The Tanheuser Directive (OOC), For all out of character and mechanics Options

[Scope_47]

Here is the OOC thread for the Tanheuser Directive game. Please only players of this game post here.

Alright, here are some basic guidlines for the IC posting for when we get to that part. I know this is old hat for some of you, but its nice to have a reference from the get go.

To make things easier to read, you may optionally use the following color chart (you don't have to - so long as your posts are written in some fashion that is clear, but if you tend to have long paragraphs then color coding is better)

• "Speech" (Cyan) - normally everyday talking, or whispering if described as such.
• (yellow) - Matrix-based talking - like comm calls, text messaging, etc
• (violet) - Subvocal speech
• (darkkhaki italics) - Thoughts, what the character is thinking in his/her head (please use this one - it makes for more entertaining reads, helps with people getting into character, and lets me have NPCs assense and 'read thoughts' PCs without having to ask the players and tip them off OOC)
• (lightgrey italics) Memories - this is mainly an RP thing, but sometimes something happening in the present can evoke a memory - it makes for a more entertaining read and helps characterization
• (orange bold) Place, Time, other setting information - usually at the top of the post. I'll be using this in most of my posts for clarity's sake. If your post is in a different location/time than my last post, use this to make sure people don't get confused.

Also, a few standardized conventions:

• Most IC posts should have an accompanying OOC post, but they don't have to. If your OOC post would just be the rolls for actions you obviously took in the IC post, go ahead and just put a spoiler tag around the rolls and include them in the IC post. If it needs explanation - or you are in doubt as to the clarity of what you are trying to do - then you need an OOC post
• Rolls should always be posted in spoilers. I trust you to use your own dice if you want, but generally it is better to use www.invisiblecastle.com as that allows us to go back and look at past rolls in case a post gets eaten by the Internet. Please give the breakdown of what each die rolled and don't sort them numerically. If you are taking a die pool penalty for some reason, rather than make you re-roll I will remove the dice right-most in the breakdown first.
• A spoiler meant for a player should have "@player/character name" in front of it (not in the spoiler tag). If it doesn't, assume it is GM-eyes only. (I understand if you are the curious type and read other people's spoilers, just be sure not to use OOC information on accident and its ok - nobody will yell at you)
• General convention is that I post IC, then we wait for everyone to get a post in (its okay to post more than once in this time if there is something like an ongoing conversation between two PCs), then I will post again. If seven days pass after I make an IC post and we are still missing a player's input, I will post that PC's action in order to keep the game moving. Hopefully that shouldn't have to happen though (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
• If you are going to be unavailable for more than a week, please let us know (partially so that we can keep the game moving, but more so because we'd like to know you still have a pulse.
• Combat will be handled by OOC posts on your part. Once we are in combat, each combat turn everyone makes one post that declares your planned actions for the turn along with any rolls you know you will be making (for each IP if you have multiple - feel free to include some if-then statements as well (I'm breaking posts by combat turn rather than IP so that we aren't old and grey by the end of a combat)). At the end of each combat turn, I will post OOC the game mechanic consequences of the round (I'll roll out any rolls you didn't roll yourselves and I need - like body+armor, reaction, etc) and I will post IC what happened during those three seconds. Rinse, repeat, until the combat is over.
• I am not a despot, I am not a Goddess, and I am certainly not all-knowing. If you disagree with my interpretation of something (or just think I am bald-faced wrong), please PM me and politely state your case. If you don't like the way I've chosen to handle something, PM me about it. I only ask that any such PMs include a suggestion as to how to fix the problem you are pointing out.

Alrighty then, now lets get on with the character generation. Feel free to discuss things amongst yourselves (I'd recommend discussing things like vehicles, etc). I do allow collective lifestyles if your characters have a linked backstory, but in general while you have heard of each other this will be your first time working together - unless you work out concurrent backstories between individual characters.

When you have a final draft of your character sheet and backstory, PM it to me, and I will look it over, approve it, and PM back your backstory karma award. You spend karma via PMing me so that I can update my copy of your char-sheet.

If you post a char-sheet or backstory to this thread, put it in a spoiler with a note as to what it is and whether you intend it for me or for the group to critique. This helps cut down on clutter.

Oh, one more thing, in the following spoiler is a short list of questions that I often use to help me flesh out a character's backstory. This is by no means necessary to complete or anything, I just thought I'd share in case someone is having writer's block.

[ Spoiler ]

Character Name:

Metatype (race):

Where are you from:

What do you do:

Why are you in the shadows:

Why does something in your life need to change:

Three people who you care for or care about you (don't have to be contacts):

Three people who dislike you:

One old enemy you defeated (may be dead, incarcerated, unknown fate, in hiding, or licking his wounds to come back for another day - your choice):

Your greatest victory in the Shadows (the big score):

Your greatest defeat (the run that went to heck):

Any old enemies still around?:

How did you come by your fancy gear?:

How did you come by your fancy training?:

Is there something you don't like about yourself?

Being a runner is rarely someone's dream - more often it just happens. What was your actual dream for your future before you became a runner?:

- Scope_47

[Dumori]

Ok transport wise what shall we do pool for a few transports or have the costs across only one persons BPs. Again another quicky how do you want me to use my drones spotters and tacnet support. or more agresively. If we get a tacnet I sugest every one get a simrig as that is 5 feeds for the one piece of gear (for a human the other race get 6 feeds) allowing for +2 to most dice rolls more feeds higher the bonus up to +4 with 8 feeds each. The more vision modes and other such item you have the more feeds.

[Scope_47]

Here is my first draft of the rules for an android metatype at Divine Virus' request. (this is something that should be rare enough I would only allow one at the table, for the record)

I'd like everyone to comment on these - I want to make sure its balanced and everyone is cool with it before allowing it.

I've placed them in a spoiler tag to avoid clutter:

[ Spoiler ]

Draft rules for Android 'metatype'

First, forget the rules in Augmentation and Unwired for cyborgs and AIs... this is a different breed - an AI that developed in a human-like android.

Essentially, Androids are constructed like normal characters with the following changes:

Racial BP cost: 100bp

Base attributes (note that you cannot have cyber or bio ware, so augmented caps are irrelevant):

Physical:
Strength: base 4, cap at 12
Agility: base 4, cap at 10
Body: base 4, cap at 15
Reaction: base 4, cap at 9

Mental:
Logic: base 1, cap at 9.
Intuition: base 1, cap at 9.
Charisma: base 1, cap at 6.

Special:
Edge: base 1, cap at 6
# of Initiative passes = (1 + (Reaction / 3)). Always round down
(You have no essense score and consequently can never have a magic or resonance score)

Magic treats you as an object - as if you were a drone.
Your positronic brain is a Node that contains as data your personality, memories, etc.
It is assumed that for security you burned out your wireless adapter at some point, but you can't do anything about the datajack in your skull. Your stats as a node are:
Firewall = Logic
System = Intuition
Response = Reaction

Matrix use: you may use a commlink like a 'normal person' - ie with programs, a persona, etc - though only via AR through physical means (gloves, etc). If you wish, you may plug a commlink into your datajack, in which case you are simply using it as a router, and thus opening yourself to having your brain hacked. All matrix use in this fashion is skill+attribute (your mind is the program). You may encrypt your brain with an encryption rating equal to your logic. When using a connection to your positronic brain, you are always considered to be in 'hot-sim'

Software use: You may run any sensor software directly in your brain. You may run data-softs in your brain as if they were knowsofts. Know-softs do not function for you. You may use active-softs as if you had expert system skillwires with a rating equal to Intuition * 0.66 with natural rounding.

You may not have any cyber or bio ware. You start with basic sensors of two cameras, 2 microphones, and a pressure detection system giving you a fascimile of a sense of touch - no sense of smell or taste. You may install additional purchased sensors up to a capacity as if you were a medium sized drone. (your initial sensors may be improved with the standard visual/audio upgrades as well). You may apply drone/vehicle upgrades to your body as if you were a drone with a body rating equal to your body attribute - but you CANNOT give yourself higher than a rating 3 armor upgrade (I highly recommend using this to take the upgrade that gives you synthetic skin).

Your body without upgrades looks like a titanium-alloy endoskeleton (looks like a t-800 endoskeleton from the Terminator movies)

You have a hollow compartment in your torso allowing you to eat/drink up to one gallon of material before needing to expel it. Your power source gives off enough heat that you are a constant 77 degrees farenheit. You have a hidden, retractable power cable in your buttocks that you must plug into a power source for a non-consequtive total of 42 hours a week. You have a low radioactive signature. You do not have to sleep, eat, drink, breathe, etc. However, your insides are not waterproof, so if you open your mouth underwater you are in trouble.

Your AI consciousness is partially a result of the unique nature of your positronic brain - so if that is destroyed, you are dead. You therefore suffer dumpshock as normal. You do not know if your body is replacable or not. Your mind is constantly reworking your system protocals and drivers - this is represented by your ability to alter physical statistics through karma.

You do not 'naturally' have armor, you have to get that from an upgrade or from wearing armor meant for metahumans.

- Scope_47

[Dumori]

Im unsure about the high edge score but other than that looks nice. I'd just to make things look neat bing it the reaction cap up to 10.

[Scope_47]

The edge cap was a typo - I had intended it to cap at 6.

On an unrelated note, Simrig will only get three feeds for tacnet. Taste and touch aren't really going to help the software's tactical calculations. However, you can also join a tacnet with no cyber at all - just use a pair of contacts and a set of goggles - each with vision enhancements of your choice, then a set of earbuds with audio enhancements. Slave that stuff to your commlink (everything is wireless afterall), and you've got your sensors. Magic users are a bit more tricky since they have to have optical rather than digital enhancement, but just paying for the handheld sensors and sticking them on a belt or helmet works as well.

- Scope

[Dumori]

Bah smell and taste can help with tacnets but yeah they should be one feed not two if any. You can smell gunpowder after it been fired as well as smoke and other thing that could be useful. well thast still 4 feed form a Dwarf Elf, Troll or Orc the rest in a hand held in you pocket and you set.

A simrig is gear as well as wear. so for 1000 nuyen you can get simrig trodes with sim module.

[Raxle]

I'm probably the biggest noob in the group, so I'm going to throw out my general idea for my character and see if anyone wants to offer any guidance, suggestions, or ways to tie me into our team with backstory. I don't have all the details sorted out. I put it in a spoiler in case anyone doesn't want to read it.

[ Spoiler ]

Damon Raxle is a human looking Ork martial artist/adept male. Relatively old for an Ork, 33, he appears like a large rugged human toughguy (Picture Brian Fury from Tekken). He was born in a typical Ork litter but because he was human looking, a fanatical Ork attempted to kill Damon and his family in an honor style killing when he was a teenager. Damon was able to fight off the attacker and the attacker fled, after killing everyone else in his family. The murder was somehow pinned on Damon and he spent the next 15 years in the prison system. About 4 years ago the case was reopened and it was discovered in fact that Damon was not guilty of the crime and he was exonerated. However, he was less than perfect in prison and now has the stain of a criminal SIN.

The martial art I think I'll be doing will be boxing because it's easy to fit into the story. He was involved in a prison boxing program and that's where he learned his MA skills. He discovered his Killing Hands (Adept ability) when he unintentionally killed his opponent in a very competitive fight during his prison boxing days. I'm thinking he may not even know that he's an Adept, just that he can really whoop some ass.

Oh, and he is going to have a fake SIN at the least where he goes by Nick Sandine. I'm thinking he'll have some fake profession licenses (at least one) and so forth tied to Nick Sandine's SIN.

I'll try to come up with more soon, but please offer any input if you feel like it.

[Raxle]

Ok, so if you take a martial art to tier 2 (10BP), you can pick 4 maneuvers and 2 advantages. However, the first 5BP spent makes the MA a specialization of the Unarmed Combat skill. So, if I say had UC (Boxing) 5 (7), would the second 5BP spent to get more maneuvers and advantages also give me UC (Boxing) 5 (9) or still 5 (7)?

My other question is about contacts. Unlike BBB where it's BP = to the sum of L&C, we're doing (C*L)/3=BP cost?

[Dumori]

Ok, so if you take a martial art to tier 2 (10BP), you can pick 4 maneuvers and 2 advantages. However, the first 5BP spent makes the MA a specialization of the Unarmed Combat skill. So, if I say had UC (Boxing) 5 (7), would the second 5BP spent to get more maneuvers and advantages also give me UC (Boxing) 5 (9) or still 5 (7)?

My other question is about contacts. Unlike BBB where it's BP = to the sum of L&C, we're doing (C*L)/3=BP cost?

What? as far as i know you can take the UC (Boxing) 5 (7) for 21 BP as normaly the martial art to tier 2 (10BP) alows you to pick to advanages for the lists on pages 156-8 of arsenal. all the detail is up to the GM though so thats all i can give you.

[Raxle]

Oh, so buying the MA doesn't give you the specialization +2 automatically, it still must be purchased for 2BP? Ah yes, I'm reading it again and see where it refrences BBB. I missed that part and somehow gathered that it was giving you the specialization with the 5BP purchase. It'll basically just cost me another 2BP to get 5 (7). Scope, can I start with a skill specialization at 7 or is 6 the cap?

[Dumori]

no its 1BP IIRC. if you need hel cos we have karma to deal with as well just post what you want to do and im sure we'll try and help

[Raxle]

Specializations are 2BP, skills are 4.

[Divine Virus]

Ok, so I buy skills as normal?
Can I use autosofts?
Did I spontaneously come into existance (like the other AIs) or was I built to be an andriod? Or is this my call? If I spontainiously evovled (as you seemed to imply) then why do I have a positronic brain? That is not standard hardware
Is it correct that I have no willpower attribute?
You said that matrix actions are skill+attribute instead of skill+program. What attributes are used for what matrix actions?
A plug in powersupply implies batteries, so why am I radioactive?

Those are the first questions that come to mind.

All in all, I have to say I dislike the rules. They seem unbalanced and complicated.

If I build towards the phsyical side, I could take out a platoon of street sammies.
If I build towards the mental, I could outhack anything in existance.
I mean, the way you wrote it I have every program at the same rating as my Logic of Intution, constantly loaded and ready. I have 220 BP to spend on attributes. No willpower means I could get Logic 8, Intuition 8, Reaction 8 for 180 BP. Which means, if I pick up my electronics and cracking skillgroups at four, I will be rolling base 14 dice (2 for hot sim) for every matrix test. In cybercombat, I will have such a high firewall, and such a high system, I will be nigh invulnerable. Heck, with that system and firewall, who could hack me? It would take at least a maxed out 2nd grade submerged TM to at least be on par with me. And I could still lick most sammies in a fight.

If I went the physical route and made all mental attributes 3, I would still have 160BP. That means I could have all physical stats at 8. But who needs such a high strength? I could have reaction 8, agility 9, body 11, strength four? I would almost never miss, almost never be hit, and when I was... well I could soak it like nothing. Consider the amount of armour I could wear. Natural armour 3, Full bodysuit with PPP system, and an armoured jacket with PPP system puts me around 21/21 armour. Which means I am soaking physical damage with around 32 dice. Plus, with that much space for mods, I could put in an anti-theft system, meaning anyone who touched me would take 10 electric.

I don't mean to offend, I appreciate the effort, but these rules aren't balanced, and are not what I am looking for. They kind of move away from all the moods and themes I was hoping to play with, moving it away from a Sterling/Gibson/Ghost in the Shell type feel to a iRobot/Star Wars type feel. Moves away from the cyberpunk core I love.

I think it would be much, much easier to take on of those Mitashu Omoto drones (I don't have my books with me, so pardon spelling), the one in Arsenal thats designed for full body cyborgs, and treat it as a rigged drone.

I had a bit of a background started where the AI developed spontainiously into existance from the expert system that sculpted the unique features on the Omoto drones. It was given specs of what the drone should look like, and its job would be to figure out how to make it look and feel right, without damaging the drone's performance. After computing this, it would program the automated equiptment with instruction on how to construct the design. Eventually, it became sophisticated enough to make a leap to sentience. As suggested by Unwired, AIs have motivations, drives or urges based on their original function. Likewise, the program, once sentient, became obsessed with mimicking humanity. So it made itself the finest Omoto drone it could, downloaded itself into it, and escaped the factory. It is a bit naive, and highly artistic. A master craftman, and it knows it, and takes pride in its work, but with an underlying humility. It runs the shadows because there are no other options for someone in a stolen Omoto drone, especially when it is trying to hide the fact it is in AI.

The body would be a standard Omoto drone, with mods, treated like rigged drone. So body 6, strength six when needed, response=3 (upgradable as normal). I would pay for it normally, base cost being 150,000 (22BP) It would actually be a bit of a hinderance because any damage would have to be repaired, taking hours and availability 24R parts worth 1500 nY per health box of damage.

I need to look at the rules again, but probably buying mental attributes for twice normal cost would be fair, and I imagine I could use autosofts (possibly with some restrictions). Skills mostly purchased as normal, possibly some penalty for real world skills unrelated to prior function, normal TM mental stats to matrix stats conversion. That's if you wanted to stay away from the more complex Unwired rules about AI, with home nodes and the like.

Well, my laptop is about to run out of batteries. I ment to only make a five minuet post, been better part of an hour.
Cheers!

[Scope_47]

All in all, I have to say I dislike the rules. They seem unbalanced and complicated.

This is why it was a first draft (Honestly, I'm more of a story person than a rules guru) - my intention was to make something simple that would be easy to book-keep. Obviously I failed - not a surprise considering I drafted those rules in the fifteen minutes between classes today. So back to the drawing board with that... I'll post a new draft in a few hours. Like I said, I like your concept and want to make it work.

- Scope

[Scope_47]

New draft of AI character rules - anyone who cares should please comment on them:

[ Spoiler ]

AI Character stats:

BP cost: 30

CHA: 1 (cap at 6)
INT: 1 (cap at 6)
LOG: 2 (cap at 7)
WIL: 1 (cap at 6)
Edge: 1 (cap at 6)

Cost of attributes are doubled - including edge

Initiative: As matrix initiative, but always Three IPs regardless of situation. (not four like cyborgs have)

Skills: as a character

Home node must be a commlink built into an anthropod drone - purchase commlink as normal.

Home node stats are affected as follows:
Response: increase by Intuition/3
Signal: increase by Charisma/3
System: increase by Logic/3
Firewall: increase by willpower/3

Should your home node be changed, these effects take place after you complete an extended test of Int+reality filter (10, 1 day)

You must purchase/maintain programs as normal. Use of skillsofts is allowed as if you have a set of expert system skillwires with a rating equal to your Intuition. Use of autosofts may or may not be allowed on a case-by-case basis -> those shouldn't replace skills.

Every week you go without a home node, your charisma is reduced by 1. If it becomes 0, you are destroyed forever.

Your Matrix condition monitor is = to half your logic score + 8.
If you are disrupted (all boxes filled), you are trapped at the location you were when attacked as you attempt to reinitialize your higher thought functions with a willpower+charisma(3 combat turns) extended test - each hit restoring one box of damage. Should you take more damage as you are in this vulnerable state, you have a number of overflow boxes equal to your system rating. Once the overflow is filled, you are destroyed.
If you are damaged but not disrupted, you may return to your home node to heal, making a willpower+charisma(1 day) extended test with each hit healing one box of damage.
If a node you are in goes offline, you may escape through an open matrix connection with an Intuition+Edge(3) test.
If you fail to escape (or there is no connection to another node) your matrix condition modifier has all boxes filled (but no overflow boxes) and you must reinitialize on reboot of the node.

If the drone body that serves as your home node has its condition track filled, your home node goes offline.

Drone body notes:

Attack with non-mounted weapon: weapon skill + sensor
Attack with mounted weapon: gunnery+sensor
defense: Response (full defense is response+vehicle skill)
Damage resistance: Body+armor
Infiltration: Infiltration+response
Initiative: Response+Intuition
Maneuvering: vehicle skill + Response
Perception: Perception + (sensor or intuition - whichever is lower)

Operational time of 6 hours + mods, as per Arsenal drone rules

Glitch may be a fuel cell running low

Drone body = strength

[Cthulhudreams]

The edge cap was a typo - I had intended it to cap at 6.

On an unrelated note, Simrig will only get three feeds for tacnet. Taste and touch aren't really going to help the software's tactical calculations. However, you can also join a tacnet with no cyber at all - just use a pair of contacts and a set of goggles - each with vision enhancements of your choice, then a set of earbuds with audio enhancements. Slave that stuff to your commlink (everything is wireless afterall), and you've got your sensors. Magic users are a bit more tricky since they have to have optical rather than digital enhancement, but just paying for the handheld sensors and sticking them on a belt or helmet works as well.

- Scope

What about other sensors that I can buy, such as motion, radar and ultrasound?

[Scope_47]

What about other sensors that I can buy, such as motion, radar and ultrasound?

Obviously each one would count as a feed. It just has to be subscribed to your commlink and attached to your person in some way that won't impede it's function.

- Scope

[Mickle5125]

my current plan is a master of 1000 faces (face/infiltration). In order to accomplish this build, however, I need to know a couple things:

1) What are the skill maxes (are you leaving it at 2 skills at 5 or 1 at six and skill groups at 4?)
2) Is it alright to break skill groups at buildtime?
3) Is it alright for yet another magic character to be in the group (I'm thinking adept)?

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure I'll have more later.

[Scope_47]

1) What are the skill maxes (are you leaving it at 2 skills at 5 or 1 at six and skill groups at 4?)
2) Is it alright to break skill groups at buildtime?
3) Is it alright for yet another magic character to be in the group (I'm thinking adept)?

1) As BBB while using BP. May be broken by karma.
2) Not with BP. You may break them with the karma though.
3) Go right ahead... all it will mean is that you guys will have to get creative if you run into a background-count or are on a sub-orbital flight

- Scope

[Divine Virus]

I think this is a very good second draft. I understand that it was only a first draft, and didn't intend to come off as harsh. I have a knack for finding weak points in rules. You should hear some of the stuff I have to say about the new Unwired book (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
I do have eight questions (see below), though only four of them pertain to the draft itself.

Also, could someone please give an updated summery of what we have in the group so far? I still have riggle room in my concept, so I can build it into a face, a street sammie, a rigger, a B&E expert... just let me know what we need. I am not quite sure yet what this character will naturally turn into... I have found myself making characters recently without a proper specialization, or fitting into any of the archtypes really. They have been useful, just not specialized. So if the team is lacking anything, let me know or else I will just let the character evolve naturally.

1) Are the Firewall and System stats of the AI based on mental attributes or the commlink of the home node?

2)Could I carry spare batter packs? I don't exactly expect a quick change to be possible, but in case of emergency it would be good to have the option.

3) I plan on taking a mechanics skill (automotive? I am not sure) so I can do maintenance on the drone body (only makes sense), and I also I want to take a skill to represent knowledge of designing the appearance of the drone bodies. Again, it makes sense with background that I have it. If I have a proper shop, could I alter the appearance of the drone body? Obviously not the body type, gender or metatype, but features like skin tone, scars, and freackles can be changed with some touch-ups on the skin. Adjusting the peramiters of the servators under the artificial skin should allow for changes is facial structure, etc. I like the idea of my apperance evolving, becoming more personalized as the AI gets a better sense of identity.

4) The only thing I dislike in this draft is that edge costs double. I do not understand a reason for that. Furthermore, because I get free skillwires, and edge can't be used properly with skillwires, edge is less useful to an AI then a normal character. So why should one pay twice as much for something less useful then normal?

5) Theoretically I can take up to 12 armour for the drone, but even with concealed armour I presume that would be rather bulky. So if I wanted some subdermal reinforcements around vital areas- battery packs, processors, important servos, etc, plus some high tensile strength materials woven into the skin, maybe a layer of kevlar under the skin itself, maybe some of that gel used in the "gel packs" armour upgrade in the skill itself... nothing really noticeable, how much of an armour rating would this offer?

6) I am planning on taking the SunCell mod, so I can recharge on the go. They describe the solar cells as being in the paint. I presume this could still transfer over to the drone and not be visible. Also, I am not sure if you are keeping abreast of modern solar research, but what they are working on right now is a revolutionary new kind of solar panel that just looks like a pane of coloured glass. Light hits it, some of it goes through, but most of the light is redirected towards the edges of the pane, where is it collected by solar panels in the window frame. It strikes me that the same technological principle could be applied to fiber optic hair, no?

7) What would be used for the skills in the athletics skill group? As maneuvering, or as normal? If I was in melee combat, could I use the appropriate melee skill instead of vehicle skill for a full defense?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Would you be open to the possibility of me taking some of the AI positive or negative qualities? I am not sure which I would want yet, but if I give you a list would you provide BP values?

Alrighty, that's all for now, thanks!

P.S. For attributes increasing home node do we use natural rounding? so 1 no bonus, 2-4 1 point, 5-7 two points? Or round down so its 1-2 no bonus, 2-5 one point, 6-7 two points?

[Scope_47]

@Divine Virus (Anyone can/should read this if you are interested in the answers to his posted questions - I just spoilered it to avoid clutter)

[ Spoiler ]

1) Based on home node. You naturally exist as a persona, so the node that you are existing on determines firewall and system (you yourself cannot be hacked, but can be 'killed' via cybercombat or if your node is physically destroyed while you are unable to escape)

2) Spare battery packs would be covered under the 'extra fuel tank' option in Arsenal I think. You can also just plug in to a powersource (I can easily see having the spoofed gridguide connection in order to 'steal' power from the city's powergrid wirelessly). Also, with a hardware check (8, 10 minutes) you could make a quick and dirty connection to a gas-powered vehicle's alternator (I say hardware because whereas a drone charger uses the future equivalent of AC, vehicles probably would use DC - its a matter of charging your system without using the AC adapter basically - and you'd require a pretty specific voltage to not damage sensitive components - like modern electronics do).

3) I believe that Industrial mechanic would cover an anthropod - if for no other reason than because it is a seldom used skill, and I know that there is a huge difference between robotics and automotives. For the skin, if you read the entry under the drone modification that gives you a skin, it says that it is actual organic flesh grown over your endoskeleton - so for that I would say you need the Cybertech active skill and the Genetic Design knowledge skill (representing the knowledge of how to culture the organic materials).

4) Note that the free skillwires are actually referred to as "Expert System Skillwires" - which means that you can use your edge with them. Also note that due to the edge component of the roll to escape a crashing node, edge becomes doubly able to allow pseudo-immortality. My thought process was that this would balance the fact that it is much much more difficult to kill you than any other character-type (essentially, if you cut off your wireless and are running an agent to open a connection to the matrix as soon as your drone body takes X amount of damage, all it takes is that Int+edge roll (which doesn't even require spending edge) for you to not risk death - whereas any other character would have to burn edge stat to cheat death... and you further still have the same 'cheat-death' option that other characters have. This just makes taking the burn-edge option more costly, which since you 9 times out of 10 have a free cheat-death, I feel is appropriate.

5) I meant to include this, thanks for catching it. Since Dermal Plating and Orthoskin cap out at Rating 3 if I'm not mistaken, I'd rule that you can't have any more than rating 3 armor inherently without being obviously a drone.

6) My interpretation of how the solar panels would work in your case is that the 'paint' is applied to your chassis, which is then covered with the organic tissue from the other modification. Organic tissue naturally allows certain spectrums of solar radiation through (this is what causes skin cancer, sunburn, etc). That is the spectrum you would be drawing energy from, so its a non-issue. Further, if you just want fiberoptic hair so you can change the color, add +1000 nuyen and +2 availability to the mod that gives you the organic covering (or to the drone itself if that mod is standard equipment. Speaking of which, that drone will be ruled as being an exception to the cap of Avail 20, so long as you keep spending the karma for each successive four points of avail - I do that because the drone is an inherent part of the concept, and since I'm charging you 30bp just for the pleasure of being an AI anyway)

7) Maneuvering replaces Athletics for you. Melee dodge is Response+Weapon Skill. If a full defense melee dodge (costing your next IP), it is response+weapon skill+vehicle skill.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Negative qualities I will allow with a BP bonus determined on a case by case basis. The positive AI qualities are generally very powerful and intended to be used as plot devices - so the BP cost would be too high for a situational use anyway for me to feel comfortable allowing them (IE: they would almost certainly be unbalanced in one direction or the other)

P.S.) For those attributes, I'm ruling that it is always round down. This is because from a game mechanic perspective, your mental attributes rarely come into play - so this is to make having higher attributes more desirable even should you play a combat-type rather than a 'trixter type. The home node bonus already gives you an advantage over hackers and unsubmerged technomancers, so making the +1 available for only 20BP to raise your stat to a 2 (the equivalent of a non-AI character's 10BP, since you don't have to worry about physical stats at all. I realize that you have to buy the drone, but the mods to the drone are significantly cheaper than equivalent cyber/bio-ware). Further, the balance to the increased logic cap is that it was done primarily to make it easier to get the +2 to home node system for having a 6 statistic.


Whew, lots of typing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) If you disagree with any of my reasons, please let me know

<EDIT: After further consideration, I decided to allow "Redundancy" as a 15BP quality and "Improved Realignment" as a 15BP quality with the following modification: It only works when reinitializing due to combat damage, not due to being on a node that went offline - it also only gives the extra box if you had at least one net hit on the test that interval.

-Scope

[Dumori]

Rigger to sam or both would most likely be the best or B&E. As we have me matrix (a few drones for tasks and one doberman if needed if we get a pro rigger i'll divert to move useful stuff), a face, a melee pysad, a "Mage of some variety" from trigger if hes still playing that way and a Possession Mage (late entry into game)

Edit: change useless to useful (a typo)

This post has been edited by Dumori: Jul 30 2008, 10:09 PM

[Mickle5125]

I've got a face/infiltration set-up going... but he's going to be using more disguises and con than "I'm invisible and you can't see me" sneaking.

Question!
what is necessary to use empathy software?
Does the Pistol Crossbow use archery or pistols?

[Dumori]

An emo toy or camera with thermal and Lowlight (if its dark) and a comlink I'd guess by RAW. Its archery for that as its a perjectile weapon not thrown pretty sure that pure RAW not even an interpretation of RAW.

[Scope_47]

Archery is used for crossbows.

The empathy software needs a camera and a commlink with a system/response rating equal or greater than its program rating. The empathy software can use cyber-eyes in lieu of a camera, but you'd have to have the cybereyes subscribed to your commlink in some fashion.

- Scope