6/6 Contact: Who should I make it?, 20 whole points left over for contacts! Options

[ShadowDragon8685]

Okay, so I've got 20 points left over for Contacts. The DM also gave me a street doc for free (yay!)


So, what should I get for a 6/6 contact? That'll leave me with 8 more points, probably for a 4/4 3/5, or 5/3.

I'd like to avoid organized crime contacts if at all possible. I was kind of thinking the 6/6 should be a Lone Star contact (ever-so-useful for getting your ass out of trouble), or maybe a DocWagon contact (Need to get a super-platinum contract at a cut-rate?)


The character is an updated version of Skate (anyone who's read around the Shadowrun forum should know her,) and a conspiracy theorist, but it always helps to have a high-level contact.


... I don't suppose 12 BP and 6/6 is enough to get FastJack as a contact, is it? :)

[ornot]

I've only been on the forums a little while, so I'm afraid I'm not aware of the basis for your character.

As a GM I like to discuss a character's contacts with the player in quite a lot of detail. With a 6/6 contact you would need to come up with some pretty convincing explanation as to how you know them and why they like you that much.

Going from the source that has been released for 4th ed connection 6 is pretty far reaching, possibly game breaking. Check out the Denver update (in Commando Quarterly, accessible via the shadowrun missions site) for some individuals with their respective connection ratings. As an example, Elizabeth Kalheim, the CAS representative on the council of Denver, has a connection rating of 5. Consider how much more pull a level 6 contact would have.

[ShadowDragon8685]

That's what I'd call a "real bargain", then. :)


So if that's an example of a level 6 connected person, a level 6 should be someone like at least a Senator...... Hmmmmm.

[ornot]

Exactly! That's why I demanded good explanations for my players' high level contacts, and to maintain loyalty ratings they have to do a fair share of oddjobs too ^^

[ShadowDragon8685]

Of course, it could simply be that a 6-point, 2-meter scale is just not enough to properly portray a wide enough range of contacts.

So I'm trying to figure out who would be good. Major player in Lone Star Security Services, Inc? Government Agent? A high-level Mr. Johnson working for the Draco Foundation? A high-powered executive at Ares Macrotech?


I can come up with a good story, if only I know who they are. I'm just having a hard time pinning down who I want.

[hyzmarca]

Try Herr Lowfyr. If that doesn't work pick someone out of the unusual contacts thread.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...opic=13001&st=0

Bruce the Free Spirit St. Bernard looks like a good choice.
Will Smith, if the GM doesn't tar and feather you, has a lot of potential.
The Prodigal might provide some interesting magical support.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Lowfyr as a 6/6 contact, eh?


Now, my question is, why does a 500-BP asian lesbian hacker/raver/conspiracy-theorist in Seattle have such intimate ties to a Greater Dragon controlling what is possibly the world' most powerful megacorp (if only by a marginal margin.)


That's a challenge of a write-up, to be sure...

I'm trying to figure out why she would associate with him, though.

[JongWK]

Just a fair warning: Expect your GM to use that Loyalty rating both ways. Your contact might ask you some tough favors down the line, because he can only trust you and only you. :vegm:

[Grinder]

Never deal with a dragon! ;)

[ornot]

You know, I'd be inclined to buy a couple of contacts at a lower level than that. You'll be able to get hold of them a lot more easily, and their less likely to require you to scratch their backs as often.

Rating 3 connection seems pretty average for a decent fixer. Push it to 4 for a really good fixer.

I'd also say rating 4 was enough for a high ranking Lonestar operative. Might be able to make incriminating evidence go away and so forth. However, maintaining loyalty could be a pain, considering your line of work.

One of my players has the aforementioned Elizabeth Kalheim as a 5/5 contact. His explanation was that pre-crash he was contracted out to her as a bodyguard by his corp. He became her lover, and when she ran into a few less than savoury problems went and liquidized them for her.

Post Crash and post SIN she provides him with lots of information on political movers and shakers, corp actions and the media. She also uses her connections to arrange for licences and other special dispensation. She has yet to make any demands of his time, but I thoroughly intend to make him clean up the occasional mess!

[ShadowDragon8685]

Heheh. Lofwyr (or Hestaby, or...)

Would be a pretty neat contact, woulden't they? I mean sure, it'll put you in a lot of high adventure, but I didn't sign into this biz to just get by. Plus, assuming you survive the insane stuff they send you to do, they're the ultimate big tippers.

A good Lone Star exec would be good, but unless you have a habit of handling the stuff Lone Star finds inefficient to do on their own, would be hard to keep his Loyalty up. And when the loyalty takes a crapper, that Connections rating suddenly becomes an ass-seeking missile locked onto your own personal rear.

[the_dunner]

I'm glad to see people getting some use out of the Denver article. :)

The direct link to the hosting for the file is here. It's the 1st Quarter 2006 issue of Commando Quarterly.

[coolgrafix]

This probably goes without saying, but if you're struggling with a 6/6 then it probably doesn't make sense for the character.

You may be doing this backwards... looking at how many points you have and seeing the "best" contact you can get. I recommend coming up with the broad outlines of your character's contacts first, fleshing them out and determining relationships and reasons for relationships and then assigning points. You may find that your character would a) should realistically have more contacts and b) be better served in the long run by more contacts.

That being said, my first SR4 character had a 6/6, also. He was a face character with a high lifestyle whose estranged father was chairman of the board for a megacorp.

Keep in mind that you don't have to be Lofwyr's bed buddy to have a 6/6 contact. The 1-6 continuum is really only a subset of possibilities. It's just assumed that no runner would have a connection to anyone more powerful than a mob boss, corp exec, etc. You'll note the conspicuous absence of "head of state" or similar powerful positions in the examples for Connection.

From SR 4 page 278/279...

Connection 6: Well-connected individual who knows people all over the world, or holds a key executive position. Examples: mob boss, corporate executive, Mr. Johnson or fixer or fence with international ties.

Loyalty 6: Friend For Life. The contact will do whatever he can for the character, even if it means putting his own life on the line.

[ornot]

The Denver article is great ^^

I decided to set my campaign in Denver pretty much on the strength of that article.

[hyzmarca]

Lowfyr isn't a Dragon.
Lofwyr is a Dragon.


Okay, it was a typo.

Lets see. Your lesbian raver goes to a rave one day. She meats this strange and mysterious young woman and has a reat time partying with her. Both of them have a little bit too much synthahol and Skate wakes up to the sound of the bed she is in shattering under the weight of a hungover Great Western Dragon who went out in the form of a lesbian human woman because he wanted to have a good time. Dragon law forbids heterosexual intercourse between humans and dragons due to unfortunate incidents during the Age of Dragons but homosexual encounters do not violate the spirit of the law.

Afterwards, Lowfyr used his resources to stalk her. He sends her emails, calls her at all hours, and is generally annoying. He really wants to get together for another "lesbian" date but at the same time he wants to keep their "relationship" quiet because the other Great Dragons might not understand. :rotfl:

[ShadowDragon8685]

Hyz....


You are a sick bastard, you know that, right? That's just...


Excuse me. I'm off to take a shower, and a shot. A shower of liquid nitrogen, and a shot of cyanide.

[hyzmarca]

Well, I don't know enough about the character's history to come up with a better reason why she'd have Lofwyr as a contact.

[Edward]

Loan star or dock wagon wont constitute connection 6.

Your looking at ether highly placed in organized crime (ether head of a family or close to it), major corporate (as in upper management of a mega corps local operations (he knows people in other corps locally and international managers in his corp.)) government bigwig (senator that sits on several comities and is owed plenty of favors, choos one with a safe seat) or the best fixer in the world.

That constitutes connection 6

Loyalty 6 for that type of people, you knew them before they got there position. You may have helped them to obtain there position but you where friends before you did that. Alternatively with your GMs permission you could describe your loyalty rating as your possessing such potent blackmail material that they can not afford to cut you off.

I can see it now.
Contact head of security for Aries macrotechnolagy Seattle 6/6
Enemy (using the old system) head of security for Aries macrotechnolagy Seattle
Influence high, motivation low (high but cant afford to act), information low,

I was the one he hired for the runs to make his predecessor look bad. He gave us the access coads, security complements, location of multi million nuyen research and set up the sale of the project data to the competition. If I fail to send a message to a location every weak the data will be sent to every regional Aries manager.



Personally I would take a fixer. Anything else is only useful in narrow circumstances. This man can get you anything.

If the GM gives bonuses for appropriate contact (gun dealer when wanting guns) then it would be worth taking something you will use a lot. For example if you are heavy in weapons use (including combat and surveillance drones, armor and armored vehicles, military and security communications equipment) the local rep for Aries arms Seattle would be useful to you, I would call him a connections 6 contact, with secondary contacts in Aries and other corporations. Knowledge of and contacts with all major arms customers in the greater Seattle aria (including government, military, corporate, gang and smuggler organizations), and the ability to sell you anything on the Aries arms catalog.

If your into looting then a fence would be a good pick

If the RAW is followed however it doesn’t matter who you know. A corporate secutary is as likely to be able to get you a gun as a gun runner.

[ornot]

[Teulisch]

best way to run it- PC is the black sheep of the family, and her brother/sister is a VERY high-up corperate official. loyalty 6 is about FAMILY. you would do a run for no pay, risking your all, to rescue them from certain death. and they would do the same for you.

Keep in mind, connection 6 means your contact is almost never availible. It would be a lot better, in most cases, to have several 3/3 contacts, instead of one 6/6. maybe you could have a 2/4 or a 4/2. but 6 pts is good for the average contact.

Things you will want to have: a fixer, a doctor, a fence. a hacker will need a deckmeister contact as well (or whatever the new name for them is- a hacker gear specialist). some kind of rave-related contact would be a good idea as well if theres any points left. a connection 1 loyalty 6 lesbian would provide a lot of roleplay options a well (bonus points if shes a troll!)

[NightHaunter]

A 6/6 contact doesn't exist at character generation for me.
"A characters past should NOT be more exciting than its future!"

How the hell does someone that well connected owe someone that much that they would die for them, "love" maybe but it would have to be two way.

Buy lots of cheaper contacts instead.

[Gauvain]

I have on my current character one Loyalty 6 contact. Cousin, saved his life, ect ect. Which, dispite being of royal rank in the Tir, is still only connection 3. Citizens make somewhat dubious contacts..they often don't have what you want.

[Voran]

I do kinda like the rules of 'the higher rated the contact's connection rating is, the less likely they'll be available'. Makes sense, a high connected contact would be BUSY, not just waiting around for you to call them. So while they might be loyal, and well connected, their other responsibilities could result in them not being available.

You think Daddy Bush can drop everything just cause his drunk daughters need him? Tho, one has to wonder how high a loyalty rating he has with members of his family :)

[Nikoli]

Unless I am using a particular contact to advance a plot piece, I roll the d6. Then I roll their loyalty in d6s to get an idea of how long they take to respond.
base 6 hours-1 per hit. You could get really lucky and they call you back right fast.

[Lindt]