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Wounded Ronin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5ZZa6g8HRo&NR


After watching this clip no doubt existed in my mind that Shadowrun needs Power Ranger style physads. I expect that they'd just be used by the Japanese government against national-level threats. For example, let's say that a team of shadowrunners was on that mission where they have to abduct the child emperor. First the SWAT team and secondly the military and thirdly 50 ninjas fail to stop the runners. Then it's time to send in Venus Ranger.

Any discussion of Shadowrun never happened unless we have rules and statistics to go with it. Therefore, I present rules for:

Power Ranger Suit

The Power Ranger Suit provides 15/10 protection and furthermore its impact armor rating is not halved for the purpose of resisting elemental damage, acids, and so on, but it costs 1,000,000 nuyen to produce and it must be tailored to an individual's body. Because it's skintight and already comes with an enviro-sealed helmet you cannot layer any additional armor with it except for perhaps a shield or some kind. However, it weighs very little and does not penalize the wearer for having an inadequate Quickness, which makes it very popular among government physads. Since there's no obvious way for someone wearing the suit to speak and be heard whenever someone tries to talk while wearing this suit a macho-sounding dubbed version of their voice will play loudly from their general direction, which makes whispering and nuanced talk impossible. (+1 TN to all social tests involving speech while wearing the suit, not counting whatever else the GM may want to lambast you with for looking like a power ranger)

Since the suits are custom tailored to an individual's body it's not possible to steal a suit made for someone else and wear it. If a character gains or loses a lot of weight a new suit is required, which leads to the tantilizing possibility of a suit with a built-in potbelly.

The suit does have one major drawback. Whenever a character wearing the suit is hit by an attack and fails the knockback or knockdown test sparks and smoke fly from the suit briefly which makes stealth a difficult proposition. Furthermore, a character who fails a knockdown test doesn't simply fall down like a normal person. He or she is required to SCREEAAAMM while doing a mobius-esque backflip and landing with a great thud upon the ground while sparks fly everywhere and the suit looks kind of burned in the affected spot. This series of actions requires the player to waste his or her next action. Thus, an entire power ranger team may be neutralized by repeated attacks which knock them down each time.
PBTHHHHT
gawd... and if you want to make them ninja rangers, throw in some active camo, some thermo dampeners, etc...
Wounded Ronin
I just can't help myself. Here's another. Check out the goofy headgear, and also the passive-aggressive socially acceptable S&M theme they sneak into the trailer with the chain strangulation and the chair electrocution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAZBEV36Oss...related&search=
PBTHHHHT
...

Just make them physical adepts so they can do some conjuring of spirits along with some augmented summoning meta power for being an initiate (make one up), give 'em a spirit totem and when they 'conjure' their spirits, it's in the shape of a giant 'zoid' or something.

Then house rule another special thing where they can do a special ritual in which several spirits can combine into one large Spirit of Man (see that other thread somewhere where I made that insane post and I never thought I'd be mentioning it again... silly.gif)
nezumi
I didn't catch any macho sounding voice. I assume that's based on another cultural reference I'm missing?

I have to admit, somehow the fact that it's FEDERAL Galactic Investigator Cosmo Lady makes it that much more amusing.
PBTHHHHT
Finally got back home from the office so I could watch this youtube clip. Oh my goodness... So is it standard regulation for ultra short skirt for their female officers? Wow... facelick.gif
Snow_Fox
WR, I am going to have to hurt you for this. Now I can't get that out on my mind.
Herald of Verjigorm
QUOTE (PBTHHHHT)
So is it standard regulation for ultra short skirt for their female officers? Wow... facelick.gif

In Japan, it's mandatory. This is also the root of the racism against orks and trolls, there suddenly were some women that they didn't want excessive panty viewing opportunities and it was easier to start shipping them off than change the laws.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (PBTHHHHT)
gawd... and if you want to make them ninja rangers, throw in some active camo, some thermo dampeners, etc...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdEibb931Y&NR

Mwah hwah hwah, apparently someone already did make the ultimate combination: being a ninja and a power ranger AT THE SAME TIME!
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (nezumi)
I didn't catch any macho sounding voice. I assume that's based on another cultural reference I'm missing?

Well, here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6m9pWj6cyk

Notice how the character's voice sounds different before and after the transformation. After the transformation the voice sounds dubbed (because it is) and boosted, hence more macho.
nezumi
I like that the helmet has cat ears.

I think you need to modify the original ruleset to include the fact that the power ranger can don the suit using a complex action (spinning around, optionally also yelling out some motivational phrase).
Smilin_Jack
QUOTE (nezumi)
I think you need to modify the original ruleset to include the fact that the power ranger can don the suit using a complex action (spinning around, optionally also yelling out some motivational phrase).

You forgot the nudity - can't have a pseudo-magicalgirl transformation without the implied nudity. nyahnyah.gif
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (nezumi)
I like that the helmet has cat ears.

I think you need to modify the original ruleset to include the fact that the power ranger can don the suit using a complex action (spinning around, optionally also yelling out some motivational phrase).

Yeah, the cat ears were absolutely trippy.

I've actually thought a lot about the need to allow an instant transformation into the suits because, after all, that's a big part of these shows. The only problem is justifying it in terms of SR technology. Do you have any thoughts about that?

I was thinking it could be some kind of nano treatment. Maybe with the appropriate nanites they can be commanded to go and quickly produce a power ranger suit around your skin. I don't know if that's really feasible with how nanotech is described in Man and Machine, though.
PBTHHHHT
Throw in the use of magic and bound spirits and who knows what you can get. wink.gif
nezumi
There are a couple options that come to mind. The big one is magic. It's some sort of a spirit suit and always exists on the astral, but manifests on the physical when commanded. Maybe it's always on, but because it uses rhuethimiumum you can't see it. Maybe it somehow bundles up into a few small pieces of equipment that expand using myomer and polymers, to bind together into the suit (the spinning action somehow feeds into the machinary to allow it to work properly). Maybe it's cyberware that's installed below the skin, but only works when it leaves the skin and expands, creating the armor. Maybe the armor is really some sort of photon shield, which is why it's so effective, and so we only "see" and "feel" a constantly charged energy field (which is almost what real matter is anyway, as far as we're concerned). Or maybe it's just 'top secret Japanese technology'.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (nezumi @ Dec 18 2006, 05:24 PM)
There are a couple options that come to mind.  The big one is magic.  It's some sort of a spirit suit and always exists on the astral, but manifests on the physical when commanded.  Maybe it's always on, but because it uses rhuethimiumum you can't see it.  Maybe it somehow bundles up into a few small pieces of equipment that expand using myomer and polymers, to bind together into the suit (the spinning action somehow feeds into the machinary to allow it to work properly).  Maybe it's cyberware that's installed below the skin, but only works when it leaves the skin and expands, creating the armor.  Maybe the armor is really some sort of photon shield, which is why it's so effective, and so we only "see" and "feel" a constantly charged energy field (which is almost what real matter is anyway, as far as we're concerned).  Or maybe it's just 'top secret Japanese technology'.

Omnipotent "top secret Japanese technology" would probably work extremely well for any campaign with an 80s theme.

I think I like the magical spirit suit explanation, though, if the players are going to want a "serious" explanation rather than just enjoying the "it's better because it's asian" approach. If it's a spirit suit it could theoretically be destroyed or disrupted by attacks over the astral, which would work because in a lot of these shows in order to be more dramatic there will be some point or another where the main characters get whomped by the bad guys and their suits disappear to show how defeated they are.
lorechaser
QUOTE (Wounded Ronin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5ZZa6g8HRo&NR


There's a special kind of hell for people like you.
Hocus Pocus
awesome clips. if i only knew them personally frown.gif japanese schoolgirls ftw!
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (nezumi)
I have to admit, somehow the fact that it's FEDERAL Galactic Investigator Cosmo Lady makes it that much more amusing.

"Now remember, Galactic Investigator Cosmo Lady, your headgear was designed by the lowest bidder..."
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