Chapter One: Bad DreamsPlayer: Dorsidwarf
Luck: 10
Class: Driver (Cars): +2 to driving cars.
Spells:
Boar's Roar. Using this, you can temporarily turn yourself into a building-sized boar for a short period of time (four turns).
Kit:
The Bootlegger (Car). A lovingly maintained muscle car you've had for years. Seats four people, unlike most muscle cars. Takes a lot of damage, giving -1 to enemy attacks.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10.
Burden: You haven't made any progress in getting revenge.
Challenge Rating: Speed Junkie / Level 1.
Player: Dwarmin
Luck: 10
Ritual: 10.
Class: Driver (Cars): +2 to driving cars.
Kit:
Tetsuo (Motorbike). A Japanese motorbike you stole as a way of escaping captivity but ultimately decided was well worth keeping. Goes fast, is a nice shade of red, and is just generally fancy. +1 to outrunning other cars.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a month.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10.
Burden: Your mother Ashley is okay. Your father hasn't made any demands so far.
Challenge Rating: Speed Junkie / Level 1.
Player: Tiruin
Luck: 10
Ritual: 10.
Class: Robber (Stealth): +2 to sneaking.
Kit:
Tear-Gas Sprayer. Homemade tear gas in a spraycan. When sprayed in someone's eyes, stuns them for a turn if they don't dodge it. Three uses before it needs recharging.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $15
Burden: Your sister Rachel is okay. You haven't made any progress in figuring things out.
Challenge Rating: Petty Thief / Level 1.
Player: Wolfchild
Luck: 10
Spells:
Trail on the Wind. When in a dangerous situation, you can transform yourself into a trail of fabric which is shot up into the air, then floats away into a less dangerous area. However, this causes one point of luck to be knocked off.
Class: Hacker (Long-Range). +2 to hacking long-range.
Kit:
Overclocked Computer. You modified this computer to do things operate faster then suggested. You can activate overclocking to get a +1 to hacking. However, every turn it is on, a roll is made for damage. If the roll fails, the computer shuts down and the overclocking stops.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10
Burden: Your sister Darla is okay. You haven't made any progress in finding out what's going on.
Challenge Rating: Script Kiddy / Level 1.
Player: Tsuchigumo550
Luck: 10
Ritual: 10.
Class: Hacker (Long Range). +2 to hacking long-range.
Kit:
Elaborate Proxy. You have a lot of links to a lot of servers, throwing off tracing. -1 to rolls to trace you.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $15
Burden: Your friend Leon is doing okay. You haven't made any progress in figuring things out.
Challenge Rating: Script Kiddy / Level 1.
Player: Lawastooshort
Luck: 10
Ritual: 10.
Class: Thug (Firearms). +2 to using firearms.
Kit:
The Homebreaker. A sawn-off shotgun. Short range, but does a hell of a lot of damage. +1 against people up close.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10
Burden: Your daughter Chloe is doing okay. You have not made any progress in your vow.
Challenge Rating: Scumbag / Level 1.
Player: Flying Dice.
Luck: 10
Spells:
The Red Death. For a turn, people are affected by a very nasty plague that gives -3 to all activities. However, you will lose one luck point from the plague, as it's damn lucky that you aren't hurt by it.
Class: Robber / Stealth. +2 to sneaking.
Kit:
Forget-Me-Stick. A pipe that is particularly heavy. When it gets a major success (18-20) or if the target is unaware of you when you strike, then the target is instantly knocked out for 1d20 turns.
Lifestyle: Lowlife. Rent is $20 a week.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10
Burden: Your little sister Elizabeth is doing okay. You haven't made any progress in securing your family's future.
Challenge Rating: Petty Thief / Level 1
Player: Harry Baldman
Luck: 10
Ritual: 10.
Class: Dealer (Supply). +2 to finding supplies at cheap prices.
Kit:
Modified Mobile. A phone that has been modified to be hard to trace. Talk all you want about illicit deals and drugs on this phone, the cops just can't hear you.
Job: Pays $5 per successful working day.
Cash: $10
Burden: Terrace is doing okay. You have not made any progress in getting a decent life.
Dwarmin, Tsuchigumo550, Lawastooshort, Dorsidwarf are in.
You get an email from an anonymous source.
"You have accepted our assignment. Here is the basics.
We have a data consultant who is removing the files from our network. However, an extremist neo-anarchist group named the "Drama Queens" is attempting to extract a misguided attempt at vengeance for a set of extremely unlucky circumstances. Thus, we are hiring you as security consultants to secure our property from these criminals. You will be paid for your efforts. As these are criminals, feel free to use lethal force against them. We believe the attack may occur very soon, so please attempt to log onto this website OskarssonInc.com with the name Security and the password Fdagad45745GGrr553190irtYoo5563$5 or proceed to the Oskarsson Building at downtown ASAP.
Delete this email after you receive it. You have never received an email of this kind if any officials ask you."
Stretch my legs, and head out to...check my mail! And probably browse our company's local website on how to get a promotion.
You head down to the cafe and read up at your company's website. [7/Bad Failure] The customer's section is full of typical aspirational bullshit and the employee's section is full of typical corporate bullshit. Apparently you can get promoted by "giving it your all", but you're not really sure what you're doing wrong because you've been giving it your all every day and not a single promotion has even locked eyes with you. [6/Bad Failure] As for your email, it's full of the usual penis enlargement ads and Nigerian Princes.
Also undertake Recession Transgressions with whoever else is in. Before doing so, make sure I have plenty of ammo. Put the shotgun in my black canvas bag. Arrange someone to take care of Chloe for the evening cos I have to work a sudden extra shift at the restaurant.
You get a friend to look after Chloe for the evening. Looks like it's time to begin. You load your shotgun and hide it, then get ready for action.
Also, make sure to check my apartment for any 'surprises' that might have been left by my clumsy intruder-either electronically bugs or magical doodads.
[19/Major Success] You find a bug under your bed. You fiddle with it a little, but then suddenly it buzzes and you hear your father's voice, and Cepheus, your chief of police brother.
"I could send a SWAT team after her." said Cepheus. "Say they accidentally shot her in the head. She's nothing but trouble, dad."
"Yes, I could do that. I could also rip you to pieces and erase your soul from existence right this second. And why don't I do that?" says the voice of Malcolm. "Because, my son, that wouldn't accomplish anything. She's useful for now."
"She's going to put a bullet in your head, and you know it." said Cepheus. "And that goddamn Farah and her freaky pirate buddies are way too close to getting in here, they could get to Kat real fast."
"As I said. For now she's handy to have in reserve... Maybe if she stopped listening to what's meant to be a private meeting, she'd continue to be useful."
"What the hell?" said Cepheus. "Ah goddammit! Kat, you little bitch! I'm warning you, Listen to my mike for five more seconds--"
You quickly shut off the bug. You decide not to do that again.
Check on the job details, including anyone else that may be involved
[20/Major Success] You check up with your contacts and they give you a lot of info, which is a nice change of pace then usual. Looks like Jakob Haynes, Kathryn Fry, Ben Miko, and Derya Nithra are in on the job Recession Transgressions.
Haynes didn't need long to think. He needed cash, and he wanted a lot of it. Plus, there was the bonus of getting to whack up the Drama Queens. He'd never liked them, not at all, and this could be a chance to get even. That evening, after washing and shining down his car, he headed out to talk to Ivana again.
He had work to do.
Take Recession Transgressions along with the others. Put the cat out. Cancel the milk
You put the cat out, but refrain on canceling the milk because the milk service stopped coming to your part of town. Mainly because their milk floats kept got firebombed by the kids around here. You live in a really, really bad neighborhood.
Ask around for news on open jobs tomorrow after taking Elizabeth to school. Push for further details on them, but not too hard. If time permits, scout out local businesses for potential small-time robberies. Make sure to take time to walk 'Liz home. It's a shame that there aren't any buses that run near our apartment, and it eats up time, but there's no way in hell my little sister is walking alone through the heart of this cesspit.
[13/Minor Success]You first walk around the area around your home. There's a pawn shop that picks up a lot of cash. However, there's a security system and there is metal shutters on the windows that go down at night. However, even if you can't get the safe open, you have a lot of options for valuables. You decide to consider it later and go to talk to one of your old business buddies, Electra. Used to be a Drama Queen but she got tired of it, so now she's a professional arsonist, burning down houses for a split in the insurance money. You hang out with a cup of coffee, and she gives you the update on jobs. There's a few going, and one involving that fat cat Oskarsson has a pretty big crew and a nice pay. You say your goodbyes, then head back home to consider.
While waiting, attempt another MMO hack, but go for a small game with an online shop this time. It needn't be an obvious money-grab, but definitely nothing that many people play. Focus on getting in quietly- if I can't drop a keylogger in, just try to leave the backdoor open rather than smash everything like I did last time.
Lastly, look into various martial arts based around fighting multiple foes, and possibly focusing on non-lethality.
Angel Tips
While hacking a computer, there is three types of action you can take.
Aggressive: Gives a +1 to your hacking attempts, but gives a +1 to detection rolls. This type of action is directly and aggressively hacking the system, being extremely obvious but with the benefit of directness. You aren't faffing about with stealth, which frees up your mind to hack the system.
Covert: Gives a -1 to your hacking attempts, but gives a -1 to detection rolls. This type of action is quietly and stealthily hacking the system, being less detectable but with the drawback of precision. You have to concentrate to make sure you aren't being traced.
Defensive: You don't do anything, but you roll to raise your camo by one. While this is done, there is no detection roll. This type of action is playing innocent by doing things a regular user would do, throwing off the system but having the drawback of inaction. You can't do anything illegal when you're playing the "I'm just a normal user, don't mind me" routine.
Detection rolls are made by the system every turn (Well, depending on the camouflage state).
Major Failure: Camouflage goes up by one. Won't promote to admin status.
Bad Failure: Nothing happens.
Minor Failure: Nothing happens.
Minor Success: The next detection roll gets a +1.
Good Success: Camouflage goes down by one.
Major Success: Camouflage goes down by two.
Defensive Rolls are made by players to bring up Camouflage.
Major Failure: Camouflage goes down by one.
Bad Failure: The next detection roll gets a +1.
Minor Failure: The next aggressive action means the detection roll gets a +1.
Minor Success: Camouflage goes up by one.
Good Success: Camouflage goes up by two.
Major Success: Camouflage goes up by three OR Admin access is given (Depending on the situation).
Camouflage measures how safe you are within the system before it starts tracing you.
Admin means you are considered the admin of the system and will not be traced. However, whenever you do an aggressive action, a detection roll is made with a +1. This cannot be reached unless you get a major success (a 5) on a defensive roll at a Defensive roll.
Undetected means you are not be traced and are considered a normal user. However, whenever you do an action that isn't defensive, a detection roll is made.
Tracking means you are considered suspicious by the system and are being tracked. Whenever you do an action that is not defensive, you get a -1.
Impeded means you are being stopped by the system from hacking. Whenever you do an action, you get a -2 to it. If you fail the next detection roll, then you are being Traced.
Traced means you are being traced by the system. After three turns, you roll to avoid getting locked out of the system. After this, you have to choose to either spend a Luck point or start drawing Heat in order to continue hacking.You go to another website, Zombies8You. Pretty okay game, you've played it a few times. Has a feature involving becoming a hero in-game or something. You go to the store selling special game features and carefully make a backdoor in the source. [2/Major Failure + 1 = 3/Major Failure] [3/Major Failure - 1 = 2/Major Failure] You can't quite get the backdoor set up, but luckily the system doesn't seem to have twigged it just yet.
Review suppliers and markets available to me, check up on Terrance. In addition, wonder if my job as a valet has produced any valuable information for me to use for profit.
Terrace is doing okay for once, so he's nice to you. You ask him what the situation is, and he talks about the various markets and upturns going on in the wonderful world of illegal trading. Apparently he's really happy because he bought a crate of ecstasy a week ago, and now it's worth a lot because the government is cracking down on drug transportation from Europe to America, driving the price up severely. So, he has some extra cash to spend now.
Every number means the current price of one unit of the commodity.
Drugs
Party: 87
Stoner: 56
Hard: 50
Special: 98
Valuables
Stolen: 49
Ripoff: 28
Illegal: 70
Special: 24
Weapons
Explosives: 30
Guns: 95
Melee: 74
Special: 61
Services
Gangsters: 72
Whores: 18
Workers: 91
Special: 100
Cheerful now that he's cheerful, you consider your job as a valet. While you usually don't listen in on your customers mainly because you tune it all out, you try to remember anything useful that sounded interesting at the time. [13/Minor Success] You remember that big business guy, Fry whatshisface. He was in the hotel, talking to the chief of police about something as they got out of the car. Someone named Kathryn was mentioned. You just got your tip and opened the door for them. Probably should listen more.