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Message no. 1
From: Jason Ustica <usticaj@****.COM>
Subject: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 1995 20:46:51 -0700
On Wed, 26 Jul 1995, Eve Forward wrote:

[some informative stuff on taming wild animals, which is deleted]

I've always thought about making a bad guy nemisis who had a hell hound
or some other 'awakened' animal as a protector/pet. What would paranormal
animals have for instincts? Would they have the same instincts as their
ancestors from the fourth world? Since the paranormal animals have been
around for so little of time, would it be easier to 'domesticate' a hell
hound than say, a wolf?

Also, what about cybered animals? I think I saw something about this in
the Corp. Sec. book, but I didn't read to much into it. I imagine a
normally controllable domestic dog would be impossible to control once
cyber mods were introduced, especially if the senses were replaced. I
just made a NPC Johnson who has a pair of cybered German Shepards, so
I've been thinking about this lately. When I made her dogs, I assumed
essence of 6 and went from there. They're both pretty hard core, they'd
give an average sammie a run for his money. If anyone wants me to post
the cyber-doggy stats, just tell me and I'll type them in. I also gave
the Johnson a new skill ( Animal Handling (Cyber)) to represent the
difficulty in controlling them.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Jason Ustica | usticaj@****.com | Lancaster, CA
-----------------------------------------------------------
*Sorry, no geek code, no stupid quotes, no lame web sites*
Message no. 2
From: Paolo Marcucci <marcucci@**.ASTRO.IT>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 09:00:25 +0000
On Jul 26, 8:46pm, Jason Ustica wrote:
> Subject: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
> Also, what about cybered animals? I think I saw something about this in
> the Corp. Sec. book, but I didn't read to much into it. I imagine a
> normally controllable domestic dog would be impossible to control once
> cyber mods were introduced, especially if the senses were replaced. I
> just made a NPC Johnson who has a pair of cybered German Shepards, so
> I've been thinking about this lately. When I made her dogs, I assumed
> essence of 6 and went from there. They're both pretty hard core, they'd
> give an average sammie a run for his money. If anyone wants me to post
> the cyber-doggy stats, just tell me and I'll type them in. I also gave
> the Johnson a new skill ( Animal Handling (Cyber)) to represent the
> difficulty in controlling them.

I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to threaten my players.
Go Jason, give us the stats and the skill description! (format them nice that
you know where there will go...)

Bye, Paolo

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paolo Marcucci
marcucci@**.astro.it
http://www.oat.ts.astro.it/~marcucci/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, a big TV with a hi-fi VCR and a nice
stereo, a full fridge, a microwave, a UNIX system, two phone lines,
a high speed modem, internet access.... and thou."
Message no. 3
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 11:54:33 +0200
>Also, what about cybered animals? I think I saw something about this in
>the Corp. Sec. book, but I didn't read to much into it. I imagine a
>normally controllable domestic dog would be impossible to control once
>cyber mods were introduced, especially if the senses were replaced. I
>just made a NPC Johnson who has a pair of cybered German Shepards, so
>I've been thinking about this lately.


I've always thought it a bit strange that animals go crazy when you put
cyberware into them, or when you jack them into the matrix for that matter
(Dragon Hunt). Why should they? If they're used to the cyberware I doubt
they'd be bothered by it, and seeing that the matrix feeds all your normal
senses fake signals (directly into the brain), why would the animals not
accept that what it sees _is_ what is out there?

>When I made her dogs, I assumed
>essence of 6 and went from there. They're both pretty hard core, they'd
>give an average sammie a run for his money. If anyone wants me to post
>the cyber-doggy stats, just tell me and I'll type them in.

Go ahead.


Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
En ik zeg je weer niet wat ik nu denk dat ik je eigenlijk zeggen wil...
GC3.0: GAT/! dpu s:- !a>? C+(++) U P L E? W(++) N K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G++ e h! !r(--) y? Unofficial Shadowrun
Guru :)
Message no. 4
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 23:37:12 +1000
Gurth writes:

> >Also, what about cybered animals? I think I saw something about this in
> >the Corp. Sec. book, but I didn't read to much into it. I imagine a
> >normally controllable domestic dog would be impossible to control once
> >cyber mods were introduced, especially if the senses were replaced. I
> >just made a NPC Johnson who has a pair of cybered German Shepards, so
> >I've been thinking about this lately.

There are notes and rules for this is the Critters section of the main book.

> I've always thought it a bit strange that animals go crazy when you put
> cyberware into them, or when you jack them into the matrix for that matter
> (Dragon Hunt). Why should they? If they're used to the cyberware I doubt
> they'd be bothered by it, and seeing that the matrix feeds all your normal
> senses fake signals (directly into the brain), why would the animals not
> accept that what it sees _is_ what is out there?

If they're used to the cyberware? Well, yeah, maybe, but getting them used
to it might be the hard part. I doubt an animal would comprehend the reasons
for the sudden, unexplained, and odd changes in it's physiology as well as a
(meta)human would. And I really don't think the matrix provides a complete
sensory input, an animal would likely be a tad put off at being so badly
screwed around with its senses. Besides, what's more fun, a crazy maddened,
blood seeking killer cyber poodle, or a regular but souped up poodle? :-)

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a19 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+$ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+
Message no. 5
From: Gary Carroll <gary@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 08:00:23 -0700
>Jason
>I just made a NPC Johnson who has a pair of cybered German Shepards,
>so I've been thinking about this lately. They're both pretty hard
>core, they'd give an average sammie a run for his money. If anyone
>wants me to post the cyber-doggy stats, just tell me and I'll type
>them in. I also gave the Johnson a new skill ( Animal Handling
>(Cyber)) to represent the difficulty in controlling them.

Please post it I would be interested in seeing a good example of
cybered dogs.

Has anyone made Cybered paranormals?

Thanks
Gary C.
Message no. 6
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 10:22:14 +0200
>If they're used to the cyberware? Well, yeah, maybe, but getting them used
>to it might be the hard part.

What if you implant a cyberlimb into the animal ASAP when it's born? Then
upgrade that throughout the animal's life until its fully grown. I doubt the
animal would have trouble with it in such a case... It doesn't know any
better, does it?

>Besides, what's more fun, a crazy maddened,
>blood seeking killer cyber poodle, or a regular but souped up poodle? :-)

A souped-up poodle, because nobody expects it to rip your throat out when
its owner points at you and says "Bad man" *grin*


Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
En ik zeg je weer niet wat ik nu denk dat ik je eigenlijk zeggen wil...
GC3.0: GAT/! dpu s:- !a>? C+(++) U P L E? W(++) N K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G++ e h! !r(--) y? Unofficial Shadowrun
Guru :)
Message no. 7
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 23:40:26 +1000
Gurth writes:

> What if you implant a cyberlimb into the animal ASAP when it's born? Then
> upgrade that throughout the animal's life until its fully grown. I doubt the
> animal would have trouble with it in such a case... It doesn't know any
> better, does it?

You probably could, I can't give any decent argument against it, but it's an
awful lot of effort to go to for an animal.

> A souped-up poodle, because nobody expects it to rip your throat out when
> its owner points at you and says "Bad man" *grin*

You've got a point there :-)

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a19 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+$ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+
Message no. 8
From: John IV <John.Moeller@*.CC.UTAH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 18:18:21 -0600
On Thu, 27 Jul 1995, Gary Carroll wrote:

> Please post it I would be interested in seeing a good example of
> cybered dogs.
>
> Has anyone made Cybered paranormals?
>
> Thanks
> Gary C.

Actually, I have. I know it isn't very kosher, but I made a cybered
bogie (from PAoNA) and also cybered German sheperds. From what I
remember (I had to wing it 'cause I don't have CorpSec), I made a kind
of "brain harness" that the owner could radio-command the animal with. I
also fitted them with a kind of wired reflexes, an increased perception
package, cyberjaws and cyberclaws. They were pretty nasty. My team had a
hard time with them.

John IV <John.Moeller@*.cc.utah.edu>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes after an electrical storm I see in 5 dimensions. Why are the
sixty of you looking at me like that?"

--Cornfed, from _Duckman_
Message no. 9
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 16:39:55 +1000
John IV writes:

> Actually, I have. I know it isn't very kosher, but I made a cybered
> bogie (from PAoNA) and also cybered German sheperds. From what I
> remember (I had to wing it 'cause I don't have CorpSec), I made a kind
> of "brain harness" that the owner could radio-command the animal with. I
> also fitted them with a kind of wired reflexes, an increased perception
> package, cyberjaws and cyberclaws. They were pretty nasty. My team had a
> hard time with them.

The first thing I'd ever put onto a cyber critter would be titanium bone
lacing. Too many a time I've seen some critter that could be terribly
effective at whatever it was designated to do, only if it could survive past
the first bullet put into it. Having no armour sucks. That's the big problem
with critters, and the main reason I tend to steer away from them. One hit,
one kill. But many critters are undeniably cool, and they do have great
scare value. :-) <slobbering sound>

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a19 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+$ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+
Message no. 10
From: Georg Greve <ggreve@*******.HANSE.DE>
Subject: Domesticating Animals (was Re: New totem for all to evaluate)
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 11:50:35 +0200
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 11:50:32 +0200 (MET DST)

> give an average sammie a run for his money. If anyone wants me to post
> the cyber-doggy stats, just tell me and I'll type them in. I also gave
> the Johnson a new skill ( Animal Handling (Cyber)) to represent the
> difficulty in controlling them.

Sounds interesting - please post the stats and the skills you gave them...

Bye...
Georg

--
Georg Greve greve@*******.Hanse.DE
Tel.: +49-40-8223482 greve@*******.uni-hamburg.de

Further Reading

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