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Meschler
Hi Folks,

i have a question about the Deep Cover Quality from Runners Companion. How is this thing suppossed to work? Does this quality create somekind of a second personality which didnt know from each other? Implement this thing in a corp secretary, give her a call with the trigger word and make her somekind of an assassine on killing tour. And after she is finishes, she is the nice girl from before and didnt know what has happend. Is it supposed to work it in this way? I remeber and old Columbo episode with two dogs kill a person if you call "Rosebud".

I am not sure if Deep Cover works in this way. How do you read this quality? Any help would be most welcome.

Thank you for your answers.

Best wishes,
Meschler
Kurious
That is pretty much how it reads to me.

It almost seems like the 5BP one would be more of a detriment (but could make for some interesting 'whodunit investigation runs'); while having the (10BP) 'codes' and being able to switch personalities on your own terms could be very useful.
BlackHat
I spent a lot of time thinking about this one too - I CAN actually see how the 5pt one is a positive quality (because if you're captured, after reverting, and interrogated you absolutely cannot disclose the information, and your shadowrunner-persona never suffers the torture - but that that point, you're already kind of F-ed and it probably doesn't matter).

The 10pt one seems completely pointless to me, though. If the personalities are aware of one another, and how to switch between each other... then at any point where it honestly MATTERS that personality A doesn't know something personality B knows, personality A at least knows how to bring out personality B to answer... so if you were being interrogated, or tortured, the information is LESS safe than with the 5pt version.

I'd be interested to hear from someone who used this, or could even think of a reason why this would be of any advantage to a PC at all.
Kurious
I have never used it; however...

If you have the 10 point version and are being interrogated you will pass all modes of lie detector, and even a straight up mind rape. It may not get you out of jail, but it will protect your other runners, your boss and such (who hopefully are planning a way to break you out).

The odds of an interrogator asking 'what is the sequence to bring out your other personality' is very, very low... and hell, if you maintain your 'evil twin alibi' you might even get off the hook (depending on the circumstances, of course).
BlackHat
Yeah, but if you're being tortured, your civilian personality will WANT IT TO STOP, and will know about the other personality (who presumably knows the information the torturer is asking for) and how to bring him out.

The torturer may not ask that question, but chances are your civilian personality would offer it up, if the torture is working.

If its not, and your civilian personality is enough of a tough guy to resist the torture, then you didn't really need to have the information hidden in the other personality to begin with.

Edit: I suppose that with both versions, you'd be really good against mind-reading, and lie-detectors (with gentle interrogation), but if someone starts actually using torture, the 10-pointer becomes worthless, while the 5-point one holds up. That's the part that seems weird to me.
Kurious
In 2070 there are so many ways to tell if someone is lying, I really don't think a corp would resort to torture if all their lie-detector sensors say the civilian honestly does not know. Now a gang or terror group might roll with the torture, in which case I guess it is possible that the civilian mind may betray the shadowrunner mind to make the pain stop... but, if you are aware of the 2nd personality, you are also aware that once they get what they want from it you are no longer needed.

(Admittedly, it would be a gambit in the latter situation though, if you keep quiet and convince them you don't know anything, you might still be killed since you are of no use...).

The 5pt one is crap for all of it though, since you cannot just turn off the shadowrunning personality (unless you got some lucky phone call right before capture) all your info will be spilled in the interrogation room. The only way the 5 pt holds up is if you are a runner by night (aka: unwitting corp tool) and you get captured during the day, after your civilian personality was turned back on.

***
I really think this merit is best for NPC's and plot devices. Though, if you got a run where you can be a mole inside a corp for a long while, this would be the merit you need.
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