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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Derren" data-source="post: 6164357" data-attributes="member: 2518">Ok, lets go.Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the deadliest killer in the sprawlShadowrun is a classless system where you directly buy skills, attributes and even spells with Karma, the games XP equivalent (except that its much more rare than in D20, a run taking multiple sessions only resulting in about 5 Karma). That means you can build your character however you like, mixing whatever skills that please you. The only exceptions are magic and resonance which you need at the start of the game in order to raise them. Buying them later is not possible. Also they are exclusive and you can't be both a mage and a technomancer.The only attribute you can't increase it essence which represents the upper limit of magic and resonance and goes down (and magic/resonance with it) when you install cyberware.Still, the game has some archetypes which are specializations in one area of the game which make sense and are also thematically addressed in the setting. I won't list all archetypes from the book, just the more important ones.Also, for most archetypes there is a technological (meaning cyberware) and a magical variant.Because the usual size of game groups it is not uncommon, or actually the norm, to have hybrid characters instead of the very specialized archetypes presented here.Street SamuraiThe common combat character. Street Samurais are expert fighters and the name "Street Samurai" is highly recognized in the setting itself. But while the idea of Street Sams empathize the "samurai" part, meaning having a katana (in addition to your submachine guns) and following Bushido or another code of honor, street samurai has become a catch all term for most heavily cybered combat characters, even when they do not do melee at all.The magical variant of street samurais are called Combat Adepts which do not cast spells or conjure spirits, but empower themselves. They can be as effective but are less glamorous than Streetsams, even though they also might follow a code of honor, especially when their magic requires them to.MageOne of the archetypes without technological counterpart, mages are awakened characters who cast spells or summon spirits. Most of the time they do both.They exist in several different forms of magical power with different names, but the biggest difference are the traditions. The current big traditions are hermetic mages, something which might be trained in a British private school reachable via a hidden train from London and Shamans, people who dance around bonfires with funny masks.There isn't really much of a difference between them mechanically except the way they access magic. Hermetic mages believe in learning magic the methodical way, thus resist the drain of spells with logic and summon elementals while shamans access them through their totem spirit and use willpower for drain resistance and summon spirits. Also they do get (or maybe had them from birth) some attributes associated to their totem. Bear shamans fall in rage when wounded, dog shamans are loyal and coyote shamans like to play tricks, etc. Both of them can see the astral space and even detach their mind from their bodies to travel in it.When the magic splatbook comes out there will also be some more traditions to chose from like Voodoo with their Loas.One thing to remember, unlike in D&D, Shadowrun mages are not required to only wear light armor and don't even have to perform arcane gestures to perform magic.HackerHackers are people who bend the rules of the Matrix, gaining access to systems, shutting of alarms, deleting files or even cause the enemies gun to malfunction. The world of Shadowrun is nearly completely wireless so hackers do not have to sit somewhere safe away at home but can join the rest of the team in their "fun". They can either hack the normal way by typing commands into (augmented reality) shells or immerse themselves into the matrix by connecting their brain directly to it. That means they are a lot faster inside it but lose control of their real bodies.The technological hacker is called Decker, the name coming from the cyberdecks they use to hack the matrix. Cyberdecks, or Decks for short, are upgraded comlinks which have additional hardware attached to it which makes it possible to perform illegal actions in the Matrix. They are of course highly valuable and combat it the Matrix has the tendency to damage the hardware so you better be good or you end up with a expensive piece of molten plastic. The Deck defines how good the decker performs in the matrix. replacing his attributes with its rating and also limits the amount of programs he can run at once.The magical, or rather mystical as many people don't like it to equate them with Mages, version of hackers are technomancers.Those people are a rather new addition to Shadowrun, although a similar concept existed previously with Otaku, who can access the Matrix without any technological help at all as their brain is able to process wireless computer signals. As they do not have a deck, they use their mental attributes for actions in the matrix. Technomancers are feared by the populations and most megacorps want to dissect them to find out how they are able to interact with the Matrix directly. If you want to sell a Technomancer to a Megacorp (already dead or still twitching) call 555-Clockwork.RiggerRelated to Deckers, Riggers do not connect their minds to the Matrix, but to vehicles and drones. Be it a fly sized microdrone or a nearly tank like van, the Rigger can "jump into" it and control it like it was his own body (his real body hopefully being safe and secured while he does that). And while he can only control one vehicle directly at any given moment, riggers usually have a small army of drones with them on autopilot which he gives general instructions before assuming direct control over one of them.A subset, but generally not a archetype you play but instead encounter as opposition, is a Spider. Someone who does not control a vehicle with his mind but a building and all security measures in it, giving it much better response time to intrusions like automated systems.TankA tank is another cybered fighter, except that he trades the style of a Street Samurai for staying- and firepower. The term "tank" is quite fitting as the usual weapon for them is the Panther Assault Cannon which was designed for light tanks.While most archetypes can be assumed by any race, trolls are made for the tank archetype as a heavily cybered human is only slightly more effective than a troll in his natural state.FaceBy now we have a couple of maniacal killers, mystical loonies whit their head in who knows what plane of existence and socially inept basement dwellers. That makes talking to people kinda difficult which sadly is required if you want to get paid or hired in the first place. Enter the Face.A Face forgoes combat power for persuasiveness, either achieved through cybernetical enhancments or bioware like tailored pheromones to give your after shave/perfume an extra kick or through magical means (Social Adepts). They are the people who negotiate with their clients (which makes them kind of a leader in the group) and fast-talk guards etc. They usually also have the most contacts of all the Shadowrunners, people they know and can get a favor from. A very important resource when staying in the Shadows.Of course when the bullets start flying they are at an disadvantage as they usually lack combat cyberware or magic. There is another disadvantage of being the face as some Shadowrunner figured out a way to earn some extra money. Since then the term "pimping the face" made its round.Breaking & Entering specialistOk, long term so lets just call it him a thief even though thats not his exact name. While most Shadowrunners are quite well equipped to deal with problems the explosive way, the thief specializes in gettin in and out without being seen. That includes bypassing locks, hiding and sometimes disguising as an employee. This role means that they are often operating independently from the team as you might be silent and invisible, but Gonzo the troll is not.But no matter how good they are they can only deal with mundane surveillance systems. Without a mage to erase their astral signature and a hacker to turn off cameras and alarm systems they will be caught which is the reason they still depend on the rest of the team.So as we now have the team of murderous psychopaths (and the face), what are the usual jobs they do?Things we do for moneyand karmaThe general theme of Shadowrun is a hidden war between the corporations with Shadowrunners as pawns. That means typical runs usually have something to do with espionage, but in the end Shadowrunners do whatever they are paid for. A movie team wants to film them doing criminal stuff for a reality show? Deal! A rich brat got grounded and pays you to get him out of his parents house and into the super hot concert (which he is much too young fr of course) and safely back undetected? Deal! The mafia wants you to posion the novacoke supplies for the Yakuza? Deal! A young girl with her Cyborg and animal Shapeshifter friends which you met in Kansas are hunted by a witch coven and... Well you get the idea.But generally a run falls into one of the following categories, no matter if you are going up against corporations, gangs, organized crime or powerful individuals.Smash and GrabThe most iconic Shadowrun. You are paid to go in, get something, destroy any copies and get out again. The "something" most of the time is a prototype but also might be a file or evidence. The point is that your employer want to get it and to make sure that the opposition do not have it or a copy of it any more.Variants of this run can be to either just smash (which tend to be the most fun) or just grab, but usually both.WetworkWetwork is a bit distasteful and some runners might not do it (most have no qualms against it, though) and simply means assassination. There is someone your employer wants dead and you should ensure that he dies. Of course most of the time the individual is heavily guarded and his location might not even be known (finding him is part of the job) and sometimes your employer has special request when it comes to the circumstances of the targets demise.ExtractionLike a Grab run, except that you are dealing with a person instead of an object. No matter if you are rescuing a hostage or help a employee in a Corp to have a career change, if he wants to or not, it is an extraction. The problem here is that your cargo is extra fragile and also has needs (those whiny idiots) so keeping it in the trunk for two weeks till you deliver the cargo is not quite possible.SecurityPretty much the opposite of everything mentioned above. There is someone, or something, which needs to be protected from people just like you. Either for a specific amount of time or till you take out the opposition.SmugglingNot often the primary goal of a run (there are full time smugglers for that), but it might be part of a job as your target is somewhere else than you are. So at first you have to get yourself and your bulky, highly illegal equipment to wherever the job takes place and then bring this super-valuable thing you just stole people are willing to kill for (you likely just did) back to your employer.</blockquote>

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