Hard Targets is out in PDF .... Options

[Beta]

....and I'm hoping to see some reviews of it here. I just trust Dumpshock on that front more than the official forums. (And I'm trying to decide what is next on my buy list-- it, Chrome Flesh, or the hacker one.)

[Sendaz]

Just got this last night.

Several good points about it.

First is it's got a Clear Table of Contents that is linked so you can just to the page. A good step forward given some of the other items. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

It does start off with a full blown headcase putting up an article for the Jackpoint. Not like Miles and FastJack who were slipping into it, but rather the final result of a takeover. I admit I was a bit wary at first, but this character gives a face if you will to what we are confronting that many of the other threats in the past never quite did. Sure we had Bugs stomping all over Chicago but there were pretty much swarms. Shedim were sadly never really played to the fullest, being more bogeyman. But here Riser 2.0 is an entity on itself, a mix of old and new in a frightfully capable combination.

Love em or Hate em, CFD and it's fallout are here and both sides of the equation are coming to grips with it.

And there is a lot of fallout, which means work aplenty. We get glimpses at both Corps and other organizations who are either giving out contracts or having contracts laid out against them, including the Shedim and Ordo Maximus.

But that's not what all the corps are doing. A lot of AA's are jockeying for position, making allies for a shot at the AAA title. In the meantime the big 10 are using the CC to audit the AA's to try and keep them down. There is going to be a lot of work on all sides it's whether protecting/attacking auditors, trying to cover up or blow the lid off sections people want left alone or more, this is going to be fought mostly in the shadows.

Rumours of a revamped SIN system abound, but not much crunch-wise. Remember the arguments about being SINless? Well now they want to introduce Outsider SINs to slap on anyone they catch without a SIN, basically all the identification and being tracked without any benefits of a citizen.
Expect this to play havoc with Fake SINs as well as they ramp up the level of identification checks, so Mr. Troll wont be able to use the level 1 fake SIN showing a Chinese dwarven grandmother that he paid the local junkie for.
Again, this is not actually in play, but looks like foreshadowing of things to come.... Or means more work for the Deckers as all this extra data might not be as secure as the CC would like to make it out to be.


Next we see a series of contracts out for those interested in some work, serving as some good plot hooks.

This is followed by a short section on hiring different levels of meatshield and others with the next chapter being a who's who in the world of cat and mouse.

I really liked the Cuba section, it's been a while since we have had a look down that way.

Tying in with this we get to see some new traditions to get your voodoo on with. Also a bit on channelling Greater Form Spirits.

For the various types of spirits like water, guardian and such they introduce particular aspects to make them more personal and fitting with the tradition.

New mentors spirits bring back old favourites like Gator, Adversary and more plus a few new critters.

Nice section on the dealing death business, plus we get some new toys in the way of guns, spells, adept powers as well as weapon and armor mods and seven new toxins to ruin someone's day.
The spell extending potency in an alchemical preparation should be of particular interest, even if you can only use it once per preparation. The 'light saber' spell is pretty cool, but there is some errata needed already for this, but overall it has not been too bad so far.

New qualities and life modules as well as one new archetype to get your fledgling death machine started with.

There are some hiccups here and there. Fair amount of crunch throughout, but some of the most tantalizing fluff doesn't have much corresponding crunch to go with it.
We already mentioned the SIN revamp above while another example is where the fluff mentions someone has made a bullet that has a fair chance to carry the alchemical preparation, but is basically a engraved steel ball so has shit accuracy.
All well and good but not much detail beyond that, like how much chance of success, damage and accuracy loss, or what limitations beyond firing basically a musket ball.
So I suspect it means it could work in a single shot weapon like a breech loading gun or revolver, but you won't be getting clips of fireball loaded rounds anytime soon.

Expect to see lots of bickering on stuff like this, although maybe we will finally get Caster Guns like Jean Starwind, which they kind of already do by using empty cartridges loaded up with a spell (trigger is mental command instead of the hammer falling). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Overall I think it is a worthwhile buy, has a fair spread of things throughout.

[Aria]

And lovely artwork!

[SirFozzie]

Oof.

NeoNET going to be interesting as..

[ Spoiler ]

Samantha Villiers bites it, leaving her stock to her daughter

and Ares is

[ Spoiler ]

going through an internal bug-related civil war with rumors that Damien Knight may retire

.

I forget, do we have a Corp breakdown book for 5E?

[Sendaz]

NeoNET going to be interesting as..

[ Spoiler ]

Samantha Villiers bites it, leaving her stock to her daughter

and Ares is

[ Spoiler ]

going through an internal bug-related civil war with rumors that Damien Knight may retire

.

yeah that was a bit of a surprise. SV was dangerously competent and considering she paid for a run or two to investigate Ares and their special projects, can't help but wonder if they two events might just be related.

Was the death covered in Lockdown or somewhere else?

I forget, do we have a Corp breakdown book for 5E?

It's coming in the form of Market Panic: The Fifth Edition corporate book.
Updates on the Big Ten, some AAs, and the general chaos the corps are going through.

No ETA yet on it though...

I like of the bickering and jockeying for position going on right now between the AAs and AAAs.

Hard Targets is setting the stage for a nasty Shadow war so will be interesting to see what Market Panic brings to the table.

[hermit]

Not having read it review ready yet, one thing I want to ask: Why do Havanna and Butte get writeups, but Miami doesn't?

[Sendaz]

I always heard it was a long sad story involving Mr. Hardy, 2 kegs of beer, 3 sorority sisters and a major sport's team mascot (that never fully recovered) that resulting with the accompanying restraining order from Miami-Dade County such that neither he nor any publication associated with him may set foot there.

Or so the story goes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Joking aside, that is a good question. Miami has always been very lightly tread around, its in Shadowboxer and touched on in Cyberpirates, when you would think it would be like Seattle East.

[hermit]

And a super short writeup in SoLA, but that's really about it. I would think Miami would make a better Seattle Southwest than Havana (and I'm cringing from just looking at the Guantanamo mention).

[Beta]

Thanks for the reviews, sounds like this is going to the top of my buy list (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

And a super short writeup in SoLA, but that's really about it. I would think Miami would make a better Seattle Southwest than Havana (and I'm cringing from just looking at the Guantanamo mention).

Maybe trying to be a little less focused on big american cities ....Boston just had a thing, so no more until next year?

[Grinder]

Get the PDF here.

THE CLOAK OF DEATH
It’s thick. Luxurious. Concealing. The cloak of death will make you feared, envied, and maybe even wealthy. It will also smother your soul. The best assassins in the Sixth World can gain untold wealth and make the whole world shake, but they also will be hunted and stalked until the end of their days. Assuming their conscience doesn’t eat them alive.

Hard Targets is a shadowrunner’s guide to bringing death, with information on getting into wetwork, tactics for doing the job, and critical gear. It also contains plot details and adventure hooks, including an in-depth look at the city of Havana in the Caribbean League, a political and criminal hotspot that lends itself to all sorts of wetwork jobs. The work is there—if you can deaden your soul enough to take it.

Hard Targets is a Deep Shadows book for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition.

[Grinder]

Not having read it review ready yet, one thing I want to ask: Why do Havanna and Butte get writeups, but Miami doesn't?

Maybe CGL couldn't find a writer who wanted to take the job?

[Sengir]

Sample PDF

"Expanded Bow Rules" sounds nice, but hopefully not MRSI again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Bull]

Maybe CGL couldn't find a writer who wanted to take the job?

A lot of the little PDF locations are done based on pitches from writers, so that's a part of it, yes.

[Sendaz]

Sample PDF

"Expanded Bow Rules" sounds nice, but hopefully not MRSI again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Nothing that severe, but ye old rangers do get some love this time around.

The 'expanded' ruleset is just a few points about holding your aim bonus over a period of time and Overdrawing (getting a bit more damage out of the bow)

New Archetype (Mystic Archer)

New bow related adept abilities, one for drawing a heavier bow than you normally could and the other reduces penalties to firing your bow while moving.

Tying in with this is a new compound bow was developed with a adjustable pulley system that allows a variable draw strength.
Right now it caps at Str 10, so may have to wait a bit for the Troll Archer version. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

For the Hawkeye fans out there, you know who you are, you can appreciate the new quiver that lets you wirelessly bring up the right arrow for the right job.

But wait there is more....New Seeker shafts actually allow in-flight correction for your arrows to better compensate for things like wind, movement and such.
It's not shooting around corners.... yet.

But why shoot around when you can just shoot through with some new supersharp arrows from Ares with their monomolecular edges for added penetration value.
If that wall be a blocking, you best get a nocking.....

They have added the Melee Hardening Mod for weapons, and while it is primarily intended for firearms, your die hard Archer should be making his case to the GM to allow it for his Bow as well to give that little extra help in close quarters.
Personally I want one with a pulley feed that can switch out the bowstring for a monofilament for slice and dice action if some joker gets too close and then back again to a bowstring to start barraging his buddies down the alley, but spirits help you if you forget to switch it back before nocking the next arrow.
Hint: Modular finger replacements for the cyberhand may not be a bad idea.

They have added some new poisons, several of which are Injectable, 2 of which are even immediate, so why not add that little something extra to the shot?

Or if magic is still your thing, but hate having to be ultra careful juggling arrows loaded with contact triggers, you can find joy in some new gloves that you allow you to safely handle your own contact trigger preps without setting them off prematurely.

[Sengir]

Tying in with this is a new compound bow was developed with a adjustable pulley system that allows a variable draw strength.
Right now it caps at Str 10, so may have to wait a bit for the Troll Archer version. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Don't regular bows cap out at 10, too?

They have added some new poisons, several of which are Injectable, 2 of which are even immediate, so why not add that little something extra to the shot?

Anything which might actually kill (or at least incapacitate) the victim and not just add a few points of DV?

[hermit]

Yes, an immediate paralytic and some other fun toxins.

[Sendaz]

Don't regular bows cap out at 10, too?

Yes, but I guess part of me was wanting them to be building bows to reflect the fact that there are individuals blowing past that when you factor in magic/other boosts and if you are designing a new variable bow, that would be a good time to work it in.
So maybe a Troll scaled variable Bow that went from 5-15 for some scary mayhem.

Anything which might actually kill (or at least incapacitate) the victim and not just add a few points of DV?

Atropine (deadly nightshade) is immediate, fair power and causes damage and disorientation.

For paralysis they have tetrodotoxin which will take a combat turn to kick in from an arrow, but will cause damage and paralysis.

For Werehunters Aconite is just the thing for kicking those uppity furballs to the curb.
While still taking 1 CT to act along with the damage and nausea it normally causes it also forces a shapechanged being to revert to its base shape.
Granted forcing a lupine or ursine back into furry mode does not make them helpless, but they lose access to using a lot of gear like guns/vehicles and such while under the effects.
Plus it makes for a great reveal if you want to expose a were for what really are.
This can be useful when around civilians as while people may be scared of shapeshifters in general, they will be more sympathetic to them in their human mode than the fuzzy side and more likely to intervene on the 'human' looking guy's behalf than they would for a bear being cornered by guys dressed up as animal control.

Ekyelebenie venom takes 1CT to work, but causes blindness, so expect this to be useful as an opening shot on a dangerous target to blind them before you move in for a kill/bypass as well as making it more difficult for them to defend/run away.

They have a sidebar discussing DMSO ( from Stolen Souls ) which can add to the mayhem and some of the ramifications from its usage.

[Sengir]

For paralysis they have tetrodotoxin which will take a combat turn to kick in from an arrow, but will cause damage and paralysis.

So we finally get the ninja movie shuriken of insta-death (or at least paralysis)? Nice

Aconite + DMSO sounds like the thing you'd like the spray over the city for the sheer troll factor (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[KCKitsune]

Does anyone have a link to errata for this?

I tried to search Catalyst's website and I could not find it. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I couldn't find it at all.

[Sendaz]

There is no errata out for it yet since it only just came out.

There is a thread on SG where people are posting in the errata thread about errors and such, but not much in the way of official answers to them yet.

[Tecumseh]

I think I'm going to get this. Does anyone have an affiliate account with Drive Thru RPG? If so, shoot me your affiliate ID (or post a link here) and I'll use it to make the purchase.

[Kyoto Kid]

...so when can we expect the Dead Tree version?

[binarywraith]

Six months maybe? Their publishing schedule has been erratic to say the least.

[Kyoto Kid]

...ugh, that means next June for Missions approval. Fraggin' long time to wait.

[hermit]

'tis a sad story what happened to Missions. And the two SR4 seasons were really good.