Sample file HOWLING SHADOWS CONTENTS & CREDITS

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE 6 Eagle 41 Elephant 41 NATURE IS A BITCH 10 Giraffe 41 INTRODUCTION 5 Snake 42 WILD SEAS 42 SOCIAL ANIMALS 10 Barracuda 42 Low-Down Dirty Rats 13 Dolphin 42 POLITICAL ANIMALS 14 Sea Lion 42 Amazonia 14 Squid 43 Naga Kingdom 15 Killer Whale 43 Yakut 16 URBAN 44 Killing Humans Instead of Animals 16 Domestic Cat 44 Toxic Relationship 17 Cockroach 45 THE RAT RACE 18 Crow 45 A Bountiful Harvest 19 Ferret 45 Savage Kingdom 20 Raccoon 46 The Wild Card 22 Rat 46 Spider 47 UNTAMED SECURITY 24 A DINGOBAT ATE MY BABY 48 TOOTH AND CLAW 24 Money 24 Dead Zones 25 PARANORMAL ANIMALS 52 Compensatory Measures 26 Abrams Lobster 52 Tactical Wildcards 27 Afanc 53 Street-Level Beastkeeping 28 Agropelter 53 Enhancement 28 Bandit 54 THE MOST LOYAL EMPLOYEE 29 Behemoth 54 SampleBlack Annis file 55 Egg Hunt 30 Blood Monkey 55 The Birds and the Bees 30 Centaur 55 The Kennel 31 Cerberus Hound 56 How To Train Your Hellhound 33 Deathrattle 57 The Needs 33 Deathspiral Butterfly 58 The Carrot 34 Demon Rat 58 The Stick 34 Devil Jack Diamond 59 PUTTING THEM TO SLEEP 35 Drop Bear 60 Beast Slaying 35 Fenrir Wolf 61 Who Is Using What? 36 Gargoyle 61 Ares Macrotechnology 36 Gomatia 62 Aztechnology 36 Harpy 62 NeoNET 36 Horned Bear 64 Saeder-Krupp 36 Juggernaut 65 Renraku Computer Systems 36 Martichoras 65 Evo 37 Meistersinger 66 Shiawase 37 Merrow 68 Mitsuhama Computer Technologies 37 Naga 68 Horizon 37 Nova Scorpion 69 Wuxing 37 Ozian Baboon 69 Phoenician Birds 70 Pegasus 70 MUNDANE CRITTERS 38 Peryton 71 WILD LANDS 39 Piasma 71 Alligator 39 Roc, Lesser 71 Bear 39 Shadowhound 72 Boar 39 Snow Snake 72 Chimpanzee 40 Spider Beast 73

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Thunderbird, Greater 73 EXTRA PLANAR TRAVELERS 114 Troglodyte 75 Unicorn 76 CROSSING OVER 115 Volleying Porcupines 76 Anarch 116 Wolverine, Greater 77 Arboreal 116 WHISPERS IN THE BLOOD 77 Blackjack 117 Boggle 117 WHAT ARE WE? 78 Bugul 118 The Science 78 Chindi 118 The Fire 78 Corpselight 119 The Fuel 79 Croki 120 The New Changes 80 Duende 121 THE BEASTS IN QUESTION 82 Elvar 121 Ejerian 122 Strain 1, Harz-Greenbaum Strain 82 Erinyes 122 Banshee 82 Green Man/Heart of the City 123 Dzoo-noo-qua 82 Imp 124 Goblin 82 Jarl 125 Vampire 82 Kappa 126 Wendigo 83 Kokopelli 127 Strain 1a, Bruckner-Langer Strain 83 Morbi 128 Mutaqua 83 Nocnitsa 129 Nosferatu 83 Phantom 130 Strain 2, Jarka-Criscione Strain 84 Preta 131 Bandersnatch 84 Stabber 132 Fomóraig 85 Tungak 133 Gnawer 85 VeR 134 Grendel 85 Vucub caquix 135 Harvester 85 Wild Hunt 136 Loup-Garou 86 Chalcis (Great Hunter) 136 Type 3, Krieger Strain 86 Hunter 137 GAME INFORMATION 86 Hound 137 Bandersnatch 87 Woog 137 Banshee 87 Dzoo-Noo-Qua 87 A RUN IN THE WOODS 138 Fomóraig 87 Gnawer 87 Goblin 88 TECHNOCRITTERS 142 Grendel 88 THE WILDS OF THE MATRIX 142 Harvester 88 Loup-garou 89 WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO 143 Mutaqua 90 THE ARRAY OF TECHNOCRITTERS 144 Nosferatu 91 Wendigo 91 Ahi 145 Bastet 145 Digit 146 MUTANT AND TOXIC CRITTERS Sample92 Flipperfile 147 Amphora Mite 92 Furfur 147 Angel Squirrel 93 Libertine 148 Blink Sloth 93 Mongrel 148 Conway’s Cheetah 94 Nezumi 148 Flatworm viper 95 Rook 148 Glow Rat 95 GAME INFORMATION 149 Hellcow 96 Iridescent Owl 97 Using Technocritters 149 Killdeer 97 Technocritter Submersion 149 Kokoro Cobra 98 Technocritters and Sprites 149 Montauk 99 Technocritter Powers 149 Neogargoyle 99 Pandamonium 100 PROTOSAPIENTS 150 Radhound 100 THE UNTAMED WILDERNESS 150 RazorCat 102 Sea Leech 102 BEASTS OF NOWHERE 152 Shardik 103 Cyberwerewolf 152 Spark Salmon 104 Daemon 153 SpiderMoose 105 Frobnitz 153 Souleater Leech 105 Grue 154 Void Wasp 106 Heavyweight 154 DARKENING OF THE NIGHT 107 SINtax 155 Chiron 110 Tentacle 155 Chupacabra 111 Yantra 156 Jabberwock 111 Protosapient Qualities 156 Lamia 112 Corrupter 156 Nibiinaabe 112 Easily Exploitable 156 Inherent Program 156

>> CONTENTS & CREDITS << 3 >> HOWLING SHADOWS <<

Munge 156 GAME INFORMATION 188 Real Word Naïveté 157 Adaptive Coloration 188 Redundancy 157 Agony 188 Snooper 157 Alienate 188 Protosapient Programs 157 Astral Venom 188 Cascade 157 Brachiation 188 Cat’s Paw 157 Control Focus 188 Fnord 157 Create Alchera 189 POKE 157 Darkness 189 Tantrum 157 Deathlock 190 Dive Attack 190 DRAKES 158 Empathy 190 Drakes in the Thrall of Dragons 160 Energy Aura 190 Have You Ever Gotten So Mad You Turned Into A Dragon? 161 Energy Drain 190 GAME INFORMATION 162 Entropic Aura 190 Extra Fragile 191 Creating Drake Characters 162 Fey Glamour 191 Eastern Drake 162 Flay Touch 191 Western Drake 162 Fragile 192 Feathered Drake 162 Gestalt Consciousness 192 Sea Drake 163 Ghost Chain 192 Drake Powers 163 Gills 192 Becoming a Drake 163 Haunt 192 Elemental Attack 164 Hidden Life 192 Dracoform Powers 164 Innate Ritual 193 Drake Optional Powers 164 Magic Sense 193 The Practicalities of Being a Drake 165 Magical Guard 193 Drakes Mid-Game 165 Manipulate Magic 193 Drake NPCs 165 Mind Link 193 Pestilence 193 BUILDING MAN’S BEST FRIEND 166 Pounce 193 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DR. MOREAU 166 Secretion/Substance Extrusion (anti-coagulant) 193 Secretion/Substance Extrusion (silk/webbing) 194 Chimeric Modifications 170 Shift (Dracoform) 194 Sample Chimerics 173 Spirit Pact 194 THE GENETIC KENNEL 174 Toughness 194 Warform Modification 176 Vanishing 194 IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST 177 Venom (Arcane Inhibitor) 194 Vestigial Wings 194 CRITTER AUGMENTATION 180 Wall Walking 194 CRITTER CYBERWARE 181 TECHNOCRITTER POWERS 194 Chameleon Pelt 181 AR-Parallelism 194 Computer-Assisted Sensory Translation 181 Blend 194 Orientation Goad 181 Cozenge 194 Stirrup Interface 182 E-Hive 195 Supplemental SampleGremlins file 195 Environment Interaction Expert System 182 Holographic Concealment 195 Tactical Recognition and Analytical Capability Expert System 182 Resonance Feed 195 Spraying 195 INTEGRATING CRITTERS INTO YOUR GAME 183 Traceroute 195 Training 183 Tunnel 195 Step 1: Choose a Critter 183 Venomous Code 195 Step 2: Determine Number of Tricks Critter Can Learn CRITTER POWER & WEAKNESS INDEX 196 and Set Threshold of Test 183 Step 3: Assert Your Dominance 184 Step 4: Choose a C0ue 184 CRITTER TABLES 198 Step 5: Training 184 Step 6: Using Tricks 184 Tricks 184 New Critter Powers 186 New Critter Weaknesses 186

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4 >> CONTENTS & CREDITS << >> HOWLING SHADOWS <<

HMHVV virus, and they’re unusual enough to earn their INTRODUCTION own sub-chapter here. Things get even nastier with the Mutant and Toxic In the Sixth World, people usually assume that the thing Critters, which is filled with beasts who might dissolve that goes bump in the night is a group of gangers dump- the ground they walk on with every step. Since some In- ing the body of their latest thrill kill. Denizens are gener- fected critters are extreme enough to fit into this catego- ally so worried about monsters in human form that they ry, you’ll find more of them here, too. don’t take much time to worry about actual monsters. That’s a mistake. Then there are the Extraplanar Travelers, a listing The same Awakening that turned humans into of critters that seems to grow more relevant with every dwarfs, elves, trolls, orks, and a large number of oth- passing day. From reports of extraplanar breaches all the er metatypes played a number on the animal kingdom way down in Antarctica to the meddling of the Seelie as well, altering and mutating animals in bizarre ways, Court in the affairs of Tír na nÓg and beyond, extraplanar and bequeathing some species with powers that make critters are exerting an increasing amount of influence on them incredibly dangerous, especially if their powers the material plane, meaning any runner would do well to can be put to use by the wrong hands. Which, in the know what they’re all about. Sixth World, is a high percentage of the hands in ex- Then we move on to make sure Matrix denizens don’t istence. get too comfortable as they wander the virtual world, These weapons are going to be used against shadow- since there are critters waiting for them, too. Technocrit- runners, so shadowrunners need to know what they are, ters talks about critters who, like technomancers, have where they might be found, and what to do about them. accessed the Resonance, and what they do with that abil- Simply put, they need this book. ity. Then there are Protosapients, critters that exist solely Here’s what it’s got: Howling Shadows begins with Na- within the Matrix and provide a taste of wildness inside ture Is a Bitch, providing an overview of the critters of the the carefully manicured digital world. Sixth World, why runners need to worry about them, and The last group of critters are Drakes, the tools/pets/ how they might be able to take advantage of the powers whatever of dragons who are bound to the service of the they possess. Untamed Security becomes a little more giant lizards, but in return get access to some pretty in- specific, detailing security uses for critters, including in- timidating powers. formation on how some specific corps employ them in Next, Building Man’s Best Friend allows meddlers their security arrangements. and tinkerers to think up their own abominations of na- From there, we dive into specific types of critters. While many animals have changed and mutated in the ture and set them loose on the streets. Game Informa- Sixth World, there are still plenty of normal animals; some tion has a list of all the new powers in this book, and a are listed in Shadowrun, Fifth Edition, and more can be table with all critter powers from Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. found here in the Mundane Critters chapter. Then we Finally, there are some reference tables to make it easy to start getting to the weird ones. ParanormalSample Animals talks find file particular critters. about a wide range of animals that have unusual or even That’s what’s inside! So move ahead, buckle up, and magical powers, doing things that runners might not ex- get ready for a wild ride with critters all too eager to chew pect and very possibly ruining their day. Some of these you up and spit you up. Just remember that, like your gun, critters gained their power through the Infection of the they work best when pointed at someone else.

HOWLING SHADOWS CREDITS Writing: Kevin Czarnecki, Patrick Goodman, Olivier Art: Bruno Balixa, Tyler Clark, Daniel Comerci, Victor Perez Gagnon, Jason M. Hardy, Alexander Kadar, Adam Large, Corbella, Igor Fiorentini, Michele Giorgi, Celeste Hansen, Kat Philip A. Lee, Chris Mastey, Aaron Pavao, Scott Schletz, Hardy, David Hovey, Jeff Laubenstein, David Lecossu, Alyssa Amy Veeres, CZ Wright Menold, Victor Manuel Leza Moreno, James Mosingo, Rick Otey, Kristen Plescow, Erich Schreiner, Andreas “AAS” Playtesting and Proofing: Chuck Burhanna, Bruce Ford, Schroth, Takashi Tan, Kim Van Deun and Iwo Widulinski. Mason Hart, Francis Jose, Robert Price, Jacki Unger, Rebecca Welch, Jeremy Weyand Iconography: Nigel Sade

Art Direction: Brent Evans Interior Layout: Matt “Ninja Lanternshark” Heerdt

Cover Art: Victor Manuel Leza Moreno Shadowrun Line Developer: Jason M. Hardy

Cover Layout: Matt “Ninja Lanternshark” Heerdt

>> INTRODUCTION << 5 NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

“What the frag is that?” Nightrow stabbed a black chrome finger at Nightrow shook his head and examined the flayed corpse of a blob in the center of the corpse. Keben Charger, the island’s owner, and a retired, once-famous an- I took a knee on the flagstone of the solarium and prodded the imal trainer. “What a drek way to go.” gel with a gloved hand. “They’re salamander eggs, I think. They “I’m surprised that fazes you.” Oss flashed her tusks in a grin. prefer moist locations for their nests, but this is a strangeSample choice. I’d “You file know they had to do at least that much to you to install your love to stay here a little and look into this.” I glanced at my team- ’ware. They cut you open, peeled back the layers, scooped out—” mates, who wore varying degrees of revulsion. “Or not, but this is Nightrow twitched, and a thin, black spur shot up out of his useful. Now we know he can’t have been dead long. I mean, for forearm, stopping centimeters from the underside of Oss’ chin. “I his chest cavity to still be moist, even after having been opened get it! Shut the frag up!” up so wide …” Oss’ grin froze in place on her mouth as it melted from her “Does the size of the eggs tell the size of the parent?” Ran- eyes. “Careful, pup. You wouldn’t want us to think you unstable, dom’s already weak voice cracked. would you?” “No. It could be a parabiological relative of a mundane genus, “Ladies and gentleman,” Face said, holding his palms out by his but my knowledge of parabiology is slim. I only know the fun ru- sides. “We have six hours to get that chip back to Mr. Johnson. If mors: owls that strike you terrified and blind, dogs that lead crit- we miss the meet, we don’t get paid. We need to go.” ter armies to fight evil, bats that turn you into stone, but nothing “What was that?” The words shot out of Nightrow as quickly as about paranormal salamanders. Mundane animals are fascinating his spur had. He retracted the spur and grabbed his gun. Oss drew enough.” her rifle and stood beside him. They aimed into the jungle beyond “Reed, sweetheart? It doesn’t matter.” Face smiled at me. the doorway in the northern wall. “We’ve got what we came for, and we need to go.” The south side of the solarium overlooked the cliff on which I eyeballed him. Sweetheart? Although he was a condescend- the manor house was built. Through the massive hole in the wall ing ass, Goddess he was beautiful. I’m embarrassed to admit he behind Face, I could see the sky behind the trees. I watched light- intrigued me. I’d caught him watching me during the boat ride, and ning snake through the clouds, casting the canopy of palms into now there was this “sweetheart,” so maybe the feeling was mutual. silhouette over mottled black and blue sky. It would be so easy for He didn’t have to be partner material for us to have fun back home. something to hide out there. We would never notice a thing until it

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