Edges and Flaws

Physical Attributes

Exceptional Attribute
Value: +2
A player can increase the Racial Modified Limit for one of the character's Attributes by 1.
This increase also affects the character's Attribute Maxzimum for that Attribute only. (Attribute Maximum is equal to the Racial Modified Limit x 1.5, round up). For example, if the Racial Modified Limit of a human character's Body is raised to 7, then the Body's Attribute Maximum Rating would be 11.
Player characters can take Exceptional Attribute only once per Attribute. This cannot be used to raise Essence, Reaction or Magic.

Aptitude/Incompetence
Value: 4/-2
Aptitude or Incompetence reflect expertise or ineptitude in a particular skill.
A character with Aptitude for a skill gains a -1 target modifier to all tests made with the skill. A character with Incompetence receives a +1 target modifier to all tests made with the skill.
Characters can have Aptitude or Incompetence only in skills that they can use. THe character cannot use Aptitude or Incompetence when defaulting to that skill.

Computer Illiterate
Value: -3
A character with the Computer Illiterate flaw has extreme difficulty working with computers and other electronic devices. Such characters have trouble performing such simpled tasks as using an unfamiliar telecom, sending e-mail or programming a trideo recorder.
During game play, teh chracter receives a +1 modifier to all tests that involve a computer or other electronic device in any way, shape or form (for example, a mage with this Flaw would suffer this modifier when attempting to read another mage's electronic hermetic library.) Additionally, the gamemaster may require the character to make Success Tests (Target Number 4) to complete tasks that most people in 2061 take for granted (this can be used to add dramatic tension or comic relief to a game).
Even techno-junkies such as riggers and deckers may have this Flaw, because simsense technology, icon-oriented Matrix programming and the boom of reality filters and sculpted systems have greatly reduced the level of technical know-how needed to rig or deck.

Home Ground
Value: 2
Home Ground provides a character with a -1 target modifier for all Active Skill tests made within the character's home turf. Any Knowledge Skills using the Home Ground Edge apply a -2 target number modifier.
The charcter's home turf is a particular location with which the character is intimately familiar. The location must be either a small area--no larger than a single building--or an environment that is encountered infrequently during the campaign. For example, in a Seattle-based campaign, the desert would be an infrequently encountered environment and could be considered home ground for a displaced desert nomad character. The desert would not be a suitable home ground in a campaign based in the magic-soaked Mojave, however. Gamemasters must approve all home grounds in their campaigns.
For a decker character, a home ground might be a particular computer system--a Matrix Host the decker knows extremely well, for example. In this case, the character would receive the -1 target modifier for all tests made while in that system. Favorite data havens, particularly the Denver Nexus, also make suitable home grounds for decker characters. Many corporate deckers have the Home Ground Edge in their corporate systems.
All home grounds must be fixed locations--characters cannot move them around. If a charcter's home ground is destroyed, the character loses his Home Ground Edge.

Adrenalin Surge
Value: +2
Adrenaline Surge enables a character to react more quickly than normal during combat situations. A player character with this Edge may use it any time in combat.
When employing Adrenaline Surge, the character uses the Rule of Six for Initiative (p.32, SRII) but receives a +1 target modifier on Combat Test and Perception Tests made in combat situations. Once a character uses Adrenaline Surge, he must use it for the remainder of the combat or untilt eh danger has passed.
Characters whose Reaction or Initiative is already enhanced by cyberware, bioware, or magic (including shapeshifters and physical adepts) may not purchase Adrenaline Surge.

Allergy
Value: See Table
A character with the Allergy Flaw is allergic to a substance or condition. To calculate the value of an Allergy, decide whether the substance or condition is Uncommon or Common, then determine the severity of the symptoms--Mild, Moderate, or Severe. Consult the Allergy Table and add together the appropriate point values. For example, the value of an Uncommon Moderate Allergy is -3 points.

Bio-Rejection
Value: -5 (-2 for magically active characters)
The immune system of a character with Bio-Rejection is especially sensitive to foreign tissue and material, and the bodies of suchy characters reject all cyberware implants. Any organ or limb replacements must be cloned from the character's own cells.
For magically active characters (magicians and adepts), Bio-Rejection costs only -2 points. Shaman characters whose totoems carry cyberware Essence penalties (such as Egle or Unicorn) cannot take the Flaw of Bio-Rejection. Characters cannot take both Bio-Rejection and Sensitive System.

Blind
Value: -6 (-2 for magically active characters)
A character with the Blind Flaw receives a +6 target modifier for all visual-based tests. Cyber-replacement eyes cannot correct the Blind Flaw.
Magically active characters with the Blind Flaw may still use astral perception as a form of sight. Such characters receive a +2 target modifier for visual tests based solely in the physical world. However, the Blind Flaw costs only -2 points for such characters. Characters with the Blind Flaw cannot take Color Blind or Night Blindness.
Individual gamemasters and players must determine if this Flaw affects the actions of specific characters jacked into rigs or the Matrix. Simsense works by directly stimulating the vision and hearing centers in teh occipital lobe of the brain, so if this Flaw is caused by a nerve defect, it may not affect a character who is rigging or decking. However, if the Flaw is caused by a brain disorder, it can make rigging and decking impossible.

Borrowed Time
Value: -6
A character with the Borrowed Time Flaw may die at any time. The character might have a fatal illness, be infected with a slow-acting poison or have a deadly implant such as a cortex bomb. in any case, the character's life span can be measured in months.
Whenever a character takes the Borrowed Time Flaw, the gamemaster secretly rolls 3d6. The result indicates teh number of game months before the character dies. When teh character's time is up, he dies--nothing can save him. Give the character a dramatic death scene.

Catlike Balance
Value: +2
You have an innately perfect sense of balance. You are able to land on your feet from a fall almost every time. You have two extra dice to roll on all balance-related matters.

Color Blind
Value: -1
A character with the Color Blind Flaw sees the world in black, white and shades of gray. The character receives a +4 target modifiier for any tests in which distinguishing between colors is important, such as sifting through the tangle of colored wires in a bomb to find the one that will disarm it.
Note taht Color Blind results from a neural dysfunction and cannot be cured with cyber-replacement eyes. Characters cannot take both Blind and Color Blind.

Deaf
Value: -3
A character with the Deaf Flaw cannot hear. The character cannot make Hearing Tests, and receives a +4 target modifier for any tests in which hearing is a factor (such as Surprise Tests).
The Hearing Flaw cannot be cured with cyberware. Individual gamemasters and players must determine if this Flaw affects the actions of specific characters jacked into rigs or the Matrix. Simsense works by directly stimulating the vision and hearing centers in the occipital lobe of the brain, so if this Flaw is caused by a nerve defect, it may not affect a character who is rigging or decking. However, if the Flaw is caused by a brain disorder, it can make rigging or decking impossible.

Double Jointed
Value: 1
A Double Jointed character has unusually flexible joints and can bend and contort his or her body into extreme positions. The character receives a -1 target modifier for Athletics (Escape Artist) Tests. At the gamemaster's discretion, the character can squeeze into small, cramped spaces through which less limber characters cannot pass.

High Pain Tolerance
Value: 2 per box
High Pain Tolerance enables a charcter to resist the effects of damage to a limited degree. FOr every two points, the character can resist the effects of one box of physical or mental damage, starting at Light and moving up.
In all other respects, High Pain Tolerance uses the same rules as the adept power Pain Resistance (see p. 170, SR3).

Infirm
Value: -1 to -5
The Infirm Flaw represents a character's deteriorating physical fitness. Infirm characters need not be old or ill--they may simply be individuals who neglect their physical well being, such as "couch potato" deckers or magicians.
The Infirm Flaw may range from -1 to -5 points. For every Infirm point, reduce the Attribute Maximum of the character's Physical Attributes by 1. If the character's Attribute Maximums fall below the Racial Modified Limit then this new number acts as both the Attribute Maximum and the Racial Modified Limit.

Large
Value: +4
+1 to Body and Strength, both the stats and the maxima. The character is quite large and robust for their subspecies, and tends to stand out in a crowd of them. Humans with this Edge may find Ork-Looking a useful accompanying Edge; Trolls with this Edge are truly frightening.

Short
Value: -3
Your character is much smaller than normal for their metatype; subtract 1 from your Body attribute and racial maximum. You have trouble seeing over many objects, and lose 1 from your Running multiplier. Humans, Elves, and Orks with this flaw may take a +1 Edge, Dwarf-Looking.

Childlike Physiology
Value: -4
Not only is your character is much smaller than normal for their metatype; subtract 1 from your Body attribute and racial maximum, but you have the appearance and proportions of a pre-teen child. You have trouble seeing over many objects, and lose 1 from your Running multiplier. Other characters who are not children treat you socially as a child. In general they will not respect your opinions or follow your suggestions. Apply a +1 target number to the relevent social tests. Your appearance can be used to your benefit however. Parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about children will be sympathetic to your plight. Apply a -1 TN to these situations.

Obese
Value: -2
Your character is extremely fat. Gain one point of Body, but lose one point from your Running multiplier and suffer a +2 to all target numbers regarding athletic motion. This is common among couch potato mages and riggers. Only a -1 for people who take Paraplegic and -0 for those who take Quadriplegic.

Note that for all of the Missing [part] Flaws, these do not apply if you can easily have the part replaced with clonal tissue or cyberware. Come up with a reason why your character cannot get the piece taken care of with modern technology— perhaps it was lost to a fragmentation mine covered with a mutagenic virus, or was bitten off by some kind of nasty magical creature or spirit and all attempts at replacement have been rejected. At the game master's option, you might be able to get a cyber or clonal replacement after a great deal of effort (perhaps involving getting a major corp to owe you a favor, or tracking down the spirit, slaying it, and performing a major Astral Quest).

Missing ear
Value: -1
You cannot locate the direction of sounds, and you often miss things said to your deaf side. +1 to all hearing TN's.

Missing eye
Value: -2
You have no depth perception, and have a blind side on which people can approach unseen. Take a +2 penalty to all ranged attacks. If you want to take this Flaw twice, use Blind instead.

Missing hand
Value: -2
You can only use one hand for climbing, combat, and other such activities. Take a +2 to +4 penalty on any such actions.

Missing foot
Value: -2
You have an artificial (strapped on) or peg foot; lose two dice from your Combat Pool, lose one point from your Running multiplier, and gain a +2 penalty to actions involving keeping your balance. If you take this Flaw twice, it is only worth one Flaw point the second time.

Missing arm
Value: -3
You have only one arm; in addition to the penalties of Missing Hand, your balance is thrown off and you lose one die from your Combat Pool and gain a +1 penalty to actions involving keeping your balance.

Missing leg
Value: -3
You can get around on crutches, but cannot run, and your Combat Pool is cut in half. If you want to take this Flaw twice, use Paraplegic instead.

Lightning Reflexes
Value: 2, 4 or 6
For every 2 points spent on Lightning Reflexes, a character receives a +1 bonus to his Reaction Rating. Players cannot purchase more than 6 points of Lightning Reflexes (+3 Reaction bonus). This bonus is used only in Surprise Test situations and is not compatible with the Combat Sense adept power (see p. 169, SR3)
Because they are only used in surprise situations, the extra dice are not used when rolling Initiative, but they are cumulative with any Reaction bonuses from cyberware, biotech or magic in Surprise Tests.
Gamemasters should carefully monitor the use of Lighting Reflexes in their games to prevent the creation of chracters with superhuman Reaction Ratings.

Low Pain Tolerance
Value: -4
Characters with Low Pain Tolerance are particularly sensitive to pain. When calculating Wound-related target modifiers for such characters, increase their Wounds by 1 level.

Natural Immunity
Value 1 or 3
Characters with Natural Immunity (1) have an innate or developed immunity to a single natural disease or toxin. The disease or toxin in question cannot affect the character. However, this level of Natural Immunity provides no protection against man-made toxins and biowarfare agents.
Natural Immunity (3 allows a character to take one type of drug or poison, including man-made toxins and biowarfare toxins, without ill effects.
In both cases, the players and gamemaster must agree on the drug or poison to which the character has natural immunity, and it must be something with which the player character would plausibly come into contact. The character can take one dose of the drug or poison every (Body/2 ) days with no ill effects. If the character ingests more than a single does in teh time allotted, he or she takes normal damage from ]the poison but begins to recover after (Body/2) days (if the character lives that long)

Night Blindness
Value: -2 (-1 for riggers or deckers)
Night Blindness makes a character effectively blind at night or in darkness. In Full Darkness or Minimal Light conditions (see p. 232, SR3), the character receives an additional +2 target modifier for visual-based tests cumulative with teh standard darkness modifiers. Characters cannot take both Blind and Night Blindness.
This flaw does not apply when rigging because rigged vehicle sensors have image-intensifying capabilities and automatically adjust the brightness level of simsense visual stimulai to match the brain's visual capability. It also has no real impact in the Matrix. Riggers and deckers purchase this Flaw at -1

Night Vision
Value: 2 (1 for rigters or deckers)
Night Vision provides human charcters with improved night vision. This means human characters with this Edge have the metahuman ability of low-light vision (see perception Modifiers on p. 232, SR3)
This flaw does not apply when rigging because rigged vehicle sensors have image-intensifying capabilities and automatically adjust the brightness level of simsense visual stimulai to match the brain's visual capability. It also has no real impact in the Matrix. Riggers and deckers purchase this Edge at 1

Paraplegic
Value: -3
Paraplegic charcters are paralyzed from teh waist down. Such charcters can perform physical tasks that do not require the use of their legs and can move around via wheelchair, but the Paraplegic Flaw reduces their Combat Pools by half (round down). The Paraplegic Flaw has no effect on a charcter's abilities wthin the Matrix or in astral space, so full Hacking and Astral Combat Pools can be used.
Characters with the Paraplegic FLaw can and often do become highly effective deckers, magicians and riggers.

Quadriplegic
Value: -6
Quadriplegic characters are paralyzed from the neck down and cannot perform physical tasks of any kind. The Quadriplegic FLaw does not affect a character's Attributes or use of Mental Skills. Use the character's Physical Attributes for calculating abilities such as Reaction per standard rules. If desired, a character with teh QUadriplegic Flaw may take the Infirm Flaw as well.
Characters with the Quadriplegic Flaw require permanent Hospitalized lifestyles and the attention of hired medical attendants or programmed robot drones to perform physical tasks with cybertechnology or magic. Characters cannot take both Quadriplegic and Paraplegic.
The quadriplegic FLaw has no effect on a character's abilities within the Matrix or in astral space, so full Hacking and Astral combat Pools can be used.

Quick Healer
Value: 2
A character with teh Quick Healer Edge recovers from damage more quickly ]than other chracters. Reduce the target numbers for the character's Healing Tests by 2 after applying all other modifiers. The target number cannot be reduced to less than 2.

Resistance to Pathogens
Value: 1
A character with Resistance to Pathogens has a vigorous immune system that fights off diseases and infections. The character gains 1 additional Body die when resisting hte effects of disease.

Resistance to Toxins
Value: 1
A character with Resistnace ot TOxins can fight off toxins and drugs more easily than other characters. The character gains 1 additional Body die when resisting the effects of drugs and toxins.

Sensitive System
Value: -3 (-2 for magically active characters)
A character with the Sensitive System Flaw has immuno-suppressive problems with implants. However, these effects are less severe than those of the Bio-Rejection Flaw. The character must double all Essence losses caused by cyberware implants.
If a character with this Flaw is magically active, Sensitive System costs only -2 points. The penalties are the same as for a non-magical character, and the player must also deduct any Essence loss due to this Flaw from the character's Magic Rating. Characters cannot take both Bio-Rejectiona dn Sensitive System.

Toughness
Value: 3
Characters with teh Toughness Edge shrug off damage more easily than others. Such characters gain 1 additional Body die for Damage Resistancve Tests only. (This bonus die is cumulative with natural dermal armor, so a troll with Toughness is really tough)

Unthinking Reflexes
Value: +3
Your reflexes are so fast, you react without thinking. Whenever you are surprised or startled, make a Reaction (4) roll. Even one success indicates that you react reflexively on the phase in which the startlement happens, independent of your Initiative roll: choose one type of action (dodging, blocking, attacking, shooting, running) which you are most likely to do, though the game master may override this if you have showed other choices in the past. (If you have been fully aware of someone making a startling move, you may follow your planned course of action.) This can, however, lead to blowing a joking friend's head off if your reflexes are ready for an assassin's strike.

Ork-Looking
Value: +1
A human character with the Ork-Looking Edge can "pass" for an Ork in most circumstances, though their teeth aren't quite tusks and they need to hide their round ears under their hair.

Elf-Looking
Value: +1
A human character with the Elf-Looking Edge can "pass" for an Elf in most circumstances, though making their ears properly pointed will require good cosmetic surgery. An excellent Edge for competent Elf Posers.

Light Sleeper
Value: +1
You seem to sleep with one eye open, and become wide awake immediately when woken. -2 to all TN's to waking up.

Versatile Sleeper
Value: +1
You've mastered the art of catching quick catnaps; perhaps you were in the military. You can fall asleep at will, any place, any time; you can get the equivalent of a full night's sleep without having to occupy a large block of time with continuous unconsciousness. This goes well with Light Sleeper and Cat shamans.

Deep Sleeper
Value: -1
You sleep heavily, though you do not necessarily snore, have a +2 to all TN's for being woken up, and suffer a +1 to all TN's for up to half an hour after waking (though your morning coffee, hot shower, or a jolt of adrenaline can clear this up pronto).

Keen Sense
Value: +1
You have -1 to all Perception target numbers with a particular sense.

Poor Sense
Value: -1
You have +1 to all Perception target numbers with a particular sense.

Distinctive Features
Value: -1
These must be something you cannot hide without great difficulty— a sixth finger, tattoos all over your face, a missing ear— and a reason you aren't going to have this corrected as soon as you've got the nuyen for cosmetic surgery.

Short of Breath
Value: -2
You have difficulty performing strenuous tasks because you cannot breathe properly; medical science has yet to find a cure for your asthma-like ailment. Because your lungs only pull in a fraction of the air you need for serious exertion, any time you attempt such, make a Body (4) roll or be unable to perform any action on the next round while you catch your breath.

Weak Immune System
Value: -1
A character with the Weak Immune System Flaw is more susceptible to infection by disease than his or her BOdy Attribute suggests. Reduce the character's Body dice by 1 during tests made to resiste diseases (the Body dice cannot drop below 1 on Resistance Tests). Weak Immune System is triggered by teh immuno-suppression treatments used in cybernetic and bio-genetic proceedures--consequently, it most often afflicts chracters who whave undergone considerable cyberware modifications.

Will to Live
Value: 1 to 3
FOr each point spent on Will to Live, acharacter gains 1 additional Damage Overflow Box. These additional boxes only allow the character to take additional damage before dying. They do not raise the threshold at which the character becomes unconscious or incapacitated, nor tdo they affect target modifiers based on the character's injuries.

Mental Edges and Flaws

Phobia, Delusion, Compulsion, Obsession, Hatred, Intolerance
Value: -1 to -5
A character with one of the above mental afflictions suffer from deep-seated feelings activated by specific triggering conditions. The value of this flaw is determined by two conditions. First, whether the condition is Common (-2), Uncommon (-1), or Rare (-0). Second, by determining the severity of the reaction when the condition is encountered.

Example: Barry, a Trollish Physical Adept, has been on the receiving end of discrimination one too many times. He is Intolerant of injustice, and tends to interfere when a bunch of humans gang up on an Ork, when a bunch of Orks gang up on a human, or when corrupt Lone Star officers begin brutalizing innocents. Such injustice is Uncommon in the world of Shadowrun, and he must make a Willpower (4) roll not to interfere in such troubles; if he fails to interfere, he is at +2 to target numbers as he watches. This is worth 3 points of Flaw.

Compulsive Liar
Value: -2
A Compulsive Liar can almost never tell the truth. They suffer from an overwhelming urge to distort the truth. Whenever asked a question, the character must roll Willpower[6]. One success indiciates a mild deception, two successes indicate a refusal to answer one way or another, and three or more successes means that the character manages to forcibly tell the truth if he desires to do so. Zero successes means the character answers with the exact opposite of the truth as he knows it.

Homicidal
Value: -4
A homicidal character is the last one you want working with you. At every point where the character has a weapon or other means to inflict death and sees someone they must make a Willpower[6] Test or engage in their homicidal compulsions. Each success buys the character another hour until they must make the test again. This flaw will very rapidly bring a character to his/her death in the armed world of Shadowrun.

Suicidal
Value: -4
Another flaw not recommended for characters who intend to live past their first game. A suicidal individual has given up any desire to live. Any time they have posession of a weapon, or are confronted by a potential deadly situation, they must pass a Willpower[6] test or act to end their life immediately with whatever comes to hand.

Sociopath
Value: -2
The Sociopath characters have no use for others and seek to avoid contact whenever possible. They must pass a Willpower[4] test to engage in conversation with anyone, and suffer a +4 penalty to their target number in any social or charisma tests

Megalomania
Value: -2
The extreme version of overconfidence, the megalomanic personality cannot except the possibility that anyone is better than they are. Whenever confronted with a situation in which they seem to be beaten, they must undertake some action to subjugate the other -- from threats, bullying and posturing to outright violence.

Pyromania
Value: -1 to -3
Pyromaniacs are driven by a compulsion to set things on fire. At the -1 level of this flaw, they show an unhealthy fascination with fire, using explosives, flamable liquids, and flame weapons at every opportunity, especially when inappropriate or unwise. In order to use something other than fire to solve a problem, they must make a WIllpower[4] test. At the -3 level of this flaw, they must make a Willpower[6] test every single time they are confronted with something even remotely flamable and anything that might be used to create a fire either on their person, another person, or anywhere in their immediate surroundings.

Martyrdom
Value: -1
Martyrdom compares favorably to Danger Addiction. A character afflicted with Martyrdom must seek every opportunity to cast away their life for the furtherance of a personal cause. They may make a WIllpower[6] test to avoid doing so immediately, or they may make an Intelligence[6] test to apply themselves to a longer-range goal that will bring their deaths further down the road. For each success, they may stave off their urge to die for the cause for 1 day.

Sadism
Value: -1
A Sadist likes to inflict pain on others. Whenever confronted by a situation where they might hurt another, they must make a Willpower[6] test to avoid doing so.

Masochism
Value: -1
A Masochist enjoys the infliction of pain upon themselves. Whenever possible, they seek to have themselves in a painful situation. The more painful or exotic, the better. In order to avoid injuring themselves, they must pass a Willpower[6] test.

Amnesia
Value: -2 to -5
A character with Amnesia has lost some or all of his memory. (Such memory loss can be caused by neurological damage, magic, drugs, or brainwashing) The severity of the character's Amnesia is determined by the selected point value of the Flaw (between -2 and -5). A character with -2 Amnesia cannot recall who he is or anything about his past, but retains the use of his skills and abilities he has learned. Gamemasters should create character sheets for characters with -5 point Amnesia, so that the player character does not know his character's abilities, Attributes, and so on until he acts.

Bravery
Value: +1
Characters with the Bravery Edge are not as easily frightened as most people. The character recieves a -1 target modifier on tests made to resist fear and intimidation, including Fear caused by spells and critter powers

Greed
Value: -1
Perhaps it is because the character was born poor, or maybe too rich, or maybe just because; whatever the reason, the character is greedy. The character wants money, wants wealth in any form, wants to be filthy, dirty, rotten, stinking rich! Anytime someone offers the character money for any reason: bribe, payment for a shadowrun, whatever, the character must make a Willpower check (TN 6) to resist the temptation. If the payment offered is small compared to the character's current wealth, then the check is made at a -1 to -2 modifier. If the payment offered is greater than the character's current wealth, then the check is made at a +2 to +6 modifier!

Kleptomania
Value: -1
Your character likes to steal. This is done for thrills rather than greed (unless your character is also greedy). You will steal anything that interest you, from virtually anyone. You might have all sorts of rationales to explain your behavior (you weren't stealing, just borrowing!). To avoid this compulsion to steal, you must make a Willpower check (TN 4). This is at a +2 penalty if the item interests you, and at a +4 if the item is valuable and your character is Greedy as well.

Illiterate
Value-1
An Illiterate character cannot read (any character who grew up on teh streets or in an isolated rural area may never have learned). Such characters cannot take most Technical or Knowledge skills and must rely on other characters to translate written information for them. Illiterate characters can use computer programs that rely on icons rather than written commands and instructions; however, such characters receive a +4 target modifier to all computer-relatedd tests and cannot have a Computer Skill higher than 1.
Charcters may not take both the Illiterate Flaw and any Education Edge. Through roleplaying, a character can replace the Illiterate Flaw with the Uneducated Flaw.

Lecherousness
aka: Sex-Fiend, Nymphomaniac
Value: -2
Your character likes members of the opposite sex, a lot! (This could be same sex if the character is homosexual, or both if bisexual!) Anytime your character encounters a member of the opposite sex with a Charisma of 3 or better, your character will flirt. You must make a Willpower check (TN 2 + their Charisma) to avoid attempting to seduce the person. On a failed check, the character must use whatever skills or abilities s/he has in an attempt to seduce the individual. This might be an Etiquette skill, Negotiation or a one of its concentrations (fast-talk, bribe?, seduction, etc.), it could even be magic (i.e., control emotions, control thoughts)! This of course might bring up some moral issues. The player should role-play how their character deals with it. If the player does a good job, award them a one point karma bonus at the end of the adventure.

Don Juan
Value: -1
Your character considers himself quite the ladies man or bombshell, and indulges in every opportunity to flirt with the opposite sex. Anytime the character encounters a member of the opposite sex with a Charisma of 3 or better, you must make a Willpower check (TN = their Charisma) to avoid attempting to seduce the person.

Lightning Calculator
Value: +1
You have an exceptional talent for mental arithmetic, and are dangerous at the poker and blackjack tables due to your ability to estimate odds on the fly. Gain -2 to all appropriate target numbers.

Literate
Value: +1
Characters with the Literate edge have spent more time reading than most people in the Sixth World. Such characters automatically recieve proficiency with Reading and Writing at the same level as they can converse in the language.

Confused
Value: -1
The world seems to be a very distorted and twisted place, and you are often left confused. Sometimes, things just don't make sense. Mostly, this is a roleplaying Flaw, but you should gain penalties to your target numbers when suffering from overwhelming sensory input, such as in a crowd or loud nightclub. This Flaw can work equally well on brainless thugs who just don't bother making sense of the world and reclusive geniuses who fail to find a pattern in the wealth of information they can perceive.

Shy
Value: -1
You a naturally shy person, and prefer to avoid most social situations if you can. Increase your target numbers for Social activities with strangers by +1, or +2 if you are the center of attention.

Soft-hearted
Value: -1
You cannot bear to witness suffering, and causing it can bring you nights of nausea and days of sleepless grief. It may be that you empathize too strongly, or merely that being in the presence of such intense emotions drives you to distraction. Whenever you must witness suffering, difficulties of all rolls are increased by one for the next hour.

Overconfident
Value: -1
You have an exaggerated sense of your own abilities, and do not hesitate to meet challenges that would leave more sensible people quailing in their boots or heading for a fortified position. You can always find fault in others to blame for your failure. If you are a charismatic individual, you may be able to infect others with your overconfidence.

The following three Flaws have relatively large point values because they are especially dangerous to shadowrunners.

Short Attention Span
Value: -3
Your parents left you at home all day with the electronic babysitter, and you don't understand why you can't change the channel on the real world. Keeping watch, listening to complex orders, following the plot of a story, or performing other such tasks that require continued attention are usually not within your ability. Raising Knowledge Skills costs double the Karma for you.

Absent-Minded
Value: -3
You don't actually forget your Knowledge skills, but details like names, addresses, and the last time you ate continue to escape your mind. In order to remember more than your name and home address, you need to make an Intelligence roll (target number varying with the obviousness and simplicity of the information— remembering your favorite restaurant is a 4, remembering where the meet with the Johnson is requires a 6, and the details of complex plans can be an 8 or 10).

Curiosity
Value: -3
Your natural curiosity is strong enough to override your common sense, even if you possess that Edge. To resist the temptation to investigate mysteries, make a Willpower roll. Resisting "I wonder what's in that cabinet?" requires only a 4, but "I'll just peek into the Renraku mainframe— no one will notice!" requires an 8.

Speech Impediment
Value: -1
You have a stammer or some other speech impediment that hampers verbal communication. Your TN's for communication and some Social rolls can go up by 2 under appropriate circumstances.

Lifesaver
Value: -1
While you are not a complete Pacifist, you consider killing to be the last resort, and will only do so when it is obvious that a person cannot be brought to justice or in self-defense; even then, you do so in as humane a means as possible. You have a firm conviction in your beliefs, and will attempt to exhort your teammates to avoid wetwork contracts against all but the most heinous of criminals.

Clear Thinker
Value: +1
You have a -2 bonus or others a +2 penalty when attempts are made to confuse, befuddle, lie to, or fast talk you.

Social Edges & Flaws

Presence

Piercing Gaze
Value: +2
By gazing intently at someone, you make them feel uneasy, as if their inner secrets were on display. Those with ulterior motives, uneasy consciences, nervous dispositions, and those who are lying must make Willpower rolls against your Charisma or suffer a +2 penalty to all Social rolls as they fidget.

Venus' Blessing
Value: +1
You gain a -2 to Social rolls with sexually compatible characters in appropriate situations. People are often attracted to you; at times, this can be put to good use, at other times it's an annoyance.

Curse of Venus
Value: -1
You are very attractive to people whom you do not wish to attract (+-3 to appropriate target numbers). People whom you detest are constantly getting crushes on you, and tend to overlook your rejection of them. On the other hand, people you wish to attract or endear tend to think you are vain and shallow (±1 to appropriate target numbers).

Innocence
Value: +1
For some reason, everyone considers you pure and innocent, though not necessarily naïve. You have a saintly quality that is hard to put a finger on, but others tend to see it in you; you are trusted, even if you are not trustworthy. You tend to receive lesser punishments for wrongdoing and are liked by most; you get a great deal less hassling on the street than most.

Scapegoat
Value: -1
For some reason, you just seem to be the guilty party; even when you're asleep, you look like you're up to something. People seldom trust you, even if you've done nothing wrong, and you are often singled out for special attention.

Eerie Presence
Value: -1
You may be physically unexceptional, but there's just a creepy aura about you; choose how it manifests, whether people are simply uneasy around you, if they get the feeling you exude waves of invisible slime, if menace and evil hang over your head like smog, et cetera. You possess a +2 penalty to Social rolls around most people, though friends may grow to overlook your magical air and some people— often magically active, though many enlightened, self-assured people also possess such capabilities— may automatically overlook it. People with Eerie Presence can seldom detect this presence in other people.

Fate

Nine Lives
Value: +6
You must have earned some very good karma in your last life, because something is taking care of you in this one. You get nine chances at life. Any time that an event occurs that would kill you, fate intervenes. The mechanics of this are up to the game master: they may quietly divert you from a dire fate before it happens and mark off one life, or they may simply allow you to mark off one life and reroll any roll that would kill your character. After eight of these are up, you're on your own.

Weirdness Magnet
Value: -1
Whenever weird shit comes down, it happens in your neighborhood or to you directly. Spirits seem to find you absolutely fascinating for reasons they can't or won't describe, and paranormal animals keep popping up in your neighborhood. You keep getting Elvis shamans as free contacts. Not-quite-sane street people seem to consider you a valuable confidante.

Trouble Magnet
Value: -2
Perhaps you were a very evil person in a previous life; you cannot seem to escape the vicissitudes of the world. Gang wars seem to break out around you, and trouble happens in your general vicinity and neighborhood, if it doesn't seek you out directly. If you're in a bad neighborhood, it's gangs and muggers; if you're in a good one, it's intrigue and happenstance occurrences that piss off powerful people. Thugs will cross the street to get in your way. Surviving this kind of trouble may get you a reputation as a badass.

When multiple characters with Weirdness Magnet or Trouble Magnet group together, sum the number of Flaw points devoted to this magnetism. This is the level of the Flaw that the group has. Thus, three people with Trouble Magnet should regularly run into lethal danger; two with Trouble Magnet and two with Weirdness Magnet will be in similar amounts of trouble, but it will be somewhat less lethal and somewhat more bizarre.

Talent

These Aptitudes are worth considerably more than the number of Aptitudes required to purchase bonuses with all the separate skills. However, I think that these work well as package deals.

Electronic Aptitude
Value: +6
You have an Aptitude with all matters related to computers and electronics, including Computer, Computer B/R, Computer Theory, Electronics, Electronics B/R, Electronics Theory, and Cybertechnology B/R. This does not apply when defaulting off these skills to related ones.

Crack Pilot
Value: +6
You have an Aptitude with all vehicle piloting skills, including Hovercraft, Bike, Car, Motorboat, Sailboat, Winged Craft, Rotorcraft, Vector Thrust, and LTA. This does not apply when defaulting other skills off the piloting skills.

Mechanical Aptitude
Value: +6
You have an Aptitude with working with mechanical devices, including Lockpicking, Aircraft B/R, Ground Vehicle B/R, Boat B/R, and any other such skills that are introduced as part of the campaign (plumbing, clockwork). This does not apply when defaulting other skills off the repair ones.

Jack of All Trades
Value: +6
You are widely experienced, and can generally fake any skill test as if you actually have one dot in an appropriate skill a single spot away on the Skill Web. You must purchase actual skills normally.

Magical

People taking Priority D on magic may take Magical Edges and Flaws without any other sort of magical ability. These Edges and Flaws will go away if your Essence drops below 1.0. The social penalties associated with that should be an excellent replacement for the Flaws, and the sources of such Flaws might show up rather upset with you that you're no longer connected to them.

Astral Chameleon/Astral Impressions
Value: +2/-2
These Edges and Flaws reflect how well an Awakened character's astral signature sticks out on the astral plane. The Astral Chameleon Edge means that a charcter's astral signature blends into the background of astral space more quickly; treat each astral signature left by the character as if its Force was 1 less. In addition, the character's astral signature is harder to read and recognize; add +2 to attempts by other characters to assense the signature.
The astral signature of a character with the Astral Impressions Flaw sticks out like a sore thumb on the astral plane. All signatures left by the character last as if their Force were 12 higher; subtract -2 from attempts to read the chracter's astral signature.
Only awakened charcters may take this Edge/Flaw.

Blatant Magic
Value: -1
Your magic is always obvious whenever you cast spells, though you may sustain them normally. Perhaps your totemic mask appears at the drop of a hat— often regarded as a good thing by shamans— or glowing signs and sigils appear in the air when you cast your spells.

Continuous Blatant Magic
Value: -2
As Blatant Magic, but it continues while you sustain spells.

Cyclic Magic
Value: +3, +6, -3, -6
You experience a harmonious effect from particular astrological phenomena, whether it be the position of the sun in the sky, the phase of the moon, or the motion of the sun in the zodiac. For every three points of Edge or Flaw, your target numbers for magic are adjusted by 1 for roughly half the time, are adjusted by 2 at the peak of the cycle, and adjusted by 1 the other way at the nadir. (Thus, a person with 3 Edge points in solar cyclic magic might get a -1 bonus during the day, -2 for two minutes at precisely noon, and a +1 penalty for the two minutes surrounding midnight, while a person with annual cyclic magic might get a bonus in the months surrounding winter and a doubled one on Midwinter's Day.) This occurs most often in Hermetic mages, with their ties to astrological cycles, but has also turned up among the Germanic mages who follow the icons.

Elemental Ties
Value: +2, +4, -2, -4
Hermetic mages only. Your magic resonates strongly with a particular element, in harmony or disharmony. For each two points in the Edge or Flaw, you have a permanent one-point bonus or penalty with respect to dealing with spells and elementals of that particular element. With respect to the metaplanes, it only aids in understanding the geography of that particular plane, and does not help in the usual tests made on Astral Quests.

Initiate Outcast
Cost: -3
A mage character can not form an astral contact, and can not join any magical group, even one S/he attempts to form. She can still initiate alone and associate with groups socially, professionally, or ritually, however.

Karma drain
Cost: Variable
This slows karma growth. Add twice the flaws value to the amount of karma that must be earned before the character adds a point to her karma pool. (bad karma is the 5 point version of this)

Limited Force
Cost: Variable
The magican cannot channel astral energy greater than a certain force. The maximum castable force of spells is Magic Rating minus rating of flaw. The same limit applies to foci rating.

Magical Loner
Cost: -2
A mage character can not participate in ritual sorcery with other mages of any type, due to interference and magical incompatablitiy.

Magic Magnet
Cost: -3 points
Character is a (para?)naturally occuring magnet to directed magical activity. As such, all target numbers to effect the individual by another magical individual are reduced by 1 point (-1 to all -their- success tests). Yes it does help in healing, but it also makes absolutely every other spellcasting easier as well. It does NOT make a person easier to hit with a Weapon Foci, but it DOES help in all aspects of a ritual casting.

Magic Sensitivity
Value: +2
You tend to notice when magic is occurring around you.

Oracular Ability
Value: +3
Life, for you, is filled with signs and portents; pigeons sitting above a door, clouds in the sky, and reflections in puddles of spilled water stand out to you with significance. Recognizing the meaning of such things requires a Special Skill, Omen Interpretation. Your teammates will quickly learn to duck when you say, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Precognition
Value: +4
You have an uncontrolled ability to catch glimpses of the future. When and how your visions come to you, and what they relate to, are up to the game master, as well as whether they are the future as might-be or will-be. You may have developed some rituals that can occasionally induce such premonitions, such as reading Tarot cards, drinking yourself into a stupor, or meditating with the stereo turned up to 110 dB.

Visions
Value: +2
Similar to Precognition, but the nature of the visions you experience is usually allegorical, and are always related to your own life. Like Precognition, you may have rituals that increase the probability that you will have visions. The Dream Interpretation Specialization of Psychology may be very useful to you.

Danger Sense
Value: +?
You have a sixth sense that warns you of danger. When danger threatens, the game master should have you make a perception check against a target number based on the remoteness of the danger.

Background

The notion in the Shadowrun Companion that a character should have more enemies because they had more starting nuyen just doesn't make sense; we're ignoring it.

Enemies
Value: -1 to -6
Each point in Enemies is another purchase point for buying Enemies with. If you choose to buy many small Enemies rather than one large one, you should end up in more trouble than having simply gotten one large one if ever they have cause to network.

Background Trouble
Value: -1
Somewhere in your past, you've left problems that could lead to difficulties if ever you go back where you left the trouble. You might have a relatively large organization gunning for you, but insufficiently motivated to chase you to your current location.

Corporate Sell-out
Value: -6
The character sold out to a corporation (or government, the Mafia, the Yakuza, a secret organization, etc.) and now works for that organization. The character has no choice in what shadowruns s/he takes. The character will be given an assignment by his/her employer who will expect them to carry it out, regardless of personal consequences or danger. The character gets one free contact, a Mr. Johnson who is the character's contact with the corporation for which s/he works. If the character is caught, the corporation will likely let him/her hang (or worse). The character most likely has a cortex bomb implanted to encourage loyalty, other measures such as tracking signals, ritual tissue samples, etc. might also have been taken by the "employer" to make sure their "employee" stays on the job. This disadvantage has the potential to be really nasty should the game master choose to make it so. However, if the character completes a number of assignments successfully, performing well on each, the game master may decide that the corporation begins to value the character as a special operative. Future assignments may pay better, provide better backup, etc. although certain special assignments may be even more dangerous. The character has no way out of this arrangement, except to run, at which point they gain a 6 point Hunted flaw instead as the corporation sends other assets after him/her! If more than one character in a group should sell out, the game master is free to rule that all such character's sell out to the same organization. Otherwise the game master will have a difficult time explaining how individuals from several organizations came to be working in the same team, as well as coming up with likely adventures for such a group.

Hidden Past
Value: -1
Either you're trying to keep your own past secret, or there's something about it you yourself are not aware of. Either way, respectable amounts of trouble may ensue when it's uncovered that you're not just any orphan, you're the illegitimate grandchild of a megacorporate CEO, or you were once a charter member of the Humanis Policlub.

Favors
Value: -1
Someone did something major for you in the past and you owe them, big time. They can call on you for favors which may be fairly dangerous.

Pirate Family
Value: 3 (see text)
This Edge can only be taken by players who want to play chracters born and raised to the pirate life. The character has extended family in multiple ports who will come out of the woodwork to aid or annoy (as families tend to do) the character in various places around the world. These "relatives" do not count as contacts; instead, they are considered Friends of Friends and can hook the characters into and out of situations in ports and cities utterly unfamiliar to the characters. These "relatives" go beyond blood kin to include anyone who had any contact whatsoever with the family in the past: blood pacts between pirate crews, contacts held by a family member, family friends, mentors and other elders (and, of course, the families of all these assorted people).
In a crative gamemaster's hand, this Edge can become more of a curse. If gamemasters prefer to use Pirate Family to annoy rather than help characters they can make this Edge a Flaw or reduce its initial Edge Cost to 1. Examples of negative uses of this Edge include an extrememly disreputable or cutthroat family member who left many dead in his wake and whose actions cause problems for the character in ports around the world; having to deal with a family member's unpaid debts; or the character finding out that he or she is betrothed to someone in an arranged marriage made when the character was a baby.

Police Record
Value: -6
A character with the Police Record Flaw has fought the law and lost. The character's resulting police record has a number of effects.
First the character may only have street level contacts (corp types don't hang with ex-jailbirds). Second, most corporate security departments will have a record of the character's face, prints and cyberware, plus a description of his or her modus operandi. Third, Lone Star has copies of the character's records, names, numbers and so on. Lone Star patrolmen recognize the character and harass him or her on sight. Fourth, the character has a criminal SIN, and has to call his or her parole officer every two days and check in with him once a week. The parole officer knows where the character lives, knows his or her usual contacts, and can legally break down the character's door any time he wants.
If the character's record is expunged or the charafcter sucessfully ditches his or her past life, the gamemaster may replace the Police Record Flaw with Hung Out to Dry, Bad Reputation, Extra Enemies, or another FLaw(s) of equal point value.

Poverty
Value: -1 to -2
Not everyone is born rich, your character was born dirt poor! You have less starting cash than normal. Normally, a character has 3d6 x 1,000¥ in Starting Cash (cf. p47 SRII). By purchasing this disadvantage, the character starting cash is reduced. Note that this money cannot be spent during character creation (this is Starting Cash, the amount the character has on their credstick when play begins), and this disadvantage in no way affects Resource money.

Value	Starting Cash
-1	3d6 x 200¥
-2	No starting cash

Miscellaneous

Registered Equipment
Value: 6
A character with Registered Equipment has all the permits needed to legally possess and carry restricted foci and Class C cyberware within the UCAS (or primary country of his or her campaign). Of course, these permits raise the suspiciouns of fellow shadowrunners and others who mistrust the authorities. As long as the character carries his or her permits, however, he or she will not be arrested for possessing the illegal item. Of course, that may not stop the authorities from closely watching the character. Furthermore, the authorities can claim that the character has violated the law with the registered equipment and cancel the permits without warning.
To purchase the Registered Equpment Edge, a character must have a valid SIN and be registered as a citizen in the country where the campaign takes place.

State-of-the-Art Equipment
Value: 2, 4, 6
The State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Edge enables characters to possess state-of-the-art weapons, vehicles and equipment unavailable to most runners. This Edge can easily disrupt the balance of a game. Gamemasters should carefuly consider its use in their games and prohibit it if they choose. Gamemasters may also find the optional Availability rules (see p. 90 SR Companion) useful for controlling the use of bioware and cyberware in their games.
Players may purchase 2-point, 4-point and 6-point versions of State-of-the-Art Equipment. A 2-point SOTA-E provides a character with access to Availability 12 gear. A 4-point Edge provides access to Availability 15 Security Grade gear. A 6-point Edge provides access to Security and Military gear of any availability.
To prevent players from using this Edge to create virtually invincible characters, gamemasters may require any character who possesses State-of-the-Art Equipment to also have a Flaw such as Extra Enemy, Hung Out To Dry, or Corporate Sellout.

State-of-the-Art Model
Value: 2, 4, 6
The State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Model Edge enables characters to possess state-of-the-art bioware and cyberware unavailable to most runners. This Edge can easily disrupt the balance of a game. Gamemasters should carefuly consider its use in their games and prohibit it if they choose. Gamemasters may also find the optional Availability rules (see p. 90 SR Companion) useful for controlling the use of bioware and cyberware in their games.
Players may purchase 2-point, 4-point and 6-point versions of State-of-the-Art Model. A 2-point SOTA-M provides a character with access to Availability 10 bioware and cyberware and implant technology. A 4-point Edge provides access to cultured bioware and beta-grade implant technology. A 6-point Edge provides access to similarized bioware and delta-grade cyberware of any Availability.
State-of-the-Art Model does not affect the standard costs of bioware and cyberware.
To prevent players from using this Edge to create virtually invincible characters, gamemasters may require any character who possesses State-of-the-Art Model to also have a Flaw such as Extra Enemy, Hung Out To Dry, or Cortex Bomb.

Isle Of Shadows