Initiate 10
The character begins play as an Initiate 1. Only characters with the Adept, Mystic Adept, or Magician qualities may take the Initiate quality.
Sex Appeal 10
The character is particularly sexually attractive. When making social rolls against someone oriented towards the character, the character receives +2 dice.
Note that the character with Sex Appeal must present himself in a flirtatious, sexual, or at least “cute” manner when making the roll in order to reap these benefits. Sex Appeal does not apply to Intimidation rools.
At the gamemaster’s discretion, Sex Appeal may backfire when making social roles against someone oriented away from the character. In which case, the character with Sex Appeal would suffer a -2 modifier. Note that the character does not need to be “coming on” to a subject in order for Sex Appeal to backfire.
In Debt to a Syndicate -5, -10, -20
The character took out a loan from a criminal syndicate that he has yet to pay back. The outstanding debt is 25,000 nuyen, 50,000 nuyen and 100,000 nuyen at levels -5, -10, and -20 respectively. This debt is accumulating interest at the rate of 35%, compounded monthly. The character is a debtor in good standing.
The character may simply pay back what he owes in cash, or the syndicate might accept payment in favors.
Note that the character does not receive money for this negative quality. He receives the indicated number of build points. The money has already been spent. The player may spend his Debt points in the same manner as any other build points.
Fleet-Footed 5/Slow on Their Feet -5
Characters with this positive quality gain +2 meters to their walking and running movement rates. The negative quality is the reverse.
Insomniac -10
Characters with this negative quality have trouble getting to sleep. An insomniac character must make a Willpower roll after every sleep period (it would be naive to assume the character only sleeps at night). No hits indicates that the character starts the day with six points of stun damage. Once hit means the character starts the day with three points of stun damage. Two or more hits indicates a regular night’s sleep, with no penalties.
A character’s insomnia might be due not to literal wakefulness but instead to intense recurring nightmares. Why the character is afflicted with these nightmares and what the nightmares are about should be worked out between the player and gamemaster.
Insomnia doesn’t mean the character needs less sleep. It means the character doesn’t get enough sleep.
Controlled -15
The character is controlled in some way by an NPC. Perhaps the NPC has kidnapped the character’s boyfriend, or is blackmailing the character. Maybe the NPC is the character’s boss. In any case, the character is coerced into jumping when the NPC croaks frog.
A character may not be Controlled by a syndicate he is In Debt to.
Excellent Power Channel 5/Poor Power Channel -5
Characters with the positive quality gain an additional die for resisting sorcerous drain. The negative quality is the reverse.
Spirit Affinity 5/Taxing Summonings -5
Characters with the positive quality gain an additional die for the purposes of resisting conjuring drain. The negative quality is the reverse.
Magical Group 10
The character begins the game as a member of a magical group.
State of the Art 10
A character with this positive quality may select betaware and deltaware implants during character creation. Note that the character must pay the usual nuyen cost for the hardware.
Suicide by Street -15
A character with this negative quality hasn’t lost the will to live, but they’d like to. The character is passively suicidal.
Whenever the character is presented with an opportunity to make trouble for himself outside of a combat encounter, he must make a Willpower (2) test not to do so.
Examples include things like:
The character is going to buy some explosives from a fixer he doesn’t know very well. He must make a Willpower 2 test to carry a weapon to the meet.
The mistress of the local bad-ass houngan is sitting at the other end of the bar. The character must make a Willpower (2) test not to go hit on her.
The character owes a Seoulpa Ring 10,000 nuyen in two days. He has just been paid ten grand for a job. Make a Willpower (2) test not to go buy a new wardrobe with the money.
Reluctant (Variable)
Reluctant characters must select an action or condition. In order to do the selected action or acquire the selected condition, the character must make a Willpower test. No hits mean the character won't do it. One hit means that the character must steel himself first, and must spend an initiative pass doing nothing but thinking about what he's about to do before he can do it. Two hits mean the character may proceed as normal.
The value of the negative quality is determined by the SM.
A character might be Reluctant to get dirty, thereby having to make a Willpower test before he'll crawl around on the store room floor, or wade through a muddy drainage ditch. Shadowrunning is often a dirty job, so Reluctant to Get Dirty would be worth –10.
Other Reluctancies might include Reluctant to Shout, Reluctant to Use Explosives, etc.
Prejudiced -5
Prejudiced characters are prone to thinking badly about a certain class of individual. As a few examples, a character might be prejudiced against Elves, Los Angelenos, Street Samurai, Lawyers, or Renraku sararimen.
Prejudiced characters suffer the -2 Prejudiced modifier (SR4, pg. 122) when trying to make social rolls against a subject of their Prejudice. The exception is Intimidation tests, where the modifier is +2 dice, not -2. A Prejudiced character can't keep the contempt and hostility they feel from showing without great effort.
A Prejudiced character may offset the effects of this negative quality for the duration of a scene by making a Charisma (3) test.