NEGATIVE

 

Addiction

A character with the Addiction quality is hooked on chemical substances, such as street drugs (novacoke, bliss, tempo); technological or magical devices, such as better-than-life (BTL) chips or foci; or potentially addictive activities such as gambling or sex. Physiological Addictions affect the Body’s functions, producing pain, nausea, shakes, and other side effects that can impair the runner, particularly during withdrawal. Some possible effects of psychological Addictions include paranoia, anxiety, insomnia, poor concentration, mood disorders, and depression. Levels of addiction include: Mild, Moderate, Severe, or Burnout. Addictions get worse over prolonged periods of time without treatment. Each level of Addiction has a starting dosage level that tells the character how much of a substance or activity they must use for a craving to be sated. This level can be increased if the character has augmentations. The more severe a character’s Addiction, the more substance or time devoted to the activity he needs to satisfy his cravings.

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At the lower end of the spectrum for the Addiction quality (Mild, Moderate), it is easier to hide the effects of an Addiction. At the most severe levels (Severe, Burnout), there are noticeable physical and mental signs of Addiction. These signs negatively impact his Social Tests even if he is not suffering the effects of withdrawal.

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Mild (4 Karma)

1 dose or 1 hour of habit-related activity

Mild cravings occur once a month for the character. If a character fails his Withdrawal Test, he suffers symptoms of withdrawal and must actively seek out and use the substance or engage in the activity to find relief. On a run, this could mean delaying plans that the runner team may have meticulously put together for a job, especially if the character is busy gambling with a bookie or slotting a BTL instead of being available for the run.

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Moderate (9 Karma)

1 dose or 1 hour of habit-related activity

A craving at the Moderate level occurs roughly every two weeks.

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Severe (20 Karma)

2 doses or 2 hours of habit-related activity

The addiction is spiraling out of control. The addict experiences cravings once a week. It is all but impossible now for the character to hide his addiction, even when he’s had his fix. The physical and psychological symptoms of the damage caused by his Addiction are readily apparent to the close observer.

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Burnout (25 Karma)

3 doses/3 hours (minimum) of habit-related activity

Burnout is the final progression of the Addiction quality. The addict experiences cravings for their drug or habit of choice every day. Because his Addiction is now obvious to even the most casual observer, the character suffers whether he is in withdrawal or not.

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Common addictions: Better-than-life chips (BTL), Alchemical preparations, Alcohol, Street drugs, Foci, Augmentations.

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Cost: See type of addictions for cost.

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Allergy

A character with the Allergy quality is allergic to a substance or condition found in their environment. The value of this quality depends on two factors. The first is whether the substance or condition is Uncommon (2 Karma) or Common (7 Karma). Next, determine the severity of the symptoms: Mild (3 Karma), Moderate (8 Karma), Severe (13 Karma), or Extreme (18 Karma). Add the appropriate point values together to find the final value. For example, the value of an Uncommon Moderate Allergy (Silver) is 10 Karma (2+8 Karma).

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Uncommon (2 Karma)

The substance or condition is rare for the local environment

Examples

silver, gold, antibiotics, grass.

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Common (7 Karma)

The substance or condition is prevalent in the local environment.

Examples

sunlight, seafood, bees, pollen, pollutants, Wi-Fi sensitivity, soy, wheat.

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Mild (3 Karma)

Symptoms are discomfiting and distracting.

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Moderate (8 Karma)

Contact with the allergen produces intense pain.

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Severe (13 Karma)

Contact with the allergen results in extreme pain and actual physical damage.

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Extreme (18 Karma)

A character at this level, when exposed to the allergen, goes into full anaphylactic shock. The character is considered to be in excruciating agony.First Aid, Medicine, or magical means can stop the damage taken from the anaphylactic shock.

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Cost: Type + Severity

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Astral Beacon

The astral signature of a character with the Astral Beacon quality is like, well, a beacon — highly visible on the astral plane. The signature also lasts twice as long as it would without the Astral Beacon quality. Only characters with a Magic rating may take this quality.

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Cost: 10 KARMA

Requirements: Magical rating

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Bad Luck

This character is cursed — his own luck often turns against him.

 

Cost: 12 KARMA

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Bad Rep (Not available at creation)

A character with a Bad Rep quality has a dark and lasting stain on her reputation. She may be a former Knight Errant cop known to have been particularly brutal in dealing with shadowrunners. Or word on the street might be that she once killed a member of her own runner team. If she’s Awakened and comes from a polluted region, it may be generally accepted that she’s a toxic shaman. Whether she is actually guilty of any wrongdoing is not relevant. What people believe she has done has permanently tainted the way they see her and how they deal with her.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

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Codeblock

A character with the Codeblock quality always has trouble with a particular Matrix action. Codeblock only applies to Matrix actions. Characters cannot apply Codeblock toward hacking actions they are never likely to take.

 

Cost: 10 KARMA

Restrictions: Deckers only.

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Combat Paralyisis

A character with Combat Paralysis freezes in combat

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Cost: 12 KARMA

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Distinctive Style (Not available at creation)

A character with the Distinctive Style quality has at least one aspect of his appearance, mannerism, or personality that makes him inconveniently memorable. Choices for Distinctive Style include, but are by no means limited to: tattoos that cannot be easily concealed, an accent or atypical manner of speaking, bizarre fashion choices, scars, gang or prison signs, flashy custom augmentations, or non-metahuman modifications like a tail. Note that what’s distinctive in one culture or location may not be in another.

 

Whatever Distinctive Style the player selects makes her character easy to remember. This quality is physical in nature and does not apply to astral searches. This quality may only be taken once. This quality is incompatible with Blandness.

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Cost: 5 KARMA

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Elf Poser

The Elf Poser is a human character who wants to be an elf. She associates with elves as much as possible, talks like elves, and alters her appearance to resemble an elf. Characters with this quality may undergo cosmetic surgery to get elf ears and elf eyes, and they may successfully pass as elves and avoid any negative Social modifiers associated with being a non-elf.

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Real elves consider Elf Posers an embarrassment, many humans think of them as sellouts, and other metatypes generally consider posers to be pathetic. If an elf discovers the character’s secret, the elf is likely to treat her with contempt and hostility. An outed elf poser may also face stigma from prejudiced humans as a “race traitor.”

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Cost: 6 KARMA

Restrictions: Only human characters may take the Elf Poser quality.

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Gremlins

Characters with the Gremlins quality don’t get along with technology. Devices malfunction inexplicably, software crashes unexpectedly, vehicles refuse to start, components become unusually fragile at his touch, and wireless links suffer faltering connections and odd interference whenever he’s involved.

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Some examples of Gremlin-induced glitches include: the magazine falling out of a pistol when attempting a critical shot, a keypad inexplicably burning out while entering a code to disarm an alarm system, or the commlink interface converting to Sperethiel mid-sentence when attempting to access a restricted node.

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Note that Gremlins is a Negative quality—its effects hinder the character (and probably entertain others). The character cannot use his Gremlins quality to damage an opponent’s high-tech equipment merely by touching it. Anything the character attempts to sabotage using only Gremlins will function flawlessly. (Obviously, he can try any ordinary means of sabotage, but Gremlins will haunt his efforts.)

 

The effect only applies to external equipment and does not affect cyberware, bioware, or other implants.

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Cost: 4 KARMA PER RATING

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Incompetent (Only available at creation)

An Incompetent character possesses a total lack of knowledge or ability with a certain Active skill group—or, perhaps worse, they have some vague knowledge or the skills contained in the group, but they have neither the coordination nor the comprehension to come anywhere close to carrying it off properly. No matter how much effort they put into this area, they simply cannot grasp it—it would take a miracle for them to somehow, someday advance to the level of “poor” in those skills.

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Incompetent may not be applied to Language or Knowledge skills. The Incompetent character is treated as having skill level of “unaware” for all skills in the skill group.

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This should go without saying, but just in case: Characters may never choose Incompetent for any skill group that they are physically incapable of using. A non-magician cannot take Incompetent in Sorcery, Conjuring, or Enchanting; a non-technomancer cannot be Incompetent in a skill that requires Resonance; and so on.

 

Cost: 5 KARMA

Restrictions: Incompetent may be purchased only once.

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Loss Of Confidence (Not available at creation)

The Loss of Confidence quality means something has caused the character to lose confidence in himself and one of his abilities. Though a skilled decker, he failed to hack into a Stuffer Shack host, or despite high Agility, he glitched an easy Climbing Test and fell into a dumpster — whatever the reason, he now doubts himself and his abilities. If the character has a specialization with the skill, the character cannot use that specialization while suffering a loss of confidence. The skill chosen for the character to have a Loss of Confidence must be one that the character prides himself in and has invested in building. Only skills with a rating 4 or higher may suffer the Loss of Confidence quality.

 

Cost: 10 KARMA

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Low Pain Tolerance

Characters with Low Pain Tolerance are particularly sensitive to pain.

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Cost: 9 KARMA

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Ork Poser (Not available at creation)

Influenced by Goblin Rock or over-hyped orxploitation trends, an Ork Poser is an elf or human character who alters her appearance to appear as an ork. Various cosmetic biomods — tusk implants, steroids, larynx alterations, etc. — allow him to successfully pass as an ork. Ork posers are an embarrassment to many orks, but some tolerate, if not appreciate, the compliment behind the effort. This means an ork who discovers the character’s secret may either become very hostile toward him or be willing to let the character join the “family”—provided he passes an appropriate hazing ritual to prove his “orkness.” An outed ork poser may also face stigma from other humans or elves as “race traitors,” if those humans/elves harbor any prejudice against orks.

 

Cost: 6 KARMA

Restrictions: Only humans and elves may take the Ork Poser quality.

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Prejudiced

With this quality the character is Prejudiced against members of a specific group of people: metahumans, Awakened, non-metahuman sapient critters, or some other group. The character is not merely intolerant — he is outspoken about his beliefs and may actively work against the target of his prejudice. Depending upon the degree of prejudice, this quality can get the character into trouble for expressing his views or when forced to confront the targets of his prejudice.

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The Karma bonus granted by this quality varies depending upon how common the hated group is, how often the character is likely to encounter members of the group, and the degree to which the character is openly antagonistic toward them. Refer to the Prejudiced Table to determine the Karma value of the quality based on the prevalence of the hated group and the degree of prejudice.

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Prevalence of target group:

Common target group (e.g, humans, metahumans) 5 KARMA

Specific target group (e.g., the Awakened, technomancers, shapeshifters, aspected magicians) 3 KARMA

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Degree:

Biased (e.g., closet meta-hater) 0 KARMA

Outspoken (e.g., typical member of Humanis) 2 KARMA

Radical (e.g., racial supremacist) 5 KARMA

 

Cost: Prevalence + degree

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Sensitive System

A character with the Sensitive System quality has immuno-suppressive problems with cybernetic implants. Double all Essence losses caused by cyberware. Bioware implants, regardless of how they are grown or designed, are rejected by the character’s body. This quality works differently for characters who are Awakened and therefore never plan to take implants. Awakened individuals or technomancers remain fully capable of channeling mana or using Resonance, but they are potentially more susceptible to Drain or Fading.

 

Cost: 12 KARMA

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Simsense Vertigo

Characters who suffer from Simsense Vertigo experience feelings of disorientation whenever they work with augmented reality, virtual reality, or simsense (including smartlinks, simrigs, and image links).

 

Cost: 5 KARMA

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Social Stress

Whether as a result of loss or trauma or due to innate psychological makeup, the Social Stress quality burdens the character with emotions that interfere with his ability to interact with others. A specific cause and trigger for the Social Stress must be established. For example, if his Social Stress is caused by survivor’s guilt after the loss of a close friend, unexpectedly encountering someone who looks similar to the lost friend will heighten stress.

 

Cost: 8 KARMA

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Uncouth

The character with the Uncouth quality has difficulty interacting with others. He acts impulsively, overreacts to any perceived provocation, and tends to do whatever pops into his head without considering the consequences (i.e., flipping off Mr. Johnson, calling a drunk troll a “Trog,” or responding to casual trash talk from a rival runner by punching her in the face). Additionally, the cost for learning or improving Social Skills is double for Uncouth characters (including at character creation), and they may never learn any Social skill groups. Uncouth characters are treated as “unaware” in any Social skills that they do not possess at Rating 1 or higher.

 

Cost: 14 KARMA

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Uneducated

An Uneducated character is not mentally impaired — she just never had the opportunity to learn. Whether because she and her family were isolated squatters, or were SINless, or otherwise underprivileged, she was denied access to the education system. She has only a rudimentary knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Characters with the Uneducated quality are considered “unaware” in Technical, Academic Knowledge, and Professional Knowledge skills they do not possess, and they may not default on skill tests for those skills. Additionally, the Karma cost for learning new skills or improving existing ones in these categories is twice the normal rating (including at character creation), and it’s possible the character will never learn some skill groups belonging to these categories.

 

Cost: 8 KARMA

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Unsteady Hands

A character with Unsteady Hands has mild shakes that affect the dexterity and finesse in his hands. The condition could be physiological (an untreated genetic disorder or damaged nerves, for example), caused by psychological trauma, or even be symptomatic of age. Certain augmentations or medications can mask these symptoms under normal circumstances. Under more stressful situations in the course of the run, there is a chance the Unsteady Hands condition can reappear.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

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Weak Immune System

A character with a Weak Immune System has reduced resistance to infections and disease. A character with Weak Immune System cannot take the Natural Immunity or Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins qualities. A Weak Immune System often results from immune-suppression treatments used in cybersurgery and bio-genetic procedures, so it is reasonable to believe that characters that have undergone extensive body modifications are more likely to acquire this quality.

 

Cost: 10 KARMA

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Combat Junkie

The character just can’t keep from starting fights. His first solution is always fight, and so is his second, third, and fourth. If someone suggests more options than that to the character, they’ve probably been punched already. The point is, no matter what the actual plan is, this character will always look for a chance to get a little combat on.

This quality manifests in two different ways. If the character is in a stressful situation, they must make a Composure (4) Test in order to restrain themselves from just punching their way out of the situation. If they are following a plan and an unexpected event occurs, their first reaction will be to opt for violence unless they remember to stop and think about whether there might be a better option. The character is always free to just give into their violent instincts — and deal with whatever consequences follow.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

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Bi-polar

A character with this quality fluctuates between periods of depression, stability, and mania. Medication to stabilize Bi-polar characters is available at a cost of 500 nuyen a month, but requires a prescription and a SIN (a fake SIN is, of course, a viable option). Failing to take meds for more than twelve hours results in a die roll by the gamemaster. On the street, the meds go for 100 nuyen a dose.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

 

Big Regret (Not available at creation)

Mistakes happen. Sometime in the character’s past they did something serious that they regret; maybe they spent time as a bunraku puppet, maybe they were part of a major political affair, or they were involved in the wrong corporate project, but it has to be something truly unpleasant. The character decreases their Social Limit against anyone who knows about their past. This could result in a case of blackmail if the wrong person knows the truth.

 

Cost: 5 KARMA

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Computer Illiterate

There are characters who aren’t tech-savvy and characters who just don’t understand technology, and then there are characters with this quality. These characters have no experience at working with AR, computers, commlinks, and other electronic devices. They have difficulty performing even simple tasks such as making commcalls, sending e-mails, instant messaging, programming a trideo recorder, using a commlink, or doing a Matrix search.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

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Creature Of Comfort

For the character with this quality, the rewards of a job well done are the finer things in life. Unfortunately, one can quickly get attached to the comforts one has acquired, making the fall seem ever so higher. At the 10 Karma level, the character is used to a Middle Lifestyle, at the 17 level a High, and 25, it’s Luxury all the way, baby.

 

Cost: 10 (middle), 17 (high), 25 (luxury)

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Did You Just Call Me Dumb?

The character can’t resist camouflaging insults into well-spoken words. The character gets the satisfaction of feeling superior to everyone. Unfortunately, once in a while people will notice and get pretty upset.

 

Cost: 3 KARMA

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Dimmer Bulb

Maybe it was one too many hits to the head, maybe the character’s mother dropped her as a baby, or maybe she never got into that whole “thinking” thing, but whatever the cause, the character does not tend to shine in the mental arena..

 

Cost: 5 KARMA PER LEVEL (max 3 levels)

 

Emotional Attachment

The character has an irrational emotional attachment to a piece of gear. The character will always use this item, even if presented with a “better” option. Furthermore, if lost in some manner, the character will do everything in his power, up to and including risking his life and that of his teammates, to retrieve his item.

 

Cost: 5 KARMA

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Ex-con (Not available at creation)

Runners often brag that they’d go down in a blaze of glory before they let the pawns bring them down. The prison system is full of them. A character with this quality is fresh out of the joint and still on the legal leash, so they have several drawbacks.

 

First, the local police corporation has a full file and rundown on the character, including augmentations, magical training, known associates, biometric data, a material link, etc. This file is duplicated by the local prison corporation if they are different than the police force and is connected to their nice new Criminal SIN (sorry, no extra points there). Plus, the character cannot have any Restricted or Forbidden augmentations, as the prison system removes them to protect the other inmates and staff (and sell them to the black market).

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Second, the character is on parole and has to check in with their parole officer (PO) twice a week via the Matrix and once a week in person. Plus, the PO can choose to make a house call any time they want. Whether the gamemaster wants the character to have a sleazy or a squeaky clean PO is up to them, but each creates their own bundle of problems.

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Third, the character is known to be an ex-con and is limited in their choice of contacts. Street-level folks will still freely associate with the runner — hell, they might even commiserate while waiting in their mutual PO’s waiting room. Corp contacts will only associate with the character if they have a Loyalty Rating of 4 or higher, and law enforcement contacts only stick by the runner if they have a Loyalty Rating of 5 or 6.

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If the character ever gets past their parole or creates a new life for him- or herself, this quality must be bought off or replaced with other negative qualities of equal or greater value.

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Cost: 15 KARMA

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Pacifist

To hurt another is to mar the soul. This quality represents two levels of moral inflexibility that prevent the character from delivering, or allowing others to deliver, harm to another being. At the 10 Karma level, the character avoids violence not performed in self-defense. The character will not participate in runs involving wetwork and may try to dissuade other team members from doing so. Non-lethal attacks (gel rounds, tasers, flash-bangs, stun spells, etc.) are still considered “violent,” and may only be used in self-defense — after an opponent has clearly attacked the character, other team members, or innocent bystanders.

 

At the 15 Karma level, the character will not commit any violence regardless of provocation or threat to themselves or others. If the character commits any act of violence they are stricken with a powerful sense of guilt.

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Cost: 10 OR 15 KARMA

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Paranoia (Not Available at creation)

It’s only paranoia if they aren’t out to get you. In the shadows, being cautious is often mistaken for being paranoid, but there’s a dramatic difference between the two. A character with this quality truly thinks everyone is out to get her. The character also refuses to ever give out her address or any information on where she lives and must change living spaces every few months to ease their fear of being found.

 

Cost: 7 KARMA

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Signature (Not available at creation)

The origami swan can mean only one thing. For some reason, a character with this quality feels it is necessary to leave their calling card to announce their involvement in a job. The signature is usually some specific item, symbol, or technique the character uses that identifies their participation. For those who know the character and their signature, the signature is easily identified.

 

Cost: 10 KARMA

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Poor Self Control

Whether they’re a boaster, an adrenaline junkie, or just can’t stand disorder, characters with this quality span a variety of mental ticks that all boil down to the inability to control one’s actions. The Karma costs vary based on the threshold of the Composure test involved in restraining the character’s actions. The quality can be taken multiple times, but only once for each form of control issue.

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Braggart (5 Karma)

No one has ever done it bigger or better than her. The character will always try to top anyone else’s claims of success, even to the point of lying about it. This may result in them being ignored, considered infantile, or challenged to prove their superiority, but without a Composure (3) Test they won’t back down from the brag.

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Thrill-Seeker (4 Karma)

It’s all about the rush. The character will always take the most dangerous and risky option in any situation if they don’t succeed at a Composure (2) Test. There is a slight payoff, as the adrenaline rush provides a +1 to their Initiative Score for 5 Combat Turns (meaning that is how long the bonus lasts, not that the character gets an additional bonus each turn).

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Compulsive (4 To 12 Karma)

There is an order to all things that must be maintained, and the character feels the need to exert their sense of order on everything. The value of this mental malady comes from how severe the compulsion is and how much of a negative impact it can have on the character. Maybe she likes a tidy house, maybe she sees a necessary order to the items on the tables out in the world, or maybe she feels the need to practice her skills (be they hacking, casting, shooting, talking, stealing, sneaking, etc.) every chance she gets. The character must make a Composure (2) test to resist the compulsion. The base Karma value is (2 x threshold needed for Composure Test; must be from 1 to 4); then add 2 for things in the character’s personal environment (e.g., placement of furniture and minor appliances), 3 for a single aspect of the public environment (e.g., correcting bad apostrophes on signs, counting every Ford Americar they see), or 4 for a broad aspect of the public environment (e.g., touching every light post they walk by, hacking into every camera they see).

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Vindictive (5 Karma)

Though best served cold, the thought of vengeance sure makes your blood boil. No matter how small the slight, it cannot go unreturned, and the escalation factor must always be considered. An insult may be returned with a calm threat, a threat might get the same or may require a payment in pain, and any injurious assault must be brought back upon your enemies two-fold (or more). To resist the urge for instant payback, the character must make a successful Composure (2) Test, and even when resisted, the character must add the offender’s name to their hit list for the future.

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Combat Monster (10 Karma)

The red rage blinds to all but victory. A character with this quality loses much of her self-control once a fight has begun. She’ll fight until all her opponents are disabled, even if outnumbered and losing, unless she can make a Composure (3) Test to clear her head enough to break off the fight.

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Attention-Seeking (5 Karma)

The spotlight is the character’s natural habitat, like a fish in water—and she suffers just as much when she’s not in it. The character goes out of her way to be vivacious and gain approval from others. Unless

she succeeds at a Composure (3) Test, the character seeks to be the center of attention whenever possible (this may or may not include combat situations, at the gamemaster’s discretion).

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Sadistic (8 Karma)

As a child, the character bullied others and tortured small animals. As an adult, she’s moved on to inflicting pain and suffering on those around her, physical and mental, whenever she has the chance. A Composure (3) Test is required to stop from inflicting some form of pain whenever the character has the reasonable chance to do so without incurring danger, even when it might interfere with her own safety, like when the team’s face is trying to talk their way out of a firefight.

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Cost: 4 TO 12 KARMA

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Records On File

For every point of Karma spent on this quality, one of the Big 10 megacorps possesses a relatively up-todate record of the character’s SIN, biometrics, person al, and medical data. The gamemaster and player can work together to figure out why they have this data or the player can leave that mystery up to the gamemaster. The data provides the megacorp’s agents a +2 dice pool modifier for any tests made to identify the character through their records. Due to the proliferation and saturation of facial recognition and identification systems used by the megacorporations to track consumer habits, representatives of the selected megacorps also have a +2 dice pool modifier on tests to track down or locate the character whenever they are in an area with a C or better security rating. No character can have Records on File and Erased at the same time.

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Cost: 1 KARMA per rating (10 max)

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Wanted (Not available at creation)

It feels so good to be wanted, or maybe not. Though most runners are probably wanted for questioning in a few cases, this is something different. When the character takes this quality, they work out why they have a bounty or contract on their head. The bounty should be worth at least 25,000 nuyen, enough to tempt even one’s own “friends.” The character should have to frequently deal with someone coming for them or finding out about the bounty and using it against them.

 

If for some reason the bounty ever goes away, like the character is turned in or they clear their name, the quality must be bought off with Karma.

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Cost: 10 KARMA

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Curiosity Killed The Cat (Not available at creation)

Oooh, an encrypted file … you just know the data in it must be juicy! Let’s just take a quick peek, okay? The character has an unrelenting compulsion to grab protected data, crack it, and see what’s in it. Whenever the character encounters protected files, he must succeed in a Composure (3) Test (roll at 12 or higher) or attempt to Crack the File. The character is allowed to attempt to check if the file has a Data Bomb on it, and if so, to disarm it. However, the character cannot move on with his life until the file has been cracked and downloaded (he can read it later). Even if the character is in the middle of a host with IC trying to kill him and enemy hackers slinging at him, he will stop what he is doing and attempt to get that file.

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But wait, it’s not all bad! You get +2 dice to all Crack File tests.

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Cost: 7 KARMA

Restrictions: Decker only, Hacking skill of 3

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Latest And Greatest (Not available at creation)

The character just loves her tech. Really, really loves it. That is, until something better comes along. After all, the problem with getting things is that you get something you used to want, right? The character has an unstoppable desire to upgrade her gear. Every month, she must upgrade or buy a more expensive version of one of her most commonly used pieces of gear. For example, a hacker would seek to upgrade her deck or commlink. A street samurai would get a better, more expensive assault rifle, or, of course, cyber upgrades — such as the next highest rating of cybereyes with more accessories in it. Magic-users would want higher-rating focus or lodge. If all else fails, moving up to the next Lifestyle bracket is always an option.

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The character must spend at least sixty percent of her earnings on these upgrades. It is possible to earmark earnings for a specific purchase down the road if she’s saving up for a particularly shiny new toy, but this money is unavailable to the character until then.

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Cost: 5 KARMA

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Antipathy

Your parents always told you to think about how others feel, but whether you want to or not, you don’t know how.

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Cost: 9 KARMA

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Cyberpsychosis (Required with a Essence greater than 6)

Essence points lost from augmentations It’s said that as more of the body is replaced with chrome, heavily augmented individuals lose part of what makes them metahuman. Whether that’s true or not, having more augmentations does make it more difficult to relate to others. During any Social Test, if the character glitches, they act in an inappropriate manner or violently overreact to their situation. If the character suffers a critical glitch, they suffer a psychotic break, essentially becoming an NPC until such time that the gamemaster decides they’ve recovered.

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Note: Characters augmented heavily enough to risk cyberpsychosis may suffer negative social modifiers due to excessive augmentation. Any character with cyberpsychosis must also have the Antipathy Negative Quality to reflect the loss of empathy due to the disorder.

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Cost: 10 KARMA

Restrictions: Must all take Antipathy

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Cyber-Snob (Not available at creation)

There are augmentations, and then there are augmentations, chummer. If you’re gonna stick a chunk of metal or hunk of flesh inside your body, it’s going to be nothing but the best! A character with Cyber-Snob will not accept any augmentations of a grade lower than betaware. A character must have at least 1 point worth of Essence of betaware-grade cyberware or bioware to be able to take this quality.

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Cost: 12 KARMA

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Dead Emotion (Not available at creation)

The character has abused BTL-level moodsofts and can no longer feel one specific emotion (e.g., happiness, anger, fear) under any circumstances. The player and the gamemaster are highly advised to work together to select the emotion, figure out how this will affect the character, and plan how it should be played out.

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Cost: 5 KARMA

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Implant-Induced Immune Deficiency

Cyberware and bioware users sometimes suffer from a number of health problems as the natural balance of their metabolisms is thrown off by modified organs and systems. The demands of their augmented biologies and the body’s continuous attempts to adjust to the implants can lead to decreased immunity to pathogens, poisons, and other compounds.

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Cost: 5 KARMA

Restrictions: This quality is only available to characters with bioware or cyberware implants and an Essence of 5 or less.

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Lightweight

On the bright side, this quality means it’s easy, and cheap, to get drunk. On the downside, it takes far less to get a person addicted to the various types of chemical drugs on the market.

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Cost: 6 KARMA

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So Jacked Up (Not available at creation)

The character is deep down the road of artificial mood enhancers, whether those are BTLs or chemicals. The character has basically lost the ability to regulate her own moods and must alternate between mind-benders to get cranked up or bring herself down.

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While the character is encouraged to use drugs such as cram, deepweed, and so on (using the description to determine if it’s an upper/stimulant or a downer), this is not strictly necessary, as the character can be assumed to be on generic upper/downer pharmaceuticals. In any case, the effect of this quality is that the character must decide whether she is “up” or “down” ahead of time. It takes thirty minutes to switch between conditions. Having the wrong mood at the wrong time can cause embarrassing social issues (for example, being on an up mood while at an oyabun’s beloved son’s funeral, or being down in basically any combat situation).

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Cost: 10 KARMA

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Tough And Targeted (Not available at creation)

The character is well-known as one of the biggest badasses on the streets. However, one way to make a name for yourself on the streets is to be known as the guy who killed the top dog. At least once a month or so, the character is randomly attacked by an up-andcoming rival looking to make a name for himself.

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The Professional Rating of the guy who comes looking for him is equal to the character’s Street Cred. Should the character with this quality be defeated by his rival, assuming he lives (the rival will be satisfied so long at the character goes into overflow damage; death is not necessary), then this quality is removed without Karma expenditure. Nobody likes a loser, chummer.

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Cost: 10 KARMA