Usually I wouldn't recommend a troll face but for an Ex-Cop it makes a lot of sense.

Tailored pheromones aren't cultured so you can get them Used. They aren't too expensive that way, and since they are bioware the additional Essence hit is negligible. If I'm smart, I'll actually look into those myself.

If I were you, I might try Attributes A, Resources B, Metatype C, Skills D, and Magic E.

Getting an extra 5 metatype adjustment points from going from D to C is more valuable than the 4 skill points you would get from going D to C in Skills.

Skills D stinks, but the good news is that 'ware can fill in a lot of the gaps, especially with the boost you get from going up to Resources B. Hell, four Reflex Recorders only cost 56K, which covers the four skill points you give up by dropping Skills down a notch, plus leaves you a boatload of extra nuyen if you moved Resources from C to B. ¥275K for B minus ¥150K for C minus ¥54K for reflex recorders = ¥71K extra leftover. Drek, that's enough right there for your (Used) Muscle Toner and/or your (Used) Tailored Pheromones.

Plus karma can fill in your rating 1 skills and your specializations.

Long story short: extra resources can cover a lot of sins. First law of the corps.

Ok, in replay to the question on SINs:

To me SINs are important, more than just fluff. Especially as we have players considering qualities such as Stolen Goods. I mean, gaining up to 200,000 nuyen has to come with a price and part of that price is that these people chasing you are going to be keyed in on your identities and so rotating SINs and lifestyles is going to be necessary. However if you aren't using these qualities then you are going to find you can get more mileage out of a SIN.

I guess the best place to start is to define the role I see a SIN having, to me it's kind of like a driving license/passport/SSN or NI number combined. If you are going to live on the street or in a squat, buy food at the local Stuffer Shack or FastBurger and shop at the local store then everything can be obtained using a credstick and short of being stopped by local LEO's there is very little need for a SIN, or even a license for that pistol you bought on the street.

Once you get into establishing a lifestyle or wanting to move up in the world then a SIN becomes more important, and the further you want to go the more important it will be for the SIN to be solid. So you want to rent an apartment in a low income area, enter a club, get a loan from a loan shark (low lifestyle) then you can probably do that on a level 1 SIN but will certainly do it on level 2 SIN without too much problem. Opening a bank account, buying a home, getting a license for a car/weapon/cyberware (middle lifestyle) will be tricky on a level 2 SIN but probably routine with a level 3 SIN. Setting up investment accounts, travelling first class, booking top quality accommodation (high lifestyle) will be testing on a level 3 SIN but much more solid on a level 4 SIN. Renting a playboy mansion for a party, travelling by private jet, entering high profile corporate offices (luxury lifestyle) will likely need at least a level 4 SIN to avoid sticky questions and will be much better on a level 5 SIN.

An approximation in terms of game play will be that the SIN level becomes the target number for a close inspection and the SIN level x 2 is the target number for a cursory inspection.

One element to consider is how you interact with Johnsons and contacts during legwork. Do you have the same contact details for each persona? Do your contacts know you by your street name or one of your identities? If they are compromised how much of your life do you have to give up? Is it just your SIN and lifestyle or your gear and contacts as well? As long as your lifestyle isn't street then I'm assuming you have set up some form of call forwarding service from a fake identity to your commlink, however any sort of forwarding mechanism can be detected if the decker is good enough so there is a risk that someone investigating a fake SIN could discover alternate identities. If your risk is high it might be better to maintain different sets of gear that can only be traced to the SIN you are currently representing, or have a friendly decker update your records as you transition from one SIN to the next.

There is a risk while running the shadows that your SINs will become compromised and catch up with you. So it's always useful to maintain at least a semi-solid second SIN to slip into when necessary. Me, I like to have a level 1 for getting in to meet Johnsons, setting their expectations low seems to work best. Be wary when they meet you in the new hot club or restaurant, they will be almost certainly be working with the club/restaurant manager to collect biologics to trace your real identity. Give'em something to find. Then I like to have a level 2 to prepare for runs, if I need to order stuff and can't get it on the street or don't want to pay the extra fees for getting it clean, or if I need access to corporate offices or apartments then I have an identity to do it under. I normally try to keep a low lifestyle updated in conjunction. Gives me a delivery point and potentially an ambush point if I know people are looking for me. Finally I like to keep a level 4 for myself and a medium to high lifestyle. Allows me to kick back and get away from the life. It's solid enough for travel and doesn't have me worried about law enforcement.

Hope this helps give you a little insight it how I see SINs working out in the game.

Great, thank you for the additional clarification and details!

For the record, I did not go with Stolen Goods. The potential consequences were too scary and I didn't want to drag the rest of the party into it. I think it could make for an interesting premise to a game though: everyone is required to take X points in Stolen Goods, and the game just consists of evading your pursuers.

Follow-up questions:

1) Does each fake SIN need a lifestyle attached to it to make it look more 'real'?

2) What are the expectations around lifestyles given the premise of the game (i.e. that we're all from outside of Seattle, and we're being brought in specifically as outsiders)?

3) Same question but for Contacts. Is is okay to assume that our contacts are Seattle-based even though our runners aren't?

In reply to Adept_CloseCombat (msg # 33):

1. Yes, but only if you are not paying towards a lifestyle for the SIN then it defaults to a Street lifestyle. Also it can depend on what you're trying to achieve through the SIN. For example getting into a club on a level 1 SIN doesn't need a lifestyle attached, getting medical attention at a hospital on a level 3 SIN doesn't need a lifestyle attached, travel doesn't need a lifestyle. Renting an apartment or starting a bank account probably only needs 3 months of an established appropriate lifestyle. Buying a house, seeking government/corporation clearance then you better have a solid lifestyle with history. Remember lifestyles only need to be supported monthly, you don't need to keep it forever.

2. Good question. Given that you are outsiders coming in I'll say that you can forego having a lifestyle if you choose, that you travelled in on a new SIN to be incognito and will decide your future after the run. Obviously this means that you'll be unlicensed as well but is an option to save you money in character generation. Also I'll rule that part of the lead in will be that you'll supply Johnson with a list of preferred arms and equipment and they will be waiting for you in Seattle (expenses covered by character generation). If you choose to bring your own equipment/weapons then you better make sure you have a lifestyle and licenses in order to travel.

3. With contacts, most will be in your old town. You can have one in Seattle that you were connected too through your old contacts but your primary contact and any other contacts will be out of town. You can still use them to seek out information but their connection rating will suffer a -2 penalty, or the information will take longer to get.

These were some great questions with some great answers. Definitely helps me revise some things.

So, Genesis seems to have crapped out on me. Have any of you guys had issues with it refusing to allow any adjustments to stats etc? If so & you fixed it, could you help an old luddite out?

In reply to FreeMason (msg # 36):

Never had an issue with stats, but one example is that when adding martial arts I forgot I needed karma and nuyen so I thought it was failing on me. Was not the case, it was me. At what point are you trying to alter stats?

I’ve got the group’s transpiration handled. Figured a Decker would feel safer in a tough, discreet van when he’s hacking.

How often can we expect 9in the normal course of bizniz) to be having to cross checkpoints, get scanned fro entering a different zone, hassled by cops, etc?  I mean, yeah, we go into a bar and order up (if it's a legal bar) we're getting SINned, but are we getting scanned just for entering a Hot topic in Downtown or for walking too close to a kiosk?

Note, I'm fine with it if that's the case (payed in a few games back in the day that went that route, it can be fun being mildly paranoid at that level), I just want to set my expectations.




So it can be chipped and rootkitted to hell and back?  No thanks Johnson, hard pass...

What?  Me paranoid?  Naw, I just know how Johnson thinks.  ;)

In reply to Ex-Cop (msg # 39):

Seattle is pretty open. You can move between most districts without issue. Malls and shopping areas, even the ones that are part of the corporate arcologies, don't require identification to enter and most stores will accept payment through credstick. The only area that requires identification to enter is Council Island, the home of the Salish-Sidhe consulate.

Due to current events Knight Errant presence is elevated in the upper class areas of the city namely Downtown and Bellevue. They are there as the first line of protection between the people and the delegates in town for the conference. Individuals and groups who appear out of place or out to cause trouble are likely to be SINNed. Obviously the delegates have their own security details but those are more likely to shoot first and worry about your SIN later.

The other area of the city where Knight Errant are on high alert is the Seattle Underground. Recent violent clashes in the Underground, often between Ork residents and returning Dwarven immigrants looking to reclaim property their parents or grandparents left, has the whole area on edge. Groups containing Dwarven or Orkish individuals are likely to be checked while in the area, especially as night falls.

Beyond that people are generally left to themselves. The gangs that run areas of Redmond and Puyallup tend to be more interested in your nuyen than your SIN. In the other areas being out of place at the wrong time is likely to attract some attention but K.E's response time to other areas is a little slower right now. Best advice, as a wise woman once told me, "Don't start none, won't be none."

In reply to Ex-Cop (msg # 39):

Now in terms of protecting your identity with Johnsons, and even certain contacts, here you are wise to be cautious. In my book, as shadowrunners, Johnsons see you as necessary evils in the modern world. You are deniable assets, without the costs involved in maintaining and training such entities, but that also makes you uncontrollable assets.

No corporation wants to utilize an asset that next week could be used against it. So Johnson, and his backers, are almost certainly looking for a way to get a hold over you. Something to feel that they have a little control. Your fixer contact is generally safe because the whole shadowrunner ecosystem depends on that Johnson - Fixer - Runner relationship. It's symbiotic and the corps know that if they start messing with Fixers then the cost of hiring deniable assets increases many times. However the other contacts that a runner has are generally open ground. If putting pressure on those contacts provides leverage over a runner then you bet the corps are going to use it.

So the advice here is to be careful mixing business with any other part of your life. As I said before, make it easy for them. Corps tend to stop digging when they think they know who you are. If they think you're some street punk from Puyallup with some chrome and a couple of buddies who work at Stuffer Shack then they'll think they've got figured out, at least until you give them reason to realize they don't. In this game searches will uncover your lower ranked identities before your higher ranked, unless you are deliberately using a higher ranked SIN, so it's always good to maintain a lower ranked SIN to keep the corps out of your life.

In reply to GM (msg # 37):

It's one of the qualities with variable levels. The level won't vary, which is then affecting how much Karma Genesis thinks I have for finishing touches.

So while the SINs themselves have been discussed, there is the accounting and logistical nightmare of licenses. Do we have to have a license for each piece of gear or can they be combined into general categories such as all of your weapons under firearms license or conceal and carry, all drones under one license, etc.

Can multiple licenses be combined under an occupational license such as security, private investigator, and other occupations that would require being legally allowed to carry or use items that require a license?

In reply to Glitch (msg # 43):

For licenses I agree it's a nightmare if dealt with individually. I want to make it somewhat easier so here's the list of licenses I propose:

Firearms - Can purchase a single license to cover all firearms but costs 5 x normal amount
   Pistols - Includes Hold Outs, Light and Heavy Pistols categories
   Automatics - Includes Machine Pistols and Sub Machineguns categories
   Shotguns - Includes Shotguns and Crossbows
   Rifles
   Special - Includes Machine Guns, Special Weapons, Exotics, Martial Arts and other weapons
   Explosives - Includes Special Ammo, Grenades and Launchers

Armor - Includes any type of armor requiring a license

Equipment - Includes any equipment that requires a license.

Cyberware - Includes all types of cyberware, including cyberjacks and rigs

Bioware - Includes all types of bioware

Magical - Includes all magically aware people and magical equipment. More a registration for tracking of active magic users but can be useful in protecting the wielder from prosecution for unlawful magic use.

Vehicle - Can purchase one license for all vehicles but costs 3 x normal amount
  Landcraft - Includes Bikes, Cars, Trucks and Vans
  Watercraft - Includes Boats and Submarines
  Aircraft - Includes Fixed Wing, Rotorcraft and VTOL/VSTOL
  Drones - Includes all Drones

Resonance - More a registration for tracking active resonance users. Can provide some protection from prosecution to a resonance user if they are caught manipulating the matrix.

I'm going to rule that the appropriate firearms license will include the conceal carry license so you don't need a separate license for that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:52, Sun 27 June 2021.

Okay, since I'm sitting down and doing equipment (and making that final "to Troll or not to Troll", also the 'Cyber or not' decision) something has struck me as... 'excessive'.

The Troll tax of +10% markup on everything.  Is this 'everything' everything?  Even programs used on a commlink?

Or is this closer to the way I've seen it in past editions:  Everything that must be Fitted (weapons, armor, limb/organ cyberware, most equipment) and Lifestyle, but things that aren't Fitted (frex internal commlinks, drones, SINs, Licenses, programs, ammo, etc) are not?




Licensing:  Is the "x5" special only for Firearms, or can we get a "Cyber All" License for x5 cost to cover all the cyber we've got that might need licensing?  Ditto with the others.  Or are Firearms the only category that get's a broad coverage License?

And if we do have a x5 License, is it only good for that guns we currently have?  Or will it cover future guns we, err, acquire?

And will a License also cover the Accessories added to it and Ammo needed for it?  (mostly noticed for Smartgun Links and BMFG ammo, though other books may have armor Accessories, etc)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Sun 27 June 2021.

Sounds like the 10% applies to anything that needs to be used physically. (So maybe it doesn't apply to programs or spell formulae, etc.) I suppose it's realistic, but it's a fairly hefty tax on a race that doesn't have a lot of explicit advantages in SR6.

Going back to licenses, I saw there was a "special" license that covered Martial Arts. Is that right? How would that work? Unsure of how you'd license fighting prowess. Or did you mean "martial arts weapons" that are more exotic that regular melee weapons?

After painstaking going back and forth about what kind of Decker I want my character to be as well as secondary roles.

I first looked at the traditional cyberjack, cyber deck, cyberware to boost lower attributes.

Then I realized that adept powers (especially in Street Wyrd) make for a viable AR Decker. The problem was it left me lacking in skills for a secondary role. Then I looked at Task Spirits and found the solution, Mystic Adept minus using Sorcery which I took Incompetent (Sorcery) negative quality to reflect his inability to directly use mana to affect the world around him. His task spirits are actually rows of organized code made physical and programmed for specific tasks. His perfected versions of Agent programs.

With Attributes at priority A, it freed up my karma to gain an extra 120,000 Nuyen by resisting the urge to purchase Foci. With this extra Nuyen combined with Resources at priority B allowed to purchase a RCC, GMC Bulldog, and drones for a rigger secondary role.

In reply to Ex-Cop (msg # 45):

The Firearms and Vehicle are the only licenses that have defined licenses for different categories. So the Firearms (x5) license represents having licenses for Pistols, Automatics, Shotguns, Rifles, Explosives and Special (6 for the price of 5) and covers any weapon, now or future as well as weapon accessories. Conventional ammo is covered by the license for the category of firearm and special ammo is covered by the explosives license. So if you are only interested in a heavy pistol with explosive ammo then you just need a Pistol license and an Explosives license, but a Firearms license covers it all.

The Cyberware license is a single license to cover any and all cyberware you have installed. I decided not to split this into categories. You don't need separate licenses for each piece. It's one license. Same for all other licenses. Firearms and Vehicles are different because of the categories.

My justification is that it will basically mean that each character have a license representing their enhancement (Cyberware/Bioware for Samurais/Deckers/Riggers/Faces, Magical for Mages/Shamens/Adepts, Resonance for Technomancers). If you aren't enhanced then you benefit because you don't have this potential cost or impediment. Then every character will have the option to obtain licenses for their weapons, armor and vehicles.

I agree that the Metahuman adaption involves anything that you wear or hold (such as a weapon of cyberdeck). Other items are not subjected to the tax.

The special license for Martial Arts is again a registration for authorities to be able to track dangerous individuals. Most legal martial arts schools require their students to register when they reach a certain belt level, but there are plenty of schools that do not operate legally and registration is not required. This is more of a safety net, prosecutors tend to look more kindly on a registered martial artist claiming they used their art in self defense than an unregistered artist.

In the character sheet, do I need to list the stats based on who is using the weapons such as drone or spirit or list as if he was using it?

In reply to Glitch (msg # 49):

Not really sure which part of the character sheet you're looking at? The stats for the vehicles for Piloting etc. represent the skill of the autopilot of the vehicle. I would list those in the vehicle section. I realize that I missed a section for spirits where you can list the spirits you regularly summon.

I'm interested in the concept of the character but not sure how you are intending on using the task spirits? My initial thoughts are that they could be used for piloting vehicles or performing matrix tasks in a none AR/VR manner but did you have something else in mind?

The description of spirits you gave in your previous message seemed more to me like Sprites used by Technomancers and wondered if that's what you were seeing these spirits as being?

3 task spirits:
1) Pilot for driving the van manually
2) Engineering for manually firing the vehicle mounted HMG and making repairs on my vehicles, drones, and gear
3) Biotech for first aid

Of course there is the usual of using them for scouting, combat, movement, and concealment.

Just a thought, is it worth having a Discord for things like Matrix runs & Astral wanderings? I've seen it done in previous SR games to avoid game death through thumb twiddling whist the team waits for results.

That does sound like a good solution.

Thats a good suggestion, mate. Discord for drek like that seems sound.

So it's known, my charscter is now a female human since I saw we have no women and now at least two elves. I figured my third would've been a crowd XD.

My own questions:

@DM, Is there any particular rules about Armor stacking by brand ypu would abide by? In particular, would the Mortimer Coats from Firing Squad be considered to stack with the suits? I imagined not but figured I'd ask.

If Adept powers are passive, would they still be considered as being able to leave an aura?

Would you be open to custom power creation?

Is there a possible list or idea of languages we can know OOC that could be featured in this campaign? I'm mostly asking because my character will be coming from Cairo, Egypt.

@The Crew, Did anyone of you adepts feel possibly interested in Kinetics Mastery from Street Wyrd? I don't feel it's necessary but it could be fun.

As a human, my Charisma sucks (It's2. It makes sense to me, with the elves we've got), but I figure my secondary skills will be some stealth. But is there anything else we will need covered as a crew? It seems that we've got Face, CC, Midrange, Decking, Rigging all covered. I didn't know how good our combined Magic game is, though (I've got 6, but then again, I'm an adept).

@Everyone when a Decker starts hacking your equipment, is there anyway to know? I.e. You're blasting away while someone's jacking your smartlink, would you get any sort of warning if they were belligerent about it?

If there's misspellings apologies. Phone typing is the worst on RPOL.

Shadowrun 6e appears to have made matrix/astral work a little more streamlined. I'll hold off the discord for now until we get a better idea of how it's working. We can change if necessary.

In terms of armor I certainly don't see why you shouldn't be able to wear a greatcoat, airman's jacket or trenchcoat over another styled clothing. Both pieces are made to be worn over other clothes and the styled clothes and armor are constructed to be only marginally thicker than standard clothes. Note however I have asked in character generation to limit item availability to 4. If you take a high lifestyle then you can go to 5 and if you pursue a luxury lifestyle you can go to 6. You just don't have the rep to get the introductions you need to obtain those sort of goods.

Passive powers do not leave an astral signature that leaves a lasting trace, obviously though you have a significant astral presence when in person.

Sure on the custom power creation. Let me know what you're thinking and we'll see what we can do.

Check out https://shadowrun.fandom.com/wiki/Language for a list of languages. Basically modern day languages with a few additions for Elves, Orks etc. As a native of Cairo, Arabic would be your native tongue although English is still a primary language dating back to the days of colonization.

Detecting an attack on your PAN depends on the type of attack. A decker that Sleazes into your PAN might do so undetected until they perform an action to disable something. An brute force attack on your PAN will be immediately detected whether the attackers gains access or not.