20 Questions for Starting Rewards

20 QUESTIONS

If you so choose, take a little time to answer these questions about your character. There are substantial starting rewards for most all of these questions, from Karma to Lifestyle perks. Keep in mind, I'm looking for answers that help flesh out your character.. and I will keep these notes handy for our game.

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1. HERITAGE

We are shaped by our heritage. Facial features, skin tone, height, build, metatype, even aptitudes are influenced by the genes passed from parent to child. Attitude, too, is taught by parents, informed by their own lives and their cultural heritage. Where does your character come from, what is her lineage, who were her parents, and what did she inherit from them?

>>Answer this question for 1 additional C2/L5 contact – this contact is a member or a close friend of the family, someone the runner can trust and will help out as much as they can as long as they are treated with the same respect the runner expects.

2. PARENTS

Parents can be proud of their children or regret ever bringing them into the world. Some are loving, and some are indifferent. All of them are only metahuman and have their own opinions of their children. Assuming they could speak, what would each of your character’s parents say about her?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.

3. 6TH WORLD HISTORY

Many people remember certain historical events for the rest of their lives. For those alive in the first decade of the 21st century, it could be the assassination of John F. Kennedy, or the Tiananmen Square protests, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the attacks of 11 September 2001. People remember where they were, and what they were doing when they first heard of these events. Shadowrun history has significant events as well, such as the assassination of President Dunkelzahn, the Crash 2.0, and the emergence of technomancers and artificial intelligences. Pick a few events from recent Shadowrun history and ask where the character was at the time, what does he remember about the event, and what was he doing at the time?

>>Answer this question for 2 Karma.

4. WHY THE SHADOWS

Very few people choose to become shadowrunners. More likely, they are thrown into the life by a chaotic and uncaring world. Even if she made a conscious decision to enter the shadows, her decision is influenced by the world around her. How did your character get into shadowrunning, and why did she take that path?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.

5. LIVING CONDITIONS

People have control over their own living arrangements. From the child young enough to use crayons and tape all the way up to the elderly shut-in who plasters her walls with family photos and cat pictures, everyone makes their living spaces more personally pleasing. What is your character’s living space like, and what has he added or changed to make it his own?

>>Answer this question and receive 1 month of pre-paid High Lifestyle, 2 months of pre-paid Middle Lifestyle, or 6 months of pre-paid Low Lifestyle. You must pay for the first month during character creation. The pre-paid month(s) follow after that first month.

6. BELIEF

Everyone has beliefs, and many have beliefs strong enough to be convictions. Some are religious, some are political, some are social, and some are just about why people are here. What does your character believe in, what are her convictions (if any), and why does she hold them?

>>Answer this question for 1 additional C3/L2 contact – this contact is a member of an organization that supports your runner’s beliefs in some way. This could be a religious leader, a martial arts instructor, an aroma therapist. You name it, they’re your contact now.

7. PET PEEVE

Everyone has aspects of their personality that grate on someone. Even the best of friends annoy one another from time to time. The flaws in a person’s character are as important as the qualities. What do you dislike most about your character’s personality?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.

8. CORPS

The Sixth World is considered by many to be spinning out of control. If anyone could exert control over it, it would be the “Big Ten” triple-A megacorps. These transnationals exert a lot of influence on everyday life in the 2070s. Which of the Big Ten does your character hold in the highest (or least low) regard, which does he like the least, and why?

>>Answer this question and receive +1 die modifier in all social tests when dealing with anyone affiliated with your favorite corp. Similarly, NPC’s from your least favorite corp consider you Suspicious (-1 social die modifier). 

9. CONTACTS

People make acquaintances and friends; we’re hardwired for it. Humans are social animals. This is especially true in the shadows, where often it is not the power you have, but the power you can borrow, and not who you, are but who you know. There’s a story behind each and every one of these relationships. What is the story with your character and her contacts?

>>Answer this question for 1 additional C1/L1 contact – this contact is simply an additional contact of minor value to the runner. They may have an occasional benefit to the runner, but are in reality, only a minor business contact.

10. LAZY DAY

It’s Sunday morning, and your character has no commitments until tomorrow afternoon. What does she do for the day?

>>Answer this question and give your character a hobby. This hobby comes with collectibles, materials, gear, or other material value equal to 50% of one month’s Lifestyle. For instance, if you pick a Middle Lifestyle (5,000Y), you would have a comic collection valued at 2,500Y. This value does not increase with time unless your runner adds to it. It does not increase with value if your runner upgrades to a higher Lifestyle. It is set at character creation.

11. SKILLS

Your character has a specific skill set, a list of Active and Knowledge skills that define what she knows and her areas of expertise. How did she come to learn those skills, and how did she develop them to those levels?

>>Answer this question for a Rank 3 non-combat Active Skill and two Rank 2 Knowledge Skills.

12. MORAL LINE

Everyone has their limits. People can be dark, but most people’s instinct is to draw the line at certain actions and thoughts, and they keep to their own moral convictions. Is there a moral limit that your character enforces on the jobs she takes, and in what shadow work would she refuse to engage?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.

13. AWAKENED

If you have an Awakened or technomancer character, consider your character’s tradition and streams. Even within the major established magical traditions and the recently emerged technomantic streams, there is room for personalization. Ask yourself what drew her to that particular paradigm, how does it effect the way she views the world and her magic, how does it translate into choice of mentor spirit or paragon, and how does it affect the appearance of the spirits or sprites you conjure or compile?

>>Answer this question for 2 Karma.

14. AUGMENTATION

While acceptance and bias vary from place to place, augmentations—be they bio-, cyber-, gene-, or nanoware—are increasingly common and available in the Sixth World. However, personal technological enhancement is rarely cheap, and many implants that runners possess are restricted. How did your character come to have the enhancements she has, how were they paid for, and what motivated the choices she made (if she did make the choices)?

>>This is a completely optional question if it even pertains to your character at all. No reward for answering.

15. MUGGLES

Life as a shadowrunner is by definition outside the bounds of “normal” life. Shadowrunners do not truly fit into the lives of ordinary people, whether they live in slums or mansions. What does your character think of ordinary life, mainstream culture, and those who abide by it?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.

16. FEAR

Everyone has nightmares. Sometimes, we forget the dream completely on waking. Sometimes, the nightmare haunts us or even recurs. If your character had a lingering nightmare or a deep-rooted fear, what would it be, and why does he find it so terrifying?

>>Answer this question and it will count as a free 5 point Negative Quality, increasing your total maximum Positive Quality cap to 40.

17. THAT ONE THING

People tend to attach sentimental value to items in their possession or people they are close to. They make an effort to keep these close by and safe. What is your character’s “sacred object” or “close one,” and how did they come to be so important to him?

>>Answer this question and you can use this item as a Power or Weapon Focus. Should you use this sacred object as either, you may choose a special enchantment for the item:

>>Watcher - You may summon a special named Watcher spirit once a day at a Force equal to the Force of the Focus. This does not require a Conjuring Test (adepts may use this ability). This watcher spirit will do you bidding per the rules in SR4 p. 189-190. The watcher is possessed of slightly higher intelligence than normal for a watcher (it is named after all for a reason).

>>Perception – This enchantment grants Astral Perception to Adepts without the need for the Adept Power. The focus must be active for the power to be granted. This power grants 1 additional net hit on the Assensing Table if you already possess the ability to Astrally Perceive.

>>Sting – Your item has had a history with a particular type of entity (race, group, spirit, creature type, etc). The focus will alarm you in some way when in the presence of said entities. Your focus will conduct a secret perception test using its Power vs any modifiers that would naturally hide the entity from astral perception. The more hits on the perception test, the greater the understanding of the proximity and/or direction of the entities will be to you, the runner.

>>Linguistics – Your focus grants you native understanding of a number of languages equal to its Force – these include lingos.

>>Aid – Your focus grants you the ability to heal faster than normal while it is activated on you. The focus grants +2 dice pool modifier for all Healing Tests made on/for/by you.

18. HOPE

One of metahumanity’s greatest assets is its ability to look toward the future and imagine a better life. Even small children have dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. What did your character want to become when he was a child, and what are his goals now?

>>Answer this question for 2 Karma.

19. FLAIR

A person’s appearance can say volumes about him. From fashion sense, to the colors he prefers, to the way he walks and speaks. Sometimes, his personality determines his appearance, and, sometimes, the appearance he chooses to present the world effects his personality. What does your character look like, and what inspired his choices?

>>Answer this question for 3 articles of clothing or armor from the Core Rulebook, valued no greater than 1,000Y each.

20. MONIKER

Everyone has a name, but a runner’s street name is a representation of his connection to the shadows. Sometimes runners choose their own moniker, but more often it is given to them as a nickname or earned through some (mis)adventure. How did your character come to be known by his street name?

>>Answer this question for 1 Karma.