Rulings/Miscellaneous
Banned Miscellaneous Content
Banned Items
Banned Cyberware/Bioware
- Immunization (CF 164)
- All Gammaware
- All Omegaware
Banned Qualities
Positive Qualities
- Better to be Feared than Loved (CF 54)
- Friends in High Places (RF 147)
- Human Lifespan (TCT 188) - Having a human lifespan can be done for free as a fluff decision.
- Massive Network (Nf 177)
- Networker (NF 177)
- Observant (SL 127): It's assumed to be automatically possessed by all characters.
Negative Qualities
- Amnesia: Neural Deletion & Surface Loss (RF 152)
- Borrowed Time (RF 153)
- Consummate Professional (AP 17)
- Dead Emotion (CF 57)
- Dead SIN (BTB 162)
- Earther (RG 169)
- Every Man For Himself (SL 181)
- Escaped Custody (KC 99)
- Hung Out to Dry (RF 155)
- In Debt (RF 156)
- Neoteny (RF 121) - It's banned for play on ShadowHaven unless the character is a gnome. Gnome neoteny does not make the gnome appear childlike.
- One of Them (CF 58)
- Pregnant (BB 12)
- So Jacked Up (CF 59)
- Stay Out Of My Way (SL 127)
- Stolen Gear (NF 177)
- This Is Your Last Chance (SL 129)
- Tough and Targeted (CF 59)
- 'Ware Intolerance (KC 100)
Banned Mechnics
- Pharmaceutical Drug Grade (CF 190)
- Customizing Drugs (CF 190-192)
- Forcing another character to take chemicals with no penetration or power during combat is not allowed on the Haven (including by GMs).
- Group Resources (DT 43)
- The mechanics of the example groups (DT 35-43) are also not in use. See the factions page for the rules in play on ShadowHaven for those listed factions.
Banned Lifestyle Options
Hotel California (RF 226)
Altered Miscellaneous and Rulings
Skills and Attributes
- Skills are linked to the attribute being used with them in a given test.
- Currently attribute-linked refers to the attribute currently in use with the skill. This is a departure from RAW.
Street Cred
- Street cred goes by the text, with the table assumed to be a misprint - it provides a limit increase, but no dice increase.
Metatypes and Co.
- Metavariants are not their parent metatype and cannot take qualities or ware restricted to them as a general rule. If there is an explicit exception, it remains in place.
- Shifters may shift with deltaware cyberware, even if it isn't purely internal, without it being automatically rejected.
Mundane-Only Content
- Characters who have acquired a Magic or Resonance rating and continue to have any bonuses from the source which gave it do not qualify for mundane-only qualities, ascensions or other options. Characters who previously had it and no longer currently have any benefits from the source of that rating, aside from knowledge skills, may qualify for mundane-only options, however.
Delivery Time
- Delivery time will be based off of the cost of the final item.
Lifestyle
Workshop/Facility
- Workshops and facilities do not require a commercial lifestyle.
CarnivoreGold
- There are no limits on what may be translated, though the threshold may vary. The threshold should not exceed 8 in any case.
Vocal Tension Lie Detection
- Vocal Tension Lie Detection may, at GM discretion, add to the Con resist roll.
- It always applies to judge intentions rolls to determine if someone is lying.
Trust Fund
- Trust Fund provides a base lifestyle of the appropriate type altered only by positive and negative qualities, metatype/variant and any ware one may have. The lifestyle may be altered, however, if the final cost of the lifestyle is higher than the base as provided above, one must pay the difference. If the final cost is lower, one does not receive the difference.
- The Corporate Limited SIN quality can be used to get Trust Fund.
- Trust Fund and Hard Luck are incompatible.
DocWagon
- Resuscitation does not replace the requirement to burn edge in order to invoke Not Dead Yet.
Cost Reduction
- For luxury, high, medium, low and squatter lifestyles, street cred or karma may be exchanged to reduce the base lifestyle cost to the next lowest level. The reduction cost is to be paid in any combination of street cred and/or karma in a one to one thousand nuyen rate. Costs can never be reduced further than 1 level. No other lifestyles may be reduced in cost and only the base lifestyle cost is reduced. Any taxes are applied to the adjusted base cost. Trust Fund lifestyles cannot be reduced in this way.
Ware
- Assume that additional costs (lifestyle costs etc.) are not multiplied by ware grade.
- Custom cybergun availabilities are affected by the grade of the arm they are implanted in.
- Partial cyberlimbs may be upgraded to fuller limbs in accordance with the upgrade rules. Existing limb components must be present in the new fuller limb. This process can not be used to remove or change modifications that were present in the existing limb.
- The bonus from the sider eyes implant does not stack with multiple sets.
- A cybergland not installed in conjunction with an implanted cyberweapon may apply toxins to melee weapons using a complex action. A complex action is also what is required to apply a held toxin to a held melee weapon. In any case, a dose of toxin applied to a melee weapon is expended on a successful attack with that weapon.
- Cyberglands may only be used to offensively deploy toxins with explicit GM fiat and should generally only be usable in this fashion against helpless or unaware targets.
- A character with the Shiva Arms quality still uses 2 arms, 2 legs and the torso for the purposes of encumbrance calculations and limits for knockdown. Attribute scores and limits for specific actions remain in the realm of GM fiat for these characters.
- You cannot add mods to bioweapons.
- The Biocompatibility quality affects the grade multiplier, Adapsin affects the final essence cost afterwards. Thus, Biocompatibility comes in effect first and affects the grade modified essence cost, then the final number is affected by Adapsin.
- Body augmentations for the purpose of resisting damage from bone density augmentation or bone lacing are not restricted by augmented maximums.
- Characters with the Regeneration power can take geneware via getting access to deltaware clinics, via runs at Thematics approval.
Cosmetic and Therapeutic Ware
- Purely "cosmetic or therapeutic" pieces of 'ware* (cyberware or bioware) cost no essence ever (and never have in-universe).
- At chargen, there is no nuyen cost for purely "cosmetic or therapeutic" pieces of 'ware'. After chargen, they will have their nuyen prices as listed in the books.
- When using any of these, your character is still recognizable as you – just you with cat ears or whatever.
- Healing time for between runs is assumed to be done before the next run starts (as is all other 'ware upgrades). Healing time during a run is handled as taking 0-3 physical and stun boxes (GM fiat based on how extensive the augmentation is), with surgery taking as much time as the GM says it does.
- Biosculpting to look less like an infected and to not be recognisable as yourself is an exception to the above and shall still cost essence (and nuyen if done during chargen).
- "Cosmetic and therapeutic" pieces of 'ware* is defined as any piece of 'ware that has no mechanical benefit, exists solely to buy off negative qualities (the karma cost still needs to be paid) or are therapeutic (such as limb replacements).
Geneware
- Shifters may take geneware freely and continue to shift. As it is not an implant, the Shift power does not expel it, cause any damage or loss of the geneware.
- All metatypes and metavariants can take all genetic treatments. Shifters and metasapients may take any geneware that is not part of phenotype adjustment. For transgenic alterations, shifters apply them equally to both forms. Infected may take any geneware appropriate for their type.
Adapsin
- Adapsin works retroactively and works as a multiplicative modifier. Multiply the final essence cost of the ware by 0.9 after including other modifiers based on grade and the presence or lack thereof of Biocompatibility.
Auto-Injector
- Slap patches may not be placed into auto-injectors.
Bilateral Coordination Coprocessor
- The bilateral coordination xoprocessor will reduce penalties by 2 for any given action, including for any allowed number of Shiva arm pairs. If you are only using one non-primary hand, this will typically be sufficient. However, if you are using multiple, the GM may apply the penalty multiple times, at their discretion. We suggest they only do this in cases where multiple limbs are required to coordinate to a higher degree than firing a weapon - for example performing brain surgery.
- The limit increase of multiple coprocessors stacks. No wireless bonus granting extra dice on a test stacks with the bonus from the same item, unless explicitly stated to do so.
Cyberlimbs and Cyberlimb Mods
- Strength and agility customization and enhancement should be applied to the coremost (that is to say, the part closest to the torso - the uppermost part) part of any modular limbs a character has, and will automatically flow down through any parts possessed.
- Theoretically, any non-magical, non-Resonance skill may be taken as a cyberlimb optimization. However, no skill used over the Matrix or otherwise used remotely, no social skill apart from Performance and Etiquette, no skill used on the astral or against a target on the astral, or using the Resonance, may benefit from a cyberlimb optimization. Generally, a limb must be at least tangentially used to benefit, but this should be interpreted very broadly.
- Cyberlimb optimization when applied to something with accuracy will increase that items accuracy.
- Cyberhands do not play into calculations for attacks. For the time being, lower arms count as averaging halfway with the meat limb.
- Cyberhand drone stats are: Handling 5 Speed 1G Acceleration 1 Body 1(1) Armor 1 Pilot 2 Sensor 1 Avail 8.
- The drone can wear gecko gloves and make use of them for climbing.
- The Liminal Body: Centaur ware only gives capacity in the legs.
Modular Cyberlimbs
- Modular connectors between flesh and limb work in one of two ways - either you purchase a connector and place it in your flesh, allowing you to change out any appropriately-sized limb, or you purchase a modular limb and can swap it out without the use of a connector, but only with other modular limbs. Essentially, you pay in capacity or essence. In either case, your essence will adjust, leaving essence holes as appropriate, to any changes in your limbs. A connector does not place a limb into its capacity, so it still costs essence to have an arm attached to a connector.
- When using modular cyber limbs, only the limb component with the highest armor is calculated.
Digigrade
- Digigrade legs cost both essence and capacity. The increased essence cost is affected by 'ware grade as usual. It adds to the essence cost of the leg for the purposes of reductions.
EARRS
- Vehicle actions taken through the jumped-in device are considered Matrix actions for the purposes of EARRS. A user who is jumped into a drone or vehicle is able to operate it as they normally would, though they retain normal control of their body; actions taken by their body suffer the normal -10 penalty. You cannot perceive or project astrally, or use any other magical actions, while in VR with EARRS.
Grapple Hand/Gun
- Microwire may be stored with an implanted grapple gun for use with the gun.
- The grapple hand may be used as a weapon using grapple gun stats for DV and accuracy. If one has cyberimplant weapons which deal physical damage, we would suggest a GM permit the DV to change to physical instead of stun with no further alterations, but it is ultimately up to GM fiat.
Mnemonic Enhancers
- Mnemonic enhancers cannot affect skills gained through knowsofts.
Nanites
- Soft Nanite Systems include the nanites they support for free. In chummer, you may select the 'free' button when purchasing the initial nanites for your system.
- Hard Nanite Systems include Rating different configurations for free. In Chummer, you may select the 'free' button when purchasing the rating different nanites that your Hard Nanite System supports. Note that only one at a time is active. For example, if you have a Rating 3 Hard Nanohive, you may have it support Control Rig Booster, Anti-Rad, and Nanite Hunter nanites (but only one at a time).
- In either case, damage still degrades your active nanites. For every 3 boxes of physical damage you suffer degrade your active nanite systems by 1. Nanite Systems are considered fully replenished at the start of the next run.
Sharkskin
- To gain the benefits of sharkskin, you must be striking with an area of your body that has exposed skin. A good rule of thumb is that if the armor can take a chemical seal (like FBA), there is not enough exposed skin to gain the benefits of sharkskin.
Skilljack/wires
- Skilljacks – essence becomes 0.1 regardless of rating. Currently it is 0.1 essence times rating. Cost goes to 1000 nuyen times rating. Currently it is 10x that amount.
- Skillwires – essence becomes 0.1 times rating. Current it is 0.2 essence times rating.
- Skills from active hardwires or any form of skillwires do not come with you onto the astral.
Skimmers
- Assume "significant extra weight" for the purposes of skimmers (CF 88) to mean anything more than roughly 2 kg/point of Body above and beyond FBA + reasonable weaponry. You can still have your combat axe or sniper rifle and FBA, but if you try carrying a ballistic shield things might get a bit hairy. Anything that needs a lift and carry test is, of course, right out.
Skin Toner
- Treat skin toner as a ruthenium polymer coating at rating 4 rather than a rating 4 chameleon suit.
Smuggling Compartments etc.
- A smuggling compartment can hold concealability -1 or lower. If broken down, it can hold concealability 0 or lower.
- A skin pocket functions as above.
- A large smuggling compartment can store concealability +1 or lower. If broken down, it can store concealability +2 or lower.
- A cyberarm slide can store a taser, a hold-out pistol or a light pistol. It can store nothing else.
- A cyber holster can store items with a concealibility of 0 or lower.
- An assault rifle with a sawn-off barrel or shotgun with a sawn-off barrel may be stored across two large smuggling compartments if it is broken down, again taking the vast majority of the space. No larger firearm may be stored in such compartments.
- Concealability as a kludge for storage space is not additive in any sense, but if you're storing an item that caps out your concealability, you likely do not have much more space. Don't be a dumbshit.
- A large smuggling compartment in a cyberlimb may only hold a rating 1 or rating 2 Vault of Ages. Note that it is probably not safe to place contact trigger preparations inside one's own limbs, as they would be triggered by doing so.
Striking Calluses
- Striking Calluses will give their benefit to Natural Weaponry with a base Reach of at least 0. (For example, trolls get +1 Reach but if a troll had a bite attack, normally Reach -1, this would not benefit that).
- Striking calluses apply to attacks with the Killing Hands adept power which use physical stats to determine DV, but not to attacks with natural or cyberweapons.
Suprathyroid Gland
- The suprathyroid gland stacks with muscle augmentation and muscle toner.
Tails
- Both the balance tail cyberware (CF 82, 85) and the tail bioware (CF 115, 117), which actually does mention weapons attached to the top, lack not only capacity for modifications, but also the attributes required to form dice pools and damage values. As such, neither will accept functional weapons.
- The Bioware Tail shall follow the same mechanics as the cyberware tail.
Tetrachromatic Vision
- Tetrachromatic vision is not compatible with cybereyes.
Gear etc
Gas Mask
- Gas Mask shall count as a respirator at Rating 6 when active for purposes of resisting toxins, in addition to providing immunity to inhalation vector toxins while it still has air. Note that when resisting a toxin with multiple vectors, all applicable resistances apply.
Laced Lipstick
- While laced lipstick itself does not protect you, the acquisition of an appropriate protective method - a plastic or wax coating, for example - is assumed to be a part of lifestyle for anyone who is not literally a squatter.
Pi-Tacs and Accessories
- Door Gunner: if you are on a Pi-Tac team of any rating, you may fire weapons on a vehicle-controlled by another member of your team assuming it has a Smart-Link and is wirelessly connected to you. You must use the Gunnery skill to operate the weapon, though you may use your choice of Agility or Logic. You must be in VR. In either case, you only take biofeedback damage if the weapon you are using is attacked specifically. The weapon cannot be actively used by another member of your team at the same time.
Real SINs
- A corporate SIN - or any other real SIN - is assumed to come with licenses for any R-rated gear you possess. This is true for the jurisdiction which issued the SIN, as well as the jurisdiction in which you reside. For the typically runner on ShadowHaven, this means their issuing body and the UCAS. Note that a license from an outside body does not automatically permit you to use an item. No jurisdiction will permit you to have an item they consider forbidden simply because you have a license for it from somewhere else where it is considered R. Notably, the written availabiltiy codes assume UCAS law, which applies to all of Seattle, except certain extraterritorial places. As a general rule, they can also be applied elsewhere in the absence of specific Thematics justification otherwise.
Scanners
- When detecting a gun hidden inside a cyberware smuggling compartment or cyberarm slide/holster, both a MAD and a millimeter wave scanner may detect it as normal. If the weapon is resistant or immune to MAD scanners, the MAD scanner loses dice (from its pool equal to its rating) or cannot roll as appropriate.
- Cyberimplanted weapons are MAD-immune, but may still be detected by a millimeter wave scanner as normal.
- MAD scanners do not care about Palming or similar effects or intervening material. They can map things inside other things as long as the things being mapped are ferrous.
- Olfactory sensors may be used to detect the presence of tailored pheromones.
Critters
Note: The bulk of critter powers are ruled on the Awakened page.
- You are permitted to spend edge or burn edge on the behalf of your animals, including the use of Not Dead Yet.
Critter Training
- Assume animals purchased at gen have a number of tricks learned equal to the PC's Animal Handling skill ranks, prior to any bonus ranks from adept powers or bioware. This does not allow them to exceed their normal limit on number of tricks. Skill improvements count as a trick per.
- Critter training time is removed. Additionally, critters have their own edge pool they may use following all normal rules.
Domestic
- If an animal does not possess the Domesticated quality as part of it's normal statblock, you cannot just add that onto the statblock. You cannot purchase animals with any modifiers based on previous treatment.
Flying
- A bird may not exceed its normal flying speed. If a GM wishes to allow a bird to dive faster, they may at their sole discretion allow the bird to move at double its normal running rate if moving straight downward, though the falling bird should not exceed the normal falling rate.
Warforms and Chimeras
- Warforms cost 10 times as much as a normal animal, plus an additional 20000¥. Both values are multiplicative with chimeric modifiers.
- Chimeric modification grants one of the enhanced senses per modification.
Critters and Owner Investments
- A critter's owner may spend karma to do the following:
- Rebuy burnt points of Edge, up to the critter's starting Edge.
- Buy off negative qualities.
- Buy the following positive qualities:
- Astral Chameleon
- Catlike
- Guts
- High Pain Tolerance
- Magic Resistance
- Natural Athlete
- Outdoorsman
- Resistance To Pathogens/Toxins
- Tough as Nails (Stun/Physical)
- Toughness
- Water Sprite
- Will to Live
Note that karma for these comes out of the owner's available karma.
Biotech, Drugs and Toxins
- All substances found in "Bullets and Bandages" should be treated as having a speed of "Immediate".
- When crashed from a drug, you are no longer on that drug.
- Narco reduces the total damage suffered during a dose of Buffout due to its effects by two. It is not a reduction for each instance of damage, however. Instead of taking 3 damage, you would take 1, but instead of taking 9 damage, you would take 7.
- Nonmechanical impacts of drugs such as anti-depressants and etc. do not need to be represented on the sheet. You can assume they are a part of your lifestyle, though that might be a little tricky if you're a squatter.
- Narco does not affect situational or specific bonuses to attributes, such as bonuses to Logic-linked skills or bonuses to Strength for lift and carry or grappling damage.
- BTLs do not stack with drugs, but cause drug interactions like drugs and overdose like drugs and are affected by narco like drugs.
- The same drug does not stack, it overlaps.
- Contact vector drugs and toxins may not be injected for effect. As a result, DMSO does not allow things to become injectable.
- We ignore the speedballing rules.
- Neostigmine counters toxin-induced paralysis. It does nothing against Nerve Strike.
- Psyche does not reduce the sustaining penalty of complex forms.
- BTLs do not stack with, but do overdose and interact with drugs.
- Assume Slab to possess all benefits of Reaper at no additional cost or availability.
- A medkit operating autonomously through its wireless bonus is not capable of leading a teamwork test.
- Only permanent bonuses to attributes apply to addiction tests. Bonuses from spells, spirit possession or channeling, Essence Drain, drugs, BTLs, temporary bonuses such as from adrenaline glands or anything else that is not permanently altering your attributes, do not apply.
- As a general rule drugs that are intended to counteract toxins should apply before the toxins if both take effect on the same turn end. The order of the interractions are left to the decision of the GM.
- Wireless medkits may provide their rating as a dice pool bonus to the Medicine skill.
- If you have an internal air tank or are using a gas mask of some variety, you are fine vs inhalation vector toxins for the duration of air you have in your tank. Otherwise you cannot hold your breath meaningfully to resist such toxins.
- Dopadrine suppresses berserk effects for its duration. It does not cancel them. If Dopadrine is active when K-10 ends, you do not need to make an Edge roll.
- Smart corrosives must be purchased pre-programmed.
- Legal psychchips may treat psychological disorders of up to 7 karma value. Illegal psychchips may treat psychological disorders of up to 15 karma value. In either case, remember that it counts as a drug for purposes of the drug interactions table. If the user develops an addiction and stops using the chips as a result, increase the level of the negative quality one step if possible.
- Blight is modified thus:
- Vector: Contact, Injection
- Speed: Special*
- Penetration: 0
- Power: 12
- Effect: a spirit exposed to this toxin must immediately make the toxin resistance test. If it fails, it immediately loses its Immunity to Normal Weapons power for (12 - spirit's force, min 1 hour).
- Use the higher of the medkit's rating and your skill (First Aid or Medicine) when determining how many boxes you may heal.
- Damage from drugs may not be healed until the character crashes from the drug and is no longer on said drug.
Qualities
- It is not possible to buy multiple instances of the same quality, unless specifically stated. This also applies to Sensei and Codeslinger.
- In order to utilize a "free" quality, one must still meet all requirements of the quality. This does not apply if the source of the free quality explicitly states that you do not have to meet the requirements.
Gear Discounts
- Made Man and Black Market Pipeline do not stack with each other, however, both stack individually with Dealer Connection. The stacking is calculated additively - thus, when both apply, you receive a 20% discount.
- Black Market Pipeline may be attached to public contacts. Only people possessing the quality may benefit from the quality.
Qualities affecting Training
- Dependents will remove all references to training time. All other impacts are in effect.
- The Sensei quality will have the following changes.
- If the Sensei is a skill sensei, the karma cost for increases in the selected skill will be reduced by 3.
- If the Sensei is a skill group sensei, the karma cost for increases individual skills in the group in the selected skill group will be reduced by 1.The whole group can be improved at a cost reduction of 3.
- If this reduced the cost for a new rank to zero, you may increase the skill to the rank instantly, for free. This applies even in cases where other qualities interact with this house rule.
- Sensei does not require a contact. The "Sensei" NPC may be a contact already on your sheet, but may also be a described but non-contact NPC. The quality does *not* grant a free contact.
- Day Job will follow the table below, increasing the karma cost for attributes, skills, martial arts and specializations.
Day Job Karma Cost modifier | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fame: | None/Local | National/Megacorp | Global |
Day Job 1 | 1 | 1.5 (Every odd numbered increase is +2 instead of +1) | 2 |
Day Job 2 | 2 | 2.5 (Every odd numbered increase is +3 instead of +2) | 3 |
Day Job 3 | 3 | 3.5 (Every odd numbered increase is +4 instead of +3) | 4 |
Hobo with a Shotgun
- Hobo with a Shotgun does not permit you to stay in a bolthole willingly.
Ambidextrous
- A nartaki or anyone else with the Shiva Arms quality requires an instance of Ambidextrous for each additional arm in order to avoid penalties with said arm.
Allergy (Sunlight)
- Chemical seal does not have any particular effect on sunlight. However, most armor that is capable of providing chemical seal will by its nature reduce sunlight allergies by two steps when worn fully. Radiation protection has nothing to do with it, referring to alpha and beta radiation, not electromagnetic radiation.
Biocompatibility
Due to negative gameplay interactions, biocompatibility is not going to be restricted to at-gen only. However, one must still go through the normal approval process for it.
Practice Practice Practice
- The Practice Practice Practice quality only applies to the physical, mental, social and astral limit.
Symbiosis
- In order to make the first test to change attunement location, a character with Symbiosis must have lived in a single place for a season - that is to say, 3 months, for simplicity's sake. Thereafter, each test is after 1 month, as stated.
Prototype Transhuman
- While you can replace the ware provided by Prototype Transhuman, you cannot upgrade it, and the essence is not refunded.
- Regeneration, regardless of source, doesn't push Prototype Transhuman ware out. Otherwise it follows all normal bioware rules.
- Geneware is not allowed.
Brand Loyalty
- Brand Loyalty is restricted to gear (not including foci or ware).
- Brand Loyalty at the Manufacturer level does apply to gear the brand does not make.
- Brand Loyalty may be taken at the Product level for generic items. In that case it will only apply to that specific weapon. Example: Brand Loyalty (Product) Monosword only applies to Monoswords while all other Blades weapons suffer the malus.
Thagomizer Tail and Venom
- The thagomizer tail can be used with the natural Venom quality. Ignore the fangs requirement for the latter.
Shoot First, Don't Ask Questions
Shoot First, Don't Ask Questions applies regardless of which initiative type was rolled as long as a surprise test was made. Roll Data Processing + Intuition for surprise tests on the Matrix in VR.
Cyber-Snob
- Cyber-Snob is modified: you need only take alphaware and above.
Flashbacks
- In order for Flashbacks to trigger again, the situation must be different in some quantifiable way. Additionally, this should only trigger once per scene at most, barring some extended time between triggers at GM discretion.
Incomplete Deprogramming
- Personalities from Persona Fix and Incomplete Deprogramming take precedence as follows: Persona Fix > Incomplete Deprogramming > Baseline Personality.
Special Modification
- Special Modifications 1-2 and Prototype Materials can be applied to cyberweapons.
Blandness
- An oni or nartaki may take the Bland quality, but it will only work in groups of other oni or nartaki.
Black Forest Native
- You do not require this quality to be from the Black Forest.
College Education
- This quality is incompatible with the Uneducated quality (Core Rulebook p. 87).
Corporate Loyalist
- shall be permitted only with a genuine Corporate Limited or Full SIN. Upon loss of the SIN, you lose the quality.
Corporate Pariah
- shall be permitted, but only with a current (7 karma version) or past (10 karma version) corp SIN from an AAA corporation. Records on File is required for the 10 point version. It is not actually required for your character to have had the Corporate SINner negative quality, merely that they have had it in their fluff at some point in the past.
Community Connection
- Can only be taken by orks/trolls and metavariants of those.
Cyber-Snob
- shall be altered to allow alphaware as the minimum grade so that it may be taken at charge.
Location Attunement
- shall be permitted. After a month, the quality's benefits are lost, not quality itself, negating the need to repurchase it.
Nasty Trog
- Can only be taken by orks/trolls and metavariants of those.
Prototype Materials
- This quality can only be taken once and does not require a run reward. It cannot be taken at character generation.
- You do not need to buy another level of Special Modifications. That is included in the quality.
Special Modification
- Only characters without a Magic or Resonance score may take the quality.
- This quality functions as written except with the following caveats: a character may shift the benefits of Special Modifications to a new weapon at the end of any given run, regardless of whether or not the weapon was lost or destroyed. When doing so, one may change the benefits granted by the quality freely, even without changing the weapon they are applied to. It does not require any payment of lifestyle or similar. If a character has any ranks, they may change the fluff of the weapon within relatively close reason without expending a "slot", but this cannot alter the concealability, apparent legality, or other mechanical attributes of the weapon. If a weapon does not deal elemental damage natively, it cannot be altered to deal elemental damage, however, if it does natively deal elemental damage of one type, one may spend one "slot" to change that type permanently to another type from the following list: electricity, acid, fire, water, cold. For spec mods specify that acid damage does not persist, applying damage and elemental effects for one round only. For simplicity, this does not alter the ammunition requirements. Hang a lampshade on it, if necessary. Disregard the entire last paragraph of the quality.
- This quality may be used to augment cyberweapons.
- When used to increase the AP of a weapon, Special Modifications does not count as base AP for purposes of the Bull’s Eye Burst called shot.
Prototype Transhuman
- This quality may allow you to take Used bioware to represent an inefficient prototype.
- Geneware may NOT be placed inside of the free essence point.
Redliner
- The penalty for Redliner will cap at 4 limbs considered.
Restricted Gear
- Does not permit to buy items you would otherwise not be able to buy, except for the availability change.
SINner
- Instead of a tax on Nuyen earned, the SINner quality shall act as an increase to lifestyle costs, similar to Dependents (Core Rulebook p. 80).
Addiction
- You must stay off the drug for (Addiction Rating)/2 runs to buy off the quality.
- Some addictions are better suited with the Dependent quality, and thus we recommend its use instead for alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, video games etc. Speak to your Chargen Minion to see if the Dependents or Addiction quality applies.
SURGE
- Each quality grants an amount of Metagentic Quality space (both positive and negative) equal to the cost of the quality (10, 15, and 30).
- The qualities are no longer random. You must select them.
- Some metagenetic qualities are limited to various levels, see below:
- Positive metagenetic qualities limited to SURGE III: Arcane Arrester, Bone Spikes, Dermal Alteration (Granite Shell), Glamour, Magic Sense, Metagenetic Improvement (Attribute), Nasty Vibe, Shiva Arms
- Positive metagenetic qualities limited to SURGE II or SURGE III: Dermal Alteration (Blubber, Rhino Hide), Elongated Limbs, Functional Tail (Balance, Paddle, Prehensile, Thagomizer), Proboscis, Thorns
- Negative metagenetic qualities limited to SURGE III: Astral Hazing, Critter Spook, Third Eye
- Negative metagenetic qualities limited to SURGE II or SURGE III: Bioluminescence, Cephalopod Skull, Feathers, Mood Hair, Scales, Vestigial Tail
- Positive metagenetic qualities limited to SURGE III: Arcane Arrester, Bone Spikes, Dermal Alteration (Granite Shell), Glamour, Magic Sense, Metagenetic Improvement (Attribute), Nasty Vibe, Shiva Arms
- The Striking Skin Pigmentation quality is incompatible with the Dermal Alteration quality.
- Bioluminescence works with either hair modifications or skin modifications, but not with both at the same time.
Technical School Education
- Incompatible with the Uneducated (Core Rulebook p. 87) quality.
Trog Traitor
- Can only be taken by orks/trolls and metavariants of those.
Trust Fund
- May be taken with a Corporate Limited SIN (Core Rulebook p. 84). Hard Luck and Trust Fund are incompatible.
Uneducated
- This quality is incompatible with the College Education ("Run Faster" p. 145) or the Technical School Education ("Run Faster" p. 150) qualities.
Samurai Way Qualities
In order to qualify for a Samurai Way quality, the character must:
- Have strictly less than 3 essence
- Not already have 2 Samurai Ways
- Be Mundane, a Technomancer, an Explorer or an Aware
- WotS = Way Of The Samurai (4th edition book)
Bodyguard ("Way of the Samurai" p. 10)
- Prerequisites: CHA and INT must total at least 7, Pistols skill must be at least 3, Perception skill must be at least 3.
- Advantage: Characters with this quality receive a +2 die pool bonus to Perception checks and choose one of the following: either Ready Weapon or Take Aim may become a Free Action. (Mechanics Note: Free actions never reset recoil, only simple actions that are not shooting your gun.)
Merc ("Way of the Samurai" p. 10)
- Prerequisites: At least 4 ranks among the following skill groups: [Athletics, Close Combat, Firearms, Outdoors] OR 14 total ranks among any skills from the following skill groups and skills: [Athletics, Close Combat, Firearms, Outdoors, Pilot Groundcraft, Pilot Aircraft, Pilot Aerospace, Pilot Walker].
- Advantage: Choose one contact and one of the following types of merchandise [weapons, vehicles, armor]. Characters with this quality receive a 10% discount when buying the appropriate merchandise from that contact, and receive a +3 die pool modifier when negotiating to sell/fence those goods. In addition, characters with this quality only suffer a -1 penalty on Ranged Combat for Attacker Running, and increase by 1 any bonus they received on Ranged Defense tests for cover (Partial Cover provides a +3, Good Cover provides a +5).
Panzer ("Way of the Samurai" p. 10)
- Prerequisites: Must have a modified Body score (for damage soaking purposes) of 5 or higher. The character must have any two of the following implants: Dermal Plating, Orthoskin, Bone Density Augmentation, Bone Lacing (Plastic), Bone Lacing (Aluminum), Bone Lacing (Titanium) or one Cyberlimb with Armor.
- Advantage: Characters with this quality receive a +2 die pool modifier to resist fear and intimidation, including magically induced fear from spells or critter powers, or they may substitute their augmented Body attribute for Charisma when calculating their Intimidation dice pool. In addition, they may ignore two boxes of damage when calculating wound modifiers (which cannot be combined with the Pain Resistance adept power, Pain Editor bioware, or Damage Compensator bioware), or receive a +1 die pool modifier to Body when making Damage Resistance tests.
Razorboy ("Way of the Samurai" p. 10)
- Prerequisites: Must have any of the following implants: Cybereyes Basic System, Infrasonic Generator, Obvious Full Arm, Obvious Full Leg, Obvious Torso, Obvious Skull.
- Advantage: Characters with this quality may add +2 dice to Intimidation checks or +1 DV with Cyber Implant Weapons and Bio-Weapons (melee only for both). In addition, they receive a +1 rating modifier to any Street Knowledge skills they possess.
Ronin ("Way of the Samurai" p. 11)
- Prerequisites: Willpower and Intuition must total at least 7. Must maintain Street Cred equal to or greater than Notoriety.
- Advantage: Characters with this quality reduce the essence cost of cyberware or bioware (not geneware) by 10%. The character may not also discount that type of implant with Biocompatibility. In addition, they may choose one of the following: +1 DV with Blades, Clubs, Unarmed and Exotic Melee Weapons, or when they have a blade, club, unarmed weapon, or exotic melee weapon equipped and are not surprised, +2 to Reaction tests to defend themselves from combat, Indirect Combat spells and so forth. Reaction-linked skill tests, Initiative, and Surprise Tests are not affected by this quality. A Ronin must burn street cred to reduce Notoriety should the character’s Notoriety ever be higher than 1. This quality is incompatible with Bad Rep.
Sharpshooter (WotS) ("Way of the Samurai" p. 11)
- Prerequisites: Must have any two of the following implants: Smartlink, Vision Magnification, any Reflex Recorder for a ranged combat skill, Tremor Reducer, Attention Coprocessor, Laser Rangefinder.
- Advantage: Characters with this quality are not required to half their WIL when calculating how many Take Aim actions they may perform with a ranged weapon. This will most likely be commonly applied to Longarms, but it is applicable to any ranged weapon. Alternatively, the character can take a -2 reduction to all range category penalties. This quality also grants a +1 die pool bonus to Sneaking or a +1 die pool bonus single ranged weapon skill of the player’s choice. Additionally for each Take Aim action the character takes they receive a -1AP modifier on their next applicable shot against that target.
Street Ninja ("Way of the Samurai" p. 11)
- Prerequisites: Must have a Sneaking skill of at least 4. The character must have two of the following implants: Cybereyes Basic System, Cyber Implant Weapon, Enhanced Articulation, Synthacardium, Reflex Recorder (Sneaking), Radar Sensor.
- Advantage: In the first pass of any combat where you force your opponents to roll surprise tests, reduce the called shot penalty of any called shot to -4. Alternatively, you can take +3 dice to surprise tests. In addition, they gain either +1 dice to Sneaking tests or +1 dice to Throwing Weapons or a melee skill of the player's choice (Blades, Clubs, Exotic Melee Weapon, Unarmed). Additionally, you may take a -2/4/6 die pool penalty on your Surprise test to give all enemies a -1/2/3 die pool penalty. Multiple Street Ninjas may combine this penalty, but the penalty may never exceed -3.
Skills
Disguise
- When you create your camouflage with the skill, roll Disguise + Intuition [Mental]. The camouflage Disguise test functions as a persistent teamwork test for your Sneaking tests as long as you are in the terrain type where it applies. This bonus does not stack with ruthenium polymer coating, chameleon skin or any other piece of gear that alters your appearance in such a way.
Diving
- In a case where you have infinite leisure, are free to take your time ascending to a significant degree and go slower than is at all necessary, you may ignore the diving table results. They are for ascending promptly, at the maximum safe speed.
- If you make a Diving test and you fail, you do suffer all missed threshold results. Penalties to actions stack. Damage suffered is soaked separately. Ignore any results that call for a kraken attack.
Gunnery
- Gunnery is both a vehicle and combat skill.
Leadership
- A character may only receive Leadership bonuses from a single individual making tests at any given time. They should also not view the individual as an inferior or a subordinate, though viewing them as a "sole superior" or themselves as entirely subordinate is not necessary to receive benefits. A person providing Leadership bonuses to other individuals may not receive them themselves, even from another source.
- Rally stacks with itself to provide multiple increases to initiative if successfully used multiple times.
- Direct may only be used in situations that use or should use initiative time; this includes, but is not limited to, silent host dives, car chases and combat. There must be some sort of time pressure, taking an action that the character using Direct could potentially use to do something else.
Specializations
These additional specializations may be used in addition to any specialisations listed in the book. No other specializations are legal to take. Please contact the mechanics team in the channel if you want to add a specialization to the list, or have it approved by your charge minion if the character is not approved yet.
- Arcana: Totem Form
- Clubs: Improvised Weapons
- Electronic Warfare: by target type (Devices, Grids, IC, Personas, Sprites, etc.)
- Gymnastics: Dodge
- Hardware: Jack Out
- Software: Data Bombs or by individual complex form
- Unarmed: Touch