Roller Skates (Ice Skates)
The basic model that fits on your feet- available in regular or inline varieties. (Ice skates are all the same of course). This allows you to travel at 2x your quickenss normally or 5x when running. This is "driven" usnig the athletics skill, and you may have to make athletics checks involving handling these at high speeds or during hazards, jumps, etc.
Scooters/Skateboards
A skateboard requires an athletics test to use, but allows you to go at 3x your quickness normally or 6x when "running". You must make an athletics (4) test to use regularly, (6) to "run" and may have to make extra checks to avoid hazards. The scooter works the same way except that you need not make athletics checks to keep your balance like you do on the skateboard.
Bicycle
Bicycle includes unicycles, tricicyles, two-person bicycles, etc. They are all used with the athletics (biking) skill. At normal usage "walking" it allows you to go 3x quickness, at full speed you can go at 10x your quickness (athletics tests may be used to increase this just as when running). Unicycles and tandem bikes mayhave more specalized tests. Nice in that they have no fuel, are usually able to be carried, are silent, and easily stowed, and don't require licensing (so its hard to trace to an owner).
Wheelchair
These allow "walking" movement at 1/2 quickness and running at 2x quickness (though hills can increase this). Athletics tests can compensate. Most buildings by law must accomodate these chairs.
Pogo-Stick
Requires athletics (6) tests to use, but these allow a walking speed of 2x quickness, are very light and easy to use. The test must be made every round or you fall off it.
Motorized Personal Vehicles (Requires the new skill Pilot: Personal Vehicles)
Motorized Scooters: Usually go between 20-30 MPH and have handlings of 6. Sometimes can fold down for easy stowing and has excellent gas milage.
Go-Kart: Small vehicle not allowed on most city roads and certainly not on expressways, but can hit speeds up to 40-50mph, usually fairly loud due to 2 cylendar engine, but can fit in the trunk of most full size vehicles. Defaulting to drive is only a +1 Modifier.
Segway: A small vehicle you stand on and lean on to pilot- requires both hands and has no storage space of any kind, and allows for speed up to 15 mph. Fairly manuverable (handling 3). It's easily stowed and hidden and fairly quiet. Some areas ban these on the streets.
Motorized Wheelchair: With top speeds of 10mph and some slight storage capacity, these are the way for the paraplegic to travel in style. Thanks to rigger upgrades some can even go as fast as cars (though the handling sucks) and even quadrapalegics can operate them with datalinks.
Rocket Skates: Able to hit speeds of 20mph, though piloting checks must be made for every turn (handling 6). Very difficult to stop in a hurry (without crashing), but very easy to take off and put on and very small.
Showing posts with label skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skills. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Special Techniques
Consequence Reading: (Requires Common Sense Edge)
A character can suggest to the GM a specific course of action and make an Intelligence (4) test. The GM should tell the player what a probable outcome of that action will be. Extra successes equal more detailed info.
Example: The player says "I want to set off a smoke bomb, escape using the fire escape slide, using my knife to cut it behind me so people can't follow me away". He rolls 3 successes on his intelligence test, so the GM says "People may assume there's a fire and try to escape using the slide, be unable to see that it's damaged and fall to their injury or death."
Conversation Trick:
Daffy: It's rabbit season
Bugs: Duck season
Daffy: Rabbit season
Bugs: Rabbit season
Daffy: Duck season!
A conversation trick can trick someone into either revealing something, changing their stated belief, or thinking or taling about a special topic. The player makes an etiquette test opposed by the targets intelligence. If the player is successful, the ploy succeeds, with multiple successes meaning greater success. If the player fails, the ploy fails. If the target gets more than 3 net successes, he detects the attempted ploy and may be bothered by it.
This can be used during mind reading to attempt to trick people into thinking about a given topic.
Example: The party wants to know the location of the target's diary. The player says "So I hear your brother was going through your diary." he makes the opposed test. If successful, the target's eyes dart to her bed quickly. Multiple successes may have her go check the bed immediately to see if the diary is disturbed, thus revealing the diary's location. 3 net successes from the target make her realize the player is trying to trick her into revealing the diary's location.
Cold Reading
This is used to determine things about a person and being able to predict things about them. After a few rounds of conversation with a person, make a knowledge:psychology check opposed by the target's intelligence. You gain can get from a -3 to +3 modifier on the roll depending on how familiar you already are with the target, and how familiar the target is with you. (If you've been spying on him for a week and he just met you, you gain +3 to your roll).
If successful, you can divine things about the target that were not explicitly revealed. (Hey, I bet he uses his daughter's name as his password!) Multiple successes reveal more detailed and relevant items. This can be combined with Holmsing (below)
Holmsing
This is the Sherlock Holmes technique of looking at someone and gaining rediculously detailed information about them. Make a perception test against a TN of 4 and an investigation roll. The perception roll is modified by a person's direct attempts to conceal things. The investigation TN is set by the GM based on the nature of the information gained.
Each success reveals something about the target, which may or may not be relevant. This can aid in cold reading (above).
Example: The player succeeds his perception test and thus gets to make his investigation roll. The GM sets the TN at 6 and the player gets 3 successes. He deduces that the grey dirt on the target's knees indicates he was recently on his knees in a dusty place- most likely Hope Church's graveyard, which has lots of gravel about and has had a poor time growing plants. This means he was likely kneeling at a grave. His left ring finger shows a small indentation which means he was recetly wearing a wedding ring. Perhaps he was kneeling at the grave of a deceased wife. His suit is new and shows little wear, meaning the death may be recent, or he may have recently come into some extra funds.
Grappling
Make an unarmed combat check against a target. If he doesn't dodge, he resists you with strength instead of body. If you have more successes you have grappled him and he is unable to move, draw weapons, etc. While grappling he must succeed at an opposed strength check to draw weapons, or aim firearms (even at you).
Tripping
Make an unarmed combat check against the target. If he doesn't dodge he can resist you with reaction. If he fails he drops prone.
Disarm
Make a melee weapon combat roll against the target, taking the penalty for called shot. If successful, the target resists you with strength. If you get more successes he drops something he was holding. If you are using unarmed combat and you get more than 2 net successes you may choose to be holding the item yourself.
Optic Advantage
You can attempt to make a perception test (TN set by GM) to attempt to use a window, glasses, cybereye, mirror, etc to see what's going on somewhere outside your direct field of view. (For example, reading a person's computer screen off the reflecton on his glasses). Such things should have very high TNs.
Do it Now!
You can attempt to use a negotiation test supplimented by intimidate (or etiquette) to convince someone to do something by creating a special scenario. Intimidate is used if the scenario is bullying, while etiquette is used if the scenario is just annoying. You might try to get past a guard by saying you need to go the bathroom really bad, or lure a guard from his post by telling him that you've run out of toilet paper.
Example: You attempt to get the border guard to stop from checking your ID by pulling out your purse and dropping it, causing all sorts of papers and card to go all over the floor of your car. You act all worried as you start trying to sort through the papers to find your ID. The guard, seeing all the cars piled up behind you, just sends you through, since you look like you're probably fine. In this case, you can use etiquette to suppliment your negotiations.
Example: You attempt to get into a club by demanding that you are the personal assistant to a celebrity who is supposed to appear at the club next week. You are overly demanding and want to make sure everything is perfect, because pop star divas like your client throw fits over everything. As the guard asks for ID and such, you throw fits, get on the phone and pretend to have a conversation, ask the guard for his name, until he starts to get worried and decides to let you pass. In this case, use intimidation to suppliment your negotiate.
Taunt/Distract
The player makes a charisma check opposed by the target's willpower, by shouting things at the target. The player can force the target to take a penalty to his willpower roll if he has specific information to shout at the target (such as if he knows the target's sister is a whore and he shouts about how he was the one who gaver her syphilus, etc).
If the player is successful, the target becomes enraged and "attacks" the player. In regular combat this means targeting the player. Outside of combat it may mean unarmed attacks, arresting the player, or throwing him out of the club, distracting him from other people. Each round (or until the target gets his point across) the target must re-make the willpower roll (with a +1 cumulative bonus each round) to break off of the player, though he may get further bonuses if he notices that this was a ruse. (During a distraction he may get penalties to his perception checks, however).
A character can suggest to the GM a specific course of action and make an Intelligence (4) test. The GM should tell the player what a probable outcome of that action will be. Extra successes equal more detailed info.
Example: The player says "I want to set off a smoke bomb, escape using the fire escape slide, using my knife to cut it behind me so people can't follow me away". He rolls 3 successes on his intelligence test, so the GM says "People may assume there's a fire and try to escape using the slide, be unable to see that it's damaged and fall to their injury or death."
Conversation Trick:
Daffy: It's rabbit season
Bugs: Duck season
Daffy: Rabbit season
Bugs: Rabbit season
Daffy: Duck season!
A conversation trick can trick someone into either revealing something, changing their stated belief, or thinking or taling about a special topic. The player makes an etiquette test opposed by the targets intelligence. If the player is successful, the ploy succeeds, with multiple successes meaning greater success. If the player fails, the ploy fails. If the target gets more than 3 net successes, he detects the attempted ploy and may be bothered by it.
This can be used during mind reading to attempt to trick people into thinking about a given topic.
Example: The party wants to know the location of the target's diary. The player says "So I hear your brother was going through your diary." he makes the opposed test. If successful, the target's eyes dart to her bed quickly. Multiple successes may have her go check the bed immediately to see if the diary is disturbed, thus revealing the diary's location. 3 net successes from the target make her realize the player is trying to trick her into revealing the diary's location.
Cold Reading
This is used to determine things about a person and being able to predict things about them. After a few rounds of conversation with a person, make a knowledge:psychology check opposed by the target's intelligence. You gain can get from a -3 to +3 modifier on the roll depending on how familiar you already are with the target, and how familiar the target is with you. (If you've been spying on him for a week and he just met you, you gain +3 to your roll).
If successful, you can divine things about the target that were not explicitly revealed. (Hey, I bet he uses his daughter's name as his password!) Multiple successes reveal more detailed and relevant items. This can be combined with Holmsing (below)
Holmsing
This is the Sherlock Holmes technique of looking at someone and gaining rediculously detailed information about them. Make a perception test against a TN of 4 and an investigation roll. The perception roll is modified by a person's direct attempts to conceal things. The investigation TN is set by the GM based on the nature of the information gained.
Each success reveals something about the target, which may or may not be relevant. This can aid in cold reading (above).
Example: The player succeeds his perception test and thus gets to make his investigation roll. The GM sets the TN at 6 and the player gets 3 successes. He deduces that the grey dirt on the target's knees indicates he was recently on his knees in a dusty place- most likely Hope Church's graveyard, which has lots of gravel about and has had a poor time growing plants. This means he was likely kneeling at a grave. His left ring finger shows a small indentation which means he was recetly wearing a wedding ring. Perhaps he was kneeling at the grave of a deceased wife. His suit is new and shows little wear, meaning the death may be recent, or he may have recently come into some extra funds.
Grappling
Make an unarmed combat check against a target. If he doesn't dodge, he resists you with strength instead of body. If you have more successes you have grappled him and he is unable to move, draw weapons, etc. While grappling he must succeed at an opposed strength check to draw weapons, or aim firearms (even at you).
Tripping
Make an unarmed combat check against the target. If he doesn't dodge he can resist you with reaction. If he fails he drops prone.
Disarm
Make a melee weapon combat roll against the target, taking the penalty for called shot. If successful, the target resists you with strength. If you get more successes he drops something he was holding. If you are using unarmed combat and you get more than 2 net successes you may choose to be holding the item yourself.
Optic Advantage
You can attempt to make a perception test (TN set by GM) to attempt to use a window, glasses, cybereye, mirror, etc to see what's going on somewhere outside your direct field of view. (For example, reading a person's computer screen off the reflecton on his glasses). Such things should have very high TNs.
Do it Now!
You can attempt to use a negotiation test supplimented by intimidate (or etiquette) to convince someone to do something by creating a special scenario. Intimidate is used if the scenario is bullying, while etiquette is used if the scenario is just annoying. You might try to get past a guard by saying you need to go the bathroom really bad, or lure a guard from his post by telling him that you've run out of toilet paper.
Example: You attempt to get the border guard to stop from checking your ID by pulling out your purse and dropping it, causing all sorts of papers and card to go all over the floor of your car. You act all worried as you start trying to sort through the papers to find your ID. The guard, seeing all the cars piled up behind you, just sends you through, since you look like you're probably fine. In this case, you can use etiquette to suppliment your negotiations.
Example: You attempt to get into a club by demanding that you are the personal assistant to a celebrity who is supposed to appear at the club next week. You are overly demanding and want to make sure everything is perfect, because pop star divas like your client throw fits over everything. As the guard asks for ID and such, you throw fits, get on the phone and pretend to have a conversation, ask the guard for his name, until he starts to get worried and decides to let you pass. In this case, use intimidation to suppliment your negotiate.
Taunt/Distract
The player makes a charisma check opposed by the target's willpower, by shouting things at the target. The player can force the target to take a penalty to his willpower roll if he has specific information to shout at the target (such as if he knows the target's sister is a whore and he shouts about how he was the one who gaver her syphilus, etc).
If the player is successful, the target becomes enraged and "attacks" the player. In regular combat this means targeting the player. Outside of combat it may mean unarmed attacks, arresting the player, or throwing him out of the club, distracting him from other people. Each round (or until the target gets his point across) the target must re-make the willpower roll (with a +1 cumulative bonus each round) to break off of the player, though he may get further bonuses if he notices that this was a ruse. (During a distraction he may get penalties to his perception checks, however).
Leadership
Another one of those skills with limited (if any) direct use is leadership. So let's clean it up.
A character with leadership may take the "commanding" roll in battle. At least once per turn he spends a complex action shouting out orders to his team. "Dave- shoot that guy", "Mark- unlock that door!" etc. He may shoult commands to all his teammates in one complex action.
During this action he may make a leadership test TN 4. For every success he gets on this test, his teammates get +1 die on any check to complete that action, as well as +1 die of combat pool (or tech pool, astral combat pool, or spell pool- reciever's choice) for the rest of the turn- however they only get these bonuses if they are attempting the action that he shouted out to them. (If he says unlock the door, they get no bonus if they instead shoot someone). They need not succeed in the action to get the bonus, but they must spend at least one relevant action attempting it.
This is only useful in combat scenarios, and the orders must be specific. ("Shoot THAT guy" is fine, but not "Start Shooting". "Cover fire" is fine but not "Run Around". "Summon a spirit" is fine but not "cast a spell" (you would need to specify a spell and a target, thoug spirits are specific enough- how many sprits can you summon from where you are anyway?).
The leader may instead attempt to command just one of his allies instead of the ally group as a complex action. He then makes a leadership (8) test. For ever success he lowers the TN of the proposed action by 1. (So if he says "Dave, summon a spirit!" and makes 3 successes, Dave can get a -3 bonus to his TN to summon a spirit!). The player is not aware how many successes the leader has until he makes the test (and thus cannot plan what spirit to summon based on what bonus he has).
This wastes an action for the leader, but allows him to effectively command his troops in battle. A leader can spend all his actions commanding troops and provide tons of bonuses, though individual bonuses overlap and do not stack (he can't benefit from spending more than one phase telling everyone to do the same thing).
A character with leadership may take the "commanding" roll in battle. At least once per turn he spends a complex action shouting out orders to his team. "Dave- shoot that guy", "Mark- unlock that door!" etc. He may shoult commands to all his teammates in one complex action.
During this action he may make a leadership test TN 4. For every success he gets on this test, his teammates get +1 die on any check to complete that action, as well as +1 die of combat pool (or tech pool, astral combat pool, or spell pool- reciever's choice) for the rest of the turn- however they only get these bonuses if they are attempting the action that he shouted out to them. (If he says unlock the door, they get no bonus if they instead shoot someone). They need not succeed in the action to get the bonus, but they must spend at least one relevant action attempting it.
This is only useful in combat scenarios, and the orders must be specific. ("Shoot THAT guy" is fine, but not "Start Shooting". "Cover fire" is fine but not "Run Around". "Summon a spirit" is fine but not "cast a spell" (you would need to specify a spell and a target, thoug spirits are specific enough- how many sprits can you summon from where you are anyway?).
The leader may instead attempt to command just one of his allies instead of the ally group as a complex action. He then makes a leadership (8) test. For ever success he lowers the TN of the proposed action by 1. (So if he says "Dave, summon a spirit!" and makes 3 successes, Dave can get a -3 bonus to his TN to summon a spirit!). The player is not aware how many successes the leader has until he makes the test (and thus cannot plan what spirit to summon based on what bonus he has).
This wastes an action for the leader, but allows him to effectively command his troops in battle. A leader can spend all his actions commanding troops and provide tons of bonuses, though individual bonuses overlap and do not stack (he can't benefit from spending more than one phase telling everyone to do the same thing).
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Knowledge: Trivia
The knowledge: trivia is a background knowledge skill which represents your character keeping up on things that may or may not even matter. He watches Jeopardy, remembers what actors were in what movies, knows a bunch of old commercial Jingles.
The knowledge: trivia is designed to act as the "bardic" knowledge so that people with strong ranks in this have a chance (albeit small) to happen to have heard something about any topic, guaranteeing its relevance.
The TN for knowledge:trivia is 4 higher than for the appropriate knowledge. (So TN6 check for knowledge metahumans is TN 10 for knowledge:trivia). The college education edge lowers this to 2 higher. This is not a "penalty" so cannot be offset by other items that decrease "penalites". It is a knowledge skill, so effects that increase dice on knowledge skills increase this roll also. Aptitude may apply to this also.
If you have both the knowledge: trivia AND the relevant knowledge skill, you may use knowledge:trivia as a suppliment to the valid knowledge skill at no further penalty. (So if you have knowledge: trivia 6 and knowledge: gang id 6, and you must roll on gang ID, you may use your trivia as a flat suppliment).
Active Trivia: Sometimes the GM may call for a knowledge: trivia check specifically. In this case the TN is not increased by anything, and the character may defualt to intelligence as normal.
Defaulting: While it's true that using knowledge trivia is usually as bad as defaulting to an attribute, the TNs are not limited, so you can make a knowledge: trivia check for TNs higher than 10 (though the TN might be unreachable for you). You cannot default to intelligence for knowledge: trivia, and it has no specializations.
Oops: This skill is easier to "oops" on. Rolling 0 successes on this counts as an oops- and may reveal skewed or misleading information (or false info). For example, you might remember a movie where they broke into a safe by filling it with water, which wouldn't work in real life.
Relevant Edges:
College Education lowers the TN modifier for defaulting to Know:Trivia to 2.
Photographic Memory gives +1 die to knowledge:trivia checks.
Common Sense removes the easier to oops rule, and uses the normal oops rules for this skill.
The knowledge: trivia is designed to act as the "bardic" knowledge so that people with strong ranks in this have a chance (albeit small) to happen to have heard something about any topic, guaranteeing its relevance.
The TN for knowledge:trivia is 4 higher than for the appropriate knowledge. (So TN6 check for knowledge metahumans is TN 10 for knowledge:trivia). The college education edge lowers this to 2 higher. This is not a "penalty" so cannot be offset by other items that decrease "penalites". It is a knowledge skill, so effects that increase dice on knowledge skills increase this roll also. Aptitude may apply to this also.
If you have both the knowledge: trivia AND the relevant knowledge skill, you may use knowledge:trivia as a suppliment to the valid knowledge skill at no further penalty. (So if you have knowledge: trivia 6 and knowledge: gang id 6, and you must roll on gang ID, you may use your trivia as a flat suppliment).
Active Trivia: Sometimes the GM may call for a knowledge: trivia check specifically. In this case the TN is not increased by anything, and the character may defualt to intelligence as normal.
Defaulting: While it's true that using knowledge trivia is usually as bad as defaulting to an attribute, the TNs are not limited, so you can make a knowledge: trivia check for TNs higher than 10 (though the TN might be unreachable for you). You cannot default to intelligence for knowledge: trivia, and it has no specializations.
Oops: This skill is easier to "oops" on. Rolling 0 successes on this counts as an oops- and may reveal skewed or misleading information (or false info). For example, you might remember a movie where they broke into a safe by filling it with water, which wouldn't work in real life.
Relevant Edges:
College Education lowers the TN modifier for defaulting to Know:Trivia to 2.
Photographic Memory gives +1 die to knowledge:trivia checks.
Common Sense removes the easier to oops rule, and uses the normal oops rules for this skill.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Learning Something
Sometimes the party needs a clue, a lead, or something to go on in order to track down the enemy, to solve the case, or whatever.
What I've seen is that groups tend to rely on 1 or 2 methods they're used to, then tend to get lost, forgetting what else can be done. Hopefully this will help them.
Computers: Using a computer to search out the matrix is a great way to learn where someone is or more about him. It can also help find out about special events or dates.
Beat the Streets: Sometimes you need to gather information about a topic by going around and asking people on the streets. This is a use of etiquette or gather information if you want to make a new skill for it. The TN is based on the area you're asking and the level of information (asking people on the streets about the events in a corporate meeting is pretty tough, but easier if you ask around that corporation's break room).
Investigate the Scene: Searching a crime scene is important if you want to learn things about what happened. I suggest creating the intelligence based skill: Investigate in order to search for and analyze clues. They can provide leads. When in doubt- re-check the crime scene. This can also mean breaking into a home or office for clues.
Magic: Psychomancy(metamagic), Astral Tracking, Divining (metamagic), Search (spirit power), Mind read (spell), Detect Lie (spell), Assensing- these can all reveal information about people or places and what happened and perhaps provide clues into what to do next.
Knowledge: Having the relevant knowledge skill is always useful. I suggest making a knowledge: triva type of skill that has a higher TN (+4) but is almost always relevant in a situation, or that can suppliment any other knowledge skill roll. Knowing that what you're looking at may be involved in Moloch worshippers makes those few points in knowledge:fringe cults worth it and makes the mission a bit easier.
Contacts: Have contacts who know things instead of just sources to buy cheap equipment. It helps. You might have to call in some favors sometimes, but it's worth it.
Stakeout: When cops are out of ideas they stakeout a suspect. Use your surveillance equipment and watch him for a while (all day maybe)- perhaps even on the astral, and see what he's up to. He might just lead you to the clues you need!
Go with your Gut: Hey, are you a Lone Star officer? No! You're a shadowrunner. Maybe you should just take a chance and jump that guy. He's probably guilty! It's not like you have to worry about preponderance of evidence or something like that. If you make a mistake, try again! :)
Of course, you could just snipe out cops from the roof or steal semi-trucks and blast through civilians with it in an attempt to trigger the next cut-scene, but is that really going to help?
What I've seen is that groups tend to rely on 1 or 2 methods they're used to, then tend to get lost, forgetting what else can be done. Hopefully this will help them.
Computers: Using a computer to search out the matrix is a great way to learn where someone is or more about him. It can also help find out about special events or dates.
Beat the Streets: Sometimes you need to gather information about a topic by going around and asking people on the streets. This is a use of etiquette or gather information if you want to make a new skill for it. The TN is based on the area you're asking and the level of information (asking people on the streets about the events in a corporate meeting is pretty tough, but easier if you ask around that corporation's break room).
Investigate the Scene: Searching a crime scene is important if you want to learn things about what happened. I suggest creating the intelligence based skill: Investigate in order to search for and analyze clues. They can provide leads. When in doubt- re-check the crime scene. This can also mean breaking into a home or office for clues.
Magic: Psychomancy(metamagic), Astral Tracking, Divining (metamagic), Search (spirit power), Mind read (spell), Detect Lie (spell), Assensing- these can all reveal information about people or places and what happened and perhaps provide clues into what to do next.
Knowledge: Having the relevant knowledge skill is always useful. I suggest making a knowledge: triva type of skill that has a higher TN (+4) but is almost always relevant in a situation, or that can suppliment any other knowledge skill roll. Knowing that what you're looking at may be involved in Moloch worshippers makes those few points in knowledge:fringe cults worth it and makes the mission a bit easier.
Contacts: Have contacts who know things instead of just sources to buy cheap equipment. It helps. You might have to call in some favors sometimes, but it's worth it.
Stakeout: When cops are out of ideas they stakeout a suspect. Use your surveillance equipment and watch him for a while (all day maybe)- perhaps even on the astral, and see what he's up to. He might just lead you to the clues you need!
Go with your Gut: Hey, are you a Lone Star officer? No! You're a shadowrunner. Maybe you should just take a chance and jump that guy. He's probably guilty! It's not like you have to worry about preponderance of evidence or something like that. If you make a mistake, try again! :)
Of course, you could just snipe out cops from the roof or steal semi-trucks and blast through civilians with it in an attempt to trigger the next cut-scene, but is that really going to help?
Friday, December 24, 2010
Selling your Body
If you thought this was about prostitution, perhaps you should conider a "renting your body" post instead.
Selling your body is a way shadowrunners can make a little money on the side getting rid of those extra organs. For particularly viscious shadowrunners, perhaps they can use this as a market for organs they just happened to "find". All such body parts have a street index of .75
Selling Blood/Plasma:
A person can sell a number of "blood units" equal to his body modifier in a month. Each unit sold decreases his body for 1 during that month, and provides $500. Treat this as availability 4 for purpose of the sales skill.
Selling Sperm/Eggs:
A person can sell eggs or sperm. Selling sperm can provide $100 and be done once per week by fertile males. Treat this as availability 1. Sperm cannot be sold from a dead body.
Eggs can be sold as well. Each fertile female should have a total of about 1d6 egg units they can sell during their lifetime for about $1000 each. They may only undergo the operation once, but may sell any number of eggs during that time. Treat this as availability 4. Eggs cannot be sold from a dead body. Egg units represent how multiple eggs are sold at once.
Marrow:
A painful procedure, but bone marrow donations can help many people dying from cancer or who have trouble pronouncing the "T" in Planetarium. Any month where marrow is donated the donator gets +1 tn penalties to all rolls, as if they had a permanent light wound. They can get $1000 for such a sale, with availability of 8.
Duplicate Body Parts:
Sometimes you can sell one of those organs you happen to have two of. Each instance provides a penalty for having only 1 instead of 2.
Part___Avail___Price___Penalty
Lung___ 10____ $5,000_ Short of breath flaw.
Kidney__ 10____ $3,000_ Weak immune system flaw.
Liver___ 10____ $1000__ (-1) body (represents loss of part of liver)
Not So Duplicate Body Parts:
Sometimes you want to sell something you don't have extra of. Of course, if you took them off someone else, you may have to go with street index.
Part___Avail___Price__
Eyes(2)__ 8____ $1000
Heart___10____$3000
A mean harvester can make a biotech roll to remove these from unconscious patents. The roll is TN 4 if the patient need not survive the operation, TN 8 if you want them to survive.
As you can see, there is quite the possibility for you to earn some extra money. Such organs must be refridgerated if sold "on the street". A body must be living at time of extraction or have been refridgerated. It can go up to 1 hour without life or refridgeration to be useful. Cyber-enhanced parts cannot be sold as parts, but can be sold as used cyberware instead.
(And, for the record)
A full human body, with the proper extraction, provides the following:
Eyes: $1000
Heart: $3000
Lungs(2): $10,000
Kidney(2): $6,000
Liver: $1,000
Marrow: $1000
Blood: Body*$500 (minus physical wound boxes)
Eggs: 1d6*$1000 (determine remaining eggs) (female only)
That's $22,000 for parts
Body * $500 for blood (average body = 3 = $1500)
So $23,500 * .75(street index) = $17,625.
Each extraction should have a base time of an hour. 0 successes means that the part is ruined. Oops means that all the parts are ruined.
Refridgeration units, blood bags, and the equipment should cost about $5000 for the whole reusable set, about $500 for each body in bags and containers.
Selling your body is a way shadowrunners can make a little money on the side getting rid of those extra organs. For particularly viscious shadowrunners, perhaps they can use this as a market for organs they just happened to "find". All such body parts have a street index of .75
Selling Blood/Plasma:
A person can sell a number of "blood units" equal to his body modifier in a month. Each unit sold decreases his body for 1 during that month, and provides $500. Treat this as availability 4 for purpose of the sales skill.
Selling Sperm/Eggs:
A person can sell eggs or sperm. Selling sperm can provide $100 and be done once per week by fertile males. Treat this as availability 1. Sperm cannot be sold from a dead body.
Eggs can be sold as well. Each fertile female should have a total of about 1d6 egg units they can sell during their lifetime for about $1000 each. They may only undergo the operation once, but may sell any number of eggs during that time. Treat this as availability 4. Eggs cannot be sold from a dead body. Egg units represent how multiple eggs are sold at once.
Marrow:
A painful procedure, but bone marrow donations can help many people dying from cancer or who have trouble pronouncing the "T" in Planetarium. Any month where marrow is donated the donator gets +1 tn penalties to all rolls, as if they had a permanent light wound. They can get $1000 for such a sale, with availability of 8.
Duplicate Body Parts:
Sometimes you can sell one of those organs you happen to have two of. Each instance provides a penalty for having only 1 instead of 2.
Part___Avail___Price___Penalty
Lung___ 10____ $5,000_ Short of breath flaw.
Kidney__ 10____ $3,000_ Weak immune system flaw.
Liver___ 10____ $1000__ (-1) body (represents loss of part of liver)
Not So Duplicate Body Parts:
Sometimes you want to sell something you don't have extra of. Of course, if you took them off someone else, you may have to go with street index.
Part___Avail___Price__
Eyes(2)__ 8____ $1000
Heart___10____$3000
A mean harvester can make a biotech roll to remove these from unconscious patents. The roll is TN 4 if the patient need not survive the operation, TN 8 if you want them to survive.
As you can see, there is quite the possibility for you to earn some extra money. Such organs must be refridgerated if sold "on the street". A body must be living at time of extraction or have been refridgerated. It can go up to 1 hour without life or refridgeration to be useful. Cyber-enhanced parts cannot be sold as parts, but can be sold as used cyberware instead.
(And, for the record)
A full human body, with the proper extraction, provides the following:
Eyes: $1000
Heart: $3000
Lungs(2): $10,000
Kidney(2): $6,000
Liver: $1,000
Marrow: $1000
Blood: Body*$500 (minus physical wound boxes)
Eggs: 1d6*$1000 (determine remaining eggs) (female only)
That's $22,000 for parts
Body * $500 for blood (average body = 3 = $1500)
So $23,500 * .75(street index) = $17,625.
Each extraction should have a base time of an hour. 0 successes means that the part is ruined. Oops means that all the parts are ruined.
Refridgeration units, blood bags, and the equipment should cost about $5000 for the whole reusable set, about $500 for each body in bags and containers.
Sales
Sales is a new skill, a specialization of Negotiations.
The sales skill is used to sell equipment for a better price you might get otherwise, perhaps making it worth it to hold on to stolen cars or equipment for a minute. It does not affect mission pay or purchase prices.
When selling something, make a salesman test with a TN equal to the 20- (the availability of the item) Min TN 4. Each success can either reduce the time it takes to find a buyer, or increase the sale price of the item by 10% (up to a maximum of street price). Theortetically, with a sales skill of 12, and 12 successes, you can increase the sales price of the item by 120% (going off 30% base that's 150% purchase price- only usable for items with at least a 50% street index markup).
This is easier with more exotic items, since once you've found the buyer, his options are more limited. Very easy to find items like cars you might get 1 or 2 successes on, but it's difficult to get too much more for an object which can be found anywhere.
Obviously this could create a situation where people are purchasing things for less than they're selling them for. (Using a connected edge for purchases). In this case, the GM might want to review the time it takes to find rare items and either treat this like a day job, or limit the amount of time this can be done in a given period.
The sales skill is used to sell equipment for a better price you might get otherwise, perhaps making it worth it to hold on to stolen cars or equipment for a minute. It does not affect mission pay or purchase prices.
When selling something, make a salesman test with a TN equal to the 20- (the availability of the item) Min TN 4. Each success can either reduce the time it takes to find a buyer, or increase the sale price of the item by 10% (up to a maximum of street price). Theortetically, with a sales skill of 12, and 12 successes, you can increase the sales price of the item by 120% (going off 30% base that's 150% purchase price- only usable for items with at least a 50% street index markup).
This is easier with more exotic items, since once you've found the buyer, his options are more limited. Very easy to find items like cars you might get 1 or 2 successes on, but it's difficult to get too much more for an object which can be found anywhere.
Obviously this could create a situation where people are purchasing things for less than they're selling them for. (Using a connected edge for purchases). In this case, the GM might want to review the time it takes to find rare items and either treat this like a day job, or limit the amount of time this can be done in a given period.
Gambling
Gambling is a new active skill, intelligence based.
To gamble you must decide on an amount of money to risk. This is considered the rating of the gamble.
Rating:
1-3 = $100*R Avail 5
4-6 = $1000*R Avail: 10
7-9 = $10,000*R Avail: 15
10-12 = $100,000*R Avail: 20
Once the rating is "purchased", make an opposed test using your gambling skill against the rating of the "gamble". Whoever has more net successes wins. If successful you get a 20% return on your money. For each net success beyond the first, increse this return by 10%.
Example: Bob has gambling 6. He purchases a 6 rating gamble which costs $6000. He rolls 6 dice against a TN ogf 6, and the "house" rolls 6 dice against a TN of 6 also.
House: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 (3 successes)
Bob: 2, 4, 7, 8, 8, 9 (4 successes)
Bob wins so he walks away with $9000 for a cost of $6000, or a $3000 increase. If he rolled one more success, he would have gotten a 60% return, or $3600 gain for $9600
Example 2: Bob has a gambling of 8. He has aptitude: gambling. He purchases a rating 12 gamble which costs $1.2 million dollars. He rolls 8 dice against TN 11 (12-1), and they roll 12 dice against TN 8.
House: 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 11, 13, 18 (6 successes)
Bob: 4, 7, 8, 9, 9, 11, 13, 15 (2 successes)
Bob is out his money! But wait, he uses karma pool to reroll failures!
Bob: (15,13 kept), 4, 9, 10, 14, 16, 18 (now 5 successes)
He still loses.
As you can see, gambling is difficult, but can allow for money if you spend all your points on this. Gambling checks should only be allowed 1/month to prevent the campaign from quickly becoming a "gambling campaign".
Alternately, this might be role played where people roll opposed checks regardless of the amount wagered, at GM discresion.
To gamble you must decide on an amount of money to risk. This is considered the rating of the gamble.
Rating:
1-3 = $100*R Avail 5
4-6 = $1000*R Avail: 10
7-9 = $10,000*R Avail: 15
10-12 = $100,000*R Avail: 20
Once the rating is "purchased", make an opposed test using your gambling skill against the rating of the "gamble". Whoever has more net successes wins. If successful you get a 20% return on your money. For each net success beyond the first, increse this return by 10%.
Example: Bob has gambling 6. He purchases a 6 rating gamble which costs $6000. He rolls 6 dice against a TN ogf 6, and the "house" rolls 6 dice against a TN of 6 also.
House: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 (3 successes)
Bob: 2, 4, 7, 8, 8, 9 (4 successes)
Bob wins so he walks away with $9000 for a cost of $6000, or a $3000 increase. If he rolled one more success, he would have gotten a 60% return, or $3600 gain for $9600
Example 2: Bob has a gambling of 8. He has aptitude: gambling. He purchases a rating 12 gamble which costs $1.2 million dollars. He rolls 8 dice against TN 11 (12-1), and they roll 12 dice against TN 8.
House: 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 11, 13, 18 (6 successes)
Bob: 4, 7, 8, 9, 9, 11, 13, 15 (2 successes)
Bob is out his money! But wait, he uses karma pool to reroll failures!
Bob: (15,13 kept), 4, 9, 10, 14, 16, 18 (now 5 successes)
He still loses.
As you can see, gambling is difficult, but can allow for money if you spend all your points on this. Gambling checks should only be allowed 1/month to prevent the campaign from quickly becoming a "gambling campaign".
Alternately, this might be role played where people roll opposed checks regardless of the amount wagered, at GM discresion.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Stealth
Stealth is the worst skill in so many systems- mainly because unlike almost every other skill, where whomever gets the highest roll can share their success with everyone else, stealth forces the person with the lowest roll to share his failure with everyone.
And yet, stealth is such a big part of so many missions. For this, we're going to focus on the sneaking/hiding aspect of stealth, perhaps with some mention to disguise.
The problem is that you need to get everyone in to the facility to "steal" the information (or why bring them?) and yet, not everyone builds the stealthy character. If one guy sneaks in and does all the work, not only do other PCs "sit out" but he also wonders why he should cut them in on any mission pay.
Here are a few things that can be done (by GMs or players) to help the stealthy character succeed without making others sit out.
GM:
Divided Missions: We hear about not splitting up the party, but maybe a situation can arise where the main force of the party is fighting the "boss battle" during the time that the other PCs are sneaking around the facility. Perhaps they serve as a distraction or something. The problem here is that combat is very "quick" in game time, but very slow in real time. Sneaking is the opposite, with several minutes going by very quickly in game time (especially when you take 15 minutes picking a maglock).
Scouting Missions: One way to help everyone get in is to design the facility so that a "backdoor" or something can be opened up from the inside, so the sneaker can break in, then set up a situation so everyone else gets a huge bonus to stealth afterwards. (Maybe he disables all the alarms, loops the cameras, kills security members, or just opens the hidden entrance).
Stealth as Info Gathering: Instead of stealth being the crux of getting the party from the outside of the facility to the boss, perhaps stealth can be one of the ways of gathering the relevant information, stealing uniforms, card keys, etc so that while other people are decking or gathering information, the stealth guy gets to go steal equipment or something and then the party can go in together when it comes time for the "actual run".
Various Methods of being "There": Sometimes only the stealthy people need to phyically be present. They can sneak in small drones for riggers to control, deckers can be outside controlling the remote guns or cameras, and mages can be there "in spirit", even providing real sprits to back up the stealthy characters, which doesn't hurt the sneaker's stealth rolls while still providing actions and backup.
Players
Augument Stealth: Clearly it's worth it to put some points in stealth, and stealth can be further augumented by ruthenem, (physical) invisibility, the stealth and silence spells, etc. Certain cyberware that enhances perception and good radio communication might identify guards and cameras before they become a problem also. These things can provide bonuses to the stealth rolls of the less sneaky characters. Plenty of spirits can help conceal, also.
Instruction: Using instruction can allow other players to "mimic" skills if done properly. The stealthiest characters might want to help other players "fake it" before going in.
Synergize: Whether it's scouting ahead for guard and telling players when its safe, or using disguise and speaking for the dumb ones (taking this wookie to detention cell 2), finding ways to utilize the stealth of the primary for the benefits of the secondary are great ways to use skills and teamwork to accomplish a goal.
Take the Damn Ranks!: Okay, I get it. You are a merchant, or marine biologist, or crazy cyber minotaur with 1 charisma. Just take a few ranks (3+) of stealth! You know it's going to come up! You're already a monster with no social skills or no combat skills or something else, at least have something you can do to help with the missions all the time!
And yet, stealth is such a big part of so many missions. For this, we're going to focus on the sneaking/hiding aspect of stealth, perhaps with some mention to disguise.
The problem is that you need to get everyone in to the facility to "steal" the information (or why bring them?) and yet, not everyone builds the stealthy character. If one guy sneaks in and does all the work, not only do other PCs "sit out" but he also wonders why he should cut them in on any mission pay.
Here are a few things that can be done (by GMs or players) to help the stealthy character succeed without making others sit out.
GM:
Divided Missions: We hear about not splitting up the party, but maybe a situation can arise where the main force of the party is fighting the "boss battle" during the time that the other PCs are sneaking around the facility. Perhaps they serve as a distraction or something. The problem here is that combat is very "quick" in game time, but very slow in real time. Sneaking is the opposite, with several minutes going by very quickly in game time (especially when you take 15 minutes picking a maglock).
Scouting Missions: One way to help everyone get in is to design the facility so that a "backdoor" or something can be opened up from the inside, so the sneaker can break in, then set up a situation so everyone else gets a huge bonus to stealth afterwards. (Maybe he disables all the alarms, loops the cameras, kills security members, or just opens the hidden entrance).
Stealth as Info Gathering: Instead of stealth being the crux of getting the party from the outside of the facility to the boss, perhaps stealth can be one of the ways of gathering the relevant information, stealing uniforms, card keys, etc so that while other people are decking or gathering information, the stealth guy gets to go steal equipment or something and then the party can go in together when it comes time for the "actual run".
Various Methods of being "There": Sometimes only the stealthy people need to phyically be present. They can sneak in small drones for riggers to control, deckers can be outside controlling the remote guns or cameras, and mages can be there "in spirit", even providing real sprits to back up the stealthy characters, which doesn't hurt the sneaker's stealth rolls while still providing actions and backup.
Players
Augument Stealth: Clearly it's worth it to put some points in stealth, and stealth can be further augumented by ruthenem, (physical) invisibility, the stealth and silence spells, etc. Certain cyberware that enhances perception and good radio communication might identify guards and cameras before they become a problem also. These things can provide bonuses to the stealth rolls of the less sneaky characters. Plenty of spirits can help conceal, also.
Instruction: Using instruction can allow other players to "mimic" skills if done properly. The stealthiest characters might want to help other players "fake it" before going in.
Synergize: Whether it's scouting ahead for guard and telling players when its safe, or using disguise and speaking for the dumb ones (taking this wookie to detention cell 2), finding ways to utilize the stealth of the primary for the benefits of the secondary are great ways to use skills and teamwork to accomplish a goal.
Take the Damn Ranks!: Okay, I get it. You are a merchant, or marine biologist, or crazy cyber minotaur with 1 charisma. Just take a few ranks (3+) of stealth! You know it's going to come up! You're already a monster with no social skills or no combat skills or something else, at least have something you can do to help with the missions all the time!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Programming
Creating a program is based on B/R computers (programs). The base time to create a program is 24 hours (though you need not spend the entire time at once).
A program can aid a decker in several ways. Each way has a seperate TN, and extra successes cause it to take less time to create the program. The TN is usually the rating of the program, (which is the number of dice it provides to a test).
Analyze a Program: A program can be considered a piece of Rank 1 information to digitally trace a decker. If the decker has distinctive style this will work against him (as he uses the same varible names or something all the time). This assumes the program is left behind in someone else's system.
Disguise a Program: A programmer can use computers to create a digital stealth roll for the program. This is the TN for people who've located it to use it to trace the decker. Distinctive style gives -1 penalty to this roll. If they can't beat the disguise, they might find the program, but be unable to trace anyone using it.
Most of these programs must be specially designed for the system you're trying to use them on- you can't just make a bunch of programs to be used whenever. They are also disposable, you can't use the same program to break into the same system over and over.
Uses for Programs:
Extra Dice: A program may add extra dice to a hacking pool for use in either digital stealth, digital perception, or hacking itself. The TN is the number of dice the program will provide. (So a program which provides 12 dice is TN 12 and takes 24 hours). Each program is designed for a specific system, you can't use the same program over and over.
Operate System: A program may be implanted into a system and watch for a scenario where it operates things. Perhaps it turns on the lights, copies files, deletes things, etc. Such a program has a TN equal to 5+ the dice it will have to use this function, and typically must be left behind in the system afterwards.
Digitial Perception: A program can be set up to always watch for you. It counts as decker support on your behalf, and will help alert you if you are being digitally traced. The TN is 4, and the number of successes is the number of dice it will provide. This program can be left going all the time. Divide successes between lowering time and increasing dice.
TRAP: You can build a trap for your own system, each trap has a cost and rating assoicated with it as left up to the GM. (See Matrix Security).
Tracer: The program can try to do your digital tracing on your behalf. The TN is the number of dice it will have to work with, and it must also split those dice between successes, stealth, and perception. Many deckers with a good digital stealth roll don't bother with stealth or perception, instead allowing people to find a program, confidant that the can't be tracked by it. Of course, since it is openly copying data (and sending it somewhere) that connection might be traced.
Destructive Message: The program can display a message in certain circumstances, then attempt to delete itself. A clever decker can stop the deletion process, rolling computers against the rating of the program, and then they can try to trace it backwards. Most deckers would rather send the message themselves, using their own skill, but sometimes that is not possible.
Protect System: This program can try to prevent access to a system, similar to a TRAP, except that there are no consequences for failure, no disconnect, and you can keep trying until you get it. You must defeat this program before accessing the system, and the program has a TN equal to its rating. There is usally no need to disguise such a program, since you usually use it to protect your own systems.
A program can aid a decker in several ways. Each way has a seperate TN, and extra successes cause it to take less time to create the program. The TN is usually the rating of the program, (which is the number of dice it provides to a test).
Analyze a Program: A program can be considered a piece of Rank 1 information to digitally trace a decker. If the decker has distinctive style this will work against him (as he uses the same varible names or something all the time). This assumes the program is left behind in someone else's system.
Disguise a Program: A programmer can use computers to create a digital stealth roll for the program. This is the TN for people who've located it to use it to trace the decker. Distinctive style gives -1 penalty to this roll. If they can't beat the disguise, they might find the program, but be unable to trace anyone using it.
Most of these programs must be specially designed for the system you're trying to use them on- you can't just make a bunch of programs to be used whenever. They are also disposable, you can't use the same program to break into the same system over and over.
Uses for Programs:
Extra Dice: A program may add extra dice to a hacking pool for use in either digital stealth, digital perception, or hacking itself. The TN is the number of dice the program will provide. (So a program which provides 12 dice is TN 12 and takes 24 hours). Each program is designed for a specific system, you can't use the same program over and over.
Operate System: A program may be implanted into a system and watch for a scenario where it operates things. Perhaps it turns on the lights, copies files, deletes things, etc. Such a program has a TN equal to 5+ the dice it will have to use this function, and typically must be left behind in the system afterwards.
Digitial Perception: A program can be set up to always watch for you. It counts as decker support on your behalf, and will help alert you if you are being digitally traced. The TN is 4, and the number of successes is the number of dice it will provide. This program can be left going all the time. Divide successes between lowering time and increasing dice.
TRAP: You can build a trap for your own system, each trap has a cost and rating assoicated with it as left up to the GM. (See Matrix Security).
Tracer: The program can try to do your digital tracing on your behalf. The TN is the number of dice it will have to work with, and it must also split those dice between successes, stealth, and perception. Many deckers with a good digital stealth roll don't bother with stealth or perception, instead allowing people to find a program, confidant that the can't be tracked by it. Of course, since it is openly copying data (and sending it somewhere) that connection might be traced.
Destructive Message: The program can display a message in certain circumstances, then attempt to delete itself. A clever decker can stop the deletion process, rolling computers against the rating of the program, and then they can try to trace it backwards. Most deckers would rather send the message themselves, using their own skill, but sometimes that is not possible.
Protect System: This program can try to prevent access to a system, similar to a TRAP, except that there are no consequences for failure, no disconnect, and you can keep trying until you get it. You must defeat this program before accessing the system, and the program has a TN equal to its rating. There is usally no need to disguise such a program, since you usually use it to protect your own systems.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Instruction
What a worthless skill. What GM makes people roll learning checks from an instructor to learn new skills.
So I'm modifying it.
The Instructor and the Student.
The Instructor must have as many ranks in the skill as the student wants to learn or more, and must have more than 3.
The instructor rolls an instruction test, with the TN being the new number in the skill the student wants to learn.
For every success, the skill costs 1 less point of good karma to learn, minimum of 1. As long as the instructor generated at least 1 success, the student can learn the skill using the greater of his or the instructions attribute to decide cost also, making skills much cheaper to learn by an instructor.
Example: Todd wants to learn etiquette from Bob. Todd has 6 ranks, so Bob must have at least 7 ranks of etiquette. Bob rolls an instruction test TN 7. He has 4 ranks in instruction so rolls 4 dice. 1, 4, 7, 9. This is 2 successes, so when Bob learns the next point of etiquette it costs him 2 points less of good karma. What's more, Bob can use the higher of Todd or Bob's charisma to determine whether the skill costs more (for going over the charisma score) than normal, allowing characters with low stats to learn skills from instructors at a much cheaper rate!
Now the kicker, unless the DM wants to give away discounted skills, this is a PC only skill, meaning the players must spend their own karma learning instruction so that they can give each other discounts on upgraded skills. Player A can learn etiquette, while B learns stealth, and C learns pistols. As long as they all also have instruction they can teach each other the 2 skills they didn't learn at a karma discount! Everybody wins!
(As long as there's at least 2 people with instruction. Ah, the prisoner's dilemmah!)
Another use for Instruction
Perhaps you want to use a skill and aren't there. You can give someone step by step instructions on how to do something as if you were there (over the radio, phone, etc). Make an instruction (4) test. For every success, the "student" can act as if he has 1 rank in the skill you're trying to teach him to do, with a maximum of your ranks in that skill. If the character already has the skill, this overlaps, does not stack.
Great for helping someone land a plane, disarm a bomb, etc while you are not present. Not good for teaching them how to swing a sword or shoot a gun, since the test only applies to the one roll, they don't "hold" the skill.
So I'm modifying it.
The Instructor and the Student.
The Instructor must have as many ranks in the skill as the student wants to learn or more, and must have more than 3.
The instructor rolls an instruction test, with the TN being the new number in the skill the student wants to learn.
For every success, the skill costs 1 less point of good karma to learn, minimum of 1. As long as the instructor generated at least 1 success, the student can learn the skill using the greater of his or the instructions attribute to decide cost also, making skills much cheaper to learn by an instructor.
Example: Todd wants to learn etiquette from Bob. Todd has 6 ranks, so Bob must have at least 7 ranks of etiquette. Bob rolls an instruction test TN 7. He has 4 ranks in instruction so rolls 4 dice. 1, 4, 7, 9. This is 2 successes, so when Bob learns the next point of etiquette it costs him 2 points less of good karma. What's more, Bob can use the higher of Todd or Bob's charisma to determine whether the skill costs more (for going over the charisma score) than normal, allowing characters with low stats to learn skills from instructors at a much cheaper rate!
Now the kicker, unless the DM wants to give away discounted skills, this is a PC only skill, meaning the players must spend their own karma learning instruction so that they can give each other discounts on upgraded skills. Player A can learn etiquette, while B learns stealth, and C learns pistols. As long as they all also have instruction they can teach each other the 2 skills they didn't learn at a karma discount! Everybody wins!
(As long as there's at least 2 people with instruction. Ah, the prisoner's dilemmah!)
Another use for Instruction
Perhaps you want to use a skill and aren't there. You can give someone step by step instructions on how to do something as if you were there (over the radio, phone, etc). Make an instruction (4) test. For every success, the "student" can act as if he has 1 rank in the skill you're trying to teach him to do, with a maximum of your ranks in that skill. If the character already has the skill, this overlaps, does not stack.
Great for helping someone land a plane, disarm a bomb, etc while you are not present. Not good for teaching them how to swing a sword or shoot a gun, since the test only applies to the one roll, they don't "hold" the skill.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Matrix Actions
Once you've gotten into a system- what do you do with it?
Here are some basic actions. Most actions take an hour base time, with multiple successes decreasing this.
Back Door: This is an attempt to establish an easy entry point for you in the future. You risk someone else finding your back door and disbaling it (or waiting for you to come back through), but in general it can provide you a TN bonus to re-hacking a system or bypassing a trap. The back door itself has a -2 penalty to digital stealth to be discovered. Your own digital stealth to avoid being discovered is unchanged. However, if the door is discovered, you take a -5 penalty to digital stealth next time you use it. (If not, however, you can immediately bypass traps and get a +4 bonus to hacking checks and digital stealth).
Steal Info: The most common use is to search for info read it. Each success grants you access to several documents. If you're just viewing the file, you get a +1 bonus to digital stealth, as this is fairly "easy".
Copy Info: Once info is seen, files may wish to be copied. Most copying does 10 Mp / round. Take a -1 penalty per file copied to digital stealth as they notice the transactions. Also, if you are discovered, during the copying they get a -2 bonus on all TNs to discover who/where you are, by where the file is going.
Modify Info: Perhaps you wish to delete files or implant false ones, or modify existing files. Once you've gotten the doucment, modification depends on the extent of the changes, deleting usually takes 1 round per doucment, some documents take 2-3 rounds if very large. This has no penalties to digital stealth.
Leave Virus: Perhaps you wish to leave a program behind to destroy or modify the function of the system. The base time for this is 10 minutes, modified by successes. While the virus will probably be detected relatively soon, your digital stealth will determine how well you've covered your tracks. (Though they might trace you via the virus program itself, discussed seperately under programs.)
Activate System: Some computer systems control traffic light, fire alarms, maglocks, etc. Perhaps you wish to control these things. This may include transfering money in a bank system. Generally speaking, each round you may manipualte one thing (not each phase), meaning change one (or all at once) street lights, or unlock one maglock, etc. This is easy to see (since the changes tell people to look for you). Every turn you stay connected doing something, your digital stealth gets a -1 penalty.
Shut Down: Perhaps you wish to shut down the whole system (or just a part of it-like the alarms). This is harder to do and generally requires 30 minutes (modified by successes). This is also very easy to detect. If you stay in the system, you will automatically be seen, but if you immediately disconnect, your digital stealth represents how well you've covered your tracks.
Search for/Disable/Combat Traps: Discussed under matrix security.
Communicate: Perhaps you want to be in the system to communicate with another decker in teh system. This is as fast as regular conversation. You cannot "hide" while doing this.
Monitor: An advanced form of steal info, this involves monitering conversations (such as police dispatch, etc) or other data (cameras, chat room conversations, etc) actively to learn info. Once hacked into the system, you see things in real-time. This has no modifications to digital stealth.
Here are some basic actions. Most actions take an hour base time, with multiple successes decreasing this.
Back Door: This is an attempt to establish an easy entry point for you in the future. You risk someone else finding your back door and disbaling it (or waiting for you to come back through), but in general it can provide you a TN bonus to re-hacking a system or bypassing a trap. The back door itself has a -2 penalty to digital stealth to be discovered. Your own digital stealth to avoid being discovered is unchanged. However, if the door is discovered, you take a -5 penalty to digital stealth next time you use it. (If not, however, you can immediately bypass traps and get a +4 bonus to hacking checks and digital stealth).
Steal Info: The most common use is to search for info read it. Each success grants you access to several documents. If you're just viewing the file, you get a +1 bonus to digital stealth, as this is fairly "easy".
Copy Info: Once info is seen, files may wish to be copied. Most copying does 10 Mp / round. Take a -1 penalty per file copied to digital stealth as they notice the transactions. Also, if you are discovered, during the copying they get a -2 bonus on all TNs to discover who/where you are, by where the file is going.
Modify Info: Perhaps you wish to delete files or implant false ones, or modify existing files. Once you've gotten the doucment, modification depends on the extent of the changes, deleting usually takes 1 round per doucment, some documents take 2-3 rounds if very large. This has no penalties to digital stealth.
Leave Virus: Perhaps you wish to leave a program behind to destroy or modify the function of the system. The base time for this is 10 minutes, modified by successes. While the virus will probably be detected relatively soon, your digital stealth will determine how well you've covered your tracks. (Though they might trace you via the virus program itself, discussed seperately under programs.)
Activate System: Some computer systems control traffic light, fire alarms, maglocks, etc. Perhaps you wish to control these things. This may include transfering money in a bank system. Generally speaking, each round you may manipualte one thing (not each phase), meaning change one (or all at once) street lights, or unlock one maglock, etc. This is easy to see (since the changes tell people to look for you). Every turn you stay connected doing something, your digital stealth gets a -1 penalty.
Shut Down: Perhaps you wish to shut down the whole system (or just a part of it-like the alarms). This is harder to do and generally requires 30 minutes (modified by successes). This is also very easy to detect. If you stay in the system, you will automatically be seen, but if you immediately disconnect, your digital stealth represents how well you've covered your tracks.
Search for/Disable/Combat Traps: Discussed under matrix security.
Communicate: Perhaps you want to be in the system to communicate with another decker in teh system. This is as fast as regular conversation. You cannot "hide" while doing this.
Monitor: An advanced form of steal info, this involves monitering conversations (such as police dispatch, etc) or other data (cameras, chat room conversations, etc) actively to learn info. Once hacked into the system, you see things in real-time. This has no modifications to digital stealth.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Skill Tricks
Skill tricks are like bonus perks you can try to do with high enough skill ranks or by making other sacrifices to your skill. Learning a skill trick costs 1 point of good karma or build point, and each may (or may not) have a prerequisite to use. Blue skills are sustained.
Focused Skill
This skill trick is learned for a specific skill (though you may buy it multiple times for multiple skills). Before rolling and OPEN skill roll with the skill, you may sacrifice any number of available dice. (If these dice come from a pool, like spell pool or something, they are considered "used" during this check). For every 2 dice you sacrifice, gain +1 to the total of your open check. It's a gamble, but you might end up getting better this way than you would have otherwise.
Helpful Shout (Requires 6 ranks of leadership)
At the beginning of your turn, as a free action, you may make a leadership (4) test. Every 2 successes allows you to grant a bonus combat pool die to any one ally (not yourself) for the rest of the turn.
Aid Another (Requiers 6 ranks of relevant skill)
Purchased for various skills. This allows you to, when using an active skill, to divide dice. Any dice you don't use for yourself may be used towards an ally's use of the same skill, as a suppliment. So if you have 12 ranks of stealth with aid another: stealth, you can remove 4 ranks (for example), and use those 4 dice to suppliment an ally's stealth roll. You can use dice from specalizations as long as the trick is learned as the specialization (so you can get aid another: stealth or aid another: stealth(sneaking)).
Explosive Expert (requires 6 ranks of B/R structural)
You can roll a B/R structural(6) test. Every 2 successes adds +2 power to an explosive's blast against that structure (but not to other things in the blast radius). Alternately you can use 4 successes to increase the damage code by 1 step. Choose how you're using the trick before rolling.
Sexy Chatter (requires charisma of 6)
You may use your charisma as a suppliment to any social skill roll if the target and you are sexually compatable.
Sprinter (requires athletics of 6)
You may use your body rating as a suppliment to any athletics test. For every success your body test grants you, you must resist 1 box of stun damage (resist the total at once) as you stress yourself.
Angry Roar (requires intimate of 6 and an ork or troll race, or metatype thereof).
As a complex action you may bellow an insane roar. Roll intimidate, and use the bigger of your body or strength as a suppliment. Add +1 to bonus to your rolls if you have some intimidating form of equipment (hardened body armor, a light machine gun in your hands, etc) and +1 if you are large (-1 if you are small). Compare this result to the willpower of the people in the room. Every success gives the people within 20 meters of you a penalty to all combat skills equal to your successes against them (and may cause them to flee). This penalty lasts for 1 round per rank of intimidate, but resets every time YOU kill someone. The penalty ends immediately if you are dropped due to physical or stun damage. This encuorages everyone to shoot at you, of course.
Rally the Troops (requires 6 ranks of leadership)
As a complex action you can roll a leadership roll to allow your allies to overcome fear due to phobias, combat fear, or the angry roar ability (above). Each success on a leadership (4) test decreases the number of successes of the roar by 1, or grants them +1 die to resist their phobias or combat fear.
Trick Shot (requires 6 ranks of a specific firearm skill)
Buy this trick seperately for each weapon skill. You may sacrifice a number of dice before making a shot. Every 2 dice you sacrifice either allows you to ignore 1 point of the target's armor rating, or removes 1 success from the target's dodge roll (not damage resistance).
Explode Vehicle (requires 6 ranks from a specific firearm skill)
Buy this seperately for each weapon skill. When making a called shot against a vehicle's fuel tank, you may sacrifice a number of dice. The vehicle, upon taking damage, must make a body check against your net successes on your damage roll, the TN being the number of dice you sacrificed. If it generates no successes, it immediately explodes. If it generates less successes than the net successes on your shot, it is disabled and smoking, and will explode in a number of rounds equal to the the number of dice you sacrificed. Wound modifiers apply to this resistance test.
Example: You fire at a car's gas tank with a pistol. You sacrifice 4 dice. You damage the car. You rolled 4 successes against the car, it's damage resistance check generated 2 successes, giving you 2 net successes. It then makes a body check against a TN 4 (the number of dice you sacrificed). If it generates no successes, it immediately explodes. If it generates 1 success, it will explode in 4 rounds, but is disabled and smoking. If it generates 2 successes, it does not explode and just takes damage from the shot. The damage done to the car may apply wound penalties to its resistance check.
Buying Successes:
Buy this trick for a specific skill. In lieu of rolling, you may buy successes by sacrificing a number of dice equal to the TN. (So on a TN 4 test, you may sacrifice 4 dice to generate 1 success). On an open test, your roll is equal to the number of dice you sacrifice (Sacrificing 12 dice grants you a roll of 12).
Taking 20: (Requires buying successes)
Buy this trick for the same skill you have buying successes for. If you're taking 20x the normal amount of time to complete the task, you can spend 1 less die per success. (So at TN 4, every 3 dice takes 1 success, or for TN 2, every die is a success!). Only skills with no penalty for failure can utilize this. For open skill tests, you can take 1/3 of the dice you would normally roll (round down) and roll them. Add the biggest one as a result of the open test. (So if you have 12 dice for searching, you can "take 20" and roll 4 dice. Add 12 to the result of the largest die for your take 20 result).
Focused Skill
This skill trick is learned for a specific skill (though you may buy it multiple times for multiple skills). Before rolling and OPEN skill roll with the skill, you may sacrifice any number of available dice. (If these dice come from a pool, like spell pool or something, they are considered "used" during this check). For every 2 dice you sacrifice, gain +1 to the total of your open check. It's a gamble, but you might end up getting better this way than you would have otherwise.
Helpful Shout (Requires 6 ranks of leadership)
At the beginning of your turn, as a free action, you may make a leadership (4) test. Every 2 successes allows you to grant a bonus combat pool die to any one ally (not yourself) for the rest of the turn.
Aid Another (Requiers 6 ranks of relevant skill)
Purchased for various skills. This allows you to, when using an active skill, to divide dice. Any dice you don't use for yourself may be used towards an ally's use of the same skill, as a suppliment. So if you have 12 ranks of stealth with aid another: stealth, you can remove 4 ranks (for example), and use those 4 dice to suppliment an ally's stealth roll. You can use dice from specalizations as long as the trick is learned as the specialization (so you can get aid another: stealth or aid another: stealth(sneaking)).
Explosive Expert (requires 6 ranks of B/R structural)
You can roll a B/R structural(6) test. Every 2 successes adds +2 power to an explosive's blast against that structure (but not to other things in the blast radius). Alternately you can use 4 successes to increase the damage code by 1 step. Choose how you're using the trick before rolling.
Sexy Chatter (requires charisma of 6)
You may use your charisma as a suppliment to any social skill roll if the target and you are sexually compatable.
Sprinter (requires athletics of 6)
You may use your body rating as a suppliment to any athletics test. For every success your body test grants you, you must resist 1 box of stun damage (resist the total at once) as you stress yourself.
Angry Roar (requires intimate of 6 and an ork or troll race, or metatype thereof).
As a complex action you may bellow an insane roar. Roll intimidate, and use the bigger of your body or strength as a suppliment. Add +1 to bonus to your rolls if you have some intimidating form of equipment (hardened body armor, a light machine gun in your hands, etc) and +1 if you are large (-1 if you are small). Compare this result to the willpower of the people in the room. Every success gives the people within 20 meters of you a penalty to all combat skills equal to your successes against them (and may cause them to flee). This penalty lasts for 1 round per rank of intimidate, but resets every time YOU kill someone. The penalty ends immediately if you are dropped due to physical or stun damage. This encuorages everyone to shoot at you, of course.
Rally the Troops (requires 6 ranks of leadership)
As a complex action you can roll a leadership roll to allow your allies to overcome fear due to phobias, combat fear, or the angry roar ability (above). Each success on a leadership (4) test decreases the number of successes of the roar by 1, or grants them +1 die to resist their phobias or combat fear.
Trick Shot (requires 6 ranks of a specific firearm skill)
Buy this trick seperately for each weapon skill. You may sacrifice a number of dice before making a shot. Every 2 dice you sacrifice either allows you to ignore 1 point of the target's armor rating, or removes 1 success from the target's dodge roll (not damage resistance).
Explode Vehicle (requires 6 ranks from a specific firearm skill)
Buy this seperately for each weapon skill. When making a called shot against a vehicle's fuel tank, you may sacrifice a number of dice. The vehicle, upon taking damage, must make a body check against your net successes on your damage roll, the TN being the number of dice you sacrificed. If it generates no successes, it immediately explodes. If it generates less successes than the net successes on your shot, it is disabled and smoking, and will explode in a number of rounds equal to the the number of dice you sacrificed. Wound modifiers apply to this resistance test.
Example: You fire at a car's gas tank with a pistol. You sacrifice 4 dice. You damage the car. You rolled 4 successes against the car, it's damage resistance check generated 2 successes, giving you 2 net successes. It then makes a body check against a TN 4 (the number of dice you sacrificed). If it generates no successes, it immediately explodes. If it generates 1 success, it will explode in 4 rounds, but is disabled and smoking. If it generates 2 successes, it does not explode and just takes damage from the shot. The damage done to the car may apply wound penalties to its resistance check.
Buying Successes:
Buy this trick for a specific skill. In lieu of rolling, you may buy successes by sacrificing a number of dice equal to the TN. (So on a TN 4 test, you may sacrifice 4 dice to generate 1 success). On an open test, your roll is equal to the number of dice you sacrifice (Sacrificing 12 dice grants you a roll of 12).
Taking 20: (Requires buying successes)
Buy this trick for the same skill you have buying successes for. If you're taking 20x the normal amount of time to complete the task, you can spend 1 less die per success. (So at TN 4, every 3 dice takes 1 success, or for TN 2, every die is a success!). Only skills with no penalty for failure can utilize this. For open skill tests, you can take 1/3 of the dice you would normally roll (round down) and roll them. Add the biggest one as a result of the open test. (So if you have 12 dice for searching, you can "take 20" and roll 4 dice. Add 12 to the result of the largest die for your take 20 result).
Sexually Incompatable (Requires Cha 6)
You can use charisma as a suppliment to bluff and disguise checks when you're in a sexually incompatable situation. By careful flirting you can make someone feel socially awkward and uncomfortable and more willing to accept your story just to get you out of there.
I remember everything (Requires eiditic memory and/or mnomenic enhancer)
You can remember almost everything. You now can take ranks in knowledge: all kinds of stuff. This knowledge roll can be used to remember things, make logical conclusions from things you know, and act as a general bardic knowledge skill, though it doesn't provide very technical information, and the TN is generally 1 higher for this skill than for some other, better suited, skill. You can use intellignce as a suppliment to this skill to remember events you were present for.
Read it Later (requires eiditic memory and/or mnomenic enhancer and I remember everything)
You can glance through books and get a page worth of info in 1 simple action. You don't understand any of the info until you go back and "think about it", but you can get a clear enough mental image of a piece of paper that you can read your mental image at some later time. You may store a number of pages equal to your intelligence score. Using cyberware image storage can greatly increase the number of pages.
Sweeper (requires intellgence 6+ and perceptive edge and electronics 6)
You can sustain "sweeping" as if it were a spell. While sweeping, you can automatically attempt perception tests to notice cameras and other security equipment before you trigger them, even if concealed or out of view (like around a corner or on the other side of a door frame) The TN is 1 higher than normal, which is counteracted by your perception edge. You must be able to perceive the security device to detect it, so an invisible camera can't be spotted unless you have ultrasound vision or something.
Too Quiet (requires int 6+ and know: secruity procedures 6+)
You can sustain "too quiet" as if it were a spell. While sustaining, you can automatically attempt hearing perception tests to discover people or animals in your vincinity, either waiting in ambush or just regular guards. You gain penalties on other rolls (due to sustaining), but if you detect someone you will know their approximate number, position, and movement.
Ready for Anything (requires intelligence 4+)
You can sustain a "ready" state, which means that you can make a dodge check on any attack, even ones you are not aware of, and you can act in a "surprise" round of combat. Any checks outside of combat, including perception checks, suffer the TN penalty for sustaining this.
Just like a spell, an ability can be Sustained, meaning you're effectively entering a special character "mode". While sustaining an ability, you gain special perks for that ability, but take a TN penalty to any other action, much like sustaining a spell. Not being a spell, you cannot link sustained abilities to a focus.
Healing Stim (requires a healing spell and Biotech 4+)
You can throw a stim patch on someone to remove some stun damage, then use a healing spell on them to restore the rest of the damage. If you restore them to no damage, then the damage removed by the stim patch is permanent. You still suffer drain from the total number of damage boxes. This does not decrease the number of actions it takes to accomplish this.
Ultrasilent (requires electronics 6 and stealth 6)
You can attempt to sneak up on an ultrasound detector or similar device and disable it without triggering it. You roll an opposed stealth check using your stealth ranks against the rating of the device. If successful, you can get up to the device without triggering it, if you fail you set off the device. Sometimes this is the only way to get close enough to tamper with it.
He's smarter than I am (req: Int 6+, common sense edge)
Roll a number of dice equal to your intelligence against a TN set by the GM. If sucessful, the GM should tell you if something youre proposing has a chance of working or if there is some huge flaw in your plan. Surely he can't account for everything, and multiple successes can help- but if your plan is "We drive a jeep full of explosives into it" the GM might bring up the electric fence you're driving through and how it might trigger the jeep to blow early. Of course, the character must be aware of the electric fence.
Master Plan (req int 6+, knowledge: tactics 6+, leadership 6+)
Before going into a place, you can roll an Intelligence(4) test. Each success grants your entire team a bonus to stealth and perception tests for as long as you sustain this mode. The plan takes 1/2 hour to come up with and requires some basic knowledge of the facility (such as a map).
Giant Target (req intimidate 6+)
You can attempt to move in such a way as to force enemies to shoot at you (instead of your teammates). Make an intimated check opposed by targets willpower. If you succeed, they must direct attacks against you instead of your teammates, until you either drop, or they discover that (if) their attacks against you cannot be effective (such as if you have hardened armor or are channeling a greaterform spirit). You must sustain this, meaning you're taking a penalty to combat skills, but if you're a good damage soaker, it's worth it.
Distracting (requires charisma 6+ and either dance or some other performance skill 6+)
You can attempt to distract someone outside of combat situations. Maybe you're a pretty girl who just keeps dropping things, or a bumbling oaf that people can't look away from, or maybe you've got a great story to tell on the phone... regardless, make a performance check (using your performance skill) against the target's intelligence. If you succeed he takes a penalty on perception checks and any checks involving concentration while you continue doing this. If he's already engaged in a task (like filing paperwork or talking on the phone) this penalty applies to this, though he may stop what he's doing to watch. This can be useful to distract security guards also by playing it up for the camera (though you won't know if you're successful if you can't see him).
Master Cook (requires thrown weapons 4 and demolitions 4)
You can throw a grenade and have it detonate immediately (instead of end of round) if you make a Thrown Weapons (4) test. Basically you pull the pin as an earlier part of the throwing action. If you fail the thrown weapons test, the grenade explodes in your hand instead.
Bullet Deflection (requires edged weapons 6 and quickness 6)
You can use a wielded edged weapon to deflect bullets at you, using your edged weapons skill as a suppliment to your dodge. You must still be aware of the attack and have the weapon drawn. If you sustain bullet deflection as a sustained ability, you can use your full edged weapon skill as your dodge test, even if you use no combat pool towards it.
Master Teacher (requires instruction 6)
You are better at instructing people to learn discounted skills. When using instruction to decrease the karma cost of learning a skill, you automatically generate 1 extra success (as long as you've generated any).
SNAAAAKE! (requires electronics 6)
When someone goes unconscious or dies on your team, and you can't see them, but are in radio contact, you just get the strange feeling that something has happened. (You can yell their voice into the radio to confirm this). This can alert you that something is amiss. You must be on a mission and in radio contact to use this, though the communication line need not be open at the time. GM call.
Enrage (requires body 6 and intimidation 6)
The character can pump himself up into a berserker rage, spending a complex action pissing himself off. Once the rage begins he sustaines it, but does not take the sustaining penalty to combat skills (athletics and weapoon skills), he get a -1 TN bonus to damage resistance tests and may use strength to suppliment any damage resistance or melee weapon skill, and may use quickness to suppliment any ranged weapon skill. He may not benefit from scopes or aiming actions and must make a willpower(6) test to break off of combat. He also has a +1 TN penalty to any dodge tests and ignores wound penalties during this.
Blade Flurry (requires edged weapon 6, quickness>= strength)
By being fast rather than strong, the character is able to do more damage using edged weapons. If he wields a small edged weapon in each hand, he can perform a flurry, and add 1/2 his quickness to the overall power of the attack, representing more landed blows. This is a complex action against one person.
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