[James McMurray]

I added a random generator for shadowrun lifestyles. It uses the rules for Advanced Lifestyles presented in Runner's Companion.

Check it out

[Makki]

nice, but back down on the big (>1) qualities. it feels like 1 in 10 appartements has an Aspected Domain or Astral Repellant (I klicked a lot at the 10 lifestyles option)

[James McMurray]

Currently the choices are (almost) completely random. What it does:

1) pick a lifestyle at random if one wasn't chosen in the drop-down box

2) go through each category and increase or decrease them by 0-2 (this is weighted in favor of smaller or no changes)

3) 50% chance of adding a random negative quality

4) 50% chance of adding a random positive quality

5) If the total cost is now above the maximum for the originally selected lifestyle pick random negative qualities until it's back in range OR If the total cost is now below the minimum for the originally selected lifestyle pick random positive qualities until it's back in range.

The only criteria for picking the qualities is that some are not possible alongside others. For instance one cannot have both nosy neighbors and no neighbors. If a lot of instances of high cost qualities are appearing it's because there are a lot of high cost qualities compared to low ones. For example there are 5 qualities that cost 5 LP out of a total of 26 positive qualities compared to six 2s and only one 3. So around 1 in 5 lifestyles that have positives will have a 5 cost one.

I could weight the qualities, but what's a realistic weight for each them? Devil rat infestation and corporate owned are both -3, but I'm guessing more people would choose to live in the former (for many it would be a job requirement). Also, it introduces the possibility that a randomly generated lifestyle might not be possible because bumps to the categories coupled with mutually exclusive qualities means that it can't get its points back into the proper range.

[Fortinbras]

This thing is awesome. My players are big on spoofing Lifestyles and never staying in the same place for too long. This is perfect for determining what you can find vs. what you want.
None of them went all over town looking for a place with an Aspected Domain, but sometimes they just happened to find it.
I may print out a slew of these things as character hop from squat to squat.

[Makki]

for the Aspected Domain: You should add what it's aspected towards. A specific tradition? Most likely. Hermetic? Good chance for that. Could also be aspected towards Enchanting or something else.

Maybe you can add hotel/motel lifestyles? They would lack most qualities and don't include Entertainment.

[James McMurray]

Does anyone know of a breakdown for the traditions' commonality? Hermetics and shamans seems the most common, but I wouldn't have any idea about the rest. I guess I could just count the traditions and give hermetics 2.5x the commonality of the others and shamen 2x. I'll probably avoid the non-tradition aspects, since that seems infinite possibilities are hard to put in a chart. I'll just put an "other" option and explain some of the possibilities plus give a page reference.

[Fortinbras]

Frankly I would leave the Aspect up to the GM rather than chance. Otherwise it's less of a +5 to the Lifestyle and more of a chance happening in the Astral Realm. Personally, I think that if the cats are going to pay for it, it should be providing a benefit. Other GMs are free to disagree, which is why I would leave the aspect of the Aspect up to GM fiat.

[James McMurray]

I don't expect players to be using the lifestyle generator much, if at all (except perhaps with the previously mentioned spoofing). If they are it's because they didn't take the time to search out exactly what they wanted and if it happens that their new safehouse is aspected against them, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

When the GM uses it everything is always up to him. For instance, I'd never (without a great reason) have an NPC shaman living in a hermetically aspected home regardless of what the generator told me. It'd be aspected towards him. I'd probably always pick the aspect unless the occupant wasn't awakened at all, in which case random is fine since they probably don't even know it exists.

[Makki]

you can sublet your apartment, to some magic folks, while you're at work or off for the weekend