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Setting/timeline: I'm running SR4, so we're around 2070-2074. I'm not a Shadowrun-Canon-Encyclopedia and stuff I come up with may or may not make sense in the world. The Amazon war probably won't come up, but it's still ongoing. Nanotechnology and genetech are working as written in SR4; not broken, infectious and dangerous like SR5.
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Gamestyle: Black Trenchcoat and Mirrorshades. Pink Mohawk stuff, timed right, can throw enemies off balance though. It's a grim world, runners aren't heroes and their actions, ultimately, will probably not make the world a bright and shiny place with unicorns shitting rainbows all over the place. Driving tanks, walking around with near-WMD-like weapons or looking like a mobile weapons platform or something that jumped out of a Sci-Fi trid are might not be the best idea when working as a Shadowrunner.
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Karmagen with 730 karma. Any American/English books are allowed except the stuff mentioned below.
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Use Chummer.-
Attributes costs 5 x New Rating, Metatypes cost karma equal to their BP value.-
Magic lowered by Essence Loss gets noted as Magic 5(4) (In this example, 1 point of Magic was lost due to 1 point of essence loss.) Like with other modified attributes, the costs to increase it later gets calculated using the ‘Base’ attribute, not the modified value. (In this example, raising Magic 5(4) to 6(5) would cost 30 karma: 5 x 6 NOT 5 x 5.)
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Contacts: The maximum combined rating of contacts (at chargen) is 9. --L6C3, L3C6, L5C4, etc-- Exceptions to this may be allowed if backed up by background and other character options (qualities). For Group Contacts, this is the maximum before applying the Advanced Contact Modifiers.
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Contacts:
Free Contact points equal to (Charisma + Highest Unmodified Attribute) x 1.5, round up. (Only using Charisma or Social Skills just ignores the fact that ugly but talented wrestlers or impolite but brilliant scientists can still be well connected in their own circles. Buying some contacts that actually have anything to do with your role/specialty would be appreciated.)
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Knowledge Skills: Don't buy knowledge skills just yet, you'll receive free knowledge points when I've figured out just how much to give you. One thing to keep in mind: Your characters don't know everything you know. Sounds simple but it often seems to be forgotten and I -will- check character knowledge levels if/when it comes up in-game.
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Advanced Contacts & Lifestyle from Runners Companion are allowed (within reason).
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Martial Arts qualities do not count towards the maximum of 35BP's for Positive Qualities.
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Stick 'n Shock rounds can only be used in Shotguns.
- Called Shots made with a
Sniper Rifle in SS or SA only give half the dice pool penalty they normally would (round down).
- Take Aim actions made with a
Sniper Rifle fired in SS or SA are limited to your weapon skill instead of only half your weapon skill.
- Take Aim actions made with a
Sports Rifle give +2 dice instead of +1. The maximum modifier gained this way can not be higher than your weapon skill.
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Emotisoft/toys are banned with extreme prejudice! Characters attempting to get them at chargen will receive 160BP's worth of negative qualities. Attempts to get or make them in-game get you served as a side-dish to a Great Dragon.
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Softweave armor mod is banned. --It's not generally that bad, but can easily get too cheesy and there's no real reason to have it in game.--
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War!: 'Slow' spell is banned. (It's actually already been errata’d out in the German books.)
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War!: MRSI, works with mortars and artillery, probably also with a well coordinated missile attack. It does NOT work with grenade launchers or bows!
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Software Degradation for Hacked Programs: Instead of the normal Programming(<degradation rating>,1 week), characters can instead choose either Programming(5x<degradation rating>, 1 day) or Programming(10x<degradation rating>, 1 day). The first involves quick (and sometimes sloppy) work which allows bugs or worse to get into the programming on glitches, the slower way involves a lot more checking and doesn't cause such errors on normal glitches (critical glitches may still cause bugs, but their overall effect will be lessened too).
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Mystic Adepts follow the rules as written in SR4A, NOT the stuff mentioned in the SR4 FAQ. (I don't consider this a houserule but I'll mention it regardless.)
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Combat: It is possible to aim for
non-lethal attacks with lethal weapons, just try not to glitch
. Examples are shooting people in their limbs to slow/cripple/incapacitate them or to bust someones nose to intimidate them, with far decreased chances of accidentally ending up killing them. This will usually involve splitting damage between Stun and Physical and/or using Called Shots to lower damage instead of increasing it and not adding net hits to damage. The base damage + net hits etc. still count for the purpose of piercing armor/barriers.
Things like this will be dealt with case by case, please request & describe what you want to accomplish first. Just know that if it's reasonable, it's an option. (Reasonable meaning this like: No, this shouldn’t be tried with Assault Canons, Grenade or Missile Launchers.)
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Combat: Characters doing Unarmed Physical damage (Bone lacing, Hardliner, etc.) can do Stun damage instead by holding their punches, doing -2 Stun damage.
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Extended Tests receive a cumulative –1 dice modifier to each test after the first, unless mentioned otherwise by the GM.
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(Mystic) Adepts can get PP instead of a Metamagic feat when they initiate.
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Advanced Combat Rules in Arsenal (p161) are included too. I’ll admit to sometimes forget/overlook them and am not prepared to lose lots of time looking it up for every attack, just know that shooting at microdrones tends to be tougher than shooting at trucks and that strong people can handle more recoil. Stuff that makes sense, you know.
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Other Optional rules: I'll allow quite a few, ask me for specifics if they come up, I’ll try telling you when they come up too. Springing to mind at the moment:
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Direct Combat Spells get +2 drain.
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Elemental Spells get -1 drain.
- Rules about
Notoriety, Public Awareness, etc. have been cut out of the book and thrown out of the window. The concepts still exist but when and how they come into play will be up to the GM.
More can be added or removed later.
These are open for argument, at least until the game starts. If some of 'em don't make much sense, you've got a better way or whatever, let me know.
