Welcome to the OOC thread for my SR4: “Shadows of the CAS” story. This thread will be for discussing any Out of Character details including dice rolls for the story. The Shadowrun game is designed around lots of dice rolls but I will do my best to minimize frivolous rolls using story telling and role-playing more to effect. When dice are needed please use InvisibleCastle.com to make dice rolls. The Campaign Name will be Shadows CAS. I am not going to be anal on how you copy and paste the results, all I ask is you make it clear (1) what the roll is for, (2) the total dice pool, (3) the number of hits and (4) if its a glitch or crit glitch. Below is just an example:

Perception(visual): Perception(4) + Attribute(4) + Enhancement(2) = 10 DP = 2 hits <-- glitch

Feel free to post IC to keep the story moving. The only time I would like to limit IC posting is during combat. Fell free to post up IC right up to entering combat initiative but once we start Initiative Passes please only post in IC when you have resolved your actions in OOC. This way we keep things organized and easier to follow.

Current Cast of Characters:

Artemis Fowler - Mach_Ten – Face/hacker

Tyler “Lobo” Savage – Lobo0705 - Street Samurai

Autowired - phlapjack77 - Technomancer

Nick - Unidori - Infiltration / Espionage Expert


Retired or Dead Characters:

Sage “Egg” Summers - Twitch_ - Mage/healer


Important Links:

Charlotte - Raleigh Metroplex 2072

To make things easier to read I would ask that everyone use a standard color scheme for their IC posts.

Speech
Text comms
inner monologue / thoughts
Electronic VOICE Comms
Reserved for GM use

Karma Awards:

Artemis Fowler

Tyler “Lobo” Savage

Sage “Egg” Summers

???

House Rules: These are minor (sometimes major) tweaks to the rules i am experimenting with. These rules are subject to change at the GM's whim.

Extended Tests - You can only perform a task so well before second guessing yourself begins to hinder your attempts. With this in mind you can only make a number of attempts on an extended test equal to the number of dice in the 'Base Dice pool” (Skill + Attribute).

Fake License - Within reason a license can cover several restricted items that are grouped together for a common purpose. Be smart when using this.

Contacts - You start with Charisma * 2 free BP to use only towards contacts. No contact can begin play with a combined rating higher than 9.

Movement – Movement per combat turn is exaggeratedly high in the SR4 mechanics. A more realistic version of this is limited movement based directly to Agility score. Normal walking is equal to a number of meters per combat round (3 seconds) equal to the characters Agility. Running doubles this movement. Dwarves get a natural -1/-2 modifier to walking/running movement while trolls get a +1/+2.

Hacked Software - Maintaining hacked software is a tedious task when you have nothing else going on, but a hacker / runner is often busy doing other chores too. Keep this in mind if you take a bucket load of hacked programs to start off with and they begin to degrade. The hacker can only work on a number of software / hardware projects at a given time equal to his logic score while they are considered active. During downtime increase the number of projects to Logic*2.

Technomancer Living Persona – A Technomancers Signal rating is now based on 2/3 of his Resonance score.

Technomancer BioFeedback Filter – Instead of basing the Biofeedback Filter off Charisma, This hose rule is going to allow it to be based off Willpower. To this end it will be similar to Firewall.

Sprites – In my opinion Sprites are essentially “Living Matrix” or residual resonance that brings code “to life” to work a task for the Technomancer. With this thought the Technomancer essentially designs and builds what he wants just the way a hacker writes a piece of software.

All Sprites automatically have a Perception Dice Pool equal to its Rating*2. This can be further increased if the Technomancer picks Perception as one of the Sprites additional skills which would add the Sprites rating to the Dice Pool.

When a Sprite is compiled the Technomancer gets to pick a number of skills equal to the creatures Rating*2. Each of these skills has a dice pool equal to the Sprites rating. A skill may only be taken a maximum of twice to effectively double the dice pool with the exception of Perception which may only be taken once.

Each Sprite knows a number of Complex Forms equal to its Rating + Compiling net hits. These Complex Forms may only be taken once and are equal to the Sprites Rating.

The Sprite sometimes has special powers. The number of these powers are equal to the number of net hits-1 (minimum of 1). The Technomancer may pick these powers.

"Look kid, you worry too much.. You did it before and you can do it again, just relax!"

At a little over six feet and tanned to perfection, the man brushes both hands through shoulder length silver hair that gives him the distinguished look of an early retired millionaire or TRID-Star.

Artemis gives the other younger man a winning smile full of perfect teeth that gleam in the early morning sun and make an imperceptible *TING* sound as the light catches them.
it's purely an AR gimmick stolen from the media advertisements of the 20th century, but he likes the way it works.

The conversation lulls and they both sit back in the chairs outside a local eatery, sipping Kaf and basking in the sun before the commute starts and the streets fill with strangers.
"So, we're golden yeah?" he asks quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment "my guy tells me this is the real deal, no tricks just a straight job!"
The kid looks dubious as always, He's worked with Artemis long enough to know that if it says '100% REAL MEAT' on the tin he is serving from,
then They've rounded UP! ... from .. well .. probably from at least 10%.

"You just need to watch my back, no-one will even know we were there, then it's Real food™ for us for life junior!"
There he goes again with meat metaphors, the guy's obsessed ...
The kid can't help the smile at the corners of his mouth, Artemis hasn't actually done wrong by him, ever!
but then again, the last few years haven't exactly been the fun filled paradise he has promised, every day, since ... Sprites Scan! .. how long has it been ?

Artemis flashes the smile again as the waitress returns with the ticket, he casually swipes it from the ARO, to his own HUD without breaking eye contact with the waitress
"A Bee-ee-ay-utiful morning, that is only eclipsed by the beauty that stands before me" He drawls "Jenny? is it .. Jenny.. yes, good mornin' to you miss Jenny.
If only I could sit here and bask in your radiance for the day! But alas my colleague and I must bid you adieu.. fair, fair Jenny, have a wonderful day!"

The pair get up from their seats as Jenny clears the table and lets her hair droop forward to cover her blushing face,
not looking as Artemis concludes the transaction and with a wave passes the ARO back to her basic works comm.
"Ha..have a nice day..umm..too"
she mutters and turns to race back into the kitchen as the pair turn and wander up the street.

"You did it again, didn't you!" the Young man accuses Artemis with a smile still turning his lips gently.
The older man turns to see the fleeing waitress drop the dishes with a crash to the floor as she spots the ARO and the associated Service Charge she has received.

"Moi?" He replies full of shock and indignation "How on earth would a world weary gent such as I, manage to simply switch the 100NuYen BILL around and into a deposit for a TIP ?"
The teeth flash in the morning sun as the pair wander off, only this time, the grin is more predatory, reminiscent of a sharks, *TING*

OMG ... Phlapjack just completely nailed Artemis! and not in a good way !

When I nail you, it's never in a good way...

Apologies for taking so long with a character everyone, work has just gone plaid in terms of busy-ness. LordArcana, I'm close to finished with the character, his name will be "Matt Smith", aka "the kid" (just what everyone ends up calling him). His online handle is '@Autowired'

Not Matt smith, aka The Doctor ?

Crap! That was not intended! I don't like the physical comparison....hmmm

How about just Matt...no last name? Fits his orphan status, SIN-less, right?

No problem at all. This week has been crazy for me as well so its all good. I have Friday off but i have a few things i have to do during the day to get ready for my sons birthday party that evening. He turns the big 16 this year. Anyway i will try to get some more work done on the first IC post so i am rady to bedazzle everyone with a grande entrance

It was another night in the 'plex, the bright lights of the corporate towers gleamed in the distance, offering a glimpse of what life could be, while the lights closer to home were much dimmer - both in illumination and promise.

Lobo stopped his scooter in the parking garage, put down the kickstand and dismounted. The springs of the scooter seemed to sigh in relief as he stepped off, as they were not designed for someone of his size.

He moved through the garage, his senses taking everything in while his mind was a million miles away. The garage was free of squatters and their ilk, courtesy of the local group of toughs known as the Tuskers. A few of those lounged near the entrance, laughing and speaking loudly – the way the young and invincible are wont to do.

Lobo moved past them, and their volume lowered a little, but then gained in strength again as soon as he was past. They knew better than to try to impede someone his size, and he just couldn’t be bothered as long as they left him alone.

Stepping out of the garage, he moved past the walls that were tagged by the Tuskers, but physically and virtually, going through his finances as he walked. The word “Late” in red pixels showed up quite often as he paged through the invoices – and even more disconcerting was the “friendly” reminder from Pasha that the weekly vig was due tomorrow.

Opening the door with a swipe of his virtual key, he stepped into the dirty and dank foyer of the apartment complex. A ten meter walk brought him to the stairs, and he began his climb to the third floor. Lobo in general didn’t like elevators, and stepping into the elevator in this building was tantamount to suicide, given the “maintenance” provided by the Tuskers.

As he exited the stairwell, he began the trip down the hallway toward 3F, stopping to pick up a discarded soyburger wrapper and put it in the trash. While he knew he lived in a shithole, his habits of his former life stayed with him. As he neared his door, he heard the door to 3E begin to open. Without looking, he said, “Hello Mrs. Honeywell.”

A quavering voice came from behind the door, “Hello dear, can I bother you for a moment?”

Lobo stopped, and then moved to the doorway, where the eighty-year old woman stood. “How can I help you today, Mrs. Honeywell?”

“Come in, come in, dearie.” She stepped back, letting Lobo squeeze his bulk through the door. The inside of the apartment was well kept, as best as it could be under these conditions. Old photos adorned the walls, showing Mrs. Honeywell and her late husband, along with their son, who had passed two years ago in a traffic accident.

“The stove is broken again. I tried to tell those boys that it doesn’t work, but all they did was laugh and said they would get to it when they had time. Could you take a look at it?”

Lobo moved to the kitchen, taking care not to knock anything over. Taking off his coat, and stripping off his expensive shirt, he knelt down by the stove, the synthetic muscles moving beneath the equally synthetic skin of his arms. He examined the stove, took it apart, and then turned to the elderly woman. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Honeywell, I can’t fix it. If it were a car, that would be one thing, but I’m not that familiar with stoves.” He slowly put the stove back together, and began picking up his clothes from the back of the chair where he draped them.

“That’s ok honey, I’ll manage. I appreciate you trying.” She moved to open the door for him to leave. Lobo moved to the door, looking at the bills again. As he reached it, he turned around.

“Mrs. Honeywell, I just remembered. I have a friend who owes me a favor, he’s pretty good with these sort of things, I’ll give him a call and he’ll take care of it.”

“Bless you dear, I really appreciate it – once it is fixed I’ll bake you some cookies.”

“Good night Mrs. Honeywell.” Lobo slipped back into the hallway, opened his door, and went to the fridge to get a beer. While doing so, he pulled up a list of the nearest electricians, and booked an appointment for tomorrow. Sitting down for the first time today, he sighed, trying to figure out which bill he was going to have to push back even further in order to pay for stove. I hope Burnout calls me before Pasha has to…

Very nice

Agreed,

I've said it to someone else recently, I spend ages crafting a post and think its the best i've done... And then within ten minutes someone else raises the bar and literally blows me out the water.

Looking forward to meeting Lobo, Sincerely!

Thank you both very kindly

Would have posted the thank you earlier, but I was busy GMing my 5e PnP group

Looking forward to playing with everyone!

Ok everyone, I have at least a preliminary copy of everyone's characters. I will try to finish up the opening IC today or tomorrow morning. I don't expect any serious action for the first few posts so if you want to make changes please do so before we get heavily into things. I will put a limit to making changes to characters until the ending of the first meet with Burn-out. That gives you plenty of time to post a few times in IC and get a feel for the workings of the character concept.

I'm SO excited !

Looking forward to this~

Loving the pictures - except for "The Kid" - I opened that and I think I went blind!

If he dresses like that, not sure we are going to be sneak in anywhere

ROFL... funny i thought similar... kinda like the guys on Star Trek with the red suit on.... yep he's going to die

Ok guys first IC is up. Feel free to free form for the next 24+ hours. I'll update IC when necessary.

That's quite the intro ! time to get to work, but before I do this some justice,

Hmmm ... A cool bottle of Pear Cider and warm Cherry pie... that should set me up nicely..

And yeah, "The Kid" sure is gonna set some trends in the Technomancer world! ... maybe that's just his work uniform huh ?

Did I do that right, LordArcana? Or would you rather we roll in the ooc?

I would prefer the rolls in OOC but its fine for now. Its was kept small and easy to read. No need to edit.

Really? I thought it was a good "futuristic dystopic cyberpunk" look, something that would fit in in the 2070's? Maybe I'm wrong Anywho, that's just his day-to-day look, on runs he'll have on different stuff...still looking for a good pic for that, kinda gun-shy now

Ok dude, you might be looking at the wrong pic, theres 2 in the box for you one titled "the kid" is the one we are looking at . Suits you

First of all, what're you doing up at this hour? Go to bed man!

And secondly, hmmm. I only knew of the one pic that I put on my character sheet. Guess I gotta go look...and I have a sneaking suspicion that SOMEONE is gonna regret pulling this prank

its cool. the pic works fine for your character. I was just making a point that the color scheme is... well... bright

Prank? Moi? No no no, it's surely just an echo in the 'trix, reasserting it's material form and imposing itself upon you.
An echo of a future you, reverberating through time and.... Yeah fraggit, t'was me

Had the week off, so am up playing shenanigans

Hehehe - well played sir, well played. Hadn't even thought to do something like this. Well, ok, the game is on!

For everyone else, please download the autowired.zip file and look at the pic inside. THAT is what "the kid" looks like

I opened the zip and put the pic in drop box for your character

@Twitch_, I missed the commlink search part in your IC post so i added a quick spoiler edit to my next IC reply regarding that.

Gotcha.

Finally saw the pic...


*shakes fist in the air* MAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ARRRRRRCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(actually, seeing the pic, I kinda want to create a char that matches the pic...some other time, some other time )

First called roll for the game...

Artemis, please make a Visual Perception test with a -1 modifier due to the weather conditions.

Ummm.... maybe that is why you are in debt... you can't see the dealers dealing from the bottom of the deck

it's called Focusing! .. I'm not utterly imperceptive .. I just focus on the task at hand .... mostly focusing on where all my chips are going

Defaulting, -1 visibility, +3 contacts
(3d6.hits(5)=2)

BOOM!

I'm starting to draw a parallel between Artemis & Lobo, neither of us are any good at keeping money in our pocketsies

**EDIT**

Yeah, this guys gonna snap me like a dry twiglet

Are you saying Lobo will snap you like a dry twiglet or the guy in the Mercedes? Or both?

I'm not sure how Lobo and Artemis will get along. Lobo is mostly philanthropic, and although originally enjoyed living the high life, both the tragedy with Lisbeth and his enforced penury have shown him how little those trappings mean (although he does miss the pleasures of hot water and real food).

Artemis seems (I could be wrong) a little more shallow, and depending how that plays out, that may rub Lobo the wrong way.

Not suggesting you change your character at all, just speculating

O, both

You are not wrong, he's as deep as a puddle in the sahara at noon!
That doesn't mean he's a bad person, in fact he's come from the 'plex and swindled his way to mediocrity.

Just working on the next BIG thing, but he draws the line at stepping on people,
Considers himself a modern day robin hood, only In this version, Robin gets his cut! 70/30 sound fair?
Hey 30¥ is more than you had before right? Amirite? Or amirite!

He may not be very perceptive, but will avoid, or try to avoid angering those that can aid him, he's all about making friends, lots of friends, but hes as good at maintaining those false frienships as he is at keeping his ¥ in his credstick.

Artemis - Look out! It's Michael Weston!

If he pulls out duct tape, you are in trouble.

LOL. I must say he rocks the suit

Unless i have missed something currently this is roughly where everyone stands:

Sage (18:25:00) heading out the door of her place to catch the bus en route to the BBQ Pit. Estimated arrival time 19:12:00 with the bus drop off across the street from the BBQ Pit.

Artemis (17:10:00) sitting in the drive thru of Jack in the Box. Without any distraction its just a hair under thirty minutes directly to the meet. If he goes to meet @Autowired at work its 18 minutes there from leaving the parking lot and another 18 to the meet. Artemis remembers @Autowired gets out of work at 18:00.

Lobo (18:10:01) the cab arrives to pick him up. The ride is less than ten minutes putting him at the BBQ Pit no later than 18:20

@Autowired (18:00:00) gets out of work. The plan i believe was to race home get cleaned up and changed and head over to the meeting. Its only a short distance to where he keeps his clothes so he should be all cleaned and ready to leave his place by 18:45. He can be at the pit easily by 19:00:00.

******************

With the exception of Artemis, who has some quick decisions to make, feel free IC yourselves to the BBQ Pit. Once we have everyone there i will put up a generic IC describing the place and let all of you interact from there.

I edited my post to get Sage all the way to the BBQ. I also rolled Perception to look around once she gets inside, but I only got 1 hit.

At a birthday party. Will post later

No problem. We are getting ready to celebrate my sons and my wifes party in about an hour. I will catch up when everyone leaves. I'm just writing up the IC for the meet now.

I'm going to post IC up to the point of seeing the BBQ Pit. For those who arrive earlier than 19:30 feel free to IC actions if there is anything you want to accomplish before the meeting. Otherwise I'm going to hold off the actual conversation with Burn-out until all the runners get there so we are all on the same page.

So, should we take into accounts the times you posted?

I'm just checking, because Lobo and Artemis are getting there over an hour before the meet (almost 2 hours early in the case of Artemis) - when does Burnout arrive?

It will affect my post (and potentially Artemis's)

I'm going for a chilled out drive and will arrive maybe 10-5 minutes early, just to help ya out

A rough estimate i would say is that Lobo is the first runner to arrive which he is in the parking lot over an hour early. Second to arrive is Artemis but he stays in his Jackrabbit until a little before the meet to the second person to actually walk in to the restaurant would be Sage (about 19:12:00), then Artemis and followed lastly by @Autowired.

Burn-out is at the booth when Lobo arrives. He appears to be busy focusing nearly all of his attention in the AR as his hands move back and forth manipulating ARO's. The waitress brings him several glasses of what appears to be Ice Tea. As soon as he realizes you are there he smiles and motions you to come over and sit down.

Feel free to post up conversations or actions you would like to do while you wait. You have plenty of time before 19:30

Speaking of Autowired.... sorry phlapjack. I didn't mean to step on your toes moving your character ahead. I just figured you had already given a plan of what you were going to do so i just moved things ahead in the time line a bit. If you want to change or add anything feel free to make some mods

No worries about the autopilot. I don't seem to be posting as regularly as the other players, so do whatever you gotta do to keep things moving

I know we had quite a bit of momentum yesterday and I am fairly certain that was in part to having the day off from work plus it being a Friday. As winter gets here most of my hobbies tend to turn indoors so gaming comes to the forefront a bit more. I have small blocks of IC already prepared that occur at certain times or when certain events trigger the situation so it won't always be go go go... Once the meeting with Burn-out is over the story will return mainly to the players hands and move at your pace.