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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Chuck - Creating an Intersect
Posted by: The Jopp Oct 14 2011, 08:31 AM
How would i go about creating an Intersect device from the Chuck TV series?
I imagine that they would have to be skillwire based with a heavy discount to cover the following points:
1: Includes an agent that makes a situational check against the Skillsofts or knowsofts in it’s database in the “chuck” persons intersect.
If successful it activates the needed skills for the character – getting the “I know kung-Fu” effect.
2: Have a discount that is appropriate due to the fact that the player cannot activate the skillwires by himself and the skillwires should have a LOT of skills, including not-so-useful skills like instant knowledge of Tango, Taiwaneese cooking and spontaneously being fluent in chineese (this is mainly because skillwires at a functional/high level costs a lot).
This would function even better if the character has amnesia ^_^
Posted by: Juno Oct 14 2011, 08:58 AM
I had something witty to write about amnesia, but I forgot. Sorry.
Posted by: Seriously Mike Oct 14 2011, 09:58 AM
Talk about "mysterious implant" now...
Posted by: The Jopp Oct 14 2011, 10:41 AM
Hmm, we could even add in a few personachip BTL's so that he changes personality depending on situation - he would be so mentally fucked upp in the end and wondering who he really is.
Posted by: Ol' Scratch Oct 14 2011, 11:26 AM
The Intersect itself wasn't a device, it was basically just subliminal programming created by a device.
Spontaneously having him turn into a Technomancer (maybe via the Latent Technomancer quality) with the skillwire-like thingamajigger would seem more appropriate to the character. You could add a Negative Quality of equal value that restricts him to only using that ability, too, in the case that you/he doesn't actually want to be a Technomancer. Then give him a few free skillsoft equivalent thingies (is it obvious I don't play them very often?) and a bunch of knowsoft/linguasoft thingies and you're pretty much done. All you have left to do is apply a variant of Amnesia to reflect his lack of an ability to control them, especially in regards to the knowsofts, and toss in some mechanic using Edge or maybe Logic so that he can try to trigger it himself. 'Course, that assumes that you're trying to mimic Chuck and not the intended effect, which apparently would have been completely controlled by whatshisname since he allegedly had the training to handle it.
Note that Chuck doesn't really seem to have that many skillsofts. Unarmed Combat, Pistols, Gymnastics, and Throwing are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. He also has the Total Pacifist flaw, though that's very character specific and has little to do with the Intersect itself.
Posted by: Yerameyahu Oct 14 2011, 12:45 PM
Ditto: it's largely knowsoft fragments. I like the Technomancer method; Chuck is *special*. Obviously, there are issues with this, but you're converting out-of-setting content. 
Posted by: Makki Oct 14 2011, 01:36 PM
99% are knowsofts. Like "Chinese Military Equipment 6" and of course "All know and almost unknown criminals in the world 6"
Posted by: Paul Oct 14 2011, 01:42 PM
I'm not sure this is the approach you'll want to take but-we've done one character with amnesia, and what I did is, as the GM, I designed the character and made the sheet. The player received a blank character sheet and as we gamed we filled it in as he used skills and attributes. It requires a pretty clear line of communication and cooperation between the player and the GM.
The nice thing was since the player had no idea what was on the sheet I made, I could readily and easily advance the character saying "You've discovered more about yourself!" (Of course this was really early on in our SR history-89. Funnily enough the character was played for four years straight, once a week minimum.)
Posted by: Tymeaus Jalynsfein Oct 14 2011, 03:01 PM
I imagine that they would have to be skillwire based with a heavy discount to cover the following points:
1: Includes an agent that makes a situational check against the Skillsofts or knowsofts in it’s database in the “chuck” persons intersect.
If successful it activates the needed skills for the character – getting the “I know kung-Fu” effect.
2: Have a discount that is appropriate due to the fact that the player cannot activate the skillwires by himself and the skillwires should have a LOT of skills, including not-so-useful skills like instant knowledge of Tango, Taiwaneese cooking and spontaneously being fluent in chineese (this is mainly because skillwires at a functional/high level costs a lot).
This would function even better if the character has amnesia ^_^
Easiest way to do that is to Have a Skillwires system, and then have the character subscribe to a Skill Service (There are a few listed in the Book: Unwired). Come up with as cost that is reasonble on a per month basis (You know, like Netflix, but more expensive - I would cost it at about 5,000 Nuyen/Month or so for the basic 1 Hour Package), and there you go. Downloaded skills are useable for 1 Hour/4 Hours/8 Hours at incrementing costs, and then expire. Pluscoding costs an additional Monthly Fee per Rating, No Personalization available.
Posted by: Yerameyahu Oct 14 2011, 03:08 PM
I dunno, TJ. That fails to capture some of the fundamental aspects of the Intersect system (as mentioned above). That's what the Technomancer version fits better (as I said, with *other* issues). It depends on how faithful the OP is wanting to be, I guess.
Posted by: Tymeaus Jalynsfein Oct 14 2011, 03:41 PM
Oh Well, I have never seen Chuck, I was just throwing out an idea...
Posted by: Yerameyahu Oct 14 2011, 03:54 PM
I guessed as much, so it wasn't a smackdown. 
The basic idea is that he has this massive 'spy' database crammed into his brain, because his brain is special, and he can't control it. Now, the OP might not care about all those aspects…
Posted by: Tymeaus Jalynsfein Oct 14 2011, 04:23 PM
The basic idea is that he has this massive 'spy' database crammed into his brain, because his brain is special, and he can't control it. Now, the OP might not care about all those aspects…Interesting... Isn't he the guy that got this "Download" by mistake, and can't get it out of his brain? Think I saw a preview once... Has Adam Baldwin in it?
Posted by: Yerameyahu Oct 14 2011, 04:35 PM
Yeah, though the setting evolves a bit. Good old Jayne!
Posted by: Tymeaus Jalynsfein Oct 14 2011, 04:35 PM
Jayne's a Girls name...
Posted by: Caadium Oct 17 2011, 05:00 PM
If one of my players wanted to make Chuck, I think I'd go ahead and do something along these lines:
Karma Gen the character instead of BP (which is what I usually use).
Wild Technomancer quality
A couple of grades of Submersion, which would definitely include the Biowire Echo, and probably Info Sortilege
CF's to focus on information gathering abilities, such as Analyze and Browse.
Of course, since I've got a long running campaign going this would be an add in character and therefore starting with a couple submersions wouldn't be game breaking. For a new campaign, it's something that would have to be carefully considered and possibly balanced out in my opinion.
Things like Pacifist (something he outgrew as the seasons moved on), would be taken, or not, to flush out the overall character. The above is just how I'd work on creating an "Intersect" for Shadowrun.
Posted by: The Jopp Oct 17 2011, 05:31 PM
I wouldnt call him a pacifist, he just isnt a cold blooded killer. He would kill in self defense or in the protection of someone else - but only as a last resort.
Posted by: Caadium Oct 17 2011, 05:48 PM
In Season 1 I would call him a pacifist. He was scared and only ever wanted to hide. I think it was the end of Season 2 when he got Intersect 2.0. That is when he started actually fighting stuff.
Again, my point is that would all be about character focus and those qualities would fit or not based on the character concept. Mostly I was trying to give an example as to how I'd do an "Intersect" for a player that was interested.
Posted by: MK Ultra Oct 19 2011, 10:51 PM
My first idea would also be a wild technomancer, but the skill service idea got me thinking. Maybe a character with partial amnesia, internal comlink and skillwires plus a skillservice and an inteligence service subscription. then you can handle some stuff as downloaded skillsofts (some active, most know/language) and the rest as datasearches, info and advice (supportive skill rolls). You could of course do it with a TM somehow, but I think the mundane version has less potential for abuse and can be set up more or less by raw without needing submersion grades ar char gen. If you want to go the no cyber rout, another alternative to the TM would be a wild possession mage with task and guidance spirits, which just thinks he is the intersect 
Intersect Magical Tradition (usualy conjurer)
Drain Pool: Will+Logic
Posession
Combat - Guardian
Detection - Guidance
Illusion - Men
Healing - Air
Manipulation - Task
Posted by: KarmaInferno Oct 20 2011, 12:27 AM
The difficult part would be doing stuff like taking the Intersect OUT of someone and putting it into, say, Morgan.
-k
Posted by: BishopMcQ Oct 20 2011, 01:44 AM
If you're willing to apply a dose of Handwavium, the character just set aside a group of skill points devoted to "Intersect" and with each flash new skills get slotted in. (Champions, Hero, and M&M have powers that do this in their respective systems)
For Intersect 1.0, Amnesia/Flashbacks and 100 BP of knowledge skills would be an easy way.
Intersect 2.0 mechanically is probably best handled with the Resonance biowires as described above, since there wasn't surgery per se. It also coincides with the "I can't control this" thing, until later in the series, when he has spent karma learning to do it.
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