Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9a few bribes at the municipal planner’s office can show where theassessors measure loads for taxes and tariffs.> Beyond the tech, a few well-placed spells can solve the problem.Make sure no one is watching, though. In the absence of a mage,bound spirits will regularly be left to watch for astral activity.> EthernautMAD SystemsMAD systems use a variety of different technologies to findcontraband. All of them are based on transmitting pulses of electricityor radio waves into the target and measuring the response.Bypassing them depends on what exactly you are bringing. Ceramiccomponents easily get past MAD scanners, and that’s one reasonthe Raecor Stinger is popular among smugglers. If you can’t buildthe item out of ceramics, then methods of shielding the item fromthe MAD system need to be used. The simplest way is to encasethe item in plastic—this works like shielding power cables or yourspeakers so that the trid doesn’t get wobbly when you watch it.Unfortunately, the more metal in the item, the heavier the shieldinghas to be, which means that it can get bulky quickly.Electromagnets and low-frequency jammers can also blanketout the signal coming from MAD scanners. I don’t recommendwalking through the security checkpoint with an electromagnetstrapped to your chest. Instead, having a teammate who isn’ttraveling with you, or a mule, stand nearby to disrupt the systemcan be beneficial. Small electronics can also be hardwired with aremote trigger to do this. Build the trigger into your commlink,and, when you call grandma to wish her a happy birthday, the anti-MAD system is triggered.Cyberware Scanners and X-raysMillimeter wave scanners and x-rays both look beneath thesurface and try to ascertain the true nature of an object. Organicmaterial like bioware will blend in with your normal body tissueand is not a problem, but the ceramic knife taped to the small ofyour back will show up. In these cases, deception is the primaryescape. By hiding items inside of more complex systems, the scannersand guards watching the readouts can be fooled. Electronicdevices are best for this, as they already have tightly packedcircuits and materials to block scans. Smuggling compartmentsbuilt into cyberlimbs use the same technique. Additionally, manyimprovised explosives are built to look like a micro-transceiver orholo-projector.ChemsniffersHermetic sealing is a must have for any explosives or ammunitionthat you are smuggling. Custom airtight cases for electronicscan be designed with space for disassembled weapons and explosives.When concealing chemicals within other items, you shouldscrub the item clean to remove trace residue. Advances in lasertechnology also allow for a sealed container to have chemicalsburned off, eliminating the trace amounts that chemsniffers need.Packing the items around other fragrant items may keep a dogfrom smelling it, but won’t stop a chemsniffer.Awakened SolutionsWhen it comes to defeating Awakened security measuresor moving magical goods, you need a little mojo of your own.Warding the inside of a container can keep prying wage magesfrom seeing the fact that your cargo container has a gross of assaultrifles instead of the farming implements listed on the manifest. Abuddy of mine even learned how to “stretch” his aura over a fewitems that he didn’t feel like declaring.> Security types use manacases and manasheaths to keep magesfrom tracking down their property. They can be used the other way,hiding magical goods from security.> MikaLet’s not forget the more direct uses of magic. Spirits tohide your vehicle and make you go a little faster are worth all themoney you have to pay to keep them around. Mages can also handwave guards into believing that your paperwork is fine or help seearound the corner. If you don’t have one on your team, their servicescan be pricy but are almost always worth it.SURVIVAL TIPSGame InformationThe Survival Tips chapter is intended to ease Shadowrunplayers, new and old, over and around the sometimes apparentlyinsurmountable hurdles the Sixth World setting presents. The fictionpresented above and the material below are consistent with thedefault Shadowrun, Fourth Edition setting. However, the impactand indeed pervasiveness of surveillance, border controls, securitychecks, and general passive obstacles runners will encounter in anygiven game is up to the gamemaster and the group’s playing style.If, as a player, you’re unsure of the extent these issues will impactthe game you are playing in, ask your gamemaster.OFF THE GRIDSurveillance is often an issue in Shadowrun games. Sometimesit is hard and tedious, for both the gamemaster and the players, tothink about every aspect of personal security and privacy. It is onlypossible to be a shadowrunner if the runners get away and are notalways tracked and imprisoned afterwards. If the gamemaster andthe players have different ideas of how important this aspect of thegame should be, this might lead to problems. It is a good idea todecide, before a campaign, which aspects of “staying off the grid”are emphasized and which are neglected. A player should know ofthe possibility that a camera downtown with expert system softwaremight identify his character after he shoots a Lone Star copin an alleyway without wearing a mask. As mentioned in Tricksof the Trade, there are reasons for both very strict and quite laxhandling of the topic.Shadowun provides players and gamemasters alike witha wide variety of surveillance and counter surveillance tools inthe realms of real world electronics, the Matrix, and magic. Inprinciple, an appropriate countermeasure can overcome each surveillancemeasure. The following section highlights some of themost common surveillance measures and their counters.survival tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Runner’s Companion33