Slobber may or may not be going for a really stupid all-in geek the mage play, which invisibility may help with.

but he has a spirit channeled and the spirit sees the astral... Perhaps it would protect from some of his line of sight spells though.

Jack - which way would be more sensible to run? through the car or through the corridor? You mentioned that getting out the car is multiple complex actions so I assume that the corridor and get a wall or two between herself and the grenade?

Yep, invisibility will be a bit of a waste - except that your opponent can't really see what equipment you carry.

Time to bring this to a close.

@gilga
You don't know the force of the grenade and have no idea about it's reach. But it certainly would be savest to seek shelter in another room.

So this is a dumb play that I'm about to do, but it's probably the only way we live.

What is the exact location of Zola's commlink at this moment? I'm going to make the poor assumption it's still on his body. I want to know his exact location and see if this dumb idea is even possible. This is the stupid plan.

Slob's probably dead or mind controlled or fucked in some other unpleasant way, but continuing to playing defensively and just react to Zola is a losing strategy. Anna's going to pass out with much more stress, Kite's out of action, Kretov's useless, and I suspect Kynos is about to be useless too. Maybe bnc can control the fucking combat drones, but we need to buy time for that to happen.

Slob already said his death poem anyway.

Reckless, maybe but not dumb.
You don't need the commlink although, yes he has it on him and it corresponds with the invisble presence you can feel through your movement sense.
So I say, go for it, let's roll initiative.

Ini: 18+1d6 20

Zola's first action would indeed be to try an mind control Kynos:
Control Thoughts F8: 22d6t5 8
Kynos really doesn't want to be controled and spends Edge
Resist: 10d6h5 5
Kynos Ini: Ini: 15+2d6 25
-10 for late start.
At the start of his turn he has exactly 1 dice to reduce Zola's remaining 3 successes before he is forced to attack you.
Resist: 1d6t5 1
So, two rounds of control. Zola's next simple action will be to give a command to Kynos at Ini 10

Time for Slobber to shine...

Rules question.

I'm probably rerolling misses. I am pushing the limit for extra dice. Questions about the rules interaction.

E.G.
I get 4 hits on 21 dice. Three success were 6s, but none generated more hits.

Do I reroll 17 misses, or 20 misses with the failed exploding 6s.
On the reroll do the 17 misses also explodeon 6s, or are they just standard rolls to hit?

You can only spend one point of edge at a time. Fine.

Fortune favored the bold (and those who's spirit guides wouldn't let them run away if they wanted to).

FWIW the death poem Slob uttered earlier translates to

If your time to die has come
and you die—very well!
If your time to die has come
and you don't—
all the better!

I'm also glad that I didn't invoke the trope and have Slob mention that he was retiring after this job. Would have died for sure.

@Squirelldude, Brilliant move! Would have been very difficult without it.

Jack, I think that Anna should have used her counterspell to help Kynos, but this is water under the bridge.

@Jack

Quick confirmations
What can the team estimate is the arrrival time of the cops
Where is the loot, how long would it take Anna to levitate
Did we actually finish blowing up the horrible horror beacon.

The estimated time for additional guards was between 5 and 10 minutes

The loot is still near the back door. Getting it back to the front would take one minute with leviation at F4

bnc detonated the grenades, so yes, the artifact is as destroyed as you could manage.

The Rover took a beating but is still drivable (although you should avoid getting into any chases)

How long ago was the start of that timer for additional guards. 3 minutes. 4 minutes? 4.5 minutes?

From the moment you noticed that the door was locked until you geeked Zola it has been about two minutes or so. (Yeah combat is crazy fast)
Extracting the loot will take another two minutes.
Discussions aren't included in that estimate

So what happened to our submarine plan? I mean we are not really planning to cross an international border, driving with a car with a two unconscious, one dead, stolen diamonds and gold while all wearing body armors and heavily armed... right?

There is no reason not to use the subs

I'll let Anna and bnc make the call/correct Slob about the sub/truck. I'd say he's delegating responsibility, but it's much more like abdicating it.

In the meantime, proposal for the group. The campaign's coming to a close after this (or at least Slob's role, I'm serious about him retiring). I've been considering getting some art commissioned for this group. A Big ol' group photo of the Original 4+Anna, along with Zelda, the good doctor, and Mike. The composition I've been thinking of would look something like this (my MS paint skills are next level). The characters all lined up, in the standard relaxed/all-my-character-traits pose. E.G. Krestov smiling while leaning on his giant shield. bnc's cyber eye flying about, Torrent's ballistic mask covering half of his face, etc.

The issue now is twofold
1. Finding someone who we all think could do a decent job of it and would approve of

Obviously, some are out of any reasonable price range.. Well, maybe it's more like many, many, many, many, many are out of our price range.

That's before we even considered other key details. Whether it would preferable to have just headshots, or full-body portraits of each character. Whether we want a blank background or one to put them in a setting like hanging in a bar


2. Making sure we had detailed character descriptions for the appearances.

This is one where I can't do it on my own. Slob's appearance has been pretty well described, but it also doesn't change that often. We'd need detailed descriptions of each character so that an artist could properly show them. Wouldn't want our handsome man Krestov to look like every other troll.

Nice idea on the artwork. I'll have to ask Obidancer - he has made some really great character art work for some of the other games I participate in.

https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images...cer-d939431.jpg
https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images...nt_websmall.jpg
https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images.../Deckard_2b.jpg
https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images...lf_immortal.jpg

Only problem is that he is usually pretty busy with his day job.

Nice to be included in the gang. I am not very good with physical descriptions but I'll try to come up with something.

Don't just provide a physical description, also provide some types of actions your character could be taking to show what they are. We don't have the space of full person portraits where we can put all the little bits of tatt in the background that symbolize their character. For example if Volker couldn't provide a description for bnc, I'd have her sitting on a drone, maybe tinkering in the matrix on her commlink( or with drugs), while her helicopter eye hovers of her head inconspicuously looking at Anna's "cute butt." Similar suggestions for clothing. Obviously, we could all wear FBA and look like pros, but I think it would be better if folks were in their casual or milk-run type clothes. Krestov in his custom suit, Slobber loosely wearing his armored jacket, Torrent in his chameleon suit looking charming.

I envision her wearing a fancy black dress and then sneaking away to steal something. Or perhaps on stage in open mic night with the guitar. Or trying to study - but bored to tears in the university. The challenge is that she does not have any distinctive tattoos or drones or fancy tech on her. I also did not give her such a distinctive appearance all I have in mind is an attractive woman, a bit curvey for the 'elven' standard of beauty but she does not even try to imitate it. She likes having tits and ass and 'something to grab'. She likes her body, nurtures it, trains a lot, eats well and grooms herself.

I'll try to crystalize it into something more drawable though.

I'll post on that later, but I find the idea awesome!

Regarding the game: Did bnc do anything useful during the fight? She had like 2 full combat rounds controlling the entire security system. Or did she just act like the knight in white in The Gamers?

Anyway, I'm back. And I have the distinct feeling that I somehow missed the finale of a 4-year-run still, it's awesome. That way, it was more like watching it unfold which might just be what bnc did, if she didn't find the time to find out which switch was which. Say that last part 10 times fast.

It was over before I noticed too

I woke up to see that my spirit jumped the grenade... (was not my intention) and that Slob singlehandedly (with some help from Kynos) saved the day!
It was awesome and only took a few hours.

How was LARPing?

Well, to be fair: Anna and bnc did the majority of the heavy lifting while Slobber did have to play against type. It's only fair that in the climatic battle our outlaw orc gets to shine as well.

As for what bnc did: She had just convinced the pilot program to give her access to the drones - only to find the whole fight already over since Slobber went on the offensive

Absolutely fine by me! I just wanted to know what bnc did while I rolled under a table in full armor at running speed

Slobbertooth

Metatype: Ork
Height/Weight 6'2" - 6'5" / 240-260 LBS. I never really got a good idea of how much I wanted him to weigh or how tall he would be. I'm usually one to roll this stuff on random tables.
Skin Color: Pale white. Almost grey. Both from orc ancestry and his tendency to work at night.

Eyes: Grey-Red
Hair Color: Black, poorly maintained. Hair usually kept in a ponytail. A scruffy beard that runs along his jawline from ear to ear. No mustache. No neckbeard.
Key facial features: Abnormally large tusks, and scar lines on his left cheek that could be claw marks.
Mentor Spirit: Wolf

Build: Large and Athletic. Damaged from his profession and lifestyle, but in the condition necessary to run the shadows. Not this or this. Closer to this or this with the usual proviso of "less handsome".
Key body features: No cybernetics. No tattoos (last I checked...location No Foci tats). Maybe he'll get a tattoo after this is done (his parent's names with the date of their death, and the date he killed the woman who signed their assassination contract), but it wouldn't be visible for this.

Clothing: An unzipped and loosely fitting black armored jacket and jeans. Well worn boots or athletic wear for shoes. Motorcycle/combat helmet sitting next to his feet.
Armament: Customized Yamaha Raiden w/Grenade Launcher, optics, and slide-rails on each each side, hanging from a sling. Ruger Super Warhawk in a holster.

Next to him would be Zelda, a Tibetan Mastiff rescued from some Triad gangsters. Slob could be either kneeling or maybe sitting with her head resting on his thigh. Slobber would be giving her a big smile and petting her head or scratching behind the ears.

I'll also put here what we have on Krestov and Torrent

Krestov
Good, but It's a bit out of date. E.G. Krestov doesn't have natural eyes anymore.

Height ??? Avg troll height is 2.5m/8'2"
Weight ??? Avg weight is 300 kg/661lbs

Notable Cyberwear: Cybereyes are the only visible chrome.
Armament: Ares Crusader II Machine Pistol (Most likely hidden in his jacket). More importantly, carries a Ballistic Shield

Outfit: Purchased a Sleeping Tiger, which doesn't have an official description. It's apparently pretty garish piece of clothing designed to catch the eye and mesh with the world of high fashion. Maybe something like this or this, but with a bit more color.

Bodytype. Typically a troll in shadowrun looks something like this. Tall and Wide. Doesn't really work for a troll pretty-boy though. Something like this or the current-standard fantasy orc would work better for maintaining that stereotypical male ideal triangle shape that Krestov should have. He'd obviously be more handsome than the first example, less green than the second two, something like this, but with horns. Don't know what type of horns they would be though.

Torrent
That's all we got, but that makes sense for how often Torrent changes his appearance.

Clothing: Chameleon Suit, Ballistic Mask
Armament: Silenced Savalette Guardian
Notable Gear/Features: Gecko Tape Gloves, Qi Focus Tatoo Improved Sneaking
Notable powers: Face Sculpt, Melanin/Keratin/Voice control.
Mentor Spirit: Raven

That torrent changed his appearance so often makes this difficult, obviously. It's why I proposed the symbolic act of him hiding half of his face behind his ballistic mask. Perhaps also have some kind visual to indicate the purposeful manipulation of his appearance with magic.

Description Schmitt:

About 185cm tall, weight ca. 75kg,
Western European phenotype, lightly tanned skin, blue eyes, dark blond hair: Schmitt is tall and has the physique of a marathon runner - more lanky than muscular, but with wirry strength.
Usually clean shaven, hair cut rather short with slightly receeding hairline, wears rimless glasses, but not for corrective purposes, has a discreet datajack at the base of the neck.
Wears tailored, dark/marine blue suits with no visible jewelry like rings or a watch.

Mike:
About 170cm tall, weight ca. 90kg
Broad shouldereed orc, light brown skin, amber eyes, grey/salt'n pepper hair: Has the physique of a prize boxer, although he is visibly aged with sagging skin and a clearly broken and badly set nose.
Usually sports some unstylish stubble, but no full beard, close cropped hair with very large, slightly pointy ears. No visible cyber, wears contacts.
Wears grey jump suits and heavy boots and occassionally a base cap (shield facing front), usually smiles and carries most often a broom or some other tool with him.

.

I imagine bnc sitting in front of Krestov. I'd like him very much to rest on hand casually on his shoulder, protecting her in a non-invasive way. bnc would have control AROs in front of her, like the decker in the CRB. It would be really awesome if we could somehow fit her persona into the image. Maybe she's editing it or something, and thus hovers in front of her. She'd be absorbed in whatever she does on the image.

And yeah, maybe her eye drone hovers over the whole image, surveilling the whole group. I think it would be fun, if the image feed of the drone could be visible on a small ARO screen in front of bnc, somewhere at the top left, visible to her without being distracting.

What do you think?

Thanks, Squirrel, for waiting on me. I really tried hard to come up with the post earlier, but life's a fragging mess atm, and this post was huge. I'm back, though. I guess, I can catch up a bit with stuff tomorrow, and might be able to produce something sensible here as well. Don't be angry, if I don't, however. As I said, some stuff to deal with.

Eh, Real Life ™ comes first.

This is now the epilog anyway. So there's no rush.
After the story is done I'll need a bit of time before I can master the next run anyway.

cool by me
If that's okay for you, I would like not to rush the epilog. First, because the earlier we're finished the longer we will have to wait until we can proceed. Second, because I think there's a lot of potential for roleplay after what we survived. Third ... third, because I don't want to say goodbye from Slob sooner than necessary. I'm really sad about him leaving the party, although it makes sense, IC.
@Squirrel: You will stay as a player, won't you?

Yeah I'd stay as a player, and I'll give my thoughts on Josiah later. No idea what I would play, though.

Believe it not, I actually tend to play spellcaster characters in other systems, but my first character in a system is usually combat+some other skill. After I get a grasp of combat I'll pick up a magic user. It's just a way for me to limit my interactions with the system as I pick it up.

this your first SR experience?

Sort of. When this started, it was running concurrently with a short Virtual Table Top game where I was playing a German assassin/face Elf character, and it was after I had played the first (and second?) Shadowrun games by Harebrained schemes. I'd been introduced to the world a bit, but hadn't ever sat down at the table to play.

Compared to D&D 3.5/Pathfinder, where I've GMd 3 campaigns and played 10+ characters (if my memory serves: fighter, druid, cleric, ninja, wizard, psion, wizard, warlord, swordsage, psion), my experience with Shadowrun is very limited.

Eh, you are doing well enough from my perspective.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

I haven't developed anything yet, but the rough outline for my next run will be a visit to Austria, so bnc can deal with her past like Slobber had a chance to do.
I'd be very happy to have you on board for that - no matter what you decide to play (not true: no more Pixies )

I considered bringing Grey Fox (the previously mentioned Elf Assassin) back out to play. I already have an image of the character and he's more useful outside of high-stress situations. However, he'd need a lot of work both on the character and mechanics side, and I'm not sure he'd get along well with the group. Waaaaaay too high strung a guy.

I imagine him as a good looking arrogant and vain, probably difficult to work with which limits his employability. Think about these employers that deviated from the plan, or perhaps even got cold feet and GF still did the run as agreed due to his code of honor. (just tossing ideas)... Perhaps the Raven(trickster) mentor spirit is a good match?

Why does Slob have to leave? He's the only one bnc has left from the original troupe.

Slob's plan is to bring it up over drinks IC, and he will answer questions more in depth if asked.

IC: The brief overview.

- Josiah started doing this out of fear for others' safety and to get revenge. He got revenge.
- He's getting older. As an Orc, he's got maybe 25 years left.
- He has a foster family he'd like to see again.

OOC: Why I want to let the character retire

- It feels honest to the character and his motivations
- I don't know how to end his story. I know what the end would be about: Can Josiah Willows ever really go home? I don't know the answer to that question. I'm biased towards Slob, and would like to say the answer to that question is "yes," but that isn't an totally honest answer looking at certain details. I'm also not a good enough writer to possibly cover that, and I don't even think it's a good topic to try and explore in a cooperative game setting.

With Special K gone, losing Slobbertooth too will be rough for bnc. As a player, I'm looking forward to another character of yours, but as a character I'm going to regret this a lot.

About the new character ... I'm not entirely sure, as the party still was kind of a moral one. None of us were wetworkers and each of those had a strong moral compass, especially Special K and bnc. I have difficulty picturing bnc getting along with an ice-cold murderer who finds it amusing to play with people's lives. Again, as a player, I think it's quite interesting to play in a situation where you have to get a long with someone you despise. And to be fair, bnc looks down on Anna, too, and they managed to get along quite well. Ahem.

.

Well, it is up to you, I think you can justify going to Austria for a few months (as your last IC implied) from a Slob's motivation that is. Laying low not to return too hot to his life. Though at the end of the day, I think it is more of a question of what you as a player would like to play. I feel that the story can go both ways, and out of all destination in the world - Hawaii or

Though play who you wish - though don't expect Anna/Yael to take on networks. She likes robbing people, not killing them.

I'll admit, I really bad at picking what to play in an established party. I generally like to just fill holes, and I suspect that if we're going to continue we're going to need one or two more players to round out the team. NPC PCs are pretty reliable in that they generally do exactly what you need them to, but they're not nearly as fun.

Mechanically wise I think we are pretty rounded, we have a decker a mage and a muscle. What we'll lack in flexibility we can gradually grow our characters to be able to do.

E.g. While Yael's spell selection is a bit limited mages are very flexible and can grow. Slob and bnc are also good drivers (bnc even has a control rig) she can grow to be a good rigger. Socially, it would be fun to have a few more active players, but I'll recommend to just make the one you love rather than close a hole.

Hey Jack what would the rules for creating a new character be, btw? Gear access, Nuyen, BP, Karma? It might not be optimal, but I think I'm going to stay in the muscle role, but use v-triggers, missile drop kicks, and lariats instead of guns.

In generally, I allow any kind of generation method.
Considering that there will be a pretty big Karma and Nuyen difference, I'd like to give you two options:
You can use Prime Runner generation (Sumto14 with 18 AVA) or you can make a normal Character and enjoy 60 bonus Karma.

Oh and by the way: Since you have a very generous money package: You can freely convert Money to Karma at 2000 Nuyen per point

Sweet, seems like I'll have a lot of crunching to do before the next run.

Also, what is the Karma reward for this run, or are we saying it's not over until people get on the sub-orbital?

I'm in no hurry, regarding that.

gilga, you'll stay with Yael, won't ya?

@players How long do you give bnc to calm down. It you chase after her like 10 minutes later, she'll probably react in a non-committing, maybe even violent way. If you give her an hour to stomach the wearing off of her drugs (and her temper), she'll come along. The more specific you are, the easier it's for me to estimate the mood bnc will be in atm

If bnc would not come, Yael would ask Slob to back off, and either she'll join us later once relaxed or we'll just have some more beer and stuff. Though (perhaps) it took us about 30 minutes to finish eating/mingling whatever... It does not seems so in the writing because we focus on dialogs, but there are actions in there like grabbing a bear and then a hot dog, eating (which bnc did not do) and so forth.

Yes, I am staying with Yael but as Jack implied we get quite a boost in resources/karma before next chapter. So I'll need to think which direction she'd like to improve herself in.

cool, thanks