Hail and well met strangers. Starting in about 1-2 months I'll be trying to restart an old campaign of mine using the 4th Edition ruleset of Shadowrun. The game will take place in Seattle set somewhere between the year 2072 and 2075. Haven't decided entirely upon which year and what time exactly but I think I'll figure something out. This might just be a one-shot mission or it might become an overarching campaign lasting about ten chapters or so. That depends entirely upon the players more or less.
The basic premise behind it involves a team of runners going against the machinations of a toxic cult, supposedly led by a mad dragon. Which consists of making harrowing journeys into Glow City, braving the worst of what Redmond has to offer. Rusted Stilettoes and Halloweener alike will seem humane in comparison to the horrors that lie at the heart of the city's blight-lands. That's not all however... Delve deep enough and you'll uncover the most racist and transhumanist plot that'll threaten all of the inhabitants of Seattle as a whole.
For character creation you'll be using the 4th Edition 20th Anniversary book of Shadowrun plus a few others as follows below. For the time being, only these afore mentioned books are game legal.
4th Edition Core Book
Arsenal
Augmentation
Digital Grimoire
Gun Heaven
Runner's Companion
Sim Dreams and Nightmares
Street Magic
Unwired
Way of the Adept
Char-gen rules.
1. Special Attributes don't count towards the 50% BP/Karma Limit.
2. Free Contact points equal to Charisma X 2.
3. Free Knowledge Skill points equal to (Logic + Intuition) X 3
4. Essence loss only lowers maximum Magic/Resonance.
5. No Meta-Variants.
6. Outside of the above, all standard rules of Char-gen apply. (Max Avail is 12, Only 1 non-special Attribute can be raise to Metatype Maximum, Only 1 skill can be raised to 6 while the rest stay at a max of 4 or lower/ Only 2 skills can be raised to 5 while the rest stay at a max of 4 or lower)
House Rules. (So far)
1. Physical melee and ranged attacks will be defended against with Reaction + Dodge. (This includes Indirect Combat Spells)
2. Full Defense tests will be Reaction + Dodge + Dodge.
3. Physical Direct spells are defended against with Body + Body.
4. Mana Direct spells are defended against with Willpower + Willpower.
5. Elemental Combat spells have their Drain Code lowered by 2, making them F/2 +1 for single target and F/2 +3 for area effect.
6. Only two Magical Traditions are allowed at Char-gen, Hermetic and Shamanic.
7. Hermetic Magicians lose access to the Mentor Spirit Quality, but instead gain access to the Elemental Focus Quality. (see below)
8. Shamanic Magicians may take the Spirits of the Flame Quality. (see below)
9. Initiation/Submersion no longer increases the Maximum cap of Magic/Resonance. (Hard cap of 6 placed on both Magic and Resonance, determined by Essence)
Elemental Focus
Cost: 5 BP
Most mages take a balanced approach to the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Others align themselves with a single element and become elemental mages, gaining +2 dice for spells and spirits of that element. The penalty for such specialization is that the mage suffers a -1 die for spells and spirits of the opposite element (fire opposes water, earth opposes air). A fire mage, for example, has +2 dice for combat spells and fire elementals, but applies -1 die for illusion spells and water elementals.
Elemental mages may develop personality traits commonly associated with their element. For example, earth mages are often characterized as materialistic and practical. Air mages are seen as cerebral and thoughtful. Fire mages are willful and aggressive, while water mages are intuitive and emotional. Though these are stereotypes, elemental mages will show these characteristics to some degree. Like a totem or mentor spirit, the alignment chosen for an elemental mage is permanent. Only a full hermetic magician can choose this quality.
Spirits of the Flame
Cost: 0 BP
Some shamans have learned to summon a type of nature spirit that represents the more active and primal element found throughout the natural world. Most commonly, these shamans are capable of conjuring spirits born of heat and fire known as salamanders, or spirits of the flame. This fundamental change can only happen at the cost of the ability to conjure spirits of man. Traditionally, flame spirits are known to dwell within places of great heat or fire, such as active volcanos or arid deserts, and in cultures where fire is especially honored, like the kahunas of Hawai'i or the elven magical paths of Tir na nOg. This quality is only available to full shamanic magicians.