Rulings/Custom Mechanics

Contacts

• The default is for players to choose their contacts from the already made public contacts. We additionally allow the option to create and stat out your own contact. ShadowHaven uses a custom contact system you can read about here.

Note: If you create your own contact, you can delay stating out the aspects. If the GM asks/lets you use it, the assumed dice pool is Connection + Loyalty + Archetype Modifier + 2. It is best to fill out the Aspects, as you usually will be able to make use of more than 1 available aspect.

IRL Timers and Backdating

• Things with IRL timers may now be backdated to their earliest possible qualifying date so that you cannot miss your timer. For example, if your mundane PC has been in play for 6 months, but only taken 1 mundane ascension, you may take two more ascensions (treating them as having been taken at their earliest possible date).

Mundane Ascension

• Mundane characters may undertake a story building ordeal much like Awakened/Emerged characters do. Ascensions have an eight week cooldown. Make up to 5 selections (including multiple copies of the same). Each selection replaces 1 RVP normally gained from the run. Purchasing high availability items falls under the purview of Thematics.
• 5 karma towards a skill, skill group or martial art.
• 20000¥ towards non-ware. You may bank this across multiple ascensions.
• 6 karma towards qualities at post-gen price.
• 4 karma towards edge.
• 10000¥ towards ware. You may bank this across multiple ascensions.
• +20 Faction Rep.

Gear Acquisition

• You cannot purchase items with availability above 19, unless it is upgradable (i.e., has a rating). Exceptions:
  • You cannot purchase foci over availability 19, even though they are otherwise upgradable and have a rating.
• Items beyond availability 19 may be obtained as run rewards with Thematics approval.
• The Awakened or Emerged may only gain a chance to purchase deltaware as a run reward for semiprime or prime runs.
  • For mundane PCs, there are no restrictions on getting deltaware.

Acquiring Gear Up to Availability 12

• Gear at or under availability 12 can be purchased without rolling or paying a finder's fee.

Upgrades

• You can upgrade (paying only the difference in cost) anything that has a rating, as well as cyberdecks and rigger control consoles and any cyberware or bioware. You must still make the availability roll for the upgrade.
• When upgrading a SIN using our upgrade rules, one may also upgrade the licenses attached to that SIN without making an availability test for each license. Only one test, for the base SIN, is required.
• Items with capacity may have new things put into the capacity without needing to rebuy the item. If this changes the availability of the item and/or it has its own availability, roll against the highest new availability. Notably, this extends to cyberlimbs and armor.

Subcontracting Other PC Shadowrunners

• Shadowhaven officially encourages players to work with their GMs to subcontract other runners. Creativity and GM approval is the limit to subcontracts. They can range from just hiring a decker to drekpost to hiring a full team to do a sub-mission. You hire a rigger to escape from a scene of a crime or a street sam for extreme exterior remodeling.

Downtime Registering and Binding

• Characters at the start of a run "during downtime" may attempt to summon and then bind one spirit of force up to their Magic, rolling as normal.
• Characters at the start of a run "during downtime" may attempt to compile and then register one sprite of level up to their Resonance, rolling as normal.
• In either case, drain or fading accrued is considered to be healed at the time the run starts.
• Using Binding or Registering skills during a run is conducted as normal.

Downtime Alchemy

• During downtime players may fill a single vault of ages with preparations of up to the maximum force that vault is capable of holding.
• Any further vaults filled may be filled with preps of (Magic) force or lower.
• For the purposes of determining potency, remove the force of the prep from your dice pool and then divide the remaining dice by 3, rounded down, with a minimum of 1.
• Drain accrued is considered to be healed at the time the run starts.
• Enchanting during a run is conducted as normal.

Mana Aspect Mechanic

Note that this mechanic is in playtesting. GMs may optionally use it on their table if they post a notice to that effect on the run post.

• An area may have mana aspected towards an emotion or tradition. Actions in opposition to the aspect receive a penalty equal to the rating of the MA, actions unrelated to it are unaffected while actions in concert with it receive a bonus. Those without a Magic rating suffer only half the penalty, and only if the total is above 5. They may always receive a benefit. Generally, this should be half of the equivalent background count. For areas void of mana, consider them aspected to "Not Doing Magic". Anything other than doing magic is considered unrelated to the aspect. Sustained spells of a force equal to or less than the rating of the mana aspect divided by 2 (rounded down) fizzle out.

Downtime Essence Drain

• PCs with the Essence Loss weakness now lose 1 essence per 4 runs, with each use of an active power (as defined by the Essence Loss weakness) reducing that timer by one. Essence does not reset or go away after each run. A PC may engage in 1 downtime essence drain attempt prior to a run, using the below system. This should be rolled in #dicerolling. Any edge used here does not refresh at the start of the run. After a successful downtime essence drain attempt, the PC gains 1D6 essence.

Target: The target sets the threshold for the following tests. The base threshold is 3 for an "acceptable" target. This is a target who may not deserve to be essence drained, but isn't a struggling single mother trying to provide for her young children. This incurs a cost of 1 karma. If the PC does not have the karma to pay for this, they may go into karma debt. The following scale of targets may be selected:

• Deserving target. These are often significantly more capable than your average SINless, and may have powerful friends or benefactors. These have a threshold of 4 and no karma cost.
• Acceptable target. Still capable, but more often footsoldiers or lower-level types. These have a threshold of 3 and a 1 karma cost.
• Innocent target. These are innocent people just trying to live their lives. These have a threshold of 1 and a 3 karma cost.

After deciding the PC's target, the following rolls are needed: a test to Approach the target, a test to Subdue the target, and a test to Get Away Clean.

Approach: Skills such as Sneaking, Con, Etiquette or Hacking are appropriate here. Thematics has the final say over what skills are appropriate. A failed approach test increases the threshold of following tests by 1.

Subdue: Skills such as any combat skill, Spellcasting or Summoning are appropriate here. Thematics has the final say over which skills are appropriate. A failed subdue test means no essence is gained, and the Wanted Clock advances by one segment. When using the off-table essence drain rules, assume your target has as much essence as the result of your die. You must always roll for addiction.

Get Away Clean: Skills such as Sneaking, Con, Etiquette or Hacking are appropriate here. Thematics has the final say over which skills are appropriate. A failed attempt to Get Away Clean advances the Wanted Clock by one segment.

The Wanted Clock: The Wanted clock starts empty and has six segments. If it reaches six segments, it returns to empty and a consequence occurs. The first time this happens, the PC gains the Wanted (Infected Hunters) quality – a known vampire of their appearance is being actively hunted. If it happens again or the PC has the Wanted (Infected Hunters) quality from some other source, the PC begins their next run being ambushed by a group of hunters with an appropriate TL for the run in question. If this would be disruptive to the run in question, the GM may elect to postpone the consequence. Please ping Thematics who will arrange a GM to run the encounter.

On a Run: On a run, the karma cost based on target still applies, but the rest (Approach/Subdue/Get Away/Wanted Clock) is at GM discretion.

Soul Swallower: Those with Soul Swallower gain 1D6+1 essence instead of 1D6.