Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9starting out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .adept’s performance in this area. The spirit power, Movement,along with a number of spells can be used for those with Conjuringand Sorcery skills.Technomancers, in contrast, often use their abilities to enhancethe technological approach. Machine sprits and tutor sprites can beused to boost or even pilot autonomous vehicles. The Commandcomplex form has the same utility as its corresponding program.The echoes Immersion, Macro, and Multiprocessing are goodtools, along with the advanced echoes Acceleration, AdvancedOverclocking, Mind Over Machine, and even Mesh Reality.Build and repair skills are always valuable, since a wellmaintainedvehicle makes the difference between getting away, orgetting caught. Accordingly, many Transportation specialists willneed to invest in a spacious garage or facility to store, maintain,and customize their vehicles.Essential GearThe vehicles she commands are what defines theTransportation expert role. These may be customized and modifiedto suit the pilot’s strengths and to enhance overall performance ina variety of situations. Vehicle modifications are a staple of theTransportation expert, ensuring that their rides are the fastest,most secure, most resilient vehicles for the job. Besides weapons,a Transportation expert should ensure her vehicles have the sufficientappropriate sensors and armor.Why pilot a vehicle when it can handle itself ? This approachrelies on the Pilot programs of vehicles and drones to performmost of the duties of the role. This approach also applies to specialistswho use the Command program to control their vehicles.In either case, high software ratings are an essential part of thisapproach, along with a good Electronic Warfare skill.Among the augmentations that benefit this role are control rigs,simsense boosters, control rig booster nanoware, simsense accelerators,and a plethora of implants that impact Reaction and Initiative.LogisticsThis role mostly handles expendables, such as ammunitionand other supplies, and accommodations, like safe houses andmeeting locations. Generally, each team member handles theirown gear, and accommodations can be covered by either the investigationor transportation roles, but one particularly capablecharacter (or a particularly organized player) can cover this roleexclusively.MedicThis is an important role in a job where violence is a regularoccurrence. The medic’s job is to keep the team healthy, or at leastalive. Fortunately, in the 2070s, healing is just a medkit away, makinganyone who is not allergic to technology capable of being acompetent medic.Tactical CoordinatorMost shadowrunners plan their strategies by consensus, but,when the team is in the field, it can be useful to have a central pointof control to keep cohesion, even if the team does not have a leader.The tactical coordinator stays aware of the situation and directs herteammates to their best effect. This role can be tricky, especially inteams with members who resent authority.CHARACTER QUIZSure, you’ve got your character. You’ve got a couple of sheetsof attributes, skills, gear, and other tools that will help that shadowrunnergain fame and fortune. But who is this person? Sure,you’ve probably already chosen a sex and a name, and definitely ametatype, but what about the rest of it?No shadowrunner forms from thin air, and there’s more toa story if there’s more to the characters in it. Here is a brief questionnairethat can help you “know the score” about your character.Choose a few (or all) and answer them for your character.18Other RolesThe roles described above are the key roles on a shadowrunningteam, but the list is by no means exhaustive. There are anumber of other roles and duties performed by some or all of themembers of a successful team. These roles require less specialization,however, and can be filled as secondary roles by those withother specialties.DemolitionsThe need to blow something up does not arise often. Whenit does, it is important to have someone competent handling thedetails. The duty of this role is to destroy things on a large scale,from vehicles to bridges to buildings.LeaderFew teams have a leader. In fact, an escape from authority iswhat attracts many shadowrunners. Some teams have a memberthat steps up and becomes the leader. The central duties of thisrole are simply responsibility for the success and well-being ofthe entire team; a number of books have been written over manycenturies about the specifics of this undertaking, and so they willnot be detailed here.• We are shaped by our heritage. Facial features, skin tone, height,build, metatype, even aptitudes are influenced by the genespassed from parent to child. Attitude, too, is taught by parents,informed by their own lives and their cultural heritage. Wheredoes your character come from, what is her lineage, who wereher parents, and what did she inherit from them?• Parents can be proud of their children or regret ever bringingthem into the world. Some are loving, and some are indifferent.All of them are only metahuman and have their own opinionsof their children. Assuming they could speak, what would eachof your character’s parents say about her?• Many people remember certain historical events for the rest oftheir lives. For those alive in the first decade of the 21 st century,it could be the assassination of John F. Kennedy, or theTiananmen Square protests, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, orthe attacks of 11 September 2001. People remember where theywere, and what they were doing when they first heard of theseevents. Shadowrun history has significant events as well, such asthe assassination of President Dunkelzahn, the Crash 2.0, andthe emergence of technomancers and artificial intelligences.Pick a few events from recent Shadowrun history and ask wherethe character was at the time, what does he remember about theevent, and what was he doing at the time?Runner’s Companion