Glossary

The following is a list of common jargon, in-character terminology, and acronyms used within Shadowrun and the ShadowHaven specifically. Where a rulebook page or wiki rulings page is relevant, it will be listed.

This list is not exhaustive, and is intended to help minimize new player confusion.

Terminology

Burnout

An Awakened or Emerged individual who has lost points of Essence (and possibly points of Magic or Resonance) due to installing augmentations such as cyberware or bioware. Often combined with a character archetype, i.e. "Burnout Adept" or "Burnout Technomancer."

Black Trenchcoat

A style of play emphasizing the grittier or more grounded side of Shadowrun's setting. Usually entails careful legwork and planning leading up to the execution of a run, sometimes with more severe consequences for "being made" or "going loud." May be darker than other styles, but is not necessarily.

Hooding

The act of taking altruistic jobs, or jobs that have a positive impact as a Shadowrunner, often at the cost of little or no payment. Can be used to describe a specific job as well (i.e. a "hooding run"). A Shadowrunner who does this frequently can be called a "Hooder." Used in-universe as well as out of character.

Mirrorshades

A style of play that splits the difference between Black Trenchcoat and Pink Mohawk, or incorporates elements of both styles without swinging extremely in either direction.

Mysad

See SR5 p. 71, 308

Mystic Adept. A type of Awakened character that possesses the ability to spellcast and summon like a full mage as well as obtain physical enhancements like a physical adept. In exchange for this versatility, they get fewer resources from each side of these two specializations for free.

Mysapt

See Better Than Bad p. 159

Mystic Aptitude. An adept power that allows the user to substitude their Magic attribute for a single physical attribute.

Negqual

Negative Quality. A character disadvantage either taken at character generation to gain extra karma, or acquired throughout play, which has one of many possible negative effects. See also Posqual.

Pink Mohawk

A style of play emphasizing flashier action, cinema, and rule-of-cool over meticulous planning or grittier realism. May contain explosions or fireworks! Consequences for collateral damage are usually lesser than a comparable Black Trenchcoat run.

Posqual

Short for Positive Quality. A character feature purchased for Karma that has one of many positive effects. See also Negqual.

Physad

See SR5 p. 69, 308

Physical Adept. A type of Awakened character that possesses increased physical, mental, and sensory capabilities, but cannot spellcast or summon spirits. Often, but not always, plays the role of a Street Samurai.

Acronyms

AAR

After Action Report. A wikipage written about a run by either a player or the GM detailing the run's events. GMP is awarded for writing, pursuant to the GM Rules. See also pAAR.

ASDF

Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, Firewall. An abbreviation of the four main attributes that each Matrix device may possess. If someone asks for "ASDF" when making a Matrix Perception test on an icon, they are attempting to determine the statistics of the device in question.

BTL

See SR5 p. 413

Better-Than-Life Chip. A chip that can be slotted into a datajack, or more generally anything with a Sim Module. A BTL overrides safe sensory limits in simsense to offer emotional and sensory highs impossible in meatspace. They are illegal, highly addictive, and generally dangerous to overuse (or use at all).

CDP

Character Development Points. A per-character currency that can be spent in place of Karma to purchase contacts and knowledge skills. At least 2 are awarded to each character per run. See the full wikipage for details.

FBR/FLR

Full Body Replacement/Full Limb Replacement. An individual that has had all four of their limbs (FLR) or all four of their limbs and their torso (FBR) replaced by cyberware, or the treatment to augment an individual in this way.

GMP

A server currency earned primarily (but not entirely) by planning and running games as a Game Master. GMP can be exchanged for in-character resources or specific server perks. See the full wikipage for details.

HOTF

See SR5 p. 240

Hack on The Fly. A Sleaze-limited Matrix action used to obtain MARKs on a Matrix icon without being detected.

MBW

See Chrome Flesh p. 84-85.

Move-By-Wire System. An illegal, essence-expensive, difficult-to-acquire piece of cyberware that increases a character's Reaction, Initiative Score, and Initiative Dice.

MUT

See Street Lethal p. 185

Mixed-unit Tactics. A skill that allows Shadowrunners to participate in coordinated maneuvers to gain specific dice pool bonuses. Similar but distinct to Small Unit Tactics, Mixed Unit Tactics allows a wider variety of participants, most notably drones. Mixed Unit Tactics maneuvers are distinct and separate from Small Unit Tactics maneuvers; the two skills are not interchangeable.

PAAR

Player After Action Report. A small blurb a player can (optionally) write from their character's perspective on a run's After Action Report, providing their thoughts on the job. Doing so awards one GMP.

PTP

See Run & Gun p. 125

Protect the Principal. An action that costs one Edge and five Initiative, and allows the user to intercept fire for someone else at the cost of being unable to dodge. Improved by a Bodyguard BTL.

PTT

See Chrome Flesh p. 54.

Prototype Transhuman. A PTT is an individual grown in a lab by a corporation or other powerful organization, and has been cultivated with bioware that does not count against their Essence, since it grew with them. This also entails negative consequences.

RFYL

See Run & Gun p. 125.

Run For Your Life. An interrupt action used to get away from an area-of-effect hazard or attack, consuming the character's remaining movement and 5 initiative.

RVP

Reward Value Points. A currency used to standardize run rewards on-server. Run rewards are measured in RVP, which can be assigned by GMs into Karma, Nuyen, or other resources. See the full page for details.

SIN

See SR5 p. 362

System Identification Number. Not actually just a number, a SIN functions as the 6th World's version of a national or corporate ID, only far more invasive. A SIN is required to exist normally in society, and is needed for basic financial transactions, legal employment, and housing. In Shadowrunner circles, having a SIN is generally viewed as a liability, as it means your biometrics are present in a national or corporate database. A person with a SIN is a SINner; those without SIN are referred to as SINless.

SmUT

See Run & Gun p. 89

Small-unit Tactics. A skill that allows Shadowrunners to participate in coordinated maneuvers to gain specific dice pool bonuses, such as breaching a doorway, flanking enemies, and so forth. Separate from Mixed Unit Tactics; the two skills are not interchangeable.

WR[1-3]

See SR5 p. 455-456.

Wired Reflexes Rating [1-3]. A cyberware augmentation that increases Reaction and Initiative dice, increasing in cost and effectiveness with rating.