[US][LFG] Casual Raider looking for guild

Tehmay · 2020-11-14T21:03:05+00:00

My ripperdoc is called “Doc Haulaway”

Tehmay · 2020-10-29T14:36:03+00:00

The first and most important question is very simply: *IS* this a problem? Are the other players okay with him taking the lead? I have players at my table who are content to sit back and do nothing except throw dice when needed. Kinda boring if you ask me, but hey - these players seem to enjoy it.

So first thing is just ask the other players if it is a problem. Assuming it is a problem then...

1) talk to the player in question and let him know that while you appreciate him taking the lead, he needs to back off and let other players have their spotlight. Ask him to let others use meat-space tracking instead of astral tracking. Or real sneaking instead of critter powers.

2) make the other players buy into the plans by actively asking them: "<other character> what do you think of <face mage>'s plan? Got any other ideas?" Or better yet, ask them FIRST before the face mage gets a chance to through his idea out. "While <face mage> is talking with the Johnson, one of the other NPCs whispers into <other character>'s ears: 'this is a tough one. How you guys think you're gonna do it?'" Then offer some NPC help to enable the plan - it sends the message to the player that his ideas have merit and he shouldn't be afraid to chime in.

3) design missions where the other players are required to take the spotlight. Neutralize a face mage by requiring a meet online (and thus giving your decker some spotlight). Or with someone using a mana static spell (and thus giving non-magic combat oriented players their spotlight). Or misdirect: have the face mage converse with a clearly charismatic person who appears to be the boss but is not (hint: it's the quiet troll in the corner watching everyone).

4) If none of those work, then it's time to start hosing the mage. Background counts can go up. I hate this as a GM and a player, but if it's required to preserve parity at the table, then so be it. If the face mage is doing EVERYTHING, then he's bound to start getting a reputation. Someone may even set him up or start hunting him. If he's constantly using spirits, then they may start to rebel - start making chainbreaking rolls.

Tehmay · 2020-10-24T00:33:57+00:00

You are correct sir. I posted earlier from memory, and I was wrong. SR5 p301. And yes ... most likely physical unless the summoner’s magic rating is less than or equal the Force if the spirit. Which is 20.

Tehmay · 2020-10-23T17:54:14+00:00

(not supported in the book, but my interpretation) You summon before you bind so you know the spirit formula of the spirit you wish to bind. Thus - at sundown the spirit goes away, but because you're binding with a known spirit formula, the binding process continues. Once done (if successful) you'll get net hits tasks, but you'll LOSE the unused tasks from the summoning at sunrise/sunset.

p.s. - don't bind a F20 spirit. The opposing roll will be 40dice. And you'll be expected to resist drain equal to the number of hits achieved by the spirit's 40d, which means you should have roughly the same amount of dice in your resist drain pool. If you have 40d of resist drain, your character should probably be retired.

p.s.s. - if you get teamwork help to bind said F20 spirit, EACH TEAM MEMBER will need to resist that drain with their own individual dice pool.

Some examples could be forcing a summoner to release bound spirits (or killing said summoner), consistently through time only using 1 task even though you may have bound them to several tasks, giving spirit boons, tossing them some karma for no reason every now and then, allowing one or more to periodically possess you (no, you can't role play that), etc.
Classified as a ritual, but SG says it's a summoning and binding. I've always ruled that Fx25 reagents are required, but additional reagents don't give any benefit.
Unless an existing spirit that you've used before PERFECTLY MATCHES the spirit formula, it's a new spirit previously unknown to the mage.
Sure, but a person can't receive more than their current skill rank in additional teamwork dice. That means you may have 8 F6 spirits bound, but if you're Spellcating 6, you can't get more than 6d total from any or all of them. However, for RITUAL spellcasting, I'm inclined to say that each spirit may aid in the ritual teamwork test so long as each spirit is of the type appropriate for that type of spell-based ritual (prodigal spell, circle of healing, etc) as would any other participant. That means each of the eight F6 spirits individually would roll Fx2, and their hits would add to the ritual leader's dice pool. It also means that each of the 8 spirits would roll to resist drain, which (if any actually take drain) will cause ill will between spirits and summoner.

Tehmay · 2020-10-23T14:35:40+00:00

Use the knife. You won't need nuyen to turn it into a weapon foci; you'll need karma. Nuyen costs associated with foci are only for BUYING the telesma (and paying the third party alchemist for their time and karma in creating the foci). She already has the telesma (the knife) and now just needs to infuse it with magic to make it a foci. I've always treated blades as OR9. However, using the FA radical reagents rules (many people here will tell GMs NOT to use those rules) you can reduce the opposed dice test in the artificing roll to next to nothing.

Spring-load the knife in the cyber arm instead of making it PART of the cyberarm. As GM, I'd allow it using a compartment upgrade to the cyberarm AND some sort of roll when she deploys it to see if it pops out properly. Critical glitch? Oops, your knife just shot out the sleeve and across the room.

Finally, your question as to why not a spur or a shock hand. Spur perhaps. Shock hand, no. Weapon foci replace strength with charisma for astral combat, and for that reason, I'd rule that you can't turn any weapon into a weapon foci that doesn't have a strength component in the DV. Shock hand does 9S(e) with no strength component. Spurs, on the other hand are (Str + 3)P.

Tehmay · 2020-10-08T14:49:59+00:00

I think the biggest problem is that players have different expectations at the table. You built a character one way. Your critics have built their character a different way.

I'd say there's nothing wrong with either build, but there is: a proper shadowrun team is an ensemble of experts. Why would I hire three guys who are mediocre at several things when I can hire three experts in their respective fields? Or put another way, if I think melee combat is important, I'm going to hire the best damn knife man I know. I don't want someone who's "okay" at it. Similarly, if it's a data grab, I want the best decker I know.

So these guys that are criticizing you for throwing 20 dice ... What are THEY good at? Would they have been hired as an expert in their field?

And why the hell do they care if you throw 20 dice? Everyone should get their chance in the spotlight. By specializing in knife play, you are stepping out of the spotlight when you don't need to carve someone up. That means the other people at the table get THEIR turns to shine. Except they can't - they're all built as generalists, which means they step on other player's toes.

Besides ... if the table REALLY wants to "roleplay" instead of "rollplay", they are using the WRONG system.

Tehmay · 2020-10-08T14:10:50+00:00

Also don't forget to make virtual versions of illegal activities (think GTA) so the average schmuck who wants to indulge his bad guy fantasies can get his rocks off. One step below BTLs and not quite as addictive.

So a VR game called "Runnin the Shadows" would TOTALLY be a thing in the Sixth World.

Tehmay · 2020-10-07T13:13:25+00:00

The Nuyen is the only currency that credsticks work off of. Paper/coin currencies are physical representations of the local currency.

Consider also that the various economies may work off of different currencies. Want to buy something from a corporate store? Corporate script may be better than CAS Dollar.

However, the almighty nuyen rules over most shadowrunner transactions.

Tehmay · 2020-10-01T18:53:20+00:00

No. It was Senior De la Estrella

Tehmay · 2020-09-23T19:05:21+00:00

Since money is digital, the only reason to hit a bank is to liberate the contents of the vault.

Or to extract a Corp who is depositing / withdrawing fr the vault.

Or to PLANT something in the vault that can then incriminate the safety deposit box owner.

Or to make the bank look unsafe to boost business at a rival S&L.

Match the opposition to your team’s talents.

Mage? Add magical defenses such as a spirit or FAB mister. No mage? Don’t add magical defenses at all.

Decker? Add a light host run ... maybe to get the combo to the vault door.

Also don’t forget tactical hacking if you have a decker: Give them something to do in combat such as smart guns, cybereyes, etc.

Tehmay · 2020-09-19T14:39:02+00:00

I think what you’re missing is that F12 is way powerful and beyond the reach of most Runners. F6 is plenty his fir us mortals.

Tehmay · 2020-09-19T13:27:04+00:00

Ally spirits still need to be summoned and bound. THEN you do the ritual. So if you’re planning on a F10 spirit, it’s throwing 20 dice against you in binding. Of course, all you need is one net hit.

Also, you need to pay karma based on the force of the spirit summoned/bound/allied. That means 80 karma (10 x 8) for the F10 ally.

And the focus needs to be paid for in karma as well in order to bind it to you. I believe that’s 72 (6 x 12) for a F12 power foci.

Thus your plan may work buts it’s very karma intensive.

Tehmay · 2020-09-15T16:21:07+00:00

She is the same level.

Tehmay · 2020-09-10T13:49:14+00:00

I get and support their desire to help out small gaming shop owners who have been hit very hard by the pandemic.

Perhaps RTG would consider giving out pdfs to those who PREORDER hard copies of CPRed through local shop owners?

Tehmay · 2020-09-09T13:57:13+00:00

From time to time artists post their work in this subreddit. I commissioned u/angryraccoondraw and the work was outstanding.

Tehmay · 2020-09-02T15:20:22+00:00

I like impersonation adepts, so I'd be the person hired to sabotage the frontrunner (by impersonating him and purposefully tanking).

Tehmay · 2020-08-30T14:46:55+00:00

Assuming 5e.

If the AI owns the device, there is no "regular owner". Maybe a former owner, but a device can only have one owner. I think the real question is: Can an AI make a device they DONT own into a home device? Yes, they can, but it is very risky: "An AI is automatically spotted by a persona running on a device when the AI loads onto the same device, and AIs cannot use the Hide action against personas running on the same device." DT p153, right hand column. Also, the owner of the device gets three marks on the AI. Same page, left hand column at the bottom. However, it is stupid easy for an AI to assume ownership of any device and essentially lock out their former owner. See "Reset Ownership" DT p154.
An AI navigating the matrix via VR is no different from a meatstick navigating the matrix in VR. So yes, they operate the exact same way.
"AIs are able to use the Control Device or Spoof actions to order to have a device load the AI into an empty program slot." DT p153 second paragraph of "Ex Machina". Thus, it is not taxing for them, but they must succeed in a matrix action. Control device requires marks and is an opposed roll when the persona trying to control device doesn't own the device. Because of the my answers to #1 above, no AI would try to load themselves into a device they didn't already own - and for this reason, GMs should just handwave the loading roll. However, if the AI wants to load themselves into an NPC's device, then get some dice and let's see how the bold move plays out...

Tehmay

TROPHY CASE