From: flashlife@kpc.com
Reply-To: flashlife@kpc.com
Errors-To: flashlife-request@kpc.com
Subject: Flashlife   V3 #7
To: flashlife@kpc.com

From: Carl Rigney (moderator) <flashlife-request@kpc.com>


Flashlife  Sat, 13 Jun, 1992   Volume 3 : Issue 7

Today's topics:

  Organic Ware		 			(Andrew Pearlman)
  Re:  Organic Ware				(Carl Rigney)
  Homicide Convictions and Black IC Load	(Joonas)
  Character Generation				(Matthew Zeher)

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Date: Sun, 31 May 92 23:41:22 EDT
From: Andrew Pearlman <apearlma@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Organic Ware

Something I've been looking at recently is what I call Organic Ware.
Simply put, it involves taking your own cell material, replicating a
clone of it, then putting it through the most intensive training
possible.  i.e. get someone with a 3 body, 3 quickness, and 2 Strength,
and improve them to an olympic athlete level with surgery.  This of
course would require a vatjob surgery, but would not be cyberware.

So, here is what it is capable of:

It may only improve a stat to 5.  Karma may not be spent on buying up
*any* physical stats after getting organic ware.  1 Drastic Invasive is
incurred for each +3 stats.  Magic may not be used to speed healing.
The surgery may be simultaneous.  Cost is 150,000 per +1 stat.  Essence
cost is .1/+1 stat(minor adjustments, new nerve connections, brain
produces wrong chemical balances, etc...)

Note on karma:  Any karma spent on physical stats is wasted and human
max goes down to 5 in the physical attributes.  i.e. if you had a 6, it
drops to 5.  If you had raised strength from 2 to 3, then get organic
ware to take it to 5, it would cost 450,000.

Finally, if an organ is destroyed that is not on the head(eyes, ears,
etc...) it costs double to replace it.

<<<<Interesting stuff.  Get some built-in skillwires, boosted reflexes,
and this junk, and you have instant wetwork personnel for surprise
value.  Get that corpsec up to near-max perfection, deadeye with a
pistol, fast as lightning, all for a cool million.  I wouldn't try it
myself, though.>>>>


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Date: Sun, 31 May 92 21:02:57 -0700
From: cdr@kpc.com (Carl Rigney)
Subject: Re:  Organic Ware

Interesting concept, but if you've got sufficient control of genetic
structure to succeed in cloning, I'd suspect you'd be able to turn on
the appropriate muscle growth stimulants in the person - like steroids
without the workouts.  Seems to me that'd be far, far easier than doing
full-body muscle transplants.  You'd also have to transplant heart &
lungs to keep up with the muscles.

It might make an interesting scenario if one of these olympic
sacrificial goats escaped, though...


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Date: Tue, 2 Jun 92 10:57:18 EET DST
From: joonas@jytko.jyu.fi (Joonas)
Subject: Homicide Convictions and Black IC Load

a) What are the usual convictions for homicide in Seattle?

b) What is the load rating for Black IC?

	[Please send answers directly to user, who can summarize to the
	List.  --CDR]



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Date: Mon, 8 Jun 92 19:32:54 EDT
From: Matthew Zeher <zeher@cs.odu.edu>
Subject: Character Generation

	[Please take a moment to run submissions through a spelling
	 checker; also please format it in block paragraphs each
	 separated by a line, so I don't have to reformat.  Thanks.  --CDR]

Ok inlue of the fact that the shadowrun character generation system has
a few MINOR problems. I have come up with an alternate system that is
easily expandable and scaleable.

My reason for doing this is was at first to make additions to the
system that would allow for characters to take disadvantages. For those
of you who have played gurps you know what this means for the others
I'll explain, gurps allows you to create a character with disadvantages
that show up in some way during play, whether it be just plain bad luck
or a really persistant enimy from your past. It has been my experience
that these disadvantages added to the personality traits of the
characters involved in the game and thereby madethe game much more
enjoyable. They make ROLE playing much easier on the characters. Anyway
the disadvantages are sold sort of, meaning that you get more points
the more disadvantages you take. More points mean a more powerful
character, its a give and take setup.

To add the disadvantages to the game I needed a way to convert the
Shadowrun(tm) character generation system into a point based system.
While doing so it occured to me that I could FIX a lot of the other
problems with character generation system at the same time, as well as
add some new things too. It didn't take to long to flesh out the
details into something that seems rather playable. I have tested this
system somewhat but have decided to submit to the people who read
flashlite in order to correct any problems that might result in game
unbalance (this seems to be the major problem when adding things to SR
or any other game for that matter!). Although this system does add yet
another teir of complexity to a game that is complex enough already, it
really only comes into play in the character creation. After that it
really adds no further forms of complexity. The disadvantage part is
optional as well as is most of the other stuff, basically its up to the
GM to decide what he/she wants in his/her game.

Enough with how and whys. Converting to a point based system for
character generation allows the GM to SCALE to power of starting of
players in SR. I have decided on a rather mediocure value of 350 pts to
start. This seems to be an average Shadowrunner in par with original
rules. Shadowrunners created with 350 pts come out about the same as
most of the achetypes listed.  Maybe a little weaker. If you want
stronger starting characters just increase the number of points the
characters can have, if you want weaker decrease the value. That
simple.

Now what do these points mean? Well the points can by certain things
that characters need. For example 5 of these points buys the character
1 point of attribute that he/she may distribute among his/her
character's attributes. It's very simple. The following is a table that
shows each thing the charcter can *BUY* with the effective cost in
points (the same points discussed above from now on for sanitys sake we
will refer to them as character points):

CHARACTER PART		 CHARCTER POINT COST
1 point of attribute		5
1 point of skill 		4
1 spell point 			3
3500 NY(new yen)		1
Metihuman Status		50
Adept status			75
Full Magician status		120

I have also put maximums on the number of attribute points, skill
points, spell points and new yen a starting character may have. The
following is a table listing the point type and its maximum.

POINT TYPE	 MAXIMUM STARTING NUMBER
attribute points	 30
skill points		 50
spell points		 65
New Yen			 1000000	300000*	

* - the value of new yen depends on class if the character has some sort of
magical aptitude adept or otherwise then the value is 300000 else it is the
value listed first.

The following are a list of other things character points may buy. (Contacts
are not listed. The rules for contacts is as it was with the original rules
the charcters spend NY not character points for contacts.):

- 25 pts - the player may increase one attribute's racial maximum by one point.

For example a starting human who spends 25 pts here can increase lets
say there body by one, giving them an effective racial maximum body of 7.
- 25 pts - the player may increase the starting maximum (6 normally ) skill 
level for a particular skill by one point. This is for the base skill, 
concentrations and specializations are increased with this logically.

For example starting player may when he pays 25 pts obtain lets say a
ranged weapon skill of 7 (instead of the maximum of six). If they have
a sepcialization in lets say vindicator miniguns, then the
specializaition could be a total of 9!!! (course ranged weapons would
drop to 6).
- 10 pts - the player may increase a particular point types maximum by
1 point allowing him/her greater than the maximum number of points to
start with. New Yen maximum is increased by 35000.
- 10 pts - the player may bond any magiacal items they have purchased.
But just one item per 10 pts spent.

Thats it thats the system, not very complex I think. Although it should
theoretically eliminate the problem with metihumans (well at least in
my campaign no one wants to start as metihuman ). As well as the
problem of magicains starting off with to much new yen.

Please send questions, comments, general concerns to: zeher@cs.odu.edu



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End of Flashlife
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