Character Generation Reference guide

List of Positive and Negative Qualities

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POSITIVE QUALITIES 4 Night Vision 13
Acrobatic Defender 4 One Trick Pony 13
Adrenaline Surge 4 Outdoorsman 13
Agile Defender 4 Overclocker 14
Ambidextrous 4 Perceptive 14
Analytical Mind 4 Perceptive Defender 14
Animal Empathy 4 Perfect Time 14
Aptitude 4 Photographic Memory 14
Astral Chameleon 4 Poor Link 14
Bilingual 5 Privileged Family Name 14
Black Market Pipeline 5 Quick Healer 14
Blandness 5 Radiation Sponge 15
Born Rich 5 Rad-Tolerant 15
Brand Loyalty 5 Rank 15
Catlike 6 Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins 15
City Slicker 6 Restricted Gear 15
Codeslinger 6 School Of Hard Knocks 16
College Education 6 Sense Of Direction 16
Common Sense 6 Sensei 16
Daredevil 6 Sharpshooter 16
Digital Doppelganger 6 Solid/Legendary Rep 16
Disgraced 7 Spacer 16
Double-Jointed 7 Speed Reading 17
Erased 7 Spike Resistance 17
Exceptional Attribute 7 Spirit Affinity 17
Fame 7 Spirit Champion 17
First Impression 8 Spirit Whisperer 17
Focused Concentration 9 Steely Eyed Wheelman 17
Friends In High Places 9 Technical School Education 17
Gearhead 9 Too Pretty To Hit 18
Guts 9 Tough As Nails 18
Hawk Eye 9 Toughness 18
High Pain Tolerance 9 Trust Fund 18
Home Ground 10 Trustworthy 18
Human-Looking 10 Vehicle Empathy 19
Indomitable 11 Water Sprite 19
Inspired 11 Will to Live 19
Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None 11 Witness My Hate 19
Juryrigger 11
Lightning Reflexes 11 NEGATIVEQUALITIES 19
Linguist 12 Addiction 19
Lucky 12 Albinism 20
Made Man 12 Allergy 21
Magic Resistance 12 Amnesia 21
Mentor Spirit 12 Asthma 22
Natural Athlete 13 Astral Beacon 22
Natural Hardening 13 Bad Luck 22
Natural Immunity 13 Bad Rep 22

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Bi-Polar 23 Sensitive System 36
Big Regret 23 Sensory Overload Syndrome 36
Blighted 23 Signature 37
Blind 23 Simsense Vertigo 37
Borrowed Time 24 SINNer (Layered) 37
Code of Honor 24 Social Stress 39
Codeblock 25 Spirit Bane 39
Combat Junkie 25 Spirit Pariah 39
Combat Paralyisis 25 Uncouth 40
Computer Illiterate 25 Uneducated 40
Creature Of Comfort 26 Unsteady Hands 40
Day Job 26 Vendetta 40
Deaf 26 Wanted 40
Dependents 26 Weak Immune System 41
Did You Just Call Me Dumb? 27
Dimmer Bulb 27
Driven 27
Distinctive Style 27
Earther 28
Elf Poser 28
Emotional Attachment 28
Ex-Con 28
Flashbacks 29
Gremlins 29
Hobo With A Shotgun 29
Hung Out To Dry 30
Illiterate 30
Incompetent 30
In Debt 30
Incomplete Deprogramming 31
Infirm 31
Insomnia 31
Liar 32
Loss of Confidence 32
Low Pain Tolerance 32
Night Blindness 32
Oblivious 32
Ork Poser 33
Pacifist 33
Paranoia 33
Paraplegic 33
Phobia 34
Pie Iesu Domine. Dona Eis Requiem. 34
Poor Self Control 34
Prejudiced 35
Records On File 35
Reduced (Sense) 36
Scorched 36

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POSITIVE QUALITIES Analytical Mind describes the uncanny ability to
logically analyze information, deduce solutions to
problems, or separate vital information from dis-
Acrobatic Defender tractions and noise.
It’s useful in cracking cyphers, solving puzzles,
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run & Gun
figuring out traps, and sifting through data. This
Duck, dive, twist, and twirl, just put on a good
quality gives the character a +2 dice pool modifier
enough floor show to keep whatever is coming
to any Logic Tests involving pattern recognition,
your way from landing on your face. This quality
evidence analysis, clue hunting, or solving puzzles.
allows the character to use their Gymnastics skill in
This quality also reduces the time it takes the char-
place of their Willpower while using Full Defense.
acter to solve a problem by half.
Including this skill in the Defense Test means that
their Physical Limit also applies.
Animal Empathy
Adrenaline Surge Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run Faster
Characters with this quality have a natural knack
Cost: 12 Karma Source: Run Faster
for working with animals. The character gets a +2
Hit first, hit last, that’s your style. Adrenaline
dice pool modifier for all tests involving the influ-
Surge allows a character to act first in the first Ini-
ence or control of an animal (including riding), in-
tiative Pass of a new combat even if they don’t have
cluding Awakened species.
the highest Initiative Score. If other characters in-
volved in the combat have the Adrenaline Surge
quality or use their Edge to Seize the Initiative so Aptitude
that they may act first in the same Initiative Pass, Cost: 14 Karma Source: SR5
characters act in order of their Initiative Scores. This quality is how you become even better than
This quality does not allow a Surprised character to the best in the world. The standard limit for skills
act first in an ambush, but it can allow a character is 12. Every so often, there is a character who can
who is not surprised to strike first. exceed limitations and be truly exceptional in a
particular skill. With this particular quality, the
Agile Defender character can have one skill rated at 7 at character
creation, and may eventually build that skill up to
Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run & Gun
rating 13.
Speed kills, but quickness and agility can be the
Characters may only take the Aptitude quality once.
key to avoiding a speedy death. This quality allows
the character to use their Agility in place of their
Willpower attribute while using Full Defense. Astral Chameleon
Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5
Ambidextrous With the Astral Chameleon quality, the charac-
ter’s astral signature blends into the background of
Cost: 4 Karma Source: SR5
astral space and is difficult to detect. All signatures
The Ambidextrous character can handle objects
left by the character last only half as long as other as-
equally well with either hand. Without this quality,
tral signatures. Any individuals assensing astral sig-
any action performed solely with the off–hand (i.e.,
natures left behind by a character with this quality re-
firing a gun) suffers a –2 dice pool modifier (see At-
ceive a –2 dice pool modifier for the Assensing Test.
tacker Using Off-Hand Weapon, p. 178).
Only characters with a Magic rating and capable of
leaving astral signatures may have this quality.
Analytical Mind
Cost: 5 Karma Source: SR5

4
Bilingual toos, scars, obvious cyberware, or other distin-
guishing features, the bonuses from the Blandness
Cost: 5 Karma Source: SR5
quality go away until the distinctive features are
A character with this quality reads, writes, and
removed from the character’s appearance.
speaks a second language fluently. They can list a
In certain circumstances and specific situations,
second language as a native tongue (see Language
the gamemaster may determine that Blandness
Skills, p. 150). This quality can only be acquired at
does not apply. For example, a troll with the Bland-
character creation; selecting it gives the character a
ness quality still towers head and shoulders over a
second free language skill during Step Five: Purchase
crowd of humans and so still stands out, no mat-
Active, Knowledge, and Language Skills, (p. 88).
ter how average their horns may be. The charac-
ter only regains his bonus by leaving the situation
Black Market Pipeline where he stands out.
Cost: 10 Karma Source: Run Faster
During character creation, the player chooses one Born Rich
existing individual contact and a single category of
merchandise (e.g., vehicles, weapons, electronics, ar-
Cost: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster
Richie Rich has fallen into the shadows. The
mor, etc.). The selected contact can always buy or sell
character came from an affluent background (e.g.,
goods in that category through the black market with
high-level corporate kid, old-money family, Mafia
better-than-normal rates for the character.
princess, lottery winner), but is not necessarily still
Purchases through this contact get a ten percent
wealthy or doesn’t have access to this additional
price reduction and a +2 dice pool modifier for the
wealth. During character creation, characters can
Availability Test. When looking to sell goods through
normally gain extra resources at a rate of 2,000
the contact, the character gets (7 percent x Loyalty)
nuyen per Karma point, up to 10 Karma maximum
of the item’s original value instead of the standard 5
(p. 94, SR5). With this quality, available only during
percent.
character creation, characters may exceed the usu-
The contact has to be appropriate to the category
al 10 Karma limit and instead trade up to 40 Karma
chosen, though creativity can be king here.
total at the same exchange rate of 2,000 nuyen per
Karma point, for up to 80,000 nuyen of additional
Blandness funds.
Cost: 8 Karma Source: SR5
This character blends into a crowd; he’s seldom Brand Loyalty
noticed and easily forgotten. He is unremarkable
in every aspect of physical appearance. Anyone at-
Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run & Gun
Brand loyalty is taken to extremes in the Sixth
tempting to describe the character cannot come up
World with individuals brainwashed by their mega-
with anything more precise than “average height,
corporate masters, especially when it comes to fire-
average build, average hair, etc.”
arms. But sometimes being loyal to a brand can be
Increase the threshold for anyone to recall spe-
a good thing. Characters who are brand loyal know
cific details about the character by 1. This means a
the products of their favorite brand inside and out.
Memory Test with a difficulty of Average (thresh-
The quality has two levels; Manufacturer and Prod-
old of 2) becomes a Hard test (threshold of 3). Indi-
uct.
viduals attempting to shadow or physically locate a
At the Manufacturer level, characters choose a
character with the Blandness quality in a populated
corporate or manufacturer brand, i.e. Ares, Saeder-
setting receive a –2 dice pool modifier on all tests
Krupp, Krime, H&K, Novatech, etc., and gain a +1
related to their search. The same penalty applies if
dice pool bonus on every roll involving gear made
they’re asking around about the person based on
by their manufacturer.
the individual’s physical appearance. The modi-
fier does not, however, apply to magical or Matrix
searches. If the character acquires any visible tat-

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 At the Product level the bonus is only conveyed College Education
on a single item, i.e. Predator IV, S-K-Bentley Con-
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run Faster
cordat, Krime Kannon, HK227, Novatech Airware,
The halls of academe are well known to your
etc.
character. Thanks to time spent actually studying
On the downside, due to this narrow focus the
while at college instead of partying, the character
character suffers a –1 dice pool penalty whenever
can buy Academic Knowledge skills at half price
working with a piece of gear not made by their pre-
(rounded up) during character creation. After char-
ferred Manufacturer. At the Product level the –1
acter creation, Academic Knowledge skill ranks of 3
dice pool penalty is applied to all products of the
or higher receive a 1 Karma cost reduction for each
same type, i.e., heavy pistols, cars, SMGs, assault
rank.
cannons, commlinks, etc.

Catlike Common Sense

Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run Faster
Cost: 7 Karma Source ; SR5 “Common sense is not so common” as they say. It’s
A character with the Catlike quality is gifted
nothing supernatural, just a keen sense of knowing
with an uncanny elegance, a stealthy gait, and an
when something is just a bad idea. Any time a char-
almost preternatural ability to move without mak-
acter with this quality is about to do something the
ing a sound. They also claim they land on their feet
gamemaster deems foolish, the gamemaster must
when dropped, though they tend not to let people
act as their proverbial inner voice of reason and is-
test this. This quality adds a +2 dice pool modifier
sue a little warning. The gamemaster can only give
to Sneaking skill tests.
a number of warnings per session equal to or less
than the character’s Edge rating. After that, they’re
City Slicker on their own.
Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster
A character with this quality has the asphalt and Daredevil
concrete of the sprawl in his blood. They would
Cost: 6 Karma Source: Run Faster
choose the noise and chaos of the city over the sub-
Better to be lucky than good, when you’re living
urbs or rural areas any day of the week. They have
on the edge. A character with this quality is particu-
an instinct for navigating urban environments.
larly lucky when it comes to doing the outrageous.
This quality provides a +1 dice pool modifier for all
Whenever the character performs an exceptionally
skills in the Outdoors skill group when in an urban
daring action (gamemaster’s discretion), she gets
environment. The downside is the character suffers
two points of Edge back instead of one.
a –1 dice pool modifier to Perception and Survival
Tests when in any non-urban environment.
Digital Doppelganger
Codeslinger Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run faster
The Matrix is a big place, and with a world so con-
Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5 nected and so tied to identity, there are bound to be
Ones and zeroes are practically a native lan-
some crossed signals somewhere. The character’s
guage to a Codeslinger. The character is adept at
digital identity, including their spending habits, li-
performing a particular Matrix action (which she
censes, travel records, and data trail have all been
selects when she selects this quality) and receives
cross-linked with someone else’s identity. Anyone
a +2 dice pool modifier to that Matrix action. This
doing research on him has a hard time locating any
can only be selected for Matrix Actions (p. 237) that
information and faces a +2 threshold for Matrix
have a test associated with them.
Searches for tracking the character on this ID. The
character must be a SINner, and this quality should
be linked to a particular SIN.

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Disgraced able via the Matrix and possibly building a Public
Awareness—which means that whatever they were
Cost: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster
hiding from might have a chance to find them.
The character used to be a figure of author-
ity, feared in the streets and publicly lauded as a
hero until his reputation got tarnished (justly or Exceptional Attribute
unjustly), and he was cast out of his community. Cost: 14 Karma Source: SR5
Such was the character’s fearsome reputation that The Exceptional Atribute quality is how you get
criminals (gangers, organized crime members, and to be the charismatic troll, or the agile dwarf. It
so on, as determined by the gamemaster) still treat allows you to possess one attribute at a level one
him warily. The character receives a +2 dice pool point above the metatype maximum limit. For ex-
modifier when attempting to intimidate such indi- ample, an ork character with the Exceptional At-
viduals. However, any upright citizen will treat the tribute quality for Strength could take his Strength
character with the disdain reserved for disgraced attribute up to 10 before augmentations are ap-
heroes, being treated as Prejudiced in any Etiquette plied, instead of the normal limit of 9. Exceptional
Test. Attribute also applies toward Special Attributes
such as Magic and Resonance. Edge cannot affect-
Double-Jointed ed by the Exceptional Attribute (Edge is raised by
another quality called Lucky). A character may only
Cost: 6 Karma Source: SR5
take Exceptional Attribute once, and only with the
A Double-Jointed character has unusually flexible
gamemaster’s approval.
joints and can bend and contort his body into ex-
treme positions.
The character receives a +2 dice pool modifier for Fame
Escape Artist tests. The character may also be able Cost: 4 To 16 Karma Source: Run Faster
to squeeze into small, cramped spaces where less Now if you can just get fortune and money you’ll
limber characters cannot. They’re also great at par- havethe trifecta. The problem is you’ve got the ele-
ties and bars. ment that is not particularly cherished in the shad-
ows. Whether you’re a former trid star, a local poli-
Erased tician, a retired or injured sports star, or the latest
up-and-coming rocker, your face is well known. It
Cost: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster
may be just the local community, a single nation
There are characters who lack a SIN because they
or corp, or possibly the world that knows your
never had one, and then there are those who had a
ugly mug. No matter who they are or how many
SIN but had it actively and thoroughly erased, to the
folks know your profile, being so recognizable has
point where legwork can only be done via word-of-
its pros and cons. First, on the pro side, Fame of-
mouth contacts, and Matrix searches turn up noth-
fers benefits within certain social circles and addi-
ing. Also, the quality prevents Public Awareness for
tional income if the character also chooses the Day
the character from ever going above 1.
Job quality. That may sound nice, but being well
This is a double-edged sword. The character can
known is not a great way to get work in the shad-
never maintain a Lifestyle higher than Middle, and
ows, and therefore causes problems on the darker
can never used a fake SIN or any attached licenses
side of life. Characters with this quality are more
for more than three months. Living under the radar
likely to be recognized by passers-by or others who
is expensive. If a character chooses to have a High
see them during a run, which can be a problem.
Lifestyle for a month, she’ll need to bail on it and
And remember that Fame often involves strings;
lay low for a bit with a Low or lower Lifestyle for
one of the biggest is having a SIN. Characters who
at least a month. If they fail to do so, the systems
choose this quality must have the SINner quality or
in place start to slip, making the character locat-
a Rating 3 fake SIN.
Local Fame (4 Karma):

7
 City politics, hometown sports teams, and local who knows of their fame. In the nation and sprawl
news stations are some of the most common sourc- they came from, the Social Limit increase is 1 and
es of local fame. Select a single sprawl at character the dice pool modifier is +1.
creation to be the base of the character’s fame. In Citizens of their megacorporation and their
the public eye of that sprawl, the character gains a home sprawl need only succeed at an Intuition +
1-point increase to their Social Limit and a +1 dice Logic (1) test to identify the character. Citizens of
pool modifier on all Social Skill tests to positively other megacorporations and their home nation
influence someone who knows of their fame. The can identify them with an Intuition + Logic (2) Test.
downside is that anyone from the chosen sprawl The character’s Public Awareness is increased by 5.
can identify famous characters with an Intuition If the character has the Day Job quality, they mul-
+ Logic (2) Test, so characters need to be careful tiply their income by 6 and also require a 10 percent
about who sees them when they are on the job. The increase in workload.
character’s Public Awareness is increased by 2. If Global Fame (16 Karma):
the character has the Day Job quality, they multiply This kind of fame is not easy to avoid. Interna-
their income by 2. tional blockbuster simstars, multi-platinum-selling
National Fame (8 Karma): music artists, megacorporate executives, and inter-
National politics, championship sports teams, national political figures fit this kind of bill. Char-
and the entertainment industry supply the bulk acters with this level of fame gain a 3-point increase
of nationally famous folks. At character creation, to their Social Limit and a +3 dice pool modifier to
select a nation to be famous within and a sprawl all Social Skills tests to positively influence anyone
of origin within that nation (it needs to be a place who knows their identity. Identifying the character
related to the character’s story and the languages requires an Intuition + Logic (2) Test or any rank in
they speak—characters need at least four ranks in an appropriate Knowledge Skill.
the native language of the country in which they If the character has the Day Job quality, they mul-
are famous). In the selected sprawl, characters gain tiply their income by 10 and also require a 25 per-
a 1-point increase to their Social Limit and a +2 dice cent increase in workload. The character’s Public
pool modifier on all Social Skill tests to positively Awareness is increased by 8.
influence someone who knows of their fame. In the Characters can create their own runner persona
chosen nation, the character has a 2-point Social to try and hide their true identity, but it will involve
Limit increase and a +1 dice pool modifier as above. a disguise or mask of some sort. Identifying the star
Anyone from the character’s home sprawl can becomes an Opposed Test with the initial Disguise
identify the character with an Intuition + Logic (1) + Intuition [Mental] Test, setting the threshold to
Test; people from the nation need to make an Intu- identify the character with a Perception + Intuition
ition + Logic (2) Test. The character’s Public Aware- [Mental] Test.
ness is increased by 3. If the character has the Day
Job quality, they multiply their income by 4 and also First Impression
increase their required workload by 10 percent.
Cost: 11 Karma Source: SR5
Megacorporate Fame (12 Karma): The First Impression quality enables a character
Megacorporate sports teams, the international to slide easily into new environments, situations,
entertainment industry, and megacorporate poli- groups, and jobs. Whether infiltrating a gang, mak-
tics bring corporate citizens into the spotlight. At ing contacts in a new city, or wrangling an invite to
character creation, choose a home megacorpora- a private meet, the character gains a temporary +2
tion, home sprawl, and home nation where the dice pool modifier for relevant Social Tests such as
character’s fame originated and grew. In the char- Negotiation and Con during the first meeting. This
acter’s megacorporation, they gain a 2-point So- modifier does not apply to second and subsequent
cial Limit bonus and a +2 dice pool modifier on all encounters
Social Skills tests to positively influence someone

8
Focused Concentration dling modifier by +1 (player’s choice). She also re-
ceives a +2 dice pool modifier when attempting
Cost: 4 Karma per rating (max 6) Source: SR5
difficult maneuvers or stunts in the vehicle. This
A technomancer or magic user with the Focused
bonus lasts for 1D6 minutes.
Concentration quality has the discipline to manip-
The player can choose to make this bonus last up
ulate mana or Resonance more precisely than oth-
to an additional 1D6 minutes if she wants. Doing so
erwise possible. This precision reduces stress to the
pushes the vehicle or drone well beyond its design
magic user’s or technomancer’s body. She is able to
limits and risks catastrophic damage. For each min-
sustain one spell/complex form with a force/level
ute the character pushes the vehicle past its initial
equal to her Focused Concentration rating without
bonus period, the vehicle automatically takes one
suffering any penalties.
point of stress damage (unresisted)
For example, a magic user with Focused Concen-
tration rating 3 may sustain a Force 3 Armor spell
without taking the negative dice pool modifier for Guts
sustaining a spell. Sustaining any additional spells Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5
or complex forms incurs the standard –2 dice pool When a bug spirit with dripping mandibles comes
modifier per spell or complex form sustained. This calling, the character with Guts is the one most
quality may only be taken by magic user characters likely to stand and fight instead of freaking the hell
that are able to cast spells and technomancers. out. Guts gives a character a +2 dice pool modifier
on tests to resist fear and intimidation, including
Friends In High Places magically induced fear from spells or critter pow-
ers.
Cost: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster
“So sorry, Damian, I can’t head out on the new Ares
prototype ship with you this weekend, I have a run,” is Hawk Eye
something a character with this quality might ac- Cost: 3 Karma Source :Run Faster
tually say. This quality gives the character an addi- Characters with the Hawk Eye quality have ex-
tional pool of Free Karma for purchasing contacts, ceptionally keen natural vision. They can identify a
with a few stipulations. face a block away without binoculars or spot a spent
First, the character gets an additional Charisma x casing in a shadowy crack at five meters. Charac-
4 in Karma to purchase contacts. Second, none of ters gain a +1 dice pool modifier to their Perception
these contacts can have a Connection Rating less Tests and shift all Range Environmental modifiers
than 8. Third, any leftover Karma that the char- up one category (e.g., Medium becomes Short).
acter cannot spend is lost. These contacts can’t be The quality is part of characters’ natural eyes and
called at every turn; see the Who You Know chap- is not compatible with electronic vision enhance-
ter for information on what happens if the favors ments and/or cy ber- or bioware augmentations or
of contacts are abused. (Run Faster p. 172). replacements.

Gearhead High Pain Tolerance

Cost: 11 Karma Source: SR5 Cost: 7 Karma per rating (max rating 3)
The Gearhead is who you look for when it’s time Source: SR5
to stomp on the gas and move. She’s a natural-born High Pain Tolerance lets a character keep deliver-
driver or pilot. When she’s at the wheel/stick/con- ing the pain even if she’s had plenty piled on her
trols of a vehicle or drone, she has an intuitive un- own head. A character with High Pain Tolerance
derstanding of its limitations and its capabilities can ignore one box of damage per rating point of
and is able to coax whatever machine she’s control- this quality when calculating wound modifiers (see
ling to perform at its best. During vehicle or chase Wound Modifiers, p.169). So a character with this
combat, a Gearhead can increase the Speed of her quality at Rating 2 can take 4 boxes of damage but
vehicle or drone by 20 percent or increase the Han- carry on without wound modifiers as if she only

9
 had 2 boxes of damage. The –1 wound modifier Digital Turf:
would then kick in when the character takes her This is for a decker or technomancer who has a
fifth box in damage. This quality may not be used specific host that she calls her own. She may actu-
with the Pain Resistance adept power, pain editor ally own the spot, or it can be a place she frequents
bioware, or damage compensator bioware. enough to consider home. The character receives
a +2 bonus to Matrix Tests while in her Home
Home Ground Ground host. Bonuses from other Qualities may
Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5 stack with Home Ground. If the character has not
If a character knows her neighborhood better frequented this host for more than six months, she
than anyone—the shortcuts, the hiding places, and loses the Home Ground quality because she is no
the people she can trust—then she probably has longer as familiar as she should be.
the Home Ground quality. She knows the families The Transporter:
who live there, their stories, and what the kids who This character knows the layout of streets, back
moved out are doing; she knows the streets better alleys, service tunnels, etc., like the back of her
than GridGuide, knows things that aren’t on Grid- hand. She knows when GridGuide is wrong and
Guide, and knows when GridGuide is wrong. She when GridGuide is out of date. When the trans-
knows the politics of the gangs, who’s running for porter is on her Home Ground, she has a +2 dice
whom and who’s running from whom. But it’s not pool modifier for Evasion Tests.
just the physical streets. Depending on the charac- On the Lam:
ter, her Home Ground quality can manifest in ways Hiding out and lying low are part of a shadow-
specific to who and what she is. When choosing runner’s daily life. On the Lam means a character
this quality, select one of the bonuses below: has an encyclopedic knowledge of safehouses, bolt
Astral Acclimation: holes, abandoned buildings, just about any out-of-
The character has become acclimated to the the-way place not claimed by gangs or squatters.
background count of her Home Ground. Through a When she needs to find a safe location in a hurry,
lifetime of familiarity she’s learned to work around this character receives a +2 dice pool bonus to her
it, enabling her to ignore up to two points of back- Intuition + appropriate street knowledge skill to
ground count. find a suitable place to hole up fast.
For example, if the background count on her Street Politics:
Home Ground is 3, she sees only a reduction of 1 This character knows the street gangs, the crimi-
to her Magic tests; if the background count is 5, for nal operations, and the beneath-the-surface affili-
her it is only a 3, and so on. This quality works only ations that are the social and political fabric of her
on her Home Ground and has no benefit anywhere Home Ground. She receives a +2 dice pool modifier
else. for Knowledge Tests relating to gangs or their op-
You Know a Guy: erations. This quality can be taken multiple times,
The character has built up long-lasting relation- selecting one of the categories above each time.
ships with people from her neighborhood. These
people are not contacts, but they know her as one Human-Looking
of their own and are more likely to do favors for Cost: 6 Karma Source: SR5
or talk to her. NPCs from the character’s Home A metahuman character with the Human-Look-
Ground neighborhood are considered friendly to- ing quality can pass for human in most circum-
ward her wherever she encounters them (unless stances. Human NPCs respond with neutral atti-
she has done something to change that).The char- tudes toward such characters when making Social
acter receives +2 Street Cred for any Negotiation skill tests (p. 82), even those humans who are par-
with people from her Home Ground. ticularly biased against metahumans. The character
may suffer increased animosity from metahuman
NPCs who are prejudiced against humans and who

10
 either mistake him for human or distrust his mo- Rating 5. Beyond Rating 5, however, it costs 2 addi-
tives for trying to look human. Only elves, dwarfs, tional points of Karma for each point of skill. This
and orks can take the Human-Looking quality. quality does not apply during character creation.

Indomitable Juryrigger
Cost: 8 Karma per level (Max 3) Source: SR5 Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5
Bodies and minds have limits, but some people Juryrigger gives a character an intuitive grasp of
have the will to push right through those bound- the inner workings and underlying principles of
aries. For each level of Indomitable, a character mechanical and electronic devices. She knows how
receives a +1 increase to an Inherent limit of his to repair the broken, rejuvenate the worn, improve
choice (Mental, Physical, or Social). He can take up a device’s efficiency, or coax it into doing things it’s
to three levels and can apply them in any way he designers hadn’t intended.
chooses (+3 to one Inherent Limit, for example; or Characters with the Juryrigger quality receive a
+2 to one Inherent and +1 to another; or +1 to all +2 dice pool modifier for Mechanical Tests when
three). juryrigging gear. If the gamemaster decides what
the character wants to accomplish is in fact pos-
Inspired sible, he determines the threshold for her success
using the Build/Repair Table (p. 146) as a guideline,
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run Faster
then reduces the threshold for the test by 1. While a
Slapping paint on a canvas or words on a page
successful Mechanics Skill Test enables the Juryrig-
is easy and requires only a medium and a mouth
ger to perform amazing technical feats, everything
to tout one’s own amazing talents and insights.
she devises is temporary.
But to make something worthwhile, something
Examples of what a character may be able to do
that deserves to be called art, pieces that speak for
with Juryrigger include:
themselves and stand the test of time, requires true
• Juryrig a destroyed device so that it will operate
talent. An Inspired character is touched by a muse
just one more time (for 1D6 minutes).
(figuratively we hope, though gamemasters can see
• Tweak an electronic device to function at a rat-
Street Grimoire for the literal) and is considered an
ing
artistic genius by his peers for his remarkable raw
one higher than normal for 1D6 Combat Turns.
talent.
• Temporarily coax extra performance from a ve-
The quality grants the character an additional
hicle’s or drone’s components, increasing its Sensor
Street Cred of 2 (p. 372, SR5) among fellow artists
or Handling by +1 (if combined with bonuses from
familiar with his reputation. Inspired characters
Gearhead, the vehicle’s or drone’s critical compo-
also gain a +1 dice pool modifier for all Artisan skills
nents completely burn out at the end of the dura-
or Performance skills they possess; the player must
tion from being pushed well beyond their limits;
choose which category the quality applies to when
at that point, the vehicle or drone becomes a big
it is chosen, and the quality can only be selected
paperweight).
once.
• Improvise a one-shot device or weapon from
disparate components (the gamemaster has final
Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None say on whether suitable parts are available).
Cost: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster • Devise an impromptu means to bypass a secu-
The character has an incredible aptitude for rity measure, such as a trip beam or pressure plate.
learning new skills. Unfortunately, the character
quickly gets bored and gets turned off when things Lightning Reflexes
start getting a little hard. Karma costs are reduced
Cost: 20 Karma Source: Run Faster
by 1 (to a minimum of 1) for learning skills up to
Some people are just born fast. This quality pro-
vides an unaugmented character the ability to re-

11
 act with astonishing speed. The character gains +1 cate, Loyalty is increased to 3 instead of starting at
to their Initiative rating and a bonus initiative die. 1. This status also allows him to use the syndicate
This quality is not cumulative with any other Ini- as a reliable fence for stolen goods (they get thirty
tiative enhancement, be it technological, chemical, percent of the items’ value) or as a source for stolen
or magical. They also receive a +1 dice pool modi- and restricted goods (ten percent price reduction
fier for all Defense Tests. and a +1 dice pool modifier for the Availability Test).
Everything comes with a price, though. The char-
Linguist acter is expected to participate in syndicate work,
taking at least twenty hours of his time every week
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run Faster
in a standard campaign, and costing the character
Nothing impresses an out-of-town Johnson more
one out of ever four weeks in Missions play.
than negotiating in their native tongue. And know-
ing when they’re telling their goon squad to kill you
is pretty useful too. This quality represents a natu- Magic Resistance
ral gift for learning and understanding languages. Cost: 6 Karma per rating (Max rating 4)
Characters with this quality halve the learning Source: SR5
time for a language, and the quality also provides This is the wonderful ability to potentially make
a +1 dice pool modifier to all Language skill tests a Fireball bounce away. For every 6 Karma spent on
the character makes. If this quality is purchased at Magic Resistance, a character receives 1 additional
character creation, the player purchases Language die for Spell Resistance Tests. The Magical Resis-
skill points at a 2-for-1 rate. After character cre- tance quality, however, is always “on”—the charac-
ation, language skill ranks of 3 or higher receive a 1 ter cannot lower it to receive beneficial spells such
Karma cost reduction for each rank. as Heal.
A character with Magic Resistance cannot take
Lucky part in spells that require a voluntary subject; such
Cost: 12 Karma Source: SR5 spells automatically fail when used on magic-re-
The dice roll and the coin flips this character’s sistant characters. Characters with a Magic rating
way more often than not, giving her the chance cannot take this quality.
to drop jaws in amazement at her good fortune.
Lucky allows a character to possess an Edge attri- Mentor Spirit
bute one point higher than his metatype maximum Cost: 5 Karma Source: SR5
(for example, a human character could raise her Everyone needs some help in life, even if it comes
Edge to 8). Note that taking this quality does not from someone relatively filmy and insubstantial.
actually increase the character’s current Edge rat- Mentor Spirit means the character follows a patron
ing, it just allows her the opportunity to do so; the spirit (see Mentor Spirits, p. 320) that guides him in
Karma cost for gaining the extra point must still be his practice of magic and provides certain advan-
paid. This quality may only be taken once and must tages and disadvantages to his natural abilities. A
be approved by the gamemaster. The Lucky quality character may change mentor spirits, but he may
cannot be combined with Exceptional Attribute. have only one mentor spirit at a time. To change
mentor spirits, the character must first buy off the
Made Man current mentor spirit as if it were a Negative quali-
Cost: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster ty. He can then purchase the quality again to follow
As a minor member of an organized crime syn- a different mentor spirit. This cost represents the
dicate, the character can occasionally call on its toll of divorcing from one mentor spirit and bond-
resources. At the time of purchase, select a crime ing with a new one.
syndicate as a free Group Contact (see Group or Each tradition has a different name for a men-
Organization Contact Options, p. 176, Run Faster). tor spirit. Hermetic mages prefer the term “men-
As the character is an actual member of the syndi- tor spirit,” while shamans use the word “totem” for

12
 the spirit that they follow. While the names may Note that characters with Natural Immunity to a
vary, the way the mentor works is consistent. This disease can be a carrier, infecting other characters
quality is only available to characters that possess a while suffering no ill effects.
Magic attribute rating.
Night Vision
Natural Athlete Cost: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster
Cost: 7 Karma Source: SR5 The name says it all. This quality provides char-
A character with this quality has an innate com- acters with the advantages of low-light vision (see
bination of physical fitness, spatial awareness, and Environmental Compensation Table, p. 175, SR5).
natural athletic or gymnastic talent. While the There is a downside. Thanks to the extremely light-
character may not be a world-class athlete and may sensitive nature of the eye, the character suffers
require training to achieve peak performance, he severely from the glare of the sun (Blinding Glare
is in prime physical shape for his size and weight on a clear day, Moderate Glare on an overcast day,
class. The Natural Athlete adds a +2 dice pool mod- etc.) but can mitigate this with sunglasses per the
ifier for Running and Gymnastics skill tests. Environmental Compensation Table. The quality is
not compatible with cyber- or bioware augmenta-
Natural Hardening tion or replacement (meaning if you get any such
replacement, this quality goes away, and the char-
Cost: 10 Karma Source: SR5
acter receives no Karma in return).
This quality makes the character’s neural struc-
ture resistant to feedback. This gives her 1 point of
natural biofeedback filtering, which is cumulative One Trick Pony
with a Biofeedback Filter program or a techno- Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run & Gun
mancer’s firewall (p. 251). You’ve watched the same action trid or chipped
your way through the same simsense so many
Natural Immunity times you actually know how to do that really cool
move the star always uses. This quality allows the
Cost: 4 or 10 Karma Source: SR5
character to choose one Martial Arts technique
The ability to casually sip poison can never be
they can do without first learning the associated
overrated. A character with Natural Immunity has
Martial Arts style.
an innate or developed immunity to one single dis-
ease or toxin. This quality is available at two levels.
If purchased at the 4 Karma level, the character is Outdoorsman
immune to a single natural disease or toxin. If Nat- Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run Faster
ural Immunity is purchased at the full 10 Karma A character with this quality is often described
level, the character is immune to a single, synthetic as woodsy. They are far more comfortable in wil-
(artificially created) disease or toxin. derness and rural environments than in the ur-
Natural Immunity does not affect diseases or ban blight of the modern city. They are naturals
toxins that are magically based, such as HMHVV. at tracking and hunting, with a sense of direction
The player and gamemaster must agree on the dis- even a compass could rely on. This quality provides
ease, drug, or poison to which the character is im- a +2 dice pool modifier for all skills in the Outdoors
mune. The character can take one dose of the drug skill group when in a rural or wild environment.
or poison and experience one exposure to the dis- The downside is the character suffers a –1 dice pool
ease every six hours with no ill effects. Any subse- modifier to Perception and Survival Tests when in
quent dosing or exposure during the next six hours an urban environment.
causes normal damage, but the character’s recovery
time is halved.

13
Overclocker Photographic Memory
Cost: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster Cost: 6 Karma Source: SR5
The character is able to coax more juice out of his A character with Photographic Memory can in-
gear. The character may add 1 point of Rating to stantly recall facts, dates, numbers, or anything else
one of his cyberdeck’s ASDF attributes. This point he has seen or heard. The character gains a +2 dice
can be reallocated as desired any time the cyber- pool modifier to all Memory Tests.
deck is reconfigured.
Poor Link
Perceptive Cost: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster
Cost: 5 To 10 Karma Source: Run Faster There’s a haze to the character’s aura that makes
The devil is in the details, and you see those horns connecting over a distance difficult. All ritual sor-
regularly. This quality is available at two levels. cery, including friendly efforts, directed at the char-
For 5 Karma, characters receive a +1 dice pool acter receives a –2 dice pool modifier for the Ritual
modifier on all Perception Tests, including Astral Spellcasting Test during Step 7: Seal the Ritual. The
and Matrix Perception. character also has a +2 dice pool modifier for any
For 10 Karma, the modifier increases to +2. Resistance Tests she might have to make against
the ritual, including against friendly rituals.
Perceptive Defender
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run & Gun Privileged Family Name
Sometimes keeping yourself alive is about stay- Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster
ing alert and keeping an eye out for incoming trou- With this quality the character’s family is excep-
ble, about knowing what’s coming before it’s time tionally well-connected, and his real name carries
to duck or dive for cover. This quality allows the significant clout in his home sprawl (selected at
character to use their Perception skill in place of character creation).
their Willpower attribute while using Full Defense. Though probably known as a rich, spoiled brat,
Including this skill in the Defense Test means that the name (and accompanying SIN and ID) is like
their Mental limit also applies. a get-out-of-jailfree card for small misdemeanors
(such as being caught carrying a weapon, casting an
Perfect Time unauthorized mental manipulation spell, or driv-
ing a car without a license). Even when trying to
Cost: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster
act tough, local minor NPCs suffer a –2 dice pool
Who needs a watch when you’re around? The
modifier on Social tests against the character.
character with this quality always knows the time,
In order to have this quality the character must
down to the minute, and has a perfect sense of
also possess the SINner (National or Corporate)
rhythm and timing.
quality. Remember that this quality also makes the
This perfect sense can only be obstructed through
character very easy to identify if those not con-
prolonged isolation, unconsciousness, or distor-
cerned with their family name start asking ques-
tion of temporal perception through drugs, chips,
tions.
or an extended period in the Matrix.
This quality provides two game benefits: a +1 dice
pool modifier for Performance Tests involving tim- Quick Healer
ing and rhythm, along with an additional Free Ac- Cost: 3 Karma Source: SR5
tion during every Action Phase. A character with the Quick Healer quality re-
ceives a +2 dice pool modifier to all Healing Tests
made on/for/by her, including magical healing.

14
Radiation Sponge Rank
Cost :5 KARMA Source: Run & Gun Cost : 5 to 30 Karma Source: Run Faster
Something about the cells of characters with this Rank is the way most organizations or insti-
quality makes them more resistant to radiation’s tutions determineleadership and responsibility
harmful effects, but it also makes them hold onto among their staff or members.
that radiation for longer. The character always fac- Although it’s usually associated with the mili-
es one less step for Fatigue from Environments in tary, in fact rank exists in all facets of life, including
Radiation environments, and therefore never faces the business world and even policlubs and hobby
a Deadly environment. If a character spends time groups.
in a Deadly environment, treat it as an Extreme Rank provides a +1 to your social limits per level
environment for Fatigue purposes; use the Deadly for those within your organization. In the case of
environment times and double the length of time military or law enforcement characters, the social
for carrying Radiation with them. limit modifier applies to members of the public
For example, Glowboy is a Radiation Sponge who over whom they have authority.
makes a two-minute jaunt into the heart of Glow In the table, the number on the right side of the
City in Redmond to prove a point. He comes out slash is the cost for military or law enforcement;
a little tired but excited to tell his pals all about the number on the left side of the slash is for other
the trip. When his pals start falling over, Glowboy ranks.
tries to help them but they only seem to get worse.
Glowboy is carrying a Deadly environment around Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins
with him for 4 minutes after he leaves, plenty of
Cost: 4 or 8 Karma Source: SR5
time to kill his less-radiation-friendly pals. He will
A character with Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins
also be carrying around a Harsh environment for
can fight off diseases and drugs more easily than
48 hours and a Mild environment for 48 more. Best
other characters and receives a +1 dice pool modi-
he keeps away from other people for awhile.
fier to Resistance Tests. This quality comes at two
levels: at 4 Karma the character is resistant to ei-
Rad-Tolerant ther pathogens or toxins, not both. If the character
Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run & Gun purchases this quality at 8 Karma, she receives the
Sometimes characters are just different. Being +1 modifier for resisting both.
able to stand on the outskirts of the Cermak Blast
and just stare into the nothing for days on end, or Restricted Gear
even living there with no ill effects can be a blessing
Cost: 10 Karma Per Item Source: Run Faster
in disguise. Characters with this quality double the
Right place, right time, right friend, or the stars
time before they gain the Blighted quality. Charac-
aligned. No matter the reason, the character has
ters also always face one less step for Fatigue from
managed to acquire or get a line on one piece of
Environments in Radiation environments, just like
really hard-to find gear she absolutely had to have.
the Radiation Sponge.
The character can take this quality up to three
This Quality is incompatible with the Radiation-
times; only one of those times can occur at char-
Sponge Quality.

Rank Table
Points NCO Officer Beat Detectives Worker Management
[Lance]
5/20 Corporal
Lieutenant Officer Detective 5 years Manager

10/25 Sergeant Captain Corporal Detective Sergeant 10 years Area manager

Seargent
15/30 Major
Major Sergeant Captain 20 years Regional manager

15
 acter creation. Selecting it at character creation al- dice pool of 10 and a limit of 7. If a skill group is
lows the character to buy a piece of gear with an chosen, the Sensei has it at 12 and has an Instruc-
Availability of up to 24 (circumventing the normal tion Test dice pool of 12 with a limit of 8.
Availability limit at character creation). The Sensei charges nothing for her services to the
After character creation, taking this quality lets character, and she generally should be available to
the character purchase one piece of gear with an the character, though the specifics of the relation-
Availability up to 18 during play with just a single ship are under the gamemaster’s discretion.
commcall. They do, however, have to pay an extra
thirty percent for the item. Sharpshooter
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run & Gun
School Of Hard Knocks Through focus and vigilance it’s possible to hone
Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run Faster a shooting skill to the point of an excess of preci-
The streets were this character’s classroom. sion. This honing means that specific techniques
Thanks to all the time spent trying to stay one step are trained to the point of perfection, but in that
ahead of the next guy, and knowing that knowl- training, other, more basic maneuvers are skipped
edge is power on the streets, the character can buy over. Characters with this quality are more skilled
Street Knowledge skills at a rate of 2 for 1 during at making Called Shots, but at the cost of their ba-
character creation. After character creation, Street sic shooting skills. Penalties for Called Shots are
Knowledge skill ranks of 3 or higher receive a 1 Kar- decreased by 2, while all other Ranged Attack ac-
ma cost reduction for each rank. tions suffer a –1 dice pool penalty.

Sense Of Direction Solid/Legendary Rep

Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run Faster Cost: 2 To 4 Karma Source: Run Faster
Sometimes the compass asks you which way is The character has a solid (2 Karma) or legend-
north. This quality allows even the most citified ary (4 Karma) reputation within a certain group.
character to always know true north. With even a He did something amazing for the group once; old
single rank in the Survival skill, she can always re- members talk about it with fond memories and
trace her path. She can also estimate distances trav- new recruits want to find out all about it. The char-
eled accurately within a few meters as long as she acter gets a Reputation bump with a certain spe-
is alert and able to perceive her surroundings when cific group; +1 for a solid rep, +2 for a legendary rep.
traveling. The quality offers a +1 dice pool modifier Even if the character goes on to do negative things
on Navigation skill tests. to that group, his reputation is such that people
want to believe it’s a just a misunderstanding.
Sensei The selected group should generally have around
one to five thousand members. The quality can
Cost: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster
only be taken once.
You don’t know what you don’t know. This qual-
ity gives you someone who knows what you don’t
know and has chosen you to be the recipient of Spacer
their knowledge. The character selects a skill or Cost: 3 Karma Source : Run & Gun
skill group for their Sensei to have mastered when Some people are just naturally comfortable in al-
the quality is purchased. They must have a contact ternative-gravity environments. They perform ev-
of Connection Rating 3 or higher with expertise in ery action with a certain additional grace and style.
the area they will teach the character. These characters gain a +1 dice pool bonus to all
If they choose a single skill, the Sensei has the Physical actions taken in a gravity other than Earth
skill at a Rating of 13, as well as an Instruction Test norm.

16
Speed Reading it also provides a +1 dice pool modifier for Binding
Tests. Magic users may possess this quality for a
Cost: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster
type of spirit that is not part of their magical tradi-
When you found out the professor was offering
tion.
an open-book final that could count as one hun-
dred percent of your grade, you covered a year’s
tuition by betting you could ace it without ever at- Spirit Champion
tending a single class. With this quality, a character Cost: 14 Karma Source: Street Grimoire
can read through a full page of written text (about Something you did had a lasting, positive effect
800 words) in about five seconds or an 800-page on the astral plane, and the whole spirit world is
textbook in about an hour. The information read is talking about it. Characters with this quality may
not memorized (unless the character also possess- spend (Force x 5) drams of reagents when perform-
es the Photographic Memory quality, p. 76, SR5, ing a Summoning Test to receive a +1 dice pool
which allows a test for anything in the book after it modifier, in addition to any reagents spent to set
is read), but the reader can gain a basic understand- the limit for the test.
ing of the contents. Also, Binding Tests require only (Force x 20)
If attempting to locate a specific piece of infor- drams of reagents, and the summoner receives a +1
mation, phrase, or subject while in the process of dice pool modifier.
reading, the character can attempt a Logic + Intu-
ition Extended Test with a threshold and interval Spirit Whisperer
determined by the gamemaster based on the length
of the text, its complexity, and the obscurity of the
Cost: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster
There is something about you that makes some
information being sought.
spirits want to avoid you—while others seem oddly
drawn to you. Spirits add 1 die when resisting Sum-
Spike Resistance moning Tests from characters with this quality.
Cost: 10 Karma Per Rating (Max Rating 3) However, if the character succeeds in the test, the
Source: Run Faster spirit summoned is always at 1 point of Force stron-
Characters with this quality have an inherent re- ger than chosen.
sistance to harmful forms of biofeedback such as For all purposes, the character is considered to
black IC, dump shock, black hammer, etc. For every have summoned the spirit at the declared Force—it
level (up to three), the character gains a +1 dice pool simply shows up at 1 point of Force higher than ex-
modifier to resist damage from harmful biofeed- pected. Summoned spirits behave rather curiously
back. toward the character, asking questions about the
character’s past, though no amount of mastery can
compel them to reveal why they are so curious and
Spirit Affinity why they show up stronger than summoned (the
Cost: 7 Karma Source: SR5 gamemaster should play up this mystery; it could
Available only to magic users, the Spirit Affin- even be the basis of an eventual campaign).
ity quality allows a character to be attuned to one
type of spirit (see Spirits, p. 303). These spirits find
the character interesting, are drawn to her, and are Steely Eyed Wheelman
more inclined to assist her. They may be reluctant Cost: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster
to attack the character, and if forced to do so they No turn too tight. When making Vehicle tests,
are likely to use nonlethal power. Watchers and Terrain Modifiers are reduced by 1 to a minimum
minions do not count for this quality as they are of 0.
constructed and are not summoned like normal
spirits. Technical School Education
Spirit Affinity provides magicians with 1 addi- Cost: 4 Karma Source: Run Faster
tional spirit service for each spirit of that type, and

17
 All your schoolbooks focus on the practical and Toughness
real-life working world. Thanks to time spent be-
Cost: 9 Karma Source: SR5
ing formally educated in a technical school, the
Characters with the Toughness quality shrug off
character can buy Professional Knowledge skills
damage more easily than others. Such characters
at a rate of 2 for 1 during character creation. After
gain a +1 dice pool modifier to their Body when
character creation, Professional Knowledge skill
making Damage Resistance tests.
ranks of 3 or higher receive a 1 Karma cost reduc-
tion for each rank.
Trust Fund
Too Pretty To Hit Cost: 5, 10, 15, Or 20 Karma
Cost: 3 Karma Source: Run & Gun Source: Run Faster
It’s more about force of personality than actu- Everyone knows you’re in the shadows for the
ally being pretty—sometimes a character just has a rush or to fulfill some kind of Batman wannabe fan-
presence about them that keeps people from shoot- tasy. Every month your trust fund spills out enough
ing straight. The character can use their Charisma to live off, but just living is boring. A character with
attribute instead of their Willpower attribute while this quality possesses a lifelong trust fund or inher-
using Full Defense. itance that is managed by another party (a trustee).
The quality has four versions depending on just
how rich and shady a runner is willing to be.
Tough As Nails For 5 Karma, the trust fund income covers a Mid-
Cost: 5 To 20 Karma Source: Run Faster dle lifestyle with 500 nuyen left over each month.
“Hit me!” is your favorite phrase. This quality can For 10 Karma, the income covers a Low Lifestyle
be taken up to 4 times, each time providing one but offers the character 2,000 + (3D6 x 100) nuyen
additional box to either the character’s Physical or each month thanks to a deal with their landlord to
Stun Condition monitor, up to a maximum of 3 on rip off the trustee.
any one Condition monitor. For 15 Karma, the income covers a High Lifestyle
with 1,000 nuyen left over. For 20 Karma, the mon-
ey covers a Middle Lifestyle and offers 3,000 + (6d6
x 100) nuyen thanks to one of those special deals.
The character must also possess the SINner (Na-
tional or Corporate) quality; additionally, the life-
style they pay for cannot be paid for through other
sources and is part of the records connected to the
SIN. None of these lifestyles can be shared on a
long-term basis, as the landlords are leery of any-
one staying at the place and possibly ruining their
deal. Note that there is a chance that if the char-
acter is caught breaking the law, the trustee may
suspend benefits at the gamemaster’s discretion.

Trustworthy
Cost: 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
There’s just something about your baby face, good
manners, or personality that makes others want to
trust you. This quality provides a +1 dice pool mod-
ifier to all Skill Tests for skills in the Influence skill
group and increases the character’s Social Limit by
2 for situations involving trusting the character.

18
Vehicle Empathy
Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster
NEGATIVEQUALITIES
Sometimes you feel like your heart pumps 108
octane instead of simple blood. Characters with Addiction
this quality have an inexplicable understanding of Bonus: 4 to 25 Karma Source: SR5
and connection with anything they drive. When- A character with the
ever the character is in physical control of a vehicle, Addiction quality is Common addictions
either through manual controls or jacked into the hooked on chemical sub- • Better-than-life chips (p.
vehicle via cable (but not Jumped In), they gain a stances, such as street 460)
+1 dice pool modifier for all appropriate Pilot Skill drugs (novacoke, bliss, • Alchemical preparations (p.
tests and increase the Handling Rating by 1. tempo); technological 316)
or magical devices, such • Alcohol
Water Sprite as better-than-life (BTL) • Street drugs
chips or foci; or poten- • Foci (see p. 318)
Cost: 6 Karma Source: Run Faster tially addictive activities • Augmentations
You sure you’re not part merrow? This quality
such as gambling or sex.
provides a +2 dice pool modifier to all Diving and
Physiological Addictions affect the Body’s func-
Swimming tests, as well as tests related to holding
tions, producing pain, nausea, shakes, and other
your breath and treading water.
side effects that can impair the runner, particularly
during withdrawal. Some possible effects of psy-
Will to Live chological Addictions include paranoia, anxiety, in-
Cost: 3 Karma per rating (Max rating 3) somnia, poor concentration, mood disorders, and
Source: SR5 depression. For specific rules on Addiction Tests,
For each rating point in Will to Live, the char- Withdrawal Tests, and staying clean, see p. 414.
acter gains 1 additional Damage Overflow Box (p. The bonus Karma value of this quality depends on
101). These additional boxes only allow the charac- how severe the addiction is. Levels of addiction
ter to sustain additional damage before dying; they include: Mild, Moderate, Severe, or Burnout. Ad-
do not raise the threshold at which the character dictions get worse over prolonged periods of time
becomes unconscious or incapacitated, nor do they without treatment.
affect modifiers from the damage the character has Each level of Addiction has a starting dosage level
taken. 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 augmen-
Witness My Hate tations. The more severe a character’s Addiction,
(MAGICIANS ONLY) the more substance or time devoted to the activity
Cost: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster he needs to satisfy his cravings.
All of a spellcasting character’s single-target Di- At the lower end of the spectrum for the Addic-
rect Damage spells are resolved at +2 DV. Howev- tion
er, such reckless channeling of destructive forces quality (Mild, Moderate), it is easier to hide the
wreaks havoc on the character’s system. The Drain effects of an Addiction. At the most severe levels
code for any affected Direct Damage spells is in- (Severe, Burnout), there are noticeable physical and
creased by +2. mental signs of Addiction. These signs negatively
impact his Social Tests even if he is not suffering
the effects of withdrawal.
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 ac-

19
tively seek out and use the substance or engage in even the most casual observer, the character suffers
the activity to find relief. On a run, this could mean a –3 dice pool modifier for all Social Tests, whether
delaying plans that the runner team may have me- he is in withdrawal or not.
ticulously put together for a job, especially if the The gamemaster has discretion as to whether or
character is busy gambling with a bookie or slotting not she should call for Withdrawal Tests during an
a BTL instead of being available for the run. While Addicted character’s downtime, depending on to
the character is suffering withdrawal symptoms, what degree the gamemaster wants the addiction
apply a –2 dice pool modifier to all of the charac- to impact gameplay for the character.
ter’s Mental-attribute-based tests (if psychological
dependency) or to all the character’s Physical-attri- Albinism
bute-based tests (if physiological dependency). If
Bonus: 4 Or 8 Karma Source: Run Faster
the character succeeds on his Withdrawal Test, the
While the little white bunnies are cute, a charac-
character does not suffer withdrawal symptoms
ter with this quality will likely get a moniker like
and does not need the substance or participate
Powder, Whitey, or Snowflake. Albinism is a genet-
in that habit until the character makes their next
ic disorder that results in a partial or complete lack
Withdrawal Test (in one month). He is able to stay
of pigmentation in the eyes, skin, and hair. While
clean for that month.
the lack of pigment in the hair and skin results in
Moderate (9 Karma)/1 dose or 1 hour of habit-
white colorations, lack of pigment in the eyes re-
related activity: A craving at the Moderate level
sults in pink or crystal blue irises, with bright red
occurs roughly every two weeks. If the character
pupils.
experiences withdrawal, he suffers a –4 to all Men-
Due to the lack of melanin, the compound that
tal-attribute-based tests (if psychological depen-
provides the pigmentation, characters with this
dency) or –4 to all Physical- attribute-based tests
quality lack ultraviolet light protection, making
(if physiological dependency) until the craving is
them very photosensitive and prone to sunburn.
satisfied.
All ethnicities, metatypes, and metavariants can
Severe (20 Karma)/2 doses or 2 hours of habit-re-
manifest albinism; in fact, all species can manifest
lated activity: The addiction is spiraling out of con-
albinism, including sapient paracritters.
trol. The addict experiences cravings once a week. If
Characters with this quality face a Weak Glare
he fails a Withdrawal Test, he suffers a –4 dice pool
penalty to all actions when working in regular in-
modifier to either their Mental- or Physical-based
door lighting as well as during a bright but overcast
tests (as appropriate for their dependency) while in
day, and a Moderate Glare penalty when working
withdrawal. In addition, he suffers a –2 dice pool
on a sunny day. All other Glare modifiers are also
modifier to all Social Tests, whether he is in with-
increased by one level versus albino characters.
drawal or not. It is all but impossible now for the
Normal compensation methods work to mitigate
character to hide his addiction, even when he’s had
the modifiers.
his fix. The physical and psychological symptoms
Due to the lack of protective pigmentation in
of the damage caused by his Addiction are readily
their skin, characters with this quality suffer sun-
apparent to the close observer.
burn more quickly. Halve the duration between re-
Burnout (25 Karma) 3 doses/3 hours (minimum)
sistance tests when exposed to the sun for extend-
of habit-related activity: Burnout is the final pro-
ed periods (p. 148, Run & Gun).
gression of the Addiction quality. The addict expe-
Characters who gain cybereyes at any point in
riences cravings for their drug or habit of choice
the character creation process only gain 4 Karma at
every day. Until they satisfy their craving with a
char acter creation. If an albino character gains cy-
fix, the character suffers a –6 penalty to either his
bereyes during game play, they must buy down this
Mental- or Physical- based tests (whichever one is
quality to the 4 Karma level as soon as they have the
appropriate for their dependency) while in with-
Karma, and cannot spend Karma on anything else
drawal. Because his Addiction is now obvious to
until the quality is bought down.

20
Allergy more profound. The loss can be from injury, magic,
drugs, or something unknown and sinister (cough
Bonus: 5 to 25 Karma Source: SR5
… CFD … cough), and it can be either a simple sur-
A character with the Allergy quality is allergic
face memory loss or a complete neural deletion.
to a substance or condition found in their envi-
The two levels of loss offer differing Karma values
ronment. The value of this quality depends on
and differing levels of difficulty for the mind-wiped
two factors. The first is whether the substance or
shadowrunner.
condition is Uncommon (2 Karma) or Common (7
Karma). Next, determine the severity of the symp- Surface Loss (4 Karma):
toms: Mild (3 Karma), Moderate (8 Karma), Severe This character suffers from the classic movie am-
(13 Karma), or Extreme (18 Karma). nesia where they don’t remember who they are or
Add the appropriate point values together to find their life before a certain moment, but they retain
the final value. For example, the value of an Un- knowledge of their skills and general abilities.
common Moderate Allergy (Silver) is 10 Karma (2+8 They aren’t quite sure how they learned them, or
Karma). If a character is attacked with a substance where, but they at least have those abilities at their
to which they are allergic, they lose 1 die from their disposal. What they lack are knowledge skills. The
Resistance Test for each stage of severity of the Al- gamemaster determines a back-story based on the
lergy (e.g., 1 die for a Mild allergy, 2 dice for a Mod- character the player creates and notes their knowl-
erate allergy, etc.). edge skills. As a skill becomes relevant to the game,
the gamemaster can make a secret roll for the char-
acter and provide the information in a flash of re-
Amnesia alization.
Bonus: 4 Or 8 Karma Source: Run Faster But these skills don’t just appear out of thin air
More than just one night of drunken partying for nothing. In order to access a Knowledge skill, a
or even a few days’ blackout from a healthy dose character needs to decide to buy it. If the skill is al-
of laés, this level of memory loss is far deeper and ready on their list, 2 Karma buys an additional rank

Allergy Table
Condition Value Description
The substance or condition is rare for the local environment. Examples:
Uncommon 2 silver, gold, antibiotics, grass.
The substance or condition is prevalent in the local environment. Examples:
Common 7 sunlight, seafood, bees, pollen, pollutants, Wi-Fi sensitivity, soy, wheat.
Symptoms are discomfiting and distracting. Apply a –2 dice pool modifier to
Mild 3 the character’s Physical Tests while under the effects of the Allergy.
Contact with the allergen produces intense pain. Apply a –4 dice pool modi-
Moderate 8 fier to all Physical Tests made while a character experiences the symptoms.
Contact with the allergen results in extreme pain and actual physical dam-
age. Apply a –4 dice pool modifier to all tests made while a character experi-
Severe 13 ences symptoms. The character also suffers 1 box of Physical Damage (unre-
sisted) for every 1 minute they are exposed to the allergen.
A character at this level, when exposed to the allergen, goes into full anaphy-
lactic shock. The character receives a –6 dice pool modifier for anything they
do. The character is considered to be in excruciating agony. The character
Extreme 18 suffers 1 box of Physical Damage (unresisted) for every 30 seconds they are
exposed to the allergen. First Aid, Medicine, or magical means can stop the
damage taken from the anaphylactic shock.

21
 of the skill and that small bit of their history can Characters with asthma suffer additional, and
be revealed. If the skill is not on their list they pay more rapid, effects from all forms of Fatigue.
for it normally. A player could choose to never buy Whenever considering a Fatigue damage effect, the
back their skills and always be at the mercy of the character faces the damage twice as often and suf-
gamemaster, or simply build up their new identity fers additional effects as soon as they start taking
with what they learn on the streets. damage based on the Asthma Effects table.
Neural Deletion (8 Karma):
This is something that should be discussed and Astral Beacon
worked out with the gamemaster before choosing Bonus: 10 Karma Source: SR5
it, or can be part of a gamemaster’s plan for start- The astral signature of a character with the Astral
ing a new campaign with willing (note that word!) Beacon quality is like, well, a beacon—highly visible
players. The player(s) start with a very limited level on the astral plane. The signature also lasts twice as
of knowledge as to what their character(s) can do. long as it would without the Astral Beacon quality
A nice gamemaster may allow for a list of skills and others assensing it receive a –1 to the threshold
they seem to know something about, or they can of their Assensing Test for gathering information
choose to reveal nothing but the basics, such as about it. Only characters with a Magic rating may
Physical Attributes and gear. Mental Attributes, take this quality.
skills, qualities, and even Edge should start as a
mystery, and players learn about their character as
they go. Bad Luck
One of the most important things to remember Bonus: 12 Karma Source: SR5
about choosing this is that your history is out of This character is cursed—his own luck often
your hands and, at times, so is your character cre- turns against him. When the character uses Edge,
ation. If you want this level of Amnesia, talk to your roll 1D6.
gamemaster and then wait for your character sheet On a result of 1, the point of Edge is spent, but it
and hold on for dear life because you’re in for a has the exact opposite effect intended. For exam-
bumpy and wildly fun ride. ple, if a character hopes to gain additional dice he
The player can only fully regain control of their loses that many dice from his dice pool. If a charac-
character by spending the Karma to buy off this ter spends Edge to go first in an Initiative Pass, he
quality and completing whatever in-game goals the ends up going last. If a character spent Edge to ne-
gamemaster designs. gate a glitch, Bad Luck turns it into a critical glitch.
The character suffers Bad Luck on only one Edge
roll per game session. After the character has suf-
Asthma fered his Bad Luck, he does not need to roll the test
Bonus: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster for Bad Luck for any more expenditures of Edge for
When they gave you the street name Wheezy, you the duration of that game session.
thought how awesome it was to get a classic but
rare sitcom reference. Then you realized it was be-
cause of your asthma, and it wasn’t so cool. Wheth- Bad Rep
er it was in your genetic code, or forced on you by Bonus: 7 Karma Source: SR5
a virus or pollution, you’ve got the wheezes, more A character with a Bad Rep quality has a dark and
professionally known as chronic asthma. When it lasting stain on her reputation. She may be a former
kicks in you endure wheezing, shortness of breath, Knight Errant cop known to have been particularly
chest tightness, and coughing. In other words, brutal in dealing with shadowrunners. Or word on
some serious distractions from hacking, shooting, the street might be that she once killed a member
fighting, casting, summoning, and just about any- of her own runner team. If she’s Awakened and
thing else that requires even a modicum of concen- comes from a polluted region, it may be generally
tration. accepted that she’s a toxic shaman. Whether she is
actually guilty of any wrongdoing is not relevant.

22
 What people believe she has done has permanently it has to be something truly unpleasant (gamemas-
tainted the way they see her and how they deal with ter’s discretion). The character decreases their So-
her. Whatever the reason, the character starts play cial Limit by 3 against anyone who knows about
with 3 points of Notoriety (p. 372) that can only be their past. This could result in a case of blackmail if
removed or decreased by confronting and resolving the wrong person knows the truth. The character
the source of the bad reputation. Only then may cannot buy off this quality unless it becomes pub-
the Bad Rep quality be bought off with Karma. lic, at which point she gains 1 point of Notoriety
and must buy off the quality as soon as possible.
Bi-Polar
Bonus: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster Blighted
A character with this quality fluctuates between Bonus: 6 Months, +5 Karma; 12 Months, +10 Kar-
periods of depression, stability, and mania. Dur- ma; 24 Months, +15 Karma
ing manic periods, the character gains a +1 dice Source: Run & Gun
pool modifier to any tests involving Agility or Re- This quality has multiple levels to represent the
action. At the same time, the inability to focus for different long-term effects of radiation and pol-
extended periods of time results in a –2 dice pool lution damage to the character’s system and how
modifier for tests involving Logic or Intuition. Dur- drastically it affects everyday life for the runner.
ing depressive periods, the character is lethargic, The quality can be taken at character generation
unmotivated, and unable to focus. Apply a –2 dice to represent a life growing up in really bad parts of
pool modifier to any tests involving Agility, Reac- the sprawl, or it can be gained by dossing down in
tion, Logic, and Intuition. During stable times, the those spots for an extended period.
character feels balanced and suffers no difficulties The exact effects are not specified, only the effects
except for those they impose on themselves. it will have on rolls for the character. The penalties
The gamemaster rolls a die to determine the char- can be caused by organ shutdown, muscle spasms,
acter’s current mental state. This roll should occur cancerous growths, etc. This quality cannot be tak-
at the beginning of the game session, whenever en in campaigns that do not face the environments
the character gets a shift in activity (sleep, after a it is designed for without gamemaster approval.
run, during a long stakeout, etc.), or whenever the Make an Edge (3) Test at the beginning of each
gamemaster feels like it, but at least once per day. game session. Success means no complications for
On a result of 1 or 2, the character is in a depressed that game session. Failure means they feel the pain
state, on a 3 or 4 the character is in a manic state, of their rough upbringing in a harsh environment
and on a 5 or 6 the character is stable. full of excess chemical or radioactivity exposure.
Medication to stabilize Bi-polar characters is (To be clear, you cannot spend Edge on an Edge
available at a cost of 500 nuyen a month, but re- roll.)
quires a prescription and a SIN (a fake SIN is, of
6 months:
course, a viable option). Failing to take meds for
Characters face a –1 penalty on all Physical ac-
more than twelve hours results in a die roll by the
tions.
gamemaster. On the street, the meds go for 100
nuyen a dose. 12 months:
Characters face a –1 penalty on all Actions.
24 months:
Big Regret Characters face a –2 penalty on all Physical ac-
Bonus: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster tions and a –1 penalty on all other actions.
Mistakes happen. Sometime in the character’s
past they did something serious that they regret;
maybe they spent time as a bunraku puppet, maybe Blind
they were part of a major political affair, or they Bonus: 15 Karma (5 Karma For Characters With Ac-
were involved in the wrong corporate project, but cess To Astral Sight)

23
Source: Run Faster The character has a binding Code of Honor when
Characters with this quality are completely blind it comes to killing members of a specific group; it’s
and can perceive nothing visually. This means they a matter of unwavering principle. The character
automatically fail all vision-based Perception Tests. with the Code of Honor quality chooses a specific
They also face a –4 dice pool modifier for general group that they will not kill or allow others to kill.
Perception tests, a –3 dice pool modifier for Sur- Examples of this group could include women, chil-
prise Tests, Blind Fire when in Ranged Combat, dren, innocent bystanders, or a specific metatype.
Total Darkness in Melee Combat, and any other A character can choose to protect specific paracrit-
relevant modifiers at the gamemaster’s discretion. ters, but only if the specified paracritter possesses
The character cannot use cybereyes, as the blind- the Sapience power.
ness is a nerve issue, leaving them incapable of pro- The gamemaster must approve the group that
cessing any visual stimuli, regardless of the source. the character designates as being “off limits.” If the
Since astral sight is not a truly visual sense, Awak- group (such as children) is not regularly encoun-
ened characters who are blind can still use astral tered in campaigns, the gamemaster can reject the
perception all the time and at least have some sense choice. If the player feels strongly about his choice,
of objects in the world, but gamemasters should the gamemaster may allow the player to take two
apply the customary –2 dice pool modifier to all ac- groups they will not harm, (i.e., women and chil-
tions performed on the physical plane while per- dren), one of which must be likely to be encoun-
ceiving the astral, including indirect combat spells, tered in the campaign. A magician can legitimately
and keep in mind the differences between the astral choose to not destroy any type of spirit from which
and physical worlds. their Mentor Spirit bestows a bonus for summon-
ing. This Code of Honor respects their Mentor
Spirit and is worthy of the Karma. Characters can’t
Borrowed Time pick an obscure or non-existent group to acquire
Bonus: 20 Karma Source: Run Faster this quality—you can’t acquire Karma by vowing to
Runners face death on a regular basis, but usu- never kill sapient hamsters, for example.
ally they learn the best ways to avoid it. This qual- Any time anyone attempts to kill a member of
ity makes avoiding it impossible; the inevitable is at the character’s protected list, the character must
your door, you’re just waiting for it to knock. It may make a Charisma + Willpower (4) Test. A failed roll
be a fatal disease, a slow-acting poison, a precarious means the character must immediately put a stop
blockage, or a ticking cortex bomb, but no matter the violence against the member of their protected
the source, death could arrive at any moment. group. If the situation forces the character to take
There is no set time limit on the character’s expi- action against any of his protected group, he will
ration, only a deadly combination of three dice. At always choose non-lethal methods. Killing a mem-
the beginning of each game session the gamemas- ber of the group he has sworn to protect is a line he
ter rolls three dice in secret; three of a kind means will not cross for any reason.
times up. At some point during that game session, There are drawbacks to having a Code of Hon-
at the perfect dramatic moment, the character dies. or. For example, it can leave witnesses behind. For
This quality cannot be bought off. If the player each person in the protected group the character
changes their mind and wants their character to leaves alive and who is in a position to remember
survive, the gamemaster can allow the character to them, increase the character’s Public Awareness by
survive, at a cost. When their number’s up (and not 1. The character’s job options are also limited—he
before), the character must burn all their current will not take a job if the objective is the death of a
Edge to stay alive. The quality then goes away. member of his protected group and will have reser-
vations about taking part in a mission with a high
Code of Honor probability of causing collateral harm to members
Bonus: 15 Karma Source: SR5 of his protected group.

24
 There is always a chance things will go wrong ceives a –2 dice pool modifier any time he attempts
whenever non-lethal force is used. A person may that type of Matrix action. Codeblock only applies
have a life-threatening allergic reaction to a usually to Matrix actions with an associated test; it does
harmless knockout drug, or a heart condition that not apply to actions that do not require a test (p.
makes a taser shock deadly. For this reason, each 237). Characters cannot apply Codeblock toward
time the character takes a violent action or allows hacking actions they are never likely to take.
others to take violent action against a member of
his chosen group, the gamemaster makes a secret Combat Junkie
roll of 1D6. On a roll of 1, there is an unforeseen
Bonus: 7 Karma Source: Run & Gun
complication from the use of non-lethal force.
The character just can’t keep from starting fights.
With a metahuman it could be a life-threatening
His first solution is always fight, and so is his sec-
medical condition; with a spirit, an attempt to ban-
ond, third, and fourth. If someone suggests more
ish rather than destroy may in fact set the spirit
options than that to the character, they’ve prob-
free. When a complication arises, the gamemaster
ably been punched already. The point is, no matter
makes a secret Perception (4) Test for the character
what the actual plan is, this character will always
to notice if anything has gone wrong.
look for a chance to get a little combat on.
If a person in the character’s chosen group is
This quality manifests in two different ways. If
killed, whether intentionally or inadvertently, the
the character is in a stressful situation, they must
character loses a point of Karma for that adventure
make a Composure (4) Test in order to restrain
for each person in their “protected group” that is
themselves from just punching their way out of the
killed. The Code of Honor can take other forms as
situation. If they are following a plan and an unex-
well. For example:
pected event occurs, their first reaction will be to
• Assassin’s Creed: A character never kills anyone
opt for violence unless they succeed in an Intuition
that they are not paid to kill. Being precise as an
+ Logic (4) Test and remember to stop and think
assassin, not leaving collateral damage, and being
about whether there might be a better option. The
invisible are important hallmarks of those who be-
character is always free to not make a test and just
lieve in the Assassin’s Creed. Characters who take
give into their violent instincts—and deal with
this version of Code of Honor lose 1 point of Karma
whatever consequences follow.
for every unintentional and/or unpaid murder they
commit, and their Public Awareness goes up by 1
for each such death. Combat Paralyisis
• Warrior’s Code: The character who follows a Bonus: 12 Karma Source: SR5
Warrior’s Code maintains a strict sense of personal A character with Combat Paralysis freezes in
honor. In 2075, this likely means a character combat. On the character’s first Initiative Test,
will not kill an unarmed person, take lethal action the character divides their Initiative Score for that
against an opponent who is unaware or unprepared round in half (rounded up). In subsequent phas-
for an attack (i.e., a guard who doesn’t know the es, the character may roll their normal Initiative.
runner is there), or knowingly take an action that Combat Paralysis also gives the character a –3 dice
could kill someone who is defenseless (i.e., from a pool modifier on Surprise Tests. If the character
stray bullet or allow someone to be killed from a must make a Composure Test while under fire or in
sniper shot). The character loses 1 Karma per un- a similar combat situation, the gamemaster applies
armed or defenseless person that they kill or allow a +1 threshold modifier.
to be killed through their actions.
Computer Illiterate
Codeblock Bonus: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster
Bonus: 10 Karma Source: SR5 There are characters who aren’t tech-savvy and
A character with the Codeblock quality always characters who just don’t understand technology,
has trouble with a particular Matrix action. He re- and then there are characters with this quality.

25
 These characters have no experience at working character must possess a valid SIN (SINner quality
with AR, computers, commlinks, and other elec- or at least a Rating 4 fake SIN). If they have the SIN-
tronic devices. ner quality, the money from the Day Job quality is
They have difficulty performing even simple considered already taxed. If they are using a fake
tasks such as making commcalls, sending e-mails, and it gets burned or connected to a crime, expect
instant messaging, programming a trideo recorder, the cops to come down hard and the job is lost until
using a commlink, or doing a Matrix search. This the situation is cleared up.
quality provides a –4 dice pool modifier to all tests When combined with the Fame quality, this could
that involve a computer, electronic device, or Ma- easily bring in enough money to support the
trix-connected system of any kind. During stressful character, so make sure they have a good reason to
or tense situations, the gamemaster may require a run the shadows.
Success Test, with the modifier, to complete tasks The Day Job table provides the Karma, income,
others would take for granted. and hours breakdown for the quality. During runs,
the gamemaster should keep track of how many
Creature Of Comfort consecutive days are being spent on shadowrun-
ning activity and whether the character can fulfill
Bonus: 10, 17, Or 25 Karma Source: Run Faster
their day job responsibilities. If they can’t, they get
For the character with this quality, the rewards of
a warning; if it happens again after a warning, they
a job well done are the finer things in life. Unfor-
lose their job. Losing their job costs them 2 points
tunately, one can quickly get attached to the com-
of Street Cred (how can you be trusted as a runner
forts one has acquired, making the fall seem ever
if you can’t even hold a job as a fry cook?) and costs
so higher. At the 10 Karma level, the character is
the character a month of salary due to purchases
used to a Middle Lifestyle, at the 17 level a High,
they made in anticipation of their pay.
and 25, it’s Luxury all the way, baby. For every day
that the character must spend “slumming” it in a
lower Lifestyle category, the irritable character suf- Day Job
fers a –1 penalty to all Social and Healing tests per
Value Salary/Month Hours/Week
Lifestyle category below his chosen level.
For example, if the character takes this Quality 5 1,000 ¥ 10
at the High Lifestyle level and is forced to stay in a 10 2,500 ¥ 20
Squatter Lifestyle, he will suffer –3 to all Social and 15 5,00 ¥ 40
Healing tests. Life just isn’t worth living without
Cognac.

Day Job Deaf

Bonus: 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
Bonus: 5 To 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
Characters with this quality are completely deaf
When running in the shadows, sometimes you
and can perceive no sound at all. This means they
need a way to fill your days, or to maintain your
automatically fail all audio-based Perception Tests.
cover. This quality burdens a character with re-
They also face a –2 dice pool modifier for general
sponsibilities and time commitments. While the
Perception tests, a –3 dice pool modifier for Sur-
regular income is nice, having a regular schedule
prise Tests, and any other modifiers at the game-
and a boss to answer to doesn’t jibe well with the
master’s discretion.
shadowrunning profession.
The player and gamemaster should work together
to determine the job, which is usually a pretty de- Dependents
cent gig based on the pay rates, but the gamemaster Bonus: 3, 6, or 9 Karma Source: SR5
should determine the shifts the character works. In A character with the Dependents quality has one
order to establish the legitimacy of the day job, the or

26
 more loved ones who depend on them for emo- Did You Just Call Me Dumb?
tional support and financial aid. Dependents may
Bonus: 3 Karma Source: Run Faster
include children, parents, a spouse or lover, a sib-
The character can’t resist camouflaging insults
ling, or an old friend. Meeting the needs of a depen-
into well-spoken words. The character gets the sat-
dent should take up a fair amount of the character’s
isfaction of feeling superior to everyone. Unfortu-
time, as well as some of the character’s money. In-
nately, once in a while people will notice and get
crease the amount of time it takes to learn a new
pretty upset. Any Glitch rolled by this character on
skill or improve an existing skill by fifty percent.
any Social test always counts as a Critical Glitch.
See the Character Advancement section on p. 103
for more information on how long it takes to im-
prove skills. Also increase the base time for any Dimmer Bulb
long-term projects by fifty percent. A dependent Bonus: 5 Karma Per Level (Max 3 Levels)
could also be a hindrance in other ways—getting Source: Run Faster
underfoot, sharing living space, involving herself in Maybe it was one too many hits to the head, may-
the character’s work, borrowing the car, calling at be the character’s mother dropped her as a baby,
the most inopportune moments, etc. or maybe she never got into that whole “thinking”
For 3 Karma, the dependent is an occasional nui- thing, but whatever the cause, the character does
sance: dropping in unexpectedly (such as when the not tend to shine in the mental arena. For every
character must go to a meet), needing emotional level of this quality, the character faces a –1 dice
support, favors, or other confirmations of friend- pool modifier on all tests involving Logic or Intu-
ship/commitment, and occasionally money. Exam- ition.
ples of dependents at this level include: slacker sib-
ling, long-term boyfriend/girlfriend, or a child not
living with the character but for whom the charac-
Driven
ter pays child support and visits regularly. Raise the Bonus: 2 Karma Source: Run Faster
character’s lifestyle cost by 10 percent each month. The character has an obsession, something that
For 6 Karma, the dependent is a regular incon- drives them forward. Everything they do is designed
venience: needing attention and commitment on a to bring them one step closer to solving the enigma
regular basis, getting involved in the character’s af- in their life. This can be finding a disappeared loved
fairs, sharing living space. Examples of dependents one, discovering a hidden truth about themselves,
at this level include: a live-in lover/wife/husband or even getting revenge on an old enemy. Whatever
or family member, a child for whom the character the cause, when faced with a clue or opportunity
shares custody and routinely has in his home (ev- to advance their quest, the character must make a
ery other weekend, etc.), or a young child or close Willpower + Logic (4) Test to not immediately drop
sibling for whom the character is responsible. In- everything and pursue this new information. Un-
crease the character’s lifestyle cost by 20 percent less the character succeeds, they will sacrifice any-
each month. thing and anyone to get closer to the truth. On the
At the 9 Karma level, the dependent is close fam- other hand, such single-minded obsession makes
ily or a life partner and lives with the character. The the character a tough nut to crack. As long as the
dependent is a strain on the character’s time and character is actively working a lead, he gains +1 to
resources, and/or requires special care and atten- his Willpower.
tion that limits the character’s availability for mis-
sions or specific actions. Examples of these depen- Distinctive Style
dents include large family sharing the living space, Bonus: 5 Karma Source: SR5
parents or grandparents with medical or physical A character with the Distinctive Style quality
needs, and full custody of any children. Increase has at least one aspect of his appearance, manner-
the lifestyle cost for the character by 30percent ism, or personality that makes him inconveniently
each month. memorable. Choices for Distinctive Style include,

27
 but are by no means limited to: tattoos that can- 140). An outed elf poser may also face stigma from
not be easily concealed, an accent or atypical man- prejudiced humans as a “race traitor.” Only human
ner of speaking, bizarre fashion choices, scars, gang characters may take the Elf Poser quality.
or prison signs, flashy custom augmentations, or
non-metahuman modifications like a tail. Note Emotional Attachment
that what’s distinctive in one culture or location
Bonus: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster
may not be in another. Whatever Distinctive Style
The character has an irrational emotional at-
the player selects makes her character easy to re-
tachment to a piece of gear. The character will al-
member. Anyone who attempts to identify, trace,
ways use this item, even if presented with a “bet-
or physically locate this character (or gain infor-
ter” option. Furthermore, if lost in some manner,
mation about him via legwork) receives a +2 dice
the character will do everything in his power, up to
pool modifier for relevant tests. If an NPC makes
and including risking his life and that of his team-
a Memory Test (p. 152) to determine how much
mates, to retrieve his item. If the piece of gear is ir-
they recal about the character, reduce the Difficul-
retrievably lost or damaged, the player must either
ty Threshold by 1, to a minimum of 1. This quality
immediately spend Karma to buy off the quality or
is physical in nature and does not apply to astral
suffer a –1 penalty on all tests that would have used
searches. This quality may only be taken once.
that piece of gear for a six-month period. After that
This quality is incompatible with Blandness.
time, they learn to love a replacement piece of gear,
and the quality transfers to that item.
Earther
Bonus: 3 Karma Source: Run & Gun Ex-Con
Some people are just not meant to explore the
Bonus: 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
stars. Space flight training usually weeds these peo-
Runners often brag that they’d go down in a blaze
ple out, but most runners never go through an offi-
of glory before they let the pawns bring them down.
cial space flight program. Characters who take this
The prison system is full of them. A character with
quality are especially inept in alternate gravities.
this quality is fresh out of the joint and still on the
They suffer a –2 dice pool penalty on all Physical
legal leash, so they have several drawbacks.
actions taken in a gravity other than Earth norm.
First, the local police corporation has a full file
This quality cannot be taken in campaigns that
and rundown on the character, including aug-
do not face the environments it is designed for
mentations, magical training, known associates,
without gamemaster approval.
biometric data, a material link, etc. This file is du-
plicated by the local prison corporation if they are
Elf Poser different than the police force and is connected to
Bonus: 6 Karma Source: SR5 their nice new Criminal SIN (sorry, no extra points
The Elf Poser is a human character who wants to there). Plus, the character cannot have any Re-
be an elf. She associates with elves as much as pos- stricted or Forbidden augmentations, as the prison
sible, talks like elves, and alters her appearance to system removes them to protect the other inmates
resemble an elf. Characters with this quality may and staff (and sell them to the black market).
undergo cosmetic surgery to get elf ears and elf Second, the character is on parole and has to
eyes, and they may successfully pass as elves and check in with their parole officer (PO) twice a week
avoid any negative Social modifiers associated with via the Matrix and once a week in person. Plus, the
being a non-elf. Real elves consider Elf Posers an PO can choose to make a house call any time they
embarrassment, many humans think of them as want. Whether the gamemaster wants the charac-
sellouts, and other metatypes generally consider ter to have a sleazy or a squeaky clean PO is up to
posers to be pathetic. If an elf discovers the char- them, but each creates their own bundle of prob-
acter’s secret, the elf is likely to treat her with con- lems.
tempt and hostility (see Social Modifiers Table, p.

28
 Third, the character is known to be an ex-con and For each level (maximum of 4), reduce the num-
is limited in their choice of contacts. Street-level berof rolled 1s necessary to get a glitch (p. 45) by
folks will still freely associate with the runner— 1 whenever the character is attempting to use a
hell, they might even commiserate while waiting moderately sophisticated device. For example, a
in their mutual PO’s waiting room. Corp contacts character with a dice pool of 8 and Gremlins level
will only associate with the character if they have a 2 (8 Karma) would trigger a glitch if two or more 1s
Loyalty Rating of 4 or higher, and law enforcement result from the test (instead of the normal 4). The
contacts only stick by the runner if they have a Loy- gamemaster may also require the character to make
alty Rating of 5 or 6. a test for operation that would otherwise succeed
If the character ever gets past their parole or cre- automatically to see whether or not a glitch occurs
ates a new life for him- or herself, this quality must When describing the effects of a Gremlin-induced
be bought off or replaced with other negative quali- glitch, gamemasters should play up the notion of
ties of equal or greater value. a particularly weird mechanical or electronics mal-
function.
Flashbacks Some examples of Gremlin-induced glitches in-
clude: the magazine falling out of a pistol when
Bonus: 7 Or 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
attempting a critical shot, a keypad inexplicably
Whether due to PTSD, mental torture, psycho-
burning out while entering a code to disarm an
tropic IC, or just a scarring experience, the char-
alarm system, or the commlink interface convert-
acter suffers vivid memory-based sensory halluci-
ing to Sperethiel mid-sentence when attempting to
nations. The flashbacks are triggered by a specific
access a restricted node.
stimulus. Whenever the character encounters their
Note that Gremlins is a Negative quality—its ef-
trigger stimulus, they must make a Composure 5)
fects hinder the character (and probably entertain
Test or become incapacitated for (5 – hits) Combat
others). The character cannot use his Gremlins
Turns. During the flashback, the character is un-
quality to damage an opponent’s high-tech equip-
able to perform any useful action and may instead
ment merely by touching it. Anything the charac-
perform physical actions reflecting their mental
ter attempts to sabotage using only Gremlins will
misperceptions.
function flawlessly. (Obviously, he can try any or-
During character creation, work with the game-
dinary means of sabotage, but Gremlins will haunt
master to determine the stimulus and Karma value
his efforts.)
based on how common that stimulus will be in the
The effect only applies to external equipment
campaign. The stimulus can be any sensory input,
and does not affect cyberware, bioware, or other
including something on the astral plane or in the
implants.
Matrix. A 7 Karma stimulus should come up about
once every other shadowrun, while the 15 Karma
stimulus should pop up at least once in every game Hobo With A Shotgun
session. Bonus: 10 Karma Source: Run Faster
The character has survived on the streets for so
Gremlins long that anything else makes them distrustful and
suspicious. The character will not choose to stay in
Bonus: 4 Karma per level (max 4)
accommodations above Squatter. If, for example,
Source: SR5 the team elects to spend the night in a Middle Life-
Characters with the Gremlins quality don’t get style hotel, or even a squalid Low Lifestyle motel,
along with technology. Devices malfunction inex- the character will walk out and find a comfortable
plicably, software crashes unexpectedly, vehicles alley to sleep in rather than bear this “luxury.”
refuse to start, components become unusually If forced to stay somewhere above Squatter, the
fragile at his touch, and wireless links suffer falter- character will be at –2 to all his Mental attributes
ing connections and odd interference whenever
he’s involved.

29
 as he becomes confused, erratic, and agitated until all Knowledge skills that require reading cost dou-
such a time as he is able to spend a day in a Squatter ble the Karma for the character until she learns to
or Street lifestyle to rezone himself. read and buys off this quality.

Hung Out To Dry Incompetent

Bonus: 8 Karma Source: Run Faster Bonus: 5 Karma Source: SR5
Welcome to the world of social shunning. For An Incompetent character possesses a total lack
some reason, unknown to the character, her con- of knowledge or ability with a certain Active skill
tacts have suddenly clammed up and stopped an- group—or, perhaps worse, they have some vague
swering her calls, and new connections she makes knowledge or the skills contained in the group, but
suddenly dry up when they get wind of her social they have neither the coordination nor the com-
pariah status. The gamemaster knows the reason prehension to come anywhere close to carrying it
no one will talk to her, and it’s up to the character off properly. No matter how much effort they put
to try to figure it out and maybe clear her name. into this area, they simply cannot grasp it—it would
These events could be the focus of an entire cam- take a miracle for them to somehow, someday ad-
paign or just a few side-jobs here and there that vance to the level of “poor” in those skills.
the character might need to convince her running Incompetent may not be applied to Language or
mates to help her out on. Knowledge skills. The Incompetent character is
If other members of the team start to ask around treated as having skill level of “unaware” for all skills
as to why the character is on the outs, their contacts in the skill group (see the Skill Rating Table, p. 131).
may get a little tight-lipped and may even clam up In some cases, a Success Test may be required for
until the situation is resolved. Once the situation is tasks most people take for granted. Characters may
resolved, the character will need to either buy off not possess that skill group for which they have the
this quality or replace it with another of equal value Incompetent quality. If gear grants a bonus or re-
as a result of the events. quires the use of a specific skill in which the charac-
ter is Incompetent, the character gains no benefits
Illiterate from the gear. Gamemasters are free to reject any
choices that would prove irrelevant or exploitative
Bonus: 5 Karma Source: Run Faster
in actual play, such as Incompetent: Outdoors in a
Though literacy is not really necessary thanks to
campaign based entirely inside an arcology. (This
the advances of the Sixth World, most folks can at
should go without saying, but just in case: Char-
least sound out “See Spot run.” Whether because
acters may never choose Incompetent for any skill
she grew up in the wild (urban, rural, or otherwise),
group that they are physically incapable of using. A
or just never had the opportunity, the character
non-magician cannot take Incompetent in Sorcery,
cannot read a lick. She can ask others, use an agent
Conjuring, or Enchanting; a non-technomancer
program, or get software on her commlink to scan
cannot be Incompetent in a skill that requires Res-
and read things aloud, but anyone aware of this in-
onance; and so on.)
tellectual deficit will look negatively on the charac-
Incompetent may be purchased only once.
ter, reducing her Social Limit by 1.
The illiterate character also suffers a –2 dice pool
modifier when working with computer/commlink In Debt
systems and electronics other than her own due to Bonus: 1 To 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
her unfamiliarity with their iconography. Also, dur- Whether it came betting the ponies or buying
ing character creation the character cannot choose that new pony, the character owes money to an
any Knowledge skill that may have required even unsavory third party. The player and gamemaster
the most minimal of reading, and during game play must work out the details, but the happy thing is,
for every point of Karma (up to 15) spent to be In
Debt, the character gets 5,000 nuyen to spend dur-

30
 ing character creation. These points are spent in with it, and they turn back into mild-mannered
place of the normal Karma for extra cash and ex- everyday Joe. This includes loss of skills while the
tend the possible additional funds to 75,000¥. cover identity is in charge.
Now it’s time for the bad news. The character The gamemaster can create a secondary char-
now owes some nasty people the amount they bor- acter for the player to use during these times, ask
rowed, plus another fifty percent, and the amount them to step out while they run the NPC, or make
increases by ten percent every month until it’s paid them sit and watch in humiliation as their charac-
off. If the character misses a monthly payment, ter screams like a child and runs for cover or sim-
which has to be at least the interest for the month, ply wanders up to the guard booth, seemingly lost
they take 1 box of Physical damage for every 20,000 in the middle of the secure facility. As if all of this
nuyen they owe. This can’t be resisted and can’t wasn’t bad enough, behaviors like this look an aw-
be healed until they pay their minimum as their ful lot like CFD, and people are going to start won-
friendly neighborhood lender sent the appropri- dering if you’re a head case.
ate message and then leans on them until they get
their money. They can also expect to be asked to do Infirm
some discount work and maybe even a few favors
Bonus: 5 To 25 Karma Source: Run Faster
while they have the debt hanging over their head.
Characters with this quality often think, “I should
The quality can be bought off if the character has
hit the gym” but rarely get past buying the mem-
both enough Karma and cash to pay the debt. If
bership, or they’re on the downward slope of life
they only have the cash but not the Karma, they can
and just too old for this drek.
trade for another negative quality of equal Karma.
The quality represents some kind of diminished
If they don’t want to do that, then the lenders sud-
physical fitness aptitude. For every 5 Karma, the
denly become scarce, and the character is unable to
character drops all of their Physical Attribute maxi-
make the payment until interest compounds again,
mums by one. The quality can be taken up to five
leaving them deeper in debt.
times, but no Attribute maximum can be dropped
below 1.
Incomplete Deprogramming Along with this natural cap, the character can
Bonus: 10 Karma Source: Run Faster never have a Physical Attribute modified beyond
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you this maximum by any source—magic, machine or
don’t. A character with this quality was once men- otherwise—as their body is too frail to handle the
tally programmed to be a deep-cover agent for an stress.
agency. The effects of this quality stack with those of th
When they left, their deprogramming wasn’t Aged quality from Bullets & Bandages (p. 12), so
completed properly for some reason. Since then characters need to be careful of not dropping any
the character has had occasional, often unexpect- Attribute maximum lower than one.
ed, shifts back to their cover identity.
Whenever this character faces a stressful situa- Insomnia
tion such as an interrogation, combat, or even just
Bonus: 10 or 15 Karma Source: SR5
an injury, they must make a Composure (4) Test.
A character with the Insomnia quality has trouble
Failure means the cover identity comes out and
falling asleep and seldom feels well rested. Usually,
takes control for either 1D6 minutes or whatever
this is only an annoyance. For runners, however,
length of time the gamemaster desires. The altered
this can become a major problem when they are
psychological state is not stable, though, and an-
dependent on being able to rest at every opportu-
other stressful situation can call for another Com-
nity to remain sharp. Insomnia can lengthen the
posure (4) Test and another personality shift.
amount of time it takes for a character to recover
This can occur over and over during the same
Stun damage.
firefight. During these states the character forgets
At the 10 Karma level, before a character rolls his
their badass runner identity and the skills that go

31
 Body + Willpower to recover Stun damage, the Loss of Confidence
character rolls an Intuition + Willpower (4) Test. If
Bonus: 10 Karma Source: SR5
the character succeeds on this test, the character
The Loss of Confidence quality means some-
is not impeded by Insomnia and the character re-
thing has caused the character to lose confidence
gains Stun damage as normal. He also regains his
in himself and one of his abilities. Though a skilled
Edge after 8 hours of restful sleep. If the character
decker, he failed to hack into a Stuffer Shack grid,
fails, double the amount of time it normally would
or despite high Agility, he glitched an easy Climb-
take for a character to recover their Stun damage.
ing Test and fell into a dumpster—whatever the
So instead of healing a number of boxes of Stun
reason, he now doubts himself and his abilities. In
damage in an hour, it now takes two hours per roll.
tests involving the affected skill, the character suf-
If the character is affected by Insomnia, the charac-
fers a –2 dice pool modifier. If the character has a
ter does not have his Edge refreshed and may not
specialization with the skill, the character cannot
have it refreshed for up to another 24 hours.
use that specialization while suffering a loss of con-
At the 15 Karma level, a failed Willpower + Intu-
fidence.
ition (4) Test means that all efforts to regain Stun
The skill chosen for the character to have a
damage through rest are negated during that time
Loss of Confidence must be one that the charac-
period, and the character must try again later. No
ter prides himself in and has invested in building.
Stun damage is regained from the attempt due to
Only skills with a rating 4 or higher may suffer the
the insomnia the character experiences, and the
Loss of Confidence quality. Edge may not be used
character must wait for 24 hours before their Edge
for tests involving this skill when the character is
refreshes.
suffering Loss of Confidence.

Liar Low Pain Tolerance

Bonus: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster Bonus: 9 Karma Source: SR5
You’d never make it as Pinocchio. Everyone
Characters with Low Pain Tolerance are particu-
around knows the character to be a compulsive liar,
larly sensitive to pain; they incur a –1 wound modi-
and even when she manages to utter the truth, she
fier for every 2 boxes of cumulative damage, instead
just sounds false and insincere. Let’s look at how
of the normal 3 boxes. This affects both Physical
this plays out.
and Stun damage tracks.
First, the character receives a –1 dice pool modi-
fier to all Social skill tests. Also, whenever the char-
acter addresses someone, the gamemaster rolls Night Blindness
1D6. On a result of 1, the target of the conversation Bonus: 6 Karma Source: Run Faster
calls bullshit and assumes the character is lying, no No one understands how dark the shadows are
matter what they are saying. Trust is lost, conver- like you. The character’s natural vision does not
sation is over. This occurs with every conversation adjust well to poor lighting conditions. All Light/
the character takes part in. Any NPC who lost trust Glare Environmental modifiers are one category
in the character this way continues to maintain a worse for the character, with the exception of Full
certain level of mistrust, and the next time they en- Light/No Glare, which still has no modifier.
counter the character, things go wrong on a roll of
1 or 2. Oblivious
If it happens a third time, the character gains a
Bonus: 6 Or 10 Karma Source: Run Faster
point of Notoriety, and reduces the Loyalty value of
The character with this quality fails to notice the
the contact by 1 (if it was a contact). If that means
troll in the corner with the Panther cannon … even
they hit Loyalty 0, then say sayonara to that con-
after they’ve fired it! A 6 Karma level of Oblivious
tact.
means a –2 dice pool modifier to all Perception

32
 Tests, including standard, Astral, and Matrix. On ceed at the test within seven days, they lose 1 point
top of that, at the 10 Karma level, all Perception of Willpower or Charisma, whichever is higher.
Test thresholds are increased by 1. The loss is permanent, but the –1 dice pool modifi-
er to tests involving Mental attributes goes away. If
Ork Poser the character actually kills someone (or even thinks
they did), the dice pool modifier becomes –2, the
Bonus: 6 Karma Source: SR5
Extended Test interval changes to 1 week, and the
Influenced by Goblin Rock or over-hyped orx-
character’s Mental Limit is decreased by 1.
ploitation trends, an Ork Poser is an elf or human
character who alters her appearance to appear as
an ork. Various cosmetic biomods—tusk implants, Paranoia
steroids, larynx alterations, etc.—allow him to suc- Bonus: 7 Karma Source: Run Faster
cessfully pass as an ork. Ork posers are an embar- It’s only paranoia if they aren’t out to get you. In
rassment to many orks, but some tolerate, if not the shadows, being cautious is often mistaken for
appreciate, the compliment behind the effort. This being paranoid, but there’s a dramatic difference
means an ork who discovers the character’s secret between the two. A character with this quality tru-
may either become very hostile toward him or be ly thinks everyone is out to get her. Whether this
willing to let the character join the “family”—pro- is really the case, or simply a matter of an overac-
vided he passes an appropriate hazing ritual to tive imagination, the character faces a –2 dice pool
prove his “orkness.” An outed ork poser may also modifier on all Social Tests involving contacts with
face stigma from other humans or elves as “race a Loyalty less than 4 or any generally unfamiliar
traitors,” if those humans/elves harbor any preju- person.
dice against orks. Only humans and elves may take The character also refuses to ever give out her
the Ork Poser quality. address or any information on where she lives and
must change living spaces every few months to ease
Pacifist their fear of being found.
Bonus: 10 Or 15 Karma Source: Run faster
To hurt another is to mar the soul. This quality Paraplegic
represents two levels of moral inflexibility that pre- Bonus: 10 Karma Source : Run Faster
vent the character from delivering, or allowing oth- Characters with this quality are paralyzed from
ers to deliver, harm to another being. the waist down. They can perform any physical
At the 10 Karma level, the character avoids vio- tasks that do not require the use of their legs, and
lence not performed in self-defense. The character locomotion usually occurs via wheelchair or wheel-
will not participate in runs involving wetwork and chair drone. The character is fast, with a walking
may try to dissuade other team members from do- speed of Agility x 3 and running speed of Agility x 4,
ing so. Non-lethal attacks (gel rounds, tasers, flash- regardless of metatype (shadowrunners get the fast
bangs, stun spells, etc.) are still considered “vio- and agile wheelchairs of marathoners and murder-
lent,” and may only be used in self-defense—after ball athletes, not slow and cumbersome chairs).
an opponent has clearly attacked the character, They have trouble, though, with stairs and curbs,
other team members, or innocent bystanders. which can prevent them from getting where they
At the 15 Karma level, the character will not com- need to go.
mit any violence regardless of provocation or threat The paralysis can be permanent or a temporary
to themselves or others. If the character commits condition while the character builds up funds to
any act of violence they are stricken with a power- get surgery to fix the cause. Once the repair is done,
ful sense of guilt and suffer a –1 dice pool modi- the quality has to be bought off.
fier to all tests involving Mental attributes until the The character has a lot of additional expenses to
character succeeds at a Charisma + Willpower (20, make the world more manageable. To reflect this,
1 day) Extended Test. If the character does not suc- their Lifestyle cost is increased by 10 percent (cu-

33
 mulative with racial modifiers) and vehicles need
to be modified, increasing their price by 5 percent, Phobia Table
or have a Rigger Interface (p. 461, SR5) for DNI con- Condition Karma Description
trol. The triggering condition is
The quality does not affect the character’s abili- relatively rare, such as the
ties in astral space or the Matrix. Uncommun 2 smell of roses or specific
insects.
Phobia The triggering condition is
Bonus: 5 To 15 Karma Source: Run Faster commonly encountered, such
Fear is the mind-killer. It can also cause reactions Commun 5 as sunlight, trolls, insects in
from distraction to utter panic. A character with general, magic, the outdoors,
this quality has a visceral fear of some kind that or crowds.
shakes them whenever they are exposed. The se-
verity of the fear determines their reaction to it and
any modifiers they may face in its presence. That,
Severity Karma Effects
combined with how frequently they may be ex- –1 dice pool modifier to all
Mild 3 actions
posed to their object of apprehension, determines
the Karma value of the quality based on the Phobia –3 dice pool modifier to all
table. Mild phobias cause a –1 dice pool modifier actions; Composure (2) Test
Moderate 5 or must get away from the
to all actions while in the presence of their source.
Moderate phobias cause a –3 dice pool modifier to source
all actions while in the presence of their source, –6 dice pool modifier; Com-
and the character must succeed on a Composure posure (5) Test or must flee
(2) Test or feel a strong need to get away from the Severe 10 from the source for (5 – hits)
source of their fear. A Severe phobia causes the Combat Turns
character to face a -6 dice pool modifier, requires
a Composure (5) Test to stay in its presence, and Whether they’re a boaster, an adrenaline junkie,
if the Composure Test is failed the character must or just can’t stand disorder, characters with this
move away for at least (5 – hits) Combat Turns. 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
Pie Iesu Domine. Dona Eis Requiem. Composure test involved in restraining the char-
Bonus: 2 Karma Source : Run Faster acter’s actions. The quality can be taken multiple
The character is a flagellant, believing in causing times, but only once for each form of control issue.
himself pain to serve a greater good. Perhaps they Braggart (5 Karma):
seek clarity through pain; perhaps it is a constant No one has ever done it bigger or better than her.
act of contrition for their deeds. Whatever the rea- The character will always try to top anyone else’s
son, the character gains High Pain Tolerance 1 but claims of success, even to the point of lying about
always starts the day with 1 box of Physical damage. it. This may result in them being ignored, consid-
This box can be healed, but the character will seek ered infantile, or challenged to prove their superi-
to cause himself another box of damage as soon ority, but without a Composure (3) Test they won’t
as possible. Note that the character’s wounds may back down from the brag.
cause questions in certain social settings, should
Thrill-Seeker (4 Karma):
anyone notice.
It’s all about the rush. The character will always
take the most dangerous and risky option in any
Poor Self Control situation if they don’t succeed at a Composure (2)
Bonus: 4 To 12 Karma Source : Run Faster Test. There is a slight payoff, as the adrenaline rush
provides a +1 to their Initiative Score for 5 Combat

34
 Turns (meaning that is how long the bonus lasts, Prejudiced
not that the character gets an additional bonus
Bonus: 3 to 10 Karma Source: SR5
each turn).
With this quality the character is Prejudiced
Compulsive (4 To 12 Karma): against
There is an order to all things that must be main- members of a specific group of people: metahu-
tained, and the character feels the need to exert mans, Awakened, non-metahuman sapient critters,
their sense of order on everything. The value of this or some other group. The character is not merely
mental malady comes from how severe the com- intolerant—he is outspoken about his beliefs and
pulsion is and how much of a negative impact it can may actively work against the target of his preju-
have on the character. Maybe she likes a tidy house, dice. Depending upon the degree of prejudice, this
maybe she sees a necessary order to the items on quality can get the character into trouble for ex-
the tables out in the world, or maybe she feels the pressing his views or when forced to confront the
need to practice her skills (be they hacking, cast- targets of his prejudice. The Karma bonus granted
ing, shooting, talking, stealing, sneaking, etc.) every by this quality varies depending upon how com-
chance she gets. mon the hated group is, how often the character is
The character must make a Composure (2) test to likely to encounter members of the group, and the
resist the compulsion. The base Karma value is (2 degree to which the character is openly antagonis-
x threshold needed for Composure Test; must be tic toward them. Refer to the Prejudiced Table to
from 1 to 4); then add 2 for things in the character’s determine the Karma value of the quality based on
personal environment (e.g., placement of furniture the prevalence of the hated group and the degree
and minor appliances), 3 for a single aspect of the of prejudice.
public environment (e.g., correcting bad apostro- When dealing with the target of their prejudice, a
phes on signs, counting every Ford Americar they character receives a –2 dice pool modifier per level
see), or 4 for a broad aspect of the public environ- of severity of the Prejudiced quality for all Social
ment (e.g., touching every light post they walk by, Tests. If negotiations are a part of the encounter,
hacking into every camera they see). the target receives a +2 modifier per level of the
Vindictive (5 Karma): Prejudiced quality. So if a character who is radi-
Though best served cold, the thought of ven- cal in their prejudiced views against the Awakened
geance sure makes your blood boil. No matter how tries to negotiate with the target of their prejudice,
small the slight, it cannot go unreturned, and the they receive a –6 to their Negotiation Test while
escalation factor must always be considered. An in- the target receives a +6 dice pool modifier.
sult 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
Records On File
back upon your enemies two-fold (or more). To Bonus: 1 Karma Per Rating (Max Rating 10)
resist the urge for instant payback, the character Source: Run Faster
must make a successful Composure (2) Test, and For every point of Karma spent on this quality,
even when resisted, the character must add the of- one of the Big 10 megacorps possesses a relatively
fender’s name to their hit list for the future. up-todate record of the character’s SIN, biometrics,
Combat Monster (10 Karma): personal, and medical data. The gamemaster and
The red rage blinds to all but victory. A charac- player can work together to figure out why they
ter with this quality loses much of her self-control have this data or the player can leave that mystery
once a fight has begun. She’ll fight until all her op- up to the gamemaster.
ponents are disabled, even if outnumbered and los- The data provides the megacorp’s agents a +2
ing, unless she can make a Composure (3) Test to dice pool modifier for any tests made to identify
clear her head enough to break off the fight. the character through their records. Due to the
proliferation and saturation of facial recognition
and identification systems used by the megacorpo-

35
 rations to track consumer habits, representatives eliminate the Scorched quality is to get the medi-
of the selected megacorps also have a +2 dice pool cal treatment necessary to repair the damage, then
modifier on tests to track down or locate the char- spend the Karma to buy off the Negative quality.
acter whenever they are in an area with a C or bet- Once Scorched, though, the character remains sus-
ter security rating. No character can have Records ceptible to the condition. Another bad encounter
on File and Erased at the same time. with Black or Psychotropic IC or a BTL will bring
this quality back. In addition to the physical side
Reduced (Sense) effects the character may experience from being
Scorched, the character is vulnerable to damage in-
Bonus: 2 To 29 Karma Source: Run Faster
flicted by either Black or Psychotropic IC or BTLs.
One of the character’s five (or six for certain Awak-
When faced with this IC, the character must make
ened folks) senses is about as sharp as a butter knife.
a Willpower (3) Test to be able to confront it with-
Any Test involving the chosen sense faces a –2 dice
out panicking. If he is able to confront the IC that
pool modifier. This quality can be taken multiple
caused their Scorched condition, the character suf-
times, reducing a different sense each time, and its
fers a –2 to Damage Resistance Tests when these
effects are cumulative for tests involving more than
programs are inflicting damage.
one sense, such as general Perception Tests. A char-
To take the Scorched quality for BTLs, the char-
acter with a reduced sense of smell or taste gains 2
acter must have at least a Mild Addiction to BTLs
Karma, while a reduced sense of hearing, sight, or
and possess the gear necessary to use BTLs.
astral sight is worth 5 Karma, and a reduced sense
To take the Scorched quality for Black and/or Psy-
of touch is worth 10 Karma because it affects most
chotropic IC, the character must be either a decker
Physical skill rolls due to lack of tactile sensitivity.
or a technomancer.
If the sense is ever repaired or corrected perma-
nently, the quality must be bought off. If the char-
acter does not have enough Karma to buy off the Sensitive System
quality, the intended repair cannot be made. No Bonus: 12 Karma Source: SR5
character can have Reduced (sight) and Blind at the A character with the Sensitive System quality has
same time, or Reduced (hearing) and Deaf at the immuno-suppressive problems with cybernetic
same time. implants. Double all Essence losses caused by cy-
berware. Bioware implants, regardless of how they
Scorched are grown or designed, are rejected by the charac-
ter’s body. This quality works differently for char-
Bonus: 10 Karma Source: SR5
acters who are technomancers or Awakened and
A Scorched character is coping with neurological
therefore never plan to take implants. Awakened
problems brought on by damage caused in some
individuals or technomancers remain fully capable
way by Black IC, Psychotropic IC, or BTL. The
of channeling mana or using Resonance, but they
problem can manifest as short- or long-term mem-
are potentially more susceptible to Drain or Fad-
ory loss, unexpected blackouts, frequent migraines,
ing. A magic user or technomancer with a Sensitive
diminished senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.), and
System must make a Willpower (2) Test before any
mood disorders such as paranoia and anxiety. The
Drain or Fading Tests. Failure on this test results
player chooses one specific effect of Scorched, and
in Drain or Fading Values being increased by +2 for
its effect should be pronounced enough to hinder
that particular Drain or Fading Test, as the energy
the character and present potential plot hooks for
traveling through their body does more damage to
the gamemaster. Whenever he enters VR or slots a
their Sensitive System.
BTL chip, the character must make a Body + Will-
power (4) Test. On a failed roll, he experiences the
specified physical effects for six hours. Sensory Overload Syndrome
A glitch or critical glitch on this test results in Bonus: 15 Karma Source: Run Faster
suffering the effects for 24 hours. The only way to

36
 Sensory Overload Syndrome (SOS) is a growing nal SIN (either Corporate or National), Corporate
epidemic in the world of ever-present AROs and Limited SIN, or Corporate Born. Individuals with
excessive wireless sensory input. The condition is SINs are required by law to always broadcast their
an offshoot of AIPS, and victims suffer similar epi- SINs. A legal SIN is required for all legal purchas-
leptic episodes. es. This makes them very useful things to have, so
Whenever a character with SOS enters an area those who are SINless generally get by with the use
of high ARO saturation (gamemaster discretion) of fake SINs (p. 367) just so they can participate in
or attempts to make use of sensory enhancement society.
systems, they must make a Willpower + Edge (4) National SIN
Test or enter into an epileptic seizure for (5 – hits) At the 5 Karma level, the character has what is
minutes. called
The condition can possibly be prevented by de- a National SIN. The character’s parents were legal
activating enhancement systems, the character’s citizens of a nation (such as the UCAS or CAS) and
commlink, or running the commlink in hidden he has been a citizen of that nation from birth. He
mode, but these last two options create issues in has the right to vote, qualify for passports issued by
areas where identification is required or suspicious his nation, enlist in the national military, or work
when not broadcast. in the national government. A National SIN is re-
quired for any national security clearance or any
Signature form of national military career. A character with a
Bonus: 10 Karma Source: Run Faster National SIN pays fifteen percent of their gross in-
The origami swan can mean only one thing. For come in taxes. He is also in no way connected to any
some reason, a character with this quality feels it of the megacorporations. The main drawback to
is necessary to leave their calling card to announce having a legal National SIN is the character is in the
their involvement in a job. The signature is usually system. The nation in the player character’s back-
some specific item, symbol, or technique the char- ground has the character’s biometric data (DNA,
acter uses that identifies their participation. For fingerprints, retinal scans) on file, and that bio-
those who know the character and their signature, metric data is shared with law enforcement agen-
the signature is easily identified. Anyone perform- cies through the Global SIN Registry. This makes
ing a test to identify the character’s handiwork it much easier to track a character should a job go
or track the character is given a dice pool modi- sideways. Also, nations typically sell the personal
fier equal to the character’s Street Cred and Public information tied to the character’s SIN to corpora-
Awareness combined. tions. Those with a legal SIN get nearly three times
as much spam as those who don’t have a SIN or rely
on fake SINs, and the spam messages they receive
Simsense Vertigo are disturbingly tailored to their preferences (based
Bonus: 5 Karma Source: SR5 on their buying and browsing habits).
Characters who suffer from Simsense Vertigo ex- Criminal SIN
perience feelings of disorientation whenever they At the 10 Karma level, the character has a Crimi-
work with augmented reality, virtual reality, or nal
simsense (including smartlinks, simrigs, and image SIN (either Corporate or National); his Criminal
links). Such characters receive a –2 dice pool modi- SIN replaces any previous SIN. At some point in
fier to all tests when interacting with AR, VR, or his life, the character was arrested and served time
simsense. for a felony-level offense and was branded a crimi-
nal for the rest of his life. He is legally required to
SINNer (Layered) broadcast his Criminal SIN at all times; failure to
Bonus: 5 to 25 Karma Source: SR5 do so is a felony and can lead to re-incarceration.
There are four types of SINs that fall under the He is shunned by law-abiding society. Law-abid-
SINner (Layered) quality: National SIN, Crimi- ing citizens will, if they must, deal with a SINless

37
 character before they’d have any interaction with a part of the Global SIN Registry, to which law en-
known criminal. With his Criminal SIN, the char- forcement agencies and security corporations alike
acter will experience prejudiced views, suspicion, have access. Many of these Corporate Limited SINs
and/or open hostility from most people with SINs. record whether or not the character is Awakened.
He will often be denied entry to certain locations The Corporate Limited SIN allows the character to
(high-end stores, car dealerships, museums, galler- be employed by the megacorp under most circum-
ies, etc.) and will have difficulty finding legal em- stances, and it replaces any National SIN that the
ployment. He can expect to be brought in and held character may have had previously. With the Cor-
up to 48 hours for questioning anytime a crime is porate SIN, the character can be gainfully employed
committed in his area. The judicial system in 2075 by the issuing megacorporation as a wageslave, a
is more an assembly line than institution of justice. low-ranking member of the corporation’s security
Suspects are treated as guilty unless proven inno- services, or an enlisted member of the corpora-
cent, plausible circumstantial evidence is often suf- tion’s military. Though he could have a secret-level
ficient for conviction, and sentencing has more to security clearance to perform his duties, he cannot
do with the judge’s mood than the crime. In this rise to a leadership position, become an officer, or
environment it’s likely the cops will be more inter- be part of the megacorporation’s Special Forces
ested in closing the case than solving any crime; (such as the Red Samurai). As a group, characters
they may try to pin crimes on the character with the that possess Corporate Limited SINs are believed
Criminal SIN whether or not she had anything to to either know something valuable about the inner
do with it. Some degree of “adjusting” facts and “in- workings of the megacorporation or have a skill set
terpreting” witness accounts to support allegations rival megacorps would want; as such they are con-
is common; fabricating evidence, if only to meet sidered valid targets for extraction, even if they are
conviction productivity goals, is not rare. Magic us- no longer active with the corporation. Characters
ers tend to receive much harsher treatment from with the Corporate Limited SIN experience preju-
the judicial system than mundane criminals. If the dice and hostility from those in the shadows who
character is a magic user with a Criminal SIN, he are SINless. The SINless believe the corporations
is registered with local law enforcement. He can deliberately keep them poor and powerless so they
expect regular—but usually not scheduled—checks can be exploited. The character with the Corpo-
to confirm he lives and to ensure he is not using rate Limited SIN may find himself being personally
forbidden spell formula, foci, or other magical gear. blamed for his corporation’s actions—protesting
The nation or corporation that issued the Criminal he has no real authority and no connection with
SIN will keep close tabs on the character, if he fails the actions in question usually does little good. To
to update residential information or appears in any the SINless and neo-anarchists the character with
way to be trying to evade their oversight, he is sub- the Corporate Limited SIN has sold out and chosen
ject to arrest. He is also required to pay a fifteen a corrupt and oppressive system over his own peo-
percent tax on his gross income to the entity that ple. The character pays twenty percent of his gross
issued his Criminal SIN. income in taxes to his megacorporation.
Corporate Limited SIN Corporate SIN
At the 15 Karma level the character has the Cor- At the 25 Karma level is the Corporate Born SIN.
porate Limited SIN; he has somehow gained a posi- The character with this ID was probably born into
tionin a megacorporation from the outside. He may a mega corporation, or belonged to one when it
have been hired as a wageslave (or been the minor achieved extraterritoriality. At least one of his
child of a person hired as a wageslave), or perhaps parents probably had the Corporate Born SIN as
brought in by someone in the megacorp who saw well. He grew up in the corporation, his social in-
advantage in his skill, talent, area of expertise, or volvement, education, and almost every aspect of
some other useful attribute. Under most circum- his life was managed by the corporation. His skills
stances the Corporate Limited SIN replaces any and aptitudes were evaluated constantly, and he
National SIN. His Corporate Limited SIN becomes was groomed for the career path to which he was

38
 best suited; his whole world was the corporation. When a character is using Leadership or Etiquette
Characters with the Corporate Born SIN had the skills, reduce the number of 1s required to glitch the
potential and the opportunity to advance through test by 1. Gamemasters should call for more Social
the corporation hierarchy. He could have been a Tests for characters with Social Stress to determine
department administrator, a finance strategist, how a character reacts to others, particularly if a
an agent of corporate intelligence, an officer in a situation related to the cause of their stress arises.
megacorp’s military, or even a member of Corpo-
rate Special Forces (Renraku’s Red Samurai or Ares Spirit Bane
Firewatch). With a Corporate Born SIN, he could
Bonus: 7 Karma Source: SR5
have enjoyed top-secret clearance within the cor-
A character with a Spirit Bane really torques off a
poration and access to nearly unlimited resources.
certain type of spirit (p. 303). Whether the charac-
Then something happened. An unforgivably costly
ter has a reputation for harming this sort of spirit
mistake, the machinations of a rival, a supervisor in
or something about her aura enrages them, spirits
need of a scapegoat—something pushed the char-
of the type affected by the Spirit Bane are likely to
acter out of the corporation and into the cold and
harass the character when she is in their presence,
unforgiving shadows. In the shadows a SIN that
and they may be reluctant to obey or perform fa-
had been the key to opportunity is now a deadly
vors for the character or her friends. If spirits of
liability. Most in the shadows see the Corporate
this type are ordered to attack a party that includes
Born as the privileged few, the aristocrats in the
the character, these spirits will single her out and
armored limousines who look down on them, op-
attempt to destroy her first. Affected spirits will al-
press them, exploit them and deny them their basic
ways use lethal force against these characters with
rights. If the SINless discover the character’s Cor-
the Spirit Bane quality. If the character with Spirit
porate Born SIN, reactions will range from deep
Bane tries to summon or bind this spirit, she suf-
suspicion to violent hostility; serious injury and
fers a –2 dice pool modifier for the attempt. If the
death are real possibilities. The character’s loyalty
summoner tries to banish a spirit of this type, the
to his corporation is never questioned, which can
spirit receives a +2 dice pool modifier for resisting
be an insurmountable liability in a culture that
her attempt. Watchers and minions do not count
works against the megacorps. Would-be runners
for Spirit Bane, as they are constructs that are not
have been killed for holding Corporate Born SINs.
summoned like normal spirits.
Fortunately, Corporate Born records are limited to
This quality may only be taken by magic users.
the megacorporation that generated them. Files in
Magic users may possess this quality for a type of
the Global SIN Registry can confirm she has a valid
spirit that is not a part of their magical tradition.
SIN, but do not contain any additional informa-
tion. Those with Corporate Born SINs pay a tax of
ten percent of their gross income to their corpora- Spirit Pariah
tion. Bonus: 14 Karma Source: Street Grimoire
Something you did slotted of the spirit world
Social Stress something fierce, so spirits really don’t like you. In
order to even get their attention, you must make
Bonus: 8 Karma Source: SR5
additional offerings to get spirits to show up. A
Whether as a result of loss or trauma or due to
character with this quality must expend (Force x
innate psychological makeup, the Social Stress
5) drams of reagents in order to make a Summon-
quality burdens the character with emotions that
ing Test; reagents spent to increase the test’s limit
interfere with his ability to interact with others. A
do not count toward this amount. If the character
specific cause and trigger for the Social Stress must
cannot expend enough reagents, the test automati-
be established. For example, if his Social Stress is
cally fails.
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.

39
 Also, Binding Tests require (Force x 30) drams of character creation), and it’s possible the character
reagents, and the summoner receives a –1 dice pool will never learn some skill groups belonging to
modifier. these categories.

Uncouth Unsteady Hands

Bonus: 14 Karma Source: SR5 Bonus: 7 Karma Source: SR5
The character with the Uncouth quality has dif- A character with Unsteady Hands has mild
ficulty interacting with others. He acts impulsively, shakes that affect the dexterity and finesse in his
overreacts to any perceived provocation, and tends hands. The character suffers a –2 dice pool modifier
to do whatever pops into his head without consid- for all Agility-based tests when symptoms manifest
ering the consequences (i.e., flipping off Mr. John- themselves. The condition could be physiological
son, calling a drunk troll a “Trog,” or responding (an untreated genetic disorder or damaged nerves,
to casual trash talk from a rival runner by punch- for example), caused by psychological trauma, or
ing her in the face). All Social Tests made by the even be symptomatic of age. Certain augmenta-
character to resist acting improperly or impul- tions or medications can mask these symptoms
sively receive a –2 dice pool modifier. Additionally, under normal circumstances. Under more stressful
the cost for learning or improving Social Skills is situations in the course of the run, there is a chance
double for Uncouth characters (including at char- the Unsteady Hands condition can reappear. The
acter creation), and they may never learn any So- character makes an Agility + Body (4) Test follow-
cial skill groups. Uncouth characters are treated ing a stressful encounter (combat, for example). A
as “unaware” in any Social skills that they do not successful test means the character does not expe-
possess at Rating 1 or higher (see Skill Ratings, p. rience the symptoms of this condition (this time).
129). The gamemaster may require the character to A failed test causes the difficulties associated with
make Success Tests for social situations that pose unsteady hands to re-emerge, and they remain with
no difficulty for normal characters. the character for the remainder of the run.

Uneducated Vendetta
Bonus: 8 Karma Source: SR5 Bonus: 7 Karma Source : RunFaster
An Uneducated character is not mentally im- This is some Hatfield and McCoy-level drek. The
paired—she just never had the opportunity to character is entangled in a blood feud with an indi-
learn. Whether because she and her family were vidual or group, and no matter the initial cause, the
isolated squatters, or were SINless, or otherwise vendetta is now as much an issue of honor and rep-
underprivileged, she was denied access to the edu- utation as revenge. The quality means the charac-
cation system. She has only a rudimentary knowl- ter has extreme difficulty resisting a confrontation
edge of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Charac- with her foe. Whenever the character encounters
ters with the Uneducated quality are considered the target of her ire, she must make a Composure
“unaware” in Technical, Academic Knowledge, and (3) Test or else have no choice but to incite a violent
Professional Knowledge skills they do not possess confrontation. If the character should ever neutral-
(see Skill Ratings, p. 129), and they may not default ize their nemesis, they have two options. They can
on skill tests for those skills. The gamemaster may buy off the quality, or someone new will pick up the
also require the character to make Success Tests for vendetta, giving the character gets a new nemesis.
ordinary tasks that the typical sprawl-dweller takes
for granted. Additionally, the Karma cost for learn- Wanted
ing new skills or improving existing ones in these
Bonus: 10 karma Source: Run Faster
categories is twice the normal rating (including at
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 dif-

40
 ferent. 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.

Weak Immune System

Bonus: 10 Karma Source: SR5
A character with a Weak Immune System has re-
duced resistance to infections and disease. Increase
the Power of any disease by +2 for every Resistance
Test. A character with Weak Immune System can-
not take the Natural Immunity or Resistance to
Pathogens/Toxins qualities. A Weak Immune Sys-
tem often results from immune-suppression treat-
ments used in cybersurgery and bio-genetic proce-
dures, so it is reasonable to believe that characters
that have undergone extensive body modifications
are more likely to acquire this quality.

41