Ryoko "Puppet" Okamura, media-trained Street Samurai

[Miss]

Bunraku Personasoft Profile 1

Angela Saito, Doctor ("The Pacifist")
Skillsets: Biotech, Medicine, Cybersurgery

A doctor working for Doc Wagon primarily as a researcher and general practitioner of medicine with a specialization in a specific field if the client has a preference. Angela Saito is a caring, compassionate and motherly at times and had been known to even provide medical service to other puppets in the parlor. The most self-conscious of the many personalities of the parlor, Angela knows what she is but still seeks to live by the Hippocratic Oath unless she sees undeniable proof that her inaction would lead to loss of life. The thought of taking a metahuman life is an unthinkable one for Angela, and she prizes all metahuman life as being worthy of existence.

A popular personality for a variety of reasons, Angela's programming actually allows her to perceive the world outside the parlor or established settings around her, seeing the broader world, the troubles of the people who visit her but more importantly embraces her with a desire to help them by any means necessary. Unique as she is, she is weary about the new life that Ryoko is embarking on. While she was one of the many voices pushing her to find a way out of the parlor, she's always tried to keep it a secret that it was she that filled in the application form for Fallen Angels. She only hopes that in the end it wasn't a mistake, as she does honestly care for Ryoko.

  

Bunraku Personasoft Profile 2

Naomi Matsunari, Street Racer ("The Badass Slitch")
Skillsets: Piloting, Automotive & Drone Engineering

Whether it be on the back of a racing-style bike or behind the wheel of a drifting monster car, Naomi is all about speed and the thrill of the moment. Never looking back, never backing down and never giving up, she lives life one corner, one intersection, one quarter mile at a time. Revealing or second-skin fashion, wet t-shirt contests and a penchant for getting drunk at a moment's notice are but the smallest samplings of the seemingly 'everyday' things that Naomi lives in her life of fast toys, wild parties and seemingly limitless indulgences. A warning, however, to keep her off the topic of automotive engineering and concept cars, as she has some fairly strong words on the subjects.

Coming from a broken home she refuses to open up about, except to clients of course, Naomi supposedly makes a living racing on the street and modifying her collection of cars that are always conveniently somewhere else than where she is. She claims to not use a Control Rig because of the 'purity' of controlling a vehicle by your own hands and with your own senses. A daredevil in the extreme, Ryoko has often times slotted Naomi for a night out on the town while activating her SimRecorder so she can watch back what happened the night before, detached and yet still knowing she had lived through the wild experience. For her part, Naomi is pretty clueless about Ryoko's existence, simply passing off any missing time to passing out, drug binges or simply ignoring it all-together.

  

Bunraku Personasoft Profile 3

Hana Yakamoto, Hacker Extraordinaire ("The Shadowrunner")
Skillsets: Hacking, Electronics Hardware/Software

To Hana, no digital realm is safe from her wrath, no system too secure and no datanode impenetrable for her to crack given enough time. Reveling in the 'freedom' of the digital world of the Matrix, Hana preaches rebellion against the corporations of the world, fighting the power and all the recent catchphrases of the day. Believing she works the shadows as a white-hot hacker for hire and going by the name 'Override', Hana's work in the parlor was to fulfill the fantasies of technophiles looking for a beautiful like-minded intellectual or for the true 'shadowrunner experience', with a deluxe package that actually involved meeting outside the parlor and going on a small Shadowrun of sorts all orchestrated by the parlor. While such a special experience was in development for the 'Secret Agent' personality, Ryoko doesn't possess the latest version that included it.

Confident and flirty, Hana is never the less cautious and suspicious of non-clients, always looking over her shoulder or suspecting a double-cross from others. However unbeknownst to anyone it was Hana who first discovered the Fallen Angels program online one evening as she browsed the matrix while entertaining a client of the parlor. It was she who bookmarked the link and inadvertently caused the other personalities and Ryoko herself to learn of the very thing that would set her free. Now that Hana is loose upon the world, she thinks it's just another day in the shadows for her, working with new teammates. Not a bad life, chummer.

  

Bunraku Personasoft Profile 4

Lara, Secret Agent ("The Femme Fatale")
Skillsets: Stealth, Escape Artist, Intimidation

A woman who can be the spitting image of everything from an ancient pre-awakened world secret agent to a modern sixth world super spy ripped straight from the trids. Speaking with incredible confidence and possessing a savage wit, this personality was among the favorites of the parlor for the variety of roles she could take in fulfilling the desires of clients. Possessing a tragic backstory and culminating in the loss of her former life and name, replaced in brainwashing by "The Agency", Lara works any number of 'roles' in her spy agency to get the job done at any cost.

With a simple switch of a flag in a subroutine she could go from a domineering and sadistic interrogator for one client, to a struggling and bound captured damsel-spy the next who was ever so grateful for her rescue. Regardless of configuration however she was adept at subterfuge, stealth, sleight of hand and was bombastic in her self confidence and her risque fashion sense. Having filled numerous spy roles for years, Lara wonders what will become of her in this new city- rationalizing that she's been "cut loose" by her mysterious Agency and must now survive lost in the Shadows until she is contacted once again by some unknown 'Handler'.

  

Bunraku Personasoft Profile 5

死 , Yakuza Assassin ("Death")
Skillsets: Close Combat, Firearms, Stealth

Only since leaving her organization and having the Data Lock broken from her headware has Ryoko come to realize of the existence of "死", otherwise known as Shi, the Japanese word for Death. An emotionless killer that speaks in a violent and deep-sounding form of Japanese only, Shi was but one of many copies of an assassin employed by the Yakuza who controlled her parol in secret. Bunraku puppets are disposable, where as their normal trained members are not, allowing surplus entertainers to function as low level operatives when necessary. There is little positive merit in Shi's existence in Ryoko's new life, though she often hopes never to 'see' the assassin again.

Ryoko is still uneasy in a sense with the knowledge that her headware contained such a program, the implications implicit in its presence. However she finds the data unable to be deleted, hardwired onto the chips installed in her brain, and so must content with the knowledge that a silent murderous killer is along for the ride inside her head, albeit in the bottom of a deep directory structure that often lets her forget about the monster deep inside. A secret originally kept from her, and now kept from the rest of the world, Ryoko can only hope she never has use for such a creature.

 

[Shadowstarr]

2 hours ago, Miss said:

Probably got lost in the shuffle there but yes, she was made using the "New to the Shadows" 600 karma system.

Bonelacing (Titanium) was the item I chose for the Restricted Gear quality. I just spent the last 20 minutes looking into the discrepancy between Chummer and Herolab's numbers on Skillwires. In Herolab it uses an essence calculation of 0.1/rating but Chummer uses .2/rating. Availability wise Herolab uses Rating*4 where Chummer uses Rating*3. As it turns out the cost/essence/availability for Skillwires (and many other pieces of cyberware/bioware etc) were updated in the book Chrome Flesh, page 222 (and continuing on through 233). If herolab isn't updating/updated, then that would explain the discrepancy. As the GM, whatever your ruling on this (use the updated statistics for cyberware/bio in Chromed Flesh or use base-book stats)- I will rework the character and other characters to suit.

Commlink: The device rating is 6. I used Chummer's "insert as gear" feature on a few things (mostly software, but some hardware), so- if that presents a problem I can provide a breakdown of the individual parts, prices etc if that makes things easier.

Fix: I had just caught that last night as well. I'm going to solve that once I figure out how I'm over 3 karma spends. Though considering I spent additional karma on Fix, any 'over' karma is easily shuffled around so long as it's just a few points.

Fake SIN: Right, I meant to do a write up on the FakeSIN. It's a Horizon corporate citizen, basically a fake Model/Social Media Influencer type thing. The "Index Cards" modified with hidden Stealth Tags listed in her Gear are actually supposed to be 'Business Cards' related to said FakeSIN. I'll try and get this write up done ASAP.

Custom Lifestyle: As a clarification, I built the custom lifestyle under the expanded rules listed in the Hard Targets book, pg 140, under the heading "I Ran Out of Points But Want More Stuff""In order to get more out of your Lifestyle after you have used all of your points, you can purchase any outing or service for 0 points, but the monthly nuyen cost must be paid thereafter. You may also purchase assets without points and just pay the monthly nuyen only if your chosen lifestyle is qual to or greater than the lifestyle requirement for the chosen asset. Merchandise assets cost 5,000 nuyen for each point after the first.", and in doing so I use the Workshop/Facility and the Swimming Pool as Point-Spends, with the rest (non-integrated qualities) being paid out of pocket. This would be the Yard, Gym and Garage (Car, Body 5+). The Datahost Subscription had a base point cost of 0 so didn't factor into it.

Drugs: Even now I'm still very uncertain about using drugs with the character. If there was a single aspect about the character I was very much on the fence about and am at any moment just seconds away from diving back in and figuring out a way to chance- that would be it. Drugs, to me as a person, are very much not a part of my life and I am utterly unsure of even how to roleplay them. However- playing a Shadowrun character without some form of initiative enhancement is somewhat of a death sentence. And kind of feels like you're letting the rest of the group down. Hmm. I had spent some extra karma to up her Edge to 3 on the idea of using the +5d6 Initiative option with it so maybe drugs aren't needed. I'm just very conflicted, sorry for the indecision. I'll try and sort that out today for you.

Personsofts: Yes, they are definitely a big part of her backstory as a former bunkraku puppet. As for their effect- from a completely story-wise look the personasofts are kind of a 'crutch' for the character. She uses them with the awareness-filter off so she can experience life as these other 'people', people she still knows are herself but feels she couldn't possibly act that way. In terms of actual in-game play, mechanical or run-related..... I don't forsee a lot of personasoft involvement outside of unique cases. She might use one if the person/personality somehow benefits the run itself- like slotting the Doctor (and using the wireless skillsoft service to grab applicable doctor-related knowledges and skills) personasoft to actually impersonate a doctor or street doc if that was something the group needed. There's a number of Personas that are detailed out (with relevant wireless skillsoft downloads) that I'll add in the next post as well as insert in a Spoiler tab within her post once I'm done typing this all. However. When push comes to shove Ryoko is still striving to be her own person now. The Personasofts were part of her enslavement in the Bunraku Parlor years ago- so while she may find use for them, think of them like- putting on an old hoodie from your Ex. It's big and warm and comfortable- but after that initial positive feeling you remember all the bad things, bad memories come back and you begin to realize you really shouldn't have worn it. But you're outside in the cold and being reminded of the bad things you've been through, gone through and done is better than freezing to death. Sort of the same thing.

Nice catch on the chrome flesh bit. I have both those sources enabled. it's a shame what Lone Wolf has become since launching Hero Lab online. they do not support shadowrun hardy at all. sucks as I've bought data packages that promise future releases way back and they never delivered. They seem to care about Pathfinder a whole lot more it seems. Anyways I'll ass about making adjustments or even recreating the pieces of 'ware folks use on a case-by-case base reflecting the chrome flesh stats.

I got hardtarget enabled and that provides no function for adding things. That's fine though the newer rules makes sense, I mean you are going to be paying for it after all.

So does each persona have it's own set of memories? I with the awareness filter off does the personas have any understanding on puppet outside of their own context? I' not trying to wax and electron on this or anything just trying to wrap my head around it. Seems like a potential weakness. Some one could hack her and lock her into a specific persona, one which may not have the same team loyalty and motives of the real PUppet?

oh I meant to include in my previous post about the cyberprograms you got listed. Am I wrong for think they can't be run /use on just a comlink? would you not need a cyber deck or a RCC ?

 

Edited January 10 by Shadowstarr (see edit history)

[Miss]

45 minutes ago, Shadowstarr said:

does each persona have it's own set of memories? I with the awareness filter off does the personas have any understanding on puppet outside of their own context? I' not trying to wax and electron on this or anything just trying to wrap my head around it. Seems like a potential weakness. Some one could hack her and lock her into a specific persona, one which may not have the same team loyalty and motives of the real Puppet?

And that, specifically, was a weakness that was exploited by Horizon (unbeknownst to Puppet) to take control of her during the finale of the Fallen Angels show. They replaced a personasoft she had intended to use to augment her ability to guide the party using stealth to enter the facility- and that personasoft became "The Betrayer" they had foreshadowed and, unexpectedly, Ryoko managed to "kill" (they survived, something hinted as their bodies went missing from the roof in the backstory) her team instead of them killing her. Horizon had underestimated the "found family" aspect, nor didn't count on the group's mage critical glitching (in a sense) so when her team hesitated, the evil-personasoft didn't.

The personas each have their own unique understanding of their existence, their own memories etc (which are usually reset between uses but can be stored). Though the "Doctor" personasoft was programmed specifically with, I guess you'd call it, "Meta Awareness", since the parlor just used the personasoft to provide free medical care to the other bunraku puppets so it 'had to'. The others all have some degree of "mental gymnastics" that slot in when they become active. The "Secret Agent" thinks she's just living in the shadows waiting for her handler from "The Agency" to contact her again after some undefined botched-mission. The hacker thinks she's just continuing to live her life in the shadows. The party-girl racer thinks things are all just part of her exciting "Fast and the Furious"-esq lifestyle etc.

Lore-wise, if the Awareness Filter is off then the person behind the artificial personality can still perceive their actions in the moment to moment and can override the personality (which I would imagine would be at least a complex action, deactivate and unload a program etc but there's no mechanics listed). However- you are very correct. If someone were to hack her headware- they could enable the filter or even force-upload a personasoft of their choice. This is partially why she has such a high Firewall, to deter further attempts, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen again.

Now. This is all story-wise. If having that vulnerability is something you're uncomfortable with a character having then we can very easily say that it's been disabled somehow.

But- it is interesting to note: anyone with a headware commlink, period, is technically vulnerable to that very same hack. A personasoft/personafix doesn't actually require any specific cyberware or hardware or interface- it just requires a DNI connection to the brain and then to be turned on or run by force. A hacker could upload a pliable personasoft/fix into a salaryman or something and create an instant friend-on-the-inside. Or much, much worse. Even a set of trodes could technically open you up to this kind of attack- but someone could pull the trodes off ending the effect.

Edited January 10 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

43 minutes ago, Shadowstarr said:

oh I meant to include in my previous post about the cyberprograms you got listed. Am I wrong for think they can't be run /use on just a comlink? would you not need a cyber deck or a RCC ?

Signal Scrub and Encryption are both listed as "Common Programs", which can be run on any matrix hardware.

Agent is "Software", without any particular leaning so as a baseline you could assume it could be used everywhere. This is supported by some commlinks coming pre-packaged with an Agent software (Nixdorf Sekretar as an example) to "book meetings, build reports and organize your love life" I think as the example says. Lol

The Simrig, Sim Module, and Add Sleaze Modification are hardware modifications to the commlink. The Sleaze-mod lists it is applied to devices that do not have an existing Sleaze attribute- which Commlinks do not have.

And the Receiver is a "Commlink Accessory" so it's specifically designed for a commlink.

Edited January 10 by Miss (see edit history)

[Shadowstarr]

1 hour ago, Miss said:

Signal Scrub and Encryption are both listed as "Common Programs", which can be run on any matrix hardware.

Agent is "Software", without any particular leaning so as a baseline you could assume it could be used everywhere. This is supported by some commlinks coming pre-packaged with an Agent software (Nixdorf Sekretar as an example) to "book meetings, build reports and organize your love life" I think as the example says. Lol

The Simrig, Sim Module, and Add Sleaze Modification are hardware modifications to the commlink. The Sleaze-mod lists it is applied to devices that do not have an existing Sleaze attribute- which Commlinks do not have.

And the Receiver is a "Commlink Accessory" so it's specifically designed for a commlink.

spent the last hour or so rules and forum diving. By default programs, even common ones, can not to run on a deck. KIll code pg. 24 "programs"Programs are files run on cyberdecks and Rigger
Command Consoles (and anything you can cram
a program carrier module inside), and they have
a wide variety of uses. Some programs have particular utility, while others make certain aspects
of your device better; they are essentially like a
Matrix version of equipment. Programs must be
purchased individually, but there is no limit to the
number of programs you can have in storage. The
number of programs that can run at once can be
found in each device’s description, although no
single program can be running more than once
at a time. Advanced rules (p. 65, Data Trails) allow you to augment your device’s program with
program carrier modules, while a Datajack Plus
(p. 65) allows certain programs to run on a datajack as well. A program only gives its benefit
while it is running on your device; when it is ended However they can run Aps. There is the expectation of the one comlink with the built-in agent but given it resides as a hardwire agent in the comlink it is limited to the comlinks functions as described in the fluff text. Some argue this program's comlinks limit can be overcome using a program carrier module. Others disagree as a PCM is listed as a cyberdeck module. My understanding, and some similar opinions on the SR forums, that installing a cyberdeck mod on a comlink is reasonable. (data trails pg 65-67) Thus with a program carrier module, a comlink could have a single program, but not an agent per Kill Code pg 26:

"As agents are an augmentation to a persona, they can’t be run on devices not already running a persona. Agent programs also cannot be hosted on program carrier modules or the virtual machine program."

The nice end-a-round I wasn't aware of (I just now read some of KIll code) is the comlink plus. It specifically says you can run its rating in programs, both common use and hacking. That seems to negate the whole program carrier debate and meet your needs entirely.

 

Did I mention I hate the matrix rules...

 

[Miss]

1 hour ago, Shadowstarr said:

The nice end-a-round I wasn't aware of (I just now read some of KIll code) is the comlink plus. It specifically says you can run its rating in programs, both common use and hacking. That seems to negate the whole program carrier debate and meet your needs entirely.

Did I mention I hate the matrix rules...

Those rules really do upend a whole just- ton of in-universe lore, stories and writing. But, yes- The Datajack Plus can run all 3 of those programs so- I guess in the end it's a moot point but- GODS the Matrix rules in 5E are just- LOL

"Common programs are ones that are pretty harmless and available most everywhere for hobbyist and matrix professionals." - but all Cyberdecks are Restricted and all Cyberdecks contain an illegal Hot-Sim module, so that must be some REAL intense kind of hobby. Like I mean I kind of see a parallel to firearm-shooting as a hobby but that's like saying, "Hey, every gun sold is also completely illegal, but despite being completely illegal we're going to make the ammunition available for it in every store." like- Lol.

I love Shadowrun to absolute death but it is a very twisty spiderweb of rules, that's for sure. Lol :)

Edited January 10 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

Okay. So. I've gone over the character's karma spends with a magnifying glass. I've nudged every bit and spend to make sure Chummer wasn't doing anything silly. I did find the "Kenjutsu" knowledge specialty which I don't recall taking as it makes little sense, so I swapped that to a Bunraku specialty since that actually makes sense. I cleaned up the Commlink and Programs issue by moving them to the Datajack Plus. I fixed "Fix" by downgrading his connection rating primarily under the excuse of "He can only help Ryoko so much without being discovered by Horizon- but over time that will grow.", and took a 'Just Biz' ID Manufacturer contact with the excess few points of karma. Since you never know when you'll need another one of those.

I made the final call and decided I'm going to do away with the idea of using Drugs for initiative boosting. I am going to lean into the idea that the character will struggle with her slow reflexes as part of her character growth. I just hope having someone with only 1 initiative pass on the team isn't going to be too big a anchor slowing the team down. As such I've sold off the drugs, replaced it with a 'decoy' commlink to run her FakeSIN on.
 

The karma spends track as follows:

Attributes: 240 Karma
Special (Edge): 15 Karma
Positive Qualities: 25/25 Karma
Negative Qualities: -25/-25 Karma
Contacts: 2 Karma (not including the free 9 karma worth from Charisma)
Nuyen: 181 Karma (this leaves Ryoko with 109¥ before rolling Starting Nuyen)
Skill Groups: 80 Karma
Active Skills: 75 Karma
Knowledge Skills: 0 (but all 12 of the free Knowledge Skills are spent)
Martial Arts: 7 Karma

Total Karma: 600
Final Essence: 2.76

I'll attach the Re-Re-Revamped PDF here.

 

OkamuraRyokoRevamp2.pdf

Edited January 11 by Miss (see edit history)

[Shadowstarr]

could i get your current chummer file please

[Miss]

Rolling 4d6x100¥

....1,200¥

Edited January 22 by Miss (see edit history)

[Miss]

Puppet's Purchases Pre-Pickle's Dream Run

A Sling for her SCK Model 100 SMG (Avail 0, 15¥)
3 Spare Clips for her SCK Model 100 SMG (Avail 4, 5¥ each, 15¥ total)
3 Spare Clips for her Savalette Guardian Pistol (Avail 4, 5¥ each, 15¥ total)
1 Canteen, 1L (Avail 0, 10¥)
20 1L Bottles of Water (Avail 0, 5¥ each, 100¥ total)
20 Ration Bars (Avail 0, 5¥ each, 100¥ total)

Total Spent: 255¥