gamemaster the ability to determine how common substance

abuse is in his own game, including whether or

not it’s a part of the game they’re comfortable including.
ADDICTION TESTS
When you starts using drugs (or chips, or foci, or hot-sim,
or anything else in this spirits-forsaken world that’s addictive),
you might need to make an Addiction Test when
you do too much of it. Each substance that can hook you
has an Addiction rating and an Addiction Threshold, listed
on the Addiction Table (at right).
Addiction can be physiological, psychological, or
both. Psychological dependence usually stems from the
emotional gratification, euphoria, and escapism derived
from use of a drug. Physiological addiction results from
the body’s dependence on the substance for its continued
“survival.” Some drugs can confer both types of addiction,
making them among the most difficult to kick.
Every time you use an addictive substance during (11
— Addiction Rating) weeks in a row, you need to make an
Addiction Test. The clock on this keeps ticking even if you
skip a week, but every week you go without indulging
reduces the Addiction Threshold by 1 (it returns to normal
when you use again). If the threshold hits 0, you’re off the
hook until you use the substance again. This means that
substances with high Addiction ratings (like kamikaze)
could get you hooked in a single dose.
When it’s time for an Addiction Test, check to see if
the addiction type is psychological, physiological, or
both—that will tell you what you’ll be adding to your dice
pool for the test. If it’s psychological, use Logic + Willpower;
if it’s physiological use Body + Willpower. If it’s
both, you need to make two tests: one psychological and
one physiological. The threshold for the test is given on
the Addiction Table (at right). If you’re using more than
one addictive substance, you need to make tests for each
of them every time an Addiction Test comes up.
If you fail the Addiction Test, you gain the Addiction
quality for the substance you’ve been using (without
picking up any bonus Karma for it). If you already have the
Addiction quality for the substance, it gets more severe
by one step (Mild to Moderate to Severe to Burnout). If
you’re already at Burnout … well, it’s not good.
If you fail an Addiction Test when you’re already burnt
out, your Body or Willpower—whichever is higher—is permanently
reduced by 1, along with your maximum Rating
for that attribute. If they’re tied, reduce Body for a physiological
addiction or Willpower for a psychological addiction
(if it’s both, flip a coin). If either attribute drops to 0,
you fall into a coma. Fill your Stun and Physical Condition
Monitors and then start taking one box of overflow damage
(Exceeding the Condition Monitor, p. 170).
ROLE-PLAYING ADDICTION
Everyone handles addiction differently. In game terms,
this is based on their Addiction level (p. 77).
Mild addiction indicates more social use of the drug.
They’ll feel a craving “every now and then” and don’t see
any kind of problem with indulging their habit. There’s
no reason not to, as they see it. Most don’t realize that
they have a problem, even when they notice problems
with their attempts to cut back on their use. Mild addictions
are as close to manageable as addictions get.
Moderate addiction indicates that the character
has developed a tolerance for his drug of choice, and
displays stronger cravings. They begin to use more frequently,
up their dosages, or move on to something
harder. Others have begun to notice the problem, in
spite of attempts to conceal it. Repercussions from his
habit begin to increase; these generally include mood
swings, a drop in reliability, and the beginnings of financial
problems as he begins spending more on his habit.
Severe addictions are typical of stereotypical junkies.
Their lives are out of control, they’re constantly strung
out and need their fix, and every shred of income 8 3 4 7 3 3 5 3 4 6 4
Initiative 9 + 1D6
Movement x2/x4/+2
Condition Monitor 12/10
Limits Physical 9, Mental 5, Social 5
Armor 0
Skills Assensing 6, Animal Calls (Professional
Knowledge) 8, Artisan 6, Athletics skill group 3,
Perception 6, Sneaking 8
Powers Dual Natured, Mimicry, Sapience
Notes Sasquatches have +1 Reach. Some sasquatches
may have the Adept, Magician, or Mystic Adept
qualities.
VAMPIRE
Human victims of HMHVV, vampires prey on other
metahumans, drinking their blood and sucking out
their Essence in order to survive. Unlike many of the
Infected, vampires can usually restrain their hungers if
they choose to do so. Some try to be “civilized;” they
refuse to drain either blood or Essence from an unwilling
victim. Others thrive on the hunt, reveling in the
role of monster.
Vampires must consume metahuman blood in order
to survive, in addition to the Essence they consume
from their victims. In fact, they can’t consume anything
but blood; they become physically sick within an hour if
they consume anything else, and the less said about their
reaction to alcohol, the better (treat as Nausea, p. 409).
The majority of vampires are magically active; the
transformation often unlocks hidden magical potential.
These vampires can learn magic just like humans. Some
of the more outlandish tales of vampiric powers, such as
the ability to change into animals or control the minds of
their victims, might have been the result of an extremely
rare vampire sorcerer in the Fifth World.
Natural Habitat/Range: Worldwide, wherever there
are human populations to feed on.
B A R S W L I C E ESS M
4 3 5 4 4 3 4 5 3 2D6 *
Initiative 9 + 2D6
Movement x3/x5/+3
Condition Monitor 10/10
Limits Physical 6, Mental 5, Social 5-9 (depending on
Essence)
Armor 0
Skills Perception 5, Running 4, Sneaking 6,, Unarmed
Combat 5
Powers Dual Natured, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Smell,
Thermographic Vision), Essence Drain, Immunity
(Age, Pathogens, Toxins), Infection, Mist Form,
Natural Weapon (Bite: DV (STR+1)P, AP –1, –1
Reach), Regeneration, Sapience
Weaknesses Allergy (Sunlight, Severe), Allergy (Wood,
Severe), Dietary Requirement (Metahuman
Blood), Essence Loss, Induced Dormancy (Lack
of Air, (Essence) Minutes)
Notes Some vampires may have the Adept,
Magician, or Mystic Adept qualities. They
always have a Magic rating, whether they are
magically active or not; their starting Magic is
equal to 6 or their Essence, whichever is lower.
Vampires can consume only blood, and they
suffer Nausea (p. 409) within an hour when they
consume anything else.
Vampires have less buoyancy than humans
and receive a –4 dice pool modifier to all
swimming-related tests.
Damage taken due to their Allergy to Sunlight
cannot be healed with Regeneration, even after
they are no longer being exposed. Normal and
magical healing still work.
DRACOFORMS
Dracoforms is a fancy word for dragons—enormous,
magical reptilian creatures straight out of the myths
and legends of humankind. They are intelligent, devious,
and virtually immortal, which affords them the
opportunity to make elaborate plans with multiple contingency
options and to take the (very) long view on
just about any subject. Most dragons are solitary creatures
who avoid unnecessary contact with the “younger
races,” as they call them. Many dragons, though,
have been taking more public roles in the Sixth World
in recent years. This may or may not work out well for
metahumanity.
What we know about dragons is limited but has grown
substantially over the years. Those things that we do know
come mostly from interviews conducted by the greatns (usually with a 180-degree
firing arc) or on slide-mounted track systems.
These systems are typically loaded with basic sensors
and Targeting autosofts and follow all the standard
rules for drones (see p. 269).
Containment systems entail a kind of trap mechanism:
when an alarm is triggered, shutters drop down
over windows, doors shut and lock, and sliding walls or
gates may be activated. They may also include laser or
monowire mazes and radio jamming. The objective is
to detain intruders within a confined area, after which
they may be either removed or “neutralized.”
Gas delivery systems can be insidious, dispersing
gas in a potentially undetectable manner. Dispersal systems
can fill an area of 30 cubic meters in one Combat
Turn. The gamemaster determines how far and how
quickly a gas spreads. The gamemaster may secretly
conduct Perception Tests to see if any characters detect
the gas, basing the threshold on how noticeable the gas
is (many gases are colorless and odorless). Characters
equipped with an olfactory scanner (see p. 452) may be
alerted by their gear. See p. 408 for details on various
gases and how they will affect characters.
Marking systems are designed to tag intruders with
a discreet mark so that they can be identified later if captured.
Marking methods include ultraviolet dye, RFID
tags, DNA-encoded material, or even nanite tags. The
markers are typically sprayed unobtrusively over exits
and other traffic areas.
IDENTIFICATION
Your average Joe Wageslave in the Sixth World doesn’t
give a second thought to their identity in the system.
They get up in the morning, go to work, buy the groceries,
pay the bills, and go to bed in their living space.
They don’t think about who knows who they are, how
much their employer controls them, who those bill payments
are going to, how their commlink knows what
groceries they need this week, and who knows where
they live. Yes, Joe Wageslave is pretty oblivious to the
system that surrounds everything they do. But anyone
who chooses to live off the grid (like shadowrunners)
are all too aware of how the system of identity works.
SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION
NUMBER (SIN)
The foundation of an identity in the Sixth World is the
System Identification Number (SIN). If someone wanted
to divide the world into two groups of people, it could
be done by saying there are those who have a SIN and
those who don’t. That is, if you even consider the SINless
to be “people,” which some don’t. Modern society
in 2075 produces a staggering amount of information
every second of every day: where you are, what you
buy, and what you do. With the system producing all of
these pieces of information, there needs to be an easy
way to store, track, and correlate it. All of that information
needs to be associated with a person somehow lty for not being able
to pay attention to ranged attacks when he’s in a melee
fight, but the attacker doesn’t take a penalty for the
increased difficulty of shooting into a mass of bodies.
Doesn’t seem fair, right? So here’s where we even the
playing field a little. If the defender gets more successes
on the Opposed Test for the gun shot, the attacker’s
allies in melee need to make Defense Tests with all the
same penalties, including the Defender in Melee penalty,
against the attacker’s initial hits. If everybody avoids
the shot, yay for everybody. If somebody catches the
projectile, move on to damage resistance and see how
pissed she’ll need to be with her buddy.
of outright killing them. If this is the case the attacker
can choose to call a shot to split damage between the
damage tracks. Shots like this represent things like intentionally
shooting the trauma plate on an armor jacket
or shooting for the thicker padding on armor clothing.
To make a Split Damage attack, the target has to be
wearing armor and the attacker’s AP needs to be less than
that armor. So you cannot use this attack when shooting
APDS at someone in armor clothing—in that situation,
you just can’t keep the bullet from drawing blood. If the
attack is successful the damage is split between the two
condition monitors; if the damage was an odd number,
make the Stun Damage the higher value. If the modified
total Damage Value of the attack is less than the modified
Armor Value of the defense, the attack ends up doing
only half damage, all of it applied to Stun.
Trick Shot: Sometimes you just need a good trick
shot to make someone rethink their current life path.
Shooting a nic-stick out of someone mouth, tacking an
opponent’s sleeve to a wall with a knife, or slicing that
playing card in half in midair are all good examples that
might help to get the point across that you are not one
with whom to trifle.
The attacker gains a bonus on Intimidation rolls after
this shot. Making an attack like this usually requires
some kind of set up, so it can’t happen in the middle of
combat. No one is paying that much attention to whether
you shot their hat off intentionally or just missed their
braincage. These attacks suffer the standard –4 dice
pool modifier and any other situational modifiers. Note
the number of hits scored on the test. Those hits act as
a positive dice pool modifier for an Intimidation Test
made by the attacker or a known ally of the attacker after
the shot is made.
giving him 12 dice. He splits the pool, attacking with
6 dice on each bouncer, and he also gains the Rule
of Six and can ignore his Physical limit for the attack.
This might not be the best plan, but in Wombat’s current
imperfect mental state, it’s golden.
>> COMBAT <<

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