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From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Steven Ratkovich)
Subject:	[YOTC] Critters
Date:	Wed Aug 15 14:25:00 2001

Message no. 1 Heya all. Question for ya...

For those that have YotC, how are the critters, outside of a flavor situation. I know
some are very situational, like most critters are. After all, your average city-dwelling
Shadowrun team is unlikely to run into a Horned Bear (Also know as the Troll Bear, it's
"original" name :)) or the Night Mantas, but overall... How ae they?

One of my goals with the critters was to put a few in that PCs could readily encounter. A
few of my original submissions didn't make the cut, but of the ones that did, 3 the PCs
can encounter easily within an average shadowrunning context (How often do Runners try to
use sewers to trael or sneak into places?): The Demon Rat, the Shambler, and the Glomoss.
Granted, Glomoss has some limited, but fun applications (My PCs did NOT like me the first
time I threw this at them :)).

The other goal was to make them some critters to be generally feared. Tough, resistant,
and able to take and dish out a serious beating. Critters always, IMO, got the shaft.
Compared to your average runner, they were weak. Sure, most of them could rip a norm in
half no problem, but unfortunately, Shadowrun has traditionally been geared that way:
Stats are higher than "Average", but sub par to what 90% of the Shadowrunners
out there have. how can you fear something when chances are a single predator round is
gonna drop it, cause it's got no armor and 5 body? Like I said, usually the critter gets
a jump on a pc, hits them with their "5S" wussy ass damage that the PCs shrug
off, then they scrag whatever it is. It LOOKS nasty, sure, but unless there are a LOT of
them, as they stood, they sucked.

For some reason, all the writers seemed to forget that the most basic equipment a
Shadowrun can get, cheaply and easily, are an Ares Predator (9M damage), and an Armored
Jacket (5/3). Ignore stacked armor, APDS ammo, and the rest. Just a newbie Shadowrunner
with a moderate skill and that equipment. Already it's better than most critters ever
were. 9M is devestating if you don't have armor! And for critters, 9M is usually a heck
of a lot better than the critters can dish out.

Granted, you can always tweak the stats. I've done that plenty of times. But for my
money, I'd rather have some bad assed critters in the first place.

Hopefully i delievered ;]

Bull

--
The Best Ork Decker You've Never Met!
http://bull.dumpshock.com

From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Ken Hart)
Subject:	[YOTC] Critters
Date:	Thu Aug 16 14:20:01 2001

Message no. 2 Thus did Bull write:
>For those that have YotC, how are the critters, outside of a flavor >situation. I
know some are very situational, like most critters are. >After all, your average
city-dwelling Shadowrun team is unlikely to run >into a Horned Bear (Also know as the
Troll Bear, it's "original" name :)) >or the Night Mantas, but overall...
How ae they?

First of all, I totally agree with your thinking on this: Critters are
often ignored or not taken seriously. (Although the warehouse full of
cockatrices in "Missions" got my PCs' attention last two years ago... :))
So, overall, you succeeded in creating some good nasties that should make
cocky, unprepared PCs run screaming from the alley/sewers/woods.

Demon Rats: Aggressive, meter-length, hard-to-kill, semi-intelligent
rodents with the ability to command other rats? As a GM, what's not to
love? ;-) They make alleyways dangerous again. On the minus side, they seem
SO tough that I can't help but think they'll become a big problem for many
sprawls soon.

Glomoss: This, along with the shedim, makes YotC a major monkey wrench for
PCs who love to do astral reconnaisance -- which was the intent, I'm sure.
Simple but effective. Like you said, "fun applications."

Horned Bear: Sure, a well-armed, trigger-happy team could take it down, but
not before it rips at one or two of them to shreds. And if the team is not
armed to the teeth, they'll need to think first and shoot later, and that's
always a good reminder to throw at players once in a while. Love the "code
of combat."

Night Mantas: I was surprised that I didn't like these, since I usually dig
the way mantas look, but ... floating, silent, nocturnal ones? From a
combat perspective, however, their first attack could be devastating if
they surprise a team. OK, I'm like 'em a little better now.

Sangre del Diablos: Ewwww! Oh, that's nasty. My favorite of the bunch -- I
think an eccentric megacorp exec should add one of these to his private
botanical garden. A good, tough balanced critter whose bark is truly worse
than its bite. :-)

Shambler: Double ewwww! The illustration *alone*...! More interesting from
an atmospheric/ecologic standpoint than from a challenge perspective,
although I can foresee a run where the PCs have to retrieve an item from a
missing person who just happens to be the latest addition to the shambler's
"pelt."

Really good job, overall.

--Ken

Ken Hart / ghastrian@********.net / a.k.a. Bacchus
http://home.earthlink.net/~evilweb/
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but burlap chafes me so."

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From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Steven Ratkovich)
Subject:	[YOTC] Critters
Date:	Thu Aug 16 14:50:01 2001

Message no. 3 >>> Ken Hart <ghastrian@********.net> 08/16/01 01:14PM >>>
Demon Rats: Aggressive, meter-length, hard-to-kill, semi-intelligent
rodents with the ability to command other rats? As a GM, what's not to
love? ;-) They make alleyways dangerous again. On the minus side, they seem
SO tough that I can't help but think they'll become a big problem for many
sprawls soon.
<<<<

(>) Fortunately, the damn things are really rare.
(>) Jaws

(>) That, and an estimated 75% of the Demon Rats are sterile.
(>) Doc Wright

>>>
Glomoss: This, along with the shedim, makes YotC a major monkey wrench for
PCs who love to do astral reconnaisance -- which was the intent, I'm sure.
Simple but effective. Like you said, "fun applications."
<<<

(>) It's been speculated that this Moss was potentially created in a lab somewhere,
but with the sudden rash of creatures showing up in the wake of SURGE, it's hard to tell
if this was an experiment or a random mutation. Still, the end result is spectacular.
(>) Doc Wright

(>) You're tellin' me! I run security for a little, out-of-the-way facility in the,
well... It don't matter where. Anyways, the purse strings are always pulled a bit tight,
if ya know what I mean, but I managed to get a load of this stuff that "Fell off a
truck", and convinced it to grow up the side of a building. Not as sneaky as some
uses for it (And I on'ts ay I haven't copied those methds as well), but it sure does make
for a pretty sight when an astral mage or a spyin' spirit ceoms waltzing up to the
buildin' and suddenly the entire place is lit up like a christmas tree. I swear, I ain't
never seen nothin' more beautiful...
(>) Bubba Ray

>>>>
Horned Bear: Sure, a well-armed, trigger-happy team could take it down, but
not before it rips at one or two of them to shreds. And if the team is not
armed to the teeth, they'll need to think first and shoot later, and that's
always a good reminder to throw at players once in a while. Love the "code
of combat."
<<<<

(>) Heh. These are actually an Import Item.
(>) Bull
"The Best Ork Decker You've Never Met"

>>>>
Night Mantas: I was surprised that I didn't like these, since I usually dig
the way mantas look, but ... floating, silent, nocturnal ones? From a
combat perspective, however, their first attack could be devastating if
they surprise a team. OK, I'm like 'em a little better now.
<<<<

(>) They usually stay away from Urban areas, as they avoid well lit areas. And of
course, there's few things as well lit as the sky over a Sprawl at night. That's why
there's so many shadows.
(>) Walks-On-Water

(>) I really liked these the first time I saw them and have to use 'em :]
(>) Bull
"The Best Ork Decker You've Never Met"

>>>>
Sangre del Diablos: Ewwww! Oh, that's nasty. My favorite of the bunch -- I
think an eccentric megacorp exec should add one of these to his private
botanical garden. A good, tough balanced critter whose bark is truly worse
than its bite. :-)
<<<<

(>) Ooooooo, bad pun!
(>) Laughing Man

(>) Ditto.
(>) Orange Queen

>>>>
Shambler: Double ewwww! The illustration *alone*...! More interesting from
an atmospheric/ecologic standpoint than from a challenge perspective,
although I can foresee a run where the PCs have to retrieve an item from a
missing person who just happens to be the latest addition to the shambler's
"pelt."
<<<<

(>) Shadowtalk! Filler for the ages!
(>) Blahblahblah

(>) This was the coolest piece of art of the lot, though I do like them all. The
gator glued to it's back is a very nice touch.
(>) Bull
"The Best Ork Decker You've Never Met"

>>>>
Really good job, overall.

--Ken
<<<<

Thanks :]

Dammit, now my hat don't fit! :]

<grin>

Bull

--
The Best Ork Decker You've Never Met!
http://bull.dumpshock.com

From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Damion Milliken)
Subject:	[YOTC] Critters
Date:	Sun Jan 13 06:50:00 2002

Message no. 4 Steven Ratkovich writes:

> For those that have YotC, how are the critters, outside of a flavor
> situation.

This has been a long time in coming, as YotC has been sitting on my desk for
some time now...

I assume that you mean "are the Critters stats good enough to make them
useful in an average SR game?" when you ask this question?

Demon Rats are a decent critter, I think. Individually not too powerful
(though probably capable of killing a civilian, and menacing non combat
magicians and decker/rigger types). Their real strength comes from their
powers when used on mass. They have a rather high armour value, which is a
little unjustified in my view, but it does make them much more robust in a
fight. I also happen to feel that they're a sensible extrapolation of Devil
Rats that is consistent and useful.

Glomoss is a much needed thing, in my opinion, and makes great sense.

The Horned Bear is cool in the way it acts. Again, they have rather a high
armour value for no reason that I can really discern, but they will be able
to last long enough to dish out some serious damage in a fight. The best
point about them, though, is the way that they behave.

Night Mantas are just plain nasty. I recently ran my team against some
modified Shadowhounds (in Aftermath from Harlequin's Back), which, on
reflection, had many similar powers to these critters. They're downright
deadly, as you can't see them coming. And Night Manta's fly _and_ have
Venom. Very deadly.

I just _love_ the Sangre Del Diablos. An awakened flora that's useful as a
"Critter" is just the most clever and original thing. And it's one that is
both sensible, and also quite effective enough to make it dangerous, too.

Shamblers are, I feel, yet another "dark and creepy thing" to add to the
list of rather overused sewer dwellers (like Ghouls, Devil Rats, etc). And
thus not entirely necessary. But at least they're very original, and they'll
certainly give runners a run for their money when first encountered.

Overall, the Critters are well thought out, effective in the game, and
useful to GMs.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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