[Imveros]

I'm am currently working on a D&D esk ranger for a friend and was trying to figure out excuses to always have his animal companion with him. Now a days you just need a well behaved dog and an official looking service license and no one will say anything about it. Then i thought well with cyber and improvements to med tech, is there still an ADA to take advantage of in such a way? Could you simply buy a rating 4 dog license or is 2075 too dystopian to give any Fs about the disabled?

If it makes a difference, the game will be set in the big apple

 

[MijRai]

In 4th Ed, there's licensing stuff mentioned in Running Wild, if I'm remembering the book correctly.  It shouldn't be that out of date, and it also covers how different places allow different things (like Aztlan cities allowing people to have leashed jaguars, among other things, due to the whole nahuali cultural thing).

[Namikaze]

I think it would be reasonable to assume that there are any number of potential reasons why the character hasn't had the corrective procedures that might be available at the time.  For instance, he might have a weakened immune system, he might be Awakened, or maybe he wasn't fortunate enough to be genetically modified in utero.

[Crimsondude]

I don't think it would be as easy in Manhattan. In the UCAS, the law probably still exists in a form nearly identical to its current form. In Manhattan, the corps run every iota of their citizens' lives and the lives of non-citizens in their city, and the part of the statute that makes it easy to exploit the ADA — that it is illegal to even ask for proof of disability — is not going to exist in Manhattan. So the license is the way to go, which would imply that they went through the whole processing of dealing with HR and justifying why they need an animal and not shittons of medications and some cyber implants that the corp would gladly providing financing for the wageslave to pay off for the next two decades.

[Mirikon]

Yeah, that'll be a tough sell in Manhattan. That place is one of the toughest places to run in the entire UCAS because the corps lock down pretty much everything. A standard pet license just won't cut it for taking the dog around the sprawl, and the license for a service animal would be a very tough sell.

My advice? Skip the service animal idea altogether. Instead, make sure he learns Spanish and Nahuatl (spelling?), wear some Aztlan-ish clothes, and claim to be part of the Path of the Sun. I know they discuss it some in the old Aztlan book, maybe in some of the others, but having an 'animal twin' is a status symbol down there. Add a fake Aztechnology SIN, and you're halfway there.

[Imveros]

My advice? Skip the service animal idea altogether. Instead, make sure he learns Spanish and Nahuatl (spelling?), wear some Aztlan-ish clothes, and claim to be part of the Path of the Sun.

Oh man if i told him that, this would be his response...


We will have to look into that book and see if it fits with what he wants. I guess we should also talk to the GM. I assume he picked that setting for a reason. He may be looking for more black trench coat than the ranger build allows

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

... or just don't go with a 4-legged critter.  Go with a hawk or other bird of prey; this is the Rotten Apple, with pigeons and fish (well, pseudo-fish) galore.  Won't do him a heck of a lot of good indoors (and I dearly hope you're going with the Adept abilities and metamagics for this), but it sure as hell can keep a weather eye out for patrols and arriving policia.

[Imveros]

yeah he will be going full adept. The concept came about after reading the ATTUNE ANIMAL (ADEPT) ritual in SG. Then the idea for a D&D type ranger came to mind. Seeing as how he has already given up on the bow for practicality reasons, i don't see why he wouldn't also be willing to bend a little on the animal companion part as well. Honestly i think he just went dog to begin with because he viewed it as the easiest to get by with

[Mirikon]

Yes, except he's forgetting one key part of D&D rangers, the fact that they are primarily WILDERNESS characters. A character like that would be awesome in a rural setting, and could even work decently in a less rigid sprawl like Seattle. And any feral city, like Chicago or Lagos, would be easy. But Manhattan is a very specific style, where sticking out means you get hammered down. It is similar to the difficulties a gaijin faces running in Neo-Tokyo. There ARE shadowrunners that can do their thing while having all the attention on them, but they are usually a Face or similar. For the rest, the best defense is to not be instantly recognizeable to everyone in the fragging sprawl as an outsider.

[Crimsondude]

An urban ranger would probably be most comfortable using more "urban" animals – pigeons, maybe hawks, cats, and especially rats.