Matrix specialist - Technomancer.
Chummer file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q12hhpqztewvtg2/Fang%20-%20750-1000%20Karma%20-%20Complete.chum[spoiler=Image]
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[spoiler=Questionnaire]
We are shaped by our heritage. Facial features, skin tone, height, build, metatype, even aptitudes are influenced by the genes passed from parent to child. Attitude, too, is taught by parents, informed by their own lives and their cultural heritage. Where does your character come from, what is his lineage, who were his parents, and what did he inherit from them?Biological Mother – Hilja Schröder-Neumann: Caucasian. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Died giving birth to Fang.
Biological Father – Christian Schröder-Neumann: Caucasian. Brown-haired and brown eyed. Did not want to raise what he viewed to be the cause of his wife's death and abandoned Fang on the streets.
Orphan Matron and mother figure – Helga Kaiser: Caucasian. Brown-haired and blue eyed. Found Fang in the gutter and raised him along with several other orphans and abandoned children. Ran her own orphanage. Helped teach fang meditation after Crash 2.0 to help control his technomantic abilities.
Parents can be proud of their children or regret ever bringing them into the world. Some are loving, and some are indifferent. All of them are only metahuman and have their own opinions of their children. Assuming they could speak, what would each of your character's parents say about him?Father: Would consider Fang a criminal, a freak of nature, and an abomination. To this day he still feels that it’s entirely Fang’s fault that Hilja died.
Mother: While she had self-centred tendencies, Hilja had been looking forward to having a child. Had she been alive today, she would worry about Fang’s career choice and hope he stayed safe.
Many people remember certain historical events for the rest of their lives. For those alive in the first decade of the 21st century, it could be the assassination of John F. Kennedy, or the Tiananmen Square protests, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the attack of 11 September 2001. People remember where they were, and what they were doing when they first heard of these events. Shadowrun history has significant events as well, such as the assassination of President Dunkelzahn, the Crash 2.0, and the emergence of technomancers and artificial intelligences. Pick a few events from recent Shadowrun history and ask where the character was at the time, what does he remember about the event, and what was he doing at the time?Year of the Comet – When haley’s Comet passed by: Fang was in his room and reading when he felt an odd burning sensation. It slowly grew to be unbearable and he began screaming as he felt parts of his body stretch painfully, legs breaking, everything burning with sheer pain. He eventually blacked out from the pain and wouldn’t know anything until he woke up later in the hospital. The children at the orphanage, whom he had not really spent time with, were frightened by this new monster and would hide when he approached. Eventually they would become used to it, but this behaviour caused Fang to spend most of his life on the Matrix, growing more proficient with it as the months passed.
Crash 2.0 – Fang spent most of his life in the VR of the Matrix. Thus he was connected at the time that the crash happened. It all started when someone voiced a complaint that they couldn’t log off. No-one took it seriously at first, but then another complaint was heard. Soon the confusion spread amongst those in the node. The last thing Fang remembers before waking up in the hospital was a growing feeling of panic.
Very few people choose to become shadowrunners. More likely, they are thrown into the life by a chaotic and uncaring world. Even if he made a conscious decision to enter the shadows, her decision is influenced by the world around him. How did your character get into shadowrunning, and why did he take that path?
Fang left Germany when he was old enough to avoid being forcibly recruited into Saeder-Krupp. However he soon realised that trying to find an ordinary job as a Changeling, no matter where he was, was a difficult task. He eventually met his lover at a nightclub, and his lover reluctantly directed him to the concept of a Fixer, and the Shadowrunning career.
The fixer was reluctant at first to take on an unproven newbie, but when said newbie was able to demonstrate his prowess as a technomancer, he took the changeling on board as one of the few matrix specialists he was linked to. In turn, he helped Fang manage to get a couple of jobs in the Auburn area as part of other teams. Other times Fang himself was a secondary ally, able to provide information as needed. It paid.
People have control over their own living arrangements. From the child young enough to use crayons and tape all the way up to the elderly shut-in who plasters her walls with family photos and cat pictures, everyone makes their living spaces more personally pleasing. What is your character's living space like, and what has he added or changed to make it his own?
Fang’s “den” tends to be tidy on the basis of not owning much in the way of personal items. While not all that comfortable in meatspace, it was safe and did provide him with a home. Greater benefits, however, could be seen in the Matrix. The place housed a resonance well, and was amazingly in tune with the matrix. Logging in to cyberspace felt like heaven when at home, and he found his resonance activities so much more potent.
Everyone has beliefs, and many beliefs strong enough to be convictions. Some are religious, some are political, some are social, and some are just about why people are here. What does your character believe in, what are his convictions (if any), and why does he hold them?
Fang tends to be somewhat jaded in his beliefs. Equality went out of the window from being a changeling, he never put stock into religions and tends to view his paragon as a sort of mentor, and he doesn’t care about politics as it might interfere with staying alive.
Despite that, he does have a few convictions. He’s always loyal to a team that he works with, as long as they don’t betray him. He’s loyal and loving of his long term boyfriend, and will do anything his partner asks. Beyond loyalty he doesn’t put convictions in much else except to not judge until having gathered more information.
Everyone has aspects of their personality that grate on someone. Even the best of friends annoy one another from time to time. The flaws in a person’s character are as important as the qualities. What do you dislike most about your character’s personality?
Fang can be somewhat naïve at times. Any kind of betrayal is usually met with shock and surprise no matter how many signs there may have been. He also can be rather shy at first meetings and won’t voice his own opinion unless asked. This can mean that he can be easily manipulated into tasks he cannot easily accomplish.
The Sixth World is considered by many to be spinning out of control. If anyone could exert control over it, it would be the “Big Ten” triple-A mega corps. These transnationals exert a lot of influence on everyday life in the 2070s. Which of the Big Ten does your character hold in the highest (or least low) regard, which does he like the least, and why?
Despite his fear of it, Fang tends to hold Saeder-Krupp with some form of regard, having grown up in Germany near the borders of the megacorp. The sheer power that Lofwyr wields is impressive in his eyes, and he can’t help but be in awe of just what measures had to be taken to avoid Saeder-Krupp whilst he was an adolescent.
People make acquaintances and friends; we’re hardwired for it. Humans are social animals. This is especially true in the shadows, where often it is not the power you have, but the power you can borrow, and not who you, are but who you know. There’s a story behind each and every one of these relationships. What is the story with your character and his contacts?
Jason Smith – Fixer: Fang’s lover informed Fang about Jason as a possible Fixer when Fang agreed to the idea of being a shadowrunner. Jason himself was an elf, and surprisingly charismatic. He initially expressed disdain over Fang when the changeling first approached him, until Fang begged for a chance to prove his abilities. Jason agreed, he didn’t have much in the way of matrix specialists, and told Fang to hack Jason’s commlink. A few moments later and Jason found his commlink informing him that it was rebooting as ordered by an account that didn’t exist. He accepted that Fang could do the basics of an average security system, and listed him as a basic matrix specialist.
Axel “Shade” Nitrel – Lover: Fang’s lover is another changeling like Fang himself, taking on a more wolf-like appearance. He himself isn’t a shadowrunner, rather he’s more of a barkeep. It was one of the few jobs he could get, and he managed to charm his way into it. When he met the gloomy Fang at the nightclub he worked at, he took the younger changeling under his wing, first giving him a place to stay, then later affection to keep him happy. When Fang expressed a need to work, he hesitated, then mentioned Jason. At that point Fang became a shadowrunner, and soon managed to get his own place. The two still spend as much time as possible together when Fang isn’t on a job.
It’s Sunday morning, and your character has no commitments until tomorrow afternoon. What does he do for the day?
He makes sure that he’s fully stocked on any gear he might require for tomorrow’s commitment. Then he usually will go down to the night club to spend time with his lover. If his lover is unavailable, then his time will usually be spent browsing the media in the matrix.
Your character has a specific skill set, a list of Active and Knowledge skills that define what he knows and his areas of expertise. How did he come to learn those skills, and how did he develop them to those levels?
Having spent almost his entire life on the Matrix, fang honed and practiced his skills, first as a hacker, then later his other skills involving data retrieval and analysis. His skills in finding things in meatspace are a result of honing the enhanced senses that SURGE granted him. His hearing, his nose, and simply his ability to pay attention to things visually.
His infiltration and running skills were more from trying to avoid people who didn’t take kindly to ‘freaks’.
Everyone has their limits. People can be dark, but most people’s instinct is to draw the line at certain actions and thoughts, and they keep to their own moral convictions. Is there a moral limit that your character enforces on the jobs she takes, and in what shadow work would she refuse to engage?
Fang will refuse to take on a job that might hurt a child.
If you have an Awakened or technomancer character, consider your character’s tradition and streams. Even within the major established magical traditions and the recently emerged technomantic streams, there is room for personalization. Ask yourself what drew him to that particular paradigm, how does it affect the way he views the world and his magic, how does it translate into choice of mentor spirit or paragon, and how does it affect the appearance of the spirits or sprites you conjure or compile?
Before the Crash happened, Fang liked to play games on the matrix. He still does, just not as often now. Some of the games were remakes from some time ago, and the characters within affect the appearance of the sprites he interacts with now. His sprites are seen as allies, even friends.
He views himself as lucky to have the skills. The matrix never felt so comfortable and alive before. As an Info Savant, he found himself seeing everything as a form of information, and that it could be used appropriately as such. While his skills at remembering things on the fly weren’t spectacular, he could easily find any information he needed to know on the ‘trix.
While acceptance and bias vary from place to place, augmentations— be they bio-, cyber-, gene-, or nanoware—are increasingly common and available in the Sixth World. However, personal technological enhancement is rarely cheap, and many implants that runners possess are restricted. How did your character come to have the enhancements he has, how were they paid for, and what motivated the choices he made (if he did make the choices)?
-No augmentations-
Life as a shadowrunner is by definition outside the bounds of “normal” life. Shadowrunners do not truly fit into the lives of ordinary people, whether they live in slums or mansions. What does your character think of ordinary life, mainstream culture, and those who abide by it?
He finds himself somewhat envious of those who could simply stay in the mainstream culture. He even feels this of Shade at times, though not very often.
Everyone has nightmares. Sometimes, we forget the dream completely on waking. Sometimes, the nightmare haunts us or even recurs. If your character had a lingering nightmare or a deep-rooted fear, what would it be, and why does he find it so terrifying?
Fang fears two things. The first being the loss of Shade. He’s grateful that Shade isn’t a ‘runner, given how dangerous a career it might be; yet he still fears that Shade might be used against him, or killed because of something he did. As such he tries to cover up his jobs as much as possible and redirect any information away from indicating Shade was linked to him in any way.
The second nightmare would be of the Matrix going down and never returning. The matrix has been a comfort zone, a sanctuary, for almost his entire life. Losing it now, he wouldn’t know how to handle it. He already feels uneasy and panicky when in a dead zone.
People tend to attach sentimental value to items in their possession or people they are close to. They make an effort to keep these close by and safe. What is your character’s “sacred object” or “close one,” and how did they come to be so important to him?
<See info on Shade>
One of metahumanity’s greatest assets is its ability to look toward the future and imagine a better life. Even small children have dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. What did your character want to become when he was a child, and what are his goals now?
When Fang was a child, he didn’t know what he wanted to become. He didn’t care, as long as he had the matrix available to him.
Now? Now his only goal is for him and Shade to survive the Sixth World.
A person’s appearance can say volumes about him. From fashion sense, to the colors he prefers, to the way he walks and speaks. Sometimes, his personality determines his appearance, and, sometimes, the appearance he chooses to present the world affects his personality. What does your character look like, and what inspired his choices?
The SURGE changed Fang’s appearance massively. From looking like an ordinary human, Fang now looks like a coyote walking upright on two legs. From the muzzle, the ears and the eys, to the fur covering his body, the digitigrade legs and the fluffy tail. On top of that he tends to favour his chameleon coat to keep out of sight of those that might hurt or be scared of him, other times he tends to wear a futuristic jacket and pants combo in black, lined with pale blue.
Everyone has a name, but a runner’s street name is a representation of his connection to the shadows. Sometimes runners choose their own moniker, but more often it is given to them as a nickname or earned through some (mis)adventure. How did your character come to be known by his street name?Fang’s name was actually a nickname given to him by his fixer. Jason noticed that Fang tended to bare his namesake rather than actually smile; other times doing it while proving a point. Eventually teams began picking up on it too, until it became a moniker attributed to him.[/spoiler]
EDIT: Forgot to make sure he could actually speak English. Gave him a Linguasoft. Also a decoy commlink.
