Anthracite Solstice (Cyberpunk d20)

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BMR
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Anthracite Solstice (Cyberpunk d20)

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The room is cloud of haze with the dusk of cigarette smoke and spilled whiskey. In the background, a radio plays the soft, sad song of of yesteryear's memories while today's experiences drown it out in a cacophony of broken whispers. There are men and women here, arranged across the room like the shattered fragments of broken crystal. They are a diverse group, hailing from every continent it would seem. Some carry weapons openly, an assortment of the old and the modern clash in their juxtaposition. Likewise, many in the room bear the unmistakable scars of harsh bionic augmentation upon once weak flesh, though the twitches and spasms of a few of the motlier in the crew evidence the shoddy workmanship of back-alley cyberdoc butchery.

This is Silver's Hole, a gathering of mercenaries, assassins, and hired thugs. Too broken down to be prestigious enough for the scum and dregs of the underworld, they gather here to wallow in each other's miserable company. Here, the hopeless hire themselves on various jobs, usually the more underhanded type of work for those that need something nasty done, but can't be seen to have their hands dirty doing it.

In one corner, one such job is being negotiated. The man sits at your table, dressed in a formal steel-gray suit. He looks to be in his late forties, perhaps early fifties, but age does not seem to have touched his eyes yet. They are alert and calculating, and by the occasional flash of phosphor green you can tell that he has some sort of implant within his eyes, though to what purpose you cannot tell. He lays a dossier down onto the table, then presses his thumb to the top corner causing the entire thing to light up for a brief second. He then opens it, pushing the documents towards you.

"Now then, shall we discuss this job?"



Details
System: d20 Modern/Future Use only stuff from that site
Restrictions: You can use nothing from FX, FX Items, Psionics, or Arcana d20. This is strictly a no-magic, no-psionics campaign. You can use stuff from Future d20, but only up to PL 6 and no Mutations, Starships, or Xenobiology.

Starting Level: 3

Starting Attributes: 28-point buy, use this calculator. Make sure to change the starting points from 25 to 28.

Starting Occupation: You must have a starting occupation. Think of this as the job you started out with before hitting rock bottom and becoming a mercenary. Take note, most of the starting occupations add different skills to your class skill list, so choose wisely. Also remember that you have to explain how your character got from that starting occupation to slumming it in back-alley dives.

Starting Class: All of the six base classes are available. You can also choose any of the advanced classes except for: Acolyte, Battle Mind, Mage, Occultist, Shadow Slayer, or Telepath.

Starting Equipment: Buying/Selling works differently in d20 Modern. You start out with a Wealth bonus which is dependent on a number of factors, primarily your starting occupation and level. Think of this as a standard bonus of sorts to d20 rolls.

All equipment has a purchase DC. If this number is equal to or less than your Wealth bonus, you are automatically able to purchase that item. If it is greater than your Wealth bonus though, you make a Wealth check (d20 + your Wealth bonus). If you succeed, you are able to purchase the item, you then subtract X from your Wealth bonus. If you fail the roll, you failed to purchase the item.

Whenever you purchase an item, you subtract a number from your Wealth bonus. You always lose at least 1 point for any item with a purchase DC over 15. Additionally, you lose 1 point if the purchase DC is 1-10 points higher than your wealth bonus, 1d6 if the purchase DC is 11-15 points higher, or 2d6 if 16 points higher. You do not lose any points on a failed purchase. You can, time permitting, take 10 or take 20 on these checks, e.g. with starting equipment.

Typically, a level 1 character starts out with a wealth bonus equal to 2d4 + starting occupation bonus + other bonuses. As level 3 characters though (albeit poor ones), you will instead start out with 8 + starting occupation bonus + other bonuses.

Backstory: You don't need to be too in-depth here. A quick blurb explaining who you are, what your motivations are, and how you got to where you are will suffice.




If you need any help rolling up a character, or if you're completely new to the system, don't hesitate to ask. Also, if you want to play something a bit different or you want to tweak your character in a way not covered by the rules, hit me up and we'll work something out.


House Rules:

Action Points: We will be using action points. The number of action points you start out with depends on your character class. For more information on action points, see this.

Massive Damage: The massive damage mechanic will be used. Your Massive Damage Threshold is equal to your current Constitution score (not your modifier). If you take damage from a single hit equal to or greater than your MDT, you must make a Fort save or fall to -1 hp. House Rule: In standard d20 modern, the DC for the Fort save is 15. In this game, it will be 5 + damage dealt.

Burst Fire: Normally, you need to have the Burst Fire feat in order to use a weapon that is already capable of such. This is ridiculous. Instead, using Burst Fire with a compatible weapon is possible for everyone, but without the feat you take a -10 penalty on the attack roll. Using a weapon with burst fire with or without the feat provides +2 damage dice to the roll.

Cybernetics: You are free to get any cybernetics you want, provided they are PL 6 and below. Each has a purchase DC that you will need to meet. Additionally, each character may get one PL 5 or PL 6 cybernetics for free without paying the purchase DC except for the following: Anti-Shock implant, Injector Unit, or Subcutaneous Body Armor. You can, however, purchase these normally if you have the funds.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Tokamac "Mac" Coca-cola is slouching way back in her chair. One foot is resting against the edge of the table.

Her black leather coat is unbuttoned revealing a tank-top underneath that bears the demon-skull & flowers logo of a local tatoo parlour. Tokamak has no tatoos. Her right hand is hooked into her belt, and she is idly flicking her thumb up and down the back of the handle of her laser pistol. Her left hand is drifting around on the back of her head, tracing circles into the three-day stubble of her shaved black hair.

She looks down at the dossier pad, but doesn't reach for it.

"Can you sum it up?" she sneers "I don't know if I want the work."

Tokamak desperately wants the work. Three weeks ago she lost her racing bike, the Kusanagi X18b in one-on-one with Vincent "Spikes" Nisei of the North-Side Pseudo-Mafia, and four days ago, she totaled her backup bike, the vintage 2021 Corley Motors Cruiser in an illegal street-race, and by the time she regained consciousness, sanitation services had already hauled away what little was left of it for recycling. She needs a new pair of wheels underneath her, and she needs money to make that happen. Any money.
Last edited by Bob the Hamster on Wed Feb 08, 2017 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Taco Bot »

(Here's my character sheet. I rolled it up with the help of this tool, factoring in the house rules and referencing the linked manual. I think I did everything right, but please tell me if I messed anything up.)

Scott Ward sits up anxiously. By now he's used to the bad parts of town, but he's never seen this many unsavoury characters in one place. He bites his nails, a nervous habit, and looks down at the document. He's still not entirely sure what this job is about; but money is money and as long as nobody gets hurt, this could very well be his ticket out of the slums.
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Post by BMR »

Both character sheets look good so far. One thing though, neither of you are getting any cybernetics? You each get one for free (house rule).
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Tokamak has:
Stabilizer (PL 6)

A stabilizer releases chemical coagulants into a dying recipient’s bloodstream to prevent excess blood loss, effectively stabilizing him. A stabilizer is usually installed near the recipient’s heart.

Benefit: If reduced to negative hit points, the recipient automatically stabilizes.

Type: Internal.

Hardness/Hit Points: –/3.

Base Purchase DC: 22.

Restriction: None.
I put it in her inventory, but I don't know if that was the right place or not.

I was also thinking of trying to roll away the rest of my wealth points on trying for other cybernetics, but I wasn't sure how wealth points get used after character creation time.
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Post by Taco Bot »

BMR wrote:Both character sheets look good so far. One thing though, neither of you are getting any cybernetics? You each get one for free (house rule).
Oh! Somehow I completely missed that. I've also added the stabiliser (not to steal James' thunder or anything) because it seems like the most helpful. I also rolled away almost all of my wealth on some medium-strength subcutaneous body armour (worth).
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Post by BMR »


The man nods and says: "Yes, let us indeed discuss the job at hand."

He opens the dossier to reveal a picture. He presses his finger to it and a hologram floats about the image, rotating slightly.

Image

"We want you to infiltrate this facility. It is own by Black Anthracite co., the corporation which I represent. A few days ago, we were performing some experiments there. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and the AI that controlled the facility went haywire."

He then rolls up his sleeve to show you an implant in his forearm. The majority of his forearm looks synthetic, but his hand looks to be covered in a rather realistic-looking glove of artificial flesh. The implant features a screen as well as a few buttons.

"All of our personnel are required to have this implant. It allows us to track our employees as well as providing an information terminal of sorts. There are also a few other aspects to it that I am not at liberty to discuss with you. The AI killed off all the security personnel in the facility by accessing these implants and overloading them. It then took our scientists hostage in order to do who knows what. Now, none of our people can get inside to shut the AI down. That is where you lot come in. We need you to infiltrate the facility, eliminate any resistance, and shut down the AI. And we need you to do it soon, you'll have 120 hours to get the job done."

He looks at his watch, then continues.

"Ah, sorry. Make that 112 hours."
Last edited by BMR on Sun Feb 12, 2017 2:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Gizmog »

Dr. Greg Piperman hides behind his sunglasses, idly drumming his med school class ring on the table and watching two fat butts jiggle in his shades as he listens to the story. The doctor nearly knocks his drink over leaning across the table to get a better look at the man's implant. That's quality work. And there's an entire dead security force full of 'em? Maybe this stupid AI thing is worth somethin after all. "Did you try unplugging the device? he asks half-seriously as he turns off the butt-cam and examines the hologram.
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Post by BMR »

The man shrugs and says:

"If we could just pull the plug, we would have done so. Unfortunately, because of the... sensitive nature... of the research there, the entire facility is off the grid. It's powered by an on-site reactor, which keeps the entire place self-sufficient."

He pulls out another picture and presses it.

Image

"On the bright side, the security robots are limited to the facility, and thus can't wander off to do who knows what. Further, when topside, they run on limited batteries and thus limit themselves to weaker stun blasters. Inside the facility though, they don't face the same limitations, so you'd best be prepared for that."

He reaches into the briefcase by his side and retrieves a tablet of sorts.

"This might aid you once you're in the facility. It contains maps of the area, as well as all of the underground levels. It does not have any wireless capabilities, so it should be safe from being commandeered by the AI. It contains a rather insidious virus though, and should you find yourself unable to destroy the AI, you can plug this tablet into the main computer, after which it will automatically fry the entire system. The problem with going that route though is, it will shut down the facility as well, trapping you inside. We will be able to get you out, but it will take time, at least a few weeks, so use it only as a last resource."
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

"What's this little side building here" Tokamak asks, pointing to the smaller detached building that she hopes is a garage.
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Post by Gizmog »

"Stick to the surface, good advice. Another stupid question, but have you tried reasoning with it? I mean, does it want anything?"
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Post by BMR »


"The side building is where we keep our delivery vans. There should also be a couple of forklifts in there as well. There's a maintenance entrance there which leads underground. It is connected to the main facility, but it's mainly for use by the maintenance robots and thus it does not contain proper ventilation.

"Sticking to the surface is all well and good for the initial stage of your operation, but you will have to go underground sooner or later. Above ground, the building has three floors. These are mostly administrative levels. There are another seven levels underground, with the main computer housing the AI being on the fifth underground level.

"We have tried reasoning with it, but to no avail. I suppose I should tell you that while the company I represent is mainly concerned with fuel and energy, we have been developing military grade weaponry and the sort at this facility. Right now, the only thing keeping the AI within the facility is its reliance on the reactor for power. As we have various scientists and engineers present there, it's only a matter of time before it manages to find a way to get outside by creating a portable power source powerful enough to sustain it. And with all of the military-grade equipment there, that would certainly be a nightmare for all of us."
Last edited by BMR on Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Taco Bot »

Scott takes the tablet and turns it over in his hands. "What would happen if we destroyed the reactor? Does it just power the AI, or the entire facility?"
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Post by BMR »


"Well, you'd have to deal with the problem of radioactivity for one. However, if you mean shutting it down, that is certainly a possibility. It does power the entire facility, but there should be enough storage in the batteries to last for a day or so at full power, so that might give you time to escape. The entire system is automated though, so there are very few manual controls for you to operate. In addition, it's two levels below the main computers, placing it at the very bottom of the facility."

He pauses a moment, as if considering something.

"That said though, the maintenance entrance does have a route that should take you to the sixth level. However, you would again have to deal with the lack of breathable air in that passage."
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

"How much are we getting payed to go up against robots with military grade weapons?" Asks Tokamak cynically. She's desperate, but not suicidal.
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