Arachnid reaction, For a character idea Options

[Chrysalis]

Hi all,

I am looking at creating a decker who has the similar problem as a certain character in Desolation Jones. To quote:

She's ex-Agency, like you and Jeronimus. And, like Jeronimus, she had surgical alteration. She was supposed to be the ultimate honey trap. Overproduction of sex-trigger pheromones.

Didn't work.

What she produces is something that hits the arachnid reaction. It's fear and revulsion and the disturbance of proximity to something alien.

Maybe phermone additions gone bad? Gone really bad?

Second question is what is the advantage of having this kind of disadvantage? Since the type of character maybe sultry, but there is something so utterly horribly wrong with her.

-Chrysalis

[Speed Wraith]

Rules-wise I'd use it as a form of tailored pheromones that only provides dice on intimidation-related tests...but that's just he quick ruling I'd make, I'm sure you could get into it with far more detail, such as by modifying the fear critter power rules.

[Velocity219e]

my first question would be why is she running the shadows when she has an ability which is fabulously suited to interrogation, clearly a flexible moral code is present given the nature of shadowrunning.

OTOH being massively loathed feared and avoided even by your runner mates (I'm assuming this is permanent not triggered) would have some pretty devestating psychological consequences.

[Ancient History]

Heh. It's funny, a couple of us are familiar with the comic (I personally adore it) and wanted to work something like this in to Street Magic (as an adept power) or Augmentation, but it never really went beyond the conceptual stage.

[Cabral]

I like the Specilized Tailored Pheremones version: x.8 Essence & cost, maybe +2 availability. Same bonus, but only applies to Intimidate checks.

[Chrysalis]

Heh. It's funny, a couple of us are familiar with the comic (I personally adore it) and wanted to work something like this in to Street Magic (as an adept power) or Augmentation, but it never really went beyond the conceptual stage.

Well now is your chance!

I picked up the comic book yesterday when I also picked up my Shadowrun football club book.


The arachnid reaction is on all the time. The closer the proximity the greater the creeping out.

While phermone based there is a whole other side there as well. I would even say if a character was put in a bio-hazard suit with a mirrored faceplate there would be something that would increase the creep factor to serious levels.

[Stahlseele]

Heh. It's funny, a couple of us are familiar with the comic (I personally adore it) and wanted to work something like this in to Street Magic (as an adept power) or Augmentation, but it never really went beyond the conceptual stage.

and i still want you guys to make a PDF with all the unpublished stuff . . maybe as optional rules or kinda a look behind the scenes like the sixth world book or something like that . .

[Chrysalis]

Hi all,

Here's what I came up with:

Essence Availability Cost
Tailored pheromones (Rating 1-3) Rating x 0.3 (Ratingx5)R Rating x 20,000¥


Arachnid reaction:

The subject's body is altered to release specially designed phermones to influence terror in others. The arachnid reaction gives the subject the power to fill the people around it with overwhelming, paralyzing terror. The victim will freeze in panic until the being is safely away. The arachnid reaction add their rating as a dicepool modifier to Charisma and Intimidate Skill Tests.

The subject makes a willpower + charisma Opposed Test against the target's willpower. The terror lasts for 1 combat round per net scored by the being. Even after that point, the target must succeed in a willpower + Charisma (being's net hits) Test to return.

[Chrysalis]

No thoughts?

Not even a "cool" or "crap"?

-Chrysalis

[weblife]

No thoughts?

Not even a "cool" or "crap"?

-Chrysalis

Cool!

But, whats bad for people is good for spiders. Insects use pheromones and often you can trigger responses to get them to do what you want done. (At least in movies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) )

So, let her Influence common spiders and giver her a bonus to interact with Spider Spirits. She could do the whole Zerg usurper thing that, whats her name, Killian? did in Starcraft.

Does this thing have a rating? - Then apply it as a bonus and use ordinary interaction, if it does not have a rating, maybe treat it as Influence power on spiders and Spider Spirits?

Like Mantis spirits, she may also seem very intimidating to "prey" Insect sprits. She's reeking of predator to most insects. - Hey, there is an anti-bug spray that repells the bug spirits, and thats taken from a mystic mantis thingy, these pheromones of hers shoudl atleast match that.

Its in Arsenal.

[Sir_Psycho]

I'm pretty sure the "Arachnid" reaction is a namesake, it doesn't actually have any effect on real arachnids. It's just a metaphor for the terror inducing pheromone reaction.

I just compared it to normal tailored pheremones. It's good that you've raised the price and essence cost, because it is a considerable advantage, depending on whether the gamesmaster enforces (via roleplay) the negative aspects (of people basically finding you chilling). I like that it still works for the Charisma rating, but rather than people doing your bidding because they suddenly get a fuzzy feeling, it's because you unnerve them. I love it.

Although, you haven't specified what exactly the terror reaction does in combat? Does it handicap their reaction/initiative? Does it impair a -1 modifier to all tests. Does it force a composure test? Also, have you considered that this might also be useful for interrogation as well as intimidation? Willpower drop?

Once that's all ironed out, I heartily suggest you take this to Divine Virus. I very much like the idea of a fear-face. Sickly sweet. I hope to see it in our game.

Also, it would be good if there was some sort of vaccination/booster shot that makes your own team mates immune to the Arachnid reaction. Beta Sykora could probably whip that up.

[weblife]

Then it has nothing to do with pheromones but has more in common with fear-inducing psychotropic chemicals.

Pheromones would be "better", as they simply use a naturally occurring chemical, synthetize it and boosts its volume and give detailed control to the user.

Inducing fear can be done by brute force aerosol drugs and AFAIK exist even today.

[Chrysalis]

I'm pretty sure the "Arachnid" reaction is a namesake, it doesn't actually have any effect on real arachnids. It's just a metaphor for the terror inducing pheromone reaction.

I just compared it to normal tailored pheremones. It's good that you've raised the price and essence cost, because it is a considerable advantage, depending on whether the gamesmaster enforces (via roleplay) the negative aspects (of people basically finding you chilling). I like that it still works for the Charisma rating, but rather than people doing your bidding because they suddenly get a fuzzy feeling, it's because you unnerve them. I love it.

Although, you haven't specified what exactly the terror reaction does in combat? Does it handicap their reaction/initiative? Does it impair a -1 modifier to all tests. Does it force a composure test? Also, have you considered that this might also be useful for interrogation as well as intimidation? Willpower drop?

Once that's all ironed out, I heartily suggest you take this to Divine Virus. I very much like the idea of a fear-face. Sickly sweet. I hope to see it in our game.

Also, it would be good if there was some sort of vaccination/booster shot that makes your own team mates immune to the Arachnid reaction. Beta Sykora could probably whip that up.

Indeed, the arachnid reaction doesn't have any reaction on arachnids.

What I have there is merged together tailored phermones and the Magical ability of fear. I checked the BBB, interrogation is not there, but intimdation is, which is what I would expect interrogation to be based on.

Fear says that instead of freezing the target has an urge to escape to safety. Nothing about dice modifiers. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

Individual protection, same as with phermones, starts with a gas mask and through various levels of protective clothing up to a complete chemical-resistant suit with a self-contained air supply.

[Sir_Psycho]

I'd hope that if a medically trained shadowrunner with decent tools took a sample of the pheremone glands producing the pheremone, then some sort of specific immune system response "vaccine" could be synthesized, allowing the other runners in the team to function about their business without getting batshit terrified by their own team-mate.

Let me just consult the BBB. Ah, I forgot that Interrogation is now a specialisation of Intimidation. It was it's own skill in SR3.

Ah yes, this is definately a much darker take on the traditional face.

[Chrysalis]

I think it's neat.

-Chrysalis

[Rad]

I can't believe I didn't think of this before, must not have had Augmentation when I saw this thread the last time:

Chemical Gland (Bioware, Augmentation P. 68) + Cybergland (Augmentation P. 33) + Nausea Gas (Corerules P. 246)

+ Probably something to make her immune to the gas.

Of course, this only works if Nausea Gas is organic enough to be produced by a chemical gland, but I'd say use the same stats and just call it an organic compound with similar effects.

It's not a perfect reproduction, maybe, but Robina did puke after spending time with her so the effects sound about right. The sad thing is, I had to google for Robina's name because it's been so long since I read this.

I loved the six-issue intro, but I didn't realize it had been picked up by Wildstorm after that. I kept coming into the comic shop to see if there were any new issues, and by the time I noticed it in the DC rack on my way to the back where all the good comics are, I had already missed a ton of issues, and they didn't have all the back ones anymore.

Fragging sucks. I'll have to order the back-issues when I'm up on my nuyen...

[Da9iel]

Arachnid reaction? Why some arachnids have a reaction so fast it borders on precognition! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)