Full Version: SOP for the meet.
| QUOTE (djinni) | ||
he only gives you general details about what job you are going to do. "I need you to perform an extraction, from a light security location, and this needs to be done quickly before the end of the week." he'll also usually give you a price with that statement to let you know the importance or danger, you decide yes or no based on that info. if you try to cut a sweeter deal you'll be soon to find a better more ruthless corporate "cleaner" on their way to give you a nice hot bath. |
Again if it is all about the numbers. If the cleaners aren't good enough, then the J risks even more exposure. Then you get the cleaners gear and sell their bodies to Tamanous and maybe even get free SINs too since you can get your hacker contacts to alter some data after you use those for additional blackmail info.
Or worse if the run doesn't have sanction from his superiors, he might have to give in.
It is always about the numbers. If you got the better numbers, you can do what you want.
kzt:
Totally insecure? Compared to what?
With AR, there is the chance that you are getting hacked - the conversation recorded, the J. an imposter, etc. But your hacker can do a lot to insure that that is not the case.
All those same problems exist in the flesh, too. The J. could be lying, wearing a disguise, J. could be a phantasm, J. could be an imposter, J. could be recording the conversation, J. could be photographing you. On top of that, J. might be a suicide bomber. J. might be a force 8 free spirit. J. might have a SWAT team waiting in the next room. J. might poison your drinks. J. might be lasing you for the guided missile that's on its way.
Potentially your location could be traced through AR, but that doesn't do them much good. You could be anywhere on the planet or the moon. "Quick! Get SWAT on a suborbital to Cape Town!"
In the flesh, J. and his allies know that you are going to be in a certain area at a certain time.
AR is better.
Totally insecure? Compared to what?
With AR, there is the chance that you are getting hacked - the conversation recorded, the J. an imposter, etc. But your hacker can do a lot to insure that that is not the case.
All those same problems exist in the flesh, too. The J. could be lying, wearing a disguise, J. could be a phantasm, J. could be an imposter, J. could be recording the conversation, J. could be photographing you. On top of that, J. might be a suicide bomber. J. might be a force 8 free spirit. J. might have a SWAT team waiting in the next room. J. might poison your drinks. J. might be lasing you for the guided missile that's on its way.
Potentially your location could be traced through AR, but that doesn't do them much good. You could be anywhere on the planet or the moon. "Quick! Get SWAT on a suborbital to Cape Town!"
In the flesh, J. and his allies know that you are going to be in a certain area at a certain time.
AR is better.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01) |
| With AR, there is the chance that you are getting hacked - the conversation recorded, the J. an imposter, etc. But your hacker can do a lot to insure that that is not the case. |
How can he do this without majorly annoying your client? What's the mechanism?
kzt:
Um...I'm not sure?
There must be something. But the question isn't relevant. How can you surround a physical meet with white noise generators and jammers and snipers and claymores and spirits on call without annoying the client? And why would the client be annoyed that his contractors are careful and thorough professionals? Does the J. cry out at the sight of the street samurai, "Can't we all just get along?" Any Johnson hiring deniable assets is a shadow professional himself - he has a bowl of paranoia for breakfast just like the rest of us.
Another thing about AR; the meet could be carried out in text messaging. Sure, you could keep the transcript, but what does the transcript say? "We, Anonymous, want you, Anonymous Too, to blow up something on Tuesday."
In a physical meeting, people can be photographed, assensed, unwittingly have physical links collected, have their voices recorded. In AR text-message, none of that is possible. And in AR text messaging, you can't be killed, either.
Um...I'm not sure?
There must be something. But the question isn't relevant. How can you surround a physical meet with white noise generators and jammers and snipers and claymores and spirits on call without annoying the client? And why would the client be annoyed that his contractors are careful and thorough professionals? Does the J. cry out at the sight of the street samurai, "Can't we all just get along?" Any Johnson hiring deniable assets is a shadow professional himself - he has a bowl of paranoia for breakfast just like the rest of us.
Another thing about AR; the meet could be carried out in text messaging. Sure, you could keep the transcript, but what does the transcript say? "We, Anonymous, want you, Anonymous Too, to blow up something on Tuesday."
In a physical meeting, people can be photographed, assensed, unwittingly have physical links collected, have their voices recorded. In AR text-message, none of that is possible. And in AR text messaging, you can't be killed, either.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01) |
| Any Johnson hiring deniable assets is a shadow professional himself - he has a bowl of paranoia for breakfast just like the rest of us. |
remember white noise generators make noise, it's not an invisible whisper of static it's blaring, so if you are in a bar and drop a white noise generator everyone in the place knows what's going on.
Assuming he's a corporate johnson...which he very well might not be. he's not going to meet you if you display any sign of having the upper hand. paranoid individuals don't go anywhere they don't feel safe unless they have to.
meet in the meat if you trust them
meet in the matrix if you don't... sounds good to me, except our GM likes to have the johnsons meet in the meat...
| QUOTE (djinni) |
| remember white noise generators make noise, it's not an invisible whisper of static it's blaring, so if you are in a bar and drop a white noise generator everyone in the place knows what's going on. |
That's a great point. I know that I've forgotten that in games before and just let the players drop them all over the place, and later you kick yourself for not remembering.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01) |
| Um...I'm not sure? |
I can see it working if you are willing to backtrack the connection and hack into the commlink of the guy at the other end. I see this as getting you killed instead of hired, so it has it's drawbacks. . . .
I'm saying that the risks of an AR meeting are much lower than the risks of a physical one. I am not saying that an AR meeting is risk-free.
With AR, The physical risk are much lower but the communication risk are much higher.
And the Johnson's employer is far more concerned about secrecy than about the physical security of either Johnson or the runners.
So flesh meet it is.
Beside, why is it so hard to remember the chain of command?
In a typical run it goes : Big Shot corporate suite ordering the run - Johnson protecting the anonymity of the big shot - The runners. There will usually be some middle men in between but that's the essentials.
The interests of the big shot come first, then J than the runner. The relationship is optimized to protect the guy who has the money while the residual risks are assumed naturally by the guys who want the money.
Call it the circle of life or whatever, that's how it works.
Assuming the risks that comfy suits are unwilling to take is at its most basic the job of the runner. It's his whole value to the employers. It's not so much his skills and talents because the corp already has that at its disposal : They could send their own troops who are more loyal, more numerous, tyically better trained and better equipped. But the employer in a shadowrun doesn't want to accept the potential consequences of a failed black op that could be traced back to them so they transfer that risk on the runners for a fee. So assuming those risks is the sole reason for the paycheck and indeed for the existence of the shadowrunner 'caste'.
But if a runner team balks at accepting something so basic as assuming higher risks than their employers during the initial meet, they are useless to their employers who might as well send their own men to do the job in this case.
And the Johnson's employer is far more concerned about secrecy than about the physical security of either Johnson or the runners.
So flesh meet it is.
Beside, why is it so hard to remember the chain of command?
In a typical run it goes : Big Shot corporate suite ordering the run - Johnson protecting the anonymity of the big shot - The runners. There will usually be some middle men in between but that's the essentials.
The interests of the big shot come first, then J than the runner. The relationship is optimized to protect the guy who has the money while the residual risks are assumed naturally by the guys who want the money.
Call it the circle of life or whatever, that's how it works.
Assuming the risks that comfy suits are unwilling to take is at its most basic the job of the runner. It's his whole value to the employers. It's not so much his skills and talents because the corp already has that at its disposal : They could send their own troops who are more loyal, more numerous, tyically better trained and better equipped. But the employer in a shadowrun doesn't want to accept the potential consequences of a failed black op that could be traced back to them so they transfer that risk on the runners for a fee. So assuming those risks is the sole reason for the paycheck and indeed for the existence of the shadowrunner 'caste'.
But if a runner team balks at accepting something so basic as assuming higher risks than their employers during the initial meet, they are useless to their employers who might as well send their own men to do the job in this case.
| QUOTE (Charon) |
| And the Johnson's employer is far more concerned about secrecy than about the physical security of either Johnson or the runners. |
Johnsons are not always corporate facemen.
the johnsons could be a hacker extreme, an urban brawl celebrity, a simsense superstar, a kid, a spirit, a dog that had his brain switched with a human, and wants his body back. your ex-girlfriend
| QUOTE (djinni @ Dec 15 2006, 03:04 PM) | ||
Johnsons are not always corporate facemen. the johnsons could be a hacker extreme, an urban brawl celebrity, a simsense superstar, a kid, a spirit, a dog that had his brain switched with a human, and wants his body back. your ex-girlfriend |
I know but we can't discuss on the basis of exceptions.
Beside, you are not listed in the yellow pages. Typical non shadow-denizen don't know how to contact you.
There need to be occasional exceptions for variety's sake but most of your run follow the pattern of : Big Shot corp (or mob) guy / Johnson / Runner
| QUOTE (Charon) |
| With AR, The physical risk are much lower but the communication risk are much higher. |
If and when the hacker book comes out, you might find that (as in the Matrix book) that VR/Ar is cheaper for business. Despite GMs stating that the J would have an upper limit her will not go over, the books do not state that. So in terms of cost, it may be far wiser to have the J meet in VR/AR.
Also the Big Shot/J/Runner assumption isn't canon, it is subject to individual GM's interpretation.
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| Also the Big Shot/J/Runner assumption isn't canon, it is subject to individual GM's interpretation. |
as always it's up to teh individual groups.
but...in business...
"the guy with the money is the guy that calls the shots."
| QUOTE (djinni) | ||
as always it's up to teh individual groups. but...in business... "the guy with the money is the guy that calls the shots." |
That's not canon either. It can easily be the Big White Great Dragon without much money but can lay waste to Denver and kick out the AAA with a lot of money calls the shots. Or the guy with the mojo that money can't buy calls the shots.
for my game there is two scenarios for the team. The team is made up of....
1 Face (adept with chameleon related powers)
1 TechnoMancer (the hacker-type of the group and the closest thing to a rigger to the group)
1 Infilitration specialist (which is also an adept)
1 Sammie that is part Infilitration specialist and part sammie
meeting with the team's fixer:
* all meet there in person since the fixer likes to see the people face to face.
meeting with all johnson's or misc "corp" type people or other fixers:
* Face meets with them under disguise
* TM watches the matrix in the area, and has his drones watching for incoming troops
* the other two will be either outside watching for incoming troops or close to the face (not with) that could pounce in a heartbeat if needed.
meeting with one of the member's contacts:
* the one member will meet with the contact unless they have arranged previously for the contact to meet one or more members of the team. This is a courtesy thing
over the team is very cautious and suspicious of the meeting with people since the gm (aka me) will screw them over. And they minimize the face to face time with the "potentially" bad guys so they can minimize the possibilities of getting screwed over. They are paranoid. Man o man I have done my job.
dog
1 Face (adept with chameleon related powers)
1 TechnoMancer (the hacker-type of the group and the closest thing to a rigger to the group)
1 Infilitration specialist (which is also an adept)
1 Sammie that is part Infilitration specialist and part sammie
meeting with the team's fixer:
* all meet there in person since the fixer likes to see the people face to face.
meeting with all johnson's or misc "corp" type people or other fixers:
* Face meets with them under disguise
* TM watches the matrix in the area, and has his drones watching for incoming troops
* the other two will be either outside watching for incoming troops or close to the face (not with) that could pounce in a heartbeat if needed.
meeting with one of the member's contacts:
* the one member will meet with the contact unless they have arranged previously for the contact to meet one or more members of the team. This is a courtesy thing
over the team is very cautious and suspicious of the meeting with people since the gm (aka me) will screw them over. And they minimize the face to face time with the "potentially" bad guys so they can minimize the possibilities of getting screwed over. They are paranoid. Man o man I have done my job.
dog
Its also perfectly reasonable that the job will entirely be arranged over the matrix. I mean it could and in some cases very much DID happen in SR3. At least one, and possibly a few other SR3 adventure books have the runners meeting the J in the virtual world, and ONLY in the the virtual world. Ever.
THis of course is usualy when the J is a hacker or some such. In the adventure I'm specifically refering to it was actualy I belive the sister of a hacker who was killed and was posing as said dead hacker to find out who killed her sister or something like that anyway.
Meeting in the flesh is really only a.. sort of courtesy thing. It's a sort of way of saying your 'trustworthy'. Since the people involved are risking their meatbodies in meeting with said complete stranger.
In many other cases (especially for those who are not profesional Js/runners) its the -only- way they know how to discretely (or attempt at discreetness) that they know of. And of course, thats what all the big movies about runners tells them what happens. The sprawl survival guide points to the average persons idea of what runners are vs the reality quite well infact.
A profesional J might very well decide to do a meet only via the matrix as just another cutout.
THis of course is usualy when the J is a hacker or some such. In the adventure I'm specifically refering to it was actualy I belive the sister of a hacker who was killed and was posing as said dead hacker to find out who killed her sister or something like that anyway.
Meeting in the flesh is really only a.. sort of courtesy thing. It's a sort of way of saying your 'trustworthy'. Since the people involved are risking their meatbodies in meeting with said complete stranger.
In many other cases (especially for those who are not profesional Js/runners) its the -only- way they know how to discretely (or attempt at discreetness) that they know of. And of course, thats what all the big movies about runners tells them what happens. The sprawl survival guide points to the average persons idea of what runners are vs the reality quite well infact.
A profesional J might very well decide to do a meet only via the matrix as just another cutout.
Matrix meets are handy, but can leave you without some sources of information, like assenssing. After getting screwed on a few good runs (The Corporate Punishment set Basically) the group I ran games for was a lot more careful about the runs they took. Basically they figured out that it wasn't necessarily a good idea to take every run I offered them. Ended up with a scenario something like this:
Street sam shows up at meet an hour ahead of time, just chilles as a 'regular' (sits at bar, that sort of thing).
The part time rigger shows up half an hour early, deploys a pair of strato 9's. Then sits tight.
The facfe and mage show up for the meet and do the negotiating. Both have cybercomms. Mage does the assensing, face does the talking. Togetehr they get a read for the Johnson to see if he's playing it straight (or at least as straight ast they're likely to get).
mean while rigger outside scans the J's plates w/ a drone, then sends it through to the decker, dig up what ever ther info they can on him from there. Maybe hack the cars on board computer link to GridGuide, see where it's been and or going.
Most of it is just info gathering about the J himself.
Street sam shows up at meet an hour ahead of time, just chilles as a 'regular' (sits at bar, that sort of thing).
The part time rigger shows up half an hour early, deploys a pair of strato 9's. Then sits tight.
The facfe and mage show up for the meet and do the negotiating. Both have cybercomms. Mage does the assensing, face does the talking. Togetehr they get a read for the Johnson to see if he's playing it straight (or at least as straight ast they're likely to get).
mean while rigger outside scans the J's plates w/ a drone, then sends it through to the decker, dig up what ever ther info they can on him from there. Maybe hack the cars on board computer link to GridGuide, see where it's been and or going.
Most of it is just info gathering about the J himself.
I agree on Charon with this one:
As a GM, it pisses me off when players do this sort of thing. Yes, I know you want to show off how cool (and sometimes anti-social) your character can be. Yes, I know you like to make crazy-ass plans for situations that are never going to happen. All you're doing is making your GM unhappy by ruining an evening's adventure before it starts, or turning a 20 minute encounter into an hour long encounter.
Here's the thing - a Johnson isn't going to attack you during the first meet. Even if he's looking to betray you. If that were true, he'd just hire a shadowrunning group or send corporate snipers/mages to eliminate you, not risk himself by showing up in the same place as you. The first meet is about the PLOT for the night; just sit tight, leave your RPGs and Claymores and dikoted katanas at home, and you'll be fine. Any GM who makes the meet a gunfight (except maybe just that one time...) should be stepping down in shame, anyway.
The -only- prep that you might want to consider is either protecting your identity, if you've got a good reason to, taking steps to ensure the meet is private (which the Johnson should also have an interest in, anyway), or figuring out some way to learn more about the Johnson w/out making it obvious that's what you're doing.
Save all that tomfoolery and paranoia for the meet that happens AFTER the run, if you insist on doing it. Wouldn't you rather be spending the time you have preparing for the -actual- job?
As a GM, it pisses me off when players do this sort of thing. Yes, I know you want to show off how cool (and sometimes anti-social) your character can be. Yes, I know you like to make crazy-ass plans for situations that are never going to happen. All you're doing is making your GM unhappy by ruining an evening's adventure before it starts, or turning a 20 minute encounter into an hour long encounter.
Here's the thing - a Johnson isn't going to attack you during the first meet. Even if he's looking to betray you. If that were true, he'd just hire a shadowrunning group or send corporate snipers/mages to eliminate you, not risk himself by showing up in the same place as you. The first meet is about the PLOT for the night; just sit tight, leave your RPGs and Claymores and dikoted katanas at home, and you'll be fine. Any GM who makes the meet a gunfight (except maybe just that one time...) should be stepping down in shame, anyway.
The -only- prep that you might want to consider is either protecting your identity, if you've got a good reason to, taking steps to ensure the meet is private (which the Johnson should also have an interest in, anyway), or figuring out some way to learn more about the Johnson w/out making it obvious that's what you're doing.
Save all that tomfoolery and paranoia for the meet that happens AFTER the run, if you insist on doing it. Wouldn't you rather be spending the time you have preparing for the -actual- job?
SOP for meetings with our group are as follows:
fixers call individual members up and set the meeting place or one is called and he calls up the rest of the team
group arrives as individuals no less than 15minutes before the meet
group is generally sent to the booth or secure area where the meet is to take place by bartender/hostess or waitress (Yes, i'm here for Mr. Benitoro's party?)
if a booth, team members (street sam and phys ad gun adept) take booths to either side of the booth where the meet s to take place.
then the meet takes place, tech wiz/face does the negotiating street sam and physad does the threatening, tech wiz does a little more negotiating, then johnson leaves and team either settles in to plan or else leaves a little while later to go somewhere more secure to plan.
fixers call individual members up and set the meeting place or one is called and he calls up the rest of the team
group arrives as individuals no less than 15minutes before the meet
group is generally sent to the booth or secure area where the meet is to take place by bartender/hostess or waitress (Yes, i'm here for Mr. Benitoro's party?)
if a booth, team members (street sam and phys ad gun adept) take booths to either side of the booth where the meet s to take place.
then the meet takes place, tech wiz/face does the negotiating street sam and physad does the threatening, tech wiz does a little more negotiating, then johnson leaves and team either settles in to plan or else leaves a little while later to go somewhere more secure to plan.
Eugene has a point. Players who insist on making the meet a tactical situation are blowing up a lot of game time over nothing.
Fistandilus:
Your Johnsons behave like soccer moms. He walks into the meet wearing his own face and allows himself to be assensed? He arrives in a vehicle the plates of which are linked to his identity? Does he leave a lock of his hair and his personal commlink with pictures of his husband and two kids on the table when he leaves, too?
J.'s are espionage professionals. That's how they got the name Mr. Johnson.
Your Johnsons behave like soccer moms. He walks into the meet wearing his own face and allows himself to be assensed? He arrives in a vehicle the plates of which are linked to his identity? Does he leave a lock of his hair and his personal commlink with pictures of his husband and two kids on the table when he leaves, too?
J.'s are espionage professionals. That's how they got the name Mr. Johnson.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01 @ Dec 17 2006, 01:08 PM) |
| Fistandilus: Your Johnsons behave like soccer moms. He walks into the meet wearing his own face and allows himself to be assensed? He arrives in a vehicle the plates of which are linked to his identity? Does he leave a lock of his hair and his personal commlink with pictures of his husband and two kids on the table when he leaves, too? J.'s are espionage professionals. That's how they got the name Mr. Johnson. |
I don't see that J has much choice about the assenssing. Neither do the player if the favor is returned and J has even more incentive to have them assensed. Some GM like to play it off as rude but I always felt it was a little ridiculous. It's the sixth world and everyone has learned to live with that.
I know I make it a point to often signal my PCs that J or an associate is assenssing them to evaluate their emotional state and get a better feel on their professionalism (Cool trustworthy pros will assensse differently than greedy assholes). The PCs do the same and if everything checks out good on both side a lot of trust is gained. PCs like to work regularly for a GM that checked out well in assessing and doesn't hide from it and as long as they are cool and professionals the Johnson like doing return business with them.
For the rest, Fistan didn't say J was careless, just that they would check.
When my PCs say they wants to hack some info on J I usually reply : "Fake ID, rented car, back to the meet." without making any roll (I don't want the meet to take forever!). Doesn't mean it's bad to try. It only confirms for you that J is a pro. But sometime J is an amateur, an otherwise ordinary man who needs help bad. And then you can get some very useful info.
No, if you were to pounce on something, you should have focused instead on this comment by Warrior Allanon :
| QUOTE (warrior_allanon) |
| then the meet takes place, tech wiz/face does the negotiating street sam and physad does the threatening, tech wiz does a little more negotiating, |
WHAT?!
Now this is seriously bad meet etiquette.
Most of the time, at least the games I played with my group before the rest of them moved, the Johnson could be counted on as having some muscle somewhere around. So if you threatened the Johnson in anyway or whatnot, you could expect to be killed or have a serious fight on your hand.
| QUOTE (Charon) |
| I don't see that J has much choice about the assenssing. Neither do the player if the favor is returned. Some GM like to play it off as rude but I always felt it was a little ridiculous. It's the sixth world and everyone has learned to live with that. |
It's completely off the map.
Assensing reveals information about implants, drugs, emotional state. It detects any active spells and the astral signature of those spells. It sees through disguises, it reveals if the J. is in fact a spirit, a hologram, a shapechanger, or any other damn thing. It allows the magician to recognize the J. in the future. It's a totally unacceptable amount of information to let leak.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01 @ Dec 17 2006, 02:01 PM) | ||
It's completely off the map. Assensing reveals information about implants, drugs, emotional state. It detects any active spells and the astral signature of those spells. It sees through disguises, it reveals if the J. is in fact a spirit, a hologram, a shapechanger, or any other damn thing. It allows the magician to recognize the J. in the future. It's a totally unacceptable amount of information to let leak. |
Same can be said about the runner and again it's not something that Johnson can do much about if he wants a physical meet.
If you can't live with that, become an inititiate mage with masking metamagic, only deal through VR or change profession. Because you will get assensed sooner or later. It's the sixth world.
But if you are a normal Johnson, not hopped up on drug, not psychotic and actually want the runner to recognize you from one meet to the next so that trust can be built and a profitable partnership be established, you don't mind. Because it means you can assense the PCs in return and make sure they are not hopped up on drug, not psychotic and you can make sure it is indeed the runner you usually work with.
| QUOTE (Zen Shooter01) |
| Fistandilus: Your Johnsons behave like soccer moms. He walks into the meet wearing his own face and allows himself to be assensed? He arrives in a vehicle the plates of which are linked to his identity? Does he leave a lock of his hair and his personal commlink with pictures of his husband and two kids on the table when he leaves, too? J.'s are espionage professionals. That's how they got the name Mr. Johnson. |
If you believe that all the infos are correct...
| QUOTE (Charon) |
| Now this is seriously bad meet etiquette. |
etiquette? it's just plain stupid.
Anyone know any business that threatens it's customers in order to gain profit?
| QUOTE |
| Assensing reveals information about implants, drugs, emotional state. It detects any active spells and the astral signature of those spells. It sees through disguises, it reveals if the J. is in fact a spirit, a hologram, a shapechanger, or any other damn thing. It allows the magician to recognize the J. in the future. It's a totally unacceptable amount of information to let leak. |
A J would not care if you knew he was a hologram. Anyone can figure that out the a normal perception test. And if he was a shapeshifter trying to be in cognito... wait, is there such a thing as a shapeshifting Johnson? o.O What would be the point of a corp hiring a shapeshifter to be a J? And why would a shapeshifter, generally a fugitive from the law because he's not considered a sentient being with rights, risk hiring a shadowrunning team?
Assensing is not easily detectable, and it's a tool that both sides have. The J will have you assensed if possible to learn every detail about you. If you don't do the same back, why would he trust that you can do the job? A team that doesn't use all its resources and gain all the info it can is not a good team. The only time the J would be averse to assensing is if a) he is setting you up and b) he is nervous enough about it that you can detect the emotion in his aura and it will arouse your suspicions.
Assensing isn't a mind probe spell. Now, actually casting spells on the J, THAT would be bad.
| QUOTE (djinni @ Dec 17 2006, 02:33 PM) |
| Anyone know any business that threatens it's customers in order to gain profit? |
Well, the Protection racket business, definitely.
Also, the Loan shark business and the drug business when it's time to collect.
Hey, you asked!
| QUOTE (ixombie @ Dec 17 2006, 02:35 PM) |
| And why would a shapeshifter, generally a fugitive from the law because he's not considered a sentient being with rights, risk hiring a shadowrunning team? |
I can remember a Johnson that was an Eagle Shapeshifter hiring out runner in exchange for orichalcum in an official adventure. Something to do with the environment, of course. His home was threatened. I think it was the campaign that dealt with NAN but I'm not sure.
There are uncommon J once in a while to shake things up.
Oh, and of course the adventure assumed it was likely that the PCs would assense Johnson and that the mage would be good enough to notice it was an Eagle shapeshifter. Because, you know, assenssing is part of the game. They just added some comment on how Johnson would react if his secret came out.
EDIT : Yep, it's the Native Americans Nations : volume two. The Johnson is an Eagle shapeshifter called farseer and even though he comes to the meet as a human it's pretty much considered par for the course that the PCs will figure out his true nature.
Fun adventure, too. Take the PC on quite a joyride. It's like a road movie with indians, eco-terrorists and toxic shamans. Whee.
What are the stats for shapechangers?
There aren't any. Not in 4th.
| QUOTE (Konsaki) |
| What are the stats for shapechangers? |
Make him a wuss that regenerates and you'll be close to the spirit of the SR3 rules!
Seriously, these guys where only really bad ass when under the pen of a SR novellist, like Stryper.
| QUOTE |
| Eugene has a point. Players who insist on making the meet a tactical situation are blowing up a lot of game time over nothing. |
If they plan out every little detail yes but they dont want the "J" to screw them either. My players dont spend tooo much time going over planning the meet. They just fairly quickly who goes in, who doesnt, who is going to be where. If they didnt plan that out I would throw in a bad guy(s) that attack or screw the players. As long as the players take reasonable precautions, I dont screw with them unless it is part of the plot.
dog
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