to silver (medium). Devils suffer only half the background penalty (round down, so 5 = 2) for any background count due to negative emotion. Stigma flaw. Distinctive features flaw. Devils can use a horned attack (S+1)M or a bite attack (Str)L but not both. They may also lash with their tail (S-1)Lstun. They may not use their tail for fine motor manipulation. They suffer only 80% essence reduction from anything that affects essense (such as cyberware or essence drain attacks). They likewise suffer only 80% bio-index from bioware.
Build Points: 25
Doppleganger 
Not since shapeshifters has there been a creature more despised than the doppleganger, though many are simple creatures just trying to make their living in the world. They are born as gray skind hairless and almost featureless babies, and many are abandoned by their parents. Those that survive soon find that they can mimic the appearances of other people, even down to their fingerprints (but not DNA).
The capacity for fraud (and even that by their nature they fraud their appearance) disturbs and distresses others, and many dopplegangers hide their appearnace at all times.
They have a severe allergy of salt, which is how many people are able to tell dopplegangers from others.
Mechanics:
-1 Body, -1 Str, -1 Quickness
+1 Willpower, +1 Charisma
Shape mimic ability, the doppleganger can disguise himself as a complex action as another character. He looks identicle, and anyone familiar with the doppleganger can make a perception test opposed by the dopplegangers stealth(disguise) test to pierce the illusion, though the doppleganger gets a bonus to the roll equal to his charisma score. He can take the form of humans and metahumans but not animals or objects. He must have seen the character to impersonate (either in person or as a picture), and he may suffer penalties if working from memory (someone he met years ago).
Allergy: Salt (sever) Dopplegangers cannot accept cyberware or bioware at all. Regeneration (based on essence). If dopplegangers specalize in stealth(disguise) they use the better of charisma and quickness to determine the cost of raising the skill. Stigma flaw.
Build Points: 25
Cthulu-kin Though people with knowledge of 20th century role-playing games are quick to label these as Illithids, the more lovecraftian fan base has referred to these as the Cthulukin and the name has stuck.
Easily identified as a human with an octopus for a head, the eight tentacles are capable of object manipulation, though aren't themselves particularly strong. Unlike illithids, they don't eat brains, though they can do a mind-meld technique which emulates the memory probe spell. Being amongst the uglier races they tend to suffer the same racism as Trolls, and their illithid and cthulu appearance does nothing to speak for thier innocense, though they are probably just the result of goblinization (though most of the studied cases come from single mothers making it difficult to determine patronage).
Mechanics:
+2 intelligence, +2 willpower, -2 charisma
Innate Spell: Mind Reading. (they must grip a character's head with their tentacles to use this)
Tentacles: While they can grip things, tehy can't weild weapons or fire guns, though they can hold small objects (flashlights, tools) and some can learn to type with them. Distinctive features, stigma.
Build Points: 15
Fairy 
No one is quite sure where the fairys came from- perhaps they are just critters who have awakened to full sentience, perhaps they have been here all along and have "Come out of the Forests". In any case, fairies began entering into society sometime after Haley's Comet's second coming, and they've been met with all kinds of distrust, not because they're necessarily mischevious, but because they're small and often hard to take seriously. They are still afforded critter status and do not have rights, which may be justified since there is no documented case of a fairy being born to a human or metahuman (though plenty have made the claim!).
Mechanics:
Fairies are about 1' tall (the size of a barbie doll) and have wings like a butterfly, insect, or moth. They can fly at their quickness speed, but cannot run very quickly at all (they "run" at 1/4 quickness on foot). Their small size gives them a +2 bonus to stealth checks (except disguise) and a +2 TN bonus to being hit (essentially you have to make a called shot to hit them- so you cannot further "called shot" them for extra damage).
-2 Body, +3 quickness, +3 charisma, -3 strength.
A fairy cannot start with points spent towards resources (0 points- $5000). A fairy does not suffer bio-rejection, but cannot take most cyberware or bioware due primarily to the size- it's nigh impossible to find a skilled enough surgeon to implant things, much less cyberware parts of the correct size. Their size also gives them problems with equipment, armor, and anything else that requires carrying thigs. They make great mages, however. A fairy mage gets -.05 to their initiation costs, and when they initiate they may treat their own body as magic foci, using half their magic score as foci, with no need to bond or purchase the foci. These foci are reassinged during initiation only. They may share this ability with any mage they touch, either willingly or unwillingly, making them a target for mages looking for free foci. On top of this, a fairy starts with essence of 8 instead of 6, though this does nothing to their magic. Fairys have weak immune systems and suffer -1 body to tests to resist poisons, disease, and toxic effects. Fairy mages are always shamans and are never insect, blood, or toxic shamans.
Build Points: 25
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Clone Characters
With further development in biological research came the first animal and cellular clones. This made possible the field of bioware, and advanced cyberware (such as deltaware). When Kamino Corp cloned the first humans, it revolutionized bioware and cyberware development, but also opened the door to much debate as to the ethics of cloning people.
That didn't quite stop the research however...
Clone (+10 build points)
You are a clone of another type of race (besides robot). You may be made to look exactly like someone specific, or having been created as an entirely new person.
A clone, like any other race, has essence, edges/flaws, and can accept bioware and cyberware.
A clone differs in his cellular biology at some key levels.
Bio Index: A clone ignores bio-index. Basically, his entire body is bio index. As such, he can accept any amount of bioware without any stress concerns. He still must purchase the bioware, of course.
Racial Max: A clone is made with the best of the best: his racial max for all stats is considered 1 higher than base. These must still be bought with build points but are higher. They may also take the exceptional attribute and bonus attribtue edges for each attribute if they wish.
Mutations: Clones may be mutants, but their essence is considered 0 (thanks to bio index) for any ability which uses essence. Even the enhanced essence can't overcome this, and they cannot emulate magical skills or mimic. They can have immunity or thick skin. Mutant clones are of limited use. Clones die from HMVV and cannot be Otaku.
Cyberware: A clone is still limited with cyberware, but cyberware costs 90% of the essence it normally does (which can be further affected by certained edges and flaws, cyberware upgrades, and better surgical procedures).
Magic: A clone may not become a mage. Basically he has too much bio index and it overlaps any magical ability he might possess.
Age: A clone has the borrowed time flaw at no benefit. The cloning process is not completely perfected, and no one is sure how long the clone will last before his biological processes begin to break down. This may be years, this may be days. Also, a clone's body need not reflect his true age. He may age more slowly, appearing to be 12 when 30. Or he may age more quickly, appearing to be 40 when only being 10. He may also have varying aging, growing quickly to maturity, then slowing down or speeding back up again. Many clones are only 5-10 years old in practice, since that's how long the process has been developed.
Backgrounds: A clone, being young, usually has limited backgrounds, probably has no SIN (though might be identified as someone else if created as a copy), and many of their memories may have been magically or biologically implanted. Perhaps they only remember 5 years, perhaps it's all fake memories. Amnesia is common in clones.
That didn't quite stop the research however...
Clone (+10 build points)
You are a clone of another type of race (besides robot). You may be made to look exactly like someone specific, or having been created as an entirely new person.
A clone, like any other race, has essence, edges/flaws, and can accept bioware and cyberware.
A clone differs in his cellular biology at some key levels.
Bio Index: A clone ignores bio-index. Basically, his entire body is bio index. As such, he can accept any amount of bioware without any stress concerns. He still must purchase the bioware, of course.
Racial Max: A clone is made with the best of the best: his racial max for all stats is considered 1 higher than base. These must still be bought with build points but are higher. They may also take the exceptional attribute and bonus attribtue edges for each attribute if they wish.
Mutations: Clones may be mutants, but their essence is considered 0 (thanks to bio index) for any ability which uses essence. Even the enhanced essence can't overcome this, and they cannot emulate magical skills or mimic. They can have immunity or thick skin. Mutant clones are of limited use. Clones die from HMVV and cannot be Otaku.
Cyberware: A clone is still limited with cyberware, but cyberware costs 90% of the essence it normally does (which can be further affected by certained edges and flaws, cyberware upgrades, and better surgical procedures).
Magic: A clone may not become a mage. Basically he has too much bio index and it overlaps any magical ability he might possess.
Age: A clone has the borrowed time flaw at no benefit. The cloning process is not completely perfected, and no one is sure how long the clone will last before his biological processes begin to break down. This may be years, this may be days. Also, a clone's body need not reflect his true age. He may age more slowly, appearing to be 12 when 30. Or he may age more quickly, appearing to be 40 when only being 10. He may also have varying aging, growing quickly to maturity, then slowing down or speeding back up again. Many clones are only 5-10 years old in practice, since that's how long the process has been developed.
Backgrounds: A clone, being young, usually has limited backgrounds, probably has no SIN (though might be identified as someone else if created as a copy), and many of their memories may have been magically or biologically implanted. Perhaps they only remember 5 years, perhaps it's all fake memories. Amnesia is common in clones.
Robot Characters
A robot character is a special form of artifical intelligence which has become self aware. It's a race to be chosen at character creation.
Robot (20 build points)
A robot generally has a humanoid structure, though this need not be the case. A robot is "upgraded" and "outfitted" with a variety of capabilities through spending money or build points on the robot's structure. Robots have several advantages and disadvantages.
No Essence: For good or ill, they're not alive. They have no essence score. As such they cannot be mages. They can, however, have all the cyberware they want, limited only by what may not realistically fit within their frame.
Non-Living: Not being alive, they need not eat, breathe, or drink. They do need to sleep, which represents going into a hybernation mode while their internal battery recharges. If destroyed they can be repaired, though this requires their body to be recovered and repairs to be made (see repairing, below). If repaired from a deadly physical wound, they must roll 1d6. On a roll of 1, their memory was damaged and they lose all AI (being effectively dead). If the head was especially damaged (or removed), a 1 or 2 on the 1d6 roll leaves them permanently dead.
Not being alive, the have no aura, no thoughts, and are immune to most non-physical spells. Their virtual intelligence allows them to make attempts to overcome physical spells (like illusions) like a normal character. They cannot have bioware.
Being non-living, they are also immune to stun damage, taking damage the same as objects or vehicles. They are also immune to poisons, gasses, disease (HMVV), etc. Likewise, they cannot benefit from stim patches, or healing spells. They do not recover from damage normally, they must be repaired.
SINless: They are not alive, and do not have any rights. Robots may be viewed as property when it comes to the law, and sometimes another shadowrunner might end up being blamed for the actions of his "property". Not having rights, they are just as likely to be shut down or destroyed if captured (or reprogrammed!).
Vulnerability to Rigging/Decking: A rigger may attempt to take control of a robot's body the same way as a mind control spell, using the robots intelligence to resist and using the rigger's ranks in pilot drone as the force. The threshold is half the robot's intelligence.
A decker may attempt to modifiy or read the memory of a robot like the modify/read memory spell in the same way, using computers ranks in place of the force of the spell. This requires being physically plugged into the robot, which usually means disabling it.
Repairing:Repairing a robot requires B/R mechanical skill. The base time is 1 hour per box to be repaired. (So if there are 10 boxes of damage, this takes 10 hours, even if only 3 end up being repaired) Roll a B/R mechanical test, TN = 1 + number of damage boxes (including overflow). Each success repairs 1 box of damage. This can be re-attempted for further time and healing.
Edges/Flaws: Certain edges and flaws cannot apply to robots at GM discresion.
Construction:
Robots build skill points and attributes the same as any other character. Their race is "robot" and they cannot be magicians. They may gain wealth resources normally which represents the amount of extra equipment that went into the robot. They cannot be mutant.
A robot can also purchase "robo-perks" with build points, described below:
Armor: A robot can spend 1 build points to gain 1 point of ballistic OR impact armor. Each is capped at the robot's body. He can spend 3 build points/point to instead have "hardened" versions of the armor.
Limbs: A robot is assumed to be bipedial, with 2 arms and 2 legs. He may also have:
Treads: Replaces feet, cannot be tripped, goes very slowly via stairs.
Propellors: Head propellors allow helicopter-like flight. Costs 10 BP.
Jet Pack: Allows very fast jet pack flight and hovering. Costs 20 BP. Very, very loud.
Additional Limbs: Each extra arm costs 5 BP, each extra leg costs 10 BP.
Wheels: Replaces feet, allows robot to move at car speeds on roads and other flat surfaces. Does not negotiate stairs. 10 BP.
Appearance: Base robots have a CHA of 1 and are obvious robots. Robots without extra limbs may appear as a human (male or female). 1 BP allows the appearance of a person and the ability to buy CHA. 5 BP allows the robot to "fully function" as a human would be expected to, and may be difficult to tell apart from humans (except via astral perception). Without appearance, robots have difficulty disguising themselves as humans (but as equipment...).
Skills: Robots purchase skills normally using build points.
Attributes: Robots buy attributes normally using build points. They have no racial maximum.
Size: Robots are assumed to be the same size as humans. They can be smaller, or larger. Each size category away from medium (use D&D terms) costs 1 point per category away, so:
Small/Large : 1 BP
Tiny/Huge: 3 BP (1 to go to small, 2 to go to tiny)
Robot PCs cannot be above huge or smaller than tiny. Large robots suffer penalties to stealth and disguise rolls as other characters do.
Improving Robots: Robots use karma to improve themselves like ordinary characters, with the following exceptions.
Attributes: Robots have no racial max or max attributes- they can always gain more intelligence or strength. They can benefit from Improved Cybernetic Attribute spells also, though the force of the spell must be at least 10 to affect them. (Also the essence of 0 makes the target number very high).
Skills: Robots can purchase skills normally with karma, but their attribute is irrelevant to skill cost- their skill always costs an amount of karma as if they had the lower initiative rating. Robots can use B/R mechanical to repair themselves, but the wound penalties apply to this roll, and it assumes they're "conscious".
Equipment: Robots can use weapons, armor, cyberware, and other equipment normally. They are not assumed to have "internal memory" for storing digital information (including recorded video) unless this is specially installed- all internal memory is used to run their systems and record "memories" for themselves in data format, which is not easily translated back into video. They perceive things normally and are not assumed to have photographic memory (though they can take that edge). They also may learn most skill tricks normally.
Karma Pool: Robots gain karma pool at 1 point every 25 points of good karma, lower than anyone else. Of course, it's hard for equipment to catch a break from the divine!
Jobs and Contacts: It's difficult for robots to maintain contacts and jobs, having no SIN and being regarded as property. Their contacts are generally assumed to be "forward thinking", though it is difficult for a robot to be taken seriously. Treat them as if they have stigma.
Electricity: Electricity attacks have +1 power against robots, and any which deals stun damage does physical damage to robots without a power reduction.
Lifestyles: A robot needs much less to survive- a power source and a place to "sleep". Lifestyle costs for robots are reduced by 20%. They cannot have better than a low lifestyle without GM approval (as robots don't buy houses and have no SIN). If lifestyle edges/flaws are used, feel free to remove living space and/or food from the cost association of lifestyles, but assume they need to live somewhere with reliable energy.
Karma Sharing: Robots earn karma as normal, but cannot share karma with spirits, mages, etc. (Perhaps it should be spelled Car-ma).
Hazards: Robots are generally water-proof, and can exist in most hot and cold temperatures without problems, however, any temperature that can cause actual damage to a human can also damage the robot's circuits and cause damage. A robot suffers wound modifiers as normal due to "malfunctioing" rather than pain. They are generally immune to mind effecting effects and fear (though they can express emotions, they don't necessarily "feel" them. Emotion for them is a logical process).
Robot (20 build points)
A robot generally has a humanoid structure, though this need not be the case. A robot is "upgraded" and "outfitted" with a variety of capabilities through spending money or build points on the robot's structure. Robots have several advantages and disadvantages.
No Essence: For good or ill, they're not alive. They have no essence score. As such they cannot be mages. They can, however, have all the cyberware they want, limited only by what may not realistically fit within their frame.
Non-Living: Not being alive, they need not eat, breathe, or drink. They do need to sleep, which represents going into a hybernation mode while their internal battery recharges. If destroyed they can be repaired, though this requires their body to be recovered and repairs to be made (see repairing, below). If repaired from a deadly physical wound, they must roll 1d6. On a roll of 1, their memory was damaged and they lose all AI (being effectively dead). If the head was especially damaged (or removed), a 1 or 2 on the 1d6 roll leaves them permanently dead.
Not being alive, the have no aura, no thoughts, and are immune to most non-physical spells. Their virtual intelligence allows them to make attempts to overcome physical spells (like illusions) like a normal character. They cannot have bioware.
Being non-living, they are also immune to stun damage, taking damage the same as objects or vehicles. They are also immune to poisons, gasses, disease (HMVV), etc. Likewise, they cannot benefit from stim patches, or healing spells. They do not recover from damage normally, they must be repaired.
SINless: They are not alive, and do not have any rights. Robots may be viewed as property when it comes to the law, and sometimes another shadowrunner might end up being blamed for the actions of his "property". Not having rights, they are just as likely to be shut down or destroyed if captured (or reprogrammed!).
Vulnerability to Rigging/Decking: A rigger may attempt to take control of a robot's body the same way as a mind control spell, using the robots intelligence to resist and using the rigger's ranks in pilot drone as the force. The threshold is half the robot's intelligence.
A decker may attempt to modifiy or read the memory of a robot like the modify/read memory spell in the same way, using computers ranks in place of the force of the spell. This requires being physically plugged into the robot, which usually means disabling it.
Repairing:Repairing a robot requires B/R mechanical skill. The base time is 1 hour per box to be repaired. (So if there are 10 boxes of damage, this takes 10 hours, even if only 3 end up being repaired) Roll a B/R mechanical test, TN = 1 + number of damage boxes (including overflow). Each success repairs 1 box of damage. This can be re-attempted for further time and healing.
Edges/Flaws: Certain edges and flaws cannot apply to robots at GM discresion.
Construction:
Robots build skill points and attributes the same as any other character. Their race is "robot" and they cannot be magicians. They may gain wealth resources normally which represents the amount of extra equipment that went into the robot. They cannot be mutant.
A robot can also purchase "robo-perks" with build points, described below:
Armor: A robot can spend 1 build points to gain 1 point of ballistic OR impact armor. Each is capped at the robot's body. He can spend 3 build points/point to instead have "hardened" versions of the armor.
Limbs: A robot is assumed to be bipedial, with 2 arms and 2 legs. He may also have:
Treads: Replaces feet, cannot be tripped, goes very slowly via stairs.
Propellors: Head propellors allow helicopter-like flight. Costs 10 BP.
Jet Pack: Allows very fast jet pack flight and hovering. Costs 20 BP. Very, very loud.
Additional Limbs: Each extra arm costs 5 BP, each extra leg costs 10 BP.
Wheels: Replaces feet, allows robot to move at car speeds on roads and other flat surfaces. Does not negotiate stairs. 10 BP.
Appearance: Base robots have a CHA of 1 and are obvious robots. Robots without extra limbs may appear as a human (male or female). 1 BP allows the appearance of a person and the ability to buy CHA. 5 BP allows the robot to "fully function" as a human would be expected to, and may be difficult to tell apart from humans (except via astral perception). Without appearance, robots have difficulty disguising themselves as humans (but as equipment...).
Skills: Robots purchase skills normally using build points.
Attributes: Robots buy attributes normally using build points. They have no racial maximum.
Size: Robots are assumed to be the same size as humans. They can be smaller, or larger. Each size category away from medium (use D&D terms) costs 1 point per category away, so:
Small/Large : 1 BP
Tiny/Huge: 3 BP (1 to go to small, 2 to go to tiny)
Robot PCs cannot be above huge or smaller than tiny. Large robots suffer penalties to stealth and disguise rolls as other characters do.
Improving Robots: Robots use karma to improve themselves like ordinary characters, with the following exceptions.
Attributes: Robots have no racial max or max attributes- they can always gain more intelligence or strength. They can benefit from Improved Cybernetic Attribute spells also, though the force of the spell must be at least 10 to affect them. (Also the essence of 0 makes the target number very high).
Skills: Robots can purchase skills normally with karma, but their attribute is irrelevant to skill cost- their skill always costs an amount of karma as if they had the lower initiative rating. Robots can use B/R mechanical to repair themselves, but the wound penalties apply to this roll, and it assumes they're "conscious".
Equipment: Robots can use weapons, armor, cyberware, and other equipment normally. They are not assumed to have "internal memory" for storing digital information (including recorded video) unless this is specially installed- all internal memory is used to run their systems and record "memories" for themselves in data format, which is not easily translated back into video. They perceive things normally and are not assumed to have photographic memory (though they can take that edge). They also may learn most skill tricks normally.
Karma Pool: Robots gain karma pool at 1 point every 25 points of good karma, lower than anyone else. Of course, it's hard for equipment to catch a break from the divine!
Jobs and Contacts: It's difficult for robots to maintain contacts and jobs, having no SIN and being regarded as property. Their contacts are generally assumed to be "forward thinking", though it is difficult for a robot to be taken seriously. Treat them as if they have stigma.
Electricity: Electricity attacks have +1 power against robots, and any which deals stun damage does physical damage to robots without a power reduction.
Lifestyles: A robot needs much less to survive- a power source and a place to "sleep". Lifestyle costs for robots are reduced by 20%. They cannot have better than a low lifestyle without GM approval (as robots don't buy houses and have no SIN). If lifestyle edges/flaws are used, feel free to remove living space and/or food from the cost association of lifestyles, but assume they need to live somewhere with reliable energy.
Karma Sharing: Robots earn karma as normal, but cannot share karma with spirits, mages, etc. (Perhaps it should be spelled Car-ma).
Hazards: Robots are generally water-proof, and can exist in most hot and cold temperatures without problems, however, any temperature that can cause actual damage to a human can also damage the robot's circuits and cause damage. A robot suffers wound modifiers as normal due to "malfunctioing" rather than pain. They are generally immune to mind effecting effects and fear (though they can express emotions, they don't necessarily "feel" them. Emotion for them is a logical process).
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mutant Characters
Supernatural Ability (Su): A spell that a character has innately. Such spells do not use sorcery dice, instead they use an ability score as the casting dice with no spell pool. They have no force, use essence in place of force for targets to resist (or if force limits successes, successes are not limited). Cannot be quickened, enhanced with foci, etc. They resist drain with willpower.
Body is used for healing spells. Intelligence is used for detection spells. Strength is used for combat spells. Willpower is used for manipulations. Charisma is used for illusions.
Mutant (25 build point cost)
Mutant is an archtype for characters to take. Mutants have some form of supernatural ability, critter power, or other mutation as described below. Mutants gain 25 Mutation points at character creation, which can be spent on mutant powers. Mutants don't initiate or gain new powers.
Aura: Mutants have a strange aura that looks almost awakened, but not quite. Similar to critters. Unless they are also an initiate mage with masking, they cannot hide this aura from the astral. Even if they have no "active" or useful powers, this aura is visible.
Cyberware/Bio Index: Mutants are able to gain cyberware and bioware, though the bio index and decreased essence decreases the usefulness of some powers. Bio index counts against essence for mutant powers the same as with magic. (So a mutant with 4 essence thanks to cyberware and 2 bio index with regeneration only regains 1 box pur turn instead of 2.)
Magic: Many mutant powers are considered magical in nature and are resisted as such. Likewise, mutant bonuses are magic- quickened spells overlap (do not stack) with them. So a mutant with increased body cannot benefit (as much) from an improved body spell.
Mutant powers are described below.
Supernatual Ability(20): Choose a spell, that spell is now a supernatural ability the mutant can cast at will. (See supernatural abilities, above)
Pure (5): The mutant has 1 more essence rating. This allows more cyberware or more powerful abilities.
Regeneration (15): The mutant can regenerate. Each round he regains 1 box of physical (not stun) for every 2 points of essence he has (round down). He does not regenerate from death.
Dual Natured (15): The mutant is dual natured, and percieves both the astral and physical planes at once. He cannot turn off this ability.
Magic Skill (10): The mutant can use a magic skill (not summoning or spellcasting), using his essence. This can be assensing (which requires astral perception or dual natured, or being a mage), banishing, dispelling, or any other magical skill. He chooses the skill when this is chosen. This can also be cleansing, centering, or other ones granted by metamagic techniques, though skills only available through metamagic cost an additional 5 mutant points. (Obviously invoking and conjuring are not available, as summoning is not. However, spell shielding is.)
Thick Skin (5): Every point of thick skin grants either 1 point of ballistic or impact armor. This stacks with itself.
Astral Perception (10): The mutant can astrally percieve, turning it on or off like a mage.
Magic Resistance (10): The mutant can use his essence as bonus dice to resist hostile magic spells targeting him.
Damage Resistance (10): The mutant can use his essence as bonus dice to resist normal weapons used against him. (But not magic weapons, spells, or spirit attacks, etc).
Technopath (20): The mutant can use his essence to oppose a computer or maglock or other tehnological device (not guns or bolt locks). He rolls dice to oppose the rating of the machine. If successful he can turn it on, turn it off, unlock it, etc. He cannot actively control it.
Improved Attribute (5): Every point boosts a physical or mental attribute, even above the starting max.
Skillful (5): Choose 1 skill the mutant is a savant at. The mutant always gains this skill as if it were below the relevant attribute.
Savant (10): Choose 1 skill. The mutant levels up the base skill at the cost of leveling it up as a specialization. He cannot specalize in aspects of it.
Quick (5): This can be taken up to 3 times, each time granting +1d6 initiative dice. This does not stack with magic.
Mimic (15): The mutant can attempt to use his essence to cast a spell or use a magical ability he has just witnessed. He can "store" the magical ability by "sustaining" it as if it were a sustained ability. The TN he gains from sustaining does not affect a check to use the ability, and does not apply while the ability is being used (such as if he mimiced astral projection, he does not take the sustained penalty while astrally projecting). He may not use foci to sustain the ability, nore may he sustain more than one ability. To copy an ability, he rolls essence opposed by the force of the ability (or magic of the user if the ability has no force, such as astral projection). The original owner need not resist this if he decides not to.
Immunity (5/20): The mutant is immune to one drug, poison, disease, or similar effect. For 20 points he's immune to all drugs, poisons, and diseases.
Water Breathig (10): The mutant can breathe water as well as air. (This does not protect from deep water pressure).
Otaku (20): The mutant can connect to the matrix as if his head was a cyberdeck with a rating equal to his essence.
Telepathy (15): The mutant can send messages to other people telepathically. Such messages sound like speech in the mutant's voice (coming from no particular direction). It requires line of sight and has a max range of 5 meters * essence.
Telepathic Reciever (5): The mutant with telepathy can understand replies (making telepathy 2 way) and can make perception tests to overhear telepathic communication when either the sender or reciever is within 5 meters * essence. He need not take telepathy to take this, though it is of very limited use.
Senses (5): Each rank grants 1 sense: high frequency hearing, low frequency hearing, thermographic vision, ultarsound vision, improved scent, ultraviolet vision. These are similar to cyberware equivelants but they are natural.
Detection (10): Choose one material (guns, explosives, etc). You may make a perception test to notice if the given material is within Essence*5 meters. This pereption test does not reveal the location, distance, direction, etc, only whether or not the given material is within range, and the number of such materials (allowing you to discount you and your team's equipment).
Mutant Power Increase:
A mutant can attempt a process similar to initiation to increase his power. He spends a number of good karma equal to his (total essence+1)*2. He then makes an effective essence check against his new total essence. (Total essence = essence without counting penalties for cyberware or bioware, effective essence= current essence - bio index.). If successful the points are spent and he gains 1 point of essence, which improves his exisiting powers based on essence.
Supernatural abilities are increased by boosting stats. That can be done normally.
Mutant Mages:
While a mutant can be a mage, the increased essence and increased magic (from initiating) are totally seperate issues. A mutant must spend karma seperately to increase both.
Some mutant powers emulate mage abilities. Mages may use these mutant powers to gain metamagic they aren't otherwise capable of. (Such as an adept using mutant astral perception to gain psychomancy).
Techno Mutants:
While certainly it makes sense for mutants to preserve their essence for power levels, some mutants just have very high essence and use that to afford extra cyberware or bioware, beyond what any normal character can have. This is fine. If the mutant wishes to advance, however, it can be very difficult if he has only 1 die left of essence to try to hit a 13 or something.
HMVV:
Mutants react as their base race does to HMVV, so mutants with HMVV (thanks to their higher essence possibility) can be very powerful. (Of course, paying 50+ build points for a starting character before stats, and more for a mage leaves a very weak starting character).
Body is used for healing spells. Intelligence is used for detection spells. Strength is used for combat spells. Willpower is used for manipulations. Charisma is used for illusions.
Mutant (25 build point cost)
Mutant is an archtype for characters to take. Mutants have some form of supernatural ability, critter power, or other mutation as described below. Mutants gain 25 Mutation points at character creation, which can be spent on mutant powers. Mutants don't initiate or gain new powers.
Aura: Mutants have a strange aura that looks almost awakened, but not quite. Similar to critters. Unless they are also an initiate mage with masking, they cannot hide this aura from the astral. Even if they have no "active" or useful powers, this aura is visible.
Cyberware/Bio Index: Mutants are able to gain cyberware and bioware, though the bio index and decreased essence decreases the usefulness of some powers. Bio index counts against essence for mutant powers the same as with magic. (So a mutant with 4 essence thanks to cyberware and 2 bio index with regeneration only regains 1 box pur turn instead of 2.)
Magic: Many mutant powers are considered magical in nature and are resisted as such. Likewise, mutant bonuses are magic- quickened spells overlap (do not stack) with them. So a mutant with increased body cannot benefit (as much) from an improved body spell.
Mutant powers are described below.
Supernatual Ability(20): Choose a spell, that spell is now a supernatural ability the mutant can cast at will. (See supernatural abilities, above)
Pure (5): The mutant has 1 more essence rating. This allows more cyberware or more powerful abilities.
Regeneration (15): The mutant can regenerate. Each round he regains 1 box of physical (not stun) for every 2 points of essence he has (round down). He does not regenerate from death.
Dual Natured (15): The mutant is dual natured, and percieves both the astral and physical planes at once. He cannot turn off this ability.
Magic Skill (10): The mutant can use a magic skill (not summoning or spellcasting), using his essence. This can be assensing (which requires astral perception or dual natured, or being a mage), banishing, dispelling, or any other magical skill. He chooses the skill when this is chosen. This can also be cleansing, centering, or other ones granted by metamagic techniques, though skills only available through metamagic cost an additional 5 mutant points. (Obviously invoking and conjuring are not available, as summoning is not. However, spell shielding is.)
Thick Skin (5): Every point of thick skin grants either 1 point of ballistic or impact armor. This stacks with itself.
Astral Perception (10): The mutant can astrally percieve, turning it on or off like a mage.
Magic Resistance (10): The mutant can use his essence as bonus dice to resist hostile magic spells targeting him.
Damage Resistance (10): The mutant can use his essence as bonus dice to resist normal weapons used against him. (But not magic weapons, spells, or spirit attacks, etc).
Technopath (20): The mutant can use his essence to oppose a computer or maglock or other tehnological device (not guns or bolt locks). He rolls dice to oppose the rating of the machine. If successful he can turn it on, turn it off, unlock it, etc. He cannot actively control it.
Improved Attribute (5): Every point boosts a physical or mental attribute, even above the starting max.
Skillful (5): Choose 1 skill the mutant is a savant at. The mutant always gains this skill as if it were below the relevant attribute.
Savant (10): Choose 1 skill. The mutant levels up the base skill at the cost of leveling it up as a specialization. He cannot specalize in aspects of it.
Quick (5): This can be taken up to 3 times, each time granting +1d6 initiative dice. This does not stack with magic.
Mimic (15): The mutant can attempt to use his essence to cast a spell or use a magical ability he has just witnessed. He can "store" the magical ability by "sustaining" it as if it were a sustained ability. The TN he gains from sustaining does not affect a check to use the ability, and does not apply while the ability is being used (such as if he mimiced astral projection, he does not take the sustained penalty while astrally projecting). He may not use foci to sustain the ability, nore may he sustain more than one ability. To copy an ability, he rolls essence opposed by the force of the ability (or magic of the user if the ability has no force, such as astral projection). The original owner need not resist this if he decides not to.
Immunity (5/20): The mutant is immune to one drug, poison, disease, or similar effect. For 20 points he's immune to all drugs, poisons, and diseases.
Water Breathig (10): The mutant can breathe water as well as air. (This does not protect from deep water pressure).
Otaku (20): The mutant can connect to the matrix as if his head was a cyberdeck with a rating equal to his essence.
Telepathy (15): The mutant can send messages to other people telepathically. Such messages sound like speech in the mutant's voice (coming from no particular direction). It requires line of sight and has a max range of 5 meters * essence.
Telepathic Reciever (5): The mutant with telepathy can understand replies (making telepathy 2 way) and can make perception tests to overhear telepathic communication when either the sender or reciever is within 5 meters * essence. He need not take telepathy to take this, though it is of very limited use.
Senses (5): Each rank grants 1 sense: high frequency hearing, low frequency hearing, thermographic vision, ultarsound vision, improved scent, ultraviolet vision. These are similar to cyberware equivelants but they are natural.
Detection (10): Choose one material (guns, explosives, etc). You may make a perception test to notice if the given material is within Essence*5 meters. This pereption test does not reveal the location, distance, direction, etc, only whether or not the given material is within range, and the number of such materials (allowing you to discount you and your team's equipment).
Mutant Power Increase:
A mutant can attempt a process similar to initiation to increase his power. He spends a number of good karma equal to his (total essence+1)*2. He then makes an effective essence check against his new total essence. (Total essence = essence without counting penalties for cyberware or bioware, effective essence= current essence - bio index.). If successful the points are spent and he gains 1 point of essence, which improves his exisiting powers based on essence.
Supernatural abilities are increased by boosting stats. That can be done normally.
Mutant Mages:
While a mutant can be a mage, the increased essence and increased magic (from initiating) are totally seperate issues. A mutant must spend karma seperately to increase both.
Some mutant powers emulate mage abilities. Mages may use these mutant powers to gain metamagic they aren't otherwise capable of. (Such as an adept using mutant astral perception to gain psychomancy).
Techno Mutants:
While certainly it makes sense for mutants to preserve their essence for power levels, some mutants just have very high essence and use that to afford extra cyberware or bioware, beyond what any normal character can have. This is fine. If the mutant wishes to advance, however, it can be very difficult if he has only 1 die left of essence to try to hit a 13 or something.
HMVV:
Mutants react as their base race does to HMVV, so mutants with HMVV (thanks to their higher essence possibility) can be very powerful. (Of course, paying 50+ build points for a starting character before stats, and more for a mage leaves a very weak starting character).
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Alternate Races
Midget (-5) (Costs 5 less build points instead of 5 more!)
Little People suffer a great deal in the dystopian shadowrun world. They are much like humans (though technically a human variant), except about half as tall. As such, they get -1 to strength and body (including racial maximums), -1 to running multipliers, and they may be subject to racial stigma. Like other metahumans, they only gain karma pool every 20 points instead of every 10.
Their short stature does provide them with +1 die of stealth rolls involving hiding or sneaking. Being smaller, they may get situational penalties to disguise or certain tests that is problematic due to their height, but may get situational modifers to other circumstances where being small is a benefit (like being able to find better cover).
This is a subtype of any race, it's characterized by pale skin, freckles, and bright red or orange hair. Gingers suffer -1 charisma, mild allergy to sunlight (or increase the severity by 1 step if the race already has an allergy to sunlight), distinctive features, and a mild stigma. Unlike albinos, they suffer no visual acuity problems. Gingers suffer no difference to karma.
Unlike other racial modifiers, the penalty to charisma for gingers does not affect their maximums, meaning that this penalty can be offset by puchasing the charisma back. There are very few gingers (usually women) who manage to be attractive despite this genetic flaw. This is very rare.
Note: Some races have a negative build point cost, meaning they grant you more build points. Looking at the cost, these increased build points may be less than the sum of their flaws. Because it's a racial adjustment, this goes beyond any maximum refund due to flaws.
Animal Hybrid (+10) (subtype)
Not quite a shapeshifter, an animal hybrid is a shapeshifter who cannot change into human shape, or fully into animal shape, but is stuck in a form somewhere in between. Depending on the form, this may mean any number of abilities, but there are some in common to all. Such a hybrid is a subtype of a base metahuman race (such as a human or a troll)
All Animal Hybrids:
Racism- animal hybrids are considered critters, and may be treated as similar to shapeshifters for legal purposes.
Distinctive Appearance- A walking wolf stands out on city streets. They take a penalty to disguise rolls and are easier to find using gather information or tracing.
Empathy- A hybrid has +1 die to tests dealing with handling animals it is a hybrid of (such as turtles) and other hybrids of the same type.
Sample Hybrids:
Cat: A cat hybrid will have a tail (which cannot be used to attack or manipulate things). They may look like a bipedal cat, or have more humanoid features (a girl with a tail and wiskers who purrs). +1 quickness, high frequency hearing, +1 to balance checks, -1 to strength.
Turtle: A turtle hybrid will have a shell and look like a ninja turtle. Shell provides 3 impact, 2 ballistic armor. -1 to running modifiers. Gains water sprite edge twice for free. Sensitive system (harder to implant cyberware, especially bodyware due to shell). +3 body. -1 quickness.
Lobster: A lobster hybrid will look like Dr. Zoidberg. Hard skin provides 1 impact and 1 ballistic armor. Claw-hands make fine motor manipulation difficult if not impossible, but can attack as an edged weapon as if he had the killing hands adept power at rank 1 (though this is considered a normal weapon). If an adept, he gains killing hands rank 1 for free. (This does not decrease the cost of higher ranks). +1 body.
Dog/Wolf: A wolf looks like a werewolf and may be treated as such. Has high and low frequency hearing and enhanced smell. Has a claw attack (as though killing hands rank 1, still a normal weapon). +1 strength.
Little People suffer a great deal in the dystopian shadowrun world. They are much like humans (though technically a human variant), except about half as tall. As such, they get -1 to strength and body (including racial maximums), -1 to running multipliers, and they may be subject to racial stigma. Like other metahumans, they only gain karma pool every 20 points instead of every 10.
Their short stature does provide them with +1 die of stealth rolls involving hiding or sneaking. Being smaller, they may get situational penalties to disguise or certain tests that is problematic due to their height, but may get situational modifers to other circumstances where being small is a benefit (like being able to find better cover).
Albino (-5)
Humans with pale skin and red tints to their eyes. They're still technically human, but a slightly goblinized version of them. They have decreased karma pool (1 every 20 pts instead of 10), the stigma flaw, the distinctive features flaw, and a mild allergy to sunlight. They also have reduced visual acuity, giving them a +1 TN penalty with visual senses, basically the poor sense: visual flaw. They also suffer -1 to charisma.
This is a subtype of any race, it's characterized by pale skin, freckles, and bright red or orange hair. Gingers suffer -1 charisma, mild allergy to sunlight (or increase the severity by 1 step if the race already has an allergy to sunlight), distinctive features, and a mild stigma. Unlike albinos, they suffer no visual acuity problems. Gingers suffer no difference to karma.
Unlike other racial modifiers, the penalty to charisma for gingers does not affect their maximums, meaning that this penalty can be offset by puchasing the charisma back. There are very few gingers (usually women) who manage to be attractive despite this genetic flaw. This is very rare.
Note: Some races have a negative build point cost, meaning they grant you more build points. Looking at the cost, these increased build points may be less than the sum of their flaws. Because it's a racial adjustment, this goes beyond any maximum refund due to flaws.
Animal Hybrid (+10) (subtype)
Not quite a shapeshifter, an animal hybrid is a shapeshifter who cannot change into human shape, or fully into animal shape, but is stuck in a form somewhere in between. Depending on the form, this may mean any number of abilities, but there are some in common to all. Such a hybrid is a subtype of a base metahuman race (such as a human or a troll)
All Animal Hybrids:
Racism- animal hybrids are considered critters, and may be treated as similar to shapeshifters for legal purposes.
Distinctive Appearance- A walking wolf stands out on city streets. They take a penalty to disguise rolls and are easier to find using gather information or tracing.
Empathy- A hybrid has +1 die to tests dealing with handling animals it is a hybrid of (such as turtles) and other hybrids of the same type.
Sample Hybrids:
Cat: A cat hybrid will have a tail (which cannot be used to attack or manipulate things). They may look like a bipedal cat, or have more humanoid features (a girl with a tail and wiskers who purrs). +1 quickness, high frequency hearing, +1 to balance checks, -1 to strength.
Turtle: A turtle hybrid will have a shell and look like a ninja turtle. Shell provides 3 impact, 2 ballistic armor. -1 to running modifiers. Gains water sprite edge twice for free. Sensitive system (harder to implant cyberware, especially bodyware due to shell). +3 body. -1 quickness.
Lobster: A lobster hybrid will look like Dr. Zoidberg. Hard skin provides 1 impact and 1 ballistic armor. Claw-hands make fine motor manipulation difficult if not impossible, but can attack as an edged weapon as if he had the killing hands adept power at rank 1 (though this is considered a normal weapon). If an adept, he gains killing hands rank 1 for free. (This does not decrease the cost of higher ranks). +1 body.
Dog/Wolf: A wolf looks like a werewolf and may be treated as such. Has high and low frequency hearing and enhanced smell. Has a claw attack (as though killing hands rank 1, still a normal weapon). +1 strength.
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