Changelings - how common as PCs Options

[MortVent]

Now I am working on a new TM and seriously considering going with surge. Actually worked out how it could be the reason they are headed into the shadows (all job offers retracted, friends just not there anymore, bills from the surge forcing the selling of almost everything they owned, etc)

I got to thinking, how common are major surge characters as PCs.

I can see quite a few who pick and choose traits that make them better, but still normal. But how many pick traits that make them freaks (and rarely benefit them directly in the character's focus.. claws, fangs, animal pelage, etc don't help hackers/tms all that much)

For the character I have:(based on a pic someone showed me of a raver skunk morph)

advantages
- Fangs (5)
- Claws (5)
- Animal Pelt - Insulating (5)
- Natural hardening (10) [yeah that one helps, but TM abilites were unlocked at the same time]
- Keen hearing (5)

disadvantages
- Vestigial tail (5)
- Deformity 10pt [animal hybrid features]


This does make the character physically notable, making them more a matrix only type to a point. Not someone that can sneak in as a tech at the plant.

But the character's schooling and actual SIN does give them ways to gather and get into places most runners can't just con/sneak into (background is college grad with a bachelors in economics, but equivalency of an associates in corp law and finance with the appropriate UCAS bar/cpa licenses giving them some legit reasons for being at certain presentations, seminars, etc) due to the lack of knowledge (and lets face it a knowsoft is nice, but being legit is foolproof when the corp scans your SIN)

But how many have actually had runners that were the obvious grotesque or freakish changelings in their games? (and not just one shots, but long term)

[HunterHerne]

I have to agree, for the most part about the PC building. The most "Freakish" Changeling I've used was an NPC cop, and only because of deformity (an abnormally large throat, which I consider to be the location of his Biological sonar), along with "naturally" neon green eyes and hair, giving him an almost frog-like appearance.

The concept is a good idea, though. The problem is that even if peopel are getting more adjusted to it, the character will be marginalized and remembered fairly easily.

[BlackHat]

Probably depends on the game (and the team). In a pink-mohawk-ish game where the other characters already have freak-show augmentations that make them stand out, nobody may bat an eye at a changeling (and I agree, changelings have cool built in reasons to be in the shadows). On the other end of the extreme (black mirrorshades?), where everyone is as professional as they can be and PCs have to make sure their crimes don't draw too much attention, most Runners (and Johnsons) wouldn't touch such a character, for the same reason they might avoid working with anyone with a distinctive style (which a lot of changeling qualities gives you), or a lot of the other Runner's Companion alternative concepts. Being the team known to work with a "skunk-man" is probably on par with having a naga or centaur on your team, or some rare metavariant or HMVV - in terms of standing out. Of course, if the team is willing to put up with having an anthropamorphic skunk on the team because he's a wiz hacker, they could just leave him at home when they meet the J and work remotely on the job and still keep a low profile, when they need to... but mechanically, being a changeling probably makes you a little bit worse than if you weren't a skunk furry, so it is mostly all disadvantage. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Your mileage may vary, of course.

I've never actually played a changeling, although I have built a handful from time to time with every intention of doing so. I like the idea that if they're not socially accepted (because they're freaks), they would naturally gravitate to the Shadows, since they have no hope of leading any sort of normal life. I also love the idea that their qualities are genetic in nature and can pass on to their offspring, but that is the sort of fluff that is awesome, but won't actually come up in a shadowrun game.

[MortVent]

Well I can actually see it in a black mirrorshades game as well.

A lot of street sams, trolls, orcs, etc would all stand out easily in a crowd due to metatype or augmentations. But you can also have racial lines, a black dude in a suit is still going to stand out a lot at MCT's Seattle offices.

That is what attracted me to the idea of a changeling that doesn't blend in so well. Makes you consider how they handle meets, keeping a low profile, and basically survive when everyone can identify you.. How you keep the shadow side of your life from intruding on the 'normal' one.

The matrix is the key with the concept I use, her Fixer understands the situation and has to make allowances for it (skill set is useful, and not what a lot of his stable would have coming from the streets)

I can see a fixer working on trying them out as an online negotiator and data hound at first, maybe work them into a team as an advisor and leg work helper (at reduced pay rates)


Now when they start building up credits and toys, thinks like drones and such open other options

[BlackHat]

Yeah, if your GM and other players are willing to work with you, it could work out and be a lot of fun. In general, a lot of GMs are against the idea of stay-at-home hackers/deckers already and, in those games, this sort of character would probably be problematic.

[Paul]

In my own game I can't honestly recall any of my players expressing an interest in SURGE. We pretty much universally revile it.

[CanRay]

One person in my area loves them. Of course, he's a bit touched in the head.

...

OK, he's downright nuts. And consider the source!

[Caadium]

Nobody in my group has ever played a Changeling. I did use the rules to recreate a goofy character from 3e days that was pretty freakish and pink mohawk. When Man and Machine came out I made a pink mohawk character called "Kaptain Kangaroo" using Kid Stealth Legs, Hydraulic Jack, and balance ware (like the tail). I only ever GM, so the character never got played. For the fun of it, I did a version of the character as a Changeling instead of all ware based. Again though, it's never been played.

The player that occasionally assists me as GM sees SURGE the same way I do. For somethings, like a Kaptain Kangaroo idea, it has its place. For it's pure min-maxing abilities it's not as well received.

[Tech_Rat]

Personally, I like to go the (cancer causing) route. I roll a die, and see what a couple of the Surges would be. Pick and choose some, roll the rest. That way the character's focus is still taken into account, but there's a lot of chance as to what may happen.

That said, I love the concept. Now I'm wondering why I never tried surging...

[CanRay]

Just thought of a good reason to not allow SURGE.

[ravensmuse]

I'm a fan of SURGE, myself. I think Tehana has expressed an interest in playing a Changeling before; the other two players are still sort of newer to the world and haven't branched much out of the corebook.

I think for me it's just a really great example of the sheer weird that the Sixth World likes to toss at its inhabitants. You get to cruising altitude, everything's going fine, and then, poof! UGE. Goblinzation. SURGE. Otaku. Virtuakinetics.

Plus, unlike orks and trolls, there's no rhyme or reason to SURGE. One guy grows seven feet tall and has (metaphorical) shovels for hands, another girl gets astral vision. It doesn't make any sense, but it's such an expression of the mutability of magic...mm.

Now, if I could ever play....

[MortVent]

Just thought of a good reason to not allow SURGE.

advantages:
satyr legs (10)
bicardiac (10)
celerity (5)
ogre stomach (5)

disadvantages:
unusual hair (5)
Vestigial tail (5)
deformity (5) [horse like features]


doable.. because I am evil at times

[CanRay]

All they'd need is a tattoo on the hoop.

[Ol' Scratch]

I've made a T'skrang face (with some variant description of traits) and an Obsidiman mage using Class III changelings before. They were for more laid back games, however. Full-blown changelings just don't make a lot of sense in more "serious" games. They're just way too recognizable to be useful as a disposable asset. Even if there's a large population of changelings in any given metroplex, you're still almost guaranteed to be unique amongst them.

But, yeah, I'll often go that route in games that aren't taking themselves too seriously and are just out to have some fun.

[MortVent]

yeah, to a point.

Though sometimes a serious game can be about the changeling's likely short life. Unless they are able to operate as vehicle riggers/hackers of some sort (aka stay in the van, only meet through the net)

A lot of the abilites allow for insane bonuses (elf, glamour, adept of the speaker way.. )

[ArmourDefense]

We had few surged in a very pink mohawk game. The one I recall the most was a surged gnome paraglider with a venomous tail. He used the paraglider to land in unexpected places and then the tail plus an autoinjector full of combat drugs to wreak havoc on anything he landed near.

The others I recall were mostly fairly "normal" cat people.

Fit in fairly well in a game where previously we had lost a number of characters when the riggers van crashed and and the the people tied to the roof became road pizza. We started tying characters to the roof of the van when we realized there were not enough windows to shoot out of when we where chasing people in the van. It was a short lived experiment.

[Glyph]

SURGE can be workable if you play up the data balkanization and overall "Wild West" aspect of the setting, but really, that can be said of 90% of the game's options. Playing a "serious" game of Shadowrun is like trying to play a serious game of Toon.

[Saint Sithney]

From a numbers standpoint, a Technomancer is orders of magnitude rarer and by fluff more feared/mistrusted than a SURGEling.

That's something to think about.

[Glyph]

They're harder to recognize walking down the street, though. Which, of course, is part of the reason for the fear and paranoia.

I've always found the anti-technomancer phobia contrived and lame, though, when a hacker with an implanted commlink can do more or less the exact same thing. Even as corporate instigated hysteria, it still falls flat.

[Ol' Scratch]

Playing a "serious" game of Shadowrun is like trying to play a serious game of Toon.

Funny, I've managed it many, many times and I've played in such games many, many times.

[Glyph]

Toon, or Shadowrun?

[Tech_Rat]

Knowin' Ol' Scratch? I expect his answer to be along the lines of "both", with no other details given.

[Glyph]

You can play Shadowrun games with plenty of grit, distopia, and pathos. It's just that I have a hard time getting into the Orwellian surveillance society, with hyper-paranoid and ultra-inconspicuous runners, some people seem to see the game as. That's what I mean by "serious game". There are too many ludicrously over the top things in the backstory of the game, and too many gonzo options for characters, for me to see that style of game as a good fit for Shadowrun.

[KarmaInferno]

I blame The Matrix films.

I mean, seriously, take a look at the 1st edition archetype artwork. They are about as opposite of mirrorshade / black trenchcoat as you can get.





-k

[Ol' Scratch]

Knowin' Ol' Scratch? I expect his answer to be along the lines of "both", with no other details given.

Then you don't know me that well. But yes, sometimes I assume people can put 2 and 2 together without needing their hands held. God forbid. I mean, we're on a forum dedicated to Shadowrun, in a thread discussing how a certain type of character fits in a Shadowrun game. So, naturally, I must have been talking about Toon campaigns in my previous reply. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif)

You can play Shadowrun games with plenty of grit, distopia, and pathos. It's just that I have a hard time getting into the Orwellian surveillance society, with hyper-paranoid and ultra-inconspicuous runners, some people seem to see the game as. That's what I mean by "serious game". There are too many ludicrously over the top things in the backstory of the game, and too many gonzo options for characters, for me to see that style of game as a good fit for Shadowrun.

You don't need to go overboard to have a more serious game. But you can easily play it where most of the outrageous aspects of the game are simply accepted as being normal. An ordinary troll walking down Main Street or a street magician performing a few real but minor illusions for tips is only outrageous if you compare it to the real world. It's perfectly normal in Shadowrun, however, and it won't raise that many eyebrows. At least no more than any other really big guy or street performer would today. A traditional (ie, non-player made) Class III changeling, however, will stand out like a sore thumb, just like some of those extreme body alteration freaks of today would. Doubly so since that is specifically the case in the game world; changelings are freaks in the Sixth World. Treating them appropriately is completely par of the course in a game that takes the setting seriously rather than treating it as an excuse for silliness. You know, like comparing it to Toon.

If people like that were running around committing major crime sprees, they'd get pretty damn quickly in the modern world. Same with extreme changelings in the Sixth.

Or in other words "serious" does not equal "Orwellian surveillance society, with hyper-paranoid and ultra-inconspicuous runners." It just means more believable and less "do whatever the hell you want, look however the hell you want, and party on woooo!"