Shadowrun

Cortex+ Action
By [email protected]

Welcome to the Sixth World!

Shadowrun is a fantasy cyberpunk setting, a world almost a century ahead of ours in which corrupt corporations
rule like the nation-states of the present and in which magic has returned from the mists of history. Elves, dwarves,
orks, and trolls walk the streets alongside humans, and shamans ply their trade in the crumbling edifices of ghetto
neighborhoods. High-tech antiheroes and mystic villains clash in the shadows of the megacities and arcologies of the
world. The year is 2075, and you are a Shadowrunner.
Say it with me now: Watch your back. Shoot straight. Conserve ammo. And never make a deal with a dragon.

Players and Characters

In Shadowrun, each player takes on the role of a Shadowrunner (or just Runner), a person operating outside of the
law to survive. Whether a career criminal, a mercenary, a street shaman, or just someone blacklisted by legitimate
(i.e., corrupt) companies, you have been forced to make a living by doing things that could get you arrested or even
killed if the authorities caught you doing it. Of course, the whole point is to not get caught. Shadowrunners move in
groups of two to six (though solo Runners and larger merc groups are possible). Every Runner is an expert in his or
her field, and often quite competent in another.
The Gamemaster provides missionsalso called Runs. These are adventures packed with exciting scenes,
interesting locations, and Supporting Characters. A Supporting Character can be a Major Character, Minor
Character, or a Mook. Major Characters include the villain, any rival Shadowrunners, and many of a villains
lieutenants. Minor Characters include other named but not as significant characters, especially those that dont do
much in the way of action. Mooks are the faceless hordes of ninja, henchmen, and gangbangers that are fairly easy
to dispatch.

Traits

Each Shadowrunners character sheet is mostly a list of Traits and related game statistics. The three main
categories of Traits belonging to a Runner are Attributes, Roles, and Distinctions. Theres also space on the
character sheet for Talents, which cover special techniques the Runner picked up in his line of work and Karma,
which are a game currency you can spend to grease the wheels in your favor. Each Trait has a die rating, ranging
from D4 to D12, but no die is safe from rolling a 1 (which can lead to Complications when the players do it or an
Opportunity if the Gamemaster does).

Attributes
When it comes to describing raw physical and mental ability, Attributes are the yardstick. Every time a
Shadowrunner does something where the outcome is uncertain, youre going to be rolling an Attribute that relates to
it. Each Attributes die rating represents how significant that Attribute is to your Runners performance. Every
Shadowrunner has the same six Attributes: AGILITY, ALERTNESS, INTELLIGENCE, STRENGTH, VITALITY, and
WILLPOWER.
Agility: This Attribute measures how quickly your body reacts to what you want to do, how fast you can move
around, hand-eye coordination (crucial for things like shooting guns), and generally how flexible and athletic
you are.
Alertness: This is your ability to notice things and your general mental acuity, how well you notice details
others dont, react to sudden changes in mood or environment, and think on your feet in general. This Attribute
is particularly useful for Notice Actions.
Intelligence: This reflects both vast sums of knowledge in your mind and your ability to command that
information to get things done. That doesnt just mean what youve learned in books, but also your experiences
in life. It also covers taking information you acquire and putting the pieces together to form a whole. This
Attribute is frequently relied upon by the Awakened to shape magic during rituals.
 Strength: This Attribute focuses on your muscular capabilities, useful for forcing something open or closed,
lifting and moving things, and (of course) for fighting. This Attribute is most often used for Fight Actions.
Vitality: This covers your physical endurance, stress tolerance (like being beaten in a fight), your ability to
survive and thrive in extreme situations like the arctic, desert, or being underwater, and your resistance to
environmental hazards like poison and disease.
Willpower: This Attribute details your mental resolve and ability to withstand social pressure, as well as your
capacity to shape sorcery if you are Awakened. Use this Attribute when you are concentrating on delicate work
amidst distractions, standing up to someone pressuring you or pressuring someone else with the sheer force of
your will, or shaping magic directly.

Roles

Your Shadowrunner might be amazing in his specialty, but no Runner is an island, chummer. There are five broad
Traits that encompass a Runners skills, and we call them Roles. Your Runner has a die rating in each of the five:
BRAINS, FACE, MUSCLE, SNEAK, and TECH. The Role with the largest die rating it called your Primary Role, and that
may determine which Talents youre likely to pick up. You roll one of these Traits with your Attribute whenever
you do something in the game.
Roles are also associated with Specialties, specific and narrow fields of training. A Specialty can arguably fall
under multiple Roles, but youll need to decide on one in particular. This covers things like driving, explosives, and
cooking. They have die ratings too, but you can only use them when you use the Role theyre attached to.

Brains
This Role (sometimes called a Mastermind) is about action thats dependent on strategy, planning, thinking six
steps ahead, and organizing a disparate group of people despite their egos or personal circumstances. Every
operation needs somebody to be the Brains, but it doesnt map directly to intelligence. Sometime, the Brains is
actually just remarkably well-educated, or is a graduate of the school of hard knocks.
Situations: Tactics, analysis, figuring out schematics, deciphering coded information, discovering clues,
recognizing forensic evidence, and applying knowledge directly to a problem

Face
The Face (or Grifter) is all about action thats manipulative and deceptivegetting people (and spirits) to do what
you want and figuring out how they tick. Establishing a cover identity and making it stick is a Face Action. This is
also the Role useful for binding spirits as an Awakened.
Situations: Fast-talking, charming, intimidating, or otherwise making people do what you need them to. Also
reading peoples emotional states and figuring out their weak points. Where Brains figures things out with
information and analysis, the Face does it with psychology and tells.

Muscle
This Role (sometimes called a Hitter) is all about action thats dangerous and directwhether mixing it up in a
barroom brawl, handling a bunch of trained corporate agents, getting into an all-out firefight, or placing some high
explosives to open a door and make a quick getaway. This is the Role most often used in Fight Actions.
Situations: Physical altercations, gunfights, using explosive ordinance, or driving the getaway car. Includes
knowing all of the sort of stuff a real heavy would know, or an ex-soldier, or a street thug.

Sneak
The Sneak (or Thief) is all about action thats elusive and hiddenincluding the ability to detect others with those
same skills. This Role is also about access, getting into places that youre not meant to do, including locked doors,
safes, and anywhere else with physical barriers.
Situations: Infiltrating, safecracking, avoiding notice, casing, blending in. Its about knowing everything a cat
burglar, military scout, or similar stealthy sort would know.

Tech
The Tech (or Hacker) is all about action involving gear, technology, and information. This Role covers dealing
with machines and electronics, hacking into networks to retrieve or alter data, and doing electronic surveillance and
counter-surveillance.
 Situations: Building, hacking, breaking and sabotage, analyzing mechanics or electronics, surveillance, defusing
explosive ordinance.

Distinctions

Is your Shadowrunner a MEAN DRUNK? Is he SMARTER THAN HE LOOKS? Maybe hes a RAT SHAMAN, an ORK
STREET SAMURAI, or a TOTAL CONTROL FREAK? These are all examples of Distinctions, descriptive Traits that fall
outside of the area of Attributes and Roles. Most Runners have three Distinctions. They can either help you or make
life difficult for youor bothbut you decide which is which, and when. Distinctions dont have a specific die
rating; how good or bad their influence is depends on the circumstances. They exist to make playing your
Shadowrunner more interesting and, at times, get you into all sorts of trouble.

Specialties

Specialties represent areas of training, skill or experience that a Shadowrunner can use to his advantage. They
represent the knowledge or ability that gives you the edge you need to pull off an epic Runqualities innate to you,
not about the stuff you carry around or the people you know.
Each Specialty has a rank with a corresponding die type: Novice (D6), Expert (D8), and Master (D10). Its also
linked to one of your Roles. When using that Role, you can also include the Specialty as one of the dice in your
action, providing the Specialty applies to that situation. Specialties are similar to Distinctions, except that they cant
bite you (and give you Karma for doing so), and theyre linked to Roles rather than for general use.
You can use your Specialty for a different Role by spending a Karma. This means you could use your Muscles
Drunken Fighting D8 in a Face situation when you need to convince a mark that youre just an angry drunk instead
of a dangerous enemy combatant. It just takes a little more juice to pull off than youre used to.
Some example Specialties might include:
Brains: History, Inspiration, Politics, Puzzles, Ritual Magic
Face: Crime Lore, High Society, Loli/Shota Complex, Spirit Summoning
Muscle: Drunken Fighting, Free Running, Kendo, Staredown Contests
Sneak: Tight Places, Old-School Safecracking, Rope Walking, Sleight of Hand
Tech: Security Systems, AR Phishing, Vehicle Repair, Countermagic

Signature Assets

Signature Assets work like regular Assetsthey give you an extra die to roll on actions when youre able to
work them in. Theyre like the opposite of Specialtiestheyre about stuff you have or people you know, not about
your innate qualities. Signature Assets are always rated at D6. Theyre not tied to Roles like Specialties are, but your
Primary Role can give you some ideas for what might make good Signature Assets.
Some examples of Signature Assets for various Roles might include:
Brains: LIBRARY OF CLASSIC LITERATURE; POLITICAL STRATEGIST; SAFE HOUSE; MEDALLION OF PROTECTION
Face: ALTERNATE SINCHIP; OLD FRIENDS IN THE CORP; FAVORITE NIGHTSPOT; FRIENDSHIP TOTEM
Muscle: ARES PREDATOR PISTOL; RUNE-CARVED SLEDGEHAMMER; LOCAL THUGS; WIRED REFLEXES IMPLANT
Sneak: SAFE HOUSE; CLIMBING GEAR; BOB THE SHADY FENCE; THERMOPTIC CAMOUFLAGE SUIT
Tech: SWEET CUSTOM DECK; UNIVERSAL MULTI-TOOL; SHADOWBOARD CONTACTS; STOLEN GAUNTLET OF FIRE

Talents

Not every street samurai or decker is the same, and this is reflected in your Shadowrunners choice of Talents.
These are the things that your Runner keeps up his sleeve or relies upon to get the job done, and they frequently take
the form of exceptions to the normal rules. Most can only be used on certain occasions or when some condition is
met. They dont have a die rating, but they do influence Traits that have dice, or change dice that are already in play.
 Talents are the amazing tricks that Shadowrunners have, above and beyond skills, contacts and gear. Each one
grants special rules to characters that have it. Along with a description, each Talent has three key parts:

Assets and Complications

Not all Traits belong to Runners or get marked down on your character sheet. Some are temporary, reflecting
things that help your character out (Assets) or make things more difficult for you (Complications). These Traits
often start out with only a minor influence on the Run, but as more and more twists and turns take place they can
become game-changers.
The Gamemaster rolls Complications as part of your oppositions dice and they make it harder for you to get the
results you want. Complications might include things like EXTRA-ALERT SECURITY or SLIPPERY FLOORS. A
Complication comes up as a result of rolling a 1 on your dice, which is why the smaller your dice the more likely
things are going to get complicated. Complications earn you Karma, because the Gamemaster must hand a Karma
point to you in order to create them from your bad roll.

Other Traits

As well as your Shadowrunners Traits and any Assets or Complications that might crop up in the course of a
Run, many Supporting Characters are described by Traits that are both descriptive and functional. In fact, a Mook is
not much more than a single Trait, like SEEDY SALESMAN, CHEF, or SECURITY GUARD. Locations are given Traits too,
when they might be useful as opposition to your Runners: STEEL-CLAD VAULT, ALARM SYSTEM, and LASER-FILLED
HALLWAY OF DEATH are similar to fixed Assets or Complications that help the Gamemaster describe where the
action takes place.

Dice

Cortex+ Action uses five different kind of dice: D4, D6, D8, D10, and D12. If you see a number in front of the d
such as 2D6it means you roll that many dice of that type. If theres no number there, assume its just a singleton.

Taking Action
Whenever your Shadowrunner takes action, the Gamemaster chooses two of your Traits to form your Action
Pool. In the default state of things, this is an Attribute and a Role.
The Gamemaster then picks up dice based on what your Runner is up against. This is usually a difficulty die (D6
being average, D8 being hard, and D10 being pretty brutal) and one or more dice based on Traits possessed by the
opposition or the situation.
Usually, the Gamemaster rolls his dice first and totals them up. This is called setting the stakes. You then roll and
total up your own dice from the Action Pool, hoping to raise the stakes by rolling higher. If you raise the stakes,
your Runner succeeds in the action you were hoping to take. If you fail to raise the stakes, something else happens
usually something thats bad for you.
Sometimes you or the Gamemaster get more than two dicesuch as when you use Distinctions, Specialties,
Assets, and so forth. In those cases, you add two of the dice to set or raise the stakes. You can spend one of your
Karma to add in another of your dice to the total. Spending a second Karma lets you add a fourth die and so on.
Some examples of actions include:
Trying to clear the room of second-rate thugs with a piece of rebar: STRENGTH + MUSCLE.
Leaping into ductwork to escape the notice of security: AGILITY + SNEAK.
Scanning the room for a suitable target of your latest scam: ALERTNESS + FACE.
Going over the latest piece of military intelligence for troop movement patterns: INTELLIGENCE + BRAINS.
Deciphering a database after two days with no sleep and only cheap soykaf for company: VITALITY + TECH.

Complications
 If you roll a 1 on any of your dice, the Gamemaster introduces a Complication. Whether your Runner succeeds or
fails at the action, a Complication means something else has gone wrong, making life difficult.
When the Gamemaster introduces a Complication, you get a Karma; aside from Distinctions, this is the main way
for you to get Karma. The Gamemaster notes down the Complication and adds a D6 next to it. For the rest of the
adventure, if that Complication comes into play, the Gamemaster gets to roll an extra D6.
If more than one 1 comes up on your dice, the Gamemaster may choose to step up the Complication by one step
for each additional 1 that shows on the dice. For example, if you rolled three 1s on your dice, the Complication starts
out as D10.
If a Complication is ever stepped up beyond a D12, it has overwhelmed the Runner and keeps you from acting
further in the scene until its removed or no longer hinders you. You can force action by spending a Karma, but you
may only keep one die for your total rather than two. This is a severe handicap, but sometimes its necessary!
If the Gamemaster rolls a 1 on his dice, this is known as an Opportunity, and any player can spend a Karma to
step an existing Complication back to a smaller die size. A D6 becomes a D4, and a D4 goes away. If the
Gamemasters dice include multiple 1s, you may step back existing Complications by more than one step.
Opportunities can also be used to activate Talents.

Complications as Injury or Consequence

Complications may also represent those times when you are hurt or suffer some manner of debilitating setback. If
a bad guy takes action against you and you fail to stop him, youre usually at his mercy. Instead of being struck
down, captured, or defeated, you can choose instead to take a Complication. This works just as if you had rolled a 1
on your dice, but you dont gain any Karma. In a sense, youre paying that Karma immediately to offset your loss.
Complications acquired this way should represent your injury or setback, such as BROKEN ARM or IDENTITY THEFT.
The Gamemaster may also suggest that you step up an existing Complication when you take this option, or when
you roll a 1 on a subsequent roll of the dice. You may find in a long, drawn-out fight with your enemy, your Runner
just gets progressively more beat up or harassed, only to pull through in the endor maybe not, depending on how
far you pushed your luck.

Recovering from Complications

Many Complications are simply temporary problems and will go away before the next scene begins. An Icy
Rooftop or Noisy Crowd can be taken care of just by changing locations or spending some time out of the action.
Complications that represent injury or major consequences stick around, however. In order to get rid of them, your
Runner or one of his chummers must take action.
Whether by using DocWagon training or putting the right bit of memetic code in the Matrix, a Runner or
Supporting Character may roll against the Complication and an appropriate difficulty. If successful, the
Complication is gone. Even on a failed attempt, the Complication is still stepped back by one, but you cant try to
recover that Complication again until some amount of time passes. Recovery of this sort should take up most of a
scene dedicated to that chunk of time in the story.
If you roll a 1 on a successful attempt to recover a Complication, the Gamemaster may introduce a new
Complication related to the one that was just recovered. If you roll a 1 on a failed attempt, the Complication you
were trying to recover doesnt get stepped backit gets worse by one step. Watch out!

Success and Failure

When you raise the stakes, you got what you wanted and you can narrate the outcome. What this means usually
depends on what you said you were trying to do. Were you trying to hack the mainframe? Its done. Frag the bad
guy? You did that too. Describe it and then let the story move on.
If you raised the stakes by 5 or more, then, youve got an extraordinary success. You not only got what you
wanted, but the Gamemaster throws something extra your way. This extra is called your Edge. When this happens,
the Gamemaster should ask you to describe your amazing efforts, and you gain the added benefit of banking a die
for later. See below for more information on Edge.
When you fail, however, you should try to be entertaining in how you describe your failure. Youre not going to
have any lasting effects other than the story heading in a different direction than you wanted, unless you picked up a
Complication or you rolled all 1s and came up with a total of zero. In the latter case, the Gamemaster is free to
describe exactly how much mess youre in and lay it on thick.

Using Edge Dice

When you receive an extraordinary success, you can bank a die equal to the Gamemasters difficulty die for use
later in the Run. If there was no difficulty die, you instead bank the highest die in the opposing dice pool. These
banked dice are called Edge dice, and you may save as many of them as you like. Write a note on your character
sheet to indicate how many Edge dice youve earned and what size.
To use an Edge die, spend a Karma and roll the die, adding it to your total in any action. You may do this at any
time after rolling the dice to get a total, even if you rolled first and your opponent has rolled his own dice, but before
the Gamemaster announces the result of the action. You may be so successful that you earn another Edge die!
Whatever happens, erase the Edge die you used from your character sheet.
For example, if the Gamemaster sets the stakes with a roll of 12 and you attempt to raise the stakes by only roll a
10, you might choose to spend Karma to add a D8 Edge die you banked earlier. The die comes up a 4, which kicks
your total up to 14. Good enough for a success!
Watch out, though! Edge dice can backfire on you. If the Edge die comes up 1, the Gamemaster gets to introduce
a Complication as normal. On the plus side, you get your Karma back as a result. You can choose to accept the 1
and add it to your total, or keep the Edge die and leave your total as it was.
The Gamemaster doesnt pick up or use Edge dice. Instead, if the Gamemaster rolls 5 or more than the player on
his rolls, he just removes an Edge die from the Runner in question. The die must be equal to or lower than the
difficulty die he just rolled, or (if no difficulty die was involved) the highest rolling die. If the Runner had no Edge
dice, then nothing happens. Either way, the Gamemaster narrates something to justify the bad guy upstaging the
character in that moment.

Karma

Karma is a game currency that you spend to affect the plot over the course of your Run. Karma gives you more
dice, makes the dice you spend more powerful, and lets you use some of your special Talents. You need to keep
track of your Karma somehow. (Some GMs prefer poker chips or glass beads.)
Everybody gets 1 Karma to start the Run. Dont worryyoull get more.

Spending Karma
Karma can be spent to include more dice into your total, to activate some Talents, and to create new Assets.
Including More Dice: After any roll, you may spend a Karma to include more dice out of those you just rolled
in your total. In this way, your total may be three, four, or even more dice added together. The only limit to how
many dice you may add to your total is how many dice you rolled to begin with and how many Karma you have
available.
Activating Talents: Some of your Talents may have effects that must be activated by spending a Karma. Any
effect thats activated like this lasts for the duration of the action youre using it on; once you start a new action,
the effect must be activated again.
Creating New Assets: You can create your own Assets by spending a Karma. Your new Asset starts out as a D6
and lasts for the rest of the scene. If you spend two Karma, you can keep it for the rest of the Runassuming
something doesnt happen to remove or eliminate it. This allows you to give some dramatic weight to an item
(LENGTH OF PIPE D6), part of the scenery (UNLOCKED DOOR D6), or even effectively create a new Supporting
Character (HANDYMAN D6), as if to say, this things important to the story.
Adding an Edge Die: You can spend a Karma to roll one of your banked Edge dice and add it to your total,
even after your opponent has rolled to raise the stakes.

The Gamemaster and Karma

Typically, spend Karma goes into a big pile in the middle of the table, in front of the Gamemaster. The
Gamemaster can spend Karma on his rolls too, but he doesnt have his own private supply the way players do.
Instead, when he spends Karma in a roll against you, he picks up a Karma from the pile and slides it over to you.
Whenever you get Karma like this, keep it separate from the Karma you already have. You cant use this Karma
until the current action has been resolved and the dice are set aside.
Earning Karma
Karma is useful, but you only start any given Run with one. How do you get more? Well, when the Gamemaster
wants to spend Karma for one of his Supporting Characters, he has to hand one over, but there are other, more
painful ways to get them.
Whenever you roll a 1, the Gamemaster might hand you a Karma to activate that Complication. So while you
might not have rolled so well and the situation just got a little hairier, at least it nets you some Karma. Complications
start at D6, but the Gamemaster can use any additional 1s that you or others roll to step up the Complication.
You also get Karma whenever you use a Distinction as a D4, or you use one of your Traits rated at a D4 in your
Action Pool. So if you have a MUSCLE D4 or an ALERTNESS D4 and use that in an action, you get a Karma for being
so reckless (and interesting).

Character Creation

So youre making your character for a high-octane game of Shadowrun, Great! Shadowrunners are fairly quick to
make, and this process is geared to get you playing as soon as possible.
The first thing you need is a concept. Are you some sort of elite martial artist? A cyberspace outlaw? Street
samurai with your own violent code of honor? Think of a few words to describe your Runner, and then move on to
your Traits. If you want to be a metatype other than a baseline human, this should be part of your concept from the
beginning, as should whether or not you want your character to be Awakened (that is, to possess magical powers).
Next, assign your Attributes. Your six Attributes are AGILITY, ALERTNESS, INTELLIGENCE, STRENGTH, VITALITY,
and WILLPOWER. Assign them in one of these two ways: one at D10, four at D8, one at D6, or two at D10, two at D8,
and two at D6.
After this, you assign your Roles. Roles are the core of attempting action in Shadowrun, and they cover a wide
variety of situations that Shadowrunners get into on Runs. They are very broad, more about mindset and the high
concept of actions rather than a specific set of skills. When you talk about doing something, youll describe the
action and the Gamemaster will tell you what Role that requires. Pick one Role (your Primary Role) at D10, one at
D8, one at D6, and two at D4.
Choose three Distinctions. These are short phrases, statements, or even just a single word that describes how your
Runner is set apart from others. They can come from your characters background, personality, physical features, or
whatever else you consider important about the character. Distinctions are dual-purpose Traits: they can be used as a
D8 Trait or a D4 Trait in any dice roll, depending on whether the Distinction might contribute to your success or get
in your way. If you choose to use a Distinction at D4, you gain a Karma. Your first Distinction is your High Concept,
a statement of who you are and what you do; if you are a metatype other than human, or if you possess magic, you
must include that as part of your High Concept. The other two Distinctions can be whatever you like, but the ideal
Distinction is one that can be used reasonably well at either D8 or D4.
Next come Specialties. Your character starts with two Expert Specialties ( D8) or one Master Specialty (D10). Each
Specialty is linked to one of your Roles.
Select two Signature Assets. These are pieces of gear or friendly Supporting Characters that aid your character on
a regular basis. You begin with two Signature Assets, both at D6.
Finally, choose or create two Talents. If a Talent is associated with a Role, you need to have a D10 in that Role to
take the Talent.

Metatype
In the months leading up to the birth of the Sixth World, way back in 2011, millions of children suffered from
inexplicable birth defects. These children looked like the elves and dwarves of human legend, and in 2021 they were
joined by millions of adults who underwent gruesomely painful physical transformations into creatures that
resembled orks and trolls. Study in the decades since has determined that these individuals are not freaks of nature,
but rather the genetic expression of mystical beings who seemed totally human during the low-magic ebb of the
Fifth World. Whatever the cause, these four new sub-races have joined with old-fashioned vanilla humans in the
grouping that modern folk refer to as metahumanity.
If you want your character to be human, then you dont really need to do anything except note it down on your
character sheet somewhere. Humans are still a racial majority in all of their diversity and color. If you want to be an
elf, dwarf, ork, or troll, then you need to include it in your High Concept Distinction somewhere. This might be as
simple as TROLL BRUISER or as complicated as ELVEN MAGICIAN OF TIR TAIRNGIRE.
Picking a metatype other than human alters your Attributes, increasing some and reducing others. This can
increase an Attribute as high as D12 and reduce one as low as D4. This can potentially lead to a very powerful
character in one aspect, or to one with a crippling hindrance in another, so be sure that you want to deal with that.
Additionally, each metatype has some basic innate abilities that are covered by taking them as part of your concept
(like the fact that dwarves can see in the dark, or that elves are generally more likeable than humans).
Humans: No change. Humans are the baseline race from which others measure their differences.
Dwarf: Step up VITALITY. Step back AGILITY.
Elf: Step up AGILITY and INTELLIGENCE. Step back STRENGTH and VITALITY.
Ork: Step up STRENGTH. Step back INTELLIGENCE.
Troll: Step up STRENGTH and VITALITY. Step back INTELLIGENCE and WILLPOWER.

Awakening and Cybernetics

In the Sixth World, most people have at least a few implants. Bare minimum, its hard to access your local Matrix
without a headjack. Some people still prefer to keep their bodies pure, however, so they only interact with the
virtual world through AR goggles and gauntlets. Some people actually have a decent reason for this beyond thinking
putting wires in your head is creepy.
Magic is a real force in the Sixth World. It reshaped politics and thinking back at the beginning of the century, and
continues to influence the way people live even now. Theres a lot of theory about magic, but the most important
thing is this: magic flows from life force, from what you might call your soul. Magic items exist, but all of them
were enchanted by a living, breathing person who used a bit of his life essence and willpower to breathe a false life
into those objects. Healthy people generate a lot of life force, which can then be shaped by their intellect and will,
depending on whether theyre doing ritual magic or sorcery on the fly.
The upshot of all of this is that people who cut away chunks of their body to replace with machines have a harder
time interacting with magicthough not being blasted by it, unfortunately. People with cybernetics have a hard time
using magic, and those with extensive implants cant use it at all. Conversely, people with strong magical talent
often have a hard time in the modern world, since they cant use a lot of the basic cybernetic conveniences that
define life in 2075.
If you want your character to be Awakened, just include his magical abilities as part of his High Concept. The
basic sorts of magical talent are Adepts (people who enhance their bodies or minds with instinctive magic) and
Magicians (people who learn spells and use them). This divide is sometimes thought of as interior magic and
exterior magic. Technical folks divide Adepts up into Physical Adepts and Mental Adepts, while Magicians can
be thought of as Ritualists and Sorcerers, depending on the individuals personal preference for the development of
their talent. Your Distinction might call you a RAT SHAMAN or ORK PHYSICAL ADEPT, but keep track of it. There are
also plenty of Talents that can enhance your spellcasting ability.
While characters with extensive cybernetic enhancement have a real advantage over most non-enhanced folks, the
price of cutting away pieces of their soul can take its toll. If you want your character to be cyber-enhanced, there are
Talents for that, but you should also include it as part of your High Concept. Something like RAZORGIRL or CYBER
SAMURAI would be a good place to start.
After making this choice, you need to take the basic Talent that goes with your selection. If you want to use
magic, take the Awakened Talent; if you want high-grade cybernetics, pick Augmented.
Actions, Scenes and Beats

Runners take lots of actions over the course of a Mission, and they roll the dice a lot, so it's incredibly important to
get a sense of what those die-rolls mean so you know when to roll and when not to.
The flow of the story can be broken down into scenes, as anyone whos taken high school English and read some
Shakespeare knows. Scenes can be further broken down into chunks called beats, and an action is a characters
attempt to do something (usually involving rolling some dice), typically over the course of a single beat. These
concepts are the basic building blocks for creating a narrative from scratch; they also provide us with tools to take
apart a narrative and see what makes it tick.

Beats
A beat is basically the smallest dramatic unit of the story. If two characters exchange a password, that's a beat. If a
Runner picks a lock, that's a beat. If a Runner hides behind a dumpster as thugs run past, that's a beat. If a Runner
spends hours researching a problem, that's a beat. The trick is that it doesn't matter how long or short the activity is,
but how simple it is.
A Runner may spend all night developing a piece of malware to attack the bad guys firewall, but it's a single beat
because it can be boiled down to My Runner writes some code. In contrast, within the span of thirty seconds,
another Runners scaled a wall, picked a lock, and evaded a laser tripwirethree separate beats.
Scenes are composed of several beats and represent a complete event, like a meeting or an attempt at breaking and
entering. There's no real way to say how many beats make up a scene since that can depend a lot on the dice, but it
may be as few as one and as many as, well, a lot.
The important part is this: each beat corresponds with an opportunity to roll the dice, or take an Action. This gives
you a gut sense of the scope of the outcome, and hopefully that comes across clearly in the breakdown. A Runner
takes an Action to spot the thugs (success), then takes one to try to slip away unseen (failure), attempts to hide for a
moment (success), then hacks the car (success).
What types of Action youre taking, however, can vary based on the nature of the beat and what the Runner is
trying to do. Which leads us to the next section.

Taking Action
Youve already read about standard Actions, where one side sets the stakes and the other tries to raise them.
Thats a Basic Action and its the most commonly used Action in the game.
There are other types of Actions that are frequently used in a Mission: the Contested Action, in which two (or
more) characters exchange dice rolls to escalate a conflict; the Timed Action, which is really multiple Basic Actions
in a row against the clock; and the Flashback Action, which is a variation of the Basic Action that reveals useful
Assets in the present. But more on them later.

Variations on Actions

Some examples of Basic Action variations include the Notice Action, the Role Action, and the Ritual Action, but
anything you can imagine taking place in one beat with a specific end-goal counts. Lifting a wallet, cracking a code,
knocking a guard unconscious, or scaling a wall might all be suitable Basic Actions. Most of the time, the
Gamemaster is the one who calls for these Actions, which is why he rolls his dice first to set the stakes.

Notice Actions
Anytime you want to get a read on somebody, case a scene, spot something out of the ordinary, or generally just
use your senses, youre rolling a Notice Action. Generally, these are based on ALERTNESS, but you could make a
case for INTELLIGENCE or WILLPOWER if the situation is more about putting two and two together ( INTELLIGENCE) or
ignoring a lot of distractions and remaining focused ( WILLPOWER). The situation also tells you which Role to roll in.
For instance, if its sizing up a bad guy, its MUSCLE. If its computerbased, its TECH. The Gamemaster usually
calls for a Notice Action, though its just as valid for a player to ask for it. The stakes for a Notice Action are set by
rolling a straight 2D6unless the Gamemaster decides otherwise.
 With a successful Notice Action (you roll higher than the Gamemaster), you gain some crucial information or
gather some useful intel. Most of the time you can use this as justification for a cool Asset in a later scene. If you
spend a Karma after you succeed at your Notice Action, you can bank the Asset until you need it, rather than using it
in the scene youre in. For instance, if you see that the bad guys second security thug is a twitchy kind of guy, you
could bring in NERVOUS NUMBER TWO D6 in the next scene, once you confront him.
With a failed Notice Action, youre not standing there staring out into space, but you wont be able to get anything
useful for later. If you dont beat the stakes set by the Gamemaster its business as normal, essentially. Some Talents
specifically work with Notice Actions.

Role Actions
Like other Basic Actions, the Role Action is a single roll of the dice to really exploit something a given Role is
suited for. In this case, though, the Runner using a Role Action is setting the stakes, as opposed to trying to beat the
stakes the Gamemaster sets. With a Role Action, the oppositions a Supporting Character. Role Actions set up the
situation in such a way as to make further actions more successful. One of the most common is the Face Action,
based (obviously) on the FACE Role.
A Face Action starts with adding FACE to the Action Pool. Then, its a matter of choosing WILLPOWER (for forcing
your impression on the opposition), ALERTNESS (for sensing the right moment or exploiting the oppositions tells),
or INTELLIGENCE (for a display of knowledge, facts, or logic). Roll the dice, spend any Karma, and when youre
done, youve set the stakes. The Gamemaster has to roll higher than this to win.
The opposition to a Face Action (or any Role Action) is a character, who the Gamemaster usually rolls for with an
appropriate Trait based on resisting what the Runner is trying to do, plus a die for how difficult it is for the Runner
to impress the Supporting Character. If the Gamemaster doesnt raise the stakes set by the Runner, the Role Action
works. If the Gamemaster does raise the stakes, it just means you didnt really make an impression, set up the
situation, or move things along.
Like a Notice Action, when you succeed at a Role Action you can spend a Karma to bank an Asset for a later
scene. This means that not only is the opposing character going to have some opinion of you (good, bad, whatever),
but you get to bring it in the next time you cross paths.

Contested Actions

Sometimes another character actively opposes what youre trying to achieve, to the extent that the purpose of the
Action is about seizing advantage or getting an edge over the opposition. Contested Actions go back and forth, each
side trying to raise the stakes higher until only one side can come out on top.
A Contested Action takes place over a single beat, but its a struggle, not a single maneuver. You can string
multiple Contested Actions together to represent multiple beats in a scene; each time one side might give in, losing
ground. Of course, as soon as one side is taken down, the scene is probably overunless more opposition comes out
of the woodwork. The best example of a Contested Action is the Fight Action, though its easily expanded to cover
everything from dueling with laptops to engaging in a furious argument. See Contested Action Variations later in
this section.

Fight Actions
Many fights are resolved quickly with a Basic Actionone side rolls the dice and sets the stakes, the other rolls to
beat them, and a winner is determined. Not necessarily dramatic, but for criminals, this is serious business and best
dealt with in a serious fashion. Still, every now and again you'll face a situation where the conflicts a little too
intense to just cruise through it. In these cases, you'll want to jazz up the scene a little bit by making it a Fight
Action.
Fight Actions use whatever Attribute and Role combination seems appropriate, as well as any Assets,
Complications, Distinctions, and benefits from Talents that apply. Most brawls are STRENGTH + MUSCLE, for
instance, while a firewall-smashing duel would be INTELLIGENCE + TECH. Gunfights are normally AGILITY +
MUSCLE, while a battle of wills where the first one to make a slip dies might be WILLPOWER + BRAINS.
Complications that come up in the course of a Fight Action reflect the slip-ups, injuries, and other twists of fate in
any face-off. Most last until the end of the Fight Action, getting in the way, but some might stick around longer.
 A Fight Action always starts with one side picking up dice because they think its time to throw down. If its
unclear which side is initiating the Fight, or if more than two sides are involved, all sides roll their dice and the one
that gets the highest total has set the stakes. The other sides can then choose to either give in right away (This aint
the fight for me!) or roll to raise the stakes. This continues back and forth until a combatant gives in or it becomes
impossible to raise the stakes any further.

Winning the Fight

As soon as youve raised the stakes high enough that your opponent isnt able to beat it with his own total (or
acknowledges that its impossible), youve come out on top. Your opponents been Taken Outknocked out,
incapacitated, tied up, buried under a mound of furniture, deeply embarrassed, whateverand hes out of the action
for the remainder of the scene.
If youre the one who lost, your Runners at the mercy of the Gamemaster and the bad guys who won. Generally,
this leads to a scene where your Runners stuffed in a locker, strapped to a chair in the bad guys warehouse by the
docks, or some other nasty situation. As far as the Mission goes, things may have gone completely south if youre
out of the picture and your Crew has to come and rescue you. At the Gamemasters discretion, losing a fight in this
manner may inflict a Complication on you (see below).
You can automatically take down somebody by raising the stakes by 5 or more (an Extraordinary Success). This
only works with a single opponent, however; if theres a mob, this translates to taking down multiple goons in one
go. See Ganging Up later in this section.

Giving Ground: Taking a Complication

After any beat in a Fight Action, if you think youre going to lose the next beat and you dont want to be taken
down, you can instead choose to give groundthat is, take a Complication (or step up an existing Complication
thats appropriate). You have to decide this before you roll dice to raise the stakesyou need to make the decision
before the dice leave your hand.
When you give ground, the other side wins the exchange, but you get to walk (or jump, or fall) from the scene,
taking only a D6 Complication as a consequence (like BLOODIED D6 or EXHAUSTED D6). That Complication lasts until
the end of the next scene, unless you take care of it earlier, and the Gamemaster decides what the Complication is.
You can, if you like, choose not to leave the scene but shift to somewhere else within it. Say you spent one beat
going at it with the hired heavy in the stairwell, but he kept the advantage and you chose to give in. You take that D6
Complication and move the fight to the parking structure, starting another Fight Action in the next beat. Of course,
now the hired muscle has an extra die to roll thanks to your Complication. You sure you want to keep this up?
Complications taken in a scene can become Injuries, at the Gamemasters discretion.

Complications and Injuries

While it may seem a little unrealistic that a guy beaten half to death in a fight can come out of it smelling like
roses, thats life in 2075 for you, chummer. Pretty much every Runner worth a tin damn knows a street doc to sew
up his injuries or has a nano-factory in his liver to patch up any internal bleeding or can beg a favor off the Rat Spirit
to keep him from ending up dead in a gutter. Everything has a price, though.
If you give in during a Fight Actionthat is, actively choose to not attempt to raise the stakesyou are Taken
Out with no further issues. Youre driven off, captured unharmed, or knocked out with just a nasty lump to show for
it, depending on what your opposition wanted.
If youre Taken Out after raising the stakes, things become a little more serious. The Gamemaster can choose to
give you a Karma to inflict a Complication on you that lasts until the end of the next scene youre in. This represents
general bumps and bruises, flesh wounds, and the like. Essentially, for taking you out, the Gamemaster gets a free
Opportunity to use against you.
Should you have already given ground to take Complications instead of losing a fight, it can become downright
dire. Normally, your Complications escalate in a fight. You cant (for example) take BLOODIED D6 and BRUISED D6
on separate exchanges; you would instead just upgrade BLOODIED to D8. If youre Taken Out after suffering a
Complication from giving ground, the Gamemaster can instead give you a Karma to turn your Complication into an
Injury. Enemies can use Injuries against you like Complications, Injuries cannot be stepped up with player
Opportunities or stepped back with GM Opportunities.
Taking an Injury sometimes involves renaming it, such as from BLOODIED D8 to INTERNAL BLEEDING D8. An
Injury doesnt go away on its own. Instead, it sticks around until the character spends a scene devoted to getting rid
of the Injury, usually involving a VITALITY roll against a difficulty die + the Complication die. If the character raises
the stakes against the Injury, it steps back by one; he can attempt further medical treatment in future scenes. If he
gains an extraordinary success, the Injury is stepped back and turned into a Complication again.
A poor sad bastard who pushes his luck too far and has a complication at D12 when hes Taken Out has real
trouble coming his way. The Runner cant give any more ground; the next time someone raises the stakes against
him, hes Taken Out. The Gamemaster can inflict an Injury on him for free, and this is considered a Mortal Wound.
If a Mortally Wounded character does not seek treatment immediately, he gains the DYING D6 Complication. At
the start of any scene where the character does not seek medical treatment, or in which medical treatment fails to
step back his Injury, the Complication steps up. Should the Complication step past D12 before the Injury is healed,
the Shadowrunner bites it, buys the farm, goes to the big Sprawl in the skyhes dead, Jim. This is pretty much the
only way a Runner can die short of the GM and player agreeing on it as a narrative consequence. And lets face it,
you pretty much brought this one on yourself.

Ganging Up
Supporting Characters often gang up in the desperately misguided belief that more thugs are somehow more
dangerous. You'd think they'd learn, but no amount of evidence seems to be able to persuade them. So, as long as
they keep doing it, here's how you handle it. Each additional opponent adds a single die to the oppositions dice pool
equal to the highest Trait they could use in the fight. This doesn't change the number of dice added together to set or
raise the stakes (its still two), just the number of dice rolled. The most common example of this is a gang of six
THUGS D6, which amounts to a roll of 6D6 (first thug is D6, each additional thug adds another D6, so its 6D6).
Every time you raise the stakes against a side thats got multiple assisting characters, you also knock one of their
dice away and they dont provide any more help. This represents whittling away the opposition, one ugly mook at a
time. If you happen to raise the stakes by 5 or more with an Extraordinary Success, you take out two of the extra
mooks instead of taking down the whole mob. Once you get down to a single opponent, though, no more dice get
knocked off.
You and your fellow Runners can gang up in the same fashion, handing over a single die of the appropriate type to
the player whose Runner is leading the charge. This is risky because if the opponent raises the stakes, that die gets
removed, and the Runner is taken out (as if he had lost the fight). Most Runners find this risk is a good argument for
letting the professionals do their jobs. Even if you help a Runner out on one roll, though, you can always choose to
drop out before the dice are rolled to raise the stakes next time.

Contested Action Variations

Using the Fight Action rules above, you can also model other kinds of conflict. The only things you need to
change are the Attributes and Roles involved, and what the Complications and consequences are for giving in.
Remember, each time youre rolling those dice to raise the stakes youre doing something to swing the contest in
your favor. You can even switch out the Attribute and Role youre using if you think the next move you make is a
different tack.
Examples of other Contested Actions include seizing control of a computer network from a rival Tech,
outsmarting a rival Brains tactics, successfully lifting a wallet or security pass from a guy that another Sneak is
trying to pickpocket, or even getting another Face to slip up and out herself in front of a room full of cops.

Timed Actions

Hey, many hands make light work, right? Especially when youre trying to beat the clock. When you do a Timed
Action, the Gamemaster determines the opposition youre facing and how much time you have. Timed Actions use a
series of Basic Actions, either several of the same kind (INTELLIGENCE + TECH, for instance) or a series of different
Basic Actions based on attempting something that has different steps ( AGILITY + SNEAK, then ALERTNESS + SNEAK,
then INTELLIGENCE + FACE).
The number of Basic Actions (the Gamemaster setting the stakes and you trying to roll higher) depends on the
time limit the Gamemaster puts into place. The times measured in beatsthe more beats, the longer you have. Each
time you roll the dice, you lose one beat. Use checkboxes or tokens to keep track of beats.
Its a countdown, because youve only got a finite amount of time; once thats gone, youre done. If you raise the
stakes, it only costs you the time you spent. An Extraordinary Success means you found a shortcut and dont lose
any time at all. Dont lose a beat for that roll. If you fail to raise the stakes, that part of the action took too long, and
an additional beat is lost. Move on to the next stage of the Timed Action.
 Running Out of Time: If you run out of beatszero or lessyoure out of time, and probably got caught in the
act. You might have a chance to escape, depending on the situation, but you arent able to finish your objective. The
Gamemaster should have something in mind for when this happens, but if he doesnt, feel free to suggest something
to the group and see what happens next.
Completing the Action: When the Gamemaster finishes with the obstacles planned for that Action and you
succeed with time left, youve achieved your objectives (including a clean getaway, if thats what youre looking to
do). If you succeed but have zero beats left, you have to choose between a clean getaway and achieving your
objective.
Buying Time: If youre running dangerously low on time, the rest of the Crew might be able to help you out.
They can make a Basic Action of their owncausing a diversion, trying to delay the Mark with conversation,
eliminating some security guardsand with a success, they give you back one of the beats youve lost. If they get
an Extraordinary Success, its two beats. Failure means that Runner cant help any more for the rest of the Timed
Action. No matter what, only one attempt at buying time can happen in between each step of the Timed Action.

Flashbacks

Flashbacks are one of your best tools in successfully completing a Mission. Theyre a more advanced form of
dramatic editing than using Karma to create Assets, as they essentially rewrite some of the story so far to make
things turn in your favor.
A Flashback creates an Asset and fills in some of the story, thereby changing what is true about past events. To
use a Flashback, somebody has to trigger it, either one of the Gamemasters Supporting Characters (How do you
plan to get out of this one?) or another Runner whos in the scene with you (I sure hope you did that thing
earlier.) You can then describe a brief monochromatic flashback moment of your Runner doing something, hand a
Karma over to the Gamemaster or the player who triggered the flashback, and youve got a D6 Asset you can roll
into your next action.
If you dont have anybody around to trigger the flashback for you, you can still make use of a Flashback. You
hand over a Karma to the Gamemaster, like normal. In this case, however, you also have to roll for it. Describe the
scene, but now roll dice appropriate to the Action you took in the past. The Gamemaster rolls his own dice to set the
stakes, based on the situation (usually its D6 +D6, but it could be more than that). If you raise the stakes, you get the
Asset to use in the current scene. If you fail, you dont, but youve still introduced that reveal. Its up to the
Gamemaster to explain why it doesnt necessarily help you out, even though it happened.

Advancement

While Shadowrunners start with as competent, experienced professionals, they change and grow during the course
of the Runs they take on happen during the game. Each time your Runner completes a Run, make a note of the
Runs name on your character sheet. (A good Run should have a cool name, like The Maltese Falcon Job or
Shadowrunning with the Devil.) This is the Runners Record, and over time it provides history of the Runners
accomplishments.

Callbacks
The Runner may use the Record to make callbacks, references to events from other Runs that may be useful
towards the current Run. To make a callback, the Runner makes a reference to a Run in her Record while
performing a task. While the name of the Run might be referenced explicitly, its more stylish to say something like
This is just like that time with Renraku
When a callback is used in this way, the character may gain a benefit immediately for anything that a Karma could
be used for. You can only make a callback once per session, and the other players should agree that the callback is
relevant in some way.

Training Up
A Runner can spend Runs from her Record to make permanent improvements. A spent Run remains on the
Record, but can no longer be used for callbacks or to train.
Add a Signature Asset: 1 Run
Add a new Specialty or increase an existing Specialty: 2 Runs
 Add a new Talent: 4 Runs
Step up an Action Trait (including Attributes and Roles): 8 Runs

Training can happen anytime during downtime between Runs. Other Changes Sometimes, Runners are changed
by the events, or players are no longer satisfied with options they have selected for their Runners. If you want to
adjust your Signature Assets, Distinctions, or Talents, discuss with the GM some ways to change that make sense
and is mutually agreeable.
Talents

Brains Talents

Absent-Minded Professional
Your mind is constantly running, always generating ideas and working through complex problems. The downside
with such a mind is that you miss things like important dates, social cues, and coordinating outfits.
Role: Brains
Activation: You make a roll that includes your INTELLIGENCE die.
Effect: You may choose to add a D4 to the roll. If you do so, you add together the three highest rolling dice for your
result, rather than the highest two.

Chess Master
Your favorite technique for getting things done is to get your mark to do himself in, using his own strengths against
him.
Role: Brains
Activation: The Gamemaster activates a Complication against a Runner with whom you are in contact. You must
spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: Describe how the Complication actually aids you in this moment. Turn the Complication into a d6 Asset
during this scene. The Gamemaster gets it back as a Complication when the scene is over, stepped down one die. If
the Complication would become a d4, it is instead removed.

Data Miner
You see patterns where others discern only random facts.
Role: Brains
Activation: Two or more Assets are in play during one scene and youre in contact with your crew. You may use
this Talent only once per scene.
Effect: You may step up a single Asset by one, while stepping back another Asset by one. You cannot step up an
Asset above D12. An Asset stepped down to D4 is eliminated.

Elementary, My Dear
You can hyper-focus on the smallest details for use later.
Role: Brains
Activation: You use BRAINS in a Notice Action, and spend a Karma to bank an Asset for later, related to something
youve observed.
Effect: Write down the Asset, hidden from everyone else. You cannot use the Asset in the current scene. When you
reveal the Asset at a dramatically appropriate moment in a later scene, step it up.

Master Plan
Unexpected problem? Think you didnt plan for that? Think again.
Role: Brains
Activation: BRAINS is one of the dice in your roll, and the Gamemaster gives you an Opportunity.
Effect: For each Opportunity the Gamemaster gives you, you may turn a 1 of your own into a 2.

Overwatch
You are always aware of which Agents in your team could use some extra help.
Role: Brains
Activation: Youre in voice contact (facetoface or electronically) with the other Runners in your team.
Effect: Any Runner youre in contact with (including yourself) can spend Karma to give a die to any other member
of your team youre in contact with (also including yourself).

Perfectionist
You insist on looking at all available data before going ahead with a plan. Youre suspicious of anything based on
shoddy research. Sometimes this costs you precious minutes, but minutes well spent.
Role: Brains
Activation: You start a Timed Action.
Effect: You may choose to have one fewer beat to complete your Timed Action. If you do, you may add D8 to all of
your rolls involving your BRAINS die.

Sea of Calm
When everything goes to hell, thats when you step up and pull the team together.
Role: Brains
Activation: Any Runner that youre in contact with fails a roll thats part of a Contested Action or a Timed Action.
Effect: The next Runner that youre in contact with to make a roll may add your BRAINS die to the roll.

Stay on Target
You encourage your crew to ignore distractions and keep their goal in mind.
Role: Brains
Activation: The Gamemaster rolls a Complication die as part of a roll against a Runner youre in contact with. You
must spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: You nullify that Complication, eliminating it for the duration of the Job.

This is How It Happened

Once you have the pieces, you can solve the puzzle.
Role: Brains
Activation: You trigger a Flashback and pay the Karma as usual.
Effect: Add a D8 to your roll. Additionally, you may use this Flashback to establish a Complication for an opponent
rather than an Asset for yourself.

Turnabout is Fair Play

You use your oppositions power against him.
Role: Brains
Activation: The GM uses a Complication die in a roll against you. Spend a Karma.
Effect: You take that Complication die and add it to your own roll as an Asset. Step it up by one if your description
of how it helps you rather than hurts you involves a quick flashback scene.

Face Talents

Cash Flow
Sometimes you need cred in a hurry. Spending a little time with the hoi-polloi lets you grift a few nuyen here and
there.
Role: Face
Activation: You spend at least a half hour in a populated area doing nothing but working the locals.
Effect: You create a D6 Asset involving a sudden influx of petty cash without spending a Karma. This Asset lasts
until the first time you use it.

Cold Read
You gain startling insights into someone you just met.
Role: Face
Activation: You are using your FACE die in an action against someone you have just met, and the GM rolls an
Opportunity.
Effect: The GM provides you with a useful detail about the character you are rolling against.

How YOU Doin?

Youre really good at seduction, but be carefulyou never know how someones going to react. Flirting can
backfire.
Role: Face
Activation: Youre trying a Face Action against someone whos attracted to your gender in a flirtatious or seductive
manner.
Effect: If you wish, add an extra d10 to your rollbut if you do, you must also add a d4.
Master of Disguise
Your disguises are so convincing that you seem to be an entirely different person.
Role: Face
Activation: You are in disguise, talking to a character whom you have talked with before as another identity.
Effect: You always gain an extra d6 to pass as someone youre not while wearing a disguise. The GM may not
invoke a Complication against you to see through your disguise.

Slip of the Tongue

You use the Marks words against him like a martial arts master.
Role: Face
Activation: Youre rolling your FACE die in a Face Action that involves speaking to a Supporting Character, and the
Gamemaster gives you one or more Opportunities.
Effect: You may ask the Fixer a question about the character youre rolling against, which the Gamemaster must
answer truthfully. The Gamemaster may answer vaguely, especially if the question requests finely detailed
information (Whats his System Identification Number?).

Takes One to Know One

You can spot a liar better than anyone.
Role: Face
Activation: You are using a Notice Action to judge whether someone is lying to you.
Effect: Add a d8 to your Notice Action to sense a lie.

Wanna Buy a Watch?

Youre good at crude, street-level cons. Inelegant, but petty criminals pull this stuff for a reasonit works.
Role: Face
Activation: Youre pulling a basic scam on someone: false-injury, 3-card-monte, pig-in-a-poke type cons. Pulling
the functional equivalent as part of a more elaborate scam counts.
Effect: You gain an extra d6 on the roll, assuming youre targeting an allegedly sophisticated and savvy mark not in
a street setting. If it is a straight-up street con, its a d8 rather than d6.

Muscle Talents

Anything is a Weapon
If you can get your hands on it and swing it, it can do damage.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre engaged in a Fight Action, and youve spent a Karma to gain an improvised weapon Asset.
Effect: Step up the Asset (d12 maximum).

Dirty Fighter
You shot first.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre taking your first roll in a Fight Action. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Add a d8 to your first roll in a Fight Action. If the GM rolls an Opportunity against you in the first roll,
increase that die to d10 for subsequent rolls; otherwise, decrease that die to a d6. You keep this die for the rest of the
fight.

Frightening Weapon
Try staring down a guy with a chainsaw. Go ahead. I dare you.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre armed with an appropriate weapon (such as a chainsaw, pickaxe or other truly intimidating
object) and make a Face Action to intimidate a foe.
Effect: You may add your MUSCLE die to your Face Action. If you succeed, you can add your FACE die in all of your
Fight Actions with that opponent for the remainder of the scene.
Haymaker
You drop your guard and swing for the fences. Be carefuleven if you connect, you might be off balance.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre engaged in a Fight Action. You need to announce that youre activating the Talent before you
roll dice to set or raise the stakes.
Effect: For the next beat in this Fight Action, step back your MUSCLE die rating by one and add a d4 to your roll. If
you successfully raise the stakes, it counts as an Extraordinary Success even if you didnt raise the stakes by 5 or
more.

Home Turf Advantage

The streets are your home, and you know them like the back of your hand.
Role: Muscle
Activation: You have more familiarity with your current location than your opponent. Spend a Karma for extra
effect.
Effect: Gain a free D6 Location Asset. If you spend a Karma, step it up to D8.

I Can Kill You with My Mind

Youre not just tough; youre smart, and you fight that way.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre in a Fight Action, rolling MUSCLE as one of your dice. You must spend a Karma to activate this
Talent.
Effect: Add your Intelligence die to your roll, and include a third die in your result.

Kendo Training
The Japanese art of the sword is very popular in 2075, taking the place of fencing among aficionados.
Role: Muscle
Activation: When you take a Fight Action with an appropriate weapon (a katana, wooden training sword, or
suchlike) and youre using STRENGTH in your pool.
Effect: You can add your AGILITY die to your pool if you step back your STRENGTH die. This doesnt allow you to
include an extra die in your result. For example, if you have STRENGTH D10 and AGILITY D6, you could roll a D8 and
D6 instead of the D10.

Put That Gun Away

Heavily armed opponents dont scare you.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre in a Fight Action where the Gamemaster is rolling a bonus die related to the opposition being
armed with guns. You must spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: You disarm your opponent(s), removing the bonus die. This bonus die remains out of play for the remainder
of this scene, and possibly longer if theres no narrative justification for the opposition rearming themselves.

Street Samurai
As long as he holds to his code of honor, a samurai never stands alone.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre engaging in a Fight Action, youre outnumbered, and the GM gives you an Opportunity. Spend
a Karma for extra effect.
Effect: Remove one of the dice the GM gains from outnumbering you. You may spend a Karma to remove to
remove a second die.

Suppressing Fire
If you put enough bullets in the air, one of them is bound to hit something.
Role: Muscle
Activation: You are engaged in a Fight Action and armed with an automatic firearm. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Until you run out of bullets (such as from a Complication), all enemies in the current scene must make a
choicecount one fewer die in their total for Fight Actions, or you may take a D10 Asset and count an additional die
in your total.
Tactical Eye
Youre a good one to have around in a fight, even if youre not the one doing the fighting.
Role: Muscle
Activation: Youre in the same scene as another Runner, and one of you is in a Fight Action.
Effect: When the opposition gives you or another Runner an Opportunity, whichever of you is not in the fight may
lend his MUSCLE die to the one in the fight, who immediately adds it to the current roll, recalculating the result if
necessary.

Threat Assessment
You can size em up.
Role: Muscle
Activation: You successfully use a Notice Action against a Supporting Character. Spend a Karma for extra effort.
Effect: You identify any of the Supporting Characters Traits rated at d10. If you spend a Karma and have a bit of
time to study the Supporting Character, you also identify any Traits at d4.

Sneak Talents

Aerialist
You can work several stories above anything you can easily stand on without breaking a sweat.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre hanging from a windowsill, repelling from a helicopter, walking a high wire, suspended upside-
down six stories over a concrete parking lot, etc. Spend a Karma for additional effect.
Effect: Add a d8 to any roll made under such circumstances. Also, spending a Karma nullifies Location Traits
related to being up high, swinging from a rope, and so on that work against you for the duration of the scene.

Hotwired
Youre good at getting things to workor stop workingunder serious pressure.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You enable or disable something as part of a Timed Action.
Effect: Add a D8 to your next roll in the Timed Action.

In Plain Sight
When it comes down to the wire, you like to hide things in public placesspots where everyone will look, and no
one will see.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You conceal something during a beat in a Timed Action.
Effect: Add a D8 to your rolls for the remainder of the Timed Action, but any Complications that arise from the
Timed Action start out as a D8.

Meticulous
A clean crime scene is a happy crime scene.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You roll a 1 while stealing or breaking and entering. You must spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: You may reroll all 1s on the current roll.

No Sweat
You shine when under a crunch.
Role: Sneak
Activation: SNEAK is one of the dice in your roll during a Timed Action.
Effect: Add an extra d6 to your roll. If you beat the stakes for that beat, the beat takes no time off, just as if you had
scored an Extraordinary Success.

Packrat
Youre an expert at fitting a lot of stuff in a really small space, and no ones quite sure how you manage it.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You create an Asset with a Karma.
Effect: You can hide really large and unwieldy tools in the weirdest placeslike keeping a katana under a trench
coat or pulling out a hidden gun while stripped naked.

Perfect Timing
Folks set their watches to you.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You are performing a Timed Action.
Effect: Gain an extra d8 to your roll.

Pickpocket
No wallet, keycard, or mobile phone is safe from you.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre making a roll including your SNEAK die to steal a small item without being noticed, including
during a flashback.
Effect: Add an extra d8 to your roll.

Safecracker
Youre aces at opening locks and cracking safes, old-school style.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre making a roll including your SNEAK die to open a safe, locked door, key-driven engine ignition,
or similar piece of retro technology.
Effect: You gain an extra d8 on the roll.

Safekeeping
Once youve got your target, you make sure no one can take it from you.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre being searched or scanned for contraband.
Effect: Even if incapacitated or otherwise disabled, you can oppose the Notice Action using SNEAK. If youre
conscious and able to take actions normally, you add a D8 to the roll.

Security Consultant
Youve been at this so long that one quick tour of a building lets you seeand fixany security holes that might
prove problematic if someone breaks in.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You make a Notice Action for purposes of scouting a building to protect it from another criminal.
Effect: You may add a D6 Complication to the building based on your observations (whatever you choose those to
be). Spend a Karma and its a D8 Complication. For you, this is an Asset, but after the first time you use it, it goes
away.

Silent Entry
Whether its because youre a contortionist, or youre little, or both, you have a knack for squeezing into tiny spaces
in complete silence and without leaving a trace.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre making a roll including your SNEAK die, and the roll involves crawling through an HVAC duct,
squeezing between bars, squirming through a tiny window, or the like.
Effect: Turn every d4 in your pool into a d6, for this roll only. For each Opportunity the Fixer gives you, convert a 1
in your own roll into a 2.

Steady Hands
An imprecise Sneak is a dead Sneak.
Role: Sneak
Activation: SNEAK is one of the dice in your roll, and the GM gives you an Opportunity.
Effect: You may reroll one of your dice for each Opportunity the GM gives you.

Stockholm Syndrome
Youre a specialist in kidnappingsmaybe the kind where you expect a ransom, and maybe the kind where you
extract corporate slaves from their masters. Either way, youre an expert in building a quick rapport with stolen
people.
Role: Sneak
Activation: Youre calming down a person youve kidnapped or a stolen animal.
Effect: Replace your FACE die with your SNEAK die for purposes of getting the score to trust you and keep quiet.

Takes One to Know One

The best way to find a thief is to send another thief to look for him.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You make a Notice Action to try and spot other criminals in a crowd or public space.
Effect: Add a D8 to the roll.

Urban Camouflage
Anything can provide cover. Youve pretended to be a mannequin, sat on a bench reading a newspaper, hidden
behind a tree, even clung to a ceiling in an elevator. Youre always surprised that no one ever looks up.
Role: Sneak
Activation: You are actively concealing yourself from another person during a Contested Action. You must spend a
Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: During each turn, until the end of the Contested Action, you may reroll a die.

Tech Talents

1337 Hacker
Youve never met anyone as good as you at hacking.
Role: Tech
Activation: You are using your TECH die in a roll opposed by another metahuman involving a computer system.
Effect: Add a d8 to your roll.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Youre an expert at cracking communication systems.
Role: Tech
Activation: Youre making a roll including your TECH die, and the roll involves hacking the targets
communications: eavesdropping on phone calls and encrypted radio traffic, intercepting emails, etc.
Effect: You gain an extra d8 on the roll.

Drone Rigger
Your can summon forth a short-lived drone to assist you in minor combat, investigative, and other simple tasks.
When taking this Talent, choose a Distinction that applies to your drones. You can change this up between missions.
You can only have one active drone at a time; creating a new drone makes the previous go inactive.
Role: Tech
Activation: Spend a beat activating a drone. You may spend a Karma for extra effect.
Effect: You can summon a drone at any time. It uses 2d6 in any actions, as well as its Distinction. Spend a Karma to
create an overcharged drone. It uses d6 and d10 in any actions, as well as its Distinction. As well, in a combat
action, you can sacrifice the drone to add a third die to its total.

Gadgeteer
You are sure to equip everyone in your team with some extra tech just in case.
Role: Tech
Activation: Spend a Karma.
Effect: Give another member of your team an extra d8 Asset by reminding him of the sweet piece of gadgetry you
gave him.

ICEman
Youre better with automated systems than people.
Role: Tech
Activation: You are using your TECH die in a roll opposed by an intrusion counter-measures program rather than a
live person.
Effect: Add a d8 to your roll.

Inspired Genius
And to think they called you mad
Role: Tech
Activation: You make a roll with TECH that involves a hard science like physics or chemistry.
Effect: You may add a d8 to the roll and include one more die in the result. You dont gain any Karma for any
Complications that arise from this Action.

Limit Break
You are damn good in a pinch.
Role: Tech
Activation: Another Runner is taking a Timed Action and youre rolling to buy time for them using your TECH die.
Effect: If you succeed in buying time for the Runner, they may add your TECH die into their next roll in the Timed
Action.

PDQ Rembrandt
You have an artists eye, and youre quick about it.
Role: Tech
Activation: Use your TECH die in a roll involving creation of forged artwork, documents, or photographs, including
temporary SINs.
Effect: You complete the task in a fraction of the usual time: hours rather than days, or minutes rather than hours.

Phisher
You have a knack for learning phone numbers, SINs, and passwords just by casually watching someone manipulate
a phone or keyboard.
Role: Tech
Activation: Youre in the same scene as a Supporting Character when he uses his commlink or interacts with the
Matrix.
Effect: You automatically succeed when you attempt to access the same system that you watched the Supporting
Character access, unless there are automated software defenses or other such countermeasures. Either way, the
character doesnt notice you observe him. If you encounter countermeasures, you gain an extra D8 to overcome
them.

Science Genius Girl (or Boy)

You won the science fair. And possibly a grant. At age 15. You blind people with science.
Role: Tech
Activation: You make a roll including TECH that involves physics, chemistry, biology, or other hard science.
Effect: You may add a D8 to the roll and include one more die in the result. You dont gain any Karma for any
Complications that arise from this Action.

Shut Down All the Garbage Mashers on the Detention Level

Youre an ace at manipulating the physical environment with your digital skills.
Role: Tech
Activation: The Gamemaster includes a Location Trait die in his roll against a Runner youre in contact with. You
must spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: You permanently negate that Location Trait, removing it from play for the remainder of the Run.

Vehicle Rigger
Youre right at home behind the wheel of any kind of vehicle.
Role: Tech
Activation: Youre making a roll to control a vehicle.
Effect: You may add your ALERTNESS die to the roll and include one more die in the result. If youre already using
your ALERTNESS die, add a D8.

Wireless Warfare
You know how to manipulate the Matrix to affect your enemys gear.
Role: Tech
Activation: You are engaged in a Contested Action against a foe using cybernetics or wireless accessible weapons.
Spend a Karma.
Effect: Step back your opponents highest die. If your opponent rolls an Opportunity when you use this Talent, that
die remains stepped back for the rest of the scene.

General Talents

Augmented
You have gone beyond the limits of the metahuman condition by filling your body with bioware, cyberware, and all
sorts of other augmentations.
Role: Any.
Activation: None. This Talent is always active.
Effect: Select one of your Signature Assets. If that Asset is a piece of cyberware, permanently increase it to D8.
Otherwise, you gain a third Signature Asset at D6 which must represent a piece of cyberware.
Special: You cannot have this Talent and the Awakened Talent.

Awakened
You have tapped into the innate flow of magic that runs through all living things.
Role: Any
Activation: None. This Talent is always active,
Effect: You can use Notice Actions to sense spirits, magical essence, and otherwise magically concealed objects and
creatures. You are considered Awakened and may take Awakened Talents.
Special: You cannot have this Talent and the Augmented Talent.

Chewing the Scenery

Role: Any
Activation: FACE is a die in your roll, the roll represents your attempt to pose as someone youre not, and Face is
not your primary Role.
Effect: You may add your primary Role die to your roll.

Hawkeye
You have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox.
Role: Any
Activation: Youre making a Notice Action. Spend a Karma for extra effect.
Effect: Gain an extra d8 to your roll. Spend a Karma to make it a d10.

Heart of the Team

You have a strong rapport with your teammates.
Role: Any
Activation: Youre in the same scene as another Agent.
Effect: You may share (give or accept) Karma with that other Agent. No more than 3 Karma may change hands
through the use of this Talent per scene.

I Just Work Here

Youre good at pretending to be a faceless worker bee, deflecting attention from yourself.
Role: Any
Activation: Youre posing as someone of no consequence in a scene where a Supporting Character; examples
include posing as wait staff at a party, a random guest at a wedding, or a customer in a bank or a shop.
Effect: If you later need to pose as someone else or try a Face Action, any Supporting Character who saw you
previously wont remember your face. If, in the original scene, something happened to remove your veil of
anonymity (youre introduced to him, you noisily spill a tray of drinks, or you, I dunno, stab him with a fork) then
all bets are off.

Right Place, Right Time

You have a knack for being where you need to be.
Role: Any
Activation: Spend a Karma.
Effect: You can place yourself in any scene that didnt already have you there, and you give an extra d6 to the next
roll that you or another Agent makes in that scene. You cant activate this Talent if youre heavily engaged
elsewhere.

SINner
You have a collection of fake IDs, blank licenses, and other ways of getting things you need.
Role: Any
Activation: You are making a Face Action to acquire a piece of legally restricted gear or cross borders.
Effect: You add an additional D8 to the roll and keep a third die for your result.

Street Doc
You stitch people up in the street for fun and profit. Maybe you even have a medical degree!
Role: Brains, Tech
Activation: One of your allies that you can communicate with is about to be Taken Out through physical violence or
has suffered an Injury. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Your ally can add your Primary Role die to his roll to avoid being Taken Out, or a roll to recover from an
Injury.

The Direct Approach

You can apply maximum pressure to a situation, but often at the cost of increased fallout.
Role: Any
Activation: You are taking an action using your primary Role. You must spend a Karma to activate this Talent.
Effect: Add both a d10 and a d4 to your dice pool.

Unusual Fighter
You have an unpredictable fighting style.
Role: Any
Activation: Youre engaged in a Fight Action, rolling MUSCLE as one of your dice. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Add your highest Attribute die that youre not already using to your roll.

Augmented Talents

Armor Plates
You have Kevlaror maybe something even tougherlaced into your muscles and bones, protecting you from
harm.
Role: Any
Activation: You are making a roll to avoid physical harm from violence, such as being shot or stabbed. Spend a
Karma for extra effect.
Effect: Add a D6 to your roll. If you spend a Karma, your opponent loses his highest die for the roll, but you suffer a
Complication due to your cybernetics overloading.

Combat Simulator Implant

You can calculate force and angles with a supercomputer in your brain.
Role: Any
Activation: Youre in a Fight Action and your opponent is about to roll to raise the stakes.
Effect: You can choose to sacrifice a die from your own pool to remove an equal or smaller die from the opponents
roll, replacing it with a D4.

Cyber-Eyes
You chromed up your orbs real good. Who need meat in their eye sockets anyway?
Role: Any
Activation: You make a Notice Action against a target not concealed with magic or augmentations.
Effect: You automatically succeed on your Notice Action. You suffer a D6 Complication against any attempt to
conceal something from you by AR hacking.

Skillsoft Implant
You can download basic information on just about any skill with a few moments, but the conflicting impulses of
your own meat brain sometimes get in the way.
Role: Any
Activation: You may activate this Talent at any time, once per Run.
Effect: You may replace one of your existing Specialties with a different one. The change is permanent, or at least
until you use this Talent again in a later Run.

Thermoptic Camouflage
You have a chameleon neta set of implants that let you bend light around your body, effectively making you
invisible.
Role: Any
Activation: You are using your SNEAK Role in an attempt to go unnoticed. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Any Notice Action to reveal your location fails unless the character rolls an extraordinary success.

Wired Reflexes
Your nervous system is jacked up so far you damn near vibrate.
Role: Any
Activation: You are using your AGILITY Attribute to avoid an attack or perform an action where speed is more vital
than accuracy.
Effect: You may choose to reroll your AGILITY die after seeing your total. You have to take the second result.

Awakened Talents

Astral Warding
You know how to protect yourself from spirits and attacks from the Astral plane.
Role: Any
Activation: You are attacked by an incorporeal spirit or a magical attack that travels through the Astral.
Effect: Add a D8 to your roll to defend yourself. Additionally, if you are the subject of an attack with the Mind
Control Talent, you may spend a Karma to negate the effect; you are then immune to that Talent for one day.

Hermetic Lodge Initiate

You are skilled at working magic in the comfort of a sanctum or mystic circle.
Role: Any
Activation: You are performing a magical ritual in a sanctified space or other area with a magical Location Asset.
Effect: Step up the Location Asset and keep an additional die for your total.

Mental Adept
Your magic is channeled to improve your mind past metahuman limits.
Role: Brains, Tech
Activation: You are engaged in a non-magical action that uses ALERTNESS, INTELLIGENCE, or WILLPOWER as an
Attribute and fail to raise the stakes. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Reroll the dice pool you just used and add a D6. You may not use this Talent again if you fail to raise the
stakes a second time.
Mind Control
You know how to override an opponents will with your own.
Role: Any
Activation: You are engaged in a Fight Action against a living opponent using your WILLPOWER Attribute, and your
opponent is Taken Out.
Effect: Rather than being rendered unconscious, your opponent is now mind controlled. You can choose to make
that opponent perform any single Basic Action you wish, but it must occur before the end of the next scene.

Physical Adept
Your magic is channeled to improve your body past metahuman limits.
Role: Muscle, Sneak
Activation: You are engaged in a non-magical action that uses AGILITY, STRENGTH, or VITALITY as an Attribute and
fail to raise the stakes. Spend a Karma.
Effect: Reroll the dice pool you just used and add a D6. You may not use this Talent again if you fail to raise the
stakes a second time.

Spirit Shaman
You have a special rapport with spiritual entities.
Role: Any
Activation: You make a Face Action to commune with spirits, or you spend a Karma to create a spirit-based Asset.
Effect: Add a D8 to your communion roll, or your Asset starts at D8 instead of D6.

Racial Talents

Drown Your Sorrows [Dwarf]

Dwarves have a reputation for being big drinkers.
Role: Any
Activation: You are making a VITALITY roll to avoid the effects of poison, including being drunk.
Effect: Add a D6 to your roll. If you fail to raise the stakes, you can always choose to take a Complication rather
than being Taken Out, if the effect would normally do so.

Pain is Strength [Ork]

You are a master of turning your perceived weakness against your enemies.
Role: Any
Activation: You are suffering a Complication rated at D6 or higher. Spend a Karma.
Effect: For your next action, treat your Complication as though it were an Asset instead. Step up your Complication
after resolving the roll.

Stone Skin [Troll]

The tough hide of a troll can shrug off nearly any amount of harm.
Role: Any
Activation: You fail to raise the stakes in a Fight Action.
Effect: You do not have to relocate the fight after taking a Complication. Your opponents cannot use any injury-
based Complication rated D6 or less against you in a Fight Action.

Superior Charm [Elf]

No one can deny the suave of an elf.
Role: Any
Activation: You are making a Face Action involving seduction, charm, or friendliness and your opponent fails to
raise the stakes.
Effect: Step up your banked Asset.