[Bewilderbeast]

The shadows are deep and cold, and if you run them long enough they can harden you. However, there are some runners that provide a beacon of light to the dark places. There are some runners that stand up to the megacorporations, fight for metahuman rights, protect the environment from the ravages of toxic magic and callous greed, and otherwise stick it to the man while protecting the little guy. Some runners have good hearts, and a rare few actually make the world a better place through their works. For all their faults, there are even some runners you could call genuine heroes.

You are not one of those runners. No, you just kill people for money.

Due to either a run of bad luck or natural inclination, you only seem to land the bad jobs. The sleazy ones. The ones that blacken your soul. And as of late, it seems you’ve been doing wetwork exclusively. You’ve been doing a lot of work for a Seattle-area fixer everyone refers to as “Good Friend Piatek,” a vaguely Slavic dwarf whose multitudinous contacts refer to him euphemistically as their “good friend, Piatek.” Piatek kills people. Or, more accurately, he finds people willing to kill other people in exchange for nuyen. And you’ve become one of his go-to runners, part of the little hit squad those in the know in Seattle refer to dryly as “Wetwork, Inc.”

OOC Stuff

Hey guys. I’m starting a new play-by-post game here on the boards. I’ve been messing around with the 5e Shadowrun rules for a couple years now and I’m still getting a grip on them, but I’m ready to try my hand at DMing again. I wanted to do a campaign that centered on wetwork jobs because A) I wanted to see lots of combat so I can really get the rules for it, B) I wanted to get better at running combat and building enemies and encounters without instantly killing my runners, and C) I thought it would be fun and different and exciting and a little more memorable than the standard newb GM campaign.

The basic plot of this is episodic jobs, all of which are wetwork. There won’t be much of an overarching plot, which I’m hoping will give us more time to focus on your individual characters and their goals and motivations. There will still be some variety to the missions, as clients will have particular demands about how or when a particular target is killed. Since you’ll primarily be killing people, however, please design your characters with this in mind. Please don’t make a pacifist bunny-hugging Great Mother shaman with a restrictive Code of Honor for this game; your character is a killer and has been for a while. That said, don’t feel like you have to play a cold-blooded sociopath. In fact, I would prefer you didn’t. I want fully fleshed out and believable characters who are, for whatever reason, willing to kill other people for money.

Rules for character creation: standard priority only, please. No sum to 10, no lifestyle modules, no karma. The only books I have are the core rulebook, Run Faster, Street Grimoire, and Chrome Flesh. I will allow material from other books on a case-by-case basis, and I’ll need you to provide the full text of any particular item, aug, spell or whatever you’re taking. Yes, I know that’s a hassle. Yes, that means you should probably stick to the core book, RF, SG, and CF to keep things simple, but adding in a few other must-have elements from other books is fine. You’ll just need to give me the crunch and get my approval first so I know what to expect.

The only boon/houserule you get at chargen is a free contact in the form of Good Friend Piatek, your fixer. He starts at Connection 4, Loyalty 1. You can use Karma or your free contact points to upgrade his Loyalty if you so choose.

Though this game revolves around killing dudes, I’m going for more mirror shades than pink mohawk. Don’t feel like you have to make a combat monster. And as a team, you should carefully consider how you approach your target (and how you escape), not just how you’ll kill ‘em. If you think a good face or a decker isn’t useful on a team of assassin, then you haven’t been running the shadows long enough, chummer.

And finally: I’m a new GM and this is a game I’m running specifically to get a better handle on the rules. I will mess up. Hope you’re cool with that.

I’ll be picking people based on posting style, how interesting their character backgrounds are, and how well I think they’ll fit the tone and maturity level of the game. This is not first-come, first-serve, so feel free to take your time and pitch a really cool assassin character.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Aaaaw. I was totally game for this with my Samurai from the other game we're both in, until I read your character generation limitations.

If you'll allow the character I'd be happy to play, though! I certainly enjoy rolling virtual dice as much as the next guy, and the character doesn't have a lot of things from other books.

Let me know.

[Bewilderbeast]

I want priority only because it's the generation system I'm familiar with, and I want to check everyone's character over. For material from other books, I intend to approve most everything, it's mostly just a matter of making sure I understand your character's abilities and limitations.

But yeah, Marcus as built with Sum to 10 would be a no-go.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Booo

No worries; I'll keep an eye on this thread and might still throw my hat in the ring with a different character if there are open slots by tomorrow.

What kind of power level are you thinking of? In other words, are dice pools of 12 considered low, average, or high?

[Bewilderbeast]

Tough to say as I'm a new GM and playing this very much by ear, but 12 sounds a little low for a character's main thing while 20 or higher would probably be excessive.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Cool!

Just as an FYI, check out the dice pools of the various PR looks described in the core book; they are typically between 6 to 10 from PR0 to PR4, then jump dramatically once you hit PR5 and PR6.

A character with Skill 6 is considered an expert in his field who can easily sell his skills on the open market and Attribute 6 is the best of the best of unmodified humans. Add a specialization or some positive modifiers, and 14 is about as good as a starting character can get before you add magic or augmentations. You only really hit 16 to 18 and higher when you start optimizing, and that usually occurs at the expense of something else.

Some "classes" are also much harder to get high dice pools than others; a Decker uses both INT and LOG, and while the latter is easy enough to boos the former is not. Building a Decker with 16 dice in several hacking skills and across both attributes is much harder and requires much more concentrated effort than a samurai being good in combat and one or two side skills.

Just something to consider; if you're new to GMing you basically get to set the power level of the opposition. This is important in terms of maintaining balance, as a Decker or technomancer built for Matrix activities will have a really hard time keeping up in combat with the samurai who is heavily optimized for such.

[Jack_Spade]

@Bewilderbeast
I'd be happy to participate in this game.

"Kynos" from my signature would be perfect for the described scenario - I'd prefer to play him as is, but I can reset him to Zero Karma/Nuyen gain.

There are a few bits from Run&Gun in its composition (a book that I highly recommend for you) 

[Herr Brackhaus]

All right, built a character this morning that I think'll fit this kind of game. Concept is loosely based on the Drell assassin Thane Krios from the Mass Effect series, with an emphasis on physical stealth, unarmed combat, and general badassery. The build relies heavily on the Nerve Strike power from Street Grimoire, and I do have some pieces of gear in here from Run & Gun and Hard Targets in particular. I'll send you a breakdown and full description per item by private message.

Each item in the below sheet that is annotated with a book reference is from a book you didn't list, but they are all relatively minor in terms of effect but thematically very much fitting for the Assassin trade. Hard Targets in particular is a book that deals specifically with assassination tactics and gear.

I also need to finalize and flesh out the contacts, but I'll do that tonight after work.

[spoiler=Character sheet]
INFO
Street Name: Fenris
Names/Aliases: Ryan Connor (Tir Tairngire; birth name, identity lost in Crash 2.0), Henry Williams (UCAS; fake SIN)
Movement: 14/28
Current Karma/TKE: 0/20
Street Cred: 2
Notoriety: 2
Public Awareness: 0
Elf male, age 19, 1.92m, 86kg, green eyes, brown hair
Composure: 8
Judge Intentions: 8
Lift/Carry: 8 (60 kg/40 kg)
Memory: 8
Nuyen: 250¥ + 3d6 x 60¥

PRIORITITES
Metatype: D (Elf 0)
Attributes: A (24)
Magic: B (Adept 6, Rating 4 Active Skill (Lockpicking))
Skills: C (28/2)
Resources: E (6,000¥)

KARMA EXPENDITURES
+25 from Negative Qualities
-25 for Positive Qualities
-5 for Contacts
-10 for skills (Arcana 1, Artisan 1, Automatics 1, Con 1, Norse Mythology 1, Psychology 1)
-10 for nuyen (20,000¥)

ATTRIBUTES
BOD 4, AGI 7, REA 4 (7), STR 4, WIL 5, LOG 3, INT 5, CHA 3, EDG 1, ESS 6

INITIATIVE
Physical/AR: 12 + 4d6

CONDITION MONITORS
Physical: 10
Stun: 11

LIMITS
Physical 8, Mental 6, Social 6

QUALITIES
Catlike, Code of Honor (Assassin's Creed), Indomitable (Physical), Jack of All Trades Master of None, Low-Light Vision (Racial), Sense of Direction, Signature

ACTIVE SKILLS
Arcana 1, Artisan 1, Athletics Skill Group 1, Automatics 1, Con 1, Locksmith (Maglocks) 4 (+2), Outdoors skill group 1, Palming (Pickpocket) 5 (+2), Perception (Visual) 5 (+2), Pilot Ground Craft (Bike) 1 (+2), Sneaking (Urban) 5 (+2), Unarmed Combat (Nerve Strike) 6 (+2)

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
Area Knowledge: Seattle 1, Forensics (Cleaning) 1 (+2), Norse Mythology 1, Psychology 1, Security Design (Physical) 1 (+2), Security Tactics (VIP) 1 (+2), Shadow Community (Safehouses) 1 (+2), Small Unit Tactics (Urban) 1 (+2), Underworld (Wetwork) 1 (+2)

LANGUAGE SKILLS
English N, Sperethiel 3

ADEPT INITIATIONS, POWERS, & WAYS
Uninitiated follower of the Invisible Way
Attribute Boost (AGI) Level 2, Combat Sense Level 3, Improved Reflexes Level 3, Nerve Strike, Nimble Fingers Level 1, Traceless Walk

ARMOR: 5,390¥
Bike Racing Armor (AV8, 500¥, Avail 6, R&G p68), Bike Racing Helmet (AV+2, 200¥, Avail 6, R&G p68)

Ballistic Mask [150¥, Avail 6, R&G p74, AV2], Chameleon Suit [1,700¥, AV9, w/Shock Weave (+1,000¥, Avail 8, R&G p84), Thermal Damping (+1,000¥, Rating 2), Ultrasonic Noise Generator (+240¥, Avail 8, HT p187, Rating 4), Ultrasound Sensor (+300¥, Rating 3)], Forearm Guards [300¥, Avail 6, R&G p73, AV1]

WEAPONS: 3,050¥
Ceramic Knife, x2 (75¥, Avail 4, HT p179, Blades, Acc 5, DV (STR+2)P, AP-1, Reach 0]

Remington Suppressor [700¥, Avail 6R, GH3 p9, Machine Pistol, Acc 6, DV 7P, AP-1, SA/BF, RC -, 15(c), w/Chameleon Coating (+1,000¥, Avail 10R, HT p180),  Concealed Quick-Draw Holster (+275¥, Avail 6, R&G p51), Laser Sight (+125¥, Top), Sound Suppressor (Integral), 100 Regular rounds (200¥, Hand Loads +1DV (+50¥, Avail 4R, HT p189)]

Shock Gloves [550¥, Unarmed, Acc 7, DV 8S(e), AP-5, Reach 0, 10 charges]

Unarmed Attack [Unarmed, Acc 7, DV 3S, AP0, Reach 0]

GEAR: 10,310¥
Certified Credstick (20¥, Silver), C-Squared (90¥, Avail 2, HT p187, Rating 6), Fake SIN [7,500¥, Rating 3, w/2 Fake Licenses (+1,200¥, Rating 3, Registered Adept, Drivers License)], Gecko Tape Gloves (250¥), 2x Grenade (Flash-bang, 100¥), Grenade (Smoke), Grenade (Thermal Smoke), Miniwelder (250¥), Sony Emperor (700¥)

VEHICLE: 5,000¥
Yamaha Growler [5,000¥, Handling 4/5, Speed 3, Accel 1, Body 5, Armor 5, Pilot 1, Sensor 1, Seats 1]

LIFESTYLE: 2,000¥
Low [1 month, Comforts & Necessities 2, Security 2, Neighborhood 2, w/Private Room]

CONTACTS
Good Friend Piatek [Fixer, Connection 4, Loyalty 2]

Alex Richter [Connection 6, Loyalty 1, Mr. Johnson/Government Agent, SR5 p391]
Notes: Alex is a human male in his late-50s, though he has likely undergone leonization treatment as he seems to have amassed skills and knowledge far beyond what his age would allow. Of African American heritage, he always wears a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie as well as the stereotypical dark sunglasses common to government agents. His past is as much of a mystery as his present and he has an annoying habit of of appearing out of nowhere for physical meets, but his information is always rock solid.

Ryan was first contacted by Alex after accepting a contract on a prominent city official; he paid handsomely to obtain a hard copy document located in a secure safe in the targets office. The two are strictly business associates, though both have benefited from each others skill sets and knowledge on various occasions.

Maria Wescott [Connection 5, Loyalty 2, Fixer, SR5 p389]
Notes: Maria is an Elven woman in her early 30s with former ties to the Rinelle ke'Tesrae movement. She deals in merchandise as much as she does information, and can usually be found in her Tacoma warehouse conveniently located near both Fort Lewis, the port of Seattle, and Sea-Tac airport. She often wears the latest in both high-fashion outfits and military equipment, as she claims to only sell gear that she can personally vouch for.

Ryan overheard Maria's name while he was still with the Rinelle ke'Tesrae in Cara'Sir, and looked her up when he made it to Seattle given the similarity of their history. The two aren't close, but they have a solid working relationship and Maria has provided several exotic materials and pieces of equipment when a contract has called for it.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Character description and background]
DESCRIPTION
Just under 2 meters tall and weighing in at a little under 90 kg, Fenris is a lithe, graceful young man. He walks with a certain confidence that speaks volumes of his physicality, and carries himself with an obvious lethality. He wears his hair short and has few distinguishing marks apart from his obviously Elven features, and his tan skin hints at a Hispanic heritage. While he can usually be seen wearing an armored motorcycle racing suit and helmet, he prefers not to be seen at all and remains in the periphery more often than not.

BACKGOUND
Ryan grew up in the city of Cara'Sir, formerly known as Portland, located on the nothern border between Tir Tairngire and the Salish-Shidhe Council. His parents were moderately well to do and worked for Telestrian Industries until the Crash of '64; they were both online when the Jormungand virus was released upon the world, and neither of them returned to their 8 year old son who was waiting patiently at home that day.

The combined ravages of the Crash virus, three AI duking it out in cyberspace, and the agents of GOD fervently trying to contain the chaos on all fronts all conspired to erase the entire lives of millions of people from various databases around the world. Ryan soon found himself thrown out of the corporate home he had known all his life, a victim of the ruthless efficiency of megacorporate bureaucracy. While he was not used to having to fend for himself, never mind surviving on his own on the mean streets of Cara'Sir, he quickly discovered that he had a knack for remaining unseen and became a deft pickpocket in a very short amount of time. After several months living by his wits and natural abilities alone he had settled into a routine of sorts, and then he Awakened; alone, afraid, and with no concept of what magic was and how it affected him beyond what he'd seen on the trids, it was during this trying time that Wolf reached out to the young boy for the very first time.

In Wolf, Ryan found a kinship he had never known in the strict, corporate family unit, and his new-found mentor helped the boy understand his Awakened abilities. In short order Ryan discovered that his magic was inwardly focused and could tremendously enhance his already remarkable physical abilities, and over the next several years he formed a strong bond with his mentor spirit. Wolf taught him how to hunt by stalking his prey for days, searching for weaknesses and patiently waiting for the right opportuniy to strike, as well as how to use the conditions of his environment to his advantage. With magic coursing through his veins and ancient knowledge in his head, Ryan began moving up the food chain of Portland's underworld.

By age 18, Ryan had assumed the street name of Fenris, partly in honor of his mentor and partly due to a fascination with Norse mythology.No longer a petty thief, he had became involved with the underground resistance movement Rinelle ke'Tesrae both as a physical infiltrator and a competent combatant. While he believed in their cause at first, having seen the oppression the Council of Princes imposed on its people first hand, the fascination faded as time went on and the activities of his cell became more and more vicious. Fenris was not one to shy away from violence given that Wolf had taught him how to kill, but slaughtering people indiscriminately was a different story. After witnessing the results of a particularly bloody bombing that left hundreds of civilians killed or wounded, all just to kill one man, Ryan decided to leave the movement and CaraSir all together.

With most of his savings spent on a forged SIN and a reliable coyote, he set out for new hunting grounds where he could make his mark on the world on his own terms. Within a few months he had found a new home in Seattle, the city of Shadows, where a man of his particular set of skills is always in demand. As an infiltrator and contract killer, Fenris has begun building a reputation as a precision operator who leaves no collateral damage behind, and in honor of his mentor spirit Fenris always leaves a hand carved wolf's fang on his targets.
[/spoiler]

[Jack_Spade]

Hehe,

looks like it could become an Elvish Murder Gang

[Zednark]

I'd be interested in this. Lemme rustle up a character.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Looking good, Jack_Spade! You take the loud route, I'll take the quiet one. Together we'll be unstoppable!

[Bewilderbeast]

@Jack_Spade: I've actually been keeping up with "Into the Chaos" and I agree, Kynos would be perfect. I will have to ask for a 0 Karma version of him, though. Sorry.

@Herr Brackhaus: Thanks for the gear explications you sent over PM, they all look good. Some questions: why did your first point in Automotive Mechanic cost you 8 karma?  Also why did you pick elf at priority C but net 0 special attribute points? Are you playing some type of metavariant? Oh also, just out of curiosity, what is you character's signature?

I've also received an app for a mage via PM, just FYI. I'll be taking a max of 5 players, but recruitment will be open at least through this weekend.

[Jack_Spade]

No problem - gives me the chance to correct a few things.

[Zednark]

Okay, here's Hookline. So called because people fall for his tricks Hook, Line and Sinker, and Hooklinesinker sounded stupid.

[spoiler]== Info ==
Street Name: Hookline
Name: Sam Atkinson
Movement: 12/24
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Elf M Age 27
Height 6'10" Weight 130 pounds
Composure: 10
Judge Intentions: 11
Lift/Carry: 4 (15 kg/10 kg)
Memory: 4
Nuyen: 4135

== Priorities ==
Metatype: D - Human or Elf
Attributes: C - 16 Attributes
Special: B - Adept, Magician, or Technomancer
Skills: A - 46 Skills/10 Skill Groups
Resources: E - 6,000¥

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 6
REA: 2
STR: 1
CHA: 8
INT: 3
LOG: 2
WIL: 2
EDG: 1
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                5 + 1d6
Rigger Initiative:         5 + 1d6
Astral Initiative:         6 + 2d6
Matrix AR Initiative:      5 + 1d6
Matrix Cold Initiative:    3 + DP + 3d6
Matrix Hot Initiative:     3 + DP + 4d6
Physical Damage Track:     10
Stun Damage Track:         9

== Limits ==
Physical:                  3
Mental:                    3
Social:                    8
Astral:                    8

== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling            : 0                      Pool: 7
Archery                    : 0                      Pool: 5
Armorer                    : 0                      Pool: 1
Automatics                 : 6                      Pool: 12
Blades                     : 0                      Pool: 5
Clubs                      : 0                      Pool: 5
Computer                   : 0                      Pool: 1
Con                        : 6 [Fast Talk]          Pool: 20 (22)
Cybercombat                : 0                      Pool: 1
Demolitions                : 0                      Pool: 1
Disguise                   : 4                      Pool: 7
Diving                     : 0                      Pool: 2
Escape Artist              : 0                      Pool: 5
Etiquette                  : 6                      Pool: 20
First Aid                  : 0                      Pool: 1
Forgery                    : 0                      Pool: 1
Free-Fall                  : 0                      Pool: 2
Gunnery                    : 0                      Pool: 5
Gymnastics                 : 0                      Pool: 5
Hacking                    : 0                      Pool: 1
Heavy Weapons              : 0                      Pool: 5
Impersonation              : 6                      Pool: 20
Instruction                : 0                      Pool: 7
Intimidation               : 2                      Pool: 16
Leadership                 : 1                      Pool: 15
Longarms                   : 6                      Pool: 12
Navigation                 : 0                      Pool: 2
Negotiation                : 6 [Finding Gear]       Pool: 22 (24)
Palming                    : 4                      Pool: 10
Perception                 : 6 [Visual]             Pool: 9 (11)
Performance                : 3 [Guitar]             Pool: 17 (19)
Pilot Ground Craft         : 0                      Pool: 1
Pilot Watercraft           : 0                      Pool: 1
Pistols                    : 4                      Pool: 10
Sneaking                   : 4                      Pool: 10
Survival                   : 0                      Pool: 1
Throwing Weapons           : 6                      Pool: 12
Tracking                   : 0                      Pool: 2
Unarmed Combat             : 0                      Pool: 5

== Knowledge Skills ==

== Contacts ==
Good Friend Piatek; ?; Wetwork Fixer (4, 1)
Johann Bannister; The Matrix; Fixer (5, 2)
Nick Silver; Renton; Private Eye (2, 5)
Ray Chandragupta; Auburn; KE Detective (4, 2)
Seoul Slim; Puyallup; Seoulpa Ring Footman (2, 2)

== Qualities ==
Addiction (Mild) (Betel)
Adept
In Debt III
Incompetent (Close Combat)
Low-Light Vision
Mentor Spirit (Dragonslayer)
Simsense Vertigo
SINner (National) (UCAS)
Trust Fund II

== Powers ==
Cool Resolve Rating: 6
Danger Sense Rating: 1
Enhanced Accuracy (skill) (Pistols)
Mystic Armor Rating: 4

== Lifestyles ==
Auburn Apartment  1 months

== Armor ==
Actioneer Business Clothes          8
   +Chemical Protection 4
   +Fire Resistance 4
   +Nonconductivity 4
   +YNT Softweave Armor

== Weapons ==
AK-97
   +Spare Clip
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 12   Accuracy: 5   DV: 10P   AP: -2   RC: 2
Fichetti Security 600
   +Concealable Holster
   +Gas-Vent 3 System
   +Laser Sight
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 10   Accuracy: 8   DV: 7P   AP: -   RC: 5
Pioneer 60
   +Shock Pad
   Pool: 12   Accuracy: 5   DV: 10P   AP: -1   RC: 3
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 5   Accuracy: 3   DV: 1S   AP: -   RC: 2

== Commlink ==
Meta Link (ATT: 0, SLZ: 0, DP: 1, FWL: 1)

== Gear ==
Ammo: Explosive Rounds (Light Pistols) x60
Ammo: Explosive Rounds (Sniper Rifles) x20
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Assault Rifles) x200
Betel x10
Certified Credstick, Silver x3
Fake License (Firearms License) Rating 4 x2
Fake SIN (Sam Wilkes) Rating 4
Musical Instrument (Nice)
Subvocal Mic[/spoiler]

Hookline does wetwork for a few reasons. One, though his living conditions are provided by a trust fund set up by his old money parents, he's in deep with the local loan sharks. 15,000 deep, to be specific, and the money he gets conning the trust fund manager isn't enough. Secondly, he likes manipulating people, and being a 'runner helps with that. Thirdly, he realizes that no matter what a runner specializes in, they're going to kill at some point, so you might as well be paid.

However, he won't take really shitty jobs, like bombing orphanages or poisoning children's candy. Nor will he do wide scale attacks, such as poisoning an entire city's water supply or levelling a whole city block. Hopefuly a killer who still has such standards won't kill any adventures.


Edit: How do I do spoilers? This forum is user unfriendly to the extreme. There aren't even tooltips.

[Jack_Spade]

Actually there are. It's the icon next to Quote

Otherwise just type (SPOILER) (/SPOILER)
with square brackets

[spoiler]
Like this. You can see it if you quote a post.
[/spoiler]