I've got a few characters in my game that have the human-looking trait. What does it take to realize that they're not actually human? Is it a perception test and if so, what's the threshold? Does it require a certain amount of exposure first? If there aren't official rules, how do you work it in your game?

Thanks!

With a sweep of his...

Hat

Depending on how they pull off the human looking, could be a perception test on the initial meeting. Also could be dependent on etiquette rolls if they're trying to say, blend in with a humanis group.

Human-Looking isn't something that will stand up to scrutiny, but your first impression won't be, "Oh look, a meta!" Certainly, any modest amount of medical or physical examination will reveal their true nature.

I've assumed that Human-Looking metas are the kind of people that when you first encounter them you think, "Man, that guy's built like an ork!" or "If I did know better, I'd think that skinny dud was an elf." or "Man, that guy's almost short enough to be a dwarf."

Some examples (off the top of my head):

Ork: "He's a big dude. Looks like he spends a lot of time at the gym lifting weights."

Elf: "She's a cute little skinny Minni, with a smile makes you want to melt."

Dwarf: "He's about a head shorter than you and build like a brick shithouse. No doubt he works out. Probably has a major case of short guy syndrome too."

I think it would still take a disguise check to pass for any more then a passing glance. If someone's talking directly to you, or anyway scrutinizing you it won't hold up that long.

Well, Nas in one of my stories has Muscle Augmentation, and is "Too broad shouldered to be an Elf."

Just a headband or long hair that covers the ears would be sufficient. He could be a smallish Ork or a gym-going Human.

*Points to Sig File for Story Links*

...or just use Jim Kirk's explanation for Spock's ears from the City on the Edge of Forever ST episode:

''...the ears? He got is head stuck in a mechanical rice picker..."

And speaking of Glitched, but otherwise successful Con checks...

Human Looking means they look like a human. They do not look like an elf, ork, or whatever. Close visual inspection *might* reveal them, but the only way to guarantee it would be with biometric readings or Assensing their aura.

Depends on the size of the ears. Shadowrun elf ears can range in size from Lord of the Rings/tiny points to Vulcan to full on radar dishes. I think a human-looking elf would have smaller, rounder ears and be a bit more bulky than average.

That's a rather extreme view. You're making the quality sound like full on race-change (like what's covered in the gene-tech section in Augmentation) rather than a simple genetic quirk. From a distance I look Mediterranean. Up close, I'm just a swarthy white guy. Same principle.

Well, the quality should count for something, since you're paying points for it. Being a human-looking elf, ork, or dwarf from across the street, but not at the table at the meet is sorta...well, useless.

I'd have it count well...unless the person is sorta ''tipped off'' somehow and knows what to look for...or just gives them a good visual workover for whatever reason(perhaps they are suspicious or they say the wrong thing at a meet.) Sure, the truth can come out, but i'd at least make it worth the quality.

I always figured that there was something that could give you away. Like slightly pointed ears for an elf, or if the orc smiles you can see his tusks. Maybe if the troll has long enough hair you might miss the nubs that are his tusks. I think it is more about what you decide is the give away for your character.

They really do look human, but when your orc smiles you are probably toast, or if the elf brushes back his or her hair they are in trouble at a humanis meeting. If they take blood samples your boned. If they are able to examine your body at their own pace you are also boned, but a 5 bp trait to be completely useless sucks and why would anyone ever take it if you can see through them instantly.

Question is how could a genetic test show an elf, or orc or troll?
They are all genetically human, You'd have to check for meta protein markers, but a simple DNA test wouldn't tell you anything, as two elf's can mate and possibly make a human or orc

Because when you take someones blood you can't tell all kinds of things from it when you run tests on it? I didn't say genetic test I said blood sample.

nope, that would come out a elf 100% of the time...

now if one of them mated with a human, it would be a 50/50 between human and elf. same with orc, dwarf or troll...

pg 76 of augmentation. Left column bottom section.
They usually breed true, but there have been cases where they have not.

ok, so make that 98% or so. basically its the exception that proves the rule or whatever you want to call it.

Actually if you consider a genetic explanation, you can have two parents with an elf/ork genotype and an elf phenotype. If their child get an ork/ork genotype, he'll be an ork. And if you add magic to the mix (which obviously have an impact on the expression of the metahuman genes) it can lead to other outcomes.

And I can just see that discussion, "Two Orks don't make a litter of Dwarves!"

Well, yeah, it should count for something but it shouldn't be equal to a nano-paste disguise or a full-on genetic rewrite. The character should look a little... "off" from the human norm (whatever that is) but shouldn't take negative modifiers from racists during social tests unless the target was tipped off or examined the runner very closely. I think that would be worth the five BP.

problem is two elf's can produce a human, or ork, or dwarf as well, its just exceedingly rare. This suggests it would have more to do with the astral shadows latched onto the parental DNA then it would the parental DNA itself.