Character Creation

Human
BODY AGILITY REACTION STRENGTH WILL LOGIC INTUITION CHARISMA EDGE
1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 2/7

Elf
BODY AGILITY REACTION STRENGTH WILL LOGIC INTUITION CHARISMA EDGE
1/6 2/7 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 3/8 1/6
BONUS: Low-Light Vision

Dwarf
BODY AGILITY REACTION STRENGTH WILL LOGIC INTUITION CHARISMA EDGE
3/8 2/7 1/5 3/8 2/7 1/6 1/6 3/8 1/6
BONUS: Thermographic Vision, +2 dice for pathogen and toxin resistance, 20% increased social lifestyle cost

Ork
BODY AGILITY REACTION STRENGTH WILL LOGIC INTUITION CHARISMA EDGE
4/9 1/6 1/6 3/8 1/6 1/5 1/6 1/5 1/6
BONUS: Low-Light Vision

Troll
BODY AGILITY REACTION STRENGTH WILL LOGIC INTUITION CHARISMA EDGE
5/10 1/5 1/6 5/10 1/6 1/5 1/5 ¼ 1/6
BONUS: Thermographic Vision, +1 Reach, +1 Dermal Armor, 100% Increased Lifestyle Cost

PRIORITY SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES MAGIC OR RESONANCE SKILLS RESOURCES

POINTS
A Human – 9 24 Magician/Mystic Adept: Magic 6, two Rating 5 46/10 450,000¥
Elf – 8 Magical Skills, 10 spells
Dwarf – 7 Technomancer: Resonance 6, two Rating 5
Ork – 7 Resonance skills, 5 complex forms
Troll - 5
B Human – 7 20 Magician or Mystic Adept: Magic 4, two Rating 4 36/5 275,000¥
Elf – 6 Magical skills, 7 spells
Dwarf – 4 Technomancer: Resonance 4, two Rating 4
Ork – 4 Resonance skills, 2 complex forms
Troll – 0 Adept: Magic 6, one Rating 4 Active Skill
Aspected Magician: Magic 5, one Rating 4
Magical skill group
C Human – 5 16 Magician or Mystic Adept: Magic 3,5 spells 28/2 140,000¥
Elf – 3 Technomancer: Resonance 3,1 complex forms
Dwarf – 1 Adept: Magic 4, one Rating 2 Active Skill
Ork – 0 Aspected Magician: Magic 3, one Rating 2
Magical skill group
D Human – 3 14 Adept: Magic 2 22/0 50,000¥
Elf – 0 Aspected Magician: Magic 2
E Human – 1 12 None 18/0 6,000¥
The Priority Table
Special Points, Attributes, Magic/Resonance, Skills, and Resources can all be issued a priority value from
A to E. No two columns can be issued the same priority value.

 Special Points: These are points that can be assigned to Magic, Resonance, or Edge. The maximum
value for these attributes is 6, with the exception of Humans with a maximum Edge value of 7.
 Attributes: These are points that can only be spent into normal mental and physical attributes (BOD, AGI,
REA, STR, WIL, LOG, INT, and CHA). These points must all be spent and cannot be spent on anything
outside of those 8 attributes.
 Magic or Resonance: This determines starting magic or resonance for mages and technomancers.
Characters that are neither of these should pick Priority E for this column.
 Skills: These are points that can be spent in skills. The numbers are points that can be spent on individual
skills and points that can be spent on skill groups.
 Resources: This is the character’s starting money.

Step 1: Pick a metatype.

The numbers under each attribute are the starting value and the maximum value for that attribute.
Starting values are free points that do not use Attribute Points found in Step 2.

Step 3: Choose magic or resonance

Magic is used by magicians (Adepts, Aspected Magicians, Mages, Shamans, and Mystic Adepts), and
Resonance is used by Technomancers.

ADEPTS
 Adepts channel mana into their own
bodies to enhance their natural abilities,
making their talents and skills much more
potent.
 Adepts never astrally project.
 Adepts only perceive astral space by
purchasing the Astral Perception power.
 Adepts can learn the Assensing skill only if
they have the Astral Perception power.
 Adepts cannot use skills from any magic-
related skill groups (Sorcery, Conjuring, or
Enchanting).
 Adepts can follow mentor spirits.
 Adepts gain Adept Powers that are
purchased with Power Points. Adepts
receive a number of Power Points equal to
their Magic rating.
MAGICIANS
 Magicians can astrally perceive.
 Magicians can astrally project.
 Magicians can choose freely from the
magical skills or skill groups (Sorcery,
Conjuring, Enchanting).
 Magicians can cast spells, conjure spirits, or
enchant magical items.
 At character creation, magicians who cast
spells, perform rituals, or create alchemical
preparations may know a maximum
number of formulae from each group
equal to their
 Magic Rating x 2 (i.e., Magic Rating of 4
allows 8 spells, 8 rituals, 8 alchemical
preparations).
 ASPECTED MAGICIANS
 Aspected magicians are a limited form of
magician.
 Aspected magicians do not astrally
project.
 Aspected magicians can astrally perceive.
 Aspected magicians must choose one,
and only one, of the following three
Skills/Skill Groups.
 Sorcery (Spellcasting and related skills)
 Conjuring (Summoning and related skills)
 Enchanting (Alchemy and related skills)
 Aspected magicians cannot perform any
of the magical skills associated with the two
groups they did not select.
 Aspected magicians can only learn
Counterspelling if they take the skills to be a
spellcaster.
 Aspected magicians can follow mentor
spirits.
 At character creation, aspected magicians
who cast spells, perform rituals, or create
alchemical preparations may know a
maximum number of formulae from each
group equal to their Magic Rating x 2 (i.e.,
Magic Rating of 4 allows 8 spells, 8 rituals, 8
alchemical preparations)
MYSTIC ADEPTS
 Mystic adepts are a combination of
magicians and adepts.
 Mystic adepts never astrally project.
 Mystic adepts can astrally perceive if they
purchase the
 Astral Perception adept power.
 Mystic adepts purchase their
spells/rituals/preparations in the same way
as magicians.
 Mystic adepts must purchase their Power
Points with Karma (2 Karma each at
character creation for a full Power Point,
with a maximum number of points equal to
their Magic attribute rating).
 Mystic adepts can have any skills from the
Enchanting, Sorcery, or Conjuring skill
groups.

Step 4: Purchase qualities

At creation, characters begin with 25 Karma. Before anything else, these are spent purchasing qualities.
At creation, characters can only possess at most 25 Karma worth of Positive Qualities and 25 Karma worth of
Negative Qualities. Negative qualities can be bought off later.

Step 5: Purchase skills

At creation, it takes one skill point to either get a new skill, skill specialization, or raise that skill rating by 1
point. Skill Group points can also be spent at 1 point per skill group rating.

These skill points cannot be spent on Magic and Resonance based skills unless you have a Magic or
Resonance rating.

Characters start with free Knowledge and Language skill points equal to (INT + LOG) x 2. They are spent
the same way as skill points, but only for Knowledge and Language skills. Characters also begin with one free
native language.

The highest any skill can be raised at this point is 6. All skill points must be spent at this step and cannot be
kept after character completion.
Step 6: Spend Resources
This is where all the money is spent. Any leftover karma can be spent for more nuyen at 2,000 nuyen per
karma point at a max of 10 Karma (20,000 nuyen total). Only 5000 nuyen or less can be carried over after
character creation, not including starting nuyen from Lifestyle purchases.

When buying cyberware or bioware, each attribute can receive a bonus up to a maximum of +4.

Characters are limited to a maximum Availability rating of 12 and device rating of 6.

Step 7: Leftover Karma

Only 7 Karma can be kept after character creation. All other karma must be spent.

For attributes or skills, karma must be spent under normal character advancement rules.

Additional purchases & restrictions

ITEM KARMA COST (AT CHAR CREATION)
Bound Spirits 1 Karma per Service (Force of spirit
is equal to Character’s Magic)
Complex Forms 4 karma per complex form
Spells 5 Karma per spell
Bond Foci Variable (See bonding cost rules)
Contacts 1 Karma for each point of
Connections Rating, 1 Karma for
each Loyalty Rating (Minimum
Karma requirement = 2)
Registering sprites 1 karma per task (Level of sprite
equal to Character’s Resonance
Rating)
RESTRICTION
Can only have a number of bound
spirits equal to Charisma.
Max number of complex forms at
character creation equal to Logic.
Max spells/rituals/preparations
known at Character Creation
equals Magic rating x 2
Max Force of all foci that can be
bonded at character creation
equal to character’s Magic x 2
A single contact may not have
more than 7 karma spent on them
at character creation.
Can only have a number of
Registered Sprites equal to the
character’s Charisma.

Step 8: Final Calculations

 Initiative:
 Astral Initiative:
 Matrix AR Initiative:
 Matrix VR Initiative (Cold Sim):
 Matrix VR Initiative (Hot Sim):
 Mental Limit
 Physical Limit
 Social Limit
 Physical Condition Monitor:
 Stun Condition Monitor:
 Overflow:
(INT+REA)+1D6
(INTx2)+2D6
(INT+REA)+1D6
(Data Processing + INT) + 3D6
(Data Processing + INT) + 4D6
[(LOGx2)+INT+WIL]/3 (round up)
[(STRx2)+BOD+REA]/3 (round up)
[(CHAx2)+WIL+ESS]/3 (round up)
[(BOD + Augmentations)/2]+8 (round up)
[(WIL + Augmentations)/2]+8 (round up)
Body + Augmentation bonuses
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
A character may only train to improve one Mental and one Physical attribute, or one attribute and one skill, in a
single downtime period. Note that you can’t improve Physical skills or Mental attributes during the same
downtime period when you receive implants or augmentations that improve those same attributes.

Limits
 Attributes = 1 Attribute @ 2 Ratings per downtime.
 All Skills = (logic)/2 Skills @ 3 Ratings per downtime.
 Skill Groups = 1 Group @ 1 Rating

Costs
 Attributes = New Rating x 5
 Skill Groups = New Rating x 5
 Skills = New Rating x 2
 K/L Skills = New Rating x 1
 Complex Form = 4 Karma
 Spell = 5 Karma
 + or - a Quality = Karma Cost x 2
 Specialization = 7 Karma
 Initiate Level = 10 + (grade x 3)
 Mew MA Tech = 5 Karma + 1,500¥ for instruction.
 New MA Style = 7 Karma + 2,500¥ for instruction.

Times
 Attributes = New Rating x 1 Week
 Any Skills
o Rating 1-4 New Rating x 1 Day
o Rating 5-8 New Rating x 1 Week
o Rating 9-13 New Rating x 2 Weeks
 Skill Groups = New Rating x 2 Weeks. Cannot raise attributes or skills at the same time.
 Specializations = 1 Month. Cannot be learned with anything else.
 Complex Form = 12 / (Software + Intuition [Mental]) Days
 Spell = 12 / {(Type) + Intuition [magical lodge’s Force]} Days
 Mew MA Tech = 2 Weeks
 New MA Style = 1 Month
Positive Qualities
Acrobatic Defender – 4 Karma
Duck, dive, twist, and twirl, just put on a good
enough floor show to keep whatever is coming your
way from landing on your face. This quality allows
the character to use their Gymnastics skill in place
of their Willpower while using Full Defense. Including
this skill in the Defense Test means that their Physical
Limit also applies.
Agile Defender – 3 Karma
Speed kills, but quickness and agility can be the key
to avoiding a speedy death. This quality allows the
character to use their Agility in place of their
Willpower attribute while using Full Defense.
Ambidextrous – 4 Karma
The Ambidextrous character can handle objects
equally well with either hand. Without this quality,
any action performed solely with the off–hand (i.e.,
firing a Weapon, p. 178, SR5). a –2 dice pool
modifier (see Attacker Using Off-Hand gun) suffers a
–2 dice pool modifier (see Attacker Using Off-Hand
Weapon, p. 178, SR5).
Analytical Mind – 5 Karma
Analytical Mind describes the uncanny ability to
logically analyze information, deduce solutions to
problems, or separate vital information from
distractions and noise. It’s useful in cracking cyphers,
solving puzzles, figuring out traps, and sifting through
data. This quality gives the character a +2 dice pool
modifier to any Logic Tests involving pattern
recognition, evidence analysis, clue hunting, or
solving puzzles. This quality also reduces the time it
takes the character to solve a problem by half.
Aptitude – 14 Karma
This quality is how you become even better than the
best in the world. The standard limit for skills is 12.
Every so often, there is a character who can
exceed limitations and be truly exceptional in a
particular skill. With this particular quality, the
character can have one skill rated at 7 at character
creation, and may eventually build that skill up to
rating 13. Characters may only take the Aptitude
quality once.
Astral Chameleon – 10 Karma
With the Astral Chameleon quality, the character’s
astral signature blends into the background of astral
space and is difficult to detect. All signatures left by
the character last only half as long as other astral
signatures. Any individuals assensing astral
signatures left behind by a character with this
quality receive a –2 dice pool modifier for the
Assensing Test. Only characters with a Magic rating
and capable of leaving astral signatures may have
this quality.
Bilingual – 5 Karma
A character with this quality reads, writes, and
speaks a second language fluently. They can list a
second language as a native tongue (see
Language Skills, p. 150, SR5). This quality can only be
acquired at character creation; selecting it gives
the character a second free language skill during
Step Five: Purchase Active, Knowledge, and
Language Skills,(p. 88, SR5).
Blandness – 8 Karma
This character blends into a crowd; he’s seldom
noticed and easily forgotten. He is unremarkable in
every aspect of physical appearance. Anyone
attempting to describe the character cannot come
up with anything more precise than “average
height, average build, average hair, etc.”
Increase the threshold for anyone to recall specific
details about the character by 1. This means a
Memory Test with a difficulty of Average (threshold
of 2) becomes a Hard test (threshold of 3).
Individuals attempting to shadow or physically
locate a character with the Blandness quality in a
populated setting receive a –2 dice pool modifier
on all tests related to their search. The same penalty
applies if they’re asking around about the person
based on the individual’s physical appearance. The
modifier does not, however, apply to magical or
Matrix searches. If the character acquires any visible
tattoos, scars, obvious cyberware, or other
distinguishing features, the bonuses from the
Blandness quality go away until the distinctive
features are removed from the character’s
appearance. In certain circumstances and specific
situations, the gamemaster may determine that
Blandness does not apply. For example, a troll with
the Blandness quality still towers head and shoulders
over a crowd of humans and so still stands out, no
matter how average their horns may be. The
character only regains his bonus by leaving the
situation where he stands out.
Brand Loyalty – 3 Karma
Brand loyalty is taken to extremes in the Sixth World
with individuals brainwashed by their
megacorporate masters, especially when it comes
to firearms. But sometimes being loyal to a brand
can be a good thing. Characters who are brand
loyal know the products of their favorite brand
inside and out. The quality has two levels;
Manufacturer and Product. At the Manufacturer
level, characters choose a corporate or
manufacturer brand, i.e. Ares, Saeder-Krupp, Krime,
H&K, Novatech, etc., and gain a +1 dice pool
bonus on every roll involving gear made by their
manufacturer. At the Product level the bonus is only
conveyed on a single item, i.e. Predator IV, S-K-
Bentley Concordat, Krime Kannon, HK227,
Novatech Airware, etc.
On the downside, due to this narrow focus the
character suffers a –1 dice pool penalty whenever
working with a piece of gear not made by their
preferred Manufacturer. At the Product level the –1
dice pool penalty is applied to all products of the
same type, i.e., heavy pistols, cars, SMGs, assault
cannons, commlinks, etc.
Catlike – 7 Karma
A character with the Catlike quality is gifted with an
uncanny elegance, a stealthy gait, and an almost
preternatural ability to move without making a
sound. They also claim they land on their feet when
dropped, though they tend not to let people test
this. This quality adds a +2 dice pool modifier to
Sneaking skill tests.
Codeslinger – 10 Karma
Ones and zeroes are practically a native language
to a Codeslinger. The character is adept at
performing a particular Matrix action (which she
selects when she selects this quality) and receives a
+2 dice pool modifier to that Matrix action. This can
only be selected for Matrix Actions (p. 237) that
have a test associated with them.
College Education – 2 Karma
A character with the College Education quality has
not only attended an institution of higher education
but has made the most out of her stay and knows a
substantial amount about a diverse group of
academic subjects. The College Education quality
modifies the Mental limit by +1 for any Academic
Knowledge skill tests made by the character.
Deus Vult! – 4 Karma
The words “Deus Vult,” “God wills it” in Latin, were
the words that helped launch the First Crusade in
1095. Similarly, the assassin sees himself as on a
crusade to eliminate the enemies of his religion.
These enemies might be striking violently at the
people or holy sites of his faith, or they might simply
be “sinners” in his eyes. Either way, they must be
eliminated.
While the Code of Honor is called “Deus Vult,” it is
not limited to any particular religion. A radical
pagan can take this Code as justifiably as a
fanatical Christian. Note that this Code might
require some research on the player’s part to
properly roleplay his character’s devotion to his
religion’s tenets.
Advantages: The assassin’s faith sustains him even in
the face of terrible wounds. Make a Willpower
check at the beginning of the character’s Action
Phase if he has taken a wound, either Stun or
Physical damage, since his last Action Phase, with
the threshold being equal to the number of wounds
taken in that time. Success on the roll means that
the assassin ignores all wound penalties. The assassin
should continue making rolls before each Action
Phase, with the threshold for the test growing with
each wound; for example, if a character makes a
roll after sustaining two wounds, then sustains two
more wounds before his next Action Phase, the
threshold would be 4 for the next roll. If one of these
rolls fails, all wound penalties immediately come into
play and this advantage cannot be used until the
next combat.
Disadvantage: Perhaps as overcompensation for
violating his religion’s tenet against killing, the
assassin demands much more of himself in
observance of the other tenets of his faith. The
assassin must make a Charisma + Willpower roll to
act against his religion’s tenets, with the threshold
varying based on the severity of the violation: simple
theft would likely call for a threshold of 1, while great
blasphemy or renouncing his religion entirely would
call for a much higher threshold. If the character
fails the roll, they refuse to perform the action and
actively seek to stop anyone they see attempting it.
Double-Jointed – 6 Karma
A Double-Jointed character has unusually flexible
joints and can bend and contort his body into
extreme positions. The character receives a +2 dice
pool modifier for Escape Artist tests. The character
may also be able to squeeze into small, cramped
spaces where less limber characters cannot. They’re
also great at parties and bars.
Exceptional Attribute – 14
Karma
The Exceptional Atribute quality is how you get to
be the charismatic troll, or the agile dwarf. It allows
you to possess one attribute at a level one point
above the metatype maximum limit. For example,
an ork character with the Exceptional Attribute
quality for Strength could take his Strength attribute
up to 10 before augmentations are applied, instead
of the normal limit of 9. Exceptional Attribute also
applies toward Special Attributes such as Magic
and Resonance. Edge cannot affected by the
Exceptional Attribute (Edge is raised by another
quality called Lucky). A character may only take
Exceptional Attribute once, and only with the
gamemaster’s approval.
First Impression – 11 Karma
The First Impression quality enables a character to
slide easily into new environments, situations, groups,
and jobs. Whether infiltrating a gang, making
contacts in a new city, or wrangling an invite to a
private meet, the character gains a temporary +2
dice pool modifier for relevant Social Tests such as
Negotiation and Con during the first meeting. This
modifier does not apply to second and subsequent
encounters.
Focused Concentration – 4
Karma per Rating (Max 6)
A technomancer or magic user with the Focused
Concentration quality has the discipline to
manipulate mana or Resonance more precisely
than otherwise possible. This precision reduces stress
to the magic user’s or technomancer’s body. She is
able to sustain one spell/complex form with a
force/level equal to her Focused Concentration
rating without suffering any penalties. For example,
a magic user with Focused Concentration rating 3
may sustain a Force 3 Armor spell without taking the
negative dice pool modifier for sustaining a spell.
Sustaining any additional spells or complex forms
incurs the standard –2 dice pool modifier per spell or
complex form sustained. This quality may only be
taken by magic user characters that are able to
cast spells and technomancers.
Gearhead – 11 Karma
The Gearhead is who you look for when it’s time to
stomp on the gas and move. She’s a natural-born
driver or pilot. When she’s at the
wheel/stick/controls of a vehicle or drone, she has
an intuitive understanding of its limitations and its
capabilities and is able to coax whatever machine
she’s controlling to perform at its best. During
vehicle or chase combat, a Gearhead can
increase the Speed of her vehicle or drone by 20
percent or increase the Handling modifier by +1
(player’s choice). She also receives a +2 dice pool
modifier when attempting difficult maneuvers or
stunts in the vehicle. This bonus lasts for 1D6 minutes.
The player can choose to make this bonus last up to
an additional 1D6 minutes if she wants. Doing so
pushes the vehicle or drone well beyond its design
limits and risks catastrophic damage. For each
minute the character pushes the vehicle past its
initial bonus period, the vehicle automatically takes
one point of stress damage (unresisted)
Gifted Healer – 2 Karma
A character with the Gifted Healer quality is
particularly adept at one of the three tests detailed
in the Care Under Fire optional rules (Stabilization,
Diagnosis, or Treatment, p. 14, B&B). She receives a
+1 dice pool bonus whenever performing the
selected test, whether by magical or mundane
means. Gifted Healer may only be taken once,
meaning a character can only get the bonus for a
single test, not two or three.
Guts – 10 Karma
When a bug spirit with dripping mandibles comes
calling, the character with Guts is the one most likely
to stand and fight instead of freaking the hell out.
Guts gives a character a +2 dice pool modifier on
tests to resist fear and intimidation, including
magically induced fear from spells or critter powers.
High Pain Tolerance – 7 Karma
per Rating (Max 3)
High Pain Tolerance lets a character keep delivering
the pain even if she’s had plenty piled on her own
head. A character with High Pain Tolerance can
ignore one box of damage per rating point of this
quality when calculating wound modifiers (see
Wound Modifiers, p. 169). So a character with this
quality at Rating 2 can take 4 boxes of damage but
carry on without wound modifiers as if she only had
2 boxes of damage. The –1 wound modifier would
then kick in when the character takes her fifth box in
damage. This quality may not be used with the Pain
Resistance adept power, pain editor bioware, or
damage compensator bioware.
Home Ground – 10 Karma
If a character knows her neighborhood better than
anyone—the shortcuts, the hiding places, and the
people she can trust—then she probably has the
Home Ground quality. She knows the families who
live there, their stories, and what the kids who
moved out are doing; she knows the streets better
than GridGuide, knows things that aren’t on
GridGuide, and knows when GridGuide is wrong.
She knows the politics of the gangs, who’s running
for whom and who’s running from whom. But it’s not
just the physical streets. Depending on the
character, her Home Ground quality can manifest
in ways specific to who and what she is. When
choosing this quality, select one of the bonuses
below:
 Astral Acclimation: The character has
become acclimated to the background
count of her Home Ground. Through a
lifetime of familiarity she’s learned to work
around it, enabling her to ignore up to two
points of background count. For example,
if the background count on her Home
Ground is 3, she sees only a reduction of 1
to her Magic tests; if the background count
is 5, for her it is only a 3, and so on. This
quality works only on her Home Ground
and has no benefit anywhere else.
 You Know a Guy: The character has built
up long-lasting relationships with people
from her neighborhood. These people are
not contacts, but they know her as one of
their own and are more likely to do favors
for or talk to her. NPCs from the character’s
Home Ground neighborhood are
considered friendly toward her wherever
she encounters them (unless she has done
something to change that).The character
receives +2 Street Cred for any Negotiation
with people from her Home Ground.
 Digital Turf: This is for a decker or
technomancer who has a specific host that
she calls her own. She may actually own
the spot, or it can be a place she frequents
enough to consider home. The character
receives a +2 bonus to Matrix Tests while in
her Home Ground host. Bonuses from other
Qualities may stack with Home Ground. If
 the character has not frequented this host
for more than six months, she loses the
Home Ground quality because she is no
longer as familiar as she should be.
 The Transporter: This character knows the
layout of streets, back alleys, service
tunnels, etc., like the back of her hand. She
knows when GridGuide is wrong and when
GridGuide is out of date. When the
transporter is on her Home Ground, she has
a +2 dice pool modifier for Evasion Tests.
 On the Lam: Hiding out and lying low are
part of a shadowrunner’s daily life. On the
Lam means a character has an
encyclopedic knowledge of safehouses,
bolt holes, abandoned buildings, just about
any out-of-the-way place not claimed by
gangs or squatters. When she needs to find
a safe location in a hurry, this character
receives a +2 dice pool bonus to her
Intuition + appropriate street knowledge
skill to find a suitable place to hole up fast.
 Street Politics: This character knows the
street gangs, the criminal operations, and
the beneath-the-surface affiliations that are
the social and political fabric of her Home
Ground. She receives a +2 dice pool
modifier for Knowledge Tests relating to
gangs or their operations.
This quality can be taken multiple times, selecting
one of the categories above each time.
Human Looking – 6 Karma
A metahuman character with the Human-Looking
quality can pass for human in most circumstances.
Human NPCs respond with neutral attitudes toward
such characters when making Social skill tests (p.
82), even those humans who are particularly biased
against metahumans. The character may suffer
increased animosity from metahuman NPCs who
are prejudiced against humans and who either
mistake him for human or distrust his motives for
trying to look human. Only elves, dwarfs, and orks
can take the Human-Looking quality.
Indomitable – 8 Karma per
Level (Max 3)
Bodies and minds have limits, but some people
have the will to push right through those boundaries.
For each level of Indomitable, a character receives
a +1 increase to an Inherent limit of his choice
(Mental, Physical, or Social). He can take up to
three levels and can apply them in any way he
chooses (+3 to one Inherent Limit, for example; or +2
to one Inherent and +1 to another; or +1 to all
three).
Inspired – 4 Karma
That chorus with the earworm hook. The story that
grabs you by the throat and won’t let you go. The
painting whose colors seem to move and dance as
you stare at them. That’s what an Inspired character
can pull off. They have a reputation for being able
to pull off miracles in their chosen field, and for
having the muses whisper regularly in their ear.
Choosing this quality provides an Artisan
specialization for the character of their choice;
unlike normal specializations, this one gives +3 dice
to the Artisan test. The character also receives a +2
bonus in Street Cred (p. 372, SR5) among anyone
who has knowledge of the area in which the
character has their specialization.
Juryrigger – 10 Karma
Juryrigger gives a character an intuitive grasp of the
inner workings and underlying principles of
mechanical and electronic devices. She knows how
to repair the broken, rejuvenate the worn, improve
a device’s efficiency, or coax it into doing things its
designers hadn’t intended. Characters with the
Juryrigger quality receive a +2 dice pool modifier for
Mechanical Tests when juryrigging gear. If the
gamemaster decides what the character wants to
accomplish is in fact possible, he determines the
threshold for her success using the Build/Repair
Table (p. 146, sr5) as a guideline, then reduces the
threshold for the test by 1. While a successful
Mechanics Skill Test enables the Juryrigger to
perform amazing technical feats, everything she
devises is temporary. Examples of what a character
may be able to do with Juryrigger include:
  Juryrig a destroyed device so that it will
operate just one more time (for 1D6
minutes).
 Tweak an electronic device to function at
a rating one higher than normal for 1D6
Combat Turns.
 Temporarily coax extra performance from
a vehicle’s or drone’s components,
increasing its Sensor or Handling by +1 (if
combined with bonuses from Gearhead,
the vehicle’s or drone’s critical
components completely burn out at the
end of the duration from being pushed well
be-yond their limits; at that point, the
vehicle or drone becomes a big
paperweight).
 Improvise a one-shot device or weapon
from disparate components (the
gamemaster has final say on whether
suitable parts are available).
 Devise an impromptu means to bypass a
security measure, such as a trip beam or
pressure plate.
Lucky – 12 Karma
The dice roll and the coin flips this character’s way
more often than not, giving her the chance to drop
jaws in amazement at her good fortune. Lucky
allows a character to possess an Edge attribute one
point higher than his metatype maximum (for
example, a human character could raise her Edge
to 8). Note that taking this quality does not actually
increase the character’s current Edge rating, it just
allows her the opportunity to do so; the Karma cost
for gaining the extra point must still be paid. This
quality may only be taken once and must be
approved by the gamemaster. The Lucky quality
cannot be combined with Exceptional Attribute.
Magic Resistance – 6 Karma
per Rating (Max 4)
This is the wonderful ability to potentially make a
Fireball bounce away. For every 6 Karma spent on
Magic Resistance, a character receives 1 additional
die for Spell Resistance Tests. The Magical
Resistance quality, however, is always “on”—the
character cannot lower it to receive beneficial
spells such as Heal. A character with Magic
Resistance cannot take part in spells that require a
voluntary subject; such spells automatically fail
when used on magic-resistant characters.
Characters with a Magic rating cannot take this
quality.
Mentor Spirit – 5 Karma
Everyone needs some help in life, even if it comes
from someone relatively filmy and insubstantial.
Mentor Spirit means the character follows a patron
spirit (see Mentor Spirits, p. 320) that guides him in his
practice of magic and provides certain advantages
and disadvantages to his natural abilities. A
character may change mentor spirits, but he may
have only one mentor spirit at a time. To change
mentor spirits, the character must first buy off the
current mentor spirit as if it were a Negative quality.
He can then purchase the quality again to follow a
different mentor spirit. This cost represents the toll of
divorcing from one mentor spirit and bonding with a
new one.
Each tradition has a different name for a mentor
spirit. Hermetic mages prefer the term “mentor
spirit,” while shamans use the word “totem” for the
spirit that they follow. While the names may vary,
the way the mentor works is consistent.
This quality is only available to characters that
possess a Magic attribute rating.
My Country, Right or Wrong – 4
Karma
Patriotism is the core of this assassin’s being. He
serves his country by doing his deadly job, and he
knows his work is justified because it helps the nation
that he calls home. Enemies both foreign and
domestic must be dealt with so the nation’s citizens
can live in peace and security.
Advantages: Make a Willpower check at the
beginning of the character’s Action Phase if he has
taken a wound, either Stun or Physical damage,
since his last Action Phase, with the threshold being
equal to the number of wounds taken in that time.
Success on the roll means that the assassin ignores
all wound penalties. The assassin should continue
making rolls before each Action Phase, with the
threshold for the test growing with each wound; for
example, if a character makes a roll after sustaining
two wounds, then sustains two more wounds before
his next Action Phase, the threshold would be 4 for
the next roll. If one of these rolls fails, all wound
penalties immediately come into play and this
advantage cannot be used until the next combat.
Disadvantage: The idea of betraying his country in
even the smallest way, even for a greater good
somewhere down the line, is unthinkable to the
assassin. He must make a Charisma + Willpower
check to act in a way detrimental to his country,
with the threshold based on the severity of the
offense: breaking into a military base to steal
weapons would call for a threshold of 1, while selling
classified materials to the enemy would call for a
much higher threshold. If the character fails the roll,
they refuse to perform the action and actively seek
to stop anyone they see attempting it.
Natural Athlete – 7 Karma
A character with this quality has an innate
combination of physical fitness, spatial awareness,
and natural athletic or gymnastic talent. While the
character may not be a world-class athlete and
may require training to achieve peak performance,
he is in prime physical shape for his size and weight
class. The Natural Athlete adds a +2 dice pool
modifier for Running and Gymnastics skill tests.
Natural Hardening – 10 Karma
This quality makes the character’s neural structure
resistant to feedback. This gives her 1 point of
natural biofeedback filtering, which is cumulative
with a Biofeedback Filter program or a
technomancer’s firewall (p. 251, sr5).
Natural Immunity – 4 or 10
Karma
The ability to casually sip poison can never be
overrated. A character with Natural Immunity has
an innate or developed immunity to one single
disease or toxin.
This quality is available at two levels. If purchased at
the 4 Karma level, the character is immune to a
single natural disease or toxin. If Natural Immunity is
purchased at the full 10 Karma level, the character
is immune to a single, synthetic (artificially created)
disease or toxin. Natural Immunity does not affect
diseases or toxins that are magically based, such as
HMHVV.
The player and gamemaster must agree on the
disease, drug, or poison to which the character is
immune. The character can take one dose of the
drug or poison and experience one exposure to the
disease every six hours with no ill effects. Any
subsequent dosing or exposure during the next six
hours causes normal damage, but the character’s
recovery time is halved.
Note that characters with Natural Immunity to a
disease can be a carrier, infecting other characters
while suffering no ill effects.
One Trick Pony – 7 Karma
You’ve watched the same action trid or chipped
your way through the same simsense so many times
you actually know how to do that really cool move
the star always uses. This quality allows the
character to choose one Martial Arts technique
they can do without first learning the associated
Martial Arts style.
Out for Myself – 4 Karma
The assassin knows that he can rely only on himself.
Perhaps he’s a selfish bastard, or perhaps that’s just
the mindset he needed to develop to survive where
he grew up. Either way, he looks out for Number
One, and to hell with everyone else.
Advantages: The assassin is always watching his
back; after all, nobody else will. He receives a +3
Dice Pool to all Surprise Tests because of this
preparedness.
Disadvantages: This character has proven that he
cares only for himself, and his reputation in the
shadows will suffer for it. Double all Notoriety gained
by acts of selfishness or betrayal.
Perceptive Defender – 4 Karma
Sometimes keeping yourself alive is about staying
alert and keeping an eye out for incoming trouble,
about knowing what’s coming before it’s time to
duck or dive for cover. This quality allows the
character to use their Perception skill in place of
their Willpower attribute while using Full Defense.
Including this skill in the Defense Test means that
their Mental limit also applies.
Photographic Memory – 6
Karma
A character with Photographic Memory can
instantly recall facts, dates, numbers, or anything
else he has seen or heard. The character gains a +2
dice pool modifier to all Memory Tests.
Quick Healer – 3 Karma
A character with the Quick Healer quality receives a
+2 dice pool modifier to all Healing Tests made
on/for/by her, including magical healing.
Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins
– 4 or 8 Karma
A character with Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins
can fight off diseases and drugs more easily than
other characters and receives a +1 dice pool
modifier to Resistance Tests. This quality comes at
two levels: at 4 Karma the character is resistant to
either pathogens or toxins, not both. If the character
purchases this quality at 8 Karma, she receives the
+1 modifier for resisting both.
Sharpshooter – 4 Karma
Through focus and vigilance it’s possible to hone a
shooting skill to the point of an excess of precision.
This honing means that specific techniques are
trained to the point of perfection, but in that
training, other, more basic maneuvers are skipped
over. Characters with this quality are more skilled at
making Called Shots, but at the cost of their basic
shooting skills. Penalties for Called Shots are
decreased by 2, while all other Ranged Attack
actions suffer a –1 dice pool penalty.
Spirit Affinity – 7 Karma
Available only to magic users, the Spirit Affinity
quality allows a character to be attuned to one
type of spirit (see Spirits, p. 303). These spirits find the
character interesting, are drawn to her, and are
more inclined to assist her. They may be reluctant to
attack the character, and if forced to do so they
are likely to use nonlethal power. Watchers and
minions do not count for this quality as they are
constructed and are not summoned like normal
spirits. Spirit Affinity provides magicians with 1
additional spirit service for each spirit of that type,
and it also provides a +1 dice pool modifier for
Binding Tests.
Magic users may possess this quality for a type of
spirit that is not part of their magical tradition.
Strive for Perfection – 12 Karma
Excellence in his craft is what this assassin aims for. It
is not enough to take out the target; the job must
be done efficiently, quickly, and without the slightest
misstep. This is what separates the good assassins
from the great ones in his mind, and he aims to be
one of the greats.
Advantages: The assassin has honed his skills with
firearms to the point where shots that would be
tough for most people are second nature to him.
Halve the cost of all Called Shots, meaning they
impose only a –2 dice pool penalty instead of –4.
The Called Shot still costs a Free Action.
Disadvantages: The standard “aiming for center
mass” shots that most people take are beneath this
sort of assassin. He seeks to make every shot count,
regardless of how many bullets are in his magazine.
The assassin must make Called Shots unless he is
providing covering fire or acting in a similar
capacity where Called Shots would not be
practical.
Too Pretty to Hit – 3 Karma
It’s more about force of personality than actually
being pretty—sometimes a character just has a
presence about them that keeps people from
shooting straight. The character can use their
Charisma attribute instead of their Willpower
attribute while using Full Defense.

Toughness – 9 Karma
Characters with the Toughness quality shrug off
damage more easily than others. Such characters
gain a +1 dice pool modifier to their Body when
making Damage Resistance tests.

Will To Live – 3 Karma per

Rating (Max 3)
For each rating point in Will to Live, the character
gains 1 additional Damage Overflow Box (p. 101,
sr5). These additional boxes only allow the character
to sustain additional damage before dying; they do
not raise the threshold at which the character
becomes unconscious or incapacitated, nor do
they affect modifiers from the damage the
character has taken.

Negative Qualities
Addiction – 4 to 25 Karma
A character with the Addiction quality is hooked on
chemical substances, such as street drugs
(novacoke, bliss, tempo); technological or magical
devices, such as better-than-life (BTL) chips or foci;
or potentially addictive activities such as gambling
or sex. Physiological Addictions affect the Body’s
functions, producing pain, nausea, shakes, and
other side effects that can impair the runner,
particularly during withdrawal. Some possible effects
of psychological Addictions include paranoia,
anxiety, insomnia, poor concentration, mood
disorders, and depression. For specific rules on
Addiction Tests, Withdrawal Tests, and staying clean,
see p. 414, sr5.
The bonus Karma value of this quality depends on
how severe the addiction is. Levels of addiction
include: Mild, Moderate, Severe, or Burnout.
Addictions get worse over prolonged periods of
time without treatment. Each level of Addiction has
a starting dosage level that tells the character how
much of a substance or activity they must use for a
craving to be sated. This level can be increased if
the character has augmentations. The more severe
a character’s Addiction, the more substance or
time devoted to the activity he needs to satisfy his
cravings.
At the lower end of the spectrum for the Addiction
quality (Mild, Moderate), it is easier to hide the
effects of an Addiction. At the most severe levels
(Severe, Burnout), there are noticeable physical and
mental signs of Addiction. These signs negatively
impact his Social Tests even if he is not suffering the
effects of withdrawal.
Mild (4 Karma)/1 dose or 1 hour of habit-related
activity: Mild cravings occur once a month for the
character. If a character fails his Withdrawal Test, he
suffers symptoms of withdrawal and must actively
seek out and use the substance or engage in the
activity to find relief. On a run, this could mean
delaying plans that the runner team may have
meticulously put together for a job, especially if the
character is busy gambling with a bookie or slotting
a BTL instead of being available for the run. While
the character is suffering withdrawal symptoms,
apply a –2 dice pool modifier to all of the
character’s Mental-attribute-based tests (if
psychological dependency) or to all the
character’s Physical-attribute-based tests (if
physiological dependency). If the character
succeeds on his Withdrawal Test, the character
does not suffer withdrawal symptoms and does not
need the substance or participate in that habit until
the character makes their next Withdrawal Test (in
one month). He is able to stay clean for that month.
Moderate (9 Karma)/1 dose or 1 hour of habit-
related activity: A craving at the Moderate level
occurs roughly every two weeks. If the character
experiences withdrawal, he suffers a –4 to all
Mental-attribute-based tests (if psychological
dependency) or –4 to all Physical-attribute-based
tests (if physiological dependency) until the craving
is satisfied.
Severe (20 Karma)/2 doses or 2 hours of habit-
related activity: The addiction is spiraling out of
control. The addict experiences cravings once a
week. If he fails a Withdrawal Test, he suffers a –4
dice pool modifier to either their Mental- or Physical-
based tests (as appropriate for their dependency)
while in withdrawal.
In addition, he suffers a –2 dice pool modifier to all
Social Tests, whether he is in withdrawal or not. It is
all but impossible now for the character to hide his
addiction, even when he’s had his fix. The physical
and psychological symptoms of the damage
caused by his Addiction are readily apparent to the
close observer.
Burnout (25 Karma) 3 doses/3 hours (minimum) of
habit-related activity: Burnout is the final progression
of the Addiction quality. The addict experiences
cravings for their drug or habit of choice every day.
Until they satisfy their craving with a fix, the
character suffers a –6 penalty to either his Mental- or
Physical-based tests (whichever one is appropriate
for their dependency) while in withdrawal
Because his Addiction is now obvious to even the
most casual observer, the character suffers a –3
dice pool modifier for all Social Tests, whether he is
in withdrawal or not.
The gamemaster has discretion as to whether or not
she should call for Withdrawal Tests during an
Addicted character’s downtime, depending on to
what degree the gamemaster wants the addiction
to impact gameplay for the character.
Aged – 7, 14, or 21 Karma
Aged characters have been around the block a
time or two and lived to tell about it. They have
made mistakes, but they were tough, smart, or just
plain lucky enough to survive them. For each
decade of life at age 50 or above, a character with
the Aged quality gains 7 Karma (+7 for ages 50-59,
+14 for ages 60-69, +21 for ages 70+). Additionally,
for each decade of age, the character gains 5
bonus points worth of Knowledge skills, but his
physical attribute maximums, including the
maximum augmented attributes, are each reduced
by 1. At the gamemaster’s discretion, the character
may face bonuses or penalties to certain social
interactions, due to people’s biases and prejudices
about his advanced age. Note that this quality may
only be taken at character creation.
Allergy – 5 to 25 Karma
A character with the Allergy quality is allergic to a
substance or condition found in their environment.
The value of this quality depends on two factors. The
first is whether the substance or condition is
Uncommon (2 Karma) or Common (7 Karma). Next,
determine the severity of the symptoms: Mild (3
Karma), Moderate (8 Karma), Severe (13 Karma), or
Extreme (18 Karma). Add the appropriate point
values together to find the final value. For example,
the value of an Uncommon Moderate Allergy
(Silver) is 10 Karma (2+8 Karma). If a character is
attacked with a substance to which they are
allergic, they lose 1 die from their Resistance Test for
each stage of severity of the Allergy (e.g., 1 die for a
Mild allergy, 2 dice for a Moderate allergy, etc.).
 Uncommon (2 Karma): The substance or
condition is rare for the local environment.
Examples: silver, gold, antibiotics, grass.
 Common (7 Karma): The substance or
condition is prevalent in the local
environment. Examples: sunlight, seafood,
bees, pollen, pollutants, Wi-Fi sensitivity, soy,
wheat.
 Mild (3 Karma): Symptoms are discomfiting
and distracting. Apply a –2 dice pool
modifier to the character’s Physical Tests
while under the effects of the Allergy.
 Moderate (8 Karma): Contact with the
allergen produces intense pain. Apply a –4
dice pool modifier to all Physical Tests
made while a character experiences the
symptoms.
 Severe (13 Karma): Contact with the
allergen results in extreme pain and actual
physical damage. Apply a –4 dice pool
modifier to all tests made while a character
experiences symptoms. The character also
suffers 1 box of Physical Damage
(unresisted) for every 1 minute they are
exposed to the allergen.
 Extreme (18 karma): A character at this
level, when exposed to the allergen, goes
into full anaphylactic shock. The character
receives a –6 dice pool modifier for
anything they do. The character is
considered to be in excruciating agony.
The character suffers 1 box of Physical
Damage (unresisted) for every 30 seconds
they are exposed to the allergen. First Aid,
Medicine, or magical means can stop the
damage taken from the anaphylactic
shock.
Astral Beacon – 10 Karma
The astral signature of a character with the Astral
Beacon quality is like, well, a beacon—highly visible
on the astral plane. The signature also lasts twice as
long as it would without the Astral Beacon quality
and others assensing it receive a –1 to the threshold
of their Assensing Test for gathering information
about it. Only characters with a Magic rating may
take this quality.
Bad Luck – 12 Karma
This character is cursed—his own luck often turns
against him. When the character uses Edge, roll
1D6. On a result of 1, the point of Edge is spent, but
it has the exact opposite effect intended. For
example, if a character hopes to gain additional
dice he loses that many dice from his dice pool. If a
character spends Edge to go first in an Initiative
Pass, he ends up going last. If a character spent
Edge to negate a glitch, Bad Luck turns it into a
critical glitch. The character suffers Bad Luck on only
one Edge roll per game session. After the character
has suffered his Bad Luck, he does not need to roll
the test for Bad Luck for any more expenditures of
Edge for the duration of that game session.
Bad Rep – 7 Karma
A character with a Bad Rep quality has a dark and
lasting stain on her reputation. She may be a former
Knight Errant cop known to have been particularly
brutal in dealing with shadowrunners. Or word on
the street might be that she once killed a member
of her own runner team. If she’s Awakened and
comes from a polluted region, it may be generally
accepted that she’s a toxic shaman. Whether she is
actually guilty of any wrongdoing is not relevant.
What people believe she has done has
permanently tainted the way they see her and how
they deal with her. Whatever the reason, the
character starts play with 3 points of Notoriety(p.
372) that can only be removed or decreased by
confronting and resolving the source of the bad
reputation. Only then may the Bad Rep quality be
bought off with Karma.
Code of Honor – 15 Karma
The character has a binding Code of Honor when it
comes to killing members of a specific group; it’s a
matter of unwavering principle. The character with
the Code of Honor quality chooses a specific group
that they will not kill or allow others to kill. Examples
of this group could include women, children,
innocent bystanders, or a specific metatype. A
character can choose to protect specific
paracritters, but only if the specified paracritter
possesses the Sapience power.
The gamemaster must approve the group that the
character designates as being “off limits.” If the
group (such as children) is not regularly
encountered in campaigns, the gamemaster can
reject the choice. If the player feels strongly about
his choice, the gamemaster may allow the player to
take two groups they will not harm, (i.e., women
and children), one of which must be likely to be
encountered in the campaign. A magician can
legitimately choose to not destroy any type of spirit
from which their Mentor Spirit bestows a bonus for
summoning. This Code of Honor respects their
Mentor Spirit and is worthy of the Karma. Characters
can’t pick an obscure or non-existent group to
acquire this quality—you can’t acquire Karma by
vowing to never kill sapient hamsters, for example.
Any time anyone attempts to kill a member of the
character’s protected list, the character must make
a Charisma + Willpower (4) Test. A failed roll means
the character must immediately put a stop the
violence against the member of their protected
group. If the situation forces the character to take
action against any of his protected group, he will
always choose non-lethal methods. Killing a
member of the group he has sworn to protect is a
line he will not cross for any reason.
There are drawbacks to having a Code of Honor.
For example, it can leave witnesses behind. For
each person in the protected group the character
leaves alive and who is in a position to remember
them, increase the character’s Public Awareness by
1. The character’s job options are also limited—he
will not take a job if the objective is the death of a
member of his protected group and will have
reservations about taking part in a mission with a
high probability of causing collateral harm to
members of his protected group.
There is always a chance things will go wrong
whenever non-lethal force is used. A person may
have a life-threatening allergic reaction to a usually
harmless knockout drug, or a heart condition that
makes a taser shock deadly. For this reason, each
time the character takes a violent action or allows
others to take violent action against a member of
his chosen group, the gamemaster makes a secret
roll of 1D6. On a roll of 1, there is an unforeseen
complication from the use of non-lethal force. With
a metahuman it could be a life-threatening medical
condition; with a spirit, an attempt to banish rather
than destroy may in fact set the spirit free. When a
complication arises, the gamemaster makes a
secret Perception (4) Test for the character to
notice if anything has gone wrong.
If a person in the character’s chosen group is killed,
whether intentionally or inadvertently, the character
loses a point of Karma for that adventure for each
person in their “protected group” that is killed.
The Code of Honor can take other forms as well. For
example:
 Assassin’s Creed: A character never kills
anyone that they are not paid to kill. Being
precise as an assassin, not leaving
collateral damage, and being invisible are
important hallmarks of those who believe in
the Assassin’s Creed. Characters who take
this version of Code of Honor lose 1 point of
Karma for every unintentional and/or
unpaid murder they commit, and their
Public Awareness goes up by 1 for each
such death.
 Warrior’s Code: The character who follows
a Warrior’s Code maintains a strict sense of
personal honor. In 2075, this likely means a
character will not kill an unarmed person,
take lethal action against an opponent
who is unaware or unprepared for an
attack (i.e., a guard who doesn’t know the
runner is there), or knowingly take an action
that could kill someone who is defenseless
(i.e., from a stray bullet or allow someone to
be killed from a sniper shot). The character
loses 1 Karma per unarmed or defenseless
person that they kill or allow to be killed
through their actions.
Codeblock – 10 Karma
A character with the Codeblock quality always has
trouble with a particular Matrix action. He receives a
–2 dice pool modifier any time he attempts that
type of Matrix action. Codeblock only applies to
Matrix actions with an associated test; it does not
apply to actions that do not require a test (p. 237).
Characters cannot apply Codeblock toward
hacking actions they are never likely to take.
Combat Junkie – 7 Karma
The character just can’t keep from starting fights. His
first solution is always fight, and so is his second,
third, and fourth. If someone suggests more options
than that to the character, they’ve probably been
punched already. The point is, no matter what the
actual plan is, this character will always look for a
chance to get a little combat on.
This quality manifests in two different ways. If the
character is in a stressful situation, they must make a
Composure (4) Test in order to restrain themselves
from just punching their way out of the situation. If
they are following a plan and an unexpected event
occurs, their first reaction will be to opt for violence
unless they succeed in an Intuition + Logic (4) Test
and remember to stop and think about whether
there might be a better option. The character is
always free to not make a test and just give into
their violent instincts—and deal with whatever
consequences follow.
Combat Paralysis – 12 Karma
A character with Combat Paralysis freezes in
combat. On the character’s first Initiative Test, the
character divides their Initiative Score for that round
in half (rounded up). In subsequent phases, the
character may roll their normal Initiative. Combat
Paralysis also gives the character a –3 dice pool
modifier on Surprise Tests. If the character must
make a Composure Test while under fire or in a
similar combat situation, the gamemaster applies a
+1 threshold modifier.
Consummate Professional – 3
Karma
The consummate professional knows that the
assassin contract involves a great deal of trust
between both parties, and he seeks to honor that
trust to the fullest. He will never talk about the jobs
he takes, even to boost his own reputation. This
makes him somewhat more difficult for employers to
track down, but those who do find him know that
they can trust him not to sell them out.
Advantages: The consummate professional has
proven he’s worthy of being treated better than a
typical assassin. Gain a +2 Dice Pool bonus to social
interaction rolls when interacting with employers.
Disadvantages: The flip side to having as much
discretion as the consummate professional does is
that it’s much harder to be known for your work.
Divide total Karma by 20 (instead of 10 as normal)
and round down in order to determine Street Cred.
Dependents – 3, 6, or 9 Karma
A character with the Dependents quality has one or
more loved ones who depend on them for
emotional support and financial aid. Dependents
may include children, parents, a spouse or lover, a
sibling, or an old friend. Meeting the needs of a
dependent should take up a fair amount of the
character’s time, as well as some of the character’s
money. Increase the amount of time it takes to learn
a new skill or improve an existing skill by fifty percent.
See the Character Advancement section on p. 103,
sr5 for more information on how long it takes to
improve skills. Also increase the base time for any
long-term projects by fifty percent. A dependent
could also be a hindrance in other ways—getting
underfoot, sharing living space, involving herself in
the character’s work, borrowing the car, calling at
the most inopportune moments, etc.
For 3 Karma, the dependent is an occasional
nuisance: dropping in unexpectedly (such as when
the character must go to a meet), needing
emotional support, favors, or other confirmations of
friendship/commitment, and occasionally money.
Examples of dependents at this level include:
slacker sibling, long-term boyfriend/girlfriend, or a
child not living with the character but for whom the
character pays child support and visits regularly.
Raise the character’s lifestyle cost by 10 percent
each month.
For 6 Karma, the dependent is a regular
inconvenience: needing attention and commitment
on a regular basis, getting involved in the
character’s affairs, sharing living space. Examples of
dependents at this level include: a live-in
lover/wife/husband or family member, a child for
whom the character shares custody and routinely
has in his home (every other weekend, etc.), or a
young child or close sibling for whom the character
is responsible. Increase the character’s lifestyle cost
by 20 percent each month.
At the 9 Karma level, the dependent is close family
or a life partner and lives with the character. The
dependent is a strain on the character’s time and
resources, and/or requires special care and
attention that limits the character’s availability for
missions or specific actions. Examples of these
dependents include large family sharing the living
space, parents or grandparents with medical or
physical needs, and full custody of any children.
Increase the lifestyle cost for the character by 30
percent each month.
Distinctive Style – 5 Karma
A character with the Distinctive Style quality has at
least one aspect of his appearance, mannerism, or
personality that makes him inconveniently
memorable. Choices for Distinctive Style include,
but are by no means limited to: tattoos that cannot
be easily concealed, an accent or atypical manner
of speaking, bizarre fashion choices, scars, gang or
prison signs, flashy custom augmentations, or non-
metahuman modifications like a tail. Note that
what’s distinctive in one culture or location may not
be in another.
Whatever Distinctive Style the player selects makes
her character easy to remember. Anyone who
attempts to identify, trace, or physically locate this
character (or gain information about him via
legwork) receives a +2 dice pool modifier for
relevant tests. If an NPC makes a Memory Test (p.
152, sr5) to determine how much they recall about
the character, reduce the Difficulty Threshold by 1,
to a minimum of 1.
This quality is physical in nature and does not apply
to astral searches. This quality may only be taken
once. This quality is incompatible with Blandness.
Elf Poser – 6 Karma
The Elf Poser is a human character who wants to be
an elf. She associates with elves as much as
possible, talks like elves, and alters her appearance
to resemble an elf. Characters with this quality may
undergo cosmetic surgery to get elf ears and elf
eyes, and they may successfully pass as elves and
avoid any negative Social modifiers associated with
being a non-elf.
Real elves consider Elf Posers an embarrassment,
many humans think of them as sellouts, and other
metatypes generally consider posers to be pathetic.
If an elf discovers the character’s secret, the elf is
likely to treat her with contempt and hostility (see
Social Modifiers Table, p. 140). An outed elf poser
may also face stigma from prejudiced humans as a
“race traitor.”
Only human characters may take the Elf Poser
quality.
Gremlins – 4 Karma per Level
(Max 4)
Characters with the Gremlins quality don’t get
along with technology. Devices malfunction
inexplicably, software crashes unexpectedly,
vehicles refuse to start, components become
unusually fragile at his touch, and wireless links suffer
faltering connections and odd interference
whenever he’s involved.
For each level (maximum of 4), reduce the number
of rolled 1s necessary to get a glitch(p. 45) by 1
whenever the character is attempting to use a
moderately sophisticated device. For example, a
character with a dice pool of 8 and Gremlins level 2
(8 Karma) would trigger a glitch if two or more 1s
result from the test (instead of the normal 4). The
gamemaster may also require the character to
make a test for operation that would otherwise
succeed automatically to see whether or not a
glitch occurs.
When describing the effects of a Gremlin-induced
glitch, gamemasters should play up the notion of a
particularly weird mechanical or electronics
malfunction. Some examples of Gremlin-induced
glitches include: the magazine falling out of a pistol
when attempting a critical shot, a keypad
inexplicably burning out while entering a code to
disarm an alarm system, or the commlink interface
converting to Sperethiel mid-sentence when
attempting to access a restricted node.
Note that Gremlins is a Negative quality—its effects
hinder the character (and probably entertain
others). The character cannot use his Gremlins
quality to damage an opponent’s high-tech
equipment merely by touching it. Anything the
character attempts to sabotage using only Gremlins
will function flawlessly. (Obviously, he can try any
ordinary means of sabotage, but Gremlins will haunt
his efforts.) The effect only applies to external
equipment and does not affect cyberware,
bioware, or other implants.
Illness – 5, 10, or 15 Karma
A character with the Illness quality has a chronic
medical condition that requires ongoing treatment
to prevent complications and possibly annoying
effects. Depending on the level of the quality, the
character must periodically succeed in Body + Body
(3) Test or their Illness will flair, causing negative dice
pool modifiers affecting all tests. If the character
keeps up with the necessary medical treatments
(pills, injections, inhalers, potions, procedures, etc.;
the gamemaster can develop a specific regimen
based in the illness), the threshold for this test is
reduced by 1. The Illness Quality Table shows the
build point/Karma bonus, dice pool modifier and
frequency of tests for each level, as well as the cost
for ongoing medical treatment. At the
gamemaster’s discretion, the Illness quality can be
removed permanently through a combination of
surgery and genetic therapy at a cost equal to 12
times the monthly treatment cost.
LEVEL KARMA TEST FREQ DP TREATMENT
COSTS
1 (Mild) 5 Monthly -1 1000¥ /
Month
2 10 Weekly -2 500¥ /
(Moderate) Week
3 (Severe) 15 Daily -3 100¥ / Day
Incompetent – 5 Karma
An Incompetent character possesses a total lack of
knowledge or ability with a certain Active skill
group—or, perhaps worse, they have some vague
knowledge or the skills contained in the group, but
they have neither the coordination nor the
comprehension to come anywhere close to
carrying it off properly. No matter how much effort
they put into this area, they simply cannot grasp it—
it would take a miracle for them to somehow,
someday advance to the level of “poor” in those
skills.
Incompetent may not be applied to Language or
Knowledge skills. The Incompetent character is
treated as having skill level of “unaware” for all skills
in the skill group (see the Skill Rating Table, p. 131).
In some cases, a Success Test may be required for
tasks most people take for granted. Characters may
not possess that skill group for which they have the
Incompetent quality. If gear grants a bonus or
requires the use of a specific skill in which the
character is Incompetent, the character gains no
benefits from the gear.
Gamemasters are free to reject any choices that
would prove irrelevant or exploitative in actual play,
such as Incompetent: Outdoors in a campaign
based entirely inside an arcology. (This should go
without saying, but just in case: Characters may
never choose Incompetent for any skill group that
they are physically incapable of using. A non-
magician cannot take Incompetent in Sorcery,
Conjuring, or Enchanting; a non-technomancer
cannot be Incompetent in a skill that requires
Resonance; and so on.)
Incompetent may be purchased only once.
Insomnia – 10 or 15 Karma
A character with the Insomnia quality has trouble
falling asleep and seldom feels well rested. Usually,
this is only an annoyance. For runners, however, this
can become a major problem when they are
dependent on being able to rest at every
opportunity to remain sharp. Insomnia can lengthen
the amount of time it takes for a character to
recover Stun damage.
At the 10 Karma level, before a character rolls his
Body + Willpower to recover Stun damage, the
character rolls an Intuition + Willpower (4) Test. If the
character succeeds on this test, the character is not
impeded by Insomnia and the character regains
Stun damage as normal. He also regains his Edge
after 8 hours of restful sleep. If the character fails,
double the amount of time it normally would take
for a character to recover their
Stun damage. So instead of healing a number of
boxes of Stun damage in an hour, it now takes two
hours per roll. If the character is affected by
Insomnia, the character does not have his Edge
refreshed and may not have it refreshed for up to
another 24 hours.
At the 15 Karma level, a failed Willpower + Intuition
(4) Test means that all efforts to regain Stun damage
through rest are negated during that time period,
and the character must try again later. No Stun
damage is regained from the attempt due to the
insomnia the character experiences, and the
character must wait for 24 hours before their Edge
refreshes.
Loss of Confidence – 10 Karma
The Loss of Confidence quality means something
has caused the character to lose confidence in
himself and one of his abilities. Though a skilled
decker, he failed to hack into a Stuffer Shack grid,
or despite high Agility, he glitched an easy Climbing
Test and fell into a dumpster—whatever the reason,
he now doubts himself and his abilities. In tests
involving the affected skill, the character suffers a –2
dice pool modifier. If the character has a
specialization with the skill, the character cannot
use that specialization while suffering a loss of
confidence. The skill chosen for the character to
have a Loss of Confidence must be one that the
character prides himself in and has invested in
building. Only skills with a rating 4 or higher may
suffer the Loss of Confidence quality. Edge may not
be used for tests involving this skill when the
character is suffering Loss of Confidence.
Low Pain Tolerance – 9 Karma
Characters with Low Pain Tolerance are particularly
sensitive to pain; they incur a –1 wound modifier for
every 2 boxes of cumulative damage, instead of
the normal 3 boxes. This affects both Physical and
Stun damage tracks.
Ork Poser – 6 Karma
Influenced by Goblin Rock or over-hyped
orxploitation trends, an Ork Poser is an elf or human
character who alters her appearance to appear as
an ork. Various cosmetic biomods—tusk implants,
steroids, larynx alterations, etc.—allow him to
successfully pass as an ork. Ork posers are an
embarrassment to many orks, but some tolerate, if
not appreciate, the compliment behind the effort.
This means an ork who discovers the character’s
secret may either become very hostile toward him
or be willing to let the character join the “family”—
provided he passes an appropriate hazing ritual to
prove his “orkness.” An outed ork poser may also
face stigma from other humans or elves as “race
traitors,” if those humans/elves harbor any prejudice
against orks.
Only humans and elves may take the Ork Poser
quality.
Prejudiced – 3 to 10 Karma
With this quality the character is Prejudiced against
members of a specific group of people:
metahumans,
Awakened, non-metahuman sapient critters, or
some other group. The character is not merely
intolerant—he is outspoken about his beliefs and
may actively work against the target of his
prejudice. Depending upon the degree of
prejudice, this quality can get the character into
trouble for expressing his views or when forced to
confront the targets of his prejudice.

Pregnant – 9 Karma The Karma bonus granted by this quality varies

Even in the darkness of the shadows, miracles can
happen. A female character can choose the
Pregnant quality only at character generation. The
character starts the game with a new pregnancy,
which will proceed through three trimesters of
roughly three months each. Gamemasters may wish
to adjust the length of the three trimesters based on
the average gestational period for the character’s
metatype. Each trimester, the character gains
additional negative effects as detailed on the
Pregnancy Quality Table. After the third trimester,
depending upon how common the hated group is,
how often the character is likely to encounter
members of the group, and the degree to which
the character is openly antagonistic toward them.
Refer to the Prejudiced Table to determine the
Karma value of the quality based on the
prevalence of the hated group and the degree of
prejudice.
When dealing with the target of their prejudice, a
character receives a –2 dice pool modifier per level

the character gives birth, at which point the of severity of the Prejudiced quality for all Social

Pregnancy quality is replaced with either a 9 Karma Tests. If negotiations are a part of the encounter, the
Dependent quality. Note that characters may still target receives a +2 modifier per level of the

get pregnant after character creation; they just Prejudiced quality. So if a character who is radical in

don’t receive the Karma bonus as a result. their prejudiced views against the Awakened tries to
negotiate with the target of their prejudice, they
TRIMESTER EFFECTS receive a –6 to their Negotiation Test while the
First Nausea (–1 to all tests if target receives a +6 dice pool modifier.
the character has not
eaten within 1 hour) PREVALENCE OF TARGET GROUP
Second Nausea, Fatigue (Every
[Body] combat turn of  Common (Humans, metahumans, etc) – 5
vigorous activity the
Karma
character gains an
automatic box of Stun  Specific Target Group (Awakened,
damage, which cannot Technomancers, shapeshifters, aspected
be resisted. For each magicians) – 3 Karma
Complex Action the
character spends DEGREE
resting, remove one box
of accumulated  Biased (Closet meta-hater) – 0 Karma
Fatigue.)
 Outspoken (Typical member of
Third Nausea, Fatigue,
Reduced Physical Humanis) – 2 Karma
Attributes (–1 to all  Radical (Racial supremacist) – 5 Karma
physical attributes until
delivery)
 a threshold increased by +1. A failed
Scorched – 10 Karma
Memory Test results in gaps in memory and
A Scorched character is coping with neurological
possible disorientation while in host.
problems brought on by damage caused in some
 Memory Loss (Long Term): The same effects
way by Black IC, Psychotropic IC, or BTL. The
of Memory Loss (short term) apply. In
problem can manifest as short- or long-term
addition, for the duration of the effect, the
memory loss, unexpected blackouts, frequent
character loses access to one active skill.
migraines, diminished senses (sight, touch, smell,
He simply does not remember how to use it
etc.), and mood disorders such as paranoia and
(for example, the Pistols skill). Treat as
anxiety. The player chooses one specific effect of
unaware in that skill until symptoms abate.
Scorched, and its effect should be pronounced
 Blackout: For the duration of the effect, the
enough to hinder the character and present
character retains no memories of events
potential plot hooks for the gamemaster. Whenever
during that time frame. Memory cannot be
he enters VR or slots a BTL chip, the character must
restored by technological or magical
make a Body + Willpower (4) Test. On a failed roll, he
means.
experiences the specified physical effects for six
 Migraines: The character receives –2 to all
hours. A glitch or critical glitch on this test results in
Physical and Mental tests, sensitivity to light,
suffering the effects for 24 hours. The only way to
and nausea (p. 409, sr5).
eliminate the Scorched quality is to get the medical
 Paranoia/Anxiety: Character must make
treatment necessary to repair the damage, then
Social Tests for even basic interactions.
spend the Karma to buy off the Negative quality.
These are Success Tests with a threshold of
Once Scorched, though, the character remains
5. If no apparent skill applies, the character
susceptible to the condition. Another bad
must default to Charisma –1. Failure means
encounter with Black or Psychotropic IC or a BTL will
the character reacts with paranoia or
bring this quality back. In addition to the physical
anxiety in that situation for the duration of
side effects the character may experience from
the effect.
being Scorched, the character is vulnerable to
damage inflicted by either Black or Psychotropic IC
or BTLs. When faced with this IC, the character must
make a Willpower (3) Test to be able to confront it
Sensitive System – 12 Karma
A character with the Sensitive System quality has
without panicking. If he is able to confront the IC
immuno-suppressive problems with cybernetic
that caused their Scorched condition, the
implants. Double all Essence losses caused by
character suffers a –2 to Damage Resistance Tests
cyberware. Bioware implants, regardless of how
when these programs are inflicting damage.
they are grown or designed, are rejected by the
To take the Scorched quality for BTLs, the character character’s body.
must have at least a Mild Addiction to BTLs and
This quality works differently for characters who are
possess the gear necessary to use BTLs.
technomancers or Awakened and therefore never
To take the Scorched quality for Black and/or plan to take implants. Awakened individuals or
Psychotropic IC, the character must be either a technomancers remain fully capable of channeling
decker or a technomancer. mana or using Resonance, but they are potentially
more susceptible to Drain or Fading. A magic user or
 Memory Loss (Short Term): The character technomancer with a Sensitive System must make a
does not remember slotting a BTL chip. The Willpower (2) Test before any Drain or Fading Tests.
character makes another Withdrawal Test Failure on this test results in Drain or Fading Values
immediately. A failed test means the being increased by +2 for that particular Drain or
craving comes back immediately, as do Fading Test, as the energy traveling through their
the symptoms of withdrawal. Character body does more damage to their Sensitive System.
must slot another chip. For encountering IC,
a character must make a Memory Test with

Simsense Vertigo – 5 Karma
Characters who suffer from Simsense Vertigo
experience feelings of disorientation whenever they
work with augmented reality, virtual reality, or
simsense (including smartlinks, simrigs, and image
 Criminal SIN: At the 10 Karma level, the
links). Such characters receive a –2 dice pool
modifier to all tests when interacting with AR, VR, or
simsense.
SINner – (Layered)
There are four types of SINs that fall under the SINner
(Layered) quality: National SIN, Criminal SIN (either
Corporate or National), Corporate Limited SIN, or
Corporate Born. Individuals with SINs are required by
law to always broadcast their SINs. A legal SIN is
required for all legal purchases. This makes them
very useful things to have, so those who are SINless
generally get by with the use of fake SINs (p. 367,
sr5) just so they can participate in society.
 National SIN: At the 5 Karma level, the
character has what is called a National SIN.
The character’s parents were legal citizens
of a nation (such as the UCAS or CAS) and
he has been a citizen of that nation from
birth. He has the right to vote, qualify for
passports issued by his nation, enlist in the
national military, or work in the national
government. A National SIN is required for
any national security clearance or any
form of national military career. A
character with a National SIN pays fifteen
percent of their gross income in taxes. He is
also in no way connected to any of the
megacorporations. The main drawback to
having a legal National SIN is the character
is in the system. The nation in the player
character’s background has the
character’s biometric data (DNA,
fingerprints, retinal scans) on file, and that
biometric data is shared with law
enforcement agencies through the Global
SIN Registry. This makes it much easier to
track a character should a job go
sideways. Also, nations typically sell the
personal information tied to the character’s
SIN to corporations. Those with a legal SIN
get nearly three times as much spam as
those who don’t have a SIN or rely on fake
SINs, and the spam messages they receive
are disturbingly tailored to their preferences
(based on their buying and browsing
habits).
character has a Criminal SIN (either
Corporate or National); his Criminal SIN
replaces any previous SIN. At some point in
his life, the character was arrested and
served time for a felony-level offense and
was branded a criminal for the rest of his
life. He is legally required to broadcast his
Criminal SIN at all times; failure to do so is a
felony and can lead to re-incarceration. He
is shunned by law-abiding society. Law-
abiding citizens will, if they must, deal with
a SINless character before they’d have any
interaction with a known criminal. With his
Criminal SIN, the character will experience
prejudiced views, suspicion, and/or open
hostility from most people with SINs. He will
often be denied entry to certain locations
(high-end stores, car dealerships, museums,
galleries, etc.) and will have difficulty
finding legal employment. He can expect
to be brought in and held up to 48 hours for
questioning anytime a crime is committed
in his area. The judicial system in 2075 is
more an assembly line than institution of
justice. Suspects are treated as guilty unless
proven innocent, plausible circumstantial
evidence is often sufficient for conviction,
and sentencing has more to do with the
judge’s mood than the crime. In this
environment it’s likely the cops will be more
interested in closing the case than solving
any crime; they may try to pin crimes on
the character with the Criminal SIN whether
or not she had anything to do with it. Some
degree of “adjusting” facts and
“interpreting” witness accounts to support
allegations is common; fabricating
evidence, if only to meet conviction
productivity goals, is not rare. Magic users
tend to receive much harsher treatment
from the judicial system than mundane
criminals. If the character is a magic user
with a Criminal SIN, he is registered with
 local law enforcement. He can expect
regular—but usually not scheduled—
checks to confirm he lives and to ensure he
is not using forbidden spell formula, foci, or
other magical gear. The nation or
corporation that issued the Criminal SIN will
keep close tabs on the character, if he fails
to update residential information or
appears in any way to be trying to evade
their oversight, he is subject to arrest. He is
also required to pay a fifteen percent tax
on his gross income to the entity that issued
his Criminal SIN.
 Corporate Limited SIN: At the 15 Karma
level the character has the Corporate
Limited SIN; he has somehow gained a
position in a megacorporation from the
outside. He may have been hired as a
wageslave (or been the minor child of a
person hired as a wageslave), or perhaps
brought in by someone in the megacorp
who saw advantage in his skill, talent, area
of expertise, or some other useful attribute.
Under most circumstances the Corporate
Limited SIN replaces any National SIN. His
Corporate Limited SIN becomes part of the
Global SIN Registry, to which law
enforcement agencies and security
corporations alike have access. Many of
these Corporate Limited SINs record
whether or not the character is Awakened.
The Corporate Limited SIN allows the
character to be employed by the
megacorp under most circumstances, and
it replaces any National SIN that the
character may have had previously. With
the Corporate SIN, the character can be
gainfully employed by the issuing
megacorporation as a wageslave, a low-
ranking member of the corporation’s
security services, or an enlisted member of
the corporation’s military. Though he could
have a secret-level security clearance to
perform his duties, he cannot rise to a
leadership position, become an officer, or
be part of the megacorporation’s Special
Forces (such as the Red Samurai). As a
group, characters that possess Corporate
Limited SINs are believed to either know
something valuable about the inner
workings of the megacorporation or have
a skill set rival megacorps would want; as
such they are considered valid targets for
extraction, even if they are no longer
active with the corporation. Characters
with the Corporate Limited SIN experience
prejudice and hostility from those in the
shadows who are SINless. The SINless
believe the corporations deliberately keep
them poor and powerless so they can be
exploited. The character with the
Corporate Limited SIN may find himself
being personally blamed for his
corporation’s actions—protesting he has no
real authority and no connection with the
actions in question usually does little good.
To the SINless and neo-anarchists the
character with the Corporate Limited SIN
has sold out and chosen a corrupt and
oppressive system over his own people. The
character pays twenty percent of his gross
income in taxes to his megacorporation.
 Corporate SIN: At the 25 Karma level is the
Corporate Born SIN. The character with this
ID was probably born into a mega
corporation, or belonged to one when it
achieved extraterritoriality. At least one of
his parents probably had the Corporate
Born SIN as well. He grew up in the
corporation, his social involvement,
education, and almost every aspect of his
life was managed by the corporation. His
skills and aptitudes were evaluated
constantly, and he was groomed for the
career path to which he was best suited;
his whole world was the corporation.
Characters with the Corporate Born SIN
had the potential and the opportunity to
advance through the corporation
hierarchy. He could have been a
department administrator, a finance
strategist, an agent of corporate
intelligence, an officer in a megacorp’s
military, or even a member of Corporate
Special Forces (Renraku’s Red Samurai or
Ares’ Firewatch). With a Corporate Born
SIN, he could have enjoyed top-secret
clearance within the corporation and
 access to nearly unlimited resources. Then
something happened. An unforgivably
costly mistake, the machinations of a rival,
a supervisor in need of a scapegoat—
something pushed the character out of the
corporation and into the cold and
unforgiving shadows. In the shadows a SIN
that had been the key to opportunity is
now a deadly liability. Most in the shadows
see the Corporate Born as the privileged
few, the aristocrats in the armored
limousines who look down on them,
oppress them, exploit them and deny them
their basic rights. If the SINless discover the
character’s Corporate Born SIN, reactions
will range from deep suspicion to violent
hostility; serious injury and death are real
possibilities. The character’s loyalty to his
corporation is never questioned, which can
be an insurmountable liability in a culture
that works against the megacorps. Would-
be runners have been killed for holding
Corporate Born SINs. Fortunately,
Corporate Born records are limited to the
megacorporation that generated them.
Files in the Global SIN Registry can confirm
she has a valid SIN, but do not contain any
additional information. Those with
Corporate Born SINs pay a tax of ten
percent of their gross income to their
corporation.
Social Stress – 8 Karma
Whether as a result of loss or trauma or due to
innate psychological makeup, the Social Stress
quality burdens the character with emotions that
interfere with his ability to interact with others. A
specific cause and trigger for the Social Stress must
be established. For example, if his Social Stress is
caused by survivor’s guilt after the loss of a close
friend, unexpectedly encountering someone who
looks similar to the lost friend will heighten stress.
When a character is using Leadership or Etiquette
skills, reduce the number of 1s required to glitch the
test by 1. Gamemasters should call for more Social
Tests for characters with Social Stress to determine
how a character reacts to others, particularly if a
situation related to the cause of their stress arises.
Spirit Bane – 7 Karma
A character with a Spirit Bane really torques off a
certain type of spirit (p. 303, sr5). Whether the
character has a reputation for harming this sort of
spirit or something about her aura enrages them,
spirits of the type affected by the Spirit Bane are
likely to harass the character when she is in their
presence, and they may be reluctant to obey or
perform favors for the character or her friends. If
spirits of this type are ordered to attack a party that
includes the character, these spirits will single her out
and attempt to destroy her first. Affected spirits will
always use lethal force against these characters
with the Spirit Bane quality. If the character with
Spirit Bane tries to summon or bind this spirit, she
suffers a –2 dice pool modifier for the attempt. If the
summoner tries to banish a spirit of this type, the spirit
receives a +2 dice pool modifier for resisting her
attempt. Watchers and minions do not count for
Spirit Bane, as they are constructs that are not
summoned like normal spirits.
This quality may only be taken by magic users.
Magic users may possess this quality for a type of
spirit that is not a part of their magical tradition.
Uncouth – 14 Karma
The character with the Uncouth quality has difficulty
interacting with others. He acts impulsively,
overreacts to any perceived provocation, and
tends to do whatever pops into his head without
considering the consequences (i.e., flipping off Mr.
Johnson, calling a drunk troll a “Trog,” or responding
to casual trash talk from a rival runner by punching
her in the face). All Social Tests made by the
character to resist acting improperly or impulsively
receive a –2 dice pool modifier. Additionally, the
cost for learning or improving Social Skills is double
for Uncouth characters (including at character
creation), and they may never learn any Social skill
groups. Uncouth characters are treated as
“unaware” in any Social skills that they do not
possess at Rating 1 or higher (see Skill Ratings, p. 129,
sr5). The gamemaster may require the character to
make Success Tests for social situations that pose no
difficulty for normal characters.

Uneducated – 8 Karma
An Uneducated character is not mentally
impaired—she just never had the opportunity to
learn. Whether because she and her family were
isolated squatters, or were SINless, or otherwise
underprivileged, she was denied access to the
education system. She has only a rudimentary
knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Characters with the Uneducated quality are
considered “unaware” in Technical, Academic
Knowledge, and Professional Knowledge skills they
do not possess (see Skill Ratings, p. 129, sr5), and
they may not default on skill tests for those skills. The
gamemaster may also require the character to
make Success Tests for ordinary tasks that the typical
sprawl-dweller takes for granted. Additionally, the
Karma cost for learning new skills or improving
existing ones in these categories is twice the normal
rating (including at character creation), and it’s
possible the character will never learn some skill
groups belonging to these categories.
Unsteady Hands – 7 Karma
A character with Unsteady Hands has mild shakes
that affect the dexterity and finesse in his hands. The
character suffers a –2 dice pool modifier for all
Agility-based tests when symptoms manifest
themselves. The condition could be physiological
(an untreated genetic disorder or damaged nerves,
for example), caused by psychological trauma, or
even be symptomatic of age. Certain
augmentations or medications can mask these
symptoms under normal circumstances. Under more
stressful situations in the course of the run, there is a
chance the Unsteady Hands condition can
reappear. The character makes an Agility + Body (4)
Test following a stressful encounter (combat, for
example). A successful test means the character
does not experience the symptoms of this condition
(this time). A failed test causes the difficulties
associated with unsteady hands to re-emerge, and
they remain with the character for the remainder of
the run.
Weak Immune System – 10
Karma
A character with a Weak Immune System has
reduced resistance to infections and disease.
Increase the Power of any disease by +2 for every
Resistance Test. A character with Weak Immune
System cannot take the Natural Immunity or
Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins qualities. A Weak
Immune System often results from immune-
suppression treatments used in cybersurgery and
bio-genetic procedures, so it is reasonable to
believe that characters that have undergone
extensive body modifications are more likely to
acquire this quality.
Skills

Skill Groups
ACTING ATHLETICS BIOTECH CLOSE COMBAT CONJURING
Con Gymnastics Cybertechnology Blades Banishing
Impersonation Running First Aid Clubs Binding
Performance Swimming Medicine Unarmed Summoning
Biotechnology
CRACKING ELECTRONICS ENCHANTING FIREARMS INFLUENCE
Cybercombat Computer Alchemy Automatics Etiquette
Electronic Warfare Hardware Artificing Longarms Leadership
Hacking Software Disenchanting Pistols Negotiation
ENGINEERING OUTDOORS SORCERY STEALTH TASKING
Aeronautics Mech. Navigation Counterspelling Disguise Compiling
Industrial Mechanic Survival Ritual Spellcasting Palming Decompiling
Nautical Mechanic Tracking Spellcasting Sneaking Registering
Skills highlighted in BOLD cannot be defaulted.

Individual Skills
AGILITY
Archery, Automatics, Blades, Clubs, Escape Artist, Exotic Melee Weapon (Specific), Exotic Ranged Weapon
(Specific), Gunnery, Gymnastics, Heavy Weapons, Locksmith, Longarms, Palming, Pistols, Sneaking, Throwing
Weapons, Unarmed Combat
BODY
Diving, Free-Fall
REACTION
Pilot Aerospace, Pilot Aircraft, Pilot Exotic Vehicle (Specific), Pilot Ground Craft, Pilot Walker, Pilot Watercraft
STRENGTH
Running, Swimming
CHARISMA
Animal Handling, Con, Etiquette, Impersonation, Instruction, Intimidation, Leadership, Negotiation,
Performance
INTUITION
Artisan, Assensing, Disguise (includes makeup and enhancement), Interests Knowledge, Language,
Navigation, Perception, Street Knowledge, Tracking
LOGIC
Academic Knowledge, Aeronautics Mechanic, Arcana, Armorer, Automotive Mechanic, Biotechnology,
Chemistry, Computer, Cybertechnology, Cybercombat, Demolitions, Electronic Warfare, First Aid, Forgery,
Industrial Mechanic, Hacking, Hardware, Medicine, Nautical Mechanic, Professional Knowledge, Software
WILLPOWER
Astral Combat, Survival
MAGIC
Alchemy, Artificing, Banishing, Binding, Counterspelling, Disenchanting, Ritual Spellcasting, Spellcasting,
Summoning
RESONANCE
Compiling, Decompiling, Registering
Skills highlighted in BOLD cannot be defaulted.
Knowledge Skills
CATEGORY LINKED ATTRIBUTE EXAMPLES
Academic Logic Biology, Medicine, Magic Theory,
Politics, Philosophy, Literature,
History, Music, Parabotany,
Parazoology
Interests Intuition Current Simsense movies, popular
trideo shows, 20th Century trivia,
Elven Wine, Urban Brawl, Combat
Biking, Pop music
Professional Logic Journalism, Business, Law, Military
Service
Street Intuition Gang Identification, Criminal
Organizations, Smuggling Routes,
Fences

Language Skill Table

SITUATION THRESHOLD
Universal Concept (Hunger, Fear, Bodily Function) 1
Basic Conversation (Concerns of daily life) 1
Complex Subject (Special/Limited interest topics) 2
Intricate Subjects (Almost any technical subject) 3
Obscure Subject (Very technical/rare knowledge) 4
SITUATION DICE POOL MODIFIER
Speaking lingo (Or variation of particular language) -2
Using Augmented Reality Visual Display Help +1 to +4

Languages
All present-day languages exist in Shadowrun in some form or another.

Cityspeak is a mishmash of English, Japanese, Spanish, German, Hungarian, Chinese, French, and various grunts
and gibberish. It is a common street language amongst the denizens of the world’s sprawls.

Or’Zet is the Orkish Isolate language.

Trog is the dialect commonly found in the Ork Underground.

Sperethiel is the Elvish Isolate language.

Sign Language:
 Perkins-Athabaskan & Amerind Hand Talk
 French-Derived (LSF/ASL): American (ASL), Aztlander (LSA), Brazilian (LIBRAS), French (LSF), German
(DGS), Irish (ISL), Israeli (ISL), Russian (RSL), Spanish (SSL), and Quebec (LSQ)
 British derived (BANZSL) – Eight dialects including Australian (Auslan), British (BSL), New Zealand (NZSL),
and South African (SASL).
 Japanese (JSL) influenced – Dialects include Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese sign languages.
 Chinese based – Dialects include Shanghai (also used in Malaysia), Hong Kong (HKSL), Taiwan, and
Tibetan.
 Indo-Pakistani Sign Language (IPSL) – Dialects include Mumbai-Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore-Madras, and
Nepal.
 Monastic – Dialects include Benedictine, Cistercian, and Trappist
General Skill Rules
DISGUISE (INTUITION)
CREATE DISGUISE: Disguise + Intuition [MENTAL]. The number of hits rolled is the threshold for anyone trying
to see through the disguise later on.

ESCAPE ARTIST (AGILITY)

ESCAPE RESTRAINTS: Escape Artist + Agility [PHYSICAL] (Threshold). If you succeed, you’re free after
working on it for one minute (20 Combat Turns), divided by the number of net hits you get on the test.
Escape artist table
RESTRAINTS THRESHOLD
Rope, plastic cuffs 2
Metal handcuffs 3
Straitjacket 4
Containment manacles 5
Reinforced material +1
SITUATION MODIFIER
Character being watched -2
Character physically restrained -(Restrainer’s Strength)
Character has picks or cutting implement +2

ETIQUETTE (CHARISMA)
EASE SUSPICIONS: You can use Etiquette to ease suspicions, so that people might trust you more than
they would an outsider. Make an Etiquette + Charisma [Social] Test against the other person’s Perception +
Charisma [Social] Opposed Test. If you get any net hits, they’ll accept you. If you get 3 or more net hits, their
attitude toward you will improve, moving up a line on the “NPC’s attitude” section of the Social Modifiers table.

SMOOTH RECOVERY: The skill is not meant to replace role-playing, but it can save you from a social
blunder that you (the player) make when your character probably wouldn’t have. When this happens, make an
Etiquette Test against a threshold equal to the severity of the blunder (set by the gamemaster using the Success
Test Thresholds table. A successful test means your character recovers from the misstep.
When making Etiquette tests with a group of NPCs, use the same rules for influencing groups.

ETIQUETTE AND GLITCHES: A glitch on an Etiquette Test is treated the same as a social blunder—the
temporary annoyance could give you a –2 dice modifier on your next social test. Critical glitches result in major
social gaffes that have a lasting effect on the relationship your character has with others—the NPC’s stance
towards your character could move one step toward Enemy. This is the stuff of which long-time grudges and
major feuds are made, the words of disrespect that set street armies into motion.

FIRST AID (LOGIC)

Diagnose Wounds/Illness: The medic rolls his Medicine + Logic or First Aid + Logic Test as a Complex
Action. Apply any appropriate dice pool modifiers from the Healing Modifiers. If the injured character is fitted with
a biomonitor, the medic gains an additional +1 dice pool bonus for this test, not compatible with the use of a
medkit. If the Diagnostic Test is successful, the medic gains a +2 dice pool bonus to subsequent Stabilization or
Treatment Tests. A glitch on the Diagnostic Test may indicate that the medic has missed an important detail or
finding (reduce the dice pool bonus to +1 or 0), whereas a critical glitch may mean that the medic has
misdiagnosed the patient altogether (–2 to subsequent Stabilization or Treatment tests).
 Improvise Medical Supplies: A character without proper medical supplies can expend a Complex
Action to improvise as described in Improvised Medical Supplies. Make a First Aid + Intuition Test. Each hit on this
test reduces the –3 modifier for lacking medical supplies by 1 to a minimum of 0. The amount of time subsequently
required to administer First Aid is increased by 50 percent (multiply the time by 1.5) to represent extra time spent
modifying objects and materials for unintended uses.

Rapid assessment: Make a First Aid + Intuition (2) Test as a Simple Action. If successful, he gains a general
sense of the patient’s status (alive or dead, in distress, badly wounded, etc). Note that this is different than a
formal Diagnosis Test.

Stabilize: Make a First Aid + Logic (variable) Extended Test as a Complex Action. The threshold for this test
is the total number of boxes of physical damage the injured character has accumulated. Apply any dice pool
modifiers from the Healing Modifiers Table. If a critically injured character cannot be stabilized before his Overflow
exceeds his Body, he dies.
If successful, the injured character stops accumulating additional damage. The injured character is still
subject to any Wound Modifiers accrued, but each net success on the Stabilization test reduces the total wound
modifiers by 1. The character rendering aid can chose to continue until all Wound Modifiers have been negated.
The negation lasts for a number of hours equal to the First Aid skill rating of the character who performed the test.
Additionally, a Stabilization Test can be performed to negate wound modifiers for non-progressive damage,
including Stun. The threshold for the Stabilization Test is equal to the total number of boxes on the injured
character’s Condition Monitors (Including both Stun and Physical damage). Each net hit on this test reduces the
total Wound Modifiers by 1; the character rendering aid can chose to continue until all Wound Modifiers have
been negated.

Treat Wounds: Make a First Aid + Logic (2) [Mental] Test as a Complex Action. The standard rules apply
with the following exceptions. First, if the character has exceeded his Physical Condition Monitor and is
accumulating Overflow Damage, a Stabilization Test is still required to halt the ongoing damage. Second, if the
injured character has been previously stabilized, net hits on the Treatment Test reduce the damage by 2 boxes
each. The maximum number of net hits that can be applied in this manner is equal to the medic’s First Aid skill or
Medkit rating, whichever is higher.
A critical glitch on a First Aid Test increases the damage by 1D3 (1D6 ÷ 2) boxes. The maximum damage
healable with the First Aid skill is equal to the skill’s rating. First Aid may only be applied to a character once for
that set of wounds, and it may not be applied if the character has been magically healed. Using the First Aid skill
in combat requires a Complex Action and takes a number of Combat Turns equal to the number of boxes of
damage the character is healing.

FORGERY (LOGIC)
CREATE FORGERY: Creating a forgery is a Forgery + Logic Test. The limit for this test is either Physical (for
forged art, signatures, and other physical objects) or Mental (for credsticks, documents, and other items that are
more data than substance). Your dice pool is adjusted by appropriate modifiers (see the Build/Repair Table for
suggestions), and given a time requirement by the gamemaster (an interval from the Extended Test Difficulties
table is fine).
The quality of the forgery is based on the number of hits scored on the test. This number acts as the
threshold for attempts to spot the fake. Anyone examining a forgery makes an Opposed Test using a Perception +
Intuition [Mental] Test or Forgery + Intuition [Mental] Test. If they score as many or more hits than the quality of the
forgery, the item is exposed as a fake.
Data-based forgeries, like credsticks, documents, and SINs, don’t really hold up well to scrutiny, what with
information being so readily available. They can appear almost identical to the original, but any attempt to get it
to act like the original (transfer nuyen, pass a SIN check, etc.) reveals the forgery.

GYMNASTICS (AGILITY)
CLIMBING: The Gymnastics skill is applied to both assisted and unassisted climbing tasks. Assisted climbing
is accomplished with specialized gear such as ropes and harnesses. Assisted climbing is easier and safer, but
requires more preparation. Unassisted climbing may be done on the fly, because you climb without any gear.
Climbing is a Complex Action, and the number of hits you get on your Gymnastics + Strength [Physical] Test
determines how far you can move vertically or laterally during your climb, as noted on the Climbing Table. The
more difficult the climb, the more dice pool modifiers you get, which is also noted on the Climbing Table.
 RAPPELLING: Rappelling is a gear-aided descent at near free-fall speed. This technique requires a Free-
Fall + Body [Physical] (2) Success Test. So long as you have the proper gear and training, you can brake at any
point in the descent, slow your speed, and land safely. Rappelling expends a Simple Action, during which you fall
at a rate of 20 meters per Combat Turn. Rappelling characters can increase the number of meters descended
during that same Combat Turn by 1 for each net hit beyond the threshold on the Free-Fall Test. If you take
another Simple Action in the same phase, such as firing a weapon, you get a –2 dice pool modifier to both that
action and the Free-Fall Test. Stopping requires another Free-Fall Test with the same threshold. On an unsuccessful
test, you don’t slow down and may take damage if you hit the ground at speed.

CLIMBING FAILURES AND GLITCHES: A test while climbing or rappelling automatically halts your progress,
and you have to make a Reaction + Strength Test to hold on. If you fail this second test, you start to fall (about 20
meters per Combat Turn). During your next Action Phase, you may attempt to stop by making a Reaction +
Strength Test with a –2 dice pool modifier. Your gamemaster may allow other climbers to make a Reaction +
Strength Test to grab you.
Characters who are using climbing gear are allowed an additional test if they fall. Have the character who
prepared the safety lines make a Free-Fall + Logic [Mental] Test against a threshold equal to half the falling
character’s Body (round down). The falling character may apply Edge to this test. If successful, the safety gear
catches, leaving the character dangling. If it fails, the character falls.

FALLING DAMAGE: When a character falls more than three meters, he takes Physical damage with a DV
equal to the number of meters fallen, with an AP of –4. Use Body + Armor to resist this damage. The gamemaster
should feel free to modify the damage to reflect a softer landing surface (sand), branches to break the fall, and
so on.
Falling characters drop 50 meters in the first Combat Turn, 150 meters in the second Combat Turn, and
200 meters every Combat Turn after that. Terminal velocity for a falling body is about 200 meters per turn.

JUMPING: Jumping is done from a running or standing position. Running leaps get more distance than
standing jumps do, if you have enough room to get up to full speed. Make a Gymnastics + Agility Test, applying
any appropriate modifiers. For every hit you get on this test, you jump 1 meter on a standing jump or 2 meters for
a running leap. No matter how many hits you get, you can’t jump farther than your Agility x 1.5 meters (net hits
beyond this mean you did it with style). For a vertical jump, it’s the same test, but you get half a meter of altitude
per hit and the maximum you can jump is 1.5 times your height.
Climbing table
SITUATION MOVEMENT DISTANCE
Assisted climbing down (Rappelling) 20 meters + 1 meter per hit
Assisted climbing upward 1 meter per hit
Assisted climbing horizontally 1 meter per 2 hits
Assisted climbing upside down (On a ceiling or overhang) 1 meter per 3 hits
Unassisted climbing upward 1 meter per 2 hits
Unassisted climbing down 1 meter per hit
SITUATION DICE POOL MODIFIER
Assisted climbing +2
SURFACE IS DICE POOL MODIFIER
Easily climbable (Chain-link fence) +1
Broken (Tree, loose stone wall) +0
Flat (Brick wall, side of old building) -3
Sheer (Metal wall, seamless stone) -5
Slippery or wet -2
Greased or gel-treated -4

INTIMIDATION (CHARISMA)
INTIMIDATE: Intimidation is an Opposed Intimidation + Charisma [Social] Test against the target’s
Charisma + Willpower, modified by the appropriate entries on the Social Modifiers Table.
INSTRUCTION (CHARISMA)
INSTRUCT: In order to teach someone a skill, a character must have the skill at Rating 4 or higher. The
teacher can only teach up to their own Instruction Rating. Teaching is an Instruction + Charisma [Social] Test.
Every hit on the Teaching Test reduces the time for the student to improve their skill by a day.

LEADERSHIP (CHARISMA)
LEAD: If you lead people who accept you as their (lone) superior, even temporarily, you can take a
Complex Action to make a Simple Leadership + Charisma [Social] Test. How this helps depends on what you
choose to do.
 COMMAND: The target resists with a Leadership + Willpower [Mental] test (with Social Modifiers,
p. 140). For every net hit you get, the target accepts you as their leader for 1 Combat Turn. This
doesn’t work if you’ve failed on this target before.
 DIRECT: Your hits act as a Teamwork Test for one subordinate’s skill or Composure Test that they
perform on or before their next Action Phase.
 INSPIRE: Your hits act as a Teamwork Test for your subordinates’ Surprise Test for the rest of the
Combat Turn.
 RALLY: Your subordinates add 1 to their Initiative Score for every 2 hits you get.

MEDICINE (LOGIC)
MEDICATE: Characters with the Medicine skill are able to speed the healing process. The character
makes a Medicine + Logic [Mental] Test; apply appropriate modifiers, including wound modifiers if a character is
applying the Medicine skill to her own wounds. Each hit provides +1 die to any subsequent healing tests the
character makes for healing through rest as long as the character using the Medicine skill spends some time
tending to the injured character. For Physical injuries the character needs to spend at least 30 minutes per day
tending to the injuries of her patient. For Stun it is 10 minutes per hour to gain the bonus dice. Medicine may only
be applied once to each set of wounds, but it may be applied even if First Aid and/or magical healing have
already been used.
Medicine cannot be applied in combat situations.

NAVIGATION (LOGIC)
NAVIGATE: Navigation tests are required when you’re traversing unmarked or highly unfamiliar terrain,
such as someone new to Seattle attempting to navigate the Ork Underground. It’s a Simple Navigation + Intuition
[Mental] Test, with a threshold based on the terrain, taking into account modifiers for environmental factors such
as poor visibility, landmarks, existing trails, advice from locals, and so on.

PERCEPTION (INTUITION)
OBSERVE IN DETAIL: Perception + Intuition [MENTAL]. Net hits determine how much detail you get. This test
is opposed by Stealth skills if someone is deliberately trying to hide from you.
Perception test thresholds and modifiers
ITEM/EVENT IS THRESHOLD EXAMPLES
Obvious/Large/Loud 1 Neon sign, running crowd, yelling, gunfire
Normal 2 Street sign, pedestrian, conversation, silenced gunfire
Obscure/Small/Muffled 3 Item dropped under table, contact lens, whispering
Hidden/Micro/Silent 4 Secret door, needle in haystack, subvocal speech
SITUAITON DICE POOL MODIFIER
Perciever is distracted -2
Perciever is specifically looking/listening for it +3
Object/sound not in immediate vicinity -2
Object/sound far away -3
Object/sound stands out in some way +2
Interfering sight/odor/sound -2
Perciever has active enhancements + (Rating)
 Visibility and Light (Environmental Modifiers)
Environmental Modifiers
VISIBILITY LIGHT/GLARE WIND RANGE MODIFIER
Clear Full Light/No Glare None or Light Breeze Short +0
Light Rain/Fog/Smoke Partial Light/Weak Glare Light Winds Medium -1
Moderate Rain/Fog/Smoke Dim Light/Moderate Glare Moderate Winds Long -3
Heavy Rain/Fog/Smoke Total Darkness/Blinding Glare Strong Winds Extreme -6
Combination of two or more conditions at the -6 level row -10

PERFORMANCE (CHARISMA)
PERFORM: Performance is a Simple Test with a Social limit—the gamemaster can use your hits to gauge
the artistry of your performance. If you’re trying distract a target, or sweep them up in your performance, the
generic modifiers on the Social Modifiers Table apply, and your target(s) use their Charisma + Willpower to
oppose your test.

RUNNING (STRENGTH)
Movement Table
METATYPE WALK RATE RUN RATE SPRINT INCREASE
Dwarf, Troll Agility x 2 Agility x 4 +1m/hit
Elf, Human, Ork Agility x 2 Agility x 4 +2m/hit
RUNNING: Characters who are running take a –2 dice pool modifier to all actions performed while
running (except for Sprinting). Characters charging into melee combat gain a +4 dice pool modifier (making a
net bonus of +2 when combined with the general penalty) when running into melee combat. Characters making
a ranged attack against a running opponent suffer a –2 dice pool penalty. When running, the character takes
fatigue damage every 3 minutes.

SPRINTING: Characters may attempt to increase their running distance by performing a Sprint Action
during their Action Phase. In this action, they make a Running + Strength [Physical] Test. Each hit increases the
distance a character can move in a Combat Turn by either 1 meter (for dwarfs and trolls) or 2 meters (for elves,
humans, and orks). Characters are allowed a maximum number of Sprinting tests equal to half their Running skill
per Combat Turn, minimum of 1. Sprinting characters also suffer fatigue if they sprint for too long.
If you sprint over multiple consecutive Combat Turns or during multiple Action Phases in the same Combat Turn,
you risk taking fatigue damage. For every consecutive Action Phase or Combat Turn in which you use the Sprint
action, you take a cumulative 1S DV of fatigue damage, which means that the second time you take it without
dialing it back you take 2S, then 3S, etc.

FATIGUE DAMAGE: Fatigue damage is Stun damage you incur through doing something strenuous or for
being in the middle of something stressful. It’s caused by harsh environments, hard exertion, and drek like that.
Fatigue damage is resisted with Body + Willpower, not with any armor. Fatigue damage cannot be healed while
the condition causing it still exists.

SNEAKING (AGILITY)
SNEAK: Sneaking + Agility [PHYSICAL] vs Perception + Intuition [MENTAL]. This skill allows you to remain
inconspicuous in various situations.

SURVIVAL (WILLPOWER)
SURVIVE: The Survival skill is used for braving all forms of extreme outdoor conditions—this includes urban
survival, where the threats are as likely to come from other people as they are from the elements. It covers the
ability to find food, water, and temporary shelter in any environment. If you’re exposed to these conditions for 24
hours or more, you’ll need to start making daily Survival + Willpower [Mental] Tests. Modifiers and thresholds for
Survival Tests are provided on the Survival Test Table. If you fail the test, you don’t find the food or shelter you
need and take Stun damage with a Damage Value equal to twice the threshold. The Stun damage cannot be
healed until you get a good night’s sleep without having to make a Survival Test. If your Stun Condition Monitor
overflows and you fall unconscious, you cannot make your Survival Tests, so you just keep taking the damage
(now Physical from overflow) until you’re either rescued or dead.
Survival test table
WILDERNESS TERRAIN THRESHOLD
Mild (Forest, plains, urban) 1
Moderate (foothills, jungle, swamp) 2
Tough (desert, high mountains) 3
Extreme (Arctic, Antarctic) 5+
SITUATION POOL MODIFIER
Camping/survival gear on hand +2
No food or water -2
Heat/climate control available +1
Inappropriate clothing/armor -1 to -4
Extended travel or exertion -1 to -4
Toxic terrain -2 to -4
Character injured -Wound Modifier
WEATHER POOL MODIFIER
Poor +1
Terrible +2
Extreme +4

SWIMMING (STRENGTH)
SWIM: Swimming is a Complex Action. A swimming character can move a number of meters in a
Combat Turn equal to the average of their Agility and Strength. You can take a Simple Action to “sprint” with a
Swimming + Strength [Physical] Test, adding 1 meter per hit, or 2 meters per hit if you’re an elf or a troll. Swimming
on the surface of water or under it does not affect this rate of speed. As with the Running skill, swimmers suffer
from fatigue after an extended time.

HOLDING YOUR BREATH: Sixty seconds (twenty Combat Turns) is the base time a character can hold his
breath before any tests are needed. A character needing to hold his breath longer can make a Swimming +
Willpower Test (with the Controlled Hyperventilation specialization coming into play if you have it). Each net hit
extends the clock by 15 seconds (5 Combat Turns).
Once the time expires the character must breathe or take 1 box of Stun damage at the end of each
Combat Turn until they breathe (this damage cannot be resisted). Once all the stun boxes are filled, the
character loses consciousness. At this point the character takes one box of physical damage at the end of each
Combat Turn until rescued or dead.

TREADING WATER: If you’re just trying to keep afloat, you can tread water. You can tread water for a
number of minutes equal to your Strength rating. At the end of this time, make a Simple Swimming + Strength
[Physical] (2) Test. Success means you can keep treading water (or float, if you’re skilled at Swimming) for the
same amount of time before another test; failure means you slip and take 1 box of Stun damage that you can’t
resist. If you have a flotation device, double the time between tests. You can keep treading water as long as you
can stay conscious.

TRACKING (INTUITION)
TRACK: Tracking a person or critter requires a Tracking + Intuition [Mental] Test with a threshold based on
the terrain (decided by the gamemaster using the Success Test Thresholds table, p. 45). If the target is actively
obscuring their trail, tracking is handled as an Opposed Test. The tracker rolls Tracking + Intuition [Mental] against
the target’s Sneak + Agility [Physical]. Any net successes on a Tracking Test can be used to gain additional
information about the trail, such as the number of people using the trail, type of critters recently using it, and how
old the tracks are. In urban tracking, additional hits can be used to identify local crowd movement patterns,
relevant cameras, and AR clues that reveal where the target was heading and how long ago it passed by.
The gamemaster may choose to apply modifiers for conditions such as weather, age of the tracks, the
amount of people who’ve trampled the trail, and so on. Individuals using a tracking dog or other tracking critter
may use Animal Handling as a Teamwork Test for their animal’s Tracking Test.