Greetings everyone.

I would like to ask some questions since im new to Shadowrun setting and system and to the GMing buisness. So.. here it goes:

Summoning:
- in a combat situation, a player summons as spirit and get 3 net hits (so it has 3 services). When he rolls to resist the spell DV, his stun tracker reaches 0. So he is unconscious and fall down. Down the summon apear (on astal or material plane?)? does the summon execute any service? If the caster just get unconscious later, does the spirit finish the service? what does it do after he finish the service and the player is still down? and if the team members carry the body away to a safe place?
- when a spirit is summoned, how many CM boxes does it has?
- a spirit is doing and Elemental Attack ( ranged attack that gives elemental damage ). He roll a glitch. what effect coult it have?

NPCs in Combat:
- i was running the "On The Run" starting adventure and i reach a point where i had alot of NPCs in the same combat ( like 15 or so) plus 5 players. I got nuts trying to handle all the NPCs and i got really lost on this matter. How do you usualy do:
- - do you apply the wound modifiers to the NPCs actions and Init. too?
- - how do you usually handle combat between NPCs?
- - any tip to make this easyer?

Movement in Combat:
- the movement rate is the same for all Combat Turn, so, how should i handle a players that has 3 IP and on the first one declares a running and goes to a location and do something, and on the next IP stays on tha same place doing something too?

Ressuscitation and Clones:
- anyone know it is it possible, how that can it be done and how does it work? (when charecter reaches damage overflow or passes the maximum overflow)

Combat Handling:
- Since the rules dont state nothing related to "how to use map grids".. and so one ( because of the general use of movement on SR), i would like to know if anyone has been using maps and hex or square grids to draw the places wherethe characters are and to handle combat movement, to help to visualize things. (i think it may be easyer for me this way because its easyer to handle distances and so on)


Its all for now .. i think lol

Thanks in advance.
(note: im from Portugal, in case there is any Portuguese arround... )

I believe the correct interpretation is that the spirit becomes uncontrolled and the summoner passes out before he gets a chance to give any orders. I also believe that summoned spirits appear on the astral.


As it appears in the astral, it would have 8 + F/2.


That's up to you, but it would be bad for the spirit and its allies (or at least make their lives more complicated).


Me? Actions yes, initiative no. I usually let the bad guys all use the same initiative, which is the best Initiative rating among them, and then use individual IPs.


The same way I handle it between PCs and NPCs. Or, if the battle isn't going to impact what the PCs are doing, I just narrate it.


Sure. What I do is put the CM max on a line for each NPC. Then when marking damage, I make hash marks after that number in the shape of triangles. So the first one is like a /, the second is like a _, and the third is like a \, making a triangle which kind of looks like /\. Then every triangle is a -1 dice pool penalty. Pain Tolerance is done with vertical marks. So an encounter might look like:

• Henchmen:
• 10: /\ /\ / [This guy's taken seven damage.]
• 10: /\ / [This one's taken five damage.]
• Boss:
• 12/2: || /\ /\ [The boss has Pain Tolerance 2 and has taken eight damage total.]

Create a movement rate per IP. For example, a walking movement rate of 10m and 3 IPs might move 4m for one IP and 3m for the other two.


Page 160, Street Magic. Dead is dead.


Some do, some don't. It's been sufficient for us to draw on the white board and for me to say "it's twelve meters from here to here."


I'm mostly Portuguese, but I was born in Illinois. Desculpe.

Great stuff! I'll make sure to use that if I end up GMing our group (as is likely to happen, I think).

Actually, on the glitch, the spirit still succeeds on its attack, it just also has a negative effect along with it. (Examples of glitches are things like shooting but also ejecting your clip, or succeeding in a jump but landing on some nails and taking some damage). So, for a spirit using elemental attack, I'd maybe say something like either the spirit takes some of the damage also, or the spirit burns itself out, and can't use the elemental attack again until it spends a complex action "recharging".

I presume you could have the elemental attack causing a fire - the more glitches the closer to where the party are and the further from the target.

Kithran

So is Shadowrun's new Line Developer.

Welcome to Dumpshock.

And here I thought I was the last Shadowrun GM still running around in Portugal...

Or setting off the sprinklers or knocking something over that might impede either side, or making a big cloud of smoke, or triggering an autoclose door, or frying a circuit so the door *won't* autoclose.

Anything really, so long as it's an "unintended consequence" and isn't too major. You can play it for laughs, even. A water elemental might just accidentally drench a teammate.

I thought you were in England now.

I think he's staying in Portugal; he seems to have developed a taste for good food. =ib

You can add a "taste for good weather" too

Another Question:
- on Character creation, whats the MAX availability for gear? the playes can buy ANY peace of equipment or is there any Availadility cap?
(i know that cyberware is restricted to normal and Alpha on charecter creation)

thanks

The Availability maximum is 12 at chargen.

By the book, availability 12. It's in the gear section of the character generation chapter, IIRC.

So medical technology in 2070 forgot how to resuscitate?
There are no rules anywhere in the books on how to do this, and we haven't ever had the opportunity to even try, I mean, why try when the guy is missing a head, right?
Magic cannot raise the dead, but resuscitation through technological means should still be possible, and even have a bigger change of success, I think...

I think its a good thing that theres are no ressurection thing, that way the players will think twice or more before doing a stupid thing lol. But cloning clould be a possibility ( i dont know if there are any rules for cloning ).

I'm fairly certain that "beyond Physical damage overflow max" is equivalent to "completely dead," whereas "full Physical Condition Monitor but not yet past the max" is equivalent to "able to be resuscitated," for medical and magical techniques. I'm willing to bet that the stabilization process includes resuscitation techniques.

Well, there have been instances of people being completely dead and still being successfully resuscitated...
I don't think rules for this would be very useful, since deaths that involve PCs are usually messy and beyond the scope of medical technology...

I think Aaron meant by "completely dead" a state of death so complete that one can't be resuscitated, represented by being "dead" in game terms. Maxing your physical damage boxes is "dead" as far as most people are concerned (heart may be stopped, etc.) but, you have that overflow amount before you're completely dead.

So then how whould it work with DocWagon contract? it only works as long you dont pass the maximum overflow?

Regarding DocWagon ... my players will have it for sure, so, if anyone could explain the practical use with simple exemples, i would be thankfull

Thanks.

With that many NPCs, I use the same initiative. If 1/2 or more take wounds lets say, I'll drop their initiative number 1. For actions, I do apply wound modifiers, but if I'm using that many NPCs, 95% of them have the same dice pool so it is easy to say "OK, ganger 1 has 6 dice to shoot with, -1 for wound, ganger 2 -2 dice, ganger 3 full dice pool, etc". I also only use 1 damage track, so physical and stun add up quickly and threats are eliminated. The only time I use 2 damage tracks and separate initiatives is for "boss type" NPCs (leaders and other runners).


If they have 3 IP's, they can only run 1/3 of their movement rate. So if they say they want to move across the street, but on the 2nd pass they actually want to shoot someone, their character stops in the middle of the street.


Cybermancy (Street Magic Book)


We use wet-erase markers and mat with different colors representing different things. Makes the game much easier and more visual, the only thing is the bigger the mat you use, the bigger your playing surface has to be.

Basically, yeah.

I am unaware of any cases that weren't simply a result of outdated definitions of "dead," specifically the cessation of breathing or heartbeat (which is now known as "clinical death," and is insufficient to pronounce a person dead). Wikipedia has a pretty good run down.

Nah, they shoot with the "Shooter running" negatives. Unless they *want* to stop...

I use a square grid battlemat, since our group had been doing DnD for the last few years (funny that 4th edition DnD drove me away, but I'll readily go to 4th SR ). It isn't perfect, but I hate hexes for half-squares. We just started playing SR again so we haven't really settled on anything yet. I'm hoping to find a battlemat with smaller squares than 1 inch so that I have an easier time with doing large-scale combat.

As for initiative, I use excel. I've got a blank template that includes initiative on one side and an NPC condition monitor chart on the other. Again, not perfect, but we're still working out the kinks and trying to experiment with whatever we can. I've seen an initiative application, but only got it to work once...

I have found that a couple of things work for me. For one, Hex maps seem to just work better for SR for some reason. I use one regularly in my games and each hex typically = 1m. Had to change that for some big areas, but otherwise it works fine.

I like Aaron's damage tracking. He's a clever fellow and you should definitely check out his SR web page. I do however check seperate initiative and wound modifiers for every NPC and apply them as appropriate. The thing is, I resolve NPC only interactions and initiative in the same way. When I am planning things out(or just really quickly if I'm working on the fly as I often am) I divide their relative DP by four(round down) and write that down next to it. Then whenever an NPC reaction is called for I roll a d6, divide by two rounding down(so results from 0-3), and add that number to the original number and that is how many hits they got. So, they still generally get 1 in 3, sometimes more and sometimes less. They glitch or crit glitch when it helps the story vs. each other. So, just one dice roll per action and literally a one dice dice roll.
For instance, Joe Cop and Jim Ganger are fighting in an alley, Joe Cop has a stun baton, a parry DP of 8, and a clubs DP of 10, Jim Ganger has a broken bottle, a dodge DP of 9, and a blades DP of 6 + 2 for knives spec - 2 for trying to use a bottle as a knife. So, Joe Cop has Parry 2, Clubs 2 and Jim Ganger has Dodge 2, Blades 1. Joe swings his stun baton at Jim and so I roll a d6 for each. Joe gets a 1 which is 0 when divided by two and rounded down. Jim gets a 5, which is a two. So, Clubs 2+0 vs. Dodge 2+2 and Jim dodges deftly out of the way. Joe got a slightly sub-par roll and Jim got a slightly above par roll when compared to the actual 1-in-3 hits you would statistically get.
It takes me very little time and allows me to still resolve things impartially without too much rolling or just deciding their fates.


As for movement, I would highly recommend you do what we have done and make all movements easily divisible by 4, then everyone gets to move their part during every IP. So, humans would walk 12m, and thus every human would be able to walk 3m an IP and even if they can't take an action they can move. Keeps people with lower IPs from feeling as left out and just makes things easier.

As for Doc Wagon, they are good if your team does not have a dedicated medic. Also, if you burn edge to live you will most likely really need medical treatment at least in my games. Also, think how long it really takes someone to bleed out to completely dead if they have a good body. The only resuscitation I allow is burned edge to live resus. Something drops you with a horrible amount of damage, you permanently burn edge, and when DW gets to you they can get you alive again. But otherwise, they are just guaranteed medics if yours bites a bullet or you have to split up.

Chris

There are some rules for it in Augmentation if I'm not mistaken.


That's what permanently burning a point of edge is for though, isn't it?

That is the way I run it, SprainOgre.

Chris

Funny, coz my group played D&D too lol

Here see this. Its a free grid maker [ LINK ]

Cool The dot-grids remind me of the old DMZ game and Sprawl Maps...hmm...

But isnt the movement mode the same for all combat turn? like, if you decide you are running on the first IP then you are running on the next 2 IP too?

or you split the movement mode in 1/IP and use that mode on each separated IP ??

I know that's one of my favorite uses for Edge that I hope I never have to use...

I don't run it that way. Walking is free, so they always can move their walk speed each IP. Running is a Free Action. Sprinting a Simple Action. Its declared at the beginning of each IP. So, you can spend a Free Action in IP 1 and continue running at no cost indefinitely (but suffering running modifiers to actions). Or you could run in IP 1 with a free action, walk in IP 2 (no action spent), run in IP 3 (another free action) and assuming you only had 3 IPs, either continue running, stop or use your walk rate in IP 4. You couldn't sprint because that takes a Simple Action and you have no actions in IP 4.

Basically, this gives a player one of 3 movement rates each pass they can act in.

Yeah I guess, but what I was getting at is if they would move 35 meters in a turn they don't go that whole 35 meters on their first initiative pass.



I also allow you choose each IP. Since multiple IPs is saying your body moves faster and your brain can process more things, I see it as sensible to let the characters choose each turn.

can you tell me where did you saw that, please?

Actually, I think Cybermancy is in Augmentation...

It occurs to me that you don't even really need a grid. Just free-form it. Heck if you get some melamine counter-top for like five or ten bucks and cut it to match your table, you can use dry-erase to just draw your battlefields. Call it 1:100 (1 cm = 1 meter). Grab a tape measure and maybe a couple of pre-cut templates for movement (e.g. the player of a human character with 2 IP might have a 5cm template) and you're set.

Trauma arrests are pretty damn fatal. Like 2% survival if they get to a trauma center in under 10 minutes. It's worse if it's due to blunt force. (The link will tell you far more than you probably wanted to know - but I had it handy. )

The bleeding to death rules in SR ("PHYSICAL DAMAGE OVERFLOW") are pretty insane, but getting shot up is a bad thing.

Need some help with a char generator.

Im currently using "SR4Chargen.xls - Last Design Update: 2006/Oct/4 Update By: blakkie, Dumpshock Forums

I just noticed now that the Gear sections ir not costumizable. Is there any update on this chargen os is there any other good chargen somewhere ??

thanks

Ok, here comes another question:

Spellcasting:
- im getting confused with the Force i must choose in certain spells. For exemple the levitate ou Invisibility spell. What does the Force influence on that spells?


Drones, vehicle and Riggers:
- vehicle can be controled manually, remotly, or "jumped into" (right?)
- drones can be controled remotly or "jumped into" (right?)

As the "jumped into" part of the control, the rigger become the drone/vehicle, so on the players turn, he drone/veichle acts.
And what about when you are controling it remotly?

Does any vehicle/drone act alone as the rigger command him to?

How does it work in combat, lets say, a rigger that has 2 flying drones that can shoot at people. How would it work?
( i like rigger but im getting dificult in "how to handle" them )

Thanks in advance.

I use two dry-erase battlemaps as I've never found any scale smaller than 1" squares. But if smaller-than-1" dry-erase battlemaps exist and are easy to purchase someone let me know!

The Force of the spell limits the number of hits from the [magic+spellcasting+focus] test. Some spells are more affected by this than others, but Levitate, for example can lift an amount of stuff based on the number of hits you get. So casting it at Force 1 means you'll only be able to lift a maximum of one "per hit" unit of mass.

The spell's force (chosen when cast) is the maximum number of hits (not net hits) you can apply from your Spellcasting test. Further, most spells have other effects determined by force - base damage for combat spells, the speed you can move objects with Levitate, etc.

Let me know if this helps: http://pavao.org/shadowrun/cheatsheets/SR4Spellcasting.pdf.

I wish the battlemat we had was dry-erase. IT is wet erase and stain easily.

Chris

Ours too. It kinda sucks.

I wish I had this

That is pretty badass.

The guy whose house we play at has a projector in his basement and we had considered using that for mapping. We play on a pool table with a battlemat on it, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make it happen...

I have read that laptops may be the norm when DnD 4th Edition comes out...

We're at 3 out of 6 people have laptops at the gaming table. I've just got to talk my wife into letting me hook a projector to our ceiling, either that or find some (non-permanent) way of suspending it over the table. I've found others who have just projected a picture onto the grid battlemat, so they didn't have to mess with the grid. I think I prefer that way as it would save alot of work (and make the area look more organic instead of blocky).

I'd rather have a table that back-projected (under-projected?) the screen. Way easier to cable.