We're starting up a paranormal heavy / magic heavy non-standard sr campaign. I'm wondering what sort of character types would thrive? Specifically I"m curious if any *mundane* character stands a chance, and what sorts you would recommend?
If not, I'm open to suggestions for magical characters.
The team already has a melee-adept and a combat full shaman.
Curugul
ps. Magic still overpowered!
Full Version: Help wanted (Para)
Sure! Cybered mundanes make great Awakened dog catchers/critter exterminators.
Mundane-mundanes make great animal trainers, although they tend to die when Mr. Barghest decides to meet Mr. VIP's pure-bred poodle for a little Discovery Channel time.
Dwarven resistance to disease and Troll ability to take (and give) damage make them excellent combat vetrinarians.
Mundane-mundanes make great animal trainers, although they tend to die when Mr. Barghest decides to meet Mr. VIP's pure-bred poodle for a little Discovery Channel time.
Dwarven resistance to disease and Troll ability to take (and give) damage make them excellent combat vetrinarians.
In my experience riggers tend to eat mages before breakfast.
While inside a vehicle, you can't be targetted by spells. This means only spells like powerball (which falls afoul of the vehicle damage reducing effect) and Wreck/Ram (Which is specific to each vehicle type) is really effective, and they tend to have huge drain codes for what you get. The only major threats are lightning bolt and critter accident powers, and lightning spells aren't too common.
Meanwhile, inside the car friendly wizards are free to use magic at will against targets outside.
However the single most powerful anti-magic technique in all Shadowrun is a Sundowner Cropdusting drone attached to a Rigger. Yeah, I know, it's unarmed. But it's tank is filled with clouds of FAB-III which it will deposit on top of the nearest unfriendly mage cluster. Say goodbye to all spirits, all active foci, and if you're astral your own life. As if that's not enough by itself, without a successful Magic Background (
or astral perception (12) test the magicians will not know what's happening and mistake the FAB-III for a micro-background count and the symptoms for a mild flu right up until they die of magic drain. And if they do succeed and quit being astral, it will stick with them just waiting for a chance to strike. The downside is, you've gotta be careful to make sure that stuff doesn't come after your own mages since the clouds can multiply and will seek out the most powerful magic aura it can find.
Hmm, this would be another good tool to add to my "Ways for a Modern Rigger to kill Horrors" list.
While inside a vehicle, you can't be targetted by spells. This means only spells like powerball (which falls afoul of the vehicle damage reducing effect) and Wreck/Ram (Which is specific to each vehicle type) is really effective, and they tend to have huge drain codes for what you get. The only major threats are lightning bolt and critter accident powers, and lightning spells aren't too common.
Meanwhile, inside the car friendly wizards are free to use magic at will against targets outside.
However the single most powerful anti-magic technique in all Shadowrun is a Sundowner Cropdusting drone attached to a Rigger. Yeah, I know, it's unarmed. But it's tank is filled with clouds of FAB-III which it will deposit on top of the nearest unfriendly mage cluster. Say goodbye to all spirits, all active foci, and if you're astral your own life. As if that's not enough by itself, without a successful Magic Background (
or astral perception (12) test the magicians will not know what's happening and mistake the FAB-III for a micro-background count and the symptoms for a mild flu right up until they die of magic drain. And if they do succeed and quit being astral, it will stick with them just waiting for a chance to strike. The downside is, you've gotta be careful to make sure that stuff doesn't come after your own mages since the clouds can multiply and will seek out the most powerful magic aura it can find.Hmm, this would be another good tool to add to my "Ways for a Modern Rigger to kill Horrors" list.
| QUOTE |
| The only major threats are lightning bolt and critter accident powers, and lightning spells aren't too common. |
Ha! Maybe in your games. IMG, the rigger tactics you mention make lightning elemental manipulation very popular.
Cyberzombies work well. A few minutes of conversation with a mage and then they can jump them no problem.
~J
~J
| QUOTE (GunnerJ) | ||
Ha! Maybe in your games. IMG, the rigger tactics you mention make lightning elemental manipulation very popular. |
So basically if there's a rigger on the team you modify all the opposition mages to specially counter riggers? Ah well, as you play it.
Ah well, it's still a very minor threat to a properly equipped rigger. When drone-rigging electric static shock is reduced in power by 2, and staged up 1 level (but the vehicle stages it down by 1 by itself, more for it's body test). With a biofeedback filter you can reduce the power of ASIST backlash from such attacks by up to 6 (Min 2). So if your intrepid mage sends an electrical elemental manipulation against the Rigger, say a force 6 S damage lightning bolt, you can expect the rigger to be soaking 2S stun while your Mage has to soak 4D Stun. This, of course, assumes the vehicle itself never manages to soak any damage, otherwise the Rigger may well only be facing 2M or L! I know who got the better of that exchange. . .
| QUOTE (Moonstone Spider) | ||||
So basically if there's a rigger on the team you modify all the opposition mages to specially counter riggers? Ah well, as you play it. |
That's not what he said. He stated that because Riggers have developed such tactics, Spellcasters have learned to adapt in one of the only ways they can, which is a general increase in the frequency of Lightning spells being learned. He never differentiated between PC and NPC mages in making this statement, nor did he mention that things 'change' whenever a PC Rigger is involved.
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||||||
That's not what he said. He stated that because Riggers have developed such tactics, Spellcasters have learned to adapt in one of the only ways they can, which is a general increase in the frequency of Lightning spells being learned. He never differentiated between PC and NPC mages in making this statement, nor did he mention that things 'change' whenever a PC Rigger is involved. |
I suppose that makes sense, although using lightning bolt against a rigger's vehicle is like trying to hurt your opponent's knee by smashing your balls into it.
| QUOTE |
| So basically if there's a rigger on the team you modify all the opposition mages to specially counter riggers? |
No, just some of them. Actually, sometimes they have lightning bolt anyway (it fucks up more than just vehichles). However, it's a bit more complex than that. You suggest that lighting would be a problem for riggers, and given the commoness of rigging, it would only be logical for a combat mage to learn to use lightning as a coutner, if he/she can. Many of my players give their spellslingers lightning elemental manipulation for this reason.
EDIT:
| QUOTE |
| I suppose that makes sense, although using lightning bolt against a rigger's vehicle is like trying to hurt your opponent's knee by smashing your balls into it. |
The example you gave only shows this to be the case in certain situations (drone rigging, special cyberware designed to counter biofeedback, etc.), and assumes that the intent is to kill the rigger, when damaging or incapacitating the vehichle would do just fine.
Well, I found that Shape Earth -> Squash Vehicle got around that whole "Ha Ha! LOS! I'm safe in here, sucker!" rigger mentality.
But that's not exactly the topic here, is it?
Paranormal animal control? Well, a couple of valid DocWagon contracts woun't go astray, as well as a bunch of magic-users with plenty of "heal".
The usual things apply - know what you're after, what it likes and what the damn thing's weaknesses are.
Of course, AV rounds are good for armoured beasties, as is napalm.
Apart from that, my teams usual reliance on "Massive overkill" weaponry and skills tends to reduce the dangers involved.
L;
But that's not exactly the topic here, is it?
Paranormal animal control? Well, a couple of valid DocWagon contracts woun't go astray, as well as a bunch of magic-users with plenty of "heal".
The usual things apply - know what you're after, what it likes and what the damn thing's weaknesses are.
Of course, AV rounds are good for armoured beasties, as is napalm.
Apart from that, my teams usual reliance on "Massive overkill" weaponry and skills tends to reduce the dangers involved.
L;
Manifest in that vehicle helps too. Especially if it is a fire or water elemental. So many things to short circuit...
Back on topic, maxing out your Paranormal Animals and/or Parazoology and/or Parabotany and/or Parabiology will definately help in taking down any critter. Chemistry and Metallurgy are good too since you might need exotic weapons/ammo to deal with those nasty things with regeneration and vulnerabilities.
Back on topic, maxing out your Paranormal Animals and/or Parazoology and/or Parabotany and/or Parabiology will definately help in taking down any critter. Chemistry and Metallurgy are good too since you might need exotic weapons/ammo to deal with those nasty things with regeneration and vulnerabilities.
| QUOTE (GunnerJ) | ||
The example you gave only shows this to be the case in certain situations (drone rigging, special cyberware designed to counter biofeedback, etc.), and assumes that the intent is to kill the rigger, when damaging or incapacitating the vehichle would do just fine. |
Eh, the maxed-out ASIST spike reducer is only 45,000 nuyen with really low availability, not hard to get and common for starting characters. It's also not cyberware, it's a VCD modification. If the rigger's driving a vehicle directly instead of VD or Captain's Chair, the power of the attack is still only 3 so it's not going to be all that painful, even then you'll suffer drain equal to the rigger's (although the rigger will take physical damage).
Of course since armor reduces the power of elemental manipulations if the vehicle has a few points of armor you might as well throw a tomato at it and then hit yourself over the head with a shovel as use lightning bolt. . .
Shape Earth moves 1 meter per success per turn. Not initiative pass, entire combat turn. You wanna explain how that's going to hurt most vehicles, which will be moving at more than 50 times that speed if they're not flying in the first place?
I've also had good luck with spirit-slaying by mounting multiple tazers on an aerial drone. Even 1 tazer will often disrupt a spirit in a single initiative pass, 2 will generally assure it's death from 4 10S hits.
Heh, a cube (1 meter ^3) of earth is still going to be a trifle difficult to avoid if you're speeding away down that nice, long, straight highway.
And who said it had to be easy to avoid? Say hello to "Mr Tanktrap."
And for flying vehicles, a decent force Toxic Wave/Spray tends to do more bad things than most riggers want to think about. Aftr all, those air-intakes are open, after all...
But if you're in a panzer you've spent millions on, ok, I get the whole "I'm indestructable" vibe.
I tend to think that's it's asking for a major spanking, but that's my view.
"If you build it - they will want to break it. Or steal it. Or bury it..."
Oh - another suggestion by my local anarchistic mage - Glue. I was thinking icesheet and lightning, but Glue is so much more...humiliating?
"Yeah? Cop THIS!"
Out of interest, can any mages out there tell me if sensors (visual) can "see" through a force 5 Gluebath?
"Let's see that <Insert "death from above" attack chopper> fly now!"
...And not many T-birds have autogyro, do they..?
L - Just don't ask what she did with a force 5 power foci, shape earth and a fast-moving convoy of trucks.
And who said it had to be easy to avoid? Say hello to "Mr Tanktrap."
And for flying vehicles, a decent force Toxic Wave/Spray tends to do more bad things than most riggers want to think about. Aftr all, those air-intakes are open, after all...
But if you're in a panzer you've spent millions on, ok, I get the whole "I'm indestructable" vibe.
I tend to think that's it's asking for a major spanking, but that's my view.
"If you build it - they will want to break it. Or steal it. Or bury it..."
Oh - another suggestion by my local anarchistic mage - Glue. I was thinking icesheet and lightning, but Glue is so much more...humiliating?
"Yeah? Cop THIS!"
Out of interest, can any mages out there tell me if sensors (visual) can "see" through a force 5 Gluebath?
"Let's see that <Insert "death from above" attack chopper> fly now!"
...And not many T-birds have autogyro, do they..?
L - Just don't ask what she did with a force 5 power foci, shape earth and a fast-moving convoy of trucks.
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