| From: | DS01813@******* |
|---|---|
| Subject: | various supplemental rules from Harlequin (FASA). |
| Date: | Wed, 22 Apr 92 13:43:00 CDT |
conducting vigorous physical activity (such as combat) must make a Body
(5) Test to avoid a wracking cough (losing all actions for one turn).
Gear Bio-injector: A wrist-mounted device that inserts a laminated
monofilament injector spike with a sensor-guided tip into a target in
melee (reach 0). Does 4L1 Stun damage. If Dodge dice and armor do not
prevent damage, the target is also injected with a dose of drug. Use
impact Armor at half-value, because the injector spike is so smart,
strong, flexible. and thin. The injector magazine holds four doses of
drugs. Cost: 15,000 .
CYBER RESTRAINTS
Containment Manacles
Cost: $2,500 (restricted)
Designed for the wrists and ankles, these are as heavy wrist or
leg-irons. They use a mechanism designed to clamp down with agonizing
pressure on tendon and bone if razors, spurs, or similar cyber-mods are
extended. Each turn that the cyber-mod is extended, the user must
resist 5S2 Physical damage to the limb. Damage only affects the use of
the limb, not the entire body. The wearer must also resist 4M1 Stun
damage each turn the manacles are clamping down, due to pain.
Headjammer
Cost: $1,200 x Rating
A headset that can be equipped with straps to "lock" onto the victims
head, the Headjammer jams signals from implanted cellular phone or
radio links. It also heterodynes feedback to such implants, causing
(Rating)S1 Stun damage each time the wearer tries to use the implants.
Jackstopper
Cost: $100
This is a dummy plug, formatted to fit into a chipjack or datajack,
that injects the jack with a quick-bonding epoxy resin on insertion. It
takes the attention of a biotech and a dose of resin solvent ($10 in
most stores) to clear the jack.
Magemask
Cost: $200
A simple plastic hood , easily fitted over a prisoners head that blocks
vision, and is equipped with a gag-tube that can be shoved into the
magicians mouth, allowing him to breathe but not speak. The mask is
also equipped with a white-noise generator that can be cranked up to
deliver over 90db to the wearer's ears. This serves as a major
distraction for the victim.
Skilltwitcher
Cost: $2.000 (restricted)
Formatted like a standard skillsoft, a Skilltwitcher inserts a jamming
signal into skillwires, imposing a penalty to all active skill use
(whether it is from a skillsoft or not) equal to the victim's
Skillwire Rating. The jamming lasts only as long as the
skilltwitcher's soft is plugged in, but it can be combined with a
jackstopper.
CHOICE OF TRAVEL
Before the runners go anywhere they have to decide how. Commercial or
private?
COMMERCIAL
In 2050, commercial carriers are just about everywhere, but they won't
necessarily fly everyone. Like neighborhoods, commercial airlines have
Enforcement Ratings (see Sprawl Sites, page 124). Most, if not all, the
larger airlines are considered to have a AAA Rating. This means that if
an item is listed on the Weapon Fines and Punishment Table on page 123
of Sprawl,its forbidden to carry it on the aircraft.
Most airlines have provisions that weaponry can be carried in checked
luggage (no carry-on's, chummers) and stored in the aircraft cargo
holds. These holds are inaccessible during flight.
Keep in mind, however, that they will only store these weapons if 1 )
the weapons are legal in the area from which the flight originates, 2)
the local police are notified on landing, regardless of whether the
weapons are legal at the destination point, or c) the bearer is
licensed to carry said weapons.
If the traveler has an appropriate permit or license, Class E Weapons
(Pistols) can be carried aboard the aircraft. Usually, such permits are
issued only to legitimate security forces recognized in the originating
and destination areas.
It is, however, a little difficult to check cyberware. Class CA
cyberware is normally ignored because it is virtually useless without
the associated weapon. Note is made, however, in the passenger manifest
of the presence of this gear.
The bearers of Class CB cyberware have it a little tougher. In order to
fly on most commercial carriers, they must wear cybersystem restraint
cuffs (CRCs). These are small, padded units that clamp into place on
each wrist. The cuffs do not restrict movement.
What they do, however, is restrict cyberware usage. Each contains a
special set of sensors designed to detect and react to the use or
activation of certain pieces of cyberware. Note that this cyberware
must have previously been detected and the CRC be custom-programmed for
the specific devices. (See Passing Through Security).
Note that airport security systems cannot detect Boosted Reflexes, so
they cannot be calibrated against. More sophisticated tests are
required.
Whenever a character wearing the CRC uses or activates a cybersystem
which has been calibrated against, roll an Activation Test of 6 dice
against a Target of 2. Only 1 success is needed for Activation. Note
that these successes can be neutralized by expending Karma. Just be
prepared to spend a lot to do it.
On the subject of Wired Reflexes and the like, characters who have such
systems may opt to enter combat without engaging them. To do this, they
must make a Willpower Test against the level of the system before
rolling Initiative. Only one success is needed to forestall activation.
This test must be made every combat turn before Initiative is rolled
for that turn. If the CRC activates, its effects will be resolved on
the character's first action, before he can do anything.
The most common CRC device consists of a TASER restraint system.
High-voltage capacitors are built into the CRC and discharge into the
flesh of the wearer when activated. Upon activation of the CRC, the
wearer is subjected to a 4D4 Stun attack from the shock. Normal armor
and Dermal Armor do not help in this case.
Note that each system is only good for three shocks before the
capacitors are expended.
Nastier versions of this device exist, but are used predominantly in
prison or law-enforcement restraint situations Upon activation, a 6D6
shaped-charged micro-exploslon detonates on each wrist (only conduct
one attack). This alone will kill most normal people. Again, these
restraints are used only in the most dire circumstances. Even law
enforcement agencies, no matter how oppressive, wish to avoid the
possibility of accidental detonation. The CRCs can be deactivated if
someone makes a successful Electronics (8) Test with a base time of 1
minute. A microtronics tool kit is required. Failure means an immediate
Activation check should be made.
COMMERCIAL COSTS
Travel costs money, chummer. Check it out below:
AIRFARE COSTS TABLE
Distance COST (COACH) COST (1 st CLASS)
Intrastate 100 200
Interstate, 200 400
same Region
Interstate, 300 600
different Regions
Transcontinental 450 900
Intercontinental 900 2,000
Conventional
Intercontinental 1,600 4,000
Sub-orbital
PRIVATE COST
Private carriers also go just about anywhere and will carry just about
anyone, for a price. Virtually any arrangements can be made with them,
as long as the client has the nuyen to spend. It's a seller's market,
chummer. To find the private carrier, the runner must make a Corporate
Etiquette Test against a Target Number equal to the number of Weapon
Classifications he wants ignored on the flight. To negotiate the price
of the flight, assume the pilot (or whomever) has a Negotiation Skill
equal to the Weapon Classification the passenger wants ignored. The
cost can be adjusted by 5 percent per success. Sub-orbital private
travel is not available, but the other classifications on the table
above are. For a private carrier, however, multiply the cost by the
factors below:
PRIVATE CARRIER FACTORS
Base Cost x3
Ignore Class A-G Weapons and No Charge
CA, CB, and CC Cyberware
Ignore Class H and I Weapons + 1
Ignore Class J Weapons + 1
Ignore Class K Armor + 1
Ignore Class L Ammunition No Charge
Arrival Fees About 100 per
person, per category*
*View this as bribery costs for the local constabulary. Not all airport
securities are corruptible, and so the price may vary, depending on
one's destination airport.
PASSING THROUGH SECURITY
The ultimate test comes when a player character has to pass through
security. Most airports use either the Detekt-it portable wand system
or the Gateway station system. The Detekt-it system is only good
against weaponry; it does not detect cyberware. Gateway works to detect
both.
SYSTEM Rating Rating
(Weapons*) (Cyberware)
Detekt-it, Alpha 1 -
Detekt-it, Beta 2 -
Detekt-it, Delta 3 -
Detekt-it, Gamma 4 -
Gateway I 3 1
Gateway II 4 2
Gateway III 6 3
Gateway IV 8 4
*includes cyberweapons
The Detekt-it wands come in four rating levels: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and
Gamma. In each case, the wand's rating is pitted against the
Concealability of the weapon in question. A Betawand, Rating 2,for
example, would call for a roll of two dice against the weapon's
Concealability. Only 1 success is needed to detect the weapon. The
"Concealability" of cyberware Is factored somewhat differently.
Subtract the Essence Cost from 6, round up, and double. This new result
is the effective Concealability of the cyberware, with one exception:
cyberweapons do not have their result doubled. Additionally, cyberware
that is heavily biotech-based, such as Muscle Replacement, Boosted
Reflexes, and Retinal Duplication, has its result tripled, not doubled.
AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A VIRAL PROGRAM LOOKS LIKE
You watch in fascination as the day-glo green alphanumeric
code scrolls out into the "air" in front of you. The code is
definitely Elven, the syntax like something out of a
textbook. but a monster. Decompiled it mimics a legitimate
cash-out transaction. complete with retinal and cellular
confirmation from a bevy of accredited phantom analysis labs.
The data-flow is too fast for you to follow, a nightmare of
subroutines and nested loops that hit the system from all
sides, overpowering the compensator programming.
Suddenly numbers start scrolling at an unnatural rate, nuyen
being transferred to Ghost knows where from the branch
office's account reservoir, then its cash reserves, then
tapping its credit line before reaching out across the Matrix
to the home office for a little mother's milk...
You stand spellbound, unable to think, watching the program
trying to siphon Dassurn dry.
The red lights are flashing now, as the boys in the home
office finally get around to severing the cybernetic
umbilical connecting them with their money-hungry offspring.
Somebody is extremely rich tonight, but you wouldn't want to
trade places with him for all me money in his bank
account right now.
THE MOUNTAIN ROAD
This seven kilometer drive seems more like 20, due to the frequent
switchbacks. Heavy snow rifts and the winter's rock falls make this
route impassable for most vehicles. On foot, it's a two-day hike to the
castle, and the runners must be constantly alert for aerial patrols by
surveillance drones (every one to six hours). Escaping their notice
requires an Opposed Test of the runners' best Stealth Skill against the
drone's Perception of 3. Adjust the Target Numbers by +2 for poor
visibility.
SKYLIFT
Two tram cars suspended from a stout cable and controlled by the
castle's archaic computer system travel between the mountain fortress
and the valley. The almost-reliable machinery resides in one of the
castle's towers.
The valley tram station, on the outskirts of town, is manned by two
policemen at all times (use the Detective, p. 35, Shadowrun, for all
village cops). There are no controls here. Everything is operated from
the schloss.
Each car seats a dozen people, has a sliding door on either side, and
is connected to the cable by a steel bracket. The two cars are always
at opposite points on the run, that is, if one is at the castle, the
other is in the village.
One way to enter the castle using the skylift is to get control of the
tram through the Matrix (see below), ride it to the top, and hope to
bypass security there.
An interesting variation is to ride on top of the tram, holding onto
the steel bracket. The high wands and extreme cold make this difficult,
calling for separate Body, Strength, and Willpower Tests, each at a
Target Number 5. Those who fail will slide off unless someone saves
them or unless everyone is roped together.
THE CLIFF
There are up to four different faces that can be climbed. To determine
the target number for each face, the gamemaster rolls 1D6 and adds +2
(variable depending on the severity of the cliff) to the result. For
each hour the runners spend scouting the face, the gamemaster rolls
again. If he rolls a number lower than the target, the characters have
found an easier path.
To climb each face requires an Athletics Test every 100 meters or part
there of. A person can climb 100 meters per hour. If the test fails, he
has a climbing accident Roll 1D6 and consult the table below.
Die Roll Result
1-2 Climbmber is delayed; add one hour to his time and
have him try the Athletics test again.
3-4 Climber potentially suffers minor injury (3M1), but
may try a Body Resistance Test to reduce the damage.
5 Climber potentially suffers major injury (4S2), but
may try a Resistance Test.
6 Climber falls to his death unless he succeeds at an
Athletics (5) Test. (OK, so maybe near death. It's the
Gamemaster's decision.)
Once the first character has reached the top and set a rope, other
characters can follow with only an Athletics (4) Test and one-quarter
the length of time for climbing. Weaklings can be trussed up and hauled
to the top from above, this takes a sixth of the time and tires those
doing the lifting. One box of Mental Fatigue for every 10 minutes.
PERIMETER SECURITY DEFENSE
The shadowrunners will have the element of surprise working for them as
long as no external alert or security alarm is triggered. If any
character moves into the path of a security camera, the gamemaster
makes a 3-dice Perception (5) Test to see if the character is spotted.
The gamemaster should roll the dice even when the characters are
snooping around outside, just in case they look up and notice the
camera. The camera successes can be offset by the use of successes from
a Stealth(5) Test by the character.
Touching a three-meter-high electrified fence without shleldlng results
In a character suffering a 5M4 electric shock.
SEARCHING FILES
A system can contain hundreds of files. They are grouped into nine
categories. Though almost any file might be worth a few hundred or
thousand nuyen on the street to the right people only a couple deserve
special consideration. The file types are:
1. Music
2. Simsense
3. Dynabooks
4. Graphic Publications
5. Administrative
6. Personnel
7. Artists
8. Restricted
9. Miscellaneous
In order to notice an obscure fact about the contents of a file will
require an investigating character to make a successful Perception (10)
Test. For instance to notice that all surveillance and monitoring stops
at the point where a medical report indicates a serious illness or when
the subject(s) in question reach their late thirties or early forties.
If a data block has been deleted it will be obvious upon a full search
of the data. If the decker (or another programmer) makes a successful
Computer (12) Test, he can learn a level of information equivalent to
the number of successes.
A VIRAL PROGRAM
A viral program is a sophisticated piece of work. If a decker (or
anyone else) attempts to analyze it, he will find that in its current
state, it may or may not be compressed. It is actually just a
smart-frame.
A successful Computer (or appropriate Special Skill or
Concentration/Specialization) Test with a target number equal to the
target number of the frame will reveal the purpose of the program.
Note also that to plant the viral program, it is only necessary to
perform a system function within a node, and release the program's
icon.
FLYING IN A SUB-ORBITAL
There are four seats in each row, separated by a narrow aisle. Each
chair is an individual light acceleration couch. The strapping-in
procedure involves so many webs and buckles that even you are slightly
intimidated. A tray arm is built Into the seat, and includes a video
display and an input jack.
At last, the hatches are closed and the shuttle is ready for takeoff.
The air stewards demonstrate the use of the emergency evac suits and
the re-entry cushions, then the pilot welcomes you onboard.The No
Smoking/chipping and Fasten seat belts signs light up. Liftoff is much
the same as for conventional jet flights, though it takes the craft a
much longer roll to go airborne. The cabin remains at a noticeable
incline throughout the early stages of flight, as the jet engines labor
to propel the plane into ever higher regions of the atmosphere. The
chair's terminal relieves some of the tedium of the flight, allowing
you to tie in directly (through satellite) with entertainment and news
broadcasts.
In time, the intercom bell rings. The Capitan anounces that "We are
about to be begin the final climb to suborbital altitude. Please fasten
your seat belts and extinguish all smoking materials. Air stewards,
take your positions".
Shortly afterward, a tremor shakes the shuttle as the boosters engage,
lifting the vehicle toward space. Through the small portholes, you see
the sky dim from pale blue to midnight black and stars become visible
against the ebony background. A layer of fleecy clouds dropping snow
over northern Canada hides the earth's surface from view.
At last, the boosters cut off, and the shuttle coasts toward apogee.
With the thrust gone, the apparent gravity also fades. One of the
passengers can be counted on to cry out sharply in distress and bolt
for the rest room. Other passengers may look a little pale, and then
pull something from a pocket or such and swallow it.
Be sure to enforce all the usual airport security procedures and
restrictions (see Getting There by Air, p. 144), especially the
anti-augmentation restraints. Because of the dangers of hijacking a
plane and the cost incurred, many airlines use remote-activation
shaped-charge bracelets, and shows passengers a graphic video of what
might happen to those who break its rules.
Body Tests are required at two points during the initial flight:
shortly after takeoff, Target Number 3, and after the boosters cut off,
Target Number 4. If a character scores no successes, he or she becomes
nauseated, suffering a -1 penalty to all target numbers until back on
the ground (if nauseated after takeoff) or back to near-normal gravity
(if nauseated in zerogee).
ABOUT ZERO GRAVlTY
There are two ways to move around the cabin at apogee: flying and
crawling.
Crawling is the easiest and entails pulling oneself along using any
available handholds be they seat backs luggage compartment handles
other passengers and so on. A character can move a number of meters
equal to half his Quickness. At the end of each turn of crawling the
character must make a Quickness (4) Test. If he scores no successes he
loses his grip and starts to fly in a random direction.
Flying is what a character does when he launches himself from Point A
toward Point B without benefit of intervening handholds. The number of
meters traveled per turn equals the runner's Strength. A Quickness (6)
Test is required to launch properly; if the character scores no
successes he flies off in a random direction. While flying a runner
cannot change his direction of travel (unless he can grab something)
but can change his facing with a successful Quickness (7) Test. To land
properly (i.e. feet first) a character must pass a Quickness (5) Test;
a bad landing results in a 2M1 wound.
Fighting in zerogee is also difficult. Apply a +2 penalty to all Target
Numbers for thrown-weapon and missile attacks. Characters attacking or
hit in melee combat must make a Quickness (7) Test at the end of the
turn. If they score no successes the characters fly away in a random
direction.
COMBAT MODIFIERS IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS
*Trees and shrubs provide no hard cover for cowering individuals. They
do provide soft cover in the form of target number modifiers to an
attacker's test to hit something behind the cover.
*Firing through a catwalk counts as Full Cover (+4 to the attack target
number); firing through the flooring (Barrier Rating 8) counts as Blind
Fire (+8 to the target number).
*Anyone firing upward will also have to worry about hitting possible
skylights in the roof. If a shot misses and the firing angle is such
that the gamemaster feels the skylight would be hit,an attack against
the skylight glass (Barrier Rating 2) is made. Glass taking more
"boxes" of damage than its Barrier Rating shatters,raining down slivers
and fragments on those unfortunate enough to be standing below.(The
victim must make a Quickness (3) Test to get out of the way; those who
fail make a Damage Resistance Test against 3M3 damage; Impact Armor
assists. Glass shards cover the ground in a two-meter radius directly
below the former pane. Henceforth, the area is considered Difficult
Ground (see Shadowrun, p. 65) and "attacks" anyone moving through it
(victim makes a Quickness (4) Test to avoid stepping on glass; those
who fail make a Damage Resistance Test against 3LI damage). If the
gamemaster is feeling particularly vicious, a -2 meter movement penalty
might also be applied to any character suffering a wound after moving
through a glass littered area.
INTERROGATIONS
Using drugs, biofeedback probes, and mostly good old fashioned pain,
Attributes/Skills Use the Sheet doc, p. 171, Shadowrun. Change
Biological Sciences Skill to Unarmed Combat (Specialization:
Bio-injector) 8. Change Negotiation to Interrogation (Specialization:
Torture) 6.
Any magicians on the team are given a prison dung that makes it almost
impossible for them to concentrate: + 10 to all mental and magical
tests until given the antidote! Even the act of astral projection takes
five to ten minutes to attempt, and requires an Unopposed Willpower
Test with a Target Number 10. The stuff wears off in 24 hours.
An obvious monitor camera watches the characters from one corner of the
room. An armed guard stands in the corridor, about five meters from the
cell door. He ignores all attempts to speak to him.
The wheelchair is equipped with restraints that snap into place when
the chair's sensors detect a passenger. Locking the prisoner down are a
restraint on each arm- and leg-rest and a chest strap. The chair can
also be locked in place to prevent it from rolling and can switch from
an upright to a reclining position. All the chair controls for the
restraints, wheel locks, and position change are mounted in back, away
from the passenger's easy reach.
To break out of the chair requires Success Tests for Strength,
Quickness, or an appropriate escape-artist skill. The Target Number is
20 minus the attribute or skill. Each success releases the prisoner
from a single restraint. The chest strap remains till last. Each
attempt at escape takes one minute. If a prisoner is discovered trying
to get out of the chair, he will be beaten unconscious. When he comes
to, he'll be in the clinic, and matters proceed as described in the
next section.
Agonadine-delta: Damage: 4D2 Speed: 1 combat turn
As soon as the dose is injected, the drug causes nerve pain, adding +4
to the victim's target numbers. At the end of the turn when the poison
was injected, the target must attempt to resist the poison. If it
inflicts a Deadly result, the pain increases to extreme levels. The
victim falls, screaming uncontrollably, and dies in a few minutes if
not treated successfully. If the poison does less than Deadly damage,
the pain diminishes to dull irritation.
HELD AT GUNPOINT
Regardless of Reaction times, if the person being held at gunpoint
starts trouble, the gunmen will all get an action to fire even before
initiative is checked.
OPENING SAFES
The best mechanical locks that money can buy. A shaped thermite charge
would work. Or someone with an appropriate Special Skill could do it
with three or more successes against a Target Number 5.
OUT of THE FRYING PAN
At this point, the referee should let the players believe that they are
home free. As they begin congratulating themselves, he can spring the
next surprise upon them.
While the shadowrunners have been busy invading the plantation, the
Jivaro shaman has been busy conjuring a Force 3 Storm Spirit. While the
runners are making their escape, the shaman sends the Storm Spirit to
intercept their aircraft and prevent their escape.
The first indication that the runners have of the Spirit's presence is
when the sky around their aircraft turns unnaturally dark. Immediately
thereafter, the craft begins to rock and buck in turbulent winds, and
it is a struggle for the autopilot to keep the ship aloft. When the
player characters check the windows, they discover that thick clouds
obscure vision beyond a few meters, even blocking any view of the
ground.
Then there is a blinding flash of lightning- a manifestation of the
Spirit's Electrical Projection power followed by a deafening clap of
thunder. Inside the craft, the runners are Insulated
from electrical shock, but to their horror, all the instruments go
dead, including the autopilot. This leaves the characters in serious
trouble. With the autopilot dead, someone will have to take the
controls. Yet, the Instruments are out so they will be flying blind in
every sense of the word. This is a manifestation of the Spirit's
Confusion power. A magician will recognize the nature of the Storm
Spirit immediately. He can attempt to banish the Spirit, but during
that battle, the aircraft remains engulfed in clouds and the
instruments remain inoperative. Unless the Storm Spirit is busy
resisting a magician's banishing attempt, it next begins to turn its
power of projecting Fear onto Its victims The gamemaster secretly makes
an Opposed Willpower Test against the Spirit's Force Rating for each
player character. The net number of successes for the Split should set
the amount of fear imposed. If the pilot has not succumbed to Fear, the
referee should make a secret roll versus that character's Piloting
Skill, but regardless of the result, the gamemaster should just shake
his head and wince. Weapons can be used against the Spirit, but they
should follow the rules for such combat given on p. 75, The Grimoire:
2050, the sourcebook of magic in the Shadowrun game system. Remember
also that the chopper is a manufactured, technological item and so has
a Resistance Rating of 7,as per the table and rules on p. 81,
Shadowrun. It will be tough, but the runners should be able to defeat
the Spirit, especially if a magician is present. When they do, the
autopilot can miraculously begin working again if the characters are
really in hot water when it comes to controlling the aircraft. Or,
perhaps, someone can make an Electronics B/R Test.
TELL IT TO THEM STRAIGHT
Read the to the guy In the chair Other prisoners can listen Any players
whose characters were not captured by Ariel should not hear this
All smiles, a chubby little guy bustles In, looking like a beardless
Santa Claus. Hello! What is my name." It's a statement, not a question,
and he laughs with innocent delight at your double-take. He ties on a
vinyl lab apron and wheels some gear up next to your chair. "How are we
feeling today, hmmm?" He starts hooking you up to some cable leads. You
know, the funniest thing happened on the way here. . ." He rambles
along with a pointless little monologue for a few minutes, all the
while clipping electrodes to various points on your body.
1 think we re ready now," he beams. He flips a switch, turns some
dials. Pain
"Oh, that looks like It tingled. How about this one. More dial-turning.
A lancet of white-hot agony pierces your left eye, then settles as a
burning throb in your jaw.
"Most people hate toothache worse than anything," your tormentor
confides with a giggle. I find that when you hit Just the right nerves,
they really don t like It." He picks up a slender gizmo from the table
and connects it to a wire
You force the words out through clenched jaws. "Whatever you want to
know, chummer, forget it."
The twinkling blue eyes widen in mock surprise Oh, mercy me, right now,
I don t want to know anything. Maybe later we'll find a few things to
talk about." He finishes his adjustments to the device he's holding and
leans close, whispering like someone sharing an amusing secret. "Now
here's something I know you'll find interesting." His hand moves and
something buzzes, but the sound is drowned out by your screams.
Back in the cell, the rest of the team sees the lights flickering.
After a time, they too, will find out what that means.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Once an hour, Bonecrack and the guards show up, pick a new shadowrunner
at random, clamp him in the chair, and wheel him into the Infirmary,
where Doctor What does his little act. After about 15 to 30 minutes,
the victim is returned to the cell, unconscious, having taken a full
dose of Mental damage (all 10 boxes filled in on the Mental Condition
Monitor).
Besides Doctor What, all sessions are attended by _Lancelot Windtree
and two mercenaries. Bonecrack is only present when transferring the
prisoner between the Infirmary and the cell.
Lancelot assenses the subjects, informing Doctor What of how truthful
their answers seem to be and how they are resisting the pain. When
magicians are in the chair, he makes sure they don t go astral
undetected.
Lancelot enjoys his duties. The victims wall hear his coolly elegant
voice sneering at their agony. The strong ones he mocks for resisting
pointlessly. Those who break he mocks for their weakness. Non-Elves are
informed that their obvious racial inferiority explains their behavior,
while Elves are castigated for making such a poor showing In adversity.
After going through the mill, each prisoner is left In the cell for six
hours. Then the torture stars again, but now Doctor What wants
information He's been ordered not to kill the victims, which limits the
use of his beloved knives, but he is content with nerve stimulators,
electrical probes, and other such devices.
Doctor What asks about earlier runs made as part of harlequin He wants
information about the Mr. Johnson(s), any information the characters
discovered about their employer, amounts paid, and so on. He also wants
to know what actually took place on each run. While the actual progress
of the Interrogation is handled via dice rolls (see below), the players
should be familiar with the subjects about which their characters are
being questioned. They learn that this run is linked to those previous
Jobs, and that those jobs are, apparently, linked to one another.
In each session, make the Doctor's Interrogation Tests. His target
number is the shadowrunners Willpower or Body, whichever is higher.
Keep track of his successes. When Doctor What has totaled up ten
successes against a shadowrunner, he is satisfied that he knows
everything of Interest that the character can tell him. Each time
Doctor What makes one of these tests, the victim in the chair must
resist 6D3 Stun damage. Obviously, he cannot dodge or defend against
this damage. If he is still conscious, the Doctor can make another
test. And so it goes, until the Doctor gets his ten successes or until
the victim passes out. Each test takes ten minutes
When a prisoner passes out, he Is returned to the cell, and another
victim is chosen. Prisoners who have provided their ten successes worth
of info do not undergo more sessions After ail the prisoners have gone
through a round of Interrogation, mere Is a two- to three-hour break,
and the cycle starts again.
Magicians are firmly strapped down for their interrogations, given an
antidote to the prison drug, and then blindfolded. They are given a
fresh injection of the prison drug when the session ends. The magician
will see that the antidote Is in an injector color-coded blue, and the
drug Is In one coded green.
If a magician uses astral projection to escape the pain, _Lancelot
attacks him astrally. If the magician tries to flee the area, _Lancelot
warns him to return to his body or they will kill It. If the magician
ignores the warning, _Lancelot returns to his own body. Instead of
killing the magician, however, Doctor What will render him unconscious
(which snaps the astral body back Into the physical body). The magician
is injected with the poison drug again and returned to the cell .
Future interrogations will be done without neutralizing the drug.
