Contact Rules
We use a slightly modified version of the RAW Run Faster and Cutting Aces contact systems. This guide will walk you through how to use it. There are also sample contacts on pages 182-195 of Run Faster and community contact examples are linked here.
Creating a Contact
Choose a contact type
Contacts have the following types
- Legwork
- Networking
- Swag
- Shadow Service
- Personal Favors
- Support
Choose your contact type wisely as, "[i]f a player wants to use a contact for a secondary purpose, then it’s considered a favor (p. 389, SR5)." (p. 172, Run Faster)
Personal Details
Specify your contact's sex, age, metatype, preferred type of payment (p. 173-176, Run Faster; p. 180, Run Faster), their hobbies or vices and their personal life (p. 181, Run Faster).
Choose your contact's connection and loyalty
As per normal rules at character generation.
Assign Attributes
Starting with your contact's attibutes all at one, add the number of attributes equal to the value listed in the table below. Deduct 3 from the total listed value if they have a Magic or Resonance Rating. All contacts have attributes starting at one regardless of metatype, and the final attribute array must equal or exceed the metatype/metavarient minium.
Assign Special Attributes
Starting with your contact's metatype base attribute array (contacts will have one edge and no Magic/Resonance to start), increase the amount of the contact's Edge, Magic or Resonance, Initiations or Submersions until the sum of those attributes or number of Initiations/Submersions is equal to the amount listed in the table below. A contact cannot both have a Magic and a Resonance rating, as the two are mutually exclusive. Likewise, a contact with a Magic rating cannot gain Submersions, and a contact with Resonance cannot gain Initiations. You must choose the type of Awakened the contact is (Adept, Magician, and so on). Ex: You have a Connection 6 Awakened Contact, meaning you have five points to increase between the previously mentioned characteristics. You choose to raise Edge to two, Magic to three and give them one initiation, which equals the five available points you had.
If you choose not to give your contact a Magic or Resonance rating, meaning they are mundane, they cannot gain any Initiations or Submersions.
Assign Active Skills
Add active skills to your contact. Each skill rank is worth 1 point, each Specialization is worth 1, each Skill Group point is worth 2. Do this until the number of points is equal to the skill listing in the table below. Skill ratings are limited to the contact's Connection+4. Deduct 6 from the total listed value if they have a Magic or Resonance Rating.
Assign Knowledge Skills
Add Knowledge Skills to your contact. Each Skill Rank is worth 1 point, each Specialization is worth 1. Contacts get 1 native language for free. Knowledge Skill Ranks are limited to Connection+4.
Purchase Gear
You may add gear such as cyberware, vehicles, weapons and so on up to the Nuyen value listed on the table below. The contact may purchase up to Connection+12 Availability items. Assume items such as Fake SINs, Fake Licenses and the like are already in possession. Only include items that may come up in play or could be borrowed. Awakened and Emerged contacts who install cyberware, bioware, geneware, etc. lose essence and Magic/Resonance normally. Ex: You spend 4 Special Attribute points to to make your Contact Resonance 4, and they install a Standard Gastric Neurostimulator. They lose the appropriate .2 Essence and 1 Resonance, making their final Resonance Rating; 3.
Awakened Contacts have their total Nuyen reduced by Magic*20,000 Nuyen. Calculate the penalty after any Magic lost. This penalty still applies even if Connection is upgraded/lowered (to a minimum of a total 20,000 Nuyen), however gaining or losing additional Magic after the initial creation of the contact does not increase or decrease initial the penalty.
The max Force of a Focus allowed on a Awakened Contact is Magic+1, with the exception of a Power Focus, which has a max Force of Magic/2, rounded down. Ex: A Magic 3 Contact could have a Force 4 Sustaining, Health Focus and a Force 1 Power Focus.
Choose Spells or Complex Forms
If your contact has at least one point in the skill needed to cast spells or use Complex Forms and is Awakened/Emerged, they may choose spells or Complex Forms appropriate to their Magic/Resonance. Note that this does not mean those with a Magic Rating can use Complex Forms or vice versa, as Magic and Resonance Score are mutually exclusive.
An Awakened contact who is capable of casting spells knows Magic Rating*2 in spells. An Emerged Contact knows Resonance+3 number of Complex Forms. Adepts, of course, have the normal power point limits.
Contact Stat Table
| Connection | Attribute Points | Special Attribute Points | Active Skills Points | Knowledge Skill Points | Nuyen for Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 6,000¥ |
| 2 | 19 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 50,000¥ |
| 3 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 22 | 140,000¥ |
| 4 | 20 | 4 | 26 | 26 | 175,000¥ |
| 5 | 21 | 4 | 28 | 28 | 225,000¥ |
| 6 | 21 | 5 | 30 | 30 | 250,000¥ |
| 7 | 21 | 5 | 34 | 34 | 275,000¥ |
| 8 | 21 | 6 | 36 | 36 | 275,000¥ |
| 9 | 21 | 6 | 38 | 38 | 300,000¥ |
| 10 | 22 | 7 | 40 | 40 | 375,000¥ |
| 11 | 22 | 8 | 42 | 42 | 450,000¥ |
| 12 | 22 | 10 | 46 | 46 | 500,000¥ |
Make a Wikipage
After you create your contact, make a wikipage for them and link them to your PC's wikipage. Decide if you want the contact to be public or private. Some community contact examples are linked here.
Buying Contacts
You may buy a new contact in several ways.
- Negotiation with your Johnson with a value of 1 RVP per connection will gain a contact. The loyalty, in this case, is set by your GM.
- You may also buy contacts for 1 RVP per connection and 1 loyalty outside of runs.
- You may spend 20 faction reputation (Page 160, Cutting Aces) to buy of contact with a connection equal to that faction's connection.
- You may buy a public contacts for Connection + starting loyalty in RVP.
Upgrading Contacts
Contacts tend to stay at the same connection, however, they can be upgraded using the faction contact upgrade rules (p. 159 Cutting Aces), or by a GM due to actions in a game.
Using Contacts for Services
Contacts will perform services for you in exchange for a favor. We use the "chips" system, as described by the "Favor" system (p. 388-389, Core; p. 176, Run Faster). Consult the Favor Rating Table (p. 389, Core) for the value of a particular favor; the GM, as usual, is the final arbiter for the rating of a favor. Favors that involve loaning goods to a character have the following ratings, reproduced for convenience below:
| Favor Rating | Value of Goods |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 nuyen |
| 2 | 5000 nuyen |
| 3 | 11175 nuyen |
| 4 | 50000 nuyen |
| 5 | 176100 nuyen |
| 6 | 500000 nuyen |
Favors owed can be paid down at twice these rates, or they may be worked off with in-kind payment (as described on p. 176, Run Faster).
The use of an Active skill follows a different set of rules. Contacts can be paid for their labor according to the formula (p. 162, Cutting Aces):
cost in nuyen = (dice pool / 4) x hours worked x 150
Contacts will bill you for materials needed to use the skill, as well as any additional time not directly related to the use of the skill. For example, an Awakened contact that casts spells for you will charge for the time they spent healing any drain incurred.
Contacts will refuse to do work that is likely to result in physical harm to them. To continue the previous example, an Awakened contact will not agree to cast spells for you at a Force that might cause lethal amounts of drain for them.
Any dice gained from assistance, including the Leadership skill or situational bonuses determined by the GM does not factor into cost.
An opposed Negotiation test can be used to lower the final cost of the service by 200 nuyen per net hit.
Contact Restrictions
- Contacts may not have qualities.
- Contacts tend not to use their edge for the players, but the GM may rule they can for certain rolls.
- Contacts may not be current or retired player characters, Drakes or Dragons, or Named NPCs from a Shadowrun sourcebook.
- Contacts will only operate in the way specified by the GM.
- Contacts are people as well and are not at the beck and call of the PCs. GMs should portray them as such and the contact might require payment/favors for some tasks.