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Shadows
o'the (Rising) Sun
Shadowrun BESM
IntroSystemCharacter
GenerationNetrunning, Decks &
SoftwareRigging, Vehicles &
DronesCyberware &
EquipmentMagic & PhysAds
Fourth adaptation of the setting to a different
set of
rules. Again, you won't need a computer assistant to run Shadowrun under
BESM, which is a big advantage.
Why another adaptation?
Well, we felt like it , first and foremost.
Also, the system is pretty cinematic, very flexible,
allows
for a fair degree of sillyness if you want to add it to the brew and comes
with a pair of highly suggestive sourcebooks that you might want to throw
in to make life a little tougher for your players.
No, we don't mean Sailor Moon.
But unleashing the Tank Police on a team of self-confident
shadopwrunners might liven-up their routine.
Finally, something we've found out is - the best way
to learn
the ins and outs of a new RPG System is to take it apart and use it to run
Shadowrun. If it makes it in the Sixth World, it will make it
everywhere.
To run the following adaptation you'll need a Shadowrun
Handbook (third ed or previous, or the Quick Start Rules if
you really feel cheap), the BESM 2nd Edition rulesbook; optionally,
the Dominion:Tank Police RPG sourcebook ; the Shadowrun Companion can also
come in
handy.
OK, cheap it's not.
But it can be highly
rewarding.
BESM is a customizable system, in the sense that,
depending
on the setting, starting characters have a variable number of points with
which acquire stats, attributes and skills. Skills do also change their price
depending on the setting, the rule of thumb being the more valuable the skill
is in the setting, the higher the cost in points.
The number of points available depends on the game
style.
Our personal suggestions are
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Gritty,
realistic, deadly
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Cinematic,
higher survival rate
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As for Skills cost, the first column in the Skills Cost table
on BESM
2, pg 60 (Cyberpunk setting) is the most appropriate.
If you're running on BESM 1st edition plus Dominion: Tank Police,
refer
to the latter for Skill Costs and related matters.
In the following text we'll introduce a pair of new Attributes
and some
general system tweaking notes.
BESM characters are defined by three stats (hence
the
Tri-Stat System logo) ranging from 1 (not worth mentioning) to 12 (best in
the universe).
4 is the human average.
Yeah, you got it in one - human
average.
A good starting point is devising a template system
for
metahumanity
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| as per standard BESM rules
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| Average Body is 5
| Attributes & Defects: 1 level of Damn Healthy!
and 1 of Heightened senses (Sight) for free.
Not So Fast (1st level)
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| Average Body is 5
| Attributes & Defects: 1 level of Appearance
and
1 of Heightened senses (Sight).
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| Average Body is 6
| Attributes & Defects: Easily Distracted 1 level,
1 level of Heightened senses (Sight)
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| Average Body is 6, average Mind is 3
| Attributes & Defects: Easily Distracted 1 level,
1 level of Heightened senses (Sight). Damn
Healthy! (2 levels)
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(>) Q: there's something wrong here.
Dwarf
and Elf getting the same Body rating? And Ork and Troll?
C'mon....
This is due to the fact that BESM collapses into a single stat
(Body)
what Shadowrun splits among three different stats (Body, Quickness and
Strenght).
Which leads us to ....
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| (Body+Quickness+Strenght) / 2*
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| (Intelligence+Wisdom) x 3 / 4*
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| (Charisma+Essence) x 3 / 4*
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(*) Round all fractions down for tougher
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Just a rule of thumb, obviously, but reliable
enough.
(>) Q: changing the average stat levels for different races
also means that maximum values are increased accordingly?
No.
Twelve is still the best in the universe. A Body 12 Human and
a Body 12 Troll are so much stronger than the average Joe that difefrences
between them become a matter of linguistics.
NetrunningNetrunning-capable characters acquire a new Attribute,
Decker Dude and a related Skill,
Netrunning
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The Decker Dude attribute allows the character to operate
a cyberdeck
and operate directly into the Matrix. It provides the character with a basic
deck, plus points to be spent either improving the machine or honing his
skills.
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Relevant
Stat:
Mind
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The Netrunning skill gives a measure
of the decker's experience
working the Matrix, and helps her do her bit while on-line. Note that while
Netrunning is essential in operating cyberdecks, standard Computer and
Electronics skills are needed to design software and hardware
respectively.
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Cyberdecks
& Software
Cyberdecks
are treated as a special case of Mecha - the same attributes,
defects and restrictions (with the opportune tweaking) apply.
Design the Cyberdeck
as you would design a Mecha, with stats to represent the hardware settings
and attributes as fit to simulate the software loaded.
The Persona program
is a virtual character starting at 15 points and relying on the user's MIND
stat for all Mind and Body checks. It can be expanded by buying software
Attributes.
Rigging
Riggers characters must acquire the Own a Big
Mecha Special Attribute (BESM 2nd Ed. pg 123).
They are also granted
a Special Skill, Rigging, to simulate their experience in the
field.
Points obtained through the OBM Attribute can be used to
design/acquire/customize vehicles or drones.
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The Rigging skill represents the experience
accumulated by the Rigger in his field, and is applied to all direct control
checks when the rigger is on-line.
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Vehicles and Drones
Use standard
mecha creation rules as per BESM handbook to handle vehicle
design.
Drones,
intrusion-oriented mechanisms and the like are likely to have the
Diminutive disadvantage as per BESM 2nd Ed. rules.
Cyberware basically endows a character with some
special Attribute through mechanical means.
The conversion is relatively straightforward: find
what kind of advantage the cyberware provides to the character and apply
the appropriate Attribute from the ones available in BESM.
Magic & PhysAds
Magic adaptation is straightforward.
the Astral
Projection Attribute covers Astral powers
the Dynamic
Sorcery and Magic Attributes can be used to take care
of both Hermethic and Shamanic magic. Mind Control and other
forms of power are also available.
Physical Adepts
can be endowed with Combat Mastery, Focused or
Massive Damage. Sixth Sense,
Speed and Jumping are also
suggested.
Updated December 2000
