/srg/ - Shadowrun General

I've got a question I didn't want to fold into the OP. One of the Big 10 is getting taken off the Corporate Court soon, right? Any guesses on which one? I've heard NeoNET is gonna be the one taking a hit, but I'm tempted to use a different one for the purposes of a campaign.

Stick-n-Shock or Gel rounds? Which do you generally prefer?

>>44363942
Depends how many bullets I'm using.

>>44363942
Gel is really solid on high-damage weapons, stick-n-shock is more situational. I'd generally use gel, honestly.

Post japanese Shadowrun

Can you run hacker programs on a regular commlink?

Specifically, could I have my main real commlink running silent, and a second diversionary commlink broadcasting running the wrapper program to make a pocket full of rfid tags look like my gear? (And possibly other nastier suprises)

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>>44364019

>>44364032
>Can you run hacker programs on a regular commlink?
No.

>>44364032
>>44364304

No BUT yes. I think you can get the Program Carrier, or something like that, on a Commlink. Don't quote me but I'm like 99% sure.

>>44364324
That particular point has been debated in length, but any definitive answer will have to wait for an eventual errata for Data Trails.

Check with your GM, and for sanity's sake, don't bring it up again.

>>44364398
>Add a Module: You can hardwire a cyberdeck module into a device. You need the module you want to add to the device. Most devices can only have one module, although cyberdecks can have two—one in the normal module slot, and the one you hardwire in. Hardwired modules follow the same rules as normal modules (p.64). This requires two packs of parts.


Since cyberdecks are mentioned separately from other devices, and the only other "devices" the chapter refers to are commlinks, I'd venture to guess that mod can go on a commlink. (I'd say an RCC is probably the other acceptable case)

How much do you raise your skills before you feel you're good enough? Like is there a point of diminishing returns?

>>44363942
Only Stick-n-Shock I use is for the guns mounted on my car. Besides, Gel is cheaper.

>>44364504
Yes, and they will argue that you can add the module but you can only install an extra comlink app in it; and that cyberprograms require a cyberdeck.

Again, check with YOUR gamemaster No need to have yet another thread dissolve in namecalling and shitposting on that particular subject.

Ok, so the internal router lets you get wifi bonuses for some things but not others (those that need matrix access) while your wifi is off. But most stuff needs matrix access for the wifi bonus, and the description of wireless in the core book makes it sound like ALL wifi bonuses need matrix access. So what's the point of this 0.7 essence piece of scrap?

Also, can you use a datacable to connect stuff in the same way you would use wifi, but without making it so easy to hack? ie: could I link my smartgun to my eyeware via cable in order to get the wifi bonus without having the wireless on?

>>44365521
It lets you connect Wired Reflexes and Reaction Enhancers together without running them wireless. Thats probably the best bonus.

>Raiding top secret facility
>Mission is to destroy everything after taking photographic evidence
>Decker finds Self Destruct System
>Activates it
>Escape facility just as the countdown runs out
>Turns out it was the Elf Destruct System
>Tir na nOg is nuked into oblivion
>If it wasn't obvious, I made this up.

Smaug vs Sirrug -- who wins?

Do you think I should play a few sessions as a player and then GM or GM and then be a player? I don't have the option of joining a online session it seems.. no one seems to be playing shadowrun 5e :(

>>44365890
Shadowrun, regardless of version, really benefits from GMs who know the system well. I'd say you should play a few sessions as a player first.

>>44365983
>>44365890
>tfw no one in my group has ever played before, except an old 4e player who i know won't gm
>tfw I have to GM
>i know the system but i'm an awful gm

>>44365874
Lofwyr

>>44365874

Sirrurg obviously. Magic tips the scale over.

>>44366013
When does Lofwyr *not* when? By the end of this theoretical encounter between Smaug and Sirrug, Lofwyr will probably have bought out Thorin Oakenshield and will already be selling Erebor as the next gold-mining tourist destination, while quietly turning his favorite dwarfs into new minion/employees and paving over half of Hobbiton.

>>44366053
Fair argument. I guess Smaug's fire probably wouldn't have much of an effect, anyway.

>>44366288
Win, damn it, not when.

so I posted this in the last thread and got some input but I'll repost it here with more info

so my pc's plan for an assination of a mr johnson is
>wait for him to go into his favorite alley to make a deal
>have drones cover the alley in napalm
>shoot anything that comes out alive until it stops moving with rpgs they stole from an ares warehouse
how much notoriety should I be giving when this goes as sideways as I know it is?

why are they killing mr johnson?
>he smuggles insect shaman/blood shaman into LA
>they are associated with him and if word gets out that they're in cahoots with him every bounty hunter, sec corps, runner that has a ounce of decency in their body (or more likely paid to pretend they have one) will come at them guns a blazing.
>So their idea was to burn bridges. they took this literally when the hacker suggested it.

not gonna lie did this to give them a reason to change scenery but this is also good but damn.

>>44367246
Depends on the neighbourhood of the alley. Probably less than you'd think, if nobody in the alley gets away and nobody recognises them, and especially if they present evidence that he was a bug/blood shaman supplier. The trick will be if the police catch up to them, and that largely depends on if they're Knight Errant or not. KE could track the RPGs, due to affiliation. A flashy move like this makes for a tempting collar for a detective, and if they've got the RPG trace as low-hanging fruit, they're going to commit to the case.

>>44367246
>>wait for him to go into his favorite alley to make a deal
>>have drones cover the alley in napalm
>>shoot anything that comes out alive until it stops moving with rpgs they stole from an ares warehouse
why not just dump some explosives in a the garbage nearby? napalm drones and guns seem a little overcomplicated.

>>44367482
>>44367246
Spray humanis/gang symbols everywhere afterwards. That might throw them off.

>>44367246
They should've just spread the info.

How exactly do motion sensors work? I can't seem to find the rules about them in the 5e basic book.

The gear chapter just says a general description of it, it doesn't actually give any rules.

>>44367482
Its a Azzie johnson. They're in Los Angeles.
>>44367594
nothing to chance
>>44367900
they are going to

>>44368901
>Crossing the azzies
RIPIP senpai

Am I missing something with technomancers? They just seem worse than deckers in nearly every way. How do you play one effectively?

>>44368947
They were sort of possible in 4e? Vertainly they were more viable than 5. Technos in 5 have to be built in a very specific way that doesn't really allow them to take on sub-roles in order to be slightly effective at present. So yeah, they're pretty bad. There's a techno book coming out at some point though.

>>44368947
Technomancers are Spritemancers exclusively in 5e. BUT, Technomancers in 5e can be pretty strong drone riggers when you combine Rigger 5 mods with Machine Sprites.

>>44368947
theyre not better at hacking than deckers, and complex forms have very punishing drain, but not needing to buy a deck frees up a lot of resources for other stuff and sprites are quite powerful.

they can switch-hit as a face or rigger pretty well because you need charisma for your living persona's attack, and not having to buy a deck but still being able to defend your drones gives you a lot more money for rigging gubbins.

>>44368947
The hardest part is building one at chargen, but if you get past that they have a lot of nifty tricks that a decker could never possibly replicate

>>44363689

I don't see how it wouldn't be NeoNET, because CFD + Boston

>>44363942

Depends if the target is Hardened or not.

>>44364032

Program carrier from datatrail would work, but the problem is that anyone doing basic Matrix surveillance on the RFID would break the wrapper, and the wrapper is illegal... So you're putting yourself at risk for no reason.

>>44365521

Router allows to use wireless FUNCTIONALITIES, not the bonuses.

>>44369741
The other big one I hear, and the one I was going to use, is Renraku.

>>44368947
https://www.reddit.com/r/Shadowrun/comments/2q94e8/viable_technomancer_builds/

Read that. It pretty much sums it up. Don't try to beat a decker at its own game.

>>44368947

They're Matrix generalists and the Pet class. They're not worth investing heavily into their abilities, but are powerful as support.

>>44369833

You should HINT at it, but keep the big reveal for after the release of the next book in a few months.

Just noticed that there's a big PDF sale at DriveThruRPG; is it worth it to pick up the various core expansions, or just stick with the torrented PDFs?

>>44369916
We're not even starting for a few months (I'm planning out for the campaign following our current GURPS one), so yeah, no big rush.

That said, looking things up for research, I'm seeing some shit I hadn't heard of before; are technomancers fucking with Horizon's Consensus? Has the Consensus even been explained outside of what's in Corporate Guide?

The one thing I dislike about shadowrun is how limited you are because of meta type.. like being a troll technomancer is fucking suicide. You COULD do it, but it wouldn't be pretty and the slightest error in optimization would just leave you being garbage.

>>44370243
I see what you mean, but I very much like the idea that trolls just shouldn't be focusing on techno stuff as a primary. It's much better then every race being the exact same save for a +1 to thing like the rest of the meta types.

>>44370243

You just suck at character creation. Optimisation =\= splurging all your points on diminishing returns.

Especially since technomancers barely need anything more than 2-3 Resonance and some points in Compiling/Registering.

>>.44357770
>I can't say I've ever seen a GM that allows using multiple RCCs at once.
It only works by virtue of agent programs. If you want to operate multiple persona-capable devices yourself ... you can't.

>>44357797
what ever device the AI uses, its capabilities are boosted
Only the 'home' device of an AI.

>>44370499

> You can't

Dafuq you saying? You can, they're just running their own icon. What you can't, is run them all at once as yourself in VR.

It's similar to running devices through two laptops and your phone at the same time. It would be hell with keyboards, but kind of a breeze when all the data is streamed to your DNI anyway.

Is there any way to give your Cyberarm a RAWKET PAUNCH! By that I mean a Cyberarm where you detach the forearm and it acts as a flying drone.

>>44370970
Don't try to shit talk your way into winning an argument.
>You can only run one persona at a time; switching requires you to reboot both the device you’re currently on and the device to which you want to shift your persona.
No dafuqs about it. You can't run more than one persona, which means you can't operate more than one commlink, cyberdeck, or rcc.

>>44371263
Yep. Rigger 5.

So, recently my FLGS had to close down. I always wanted to get into Shadowrun, but the price of the book was always daunting me. But I managed to snag a copy of SR for extremely cheap. Only problem: It's a fourth edition book and I know you guys are on 5th edition.

Did I screw up? Is this another case of D&D where I bought a radically different (and possibly inferior) version of the game? Should I resell it and hold out for a 5th edition copy? Or is this a situation where the rules barely change and I'm just missing out on some errata?

>>44371573
Well for sure don't re sell it. It's a different edition of the game, which means that there's enough differences in the edition to warrant a completely different edition. And who knows, maybe you'll come across a group that's more interested in 4e instead of 5e. I've played plenty of DnD where the group just wanted to play a combat sim, so we pulled out 4e instead of 2 or 5.

Sorry, but I've not played 4. The only Shadowrun edition I have is 5, so I can't really help much.

How come there's no sound damper audio modification for earbuds? Do I have to run around with earplugs to not get deafened when the GM hands me a handful of flashbangs, sans pins?

Ok, MCT Zero Zone. But use the /k/ anti-tac team mansion. Somebody here probably has the screencap of that thread.

>>44366005
I completely feel you anon. At least my players are interested in the setting, but they're terrible at learning new rulesets.

>>44368570
In the gamemaster advice section it says they use ultrasound. Getting past them requires you to move half a meter per combat turn and an infiltration+agility [physical] (3) test. Pg 365

>>44371492
R5 only does crawling drone hand. (cannot upgrade)

Chrome Flesh does grappling gun hand.

>>44371263
GRAPPLE HAND
A modification to a cyberarm (either partial or full) that consists of a winch, a feed system capable of loading up to thirty meters of wire, and a pneumatic launcher that can fire the cyberhand up to the full range of the wire, which also serves as a command path to let the hand grab hold of a distant target. Once a firm grip is secured, the winch can pull them toward the hand at a rate of ten meters per Combat Turn, or half that silently. Should a grip not be made, it can rewind the hand at a rate of twenty-five meters per turn, or ten meters silently. It takes one minute for the air compressor to ready the hand for another shot.
Use Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) for targeting with the launched hand.

>>44371573
Nah, you did good and you should be fine.

Okay, question time.
What sort of things (quricks, skills, ect) are required/mandatory for ex-docwagon employees?

Also, how would you build an ex-docwagon Decker/Rigger/Mage?

>>44372425
Read Bullets and Bandages.

>>44372427
Thats it? It is that simple?

>>44372437
Yes.

>>44372446
Alright, I'll go do that then. Thank you

i hate mystic adepts

>>44372562
They are pretty much the 'I want to have my cake and eat it too' archetype, yes. Background counts are quite capable of crippling them though.

>>44371289

RTFM

>When a person uses a device to connect to the Matrix, the device’s icon is subsumed by the persona’s icon, so it’s basically gone from the Matrix until the persona jacks out. You can only run one persona at a time; switching requires you to reboot both the device you’re currently on and the device to which you want to shift your persona.

>until the persona jacks out.

As long as your RCC is running as a device (as it is by default) it's fine. It's when you jump into the device that you merge as one.

You're still the owner, and you can still give it orders as an owner. You just can't really do much deeper than that until you switch your persona from your current RCC/Commlink/Deck and use that RCC as your Persona, at which point you get to PERSONALLY use all its goodies, like noise cancelling and shit.

While "idle" as an icon, it still works as an RCC, slave the drones, share the autosofts to it's slaves, and the drones are still as autonomous as ever, and ready to receive orders from their Owners (and whoever got marks on them). You just don't get all the personal benefits of using it as your Persona.

It's convoluted, and you need to use the "use device" matrix action a lot.

>>44372575
>>44372562

>BG count are quite capable of crippling them

Time, too. They lag behind their teammates like you wouldn't believe. They look super OP at chargen, but improve at roughly a third of the rate. The rest will catch up and then completely outpace MAs.

Plus, they're mages that can't access the metaplanes and must pay for the Magician's Way to have access to the normal Mage metamagics.

They are, and will always be, shit tier.

>>44372575
they feel completely unoriginal and like 90% mystic adept players in group wanted to make total special snowflakes. One guy wanted to make with life modules wolf shapeshifter who was bag of organs for secret society and thanks to all experiments he became genderfluid, but due to shadowrun he escaped and become shadowrunner with vendetta.
His last sentence in his biography(1 a4 page for a 20~ year old bag of organs) was:"he is gay".

>>44372623
also he was more edgy than "new" dante and took superhuman psychosis because "humanity is a border that strong can cross"

>>44372623
>>44372636
Looks like you've got a live one there, omae...

>>44372636
Looks very unoptimised and pretty weak

>>44372688
we started with 1000 karma instead of 750 so it was a bit stronger, with default karma he would be geeked by min maxed street scum char imho.

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>>44372636
>>44372623

>could be worse

Sadly I couldn't find my image of the were-unicorn street punk

>>44372716
You are still far ahead.

>>44372738
>well she looks normal
>see her nose
KILL IT WITH FUCKING FIRE
>>44372754
with my genius kid chaos mage with three initiations, Im probably the strongest char in my team, inb4 powergaming but my GM likes to make hard runs and life for us, not super black trenchcoat grimdark but still challenging.

>>44372802
>inb4 powergaming
Dude, you have 1000 karma, your GM *wants* you to powergame.

>>44373070
that sweeet sjw butthurt

Which of the Shadowrun vidya are good? Saw one on sale on Steam.

>>44372623
Aside from how terrible that concept is, making a shapeshifter with life modules would pretty much leave him with no karma to speak of, even with the extra 250 you were given.
>>44373198
Dragonfall, Hong Kong, Returns in that order. Lockdown is fucking terrible.

>>44373198

What yekka said here >>44373211, but make sure you get the "Director's Cut" of Dragonfall. It really improves the original version.

>>44373198
Dragonfall and HongKong are both good, some say DF had better plot but i prefer HongKong plot plus its better in terms of gameplay.
>>44373211
Thats why my gm told him to change concept(or char generation method) because he will be useless vs the difficulty of his gamestyle after hearing the truth Snowflake told him that he wants more karma.
GM told him to fuck off.

>>44373211
Dragonfall had better plot and a more intriguing story.
Hong Kong had (arguably) a better central cast, an amazing setting/visuals, and better gameplay, coupled with some bizarre pacing issues.

>>44373198
The three solo games from HareBrained Schemes are definitely worth playing. My only complaint is that they're railroady as fuck, the story will go forward whatever you do (unless your character dies) and your choices have minimal to no impact on the eventual outcome. But the stories are nice, the side characters are worth it in all three games and it's ultimately a very good introduction to the SR setting. (As long as you understand that turning on your Johnson in the PnP will definitively have consequences.)

>>44372580
Dude, get off my dick. We've both read it.

You need to authenticate yourself to prove ownership and use a link / deck / console. That means loading a persona.

There's no pre-persona state of use. You're making shit up to prove you right.

>>44373255
If I gave games a pass because I liked the characters I'd have a vastly different view on most Bioware games. Fuck Is0bel though.

I was going to expand a bit on why Hong Kong probably deserves equal first purely for how gorgeously ugly Hong Kong is, but I'm a bit distracted with Rigger 5.0 shit and pressed enter too early.

Anybody got a good beginner guide for 5e? The book is sort of organized in a way I just have difficulty parsing, and the guide that I found was only really for pre-genned characters. I want some sort of quick primer that's got some simple steps for creation and maybe explains what is basically necessary on the side. I'm super unused to the game so I don't have the experience everyone else seems to have/assume I will have when I look it up.

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>>44372738
This guy?

The one thing that makes me wonder: why do technomancers use WIL+RES to resist fading?
I mean, I never got to play a technomancer, but it seems like haggling with your GM to let you take lvl 1 submersion at chargen and then take Metatype D (Human, 3 special attribute points) and the quality exceptional attribute (RES) for a total of 8 RES from the start would make you so stronk. With high WIL (6) and super RES (8) you'd be able to shit out the really good sprites all day, and even the high-fading complex forms are manageable with 14 dice in fading resistance.

>>44372599
They actually can and always could take normal metamagics (weren't they always referred as Magician's Way Adepts before anyway?). That sentence in the fluff is completely pointless and stupid.

>>44373534
Because Resonance is internet magic, hence they use (mental attribute + "internet magic" attribute) to resist 'internet magic drain'.

Just like regular Mages/Shamans/... use (mental attribute + Magic).

As for the rest, just get RES/WIL 6 a high Edge pool and edge your fading resistance rolls. As long as you stick to reasonable sprites (L6 and smaller), you should be able to Compile and resist the fading from compiling them without Edge; and go all-out on the Registration test with Edge.

>>44373534
14 dice let you resist 3.75 fading on average. Puppetier's drain starts at 5.
>>44373642
>Just like regular Mages/Shamans/... use (mental attribute + Magic).
Regular magicians use WIL+Tradition Attribute (Log, Cha, or Int).

>>44373347
>>44373303
>>44373255
>>44373247
>>44373211
So the games I see on Steam are:

Hong Kong
Dragonfall: Director's Cut
Chronicles: Boston Lockdown
Chronicles: INFECTED Director's Cut
Shadowrun Returns

>>44373642
But regular mages use MAG+Skill for casting and (LOG/INT/CHA) + WIL for drain resistance. Technos use RES+Skill and RES+WIL, making RES twice as usefull for them, which means far less karma to invest to get stronger.

>>44373662
>which means far less karma to invest to get stronger.
Only in terms of dicepool, remember their mental stats are their limits (CHA=Attack, INT=Sleaze, LOG=Data Processing, WIL=Firewall), so they still need to invest in more mental attributes.

>>44373657
Ignore Chronicles, get the three others.

>>44373662
Considering everywhere else they need to invest points in, no, going all-out on resonance isn't a good idea.

>>44373662
Technomancers also use all of their mental attributes to generate their living persona. As much as we say 'Technomancers are for sprites, disregard everything else', they still need at least SOME kind of decent living persona, unless you do something crazy like double-dip as a technodecker.
>>44373657
Chronicles is incredibly terrible. Avoid it.

>>44373652
>>44373662

Aye, indeed. My bad. But still, 6 RES is more than enough. Those 27 points of Karma and 2 'special' points will be a lot more useful invested in skills and Edge.

>>44373355
Theres cheatsheets in the op, im pretty sure those will help

>>44373714
>>44373739
True dat, but as long as you have high WIL (for your Firewall) and let sprites do almost all your shit, aside from an occasional complex form, you probably won't need terribly high limits, as standard hacking is not something you do often. Maybe a bit higher LOG for matrix perception and stuff.

>>44373850
Your maximum amount of sprites is your LOG score.

I have no experience with the pnp game, but i've played srr, df, and hk and really enjoyed them.

how does shadowrun chronicles stack up against those?

>>44374082

It's trash

>>44374036
Didn't that get errata'ed at one point?

>>44374131
That IS the errata. Originally it was CHA.

>>44364035
Is that a fucking cyberbeard?

>>44373326
Owners always have four Marks and can use the variable "command device" action to make an RCC do anything they want it to do. This takes no extra time, as per the Control Device matrix action.

You're a retard.

Let's fit the holiday theme a little. What do you get for the people in your group? What do you stuff the rigger's stockings with? What goes under the street sam's plastic Christmas tree? Let's be festive today.

Are fetishes from SG 212 worth using in 5th? They reduce spell drain code by 2, which seems roughly equivalent to a grade 6 initiate centering.

I have stunbolt (F-3), ball lightning(F-1), heal (F-4), increase reflexes (F), improved invisibility (F-1), physical mask (F-1), trid phantasm (F), levitate (F-2), magic fingers (F-2, influence (F-1), and physical barrier (F-1). I have a drain pool of 11, and and spellcasting pool of 12 (16 for manipulation)

Would any of these be worth using a fetish for? I was thinking ball lightning (force adds base damage), increase reflexes (so I can cast F4 with minimum drain), trid phantasm (cast at F4 for min drain), and physical barrier (because barrier seems really weak so casting at F5-F7 incase of 5+ hits seems necessary).

>>44374661
>Are fetishes from SG 212 worth using in 5th?

At chargen? Debatable.
After Chargen? Not really. Having to re-learn the spell it a bitch.

>>44374731
I'm at chargen right now.

I agree, after chargen fetishes don't seem like a good idea if taken for a duplicate spell. So I'm trying to figure out if they are a worthwhile thing to consider at chargen, or if I should just rely on centering for drain pool increases.

>>44374822
It is worth it, as long as you're never caught with your pants down, i.e. without a fetish to cast.

>>44374661
Spells with F or F-1 drain that aren't essential, like Increased Reflexes and Improved Invisibility.

>>44375563
Yeah, I was figuring it would almost be worth it to fetish everything except a core group of spells like stunbolt, levitate, improved invisibility, heal, and maybe influence or magic fingers. That way even if I lose access to my fetish, I can still function reasonably well.

But still, I can't imagine I would be losing my fetish very often. Equipment loss is usually pretty rare in my experience.

>>44376072
Especially because it can be all sorts of minor stuff, like toe rings that never get lost (granted, an extreme example, and the idea was most likely the typical shaman with his vest with bones, feathers and talons). Gives me a bit of grief as GM.

Question: at your tables, do fetishes have to be spell-specific or category specific?

>>44376148
Fetishes are always spell-specific, 5e.

Sigh. Can't go through one thread on 4chan without it devolving into people discussing their fetishes.

Merry Christmas

How feasible would it be to store a holdout in your cybertits?

>>44373620

No, they can take metamagics from the rulebook, and the adept's metamagics. They need Magician's Way for the other metamagics.

>>44374822

Well, you won't have centering until you initiate, so....

>>44376549
Actually, my GM is allowing one initiation from chargen if I want, so I could just grab centering and a centering foci if that is a better route than fetishes. I just was unsure which is usually better.

>>44376505
So... they can't take Arts from Street Grimoire, but they can take Centering, Spell Shaping, etc (which all belong to Arts)? It was errata'd by the author.

>>44377011
>Errata'd

Ooh? Where how where?

>>44374424
Of course. I didn't even start my OS to write this. I just used another PC to tell my PC to post.

>>44377350
>Devices, how do they work?

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>>44377713

>>44377266
forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=17274.0

This thread.

>>44377849

Neat, thanks. I also see Namikaze's abrasiveness is not new.

So, I've got an idea for a run to kick off my plot. Same anon that asked before about the Corporate Court. I'm actually leaning toward Horizon and NeoNET as two candidates that my runners' runs might decide themselves (assuming the book that gives the canonical answer doesn't come out before our campaign starts). There's one run that I really want to kick off the Horizon side of things, especially since my players have no concept of any of the megacorps actually being *evil* outside of Aztech and, to a much lesser extent, Saeder-Krupp, except for the one 4e veteran player.

These people think there's such a thing as good guys, and that the less-prominent AAAs are said good guys.

Anyway, to provide a little background: My players and I have agreed to set up a BBS-esque job and discussion board (Obsidian Portal-supported), so I can put 2-3 possible runs up at a time (whatever they don't take will either go undone, go to NPCs, or for particularly long-term jobs, be available for their next run) and they can pick from there.

(Focks, Chi, and crew; don't keep reading.)

>After a few runs as normal, to acquaint people with the system and to establish the start of character development/setting evolution out of purely "what's in the fluff", the plot starts to enter in
>The job board is "crashed"; other jobs display garbled errors, etc. One job is just barely comprehensible, with a geotagged location (I've got a map of 2077 Seattle to use) and really vague/basic information, a call for help
>Hopefully this is enough to push my players to investigate (hell, I know my players; it's enough)
>Legwork through existing contacts could potentially reveal: It's a facility owned by a Horizon facility, it is ENTIRELY hard-wired (I have no decker to worry about so this should be okay), visible security from the outside has stepped up in the past few weeks, and server parts + disassembled drones have been shipped in over the course of the last 6 months
(cont)

>>44378417
>At this point, to my veteran player, everything will be pointing to technomancers. Reasonable assumption, especially considering it's Horizon.
>Enter facility, infiltrate, gather info, etc. Holding cells and research labs under the facility... but there's none of that good old "dissecting technomancers" operating theater jazz lying around. Instead, there's a bigass macguffin machine, a WHOLE LOT of anthroform drones with their wireless capabilities ripped out and very lifelike personalities installed, and a lot of human security on throwback technology.
>The facility is an experiment in creating e-ghosts as a shortcut to intentionally building AIs. Macguffin-Machine does the adapting, the mainframe/server bits are to host the AIs in a device with a high enough device rating to let them function properly, technicians are experimenting on them to try and mold them into, well, whatever Horizon wants them to be. Think Eliza Cassan for starters... but when you can plant influential personalities anywhere through lifelike drones (thanks Plan 9), you don't have to stick to just trid shows.
>The crash and call for help came from one of the captives in holding when a guard slipped up and got a wireless signal in that they could hook off of
>Players are... hopefully sufficiently morally outraged at ripping people's minds out of their bodies and consigning them to a barely-real virtual existence and at the VERY least manage to get out of the facility with evidence
>If they extract the prisoner, they'll have a very competent Matrix contact to shore up their lack of anything on the Matrix side
>If they destroy the e-ghost macguffin, that's a point on the Corporate Court Crash scale for Horizon
>A wide-scale prison break would be at least 2; stacks with above
>Regardless, the mere EXISTENCE of this is huge paydata source and opens up a lot of avenues to go on

Thoughts? Security design? Do I suck at writing?

Are there any such occurrences when an Insect Spirit has displayed a level of intelligence and independence? Like, Spider spirits, for example? Obviously they're still inter-dimensional ass holes, but could an Insect Spirit ever display a degree of patience, be cold and calculating and manipulative, hide in plain sight?

>>44378737
...thats what they do. ever heard of the brother of humanity? Ares currently? bug spirits are alien as fuck. but they're smart as fuck.

related not are their any stat blocks for 5E npcs enemies?

also need a 5E book on Horizon, New York, Los Angeles, and that shit is tight.

>>44378737

Spirits have mental stats equal to their Force. Queens and other high Force Insects (like the True Forms) are fucking insanely intelligent.

Scouts, by virtue of needing low Force to help with being Flesh Formed, are usually closer to.metahan standards.

> Spider spirits

Spiders are not insects. The spider totem is actually a normal, albeit cold, mentor spirit. It hates insect spirits.

>>44379048
>Spiders are not insects. The spider totem is actually a normal, albeit cold, mentor spirit. It hates insect spirits.
I keep forgetting this, thank you for the reminder.

>>44378931
Wait for Market Panic.

Whats the most effective way to GM a online session through roll20? I am considering Gming a game of Shadowrun 5e. The problem? I don't feel I am too experienced with the game yet. I have played ZERO times because I can't find a session anywhere. Should I still even try gming?

>>44379980
If you're willing to do it, do it. People online will flake regardless of your GM skills, so treat it like a test run, and focus on improving.

>>44364324
you can't use cyberdeck modules on commlinks

>>44381368
You can mod a cyberdeck module into any device.

Can elves grow beards?

>>44381966

Not the default elf, but they can get cosmetic 'ware, surgery of genetherapy for it.

Or just have the human-looking quality

FUCK!

No one is hosting ANY SESSIONS ONLINE ANYWHERE!!! FUCK...

I just want to play. As a new player, I can't get any fucking experience.

>>44382200
Its xmas, relax. Call your mom.

>Says the guy texting under the table, at a table of the inlaws all talking in a foreign language they know I don't understand.

Can you make cyberzombies in Chummer? Last time i checked it lacked an implant essential for them.

>>44383082

5th don't have cyberzombies yet. As a rule though, it basically works like this: All implants must be Deltaware, must be below 0 essence. Every full negative essence points adds +1 Magic rating, +1 to magic resistance, +1 mystic armor, +1 to all metatype maximum to physical attributes, must run a bunch of specialised BTL/Personafixes to force into remembering what its like to be human.

The aura is instantly rwcognizable as something horrible, and tainted by blood magic. Probably has a form of Astral Hazing.

Will quickly die of cancer and/or out of a lack of desire to live shortly. (Basically, it has the borrowed time disadvantage) as such he's basically in a 40k Dreanough nap mode when not in use.

A player of mine who really, REALLY wants to play a vampire in every damned game is telling me that Shadowrun has VtM-style vampire kisses that apparently leave their victims drooling in pleasure.

Any truth to this? Is there a page I can look at for 5e vamps? And does it extend to the rest of the HMMV victims, like Banshees? Because that changes a number of things in-setting for me if it dies.

>>44385208
There's a whole chapter on the infected in Run Faster senpai.

>>44385208
It is described as causing a flood of ecstasy, and is addictive (for both sides) like a drug. Run Faster has a little sidebar on P. 134 that has the rules portion of it.

>>44369741
>>44363689

Whoa, what? When/where did this become news?

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>>44385329
I missed the part of the chapter where the Essence Drain they have is special and doesn't cause terrible things to happen to people. I'll read through it again, though.

>>44385369
Been there for a while omae. Make sure to read sections in depth, if you skim you can miss major details.

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>>44385400
Page 134, Run Faster.
Essence Drain (p. 396, SR5), the act of draining a metahuman’s life energy, is the most devastating and most intimate power available to the Infected. Two auras come together, and one devours the other in a flood of ecstasy.
It is a high unlike any drug, and it has the potential to take over the soul. Unlike a drug, though, Essence Drain can have two victims: the Infected draining the Essence, and the victim giving it up. For the victim, the hazards should be obvious. Essence is a limited resource, and once it runs out, the victim dies. This can open the victim up to the risk of Infection. It might also make him susceptible to becoming a vampiric pawn, dependent upon the vampire to maintain his Essence, while keeping him in an ecstatic thrall as he’s drained again and again.
For the Infected, becoming addicted to Essence Drain leads to seeking out more victims. This in turn leads to more draining, more killing, and more bodies on the ground. This brings increased scrutiny, heightened law-enforcement presence, and a multitude of other woes, not just on the Infected who’s gone rogue, but for all the other Infected in the area. Who may not take very kindly to all that increased attention.

>>44385208
Yes, this can happen. It doesn't have to be pleasure; any strong emotion is enough for the aura penetration and essence draining. Terror is more common.

Banshees' natural feeding habits are to frighten their victim, then harry them until they collapse from exhaustion. Then they drain them to the point of death. It would take at least some effort on a banshee's part to feed in ways unnatural to them.

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>>44385361
>>44385329
>>44385500
Thanks, anons, that clears it up perfectly. I'll have to start imposing addiction checks whenever he starts essence draining the guards at random next time, he was starting to complain about the intense pain and screaming.

I kind of love and hate running games for idiots, on one hand no matter what they do everyone's here to hang out and have a good time. On the other hand, I have to be the one to tell them they're an idiot. It's a good pain.

>>44385695
Addiction Rolls have their own rules, don't just bullshit it.

>>44385783
Oh, I know, and i know the addiction rules pretty well. I play a lot of Kamikaze burnouts.

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>>44385208
>A player of mine who really, REALLY wants to play a vampire

What non-nuyen/karma rewards do you give your runners? And how much nuyen for a run, usually?

>>44385695
While you're at it;

>Certain powers of the HMHVV Infected accelerate Essence Loss. Any power that is not automatic (meaning it requires an action to use) is Essence-intensive for the Infected. Each use of these powers accelerates the loss of Essence by one week.

If they're regularly draining people, they're using an active power, and speeding up their essence loss.

>>44383297
>as such he's basically in a 40k Dreanough nap mode when not in use.

That's only in the video game. In 4e (the rules you are referring to), a cyberzombie is 'functional' and autonomous all the time, aforementioned lack of will to live and need for magical/mundane maintenance notwithstanding.

>>44386403
Favors are good. So are non-money bits of high value goods, like a box of silver coins or a crate of assault rifles. Things they can keep or turn into cash.

Used cars and trucks are great too. They cost a fuckton to buy with cash, but used ones with a few flaws that can be fixed up or used as disposable escape transports are good rewards.

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>>44363674
I heard that there's a way to avoid the ALWAYS ONLINE thing with cybernetics now. Where is that and how dose it work?

>>44386853
The Internal Router on page 84 of Chrome Flesh enables you to have the Wireless benefits of some augmentations and such without the problems that actually being online would entail.

>running from corpsec
>get chased up to roof of building
>only escape route is to jump to the next building
>luckily I just got some new hydraulic jacks installed
>get running start
>make the jump
>half way through the jump a message pops up on my AR display
>"a connection error has occurred, you have been signed out of LegNet"
>plummet to my death

>>44386853
Turn wireless off until the moment you need it. The only two that absolutely require wireless constantly are the Wired Reflexes/Reaction Enhancers combo, and for those you have an internal router. (Or alternatively go for Move-By-Wire)

>>44386918
Holy shit, is that the final art on Chrome Flesh? Did someone look at that cover and think "yeah, that. let's go with that."

>>44386974
5e has a history of bad covers. Run Faster, Data Trails, Chrome Flesh, unaltered Rigger 5...
SR5 doesn't even necessarily have bad art, some of it is pretty okay, it's just they pick their worst art to showcase on the covers.

>>44386965
>require wireless constantly are the Wired Reflexes/Reaction Enhancers combo

That is so fucking stupid that two pieces of cyberware that both affect the same thing, and are installed in the same part(s) of your body, can't work together unless they are both wirelessly connected to an external server somewhere in downtown Seattle.

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>>44387017
Metaplot dropped aspects of tech back a decade, and prior to nanite-etched wiring, limited internal routing was a part of that. Deal with it. Or not.

>>44387017
Aye, but on the other hand, since it's the only combo that allows to get over the augmented maximum in Reaction, they had to give it some form of drawback.

And even then, they're probably not connected to a server, but constantly exchanging data with one another wirelessly.

>>44386403

Check the GM section; Nuyen payout, modifiers and negotiation rules are all there at the end.

>>44387049

>Back a decade.

A decade ago in setting (and IRL) wireless reflexes and reaction enhancers worked together without a hitch and without NANOMACHINES, SON.

>>44386724

Well, it's more like a Flagellant really. The thing is that while they're awake and active, they're very much like a glitchy Robocop, trying very, very hard to not forget the handful of memoried they still have of their former lives (may they be actual memories or fake ones implanted, it doesn't matter to him, it just needs something to keep the caged soul from going berserk)

>>44387072
It already cost a bunch of cash and essence.

>>44387113
Yes, and?

>>44387099

And it took about ten years for office laptops to be given back a high speed cable between firewire being dropped by Apple and USB 3.0 coming in.

Tech, brands and trends are bullshit like that.

>>44387099
Go open up a copy of Man & Machine to p22, and read the Router entry. That's 2060s tech, aka SR3.

>>44387001
I wish they'd just let Víctor Manuel Leza do everything.

>>44387161
Whut?

USB 2.0 is about half as fast theoretically as later IEEE 1394, but in practice delivers 70-90% of the speed. Gigabit ethernet is faster, and was standard on laptops, but it's not a serial bus.

In any case, no changes at the corporate level should make devices made 5 years ago, in setting, no longer function together with no problems. Model year 2070 Reaction Enhancers and Wired Reflexes, by cannon, worked perfectly together with wireless removed.

>>44387166

Yeah, note how it's in no way needed or useful with reaction enhancers and wired reflexes. 15 years ago.

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>>44374344
It's a cyberchin that Japan is very fond of for some reason.

>>44387936
that just gave me an idea for a runner who stores his big gun in several parts within his pomp

>>44387017
They don't need to be connected to some external server. That's why internal router works with them, unlike with things that do need an actual external connection, like skillsofts and Smartgun™ weather analyzer.

>>44387818
Routers were conduits between devices in a cyberlimb, among other things. Now they're conduits between cyberware in general.

Minor detail.

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>>44386974
>Look up Chrome Flesh
>"How bad could it b- OH NO."

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>>44388151
"Well let's look at some of the other ar- OH NOOO."

>>44388151
>combat autist with a single cyberlimb
If someone told me it was another /srg/ art swap, I'd eat it in an instant.

>>44386974
Have you seen Data Trails Omea?

As someone who's only had experience with SR4A, how hard would it be to pick up 3rd edition or 5th?

Any of you chummers want to band up with a newbie on chronicles for some missions?

>>44388647
There's a lot more different between 3rd and 4th, than with 5th and 4th.

>>44388650
Is chronicals still alive? Back when I tried to play it it was a buggy and laggy mess.

>>44388647
Fifth would be pretty easy. Third... much less so.

>>44388733
Seems alright to me. Picked it up on G2A for dirt cheap.

http://irolledazero.blogspot.com/2013/04/shadow-dolts.html

So if 3rd edition is difficult to pick up, is there any good way to run a game in the 60s using the newer systems? I know there's an official 50s mod for 4e, but is there any easy way to adapt the system for the 60s?

>>44389154

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q86Rn4jETVk

Right, so, I have a request. Does anyone have the screencap of Troll Liberace aka Will it shark?

So if totems are aspects of the self (and I know it's not confirmed that they are), and totems are animals, does that make shamans therians?

>>44387089
I also constantly see people saying those numbers are too low, so...

>>44390004
It makes them furries.

>>44390968
Stick to that payout from the Johnson by default. It is too low, yes, but you can shore that up by providing opportunities to acquire paydata and the likes; give them incentive to go a bit beyong their mission parameters.

>>44388647

Just stick with 4A - it's the best mechanically, and has the most material.

5e is taking its time copypasting and updating the 4E material, and their current splats have less content in favour of more of their terrible fluff.

>>44390968

They are - in general the suggested payoffs are about a third as much as they should be.

There's an old and still valid problem with payouts - if you don't earn enough to beat stealing Americars or sweeping floors, what's the point?

Side thought from all the earlier cyberware discussion. How do you model people with older ware? Like a veteran who got his back in the fifties and hasn't had the nuyen to upgrade, or otherwise non secondhand old cyber? I imagine it wouldn't have the Internal Router issue, at least... Just no wireless bonuses, maybe fold a bonus or two into "always on"?

Anyone got a good idea for a name for a runner who
A: was in show business and coats everything with sequins
B: Dresses somewhere between Tuxedo Mask and the Phantom of the Opera?

>>44391498
He's probably gonna be called a fucking fairy.

>>44391366
Cosmetic differences.
That's all.

>>44391566
Well yes, I currently have him saved under "That git what thinks he's the Phantom of the Opera," but what I mean is what should he want to be called?

>>44391666
Well. Isn't that part of making your character?
Asking for suggestions from other people works better if you are asking for a 'given' nickname imo.

He would probably call himself something melodramatic like 'The Phantom' then.

>>44391498
Phantom.
Fantôme.

I mean, it fits.
You don't have to be clever about this kind of stuff.

One of my favorite character was a Troll called Brick.

>>44391666
Make sure you're actually primed on the actual Phantom Of The Opera and not just the shitty movie version.

>>44391981
Actual Phantom of the Opera:
-Born hideously deformed to the point where his mother refused to touch him
-No formal education
-Ended up running away and joining a travelling freak show as a living corpse
-Had a passion for music that was incorporated into his act, as he had quite the singing voice
-Was brought to Persia on orders of the shah based on the reputation of his performance in the freak show
-While in Persia developed quite a proclivity for murder, effectively become a gladiatorial executioner renowned for his use of a lasso to strangulate criminals in the arena
-Learned about architecture and became horribly proficient at the design of traps designed to madden any that ended up inside of them, to the point where he designed palaces for the Shah and was eventually forced to flee when the Shah tried to kill him so the secrets of the defenses could never be known
-Fled to Paris where he designed the opera house, extorted funds from the owners, protected or forced those he viewed worthy, and then only later fell completely to his psychosis

>>44392127
That's the actual novel version as I understand him, mind. Of course the Phantom never really existed.

Also, apologies for the grammar falling apart. Feverish and addled at the moment.

>>44391981
>>44392127
>>44392165
He's not actually the phantom, just an asshole who murders people for fun and wears a stupid mask. Still, I now need to go read that book

So do we know anything much about Sprawl Gangers? I'm a big minaitures guy, and I love the Shadowrun world. I saw the last blog update about it on the site was over a year ago. Is it dead?

What's the procedure for accessing icons within a host's archives?

How would the GM narrate the situation?

>>44393228
The problem I have is with the example in Data Trails:

"Jagged, broken masts rose from the trench, followed by the ruined shell of an immense eighteenth-century man-of-war. The shipwreck shouldn’t have held together for all its damage, but there it was, looming before them.
“There’s the archive. That’s where we’ll find our payday,” the Kid said. Together they swam into the wreck."

The core rulebook states you can't access the archives directly but the example given above seems to state otherwise. I believe you would have to access it by some other means, i.e. a console.

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>>44366005

I started GMing Shadowrun years ago after playing just a session or two. I sucked massive balls at it, but failure in direct experience is a better teacher than any studying.

Being a player and being a GM are two totally different experiences. Being a player is all about working within the rules and being put on the spot to solve problems in the best/most efficient way possible. Being a GM means knowing the rules, and facilitating a fun game for everyone.

That in mind, you can play a whole campaign of Shadowrun and end up being a worse GM than the guy whose only GM'd 3 sessions.

So just start up a game on roll20 and dive in. You'll get the hang of it.

>>44393289
>>44393228
Data Troils have information on the Archives on it's section on the Foundation. Start there.

>>44393702
Ok, thanks. Do you happen to know what page it's on?

>>44393739
Its a pretty sizeable part of the book, But the Short version is your entering a completely arbitrary world (highschool, Battleship, DnD game). And have to play along with the rules before the system realizes you dont belong and the world and everything goes full "I wanna be the Guy" levels if trying to kill you. Also You cant use any special skills unless your a technomancer. Theres 7 nodes that handle different functions, but are disguised as arbitrary objects. The only hint your given is that the nodes are all connected by "something" (physically or metaphorically). One of the nodes is the Archive, The other major one to look for is the Exit node, because you can't leave without it.

What's the rating of weapons and items that don't show rating like biomonitors?

>>44394135
They use your comlinks firewall for defense.

>>44394135
There's a general list of device ratings, Core pg. 421.

>>44391285
>4E
>Good

Pick one

>>44394135

Most devices are Device Rating 2, including many devices that have special ratings higher than that (for exemple, your rating 6 medkit is not DR6. It's not a freakin space shuttle)

My group is full of people who used to play second edition back in the day and have invited me to join them in a new game, with me having no shadowrun experience. I decided to play a street sam as they seem the safest bet for someone unfamiliar with the system. My question is, does anyone have any advice as to newbie traps or optimization tricks I might need to know about the 2e system going in?

>>44394641
> Street Sam is easiest

They're all difficult.

In 2E the most important are the action phases. You gonna want some o' dem wired reflexes. Whoever shoots first wins. There is no such thing as a tank class: You got shot at, you're deader than dirt.

>>44393164
>Is it dead?
I've been waiting for an update on that too.
I think by now it's a save bet to say that it's dead.

Maybe they realized making miniatures would be more expensive than they anticipated.

>>44395444

It's not "dead" but it's shelved. They haven't found a way to make it as exciting as they wanted. Making a miniature game is hard. That's the latest I heard of it.

>>44394448
Those generic device ratings aren't supposed to run roughshod over the top of gear stats, just instances of devices that don't have stats for whatever reason; not included, being statted on the fly, peripheral to the campaign, etc.

>>44378417
>>44378524

Feedback-requesting bump.

Side question: are there any combat circumstances where the Super Warhawk beats, say, a Predator V? Single shot seems far too limiting.

>>44396120

Cheaper on Hand Loads due to lower ammo usage, can be converted into ceramics due to the lack of smartgun and even when short-barrelled it still pack a punch.

Also marginally more usefull on lower dice pool shooters.

The SS is very limiting, but its a niche gun that does a niche job.

>>44396120
The reality is that an Ares Predator (or Savalette Guardian) is better in almost every way compared to the Super Warhawk. However, Handload EXEX rounds deal a fuckload of damage. Also the low cost of the Super Warhawk makes it great for turning ceramic.

is there anyone here who does online sessions and would be willing to let me listen it? It seems like I am never going to be able to play shadowrun 5e anytime soon due to NO ONE FUCKING PLAYING ONLINE but I do want to listen in and see how things play out in a typical online session.

>>44397009
Me too.

>>44397198
>>44397009
Can't do a listen-in, but I'm running a campaign in a few months max. I take very in depth notes, including all rolls and checks. So I can post that when it comes around.

>>44397009
Have you tried youtube or twitch?

>>44397009
You might be able to listen in on our groups IRL session. I could even set up a webcam. Do you have skype?

Do people actually raise their magic after initiating?

>>44398213
You can only initiate up to x2 your current magic score.

>>44398480
I mean is it worth spending the 35 karma to go to magic 7 after initiating, when I could spend that on other stuff

>>44398698

Thats also what anon meant. If you want to initiate to grade 13... Then you'll need to.

I know I would raise my magic because i tend to make cybered up mage with like mag 1-2

>>44398698
It is when it lets you initiate twice more.

If making a tanky character, what sort of armor rating and body should I shoot for at the end of character creation?

>>44398918
Try to get Body+Armor 36 or more. Don't forget to get protection against elements and chemicals.

>>44399212

Platelet factory helps, too.

>>44399212
So 27 is not near enough for main tanking duties, then. If for concept reasons I can't get skin implants and am not a troll, what's the best way to jack my armor up?

>>44400064
Cyberlimbs

>>44400064
In 5th edition you can add armor add ons like a helmet or gel packs, gaining a bonus to armor rating up to your strength score before taking encumbrance penalties. If you're an adept, there's the mystic armor power.

>>44400092
>>44400142
Already got two with 2 armor each Should probably post the breakdown of what I've got:

Armor Jacket - 12
Body - 3
Helmet - +2
PPP Legs, Arms - +2
2x Armored (rating 2) cyberarms - (+4)
Aluminum bone lacing - (+2 armor, +2 body)
Total: 22 armor, 5 body

Strength is 3, so I can handle +5 armor before I take a penalty to reaction and agility. Not sure how my one Strength 4 cyberarm interacts with my base Strength for that. How much element/chem protection should I aim for?

>>44400328
Oh, also, reaction, int, and will:

Reaction - 5
Intuition - 6
Will - 4(5)

So generally 11 dice to try and negate their hit in the first place, 16 if using full defense.

>>44400064

Used/Gammaware Titanium Bone lacing would give you a further +6, keeping a shield in the trunk for when shit hits the fan will give you the remaining edge you need. You won't need the shield's bonus unless assault rifles and heavy shit comes in so its ok.

>>44400328
I personally like taking restricted gear so I can buy a heavy mil-spec battle armor. If you're not in the mood to paint a big ass target on your back, the Vashon island sleeping tiger has an armor rating of 14

>>44395545
Damn. I think Shadworun lends itself really well to a skirmish game like that, too. I wonder what troubles they were having.

So, is Adept Spell from Hard Targets worth it? You get exactly one spell for one pp, but you need to buy up Spellcasting to actually cast it.

I was planning on taking an Adept with Improved Invisibility, but I'm not sure that it is worth the pile of Karma to buy up Spellcasting to a competent level.

As a corollary to that, would I be screwing my party by taking a character that needs a couple of runs to really get going? My current build for a CQC specialist is okay, I suppose, but he only has 2 magic...

>>44400416
How in the fluff, would you get used bone lacing? It boggles the mind.

>>44400328
Get ynt softweave or whatever from run and gun, it increases your armor capacity by half. Get fire, shock and chemical protection 6

>>44400840

Easy, you smelt back the lacing, and send new nanites to lace the new customer. The original ware is tailored to the wrong DNA so its used.

Gammaware is easier to explain. It's just shoddy Aztechnology lacing that gives you Arthritis.

>>44400927
>Gammaware
For when Aztechnology is Az-actly right (and below 13 availability) !

>>44400784

Ask your GM. Normally I'd say it doesn't matter and that you're already not super useful as a CC specialist to begin with anyway, but you make it sound like you're going on a Dungeon Crawl so all bets are off.

>>44391285
Every 5E supplement has been strictly worse then the 4E version.

Data Trails is Unwired for retards, Chrome Flesh is an embarrassingly terrible Augmentation that is 80% awful fucking fluff.

Run Faster manages to suck on every level it could. All that shit art and they failed to get PICURES OF THE RACES.

We don't ask for much, but goddamn, if you are going to list metatypes at least have fucking pictures of them.

>>44398698
It is if you need that extra die for every magical action that you take.

Don't forget the 2-point increase in maximum force, either.

>>44400784
At that price, I'd suggest just paying for Mystic Adept and having the option to learn more spells.

>>44391366
2050 (2nd gen cybernetics) should be a wildcard. Glitchy as fuck if it's still working and unupgraded. Requires the character to bitch about how much trolls keep changing around all the time. Reminds people if they don't like GOD they just have to wait five years and there will be a whole new Matrix to be incomprehensible garbage.

2060 (3rd gen cybernetcis) Throwback devices with reduced ability compared to modern equipment. Covered in plugs, wires and buckles. Insist trolls used to be much bigger.

2070 (4th gen cybernetics) Strictly better in every way with no Always Online requirement, more options, lower cost and identical or surpiror stats. For some reason, none add to your Physical or Mental limits, and they are far more comparable with Bioware. Tends to complain that trolls weight changes every time it is measured and everyone is a goddamn wizard now.

Just getting started into planning a Shadowrun campaign, what edition should I use? are any justifiably better than the others? which is easiest to pick up?

What's the best way for a complete newcomer to learn the Shadowrun system? Are there any good cliffnotes on the system or do I need to just finish going through the 5th ed rulebook?

>>44401781
>Easiest

5th edition. It's current, in print, (save for the ones that aren't out yet) and the dumbed down character creation is less strenuous for new players.

Some people prefer 4th edition. It's more flexible and complete and cybernetics is far more viable a choice as far as character building goes.

In 5th, cyber is a trap option for people that don't know better.

>>44401874
>>44401874
http://cdn.shadowruntabletop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/E-CAT27QSR_SR5-Quick-Start-Rules.pdf

5th edition has quick start rules. You might want to go there, then come back to Zap Brannagan's Big Book of Shadowrun. The 5th core is a huge tome.

>>44401911
and if we don't know better, what can we expect to be in for?

>>44401911
>In 5th, cyber is a trap option for people that don't know better.
This would be false. 4 limbs is a trap option. 1 limb is generally very good.

>>44401911

> Cyberware a trap
> This nigga serious

>>44401970
From 4th to 5th cybernetics were massively nerfed. They cost much more, no longer have the weird essence cost calculations that helped get a bunch of cybernetics and bioware. Many effects that were previously automatic now only work when connected to the internet directly.

Magic was changed a bit, but remains the best way to handle problems.

>>44402023
>>44402036
Cybernetics have been changed to make them less attractive, while bioware and magic have been improved.

>>44402093
Nerfed yes, trap option no.

If you want the guy to play 4e, why didn't you recommend it to him instead?

>>44402093

Their nuyen cost was also reduced a lot, which is their purpose now. They're cheap but cost a lot of essence and have a higher cap. Bioware is really strong but super expensive.

>>44402824
So bioware is better across the board then?

>>44403514
Yes, except for those few pieces of cyberware that cannot be duplicated biologically.

>>44402824
>Their nuyen cost was also reduced a lot

Cyber cost much, much more in 5th.

>>44402128
Because he asked for the easy edition for someone just starting out, not what my personal preference is. 5th is easier to get into, especially with the changes in hacking and character creation. Making a 4th edition character is more then a little bit complex, given there is huge amounts of BP or Karma and nyuen to spend, not to mention the counterinutitive way it uses flat cost in creation and scaling cost for advancement in BP.

Granted, priority build also has the same flaw, and it's a pretty shitty way to build a character once you know how.

has anybody liberated shadowplans yet?
its not from catalyst but they where made with SR in mind

>>44404342

>Cyber costs more

Not in the 5th inflated economy. Everything is much more expensive but thats because they redid the numbers.

Its proportionally cheaper

>>44403514
Of a sort. Biowares never have wireless bonuses, and as a general rule cyber is marginally more "effective" as in it usually does the job a little better but at a really terrible essence cost relative to bioware.

(Ex: Dermal Plating and Bone Lacing is superior, but are caught by MAD scanner and the essence cost are stupid high)

Check out this shadowrun podcast:

http://criticalglitch.com/

Shadows of Hong Kong fucking never

>>44404678

I know, right? 4 days left. Maybe they meant they'll release it before the beginning of the Chinese new year.

>>44363689

I'm using Mitsuhama for my game. There's three Japanacorps, and it's by far the least interesting of the three. Meanwhile, India's entirely ignored.

I'm basically going to have, rather than a general AA revolt, a merger between Monobe and DeMeKo that also swallows up Regency in Mumbai and a non-canon Rwandan mega to create a replacement member. Like I said, India's strangely ignored and Africa's Dark Continent treatment is kind of lame.

Does anyone know a good mechanic/system to use for monitoring what gangs control what areas of the sprawl? A PC is a gang leader and wants to press up against hostile rivals during downtime, and I'd like to do it in some way besides GM fiat.

>>44404848
>>44363689
Horizon, Ares and Renraku are the ones to look for. Horizon because it was already the smallest and least diverse before the whole Technomancer bizz.
Ares because of the constant internal fights and their latest flops.
Renraku because it is the smallest of the three Japanese corps, has not seen much action recently (except more bad TM press) and Monobe is coming for their spot.

>>44404889
You could do a map of the city with a points system or something. Like a campaign map for a wargame. Something like risk, just much much simpler. So your player can tell you which bordering territory he tries to win and then you roll for it including all the boni/mali for mapower, equipment, ownership of the turf, alliances etc.

>>44373198

Speaking of those games, are there any sources other than Nexus or Steam Workshop for custom campaigns and such?

I checked how the Hong Kong looks like on Workshop and there were only two bugged and unfinished stories and tons of assets.

Also, why is Lockdown/Chronicles bad? I cant find any gameplay videos on youtube without having 3/4 of screen covered by typical streaming crap (huge camera face, huge list of donations, etc)

>>44405537
>why is chronicles bad

Please, it fucking kills me.
>You only take a maximum two pieces of gear, including decks, fetishes for conjuring and spellcasting, a machete, fucking anything
>you cannot hold a pistol and do both conjuring and spellcasting
>only 3 summonable spirits. Two are beasts.
>No matter what, your character has a shitty Boston accent
>shooting people with your deck to cause "hacking damage"
>not that you need a deck to actually hack computers or anything
>spell fetishes can't melt steel drones

There's more bullshit I don't remember, it's been so long since I tried it, but fuck it so hard. It's awful.

>>44405581

>shooting people with your deck to cause "hacking damage"

Deck that shoot bullets?

>>44405593
Internet bullets. You can hack a man to death.

>>44405581
>decking special abilities include bursting a lightbulb to stun an enemy
>you can use against enemies in a fucking forest for all the game cares

>>44405636

More like flame war them to death?

What extra forms of vision do you usually prioritize? Are there any that aren't worth it?

>>44406090
Thermographic is usually better than Low-light. Astral sight is also helpful.

>>44406172
What about more exotic things like ultrasound?

>>44406090
I tend to prioritize AR over everything else, Thermal Smoke can block the other electronics just fine, and the way we interpret AR in my table lets us place AROs on the opposition before the smoke puts leaves us blind to at least retain a general idea of where they are. Getting flanked is no fun.

>>44406172
Thermographic does Total Darkness better, while Lowlight does Dim Light better. They're both equally good with Partial Light.

>>44406197
Better as a supplement, rather than a primary vision mode. Ultrasound and radar replace your vision with a digital overlay.

>>44406227
Thermographic also helps with glare and smoke/fog, which low-light can't deal with.

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>>44404660
>Listen to a few episodes
>Conshit, conshit, conshit
>Conshit, conshit, more conshit
>Never actually discussing Shadowrun

>>44406227
The only real problem with thermographic is that it's not predator vision, which people tend to overlook.

>>44406290
Okay. I finally found some Shadowrun buried in there.

>>44406090
Whenever I can, I take both Thermal and Low-Light. If I can only take one, I feel thermal is better. It is less prone to blinding, can see through regular smoke, and can even help you with Perception tests if you manage to persuade your GM.

Side question, how do you play the "natural" versions of low-light and especialy thermo? I usually say that they complement the standard human spectrum, giving no penalties to orks and elves in broad daylight for exemples, and describe heat sources as "glowing" softly for dwarves and trolls

>>44406525
Low-Light is just better than regular Vision. Thermographic is a whole different way of seeing the world.

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16KB, 317x251px

>>44406449
Are you telling me I shouldn't be masturbating to this in preparation for goblinisation?

>>44406290
the better podcast are
>neo-anarchist.com
your most biased podcast on the matrix
>arcologypodcast.com/
>www.hiddengrid.com
live gameplay

>>44406578
>Low-Light is just better than regular Vision.

It is, until someone shines a flashlight in your eyes, or you step outside suddenly.

>>44406975
>preparation for goblinisation?

Sounds like you're reaching puberty, which means you're probably going to be masturbating anyway.

Hey, /srg/. Do you have any example scenarios I could run through? I'm hoping to gm Shadowrun and would like to test my knowledge on mechanics. Combat, skills (including extended tests and build/repair), matrix, magic, etc. I'd like to practice it all before I get to run the game. Or maybe you could write some for me?

>>44408006
check the first mediafire link in the pastebin

>>44408006
food fight is the one everyone uses
but I'll think up something
the johnson: Zaibatsu Middle Manager
the job: assisnation
the target: mr Johnson
background: mr johnson was being blackmailed for having a halfu baby with a banraku doll that belonged to a different zaibatsu. Well its out now along with all the honor he has. He's expected to kill himself before the weeks end which he's fine with but his family will be removed from the megacorps and become sinless. he can't have that so he wants to die in a way that will restore his honor and ensure his family a wageslaves for generations. He wants you to take a shots at a VIP and he will block a shot which will kill him and make him a hero.

the twist: his family already hired killers to end him so they can distance themselves from him in a bid to remain megacorps citizens. Can the runners keep alive long enough to kill him?

>>44408522
I don't mean runs, I mean literal scenarios, like "a shootout between X and Y" or "decker tries to get file, encounters ic and spider"

>>44408744
Trid phantasm the size of a person in order to fool a suspicious security guard. Slot in some values for magic and spellcasting and make sure to consider the standard magic detection check.

Is there a recovery time for installing cyberware? It seems like after replacing half your spine or something you should probably lay down for a while and rest, but I didn't find anything about it in the rules.

>>44408935
You take Physical and Stun damage based on essence lost.

>>44408744
2 street sams have a duel
both sams have the sam initi and same agi/reac
they both swing with their katana and get the same roll
who hits first and who takes damage first?

>>44409009
Remember the ERIC rule?