Tools of the Trade, Mundane Items with Shadowrunning uses. Options

[JudgementLoaf]

Ok- Here is the challenge: find mundane or semi-mundane items that can be incredibly useful to a shadowrunner when used creatively.

Ill start the ball rolling:

Paint Grenade: Commonly made at home or sold to paintball enthusiasts (insert similar 2070 sport of choice here) for use in their games, paint grenades are mundane tools that simply splatter paint everywhere nearby. While nearly harmless (except in the off chance it hits you in the eye) these grenades make everything a little more colorful around where they land.

Shadowrunners use: While ineffective at incapacitating targets, paint grenades can do one thing very, very well. They are the bane of the invisible, be it a cloaked mage or a sniper in a chameleon suit. After all, nothing screams stealthy like a giant swab of pink paint all over your nice ruthenium polymer jacket. As an added bonus, their inability to hurt people allows them to be used a very close range, to get a clear (albeit colorful) picture of your surroundings, and anything hiding within reach of the grenade. They also often leave paint drips, making tracking a "wounded" opponent much easier. Last but not least, they are cheap to make and can be made at home by simply filling a water balloon with a color of your choice. Of course, by 2070, a number of official grenades would exist with an even paint scatter for maximum coverage, but even the homemade ones will work in a pinch.

[WeaverMount]

I'd go even more simple. There are some disgustingly innocuous IEDs. Chlorine gas will mess you up something fierce. Autopickers are easy enough to get. A halfway descent tool box will get you into most any building, and the barest of cover stories works 99% of the time.
As for what you can do on a half way descent computer, I know that in austin tx (at least) that hackers spent more time watching footage from traffic cams than any officials. If you want to talk hardware hacks police scanners, and HERF guns are really easy. There are kitchen sink builds of both.

[Jackstand]

Ok- Here is the challenge: find mundane or semi-mundane items that can be incredibly useful to a shadowrunner when used creatively.

Ill start the ball rolling:

Paint Grenade: Commonly made at home or sold to paintball enthusiasts (insert similar 2070 sport of choice here) for use in their games, paint grenades are mundane tools that simply splatter paint everywhere nearby. While nearly harmless (except in the off chance it hits you in the eye) these grenades make everything a little more colorful around where they land.

Shadowrunners use: While ineffective at incapacitating targets, paint grenades can do one thing very, very well. They are the bane of the invisible, be it a cloaked mage or a sniper in a chameleon suit. After all, nothing screams stealthy like a giant swab of pink paint all over your nice ruthenium polymer jacket. As an added bonus, their inability to hurt people allows them to be used a very close range, to get a clear (albeit colorful) picture of your surroundings, and anything hiding within reach of the grenade. They also often leave paint drips, making tracking a "wounded" opponent much easier. Last but not least, they are cheap to make and can be made at home by simply filling a water balloon with a color of your choice. Of course, by 2070, a number of official grenades would exist with an even paint scatter for maximum coverage, but even the homemade ones will work in a pinch.

A splash grenade with paint under pressure, however, can hit stuff, say, on the ceiling, such as the lenses of certain ubiquitous security devices.

Rolling a can of spray paint into a room and shooting it works ok for that, too.

[Hatspur]

Your average water bottle is innocous enough not to get noticed by anybody and you could possibly make an airtight one for those pesky chemical sniffers. It's a very convenient way to carry liquid explosive or an individual under the "turn to Goo" spell (Not my idea, someone else on this board was brilliant).

I personally find flats and hobo clothes the most convenient because people will automatically ignore you if you're in either.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

Sleeping pills and hot dogs: great for any para critter watch dogs.

[psychophipps]

Two words: Duct and Tape

[Zombayz]

Duck Tape: Handyman's Secret Weapon


Bonus point for the reference.

[SpasticTeapot]

On further uses of paint grenades:

1. Cheaply available industrial solvents will do a number very, very quickly on many synthetic materials - especially tires.

2. Filled with a colorless, odorless paint that only fluoresces under a very narrow band of wavelengths, a paint grenade can be used to "tag" a target without their knowlege - useful for keeping tabs on someone in a crowd.

3. For this trick, you need two paint grenades: A large one filled with a cyanoacrylate solution (a.k.a superglue), and a very small one filled with a catalyst. The glue will set in quite literally seconds - likely fusing its targets' hands and feet to whatever they're touching. These are available at any good hobby store today, and I can tell you that that it's INCREDIBLY easy to glue your fingers together.

I'd go even more simple. There are some disgustingly innocuous IEDs. Chlorine gas will mess you up something fierce. Autopickers are easy enough to get. A halfway descent tool box will get you into most any building, and the barest of cover stories works 99% of the time.
As for what you can do on a half way descent computer, I know that in austin tx (at least) that hackers spent more time watching footage from traffic cams than any officials. If you want to talk hardware hacks police scanners, and HERF guns are really easy. There are kitchen sink builds of both.

The problem with autopickers and HERF guns is that they won't work in a world of maglocks and completely optical ICs. As for police scanners, a remotely-updated time-locked encryption system would be murder to keep patched into.

[CanRay]

Duck Tape: Handyman's Secret Weapon

Bonus point for the reference.

Red Green Show. I grew up in Northern Ontario.

As for a tool? Red Toolbox full of handyman's tools.

What? I can think of a dozen uses for a Claw Hammer alone!

And just think of what you can do with a Cordless Drill!

[Chrome Tiger]

Sometimes the simplest of weapons get overlooked. Socks make very good bludgeons when filled with miscellaneous metal and stone objects, wrapping some simple chain around your fist makes good improv brass knuckles, and table legs are good clubs and sometimes great vampire offing tools. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Air nailers and stablers may not be deadly, but they can sure annoy people in a pinch.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

Treble hook hanging from monofiliment line tied in branches or form fire escapes at face high would slow down dang near anyone.

A handfull of carpet tacks or roofing nails and marbles was always usefull in slowing someone down too.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

Go to the store and get

a roll of duct tape : 2.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
a box of latex gloves : 4.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
a jar of petrolium jelly : 1.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
and a can of cat food .50 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

the look on the check-out clerk's face : priceless

[WeaverMount]

Go to the store and get

a roll of duct tape : 2.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
a box of latex gloves : 4.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
a jar of petrolium jelly : 1.99 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)
and a can of cat food .50 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

the look on the check-out clerk's face : priceless

Plus every house should have a good store of all of the above (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

@SpasticTeapot, yeah auto pickers are pretty worthless in 2070. I still figure a herf gun would become a jammer in SR's fantasy physics.

[crash2029]

psychophipps Posted Yesterday, 12:17 AM
Two words: Duct and Tape

Damn you! I was gonna say that! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sarcastic.gif)

waterproof matches
penlight
pocket knife (seriously, no matter what century it is, it is always handy to have a blade)
superglue
1 extra bullet or 1 cyanide capsule
condom (NOT in case of pornomancers)
paperclip

Deluxe Kit:

[ Spoiler ]

MacGuyver

[Dumori]

In fact with the jury rig quality its worth while filling your pockets with bits and bobs so you can make any thing you might need. we need to get the door open hum what do i have then......

[apollo124]

Swiss Army Knife, the "every tool you might need" tool for centuries! Some modern versions even have USB memory sticks and computer repair screwdrivers on them now. One wonders what innovations them Swiss will come up with in 2070.
http://www.swissarmy.com/Pages/Home.aspx

A claw hammer, if nothing else is working whack it with the hammer. As useful for opening stuck doors as for negotiations with stubborn informants.

Waterproof rubber black electrical tape. Need a seal on something that's watertight? Insulation against some minor electrical shock? Emergency handcuffs? Emergency gag? Got ya covered.

[CanRay]

Sometimes the simplest of weapons get overlooked. Socks make very good bludgeons when filled with miscellaneous metal and stone objects, wrapping some simple chain around your fist makes good improv brass knuckles, and table legs are good clubs and sometimes great vampire offing tools. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Chairleg of Truth.

[PirateRogue]

An addition to the whole paint grenade idea, trip lines loaded with IR visible paint. Makes it much harder to lose the people chasing you in you are covered with paint that shows on IR. And as a bonus to the corp who used the IR paint bomb, it's much easier to clean up paint than it is to repair a hallway.

As for tools, Well the typical Leatherman or whatever it's modern equivalent is.

[HappyDaze]

Slaves are still one of the best tools for your money, especially if you have a pornomancer and Possession tradition magician on the team. There's little that can't be handled if you're willing to put up with a higher bodycount!

[KCKitsune]

Slaves are still one of the best tools for your money, especially if you have a pornomancer and Possession tradition magician on the team. There's little that can't be handled if you're willing to put up with a higher bodycount!

Except with a high body count you run the risk of 'Star getting interested. If you can get in, get the paydata, and get out without a shot fired, then it might be days before the target knows that SOMETHING went down.

[HappyDaze]

Subtle is overrated. Let's get back to the pink mohawks! If you can get hundreds or even thousands to take up arms in your name, you can fight the Star head-on and possibly stand a chance of sticking it to the man.

Hopefully you've got your next batch ready about the time the first batch is dying...

[WeaverMount]

pocket knife (seriously, no matter what century it is, it is always handy to have a blade)

I have a non-smoking friend who hasn't left an urban area in years who carries a knife and a lighter at all times because he feels that it's his birth right as a human to have the capacity to cut stuff and start fires, and doesn't ever want to completely fail at being human

[apollo124]

Subtle is overrated. Let's get back to the pink mohawks! If you can get hundreds or even thousands to take up arms in your name, you can fight the Star head-on and possibly stand a chance of sticking it to the man.

Hopefully you've got your next batch ready about the time the first batch is dying...

Send in the Clones!

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

[HappyDaze]

Clones can get expensive compared to fawning hordes of barrens dwellers that you've brainwashed into following your vision. Looking at the big picture, pornomancers are the greatest threat to any foe.

[CanRay]

In a different Cyberpunk game, we were able to bring down a Corporation's Stock to pennies on the dollar by using gangers, illegal immigrants, cheap food, and 30-year old school busses.

'Course, they had a crazy guy at the place where all these people were "Protesting" with a Gattling Shotgun that couldn't wait to use it, but that's a different story.