Witing to see Necrogigas check in or comment, then I will push forward.

Karma? I would like a few extra spells.

We aren't there yet. But your edge does refresh.

TL;DR applies here, I think, as I joined long after this campaign started.

So, what showed up in Torley's account?

From 3 July to 9 July I will be on an island in Georgian Bay (in the Great Lakes). Allegedly there is WIFI there. We'll see.

What you all see on your comms is the notification that the proper amaount was deposited in your accounts.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT AMOUNT IS RIGHT NOW, SO DON'T ASK.

Started at 2,000¥ a day, per person,with 50,000¥ bonus to the team for recovery of sextant.

Renegotiated to 2,500¥ per day when objective switched to Map. Wording unclear if pay bump was retroactive or continuing forward. Recovery bonus was also applied to Map.

Would have to comb through it all to get an accurate count of days, but off the top of my head I want to say eight or nine.

...and cash advanced?

A per diem of 250¥ with five days paid upfront. We later got two days paid out to cover expenses while tracking the thief.

Glad you remember.

So went through the threads and have the following timeline.

Day One: Flight from Seattle to Accra

Day Two: Trek through jungle, fight with pirates and demon elephant

Day Three: Pirate boat to Lagos, Lil' Homie joins the crew

Day Four: Search for Samriel, Torley meets Englebrecht and Con shoots Area Boys, went to Palace to scope out auction, pay renegotiated, theft in the night

Day Five: Track thief, Clem and Snow arrested, Silence captured

Day Six: Compound Assault, Idol acquired and Con befriends a spirit

Day Seven: Auction, murder-theft scramble, Map acquired

Day Eight: Flight back to Seattle

One week in ten years. Thanks for sticking with me guys.

Always, not dropping this game unless you call it quits.

Although, if you were of a mind to show your appreciation, you could throw a juicy multiplier on Karma gains.


Back to the payday.
If the pay bump was only onward: 18,500¥ each
If retroactive: 20,000¥ each

Bonus for full team: 10,000¥ each
Full team + Lil' Homie: 8,333¥ each

Only team that completed run (Con, Starlet, Torley): 16,666¥ each
Completed + Lil' Homie: 12,500¥ each

Those decisions are entirely on the three of you. Jai will not expect to be paid.

Team Karma

Successfully keeping Frosty alive and whole in Lagos 2 ✔️
Tracking down Samriel to the Palace 1 ✔️
Tracking down Silence and the statue 1 ✔️
Returning the statue and Silence (alive) to Oni Adegoke 2 X
Obtaining a ticket to the auction (without returning the statue or Silence) 1 ✔️
Getting Frosty out of Ajegunle after she collapses and to auction on time 2 n/a
Recovering the map and handing it over to Frosty 2 ✔️

Individual Karma

Surviving 2 ✔️
Good roleplaying 1-3 3 ✔️
Guts/Bravery 1 ✔️
Humor 1 ✔️
Pushing the storyline along 1 Eh, I will give it to you ✔️


15 Karma each

You have not specified if the pay bump was onward or retroactive.


If the bonus split is up to the team rather than Frosty, Con would advocate for the full team getting the bonus since Clem and Snow's arrest was Torley's fault rather than their own, and would advocate hard for Lil' Homie getting a cut.


Told everyone we should have turned Silence in.

What was this Ajegunle sequence that we missed?

Each of the team members were paid as agreed to, but Jai's payment was as a guide, for which he was quite handsomely paid. If you lot want want to split your bonus with him, that is on you. Said bonus was sent to the group in a lump sum, divided as you choose.

The sequence in question was a piece that took place because the team was supposed to go shopping for appropriate clothes for VI, which you already had by that point.

It was also supposed to be how Frosty revealed herself as a mage.

Englebrecht and LBD were additions I made to the module.

Each of the team members were paid as agreed to, but Jai's payment was as a guide, for which he was quite handsomely paid. If you lot want want to split your bonus with him, that is on you. Said bonus was sent to the group in a lump sum, divided as you choose.

The sequence in question was a piece that took place because the team was supposed to go shopping for appropriate clothes for VI, which you already had by that point.

It was also supposed to be how Frosty revealed herself as a mage.

Englebrecht and LBD were additions I made to the module.

I'm okay with giving Lil' Homie a cut, but then again, I play a karma class and I already have more money than what I really need (might look into permanently buying a lifestyle so I don't have to worry about it anymore).
15 karma will help getting a few extra spells, like water treatment. I'll check later which ones.

Anyone got plans for their nuyen and Karma?

pbangarth, will you be continuing on as Torley, or running your own character?

Lots to think about. I like Torley, and I like trying odd new ideas. I'm trapped at a cottage for a couple of more days, poor me, and I'll give it some thought.

Torley's action at the last roadblock is a manifestation of his visceral hatred for Englebrecht, a hatred that materialized and stewed after the rough treatment Torley received in the hotel when Englebrecht dismissed Torley and tossed him out like garbage. It took some time to rankle and grow, and was drawn into consciousness at the auction.

At the roadblock he (I) thought that Englebrecht would actually be there, to gloat as he took the prize from us and Frosty. Hence the blast at great cost to himself. Oh well.

Now, at the end of this run, Torley is at a crossroad. Continue with the team, or go on a personal quest to take revenge on / finish Englebrecht. Given that Torley has caused the team some trouble with Englebrecht, and O'Connor still has some mixed feelings for Torley, I would like to let Torley go and introduce a character of my own. Of course, the OK from you team members and the GM are necessary.

As an aside, as I was looking at torley's stats to think of how he might spend karma, I noticed that he has 6 Power Points but only 5 MAG. What did he do to acquire that extra Power Point?

#############

So, were I to introduce a new PC, I would need to think what the team needs. There is a powerful magician and a deadly street sam. No need for either of those 'metatypes'.

One part of Torley's contribution in the last run was intel gathering. That should still come somehow.

We don't have a hacker, who could certainly fill that role. Across all the versions of SR, I've avoided playing a decker/hacker, in part because earlier versions were so convoluted and flow disrupting, in part because I had spent 13 years in IT and had had my fill.

We also don't have a rigger, who could do some hacking but be more a mobilizer and force multiplier. 'Drones in First'. Little spy drones, a little matrix data search, that sort of thing. Oh! Oh! Find a plane or 'copter? Move ourselves all over the world!

There is a PC I have longed to play for a long time. It is a Free Spirit infiltrator/spy, one instantiation of which is described HERE. Variations of some stats are workable, but the basic scheme is a being that can insinuate itself into just about any place. Ideas for what can be done are in the linked description.

So, how about that Free Spirit (if Crossbow allows such things) or a rigger of some form?

LBD could get jealous if he shows up at some point and sees O'Conner chummy with another spirit.

Hey, lots of room for RP at that point! Of course, LBD would have to recognize that the FS is in fact a spirit.

That's a typo on Torley's sheet. I added up his power cost and it's only five.

Thanks. I didn't think to do that.

I don't have an issue with you moving on from Torley, and starting up your own character. The Free Spirit sounds fun. With an infiltrator, the team could work around not having a face. The question though, is what are we going to do about lacking a hacker? Crossbow, do you plan on recruiting?

Yes, once my life has settled down a bit. I am in the process of moving, so that is the priority at the moment.

If recruiting happens, and succeeds (!), that takes some of the onus off of me to fill a critical role.

So, how about I start with the infiltrator Free Spirit, maybe work in some 'faceishness', and if no one else joins as something like a hacker/rigger, I consider switching? Of course, once you grok the awesomeness of this PC, you might not want to let it go!

pbangarth, you've been a damn solid trooper playing Torley for so long. You should play the character that you want, and we recruit for whatever the gap is after the fact.

As for my character, I'm at a bit of a crossroads for the path I take O'Connor moving forward, and would appreciate input.

Options
1. Pure Adept
Increase Magic from 5 to 6
Cost: 30 Katma
Positive quality Path of the Warrior.
Cost: 20 Karma

This path sticks with the build as it stands, and with already having a Shaman contact, I can probably find a trainer for Warrior with only moderate difficulty.

2. Bio-mod Adept
Suprathyriod Gland, Muscle Toner R3, Repair Magic
Standard Cost: 69,000¥, 1.3 Essence, 45 Karma
Alpha Cost: 138,000¥, 1.04 Essence, 45 Karma
Beta Cost: 276,000¥, 0.96 Essence, 25 Karma

Con would become less hampered by Background Counts and Domains. It has rather high Karma and Nuyen costs, and is long term in acquisition.

Would need a surgeon contact, but Snow might qualify if former PCs become NPC contacts.

3. Martial Artist
Krav Maga, and possibly Fireflight
Cost: 10 - 70 Karma

This path can be taken incrementally, but finding trainers would be difficult given how specialized both martial arts are.

4. Jack of all Trades
Heavy Weapons 1, Throwing Weapons 1, Pilot Ground Craft 1
Cost: 12 Karma

These are all Skills that Con has defaulted on in the past to mostly negative results. It would add to his abilities, but only at skill rank of 1.

5. Personal Quest
Remove Negative Quality: Enemy (Azure Fists)
Cost: 10 Karma

This would require the permission of the whole group, as the final act of Con's personal war would be a run in and of itself. Probably not feasible, as we're about to attempt the recruitment of new players.

I keep forgetting that O'Connor is Awakened as well. That would make all three of us so. Of course, that's the way it was when I was Torley.

The personal quest could be an easy way to introduce my PC to the others. Say, for example, that the way [insert PC's name]'s summoner died, freeing the spirit, was in a chance encounter with the Azure Fists. [insert PC's name] could even have the Azure Fists as an enemy too! I didn't find them mentioned in the Shadowrun Wiki. Do you have any info on who/where they are?

I like getting more skills. Especially with fewer PCs, having a host of skills makes the team more functional.

Raising Magic to 6 would bring another Power Point to O'Connor. Similar to getting more skills, if not quite so broad.

I don't know O'Connor's current skills, but if he has some melee weapon skill, a weapon focus might be an idea. My PC at Force 6 is immune to a lot of smaller DV weapons, but a measly Force 1 hatpin is scary.

##########

There is an issue about karma acquisition for Free Spirit PCs. They come with a Spirit Pact Power and can have more than one. Theoretically, a Free Spirit PC can get unlimited karma using that Power. When I played an early version of this PC (around a table! Does that happen any more?), we simply limited the amount of karma the PC could acquire through a Spirit Pact to the amount earned in runs. Equality and fairness restored.

Sammy can do some of the face stuff. I build her so that she has some skill in that area. She's not as powerful there as Torley, but should be able to do most there.

If O'Connor wants a weapon focus, I have a talismonger contact I can set him up with. Those cost a lot of money though. Maybe I should get one myself, as I have loads of money.

I was planning on getting two more spells and maybe a skill (if I take over the face role, probably in that area).

Speaking of Money: Crossbow, how do you feel about changing money into karma or the other way around? With a cap if you want, but if we're all awakened we're all in essence karma sinks, not money sinks (I mean, I'm talking about getting a weapon focus to do something with my money, even though I have the melee weapon skill on 1).

No, probably not on the Karma for money thing.

Where are the rules for Spirits as PCs?

A custom enemy created for Con's backstory.


Runner's Companion pg. 91

Well, we are back. For now.

Crossbow, do you have Threats (2)? I can post relevant excerpts here if needed.

I am looking at making the Free Spirit in the Christian Theurgy Tradition (in Street Magic), having originally been summoned by a Gabrielite knight in the Order of the Temple, p. 102 of Threats (2). The spirit would have minor connections to that organization and the mafia.

I'm close to being able to post a character description. I'm hoping that I can give the PC an extra 33 karma points, equal to what Torley had earned in his stint with the team.

Alright, here is a reasonably complete pass at Quaesitor Occultorum. (Latin for Seeker of the Hidden.)

Switching to "Seeker" . Quaesitor is too cumbersome.

Birth of a Free Spirit



Vignette of Quaesitor Seeker in action



Quaesitor Seeker Stats

So between Starlet and Quaesitor we have two face-ish runners. No negotiator though, might gain a rep among Johnsons as smucks that will work below a good rate.

So between Starlet and Quaesitor we have two face-ish runners. No negotiator though, might gain a rep among Johnsons as smucks that will work below a good rate.

I can take negotiation 1. Not much, I admit, but I can do something (and add some edge if needed, although I don't have much of that either).
It will of course bite into my already low karma that I need for a lot of other things. Too bad we can't buy something to help us negotiate (if there is something, I should be able to afford it, so let me know, I don't know everything from every book).

Isn't there a Bustamove drone or something that helps negotiations?

The Bust-a-Move drone does not confer any bonus to negotiations.

Oh yeah. Right! But ...

Arsenal, p. 57: Emotitoy:

Off to train with sheep till Sunday. Will try to keep in touch in the evenings.

Can I get one of those?

Pbangarth: have fun.

I did! What's more, I learned a great deal. Spending a few days with people who have done this thing for decades is a huge boon.

So, what's next in this arc?

Glad you had both a fun and productive trip. As for the next arc, that's unknown at the moment, but I'd be down to continue the Dawn of the Artifacts quest line.

I'd go along with that, too. Quaesitor might find that kinda interesting. But if that requires Crossbow to do some preparation, a little side run to get us acquainted would be good, too.

Okay, so I have a some questions for the three of you.

1. Are you open to moving the location of this game from Dumpshock to Discord or elsewhere, and/or to another format besides play-by-post, like Roll20? I am thinking that might be something of a possibility to consider.

2. With pbangarth moving to another character, what should we be looking at as far as team additions that would complement and not compete with the existing characters?

3. Do we want to move from 4th edition to 6th edition?

I don't want to see any answers here, I will be starting a new thread so I can archive the DAWN threads. Look for New Beginnings Interlude. For now it will only be OOC.