[Lacynth40]

I have to say, after rading the book, Harlequin is still my favorite character.

Indeed... Also, I would love a sourcebook like "Harlequin Tells All".... Of course, it would have to be VERY abridged, otherwise it wouldn't fit through a standard sized door...

[Mirikon]

I could see a time when some of the Dragons and Immortal Elves decide it is time to let everyone else in on the real scan about the way things work. Ehran is a likely choice for that, though Harlequin and Hestaby might, as well. Damon is a dark horse possibility, too. Ehran has already given hints with his books on mana cycles, and Harlequin might just get tired of this whole charade once he finishes his vendetta with Ghostwalker. Hestaby and Damon are the two dragons with the greatest ties to metahumanity, who might just overlook dragon politics in order to help metahumans get ready for the next Scourge.

[Crimsondude]

Does anyone think that Peri could do what he allegedly did without at least the tacit approval of GW and Zebulon?

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Yes.  It would require another dragon running interference for only a few moments - and whaddaya know, Pobre.  It would also rely on ... well, all the conditions that were present:

• The aforementioned Great Dragon having and being known for a massive temper;
• The GD being shocked, suddenly presented with the presence of people he deeply loathes;
• There being lots of people there the GD would not want to kill;
• The aforementioned interference-runner crazy enough to be willing to step between the GD and his nominal targets, giving him the moment or two of pause necessary for him to recognize #3;
• Both lesser dragons recognizing that what could go down would not be in the interests of either a) dragonkind in general or b) them or the GD in specific.

I also suspect, from what I've heard about Zebulon, that she would have been at Ghostwalker's shoulder, talking fast and convincing him to not react as per standard in bringing the hammer down on the AZT representatives.

.... oh, wow.  That's nasty.  Elegant, if it's what I think it is, but nasty.  I'd have to get ... huh.  I'd have to nail down the specific timeline for all of the events in Clutch to be sure, though.

[Sichr]

I thought that you cannot denny one thing on one page and then allow it on the next one...
until Ive read Shadowrun rules...

Good that I`ve studied sociology, not law. I`ve quetioned to ambivalence of human nature before. Still I don`t see the benefit from it. Lawyers, on the other side, do not understand this ambivalency, but benefit from it without even asking questions.

Any rule system will have situations like that, Sichr. It is called the hierarchy of rules. Overall, specific rules > general rules. Meaning that there are some situations that exceptionally are able to do things that are generally not allowed under the rules. In D&D 3.5, an example of this would be a Warlock being able to take 10 on caster level checks, even in combat, or being allowed to substitute a Use Magic Device check for the spells required to craft items, things that few if any other classes are able to do. In that case, the Warlock's class abilities overrule the general rules that you cannot take 10 on caster level checks, and you must know the spell required in order to craft magic items.

There is a word for it. Inconsistency. If allowing DNI would mean allowing FleshForms to acess AR/VR, that would be can of worms. It become apparent problem in case when flesh form hacker hit IC as black as outer space is...since there is no reason why flesh form should care of such things, because Black IC attacks should be considered Normal weapon attack. Thus, flesh form doesnt need to care. And lots of other bullshit, such as being always dual natured, that would mean the being is physicaly/astraly/VR perceiving in one time...or what supress what...Does DNI suppress dual nature of being? Or does dual nature suppress VR? Good thing that GM has the last word on this. but that is discusion for another thread...

[Black]

Does anyone think that Peri could do what he allegedly did without at least the tacit approval of GW and Zebulon?

Well... if he did do that with GW approval... then the whole scene takes a different light.  GW gets to be big and nasty, but he doesn't actually do anything.. regrettable...

Also means that GW is a lot more cunning then his been given credit for by some people...

[Black]

Does anyone think that Peri could do what he allegedly did without at least the tacit approval of GW and Zebulon?

Well... if he did do that with GW approval... then the whole scene takes a different light.  GW gets to be big and nasty, but he doesn't actually do anything.. regrettable...

Also means that GW is a lot more cunning then his been given credit for by some people...

All, isn't peri now with masura?  If so, the defection takes a different light...

[Mirikon]

People who underestimate a great dragon are what I like to call "morons". Always, always, ALWAYS expect them to have plans within plans within plans for every contingency, to the point that they make the combined intellects of Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, Mr. Sinister, and Reed Richards look like a two-year old.

[Sichr]

too bad sourcebooks are created by poor humans

[Mara]

People who underestimate a great dragon are what I like to call "morons". Always, always, ALWAYS expect them to have plans within plans within plans for every contingency, to the point that they make the combined intellects of Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, Mr. Sinister, and Reed Richards look like a two-year old.

You forgot Xanatos....the only one for whom a plan FAILING was also a "Win"..just a lesser one.

[Bull]

All, isn't peri now with masura?  If so, the defection takes a different light...

Speculation is fun, but keep in mind that right now, no one knows anything about what happened, why it happened, or where Peri went.

i'm hoping to follow this up shortly in some Missions adventures though.

[Black]

All, isn't peri now with masura?  If so, the defection takes a different light...

Speculation is fun, but keep in mind that right now, no one knows anything about what happened, why it happened, or where Peri went.

i'm hoping to follow this up shortly in some Missions adventures though.

Cool!  Looking forward to it Bull. 

[Neurosis]

I think all of you have misinterpreted what's going on.  On the other hand, the people who are most likely to know aren't talking.

Oh jeeze I write one little story about Harlequin and ignore it for three months and I have like fifteen pages of stuff to respond to. : )

At least my ignorance of this thread's existence has been mistaken for temperance and self control! XD

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER AT ALL! (AND FAR FROM ALL-INCLUSIVE)

RE: Thor shots being out of play.

As of late I've been trying very hard not to comment one way or another on a lot of SR work, because frankly I'm a bit close to some of the people involved and actually as of this writing have my own couple of bits of work that I'm frantically pounding on trying to get into shape.. That's not to say that all my comments would be negative, far from it, I've very much enjoyed some of the books that have come out lately. Having said that:

I'm already kind of hating Clutch of Dragons

Now i've always been kind of ambivalent on dragons as a plot device in part because they skew the setting so horribly towards the magic side of things. Frankly only in a world where firearms, fighter jets, tanks, and other assorted military hardware so inexplicably weak does the current plot sort of work.

*snip*

I keep trying to come up with a less caustic way to write this but the thought that keeps running through my head as I'm reading the book basically boils down to this. Some of you may realize this is not a new complaint for me, but it's never been this acute.:

I'm really kind of disappointed that at some point Shadowrun stopped being it's own game with it's own identity and became just the future of Earthdawn. I'm actually saddened that the technological side of the house the chrome, the matrix, the transhumanistic elements have all just become set pieces so we can do this draconic plot and the artifacts plot.

There I got that off my chest, i feel better.

You know, its weird finding someone else who is thinking the same things I am. You said exactly what I've been trying to put to words for a while now but couldn't. I always hate criticizing the companies I buy games from because it makes it seem like I don't appreciate their work. That's far from the case. I also know that not everyone will agree with me and my likes and dislikes. Not everyone can be or will be  pleased by what Gaming Company A ads into their sourcebooks. Anyway, I just needed to add that here.

I just want to say, I wrote a bunch of content in Clutch of Dragons and a lot of the other Shadowrun products that came out in the last year plus, and I actually agree with much of what lurker said (although for various reasons I'd never phrase it as caustically). The unilateral "magic beats technology/magic always wins" theme in Shadowrun really bothers me, too, although I like to think that the disabling of Thor Shots actually has to do with an actual plot that goes much deeper than being just another iteration of that. While I did not write that plot, I am confident there is an in-universe reason for it that will unfold that doesn't even slightly resemble "so magic can win even harder".

As one of the people currently writing Shadowrun, I don't know or care about Earthdawn at all, except about the ways it connects to Shadowrun; I am certainly not trying to turn SR into an extension of Earthdawn. To me, in SR, the cyberpunk is the cake, and the magic stuff is just the icing.

I also really appreciate that you're specifying that what you're saying isn't that you don't appreciate my work; that is nice to hear.

Yeah, I have to say that the new face of Harlequin is damned interesting. I have no idea where he's going, but it's gonna be one Hell of a journey.

I have to say that (at least as far as "The Things We Do For Love" goes), the new face of Harlequin has more to do with how I have always interpreted the character than any deliberate change; of course the events of "Praxis" (by James Meiers) at the conclusion of Artifacts Unbound allowed for a substantial element of the latter to be introduced as well.

I have to say, after rading the book, Harlequin is still my favorite character.

Indeed... Also, I would love a sourcebook like "Harlequin Tells All".... Of course, it would have to be VERY abridged, otherwise it wouldn't fit through a standard sized door...

Thanks, he's my favorite character too. : )

2. Aden hates Lofwyr and Harlequin and its hinted they are enemies from before but forced into an alliance vs....The Big G

3. Ghostwalker is back. Harlequin is about to go to war with Ghostwalker.

5. Harlqeuin, Aztechnology(yes Harlequin is allying himself with these guys) vs. the Big G

So I was thinking... Next big campaign book: Harlequin's Revenge?
I always felt everyone's favorite painted elf should have a third book named after him

I agree, or more accurately, I wish. Nothing's impossible, though.

"if they do that, should have a picture of him chewing bubble gum, in the middle of a fight, where he is litterally kicking
someone in the arse, while wearing a t-shirt that says "They live!""

Reference appreciation score = 100%. Expect this to actually happen be snuck in a Shadowrun product coming soon near you. They Live is one of my favorite movies ever.

Well, to compensate for some glibness I should quote this relevant statement.

At the moment, his people aren’t rebelling against the new strictures. Instead, they are increasingly developing a bunker mentality, acting as if it’s Denver against the world. And Ghostwalker is their leader in this fight, so they’re not resisting his new orders.

At the moment of that writing, yeah.  But a yoke that tight can be born only so long before the common man begins pushing back. Hard. : )

Kill two birds with one stone? As far as we know H could well be using AzT to strike at Ghostwalker while getting close to them and topple their leadership when he's done. If someone can do it, it's H.

I shouldn't comment too much on The Laughing Man's motivation when this issue will be explored (and then some) in upcoming SR products. However, I will say this; if you were to throw something at Ghostwalker to knock him off balance, it would make a lot of sense to have it be something you didn't particularly like. : )

Just remember, there is no animal in the world so dangerous as one standing over the body of a fallen mate.

<3

[Neurosis]

In a separate post, because it's got nothing to do with anything else.

"because Black IC attacks should be considered Normal weapon attack"

I emphatically disagree. I also don't think that it's specified anywhere what is or is not a "Normal Weapon" which is kind of a blind spot in the 4A rules.