[Csjarrat]

Working on the mage then.

Do you know what the law regarding the awakened is in the UK? Licences, registration etc.

Also, how did (does?) the NDM go about recruiting? I don't have access to any 3E books unfortunately.

I believe mages are supposed to be licensed if wielding magic in urban centres, but magic is relatively prevalent in the wild zones and outlying villages and controls and regulations are less well policed in outlying areas.
shadows over europe spends a bit of time talking about streetwitches (shaman equivalent) and such being prevalent in outlying areas and these wouldn't likely to be registered and policed much really

NDM would be organised around the format of current political parties. nepotism and the "old boys club" approach would be more common than street recruitment drives, though those will still occur.

[Csjarrat]

also worth remembering that we're based up north, so the old smoke and its policies will be pretty distant for the most part.

[Csjarrat]

I was hoping to play my mystic adept elf that if previously knocked up. I'm working on the best way to go without firearms as it was a main part of the concept. I'll post as soon as I've got the fundamentals sorted. nearly there.

As i said mate, you can still use firearms, even with the avail modifiers but its a very high risk tactic and will draw a lot of attention.
light pistols can be obtained in the underworld from people with the right connections, anything under avail 4 is still available, so things like an ares light fire, taurus omni revolver, colt L36 etc can still be obtained.
Tasers are totally legal and can be carried, shotguns/sports rifles can be acquired + licensed and traditional sports + hunting weapons like bows and crossbows can be bought from any good outdoorsman's retailer.
special use weapons can be obtained with relevant licensing (say veterinary license), so dart rifles loaded with narcoject are perfectly viable for stealth take downs at range.

biggest thing to remember is that i'm not gonna effectively disarm you and then send you into a gunfight.
You're not armed to the teeth like american shadowrunners are, but then neither are your opponents going to be armed like american police or corpsec.
A martial artist with throwing capabilities or a stealthy ranged specialist with a crossbow + injection bolts are both viable, but just remember that guns are a big deal in Britain and whilst they might save your life when the shit hits the fan, "3 dead in a shooting incident" will be splashed all over the evening news.

What you'll need to prepare for are non-lethal weapons; police and corpsec will be using tasers, CS spray + tear gas. Expect stun batons and clubs for melee weapons.
Higher security areas (inner sanctum of corporate enclaves or govt. offices) may have armed guards using gel/stick n shock rounds in light pistols and HTR + firearms division of police will be armed with rifles + SMG's with a choice of lethal/non-lethal ammo as the situation on the ground dictates.
The police + corpsec are bound by a policy of subdual, arrest, prosecute and will only use lethal force if the public/corp citizens or their own lives are in danger.

If it gets to the point that you've got the armed police setting up against you, something has gone wrong and you need to run. you wont win and I'm telling you that clearly and loudly now so we're all on the same page.
this isn't going to be a pink mohawk game so if that is what you want, i'm sorry but this game isn't for you.
there will be some combat inevitably, but its more likely to be a punch-up in a pub or a tussle with a bouncer or security guard rather than a bug hunt.
I don't want to be harsh or anything but I don't want disappointed players, because disappointed players don't post. Not posting kills PBP games, so if you don't think this game sounds good, please don't apply for a slot.

This game will reward out of the box thinking and solid teamwork, do well and you can expect better pay and increased karma awards
Looking forward to seeing your character sheets though, send them through ASAP so we can get rolling :-)

[Taejix]

Well, I do have the basic character sheet for my mage done up. I can have the adept done easily enough, though I suppose if someone else want to be the mage and no one else want to be the hacker I can do up a Technomancer. I'd need to ask about houserules for a few bits if I did that though (mostly to do with how they're supposed to get a direct connection to anything, considering how vital that is to the current system, maybe a few old Complex Forms).

Name: Blackbird/Jailbird (Melissa Hughes, though her Fake SIN says Melanie Tupps)
Metatype: Human
Background: Originally from a middle class family in the south of England, Melissa awakened early in life. She was scooped up by a NDM youth outreach program not long after this was discovered and stayed roughly affiliated until her late teens. She cut all ties with the NDM at that point and began associating with one of the more aggressive revolutionary movements of the time. Needless to say, as a stupid teenager whose information was already on file as part of her license to practice magic she was soon arrested - most of the things she was charged for were even true. Her family didn't quite abandon her, she still got the occasional visit from her parents once every few months, but they certainly didn't want to seem like they agreed with her.

She spent six years rotting in a prison cell before the Pendragon's march brought about change and Melissa was released. In the half decade since she's tried to bury her mistakes and get back on her feet, but making a legitimate living is hard for someone with a criminal SIN hanging over her head. A friend she met behind bars has been helping her find work. It's not what she wants to be doing but it pays.

In person Melissa is friendly but quiet, preferring to say as little as possible but always ready with a friendly smile. She masks her regrets beneath her smile and tries to push on through her troubles when she can. She prefers quiet places away from the city and enjoys both watching and being a bird. The freedom of flight helps make her mistakes seem a little smaller.

Karma: 47/47
-Focused Concentration 16
-Mentor Spirit 5
-Strength 2 10
-Arcana 1 2
-Computer 1 2
-Etiquette 1 2
-Contacts +2 2
-Nuyen +18,000 18

Body: 3
Agility: 4
Reaction: 3
Strength: 2
Charisma: 3
Intuition: 6
Logic: 3
Willpower: 5

Edge: 5
Essence: 6
Magic: 6
Resonance: -

Initiative: 8 + 1d6

Mental Limit: 6
Physical Limit: 3
Social Limit: 5

Armour: 14
Physical Condition: 10
Stun Condition: 10

Qualities:
-Focused Concentration (Rating 4)
-Mentor Spirit (Blackbird, AKA Eagle)
-Allergy (Pollutants, Mild)
-Incompetent (Enchanting)
-SINner (Criminal Sin)
-Spirit Bane (Spirits of Man)

Spells:
-Stunbolt
-Ball Lightning
-Analyze Truth
-Detect Life, Extended
-Heal
-Increase Reflexes
-Improved Invisibility
-Physical Mask
-Blackbird Form
-Physical Barrier

Active Skills:
-Outdoors Skill Group 2
-Arcana 1
-Assensing 4
-Computer 1
-Con 3 (Fast Talking +2)
-Counterspelling 6
-Etiquette 1
-Perception 4
-Pistols 3 (Tasers +2)
-Sneaking 4
-Spellcasting 6
-Summoning 6

Knowledge Skills:
-Bird Watching (Interest) 2
-Magical Theory (Academic) 1
-Parazoology (Academic) 3
-Sprawl Life (Street) 2
-UK Politics (Interest) 4

Language Skills:
-English N

Gear:
-Defiance EX Shocker 250
|-Hidden Arm Slide 350
|-Taser Darts x40 200
|-Spare Clip x4 20
-Armour Clothing 450
-Armour Jacket 1,000
-Helmet 100
-Meta Link Commlink (Rating 1) 100
-Renraku Sensei Commlink (Rating 3) 1,000
-Trodes 70
-Subvocal Mic 50
-Fake SIN (Rating 4) 10,000
|-Fake Licences (Rating 4, Magic, Magical Paraphenalia) 1,600
-Glasses (Rating 4) 400
|-Flare Compensation 250
|-Image Link 25
|-Thermographic Vision 500
|-Vision magnification 250
-Ear Buds (Rating 1) 50
|-Select Sound Filter (Rating 1) 250
-Gas Mask 200
-Respirator (Rating 6) 300
-Survival Kit 200
-Magical Lodge Materials (Force 4) 2,000
-Reagents, 50 Drams 1,000
-Low Lifestyle (1 Month) 2,000
-385 Nuyen

Contacts:
-Miss Jekyll, ex-con and former 'political activist', Fixer 4/3
-'Arm and a leg' Armando, fellow druid, Talismonger 2/2

Weapons:
-Defiance EX Shocker, 9 Dice, Accuracy 4, Damage 9S(e), AP -5, Mode SS, RC -, Ammo 4 (m)

Priorities:
-A: Magic (Full Mage, Druidic Tradition)
-B: Attributes
-C: Skills
-D: Metatype
-E: Resources

[Csjarrat]

looks pretty decent. Magical threats seems quite vague as a knowledge skill, do you mean something more along the lines of parazoology to cover paracritters or did you have something else in mind?
As you always have to broadcast your criminal SiN, how do you see it panning out if you need to use your fake SiN?
Having that criminal SiN stop broadcasting would raise eyebrows and probably invite a visit from the parole service in my books, so you might want to get a second commlink to leave at home and broadcast that SiN while you're out "working" so the feds think you're sitting in watching a trid or something! :-)

[Taejix]

looks pretty decent. Magical threats seems quite vague as a knowledge skill, do you mean something more along the lines of parazoology to cover paracritters or did you have something else in mind?
As you always have to broadcast your criminal SiN, how do you see it panning out if you need to use your fake SiN?
Having that criminal SiN stop broadcasting would raise eyebrows and probably invite a visit from the parole service in my books, so you might want to get a second commlink to leave at home and broadcast that SiN while you're out "working" so the feds think you're sitting in watching a trid or something! :-)

Really, they're watching it all the time? What happens if she's somewhere that doesn't have a signal? Or the battery on her commlink dies? Either way, added a cheap commlink to leave on the couch.

Yeah, parazoology was pretty much what I meant. It's what she was wanting to do before she did the whole 'young, stupid and in a police state' thing. Could have sworn I saw it phrased as that on an example character somewhere.

[griffalo]

Flash Henry


METATYPE: HUMAN
B 3, A 4, R 4/6, S 2, W 3, L 3, I 3, C 6, ESS 4.9, EDG 5
Condition Monitor (P/S): 10 / 10
Armor: 12
Limits: Physical 5, Mental 4, Social 9
Physical Initiative: 7/9+1D6
Active Skills: Animal Handling 2 (Riding +2), Clubs 6 (Batons +2), Computer 2 (Data Search +2), Con 6 (Fast Talking +2), Forgery 4 (False ID +2), Gymnastics 2, Hardware 2, Impersonation 5, Influence Group 6, Intimidation 6, Locksmith 3 (Maglock +2), Perception 3, Pilot Ground Craft 2 (Wheeled +2), Stealth Group 4
Knowledge Skills: Fashion 3, Fine Restaurants 3, Peerage 3
Languages: English N, Sperethiel 3
Qualities: Allergy, Uncommon (Mild): Penicillin, First Impression, SINner (National SIN): Registered birth
Augmentations:
. . Datajack
. . Reaction Enhancers (2)
. . Tailored Pheromones (2)
Vehicles:
. . Ford Americar [Handling 4/3, Speed 3, Accel 2, Body 11, Armor 6, Pilot 1, Sensor 2, Seats 4]
. . Sikorsky-Bell Microskimmer [Handling 3, Speed 3, Accel 1, Body 0, Armor 0, Pilot 3, Sensor 3]
Gear:
. . Assorted clothing
. . Autopicker (6)
. . Berwick Suit
. . Cellular Glove Molder (4)
. . Certified Credstick, Silver
. . Ear buds (3) w/ Select Sound Filter (1), Spatial Recognizer
. . Helmet
. . Identity: Specify Name w/ Fake SIN (4), (1 month) Middle Lifestyle
. . Keycard Copier (6)
. . Lined Coat w/ Chemical Protection (2), Concealable Sheath, Nonconductivity (2)
. . Meta Link Commlink
. . Monocle (4) w/ Image Link, Low Light, Image Enhance R1, Vision Magnification
. . Mortimer Greatcoat w/ Chemical Protection (2)
. . Sequencer (5)
. . Shop, Disguise
. . Subvocal Microphone
. . Tool Kit, Disguise
. . Tool Kit, Forgery
. . Tool Kit, Hardware
. . Transys Avalon Commlink w/ Sim Module
Weapons:
. . Extendable Baton [Club, Reach 1, Acc 5, DV 4P, AP –]
. . Stun Baton [Club, Reach 1, Acc 4, DV 9S(e), AP -5] w/ Internal Battery
Contacts:
Fixer (Connection 4, Loyalty 3)
Yardie Boss (Connection 3, Loyalty 2)
Mr. Johnson (Connection 2, Loyalty 2)
Street Doc (Connection 2, Loyalty 2)
Starting ¥: 955 + (4D6 x 100)¥

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Shadowrun © 2005-2014 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc.

Background: Flash Henry hails from Yorkshire - his father is the Earl of Scarborough, as he's fond of telling people. Raised in the privilege of late 21st Century nobility, he received a fine education to prepare him for the duties of the station that would one day be his. His father taught him that a lord solves his disputes with words rather than actions, and it was the only real thing in his fine education that he took to heart. Since that day he's employed his magnetic charisma and stunning good looks to charm, con and seduce all that he could ever want.

His parents cut him off when they found about the Shadowrunning to spare themselves the scandal. He'd taken up running for the thrills, finding his life of idle privilege less and less stimulating as the challenges became less... well, challenging. He's made his own way ever since then, cutting a dash through the Merseysprawl shadows, using his skills to get what he wants - or what his employer wants.

[Taejix]

Darn it, forgot to purchase the lifestyle. I'll just switch out the smartlink for that, shall I.

[Csjarrat]

I'll check through the qualities section later but I seem to remember it as "broadcast at all times". I think it is so your activity can be monitored at all times. Even still, you'll probably be hauled down the station and asked about crimes in your area regularly and asked to prove your innocence
If I recall correctly, the sinner quality is really really bad for everything above "national", one of those why would you ever take this? Kinda thing

[Taejix]

I always took it to be more of a 'if you're in public, you're supposed to be broadcasting it' thing where you get in additional trouble if they find out (and harassed anyway if you do) and you've got the added complications of having a criminal record if someone runs you through facial recognition or something.

I doubt they'd have anything close to the manpower to track every single criminal SIN at all times, not to mention all the problems with commlinks being out of signal range or batteries going dead.

Also, she's not on parole. She's served her sentence fully by this point. I'm pretty sure she should still have a criminal SIN, but if you say that it reverts back to a national at that point I'll drop it down and grab some other five point NQ.

[Csjarrat]

yeah, it is as bad as i thought:

He is legally required to broadcast his Criminal SIN
at all times; failure to do so is a felony and can lead to
re-incarceration.

At some point in his life, the
character was arrested and served time for a felony-level
offense and was branded a criminal for the rest of his
life

The nation or corporation that issued the Criminal
SIN will keep close tabs on the character, if he fails to
update residential information or appears in any way to
be trying to evade their oversight, he is subject to arrest.
He is also required to pay a fifteen percent tax on his
gross income to the entity that issued his Criminal SIN.

when you read through it all, it should be worth about 40 karma! it is truly horrible!
if your battery goes dead, or you go into a low signal area it sounds to me like you'd be called on to answer for your movements in that time. I really think the only way around it would be to leave a commlink at home broadcasting your SiN and hope for the best when it comes to facial recognition and biometric scanners etc

[Taejix]

Bah. Any chance I can get 40 karma for it then? 

Gah, if I want to be not-screwed I'm going to have to change her backstory, aren't I? It's a shame that playing an ex-con in the game of crminal activities is such a terrible idea.

I always took the SINner NQ to be more like "National: Your records are on file, Criminal: Your records are on file and flagged as being a criminal, Limited Corporate: Your records are on file and you may very well get hassle for being an ex-corp employee, Corporate: Your records are on file and you may be in trouble if the scum you hang around with find out you're still technically a corporate employee".

[Csjarrat]

well, you could do the whole leave your commlink at home broadcasting your SiN approach, but if you get pinged by a facial recognition camera or biometric scanner or seen by your local bobby down the pub without your SiN broadcasting, you're in deep shit.
I'll give you 15 karma for it as a house rule mate, but there's no way I can really tame it down in-game, you'll really really have to watch your back

[Taejix]

I'll just rewrite her so she can stick with a National SIN and, I don't know, simsense vertigo or something.

[Csjarrat]

I'll just rewrite her so she can stick with a National SIN and, I don't know, simsense vertigo or something.

sorry mate, its just a really horrible negative quality!
also, having a search derp. which book is critter form spell in?