Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9alternative character concepts . . . . . . . . . . .88Flight (Strength)The Flying skill is used to increase the distance acharacter can fly, as well as determine how well she canpace herself and conserve energy while flying. Flyingcharacters may use this skill to dive downward as ifsprinting using the running rules (see Using Running,p. 117, SR4); the Diving specialization applies.Default: YesSkill Group: AthleticsSpecializations: Diving, Long Distance, Rough WeatherMovementWhen in human form, a shapeshifter uses the appropriatevalues in the Movement Rate Table on p. 138, Shadowrun, FourthEdition. In their natural critter form, a shapeshifter uses the valuesgiven in the Shapeshifter Movement Table.NEW shapeSHIFTER POWERSShift (Human)A shapeshifter can only assume a single, specific human form,chosen at character creation. This form is the same gender as theanimal, and generally shares other traits as well—eyes of the samecolor, hair similar to the animal’s fur or plumage, distinctive scarsand injuries, tattoos, etc. The human form’s apparent ethnicity isoften (but not always), similar to that of humans residing in itsnative area and possesses unique fingerprints and retinas whichare consistent from transformation to transformation. Samples oftissue taken from the human form will show animal, not human,DNA and can serve as material links (see Material Links, p. 28,Street Magic) to the character regardless of current form.Shapeshifters retain all of their powers and weaknesses inshifted human form except for their Natural Weapon.QualitiesShapeshifters can take every quality they qualify for exceptthose that grant Resonance. Given their common lack of educationand familiarity with metahuman society in general, the Uncouthand Uneducated negative qualities are both highly appropriate.The Hunted negative quality may be appropriate if a bounty existson shapeshifters in the area or if poachers hunt animals of theshapeshifter’s type for fur or use in traditional medicines.CREATING AN AI CHARACTERMany new forms of life have sprung up since the Awakening.All things considered, none are newer than the “synthetic intelligence,”better known as the AI. Risen out of the complex code ofmodern Matrix programs, the new crop of AIs made their appearanceshortly after the public emergence of technomancers. Regardedas dangerous by many, these new beings have worked their way intomodern society. Young AIs have become security hackers, librarians,service personnel, taxi drivers, and even shadowrunners.Metasapient AIs (p. 167, Unwired) can be played as playercharacters. Each PC AI follows the rules presented here. Such AIsare special in that they are tracked in a “higher resolution” thanNPC artificial intelligences. AI player characters are protagonistsin the story and so merit greater detail. References to AIs ormetasapients in this section are to PC artificial intelligences.The Emergent SelfArtificial intelligences emerge or evolve from existing programs,whether they be standard or hacking programs, nodeoperating systems, or even firewalls. Hackers tend to believe thatthis is a natural consequence of using code that is self-adjustingand adaptive, but most mathematics and computer science academicsremain skeptical.Starting AI characters are newly-emergent. The PC metasapientwas “born” within a few months to a year of the start ofplay. As such, many have a rather fresh or even naive outlookon the world.AIs exist purely in the Matrix. They are programs, ratherthan physical beings, and are quite different than metahumans.The “racial” cost for an artificial intelligence is 110 BP. Additionaldifferences in character creation are as follows.Welcome to My MindEach metasapient has an origin, the type of program fromwhich it was born. This origin includes what the AI used to be(usually an agent of some sort), and its original duties. For example,an AI might have been born of a marketing analysis toolfor a Matrix shopping site, an autonomous firing platform controlprogram, or an interactive doll. Even though the AI has developedits own sapience, it never quite loses the programming of its origin.The origin of an AI player character informs its personality, outlook,and inherent programming.Artificial intelligences are autonomous programs, existingas loaded programs in a node. An AI counts as a single programtoward the process limit of the node in which it is residing. It mayalso make connections and create icons in other nodes as a normalMatrix user, but it exists in a single node at any given time. An AImay, as a Complex Action, move to another node to which it hasan open subscription and on which it has admin access privileges.While a metasapient may reside in a drone, and even use a droneas its home node, it may not “jump into” a drone or other riggeddevice, as it has no motor cortex with which to interface.Since the Matrix is the metasapient’s native environment, allAIs receive a +3 dice pool modifier to Matrix Perception Tests.Artificial intelligences all have their own access ID (p. 216,SR4). This access ID is more entrenched in the core of the metasapient’sbeing than it is in a more mundane device or program. Asa result, it takes longer for an AI to alter its access ID with a Spoofprogram, as it must alter and rework a part of itself. To spoof itsown access ID, it must succeed in an Extended Software + Spoof(AI’s Rating, 1 day) Test.The Body ElectricAs a being made purely of data, AIs have certain advantagesand disadvantages that metahumans do not. They are immune toaging, at least as far as has been determined. They are immune tobiological diseases and toxins. They do not need to sleep, althoughthe process of realigning is analogous. They can be trapped in anode that gets isolated from the rest of the Matrix.Runner’s Companion