I just picked up Augmentation the other day, and the proliferation of options that are, shall we say...flamboyant (balance tails, surgery to get alien/animal features, extra cybereyes, horns, fangs, etc.) got me thinking. Usually, my games are full of non-descript people dressed in black trenchcoats, who probably own ski-masks. The most stylish I can hope for is a bunch of people who look like they wandered out of the Matrix (the movie, not the global network).
Would it really be so bad to have a decker with decorative horns? I mean, assuming that they aren't trying to pass in a corporate boardroom, would they really be shunned that much in a modern sprawl like Seattle or L.A?
Or what about someone who had cybereyes installed in an odd place? Like an extra pair set in their forehead? It almost makes more sense to add extra eyes rather than rip out your own, perfectly working eyeballs, after all. And you could cover them up with a hat or headband if you needed to "pass". I suppose you might need a cyberskull in order to add extra eyes though...any opinions on this?
What would someone have to do to get a more combat-oriented tail? Like some kind of bladed thing that they could use to cover themselves from behind in a melee? It's (more than) a little silly, but as a GM, I think I'd be inclined to allow it just to avoid seeing yet another cookie-cutter street sam. I realize that personality counts much more than appearance with good roleplayers, but when I look at the covers of the old books, and even some of the new ones, I see mohawked kids with nano-tats, not Leon the Professional.
There are so many weird, exotic options now (symbiotes, extra glands, etc.), have there been any good, practical builds using them? I'm throwing out some (admittedly dubious) ideas, but I'd love to hear about good, well-optimized weirdo builds too.
Full Version: On the subject of freaks
Admittedly I like Fiber-optic Hair combined with that face changing bioware. You have your hair set to one colour on a run, inject the stuff for the face change..Voila..you have 30 minutes to get in, get out, and your face not be that recognizeable. Combined with that thing that makes any cells that fall off you turn non-usable for DNA analysis..and you have made it just a step harder for people to track you down.
Hatchetman would tell you that this is silly and unprofessional and that you're being very very bad >:(
| QUOTE (Seven-7) |
| Hatchetman would tell you that this is silly and unprofessional and that you're being very very bad >:( |
Yeah...and Hatchetman got killed...so..If I am alive, that kind of makes my method better then his?
| QUOTE (Cardul) | ||
Yeah...and Hatchetman got killed...so..If I am alive, that kind of makes my method better then his? |
Hatchetman didn't get killed. He became a cyberzombie. If he is dead (and that is almost certain) he died died of medical complications related to having subzero essence.
| QUOTE (hyzmarca) |
| If he is dead (and that is almost certain) he died died of medical complications related to having subzero essence. |
Or he was killed while 'on the job' for his 'sponsors', which is just as likely.
| QUOTE (hyzmarca) | ||||
Hatchetman didn't get killed. He became a cyberzombie. If he is dead (and that is almost certain) he died died of medical complications related to having subzero essence. |
Augmentation disagrees with you there...it says he was killed by a Cyberzombie.
| QUOTE (Cardul @ Jan 15 2008, 09:41 PM) |
| Augmentation disagrees with you there...it says he was killed by a Cyberzombie. |
Can you give us either a quote or page reference? This is the only mention I can find of Hatchetman (other than in the Credits) in Augmentation ...
| QUOTE (Augmentation pg. 143) |
| It is about this time of year when I get myself a liter of cherry flavored tequila, think of my old friend Hatchetman, and shudder. It seems like an appropriate time to bring people up to speed on cybermancy. |
You forgot dermal sheath 3 with ruthenium option for skin colour.
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||||
Can you give us either a quote or page reference? This is the only mention I can find of Hatchetman (other than in the Credits) in Augmentation ...
|
could just as easyly mean that he wants to warn other people of the danger those things pose because one of those things has killed his buddy i'd say O.o
| QUOTE (Stahlseele) | ||||||
could just as easyly mean that he wants to warn other people of the danger those things pose because one of those things has killed his buddy i'd say O.o |
It doesn't.
| QUOTE (Cybertechnology p.60) |
| This is the file I've been waiting for, though it took longer than I expected. I suppose it was foolish of me to think that it would turn up as quick as I'd hoped. How long does it take to recover from cybersurgery as extensive as Hatchetman must have undergone? |
The file mentioned is a detailed and disturbing journal made by Hatchman as he was recovering from Cybermancy. He's been a cyberzombie since SR2.
aaaah . . yes, i remember now . . i thought you guys were talking about augmentation somehow @.@
In Shadowrun cosmetic mods, tattoos, and other forms of body modification are described as quite common in everyday (urban) society. Body modification is popular and trendy, and seen as a form of self-expression even more so than today. There's even a thriving cyberfetish underground and are booming markets for cybermods, biocosmetics, and nanotatts. While you an elf sporting a custom sculpted cyberlimb and chrome horns may stand out in a corporate boardroom, it's not something that would get undue attention at a trendy club - it might even get you the right sort of attention on the streets if it makes you look tougher and scarier.
The changes in the affordability of cyberware and bioware in the 70s have made cybermodifications and biosculpting more commonplace and a more acceptable form of body modification. People are always looking for making an impression - anything that makes their look and style unique and distinctive - and that is only going to become more popular as technology makes more options available. Stuff like SURGE and increased accessibility/functionality of cyberware has actually made unusual looks more acceptable though its taken a while (its hard to frown on the guy with the obvious cyberarm when your uncle has gills and scales).
How far a GM/group is willing to take it in his/their game is up to him/them, but in the default SR setting body mods are pretty commonplace in the 70s and less likely to tagged as freakish (obviously contigent on how freaky/extreme the mod is). It shouldn't be too hard to find a security spider with a nanotatt or minor cosmetic mod where today you'd have a computer tech with a couple of piercings or tatts (or a game developer with green rastas for that matter). Conservative corps and environments may frown on it, but people will be people and they'll put up with your excentricities if you're good at what you do.
The changes in the affordability of cyberware and bioware in the 70s have made cybermodifications and biosculpting more commonplace and a more acceptable form of body modification. People are always looking for making an impression - anything that makes their look and style unique and distinctive - and that is only going to become more popular as technology makes more options available. Stuff like SURGE and increased accessibility/functionality of cyberware has actually made unusual looks more acceptable though its taken a while (its hard to frown on the guy with the obvious cyberarm when your uncle has gills and scales).
How far a GM/group is willing to take it in his/their game is up to him/them, but in the default SR setting body mods are pretty commonplace in the 70s and less likely to tagged as freakish (obviously contigent on how freaky/extreme the mod is). It shouldn't be too hard to find a security spider with a nanotatt or minor cosmetic mod where today you'd have a computer tech with a couple of piercings or tatts (or a game developer with green rastas for that matter). Conservative corps and environments may frown on it, but people will be people and they'll put up with your excentricities if you're good at what you do.
Blue collar workers always had more freedom in both conduct and style. White collars can mostly work via the matrix, only those working in customer relations have to be prepared for a real-world meeting.
A snobish part of society will demand you stay "pure", while most will embrace the new technology. Stylish AR elements capture your imagination, making you wish for a less bland physical body.
A snobish part of society will demand you stay "pure", while most will embrace the new technology. Stylish AR elements capture your imagination, making you wish for a less bland physical body.
sadly THAT is where the common sense comes and kicks in in the Ass every time . . GM:"i don't care if he has the edge bland, EVERYBODY and their mom is going to remember the 3m tall Troll with the obvious Cyber-Arms and Skull!"
| QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Jan 15 2008, 09:29 AM) |
| sadly THAT is where the common sense comes and kicks in in the Ass every time . . GM:"i don't care if he has the edge bland, EVERYBODY and their mom is going to remember the 3m tall Troll with the obvious Cyber-Arms and Skull!" |
True, but that is all they are going to remember. You've narrowed it down to a troll, wow, good job. One with cybernetics, excelent work. Now you just have to search through 99% of the troll population (Most of which are SINless) and somehow pick out the correct troll based purly on the fact that he has cyberarms and skull.
Sure, they'll remember that there was a troll, and they'll remember really big things like that, but you won't get any more definitive then that. The police can't pull anyone in just based on them having cyberarms and a skull.
*edit* Oh, and also, it would likely be that they remember a 'big' troll, not a spesificly 3m tall troll, which really isn't all that useful.
Remember, bland says it is hard to remember exactly what he looked like, not "Everyone forgets the guy ever existed."
Yep. And they will remember the troll had obvious modifications. You will get several descriptions, the combined essence value of which will make law enforcement search for a cyberzombie.
You might think the cyberskull makes things easier. It doesn´t. In exchange for a reduced set of the whole population you have to check, you just lost many of the most important individual features. Modular cyberlimbs are great for second identities. "Why yes, I´m aware that cyber-shotguns exist officer. But I´m a lawful engineer, I have much better use for this tool-hand."
You might think the cyberskull makes things easier. It doesn´t. In exchange for a reduced set of the whole population you have to check, you just lost many of the most important individual features. Modular cyberlimbs are great for second identities. "Why yes, I´m aware that cyber-shotguns exist officer. But I´m a lawful engineer, I have much better use for this tool-hand."
. . dammit, why did i not think to use those things like that untill now? O.o
| QUOTE (Stahlseele) |
| sadly THAT is where the common sense comes and kicks in in the Ass every time . . GM:"i don't care if he has the edge bland, EVERYBODY and their mom is going to remember the 3m tall Troll with the obvious Cyber-Arms and Skull!" |
And this is exactly the problem I'm talking about. Shadowrun has become (in my experience, anyway) a game about bland, personality-less paramilitary assholes in trenchcoats because anything else is ruthlessly punished by GMs due to what is, in my opinion, a misinterpretation of what the "Bland" and "Distinctive Style" qualities mean.
Robbing a bank while wearing a purple wig and a pink boa does not give you the Distinctive Style negative quality.
Robbing eight banks and blowing up a taco stand while wearing a purple wig and a pink boa does.
I think we (I'm guilty of this too) have done a disservice in encouraging these bland looks. Honestly, I think a guy that lives in the Barrens and hangs out in bars and clubs to meet contacts who dresses like The Killer is going to stand out more than a freak with chromed horns and webbed fingers. Why? Because you're in a CLUB. People around you are all dressed weird and dancing. You're wearing all black with mirrorshades and you're skulking in a booth at the back of the club.
Next game I run, I'm seriously going to try this. The next guy who shows me another Agent Smith-looking mofo is getting Distinctive Style.
Regarding the bland trait, I don't think it has that much to do with how you're dressed, or even your appearance. Some people are just...boring. They might be 6'8", but all you'll remember about them is that they were tall. A bland Troll with a face full of piercings and an obvious cyberarm won't be any easier to find. Why? Because nobody in his neighborhood remembers the guy. He doesn't show up to block parties, he's quiet and keeps to himself, you never see him hanging out on the corner...he's just some weirdo. Compared to the Elven hussy who's got strange men coming and going all times of the night (obviously a drug dealer) or that noisy human boy who's always blasting Goblin Rock at 1am, who's going to remember the introverted troll with a cyberarm? Clearly he's an amputee, and couldn't afford a more natural looking replacement. It's embarassing for him, poor guy.
...awwww, you can't get any more distinctive than the Short One (#96). Distinctive Style goes beyond just appearance, for it also includes mannerisms and "modus operandi" as well. 
The short one?
i kinda try to walk the middle-way . . while in run my characters basically mostly wear all black/dark cltohing(at night and in dark places, of course) or camo armor . . when not on Run they tend to show off what they have . . more or less . . who's going to suspect the trolls belt is actually a whip and the chains on his leather-vest are chains he swings like a whip? Wearing Gang-Colour while not on the run is basically considered tres-chic *g*
It's a variant on power gaming. Or smart gaming, depending on your philosophical bent. To buy cosmetic augmentation costs money that could be better spent on guns, spells or drones and gives no distinct advantage.
Plus it gives the disadvantage of being recognizable or distinct from the usual hoi-poi.
Why spend money on something my GM will use to bite me in the butt later?
If you want to put the "cyber" back in cyberpunk, makes mods an advantage in certain social scenarios. Make certain cyber mods free because they are so common. Give your players some incentive to be weird and wired or they will rules whore you to the bone and take all of the character out of their characters.
Plus it gives the disadvantage of being recognizable or distinct from the usual hoi-poi.
Why spend money on something my GM will use to bite me in the butt later?
If you want to put the "cyber" back in cyberpunk, makes mods an advantage in certain social scenarios. Make certain cyber mods free because they are so common. Give your players some incentive to be weird and wired or they will rules whore you to the bone and take all of the character out of their characters.
Well Fort, that's why I'm thinking about reversing the "standard" procedure on mods and visibility. Anyone hanging out on the street in plain, unadorned clothes, not dancing in the club, not drinking at the bar, is going to stand out way more than the techno-fetishist who at least makes an effort to look like they belong at the club.
| QUOTE (Fortinbras) |
| Make certain cyber mods free because they are so common. |
The rules are already in place for this. Lifestyle. Many players need to learn to try to get more stuff for free by playing the Lifestyle card, and many GMs need to learn to give it to them.
So...do you have a list of 'ware that you suggest be free?
| QUOTE (JonathanC) |
| The short one? |
...my namesake PC, she's only 4'10".
Ah, I see. Well, the other thing I was hoping for in this thread (I'm going to give it a try when I have the time) would be some examples of useful flamboyance. For example, I imagine having retractable poisoned fangs could be a useful last resort for a face. Has anyone actually used any of the sea-going cyberware? Fins, gills, etc?
once when i was building the thing from the black lagoon . . of course an orc *g*
| QUOTE (JonathanC) |
| Regarding the bland trait, I don't think it has that much to do with how you're dressed, or even your appearance. Some people are just...boring. |
Awesome. Maybe I have the bland trait.
Usefull Flamboyance would be Blurr . . basically Ruthenium pure on Skin, Suit and Cloak who used it to appear blurry to the whole world. . . and DeSynch who used extensive ear/voice hardware to make his voice be not in synch with his lip-movement . .
Well for the Short One it is a combination of things.
1. her height - human only 4'10" tall
2. her long silvery white hair (natural)
3. Rising Sun motif tattoo around her right eye,
4. full back tattoo of a white lily
5. incorporates gymnastics moves into her melee fighting
6. uses twin revolvers ala Doc Holladay style.
7. dresses in a an odd mix of modern and old wild west styles
8. speaks in "cowboy" lingo (when not speaking in Japanese)
9. curses like Yosemite Sam
10. wary of strange elves
Distinctive enough?
1. her height - human only 4'10" tall
2. her long silvery white hair (natural)
3. Rising Sun motif tattoo around her right eye,
4. full back tattoo of a white lily
5. incorporates gymnastics moves into her melee fighting
6. uses twin revolvers ala Doc Holladay style.
7. dresses in a an odd mix of modern and old wild west styles
8. speaks in "cowboy" lingo (when not speaking in Japanese)
9. curses like Yosemite Sam
10. wary of strange elves
Distinctive enough?
| QUOTE |
| 10. wary of strange elves Distinctive enough? |
no *g*
at least half of those traits are a regular occurance in my characters / in the characters in the group i am playing in *g*
How bout an Albino (ultra-pale blue eyes with silver rims on the irises, silver hair, milk-white skin version) Elf who is never without his staff (weapon focus), has a virtual menagerie of Spirits bound to him, dresses in the finest clothes, wears gloves at all times, and uses the Sterilize spell every time he walks to a new location, without fail, and is probably more snooty than the Princes of the Tir themselves?
| QUOTE (Kyoto Kid) |
| 9. curses like Yosemite Sam |
Great Horny-toads?
| QUOTE (Jhaiisiin) |
| How bout an Albino (ultra-pale blue eyes with silver rims on the irises, silver hair, milk-white skin version) Elf who is never without his staff (weapon focus), has a virtual menagerie of Spirits bound to him, dresses in the finest clothes, wears gloves at all times, and uses the Sterilize spell every time he walks to a new location, without fail, and is probably more snooty than the Princes of the Tir themselves? |
so, you're playing joe-average from the dandelion-eaters?
| QUOTE (JonathanC) | ||
Great Horny-toads? |
...yep.
Her term for elves is "long-eared galoots."
| QUOTE (Kyoto Kid) | ||||
...yep. Her term for elves is "long-eared galoots." |
would one actually have to be american or something to understand that? x.x
i'm guessing horny toads should be trolls and/or orcs . . but what the hell is a galoot?
| QUOTE ("Stahlseele") |
| so, you're playing joe-average from the dandelion-eaters? |
LOL Not quite, but given the arrogance of the elves, I can sorta see that.
| QUOTE (Stahlseele) | ||||||
would one actually have to be american or something to understand that? x.x i'm guessing horny toads should be trolls and/or orcs . . but what the hell is a galoot? |
One would've had to have seen the character of Yosemite Sam in the old Warner Bros Bugs Bunny cartoons.
I wouldn't worry about it.
okay, let's get back to topic *g*
another one of my usefull freaks was the beast who, at his"day"job was a bartender . . being able to jump "climb a good distance and having the ability to hold things with your feet is a very usefull trait for a barkeeper *g*
another one of my usefull freaks was the beast who, at his"day"job was a bartender . . being able to jump "climb a good distance and having the ability to hold things with your feet is a very usefull trait for a barkeeper *g*
I'm not quite sure I'd actually want to be served by a bartender who uses his feet. 
as long as they are clean, you are not to complain about fast and spectacular service <.<
| QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Jan 16 2008, 08:44 AM) |
| as long as they are clean, you are not to complain about fast and spectacular service <.< |
Is that like a directive from the official tavern overlord or something?
that, and you don't really wanna make somebody angry who can grab you by the shoulders with his feet and carry you half way across the room while hanging from the ceiling with his hands do you? *g*
think the librarian from the unseen university on discworld . . kinda like that as a bartender ^^
think the librarian from the unseen university on discworld . . kinda like that as a bartender ^^
I would still object if he was serving me with his feet. 
Seriously though, he is in a service industry, where he has to deal with the public, typically (but not always) in a heath-conscious manner. A business where the perception of cleanliness is usually just as important as cleanliness itself. This guy would have few customers in my games (and in real life as far as I am concerned), unless he tended bar at the only sleaze hole tavern for miles around.
Seriously though, he is in a service industry, where he has to deal with the public, typically (but not always) in a heath-conscious manner. A business where the perception of cleanliness is usually just as important as cleanliness itself. This guy would have few customers in my games (and in real life as far as I am concerned), unless he tended bar at the only sleaze hole tavern for miles around.
Interestingly, I was thinking about this the other day. Recently, my street sam had to ditch his old doss and get himself a new lifestyle, and the best one his fixer could secure for him (physically, I mean, in terms of the housing) was a Medium, up from Low. Now, despite the fact that his rent is somewhat higher, his rent can't have ballooned THAT much. He's not living in a mansion. It's still an apartment. So I started thinking about how to rationalize how he's been spending his money now that he knows that people from past jobs are interested in killing him.
See, he's got a high disguise skill and makes a habit of changing faces. So I thought, "Why not spend that extra money per month on extra plastic surgery and outlandish body mods?" Tattoos that he gets removed a couple of weeks after getting. Light bands under the skin. Fiber optics woven into his hair, but not implanted. Minor nano injections for bioluminescent patches.
Since the character lives in Capitol Hill, I figure people with odd body mods is de rigeur for the locals. And given that all these kinds of operations are mall-clinic level, why can't those kinds of mods be the 2070 equivalent of getting your hair done?
I've always favored a slightly more distinctive countercultural style for my SR, though.
See, he's got a high disguise skill and makes a habit of changing faces. So I thought, "Why not spend that extra money per month on extra plastic surgery and outlandish body mods?" Tattoos that he gets removed a couple of weeks after getting. Light bands under the skin. Fiber optics woven into his hair, but not implanted. Minor nano injections for bioluminescent patches.
Since the character lives in Capitol Hill, I figure people with odd body mods is de rigeur for the locals. And given that all these kinds of operations are mall-clinic level, why can't those kinds of mods be the 2070 equivalent of getting your hair done?
I've always favored a slightly more distinctive countercultural style for my SR, though.
He'd need to keep his feet as clean as his hands, and then use a rag he kept on a sterilized stainless steel ball to pick up beers and drinks and glasses to make sure his own feet/hands/things never touched the bottles/glasses/whatever. Then it might become a nice gimmick...
or he is working in a jungle themed club or something that is the place for people with such augmentations or abilities to be or the last sleaze-hole in the whole barrens . . or basically anything in between *g*
| QUOTE (Stahlseele) | ||
no *g* at least half of those traits are a regular occurance in my characters / in the characters in the group i am playing in *g* |
...whether a set of traits and unique appearance qualifies for Distinctive Style depends on the GM and nature of the campaign to some extent.
The GM that I ran her under did consider her appearance and mannerisms to be unique enough to qualify her for the Distinctive Style quality as long as I played her consistently so. So one really doesn't necessarily need to be totally bizarre looking to have the flaw. The character just needs a few quirks or traits that stand out enough by which people can easily remember and identify her with.
| QUOTE (Stahlseele) |
| or he is working in a jungle themed club ... |
That'd work.
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