Story changes.

[Guest guest]

This is in regards to my Shadowrun stories. These changes are being made because of certain long term plans I have for the characters.

The first of these changes is the addition of another character. This character is a combat decker, a character type straight from the rulebook, though somewhat modified. He is being added because of numbers. The team currently has 5 members: 3 active and 2 support. One of those support people might go in sometimes, but would be limited for reasons I will discuss shortly. As a combat decker, the new character's skills will be better balanced between the computer world and the real world with good abilities in both. So, that character will make a fourth active member who can go in on assaults and such.

Aerie was the decker. Originally she was to be a mage and now she is going back to that role. She never really fit as a decker into my conception of the stories. A decker is a tech heavy kind of person who might get a number of cyber implants over their lifetime. Since elves can probably live for hundreds of years, I have never thought elves would be that much for implants which reduces their essence. In the game many do of course go heavy on the cyber, but that doesn't fit my line of thought. Because of this, Aerie would have been slow in the close combat one might encounter in a Shadowrun or in urban combat. The most practical way around that was cyberware. So, we are back to square one. Deckers are often needed inside buildings where they can bypass security and also access computer systems from the relatively lower security within the building. Therefore, speed of action and other skills were important.

This is why Aerie is a mage again. In this form, she gives the team more magic and flexibility. As a mage, instead of being a shaman like Easy, she comes from a different magical tradition which gives a different point of view and magical talents. This will also enhance her continuing role as team negotiator. While Easy focusses on detection and combat spells, Aerie can focus on illusion and manipulation spells. Both will share healing spells. She will have a little less emphasis on conjuring, except for defense, and more on social skills.

Another reason for the change has to do with long term plotting. There is potential for a relationship to develop between Aerie and Easy. Her being a decker was not an issue really, unless she eventually got implants (the cybernetic kind, not the silicon type). Since mages can see the aura, that would amount to a stain on her very essence, which would most likely be rather unappealing. Making her a mage again solves that problem since mages avoid implants anyway since they reduce a their ability to work magic. The two of them could also tailor their skills to compliment each other quite well and they could even reitre together both working as enchanters and merchants.

It will be a time before I rework the existing stories to take all this into account. The newer one I am working on is in the early stages and can easily be corrected. I'll try to have this story, which will be the first chronological mission for the team, most of it anyway.