Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9Defensive SecretionCost: 5 BPThe character’s skin contains cells that allow her to exude adefensive liquid when agitated or endangered, similar to the defensivesecretions of frogs or reflex bleeding of certain beetle species.Though not poisonous in most cases, these secretions are eitheracidic (creating a burning sensation upon touch) or cause otheradverse skin reactions (itching, urticaria). As soon as another persontouches the agitated character with unprotected hands, thatperson suffers a –1 dice pool modifier for all tests made within thenext 24 hours (or until treated with a successful Medicine + Logic(2) Test). Defensive Secretions do not work against spirits.GlamourCost: 15 BPA character with Glamour is paranaturally gifted so that allsapient beings perceive her as moving with unearthly grace, hercountenance as always radiant, and her voice as soul-wrenchingand laden with emotion. People may describe her as angelic orfairylike, and everyone she speaks to cannot help but feel movedand inspired.Sapient beings will always respond with awe, deference, andkindness to the character as long as she does not act hostile. Thecharacter gains a +3 dice pool modifier to all Social Skill Testsexcept Intimidation.This quality renders the character particularly memorableand she suffers from the effects of Distinctive Style (p. 103)ElectrosenseCost: 10 BPCharacters with this quality have developed the capacityto sense electricity and changes to electric fields in their vicinity,similar to animals like fish or a platypus. Electric charges can befelt through touch (actually the indirect effect of electric chargeson hair).Treat Electrosense like the technomancer echo E-Sensing (p.146, Unwired). To sense electric currents, non-Emerged charactersuse Intuition instead of Resonance, however. The range of the electricsense is (Essence) meters.Elongated LimbsCost: 5 BPThe character’s arms or legs (or both) are elongated, grantingher a greater effective reach. In game terms, characters withthis trait have an elevated Reach (+1) for combat purposes. Thisquality is cumulative with any natural Reach modifier (such as atroll’s arm length).The character must buy special clothing to accommodate thisunusual physique (+10 percent cost), and may require customizationof certain gear (such as armor)Frog TongueCost: 10 BPThe character possesses a long adhesive tongue, which can beextended in a spring-loaded fashion by a muscular trigger. Whentriggered, it shoots outward to strike at a target and then retractsinto the mouth. Though not prehensile enough to manipulate atool, the tongue is strong enough to snatch an object as long as theobject’s weight is less than the character’s unaugmented Strength x100 in grams. Because of the tongue’s sticky secretions, the objectwill stick to the tongue until manually removed.If the character also possesses the Natural Venom quality (p.115) or has a chemical gland (p. 68, Augmentation) implanted inthe tongue or within the oral cavity, the tongue can be used toapply the substance with a successful touch-only attack (p. 148,SR4) using the Exotic Melee Weapon: Frog Tongue skill.Functional TailCost: 5 to 15 BPAn animal-like tail grows from the base of the character’sspine; this may be scaly (like a lizard), hairy (like a monkey), orhairless (like an opossum’s tail). Contrary to a Vestigial Tail (p.119), a Functional Tail is fully developed and functional.A Balance Tail (5 BP) is usually between one and two meterslong, but not under the character’s conscious control. It functionsinstinctively, twitching, swaying, and even wrapping aroundthings at random. It does this to compensate shifts in posture andmovement assisting the character’s sense of balance in a mannersimilar to the cybernetic Balance Tail (p. 39, Augmentation).A Paddle Tail (5 BP) is broad and scaly like a beaver tail andcan be used to steer and paddle when swimming, granting a +2dice pool modifier for all Swimming Tests. It also increases thecharacter’s Swimming Rate by half her basic rate every turn.A Prehensile Tail (10 BP) functions exactly like the BalanceTail, except that the character can consciously manipulate it as if itwere an extra limb. The tail can pick up items, though it lacks digitsand so cannot finely manipulate objects, pull triggers, and so on.Apply a –2 dice pool modifier to any attempt at fine manipulationof an object with the tail. The tail has an effective strength equal tohalf the character’s unaugmented Strength (round down), but itcan hold the character’s entire body weight if he chooses to hangfrom it. Prehensile tails do not provide an extra attack.A Thagomizer (10 BP) is a powerfully muscled prehensiletail which ends in an array of dermal spikes (or a club) and canbe wielded like a spiked mace in melee combat using the ExoticMelee Weapon: Thagomizer skill. The weapon has a Reach of 1and a Damage Value of (Strength/2) + 2P.The character’s clothing must accommodate the tail, andhe will find it uncomfortable to sit in certain positions for longperiods. The Versatile Tail quality is incompatible with any othertail modification or quality.new qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FangsCost: 5 BPThe character’s canine teeth are enlarged and sharpened likethose of a carnivore. The character can attack with the fangs usingUnarmed Combat skill, though fang attacks suffer a –1 Reachpenalty. Fangs have a Damage Value of (STR/2–1)P and are incompatiblewith cyberfang implants (p. 34, Augmentation).Runner’s CompanionGillsCost: 5 BPAmphibian-like gills on the sides of the character’s neck allowhim to breathe underwater. His respiratory and circulatory systemsallow him to reflexively alternate between using lungs (abovewater) and gills (underwater). These gills offer the same benefits asthe Gills bio-implant (p. 65, Augmentation).113