SR Worldbuilding: Original Gangs

So I'd like to, for fun, present a few gangs I use in my sorta 'world'-which is basically when I run at the table/write fanwork, but add and swap a couple of things. We run SR2/SR3 mixes, and use the 2050s-2060s timeline, and the ruleset of 3e, but these should be fairly slottable into a newer game if folks want to(you can keep the gangs as is and just drop them in as none of their backgrounds require them to actually have been around in that time, it's just where we run.)

I generally use the 'game world', but I do add some businesses, bars, restaurants, corps, NPCs, and gangs of course(which is part of the fun part of world building.)

In an attempt to make some 'different' sorts of gangs, I'm showing off three right now; they're actually a bit less 'street scum' type of gangs and hell if a lot of them are actually fairly educated and come from an interesting mix of backgrounds. A few of them escaped corps or possibly becoming indentured to a corp, others come from other walks of life.

Nocturnal Sin is a 'vigilante' type of gang who are loosely based on the theme of the 9 circles of hell, the Aesculpians are a 'medic gang', and the Technodrones are a gang of drone riggers. (Yeah, they run the gamut of 'edgy gang' sounding names, utilitarian names, and slightly silly names.)

Nocturnal Sin are a Superior gang, while the Aesculpians and the Technodrones are Equal. All of them have higher resources than normal(again, they're a little non-traditional, even if they have initiation rites, gang colors, turf and everything.) Nocturnal's writeup is the longest, due to the amount of lieutenants(since it covers the wide range of 'circles of hell sins.')

So feel free to enjoy(they are probably not to everyone's cup of tea since they don't ascribe to typical gang stuff and I know some people prefer their gangs to be more 'street' types), but just wanted to share some stuff with folks!

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Nocturnal Sin

Gang Focus: A unique sort of vigilante gang, all of the lieutenants(and members, for that matter) are stained by some sort of wrong that they did, hence their entire theme being around the circles of Hell. Even though they do live a more 'rough' lifestyle nowadays, roughly half of the lieutenants had come from better means at one point. They realize what they do is dangerous, even deadly, but atonement comes with a price.

Their nicknames, or some aspect about them are often tied to their 'sin/layer' with a couple of exceptions; often taking a nickname of a demon or entity that is tied to said sins.

Leader:

Judas: A very handsome Troll in his late twenties who looks more like a nine-foot Jackie Estacado(picture reference here for those who don’t know/) with polished, even and curved horns, long, straight black hair and small tusks(besides natural looks he had work done in his previous time to better fit in with his previous job) who was actually a very respected and powerful enforcer in an organized crime family. Being the leader, his sin is, indeed, Treachery. Essentially being lured away by a rival family to betray his original one, being promised about anything he wanted. In any case, his betrayal resulted in the wiping out of the family; he carried this with him until he decided to try to 'atone' by destroying the family who he allowed to turn him. Besides still being hunted from time to time and carrying great personal guilt, he founded the gang after a time of simply going around and bashing heads in, waiting for a fight too much for him to take on.

As he met more of the future lieutenants-Eris, Adramelek, Charon and Beelzebub, they eventually worked together.

Judas is a moderately cybered 'samurai' like archetype-incredibly dangerous in combat- though he's probably the most balanced skill wise, being the leader, definitely charismatic and with skillfull leadership(and an imposing presence that keeps everyone in line.) He dresses fairly low key, wearing jeans that are loose enough to move in combat, heavy boots, tank tops that show his ink off and a heavy leather longcoat; a gang-colored bandanna is usually tied around his arm. His pale gray cybereyes seem to stare through people, and he cuts an incredibly dangerous figure.

He's usually armed with a Browning Max-Power and Ingram Smartgun for firearms and likes fighting unarmed(he has ceramic bone lacing, reflex boosters, muscle augmentation/toner and other bits), though he does have a customized and sleek combat axe he wears on his back, mostly used for chopping into vehicles since it is covered in Dikote. While he’s larger than average even for a troll, he’s more normally proportioned and moves a lot faster than one might think. He gets around on a customized Honda Viking. He often has a set of exercise balls in his hand which he enjoys moving about.

(I think it's pretty apparent where his street name came from.)

Lieutenants: 7

Eris: a human woman whose sin was Fraud/Deception. A Mystic Adept/Face, around 26, she was a rich corporate type who had no problems using her abilities to get ahead for money, prestige, and power. It came to a point one day when she ended up jealous of another woman's life, and used her social skills and magic to literally pretend to be this other woman until she was discovered, causing all sorts of havoc within the family, including the death of one of the members(not by her hand), virtually estranging them all the rest of the way.

Feeling remorse after she saw what she had wrought, she too decided to attempt to atone, and ended up meeting Judas by chance; he actually had fair social graces but the 'face and muscle' team quickly became good friends(some mistake them for a couple, but Judas prefers the company of men.) She now acts as the main 'dealer' of the gang, attempting to use her ability to blend in and deceive others more for the benefit of everyone(and to relieve such more malicious types of various possessions and cred, or to find out where something really bad is about to go down.) She also acts partially as the gang's fixer and fence(being the best at negotiating), and since she has spent time in both the street and corporate worlds.

She has taken great pains to hide her old identity and life, as she has a rather heavy amount of enemies from her past. Eris has a fairly 'street-chic' style nowadays; medium length blonde hair, green eyes, and sort of 'punk rock' style of makeup, and liking skirts, sneakers, tight tank tops and topped with an armor jacket for protection, though she can and will adjust clothing as her face job finds her necessary. As a Magician's Way adept(note: 3e rules), she has more points devoted to Magic than adept powers, and is initiated once(her adept powers are the face oriented ones, and her spells more Illusion and Manipulation based.)

Eris does not generally go 'on the field', but does have access to a couple of combat spells if need be, and a Browning Ultra-Power is her choice of sidearm. She has a penchant for higher-priced alcohol, even nowadays, and enjoys reading actual, paper books when she can get them(they’re much better than the virtual kind, in her opinion.)

(Eris was the Greek goddess of deception, strife, and discord.)

Adramelek: A seven-foot tall muscular elf around 27 years old, and despite some scars scattered around he is possibly one of the finest looking specimens of elf one can find. Even good-looking elf faces would offer to go under the knife to look half as good as him. His long, blood red hair and stark white skin gives him the appearance of a villain from an old manga or something, but his black-and-red cybereyes sort of show what lies inside; Violence, Anger, and Wrath. An ex-merc, his extremely violent tendencies-caused somewhat by cheap cyber poorly installed(his first unit tended to pawn off the crappy stuff on metas until they were found out and disbanded, Melek moved to a new unit; the bad wires replaced with better boosters but the damage was done) and partially just from him having anger issues-made him a target for constant reprisal; after deciding to mess about with drugs to allow him to last longer in combat after his team were pinned down without sleep for three days, he went on a drug-and sleep deprivation induced killing rampage in Chicago. He not only wiped out his unit, but actual bystanders as well. He was shot and left for dead by an unknown gunman.

Deciding to atone by channeling his violence toward actual evil, Melek is the other of the gang's major muscle; rumor has it he can go 50/50 arm-wrestling Judas. (A notable 'signature' are his heavy, super-weighted combat boots which he runs in like nothing; they also have inch-long, jagged and barbed Dikote-treated titanium spikes on the soles which cause immense, gory damage to his targets(Str+3M, Str+2L vs. hardened); someone was quoted to have said it looked like victims were 'mauled by a Piasma.'

He generally wears armored cargos tucked into them and form-fitting armor under those; he often goes shirtless if the weather permits, his dermal sheath(stark white, matching his skin tone and looking quite natural mostly save for a few silver streaks running through), long glove-guards and his bone lacing providing most of his upper body armor. He has an armored leather jacket if weather requires it or extra armor is needed.

Melek usually packs an Ares Predator and Franchi-Spas 22 for ranged(he does have skills with heavier ordinance if needed), but prefers unarmed. Besides the 'gang killing machine' who goes after some of the worst of the worst(serial killers, rapists, human traffickers and the like), he also is one of their main intimidators, and handles the ‘nastier’ interrogation. His bandanna is often tied around his lower face in battle or else worn on his upper arm. In his spare time, he can make astoundingly skillful pencil artwork with incredible levels of detail, which he enjoys to do to try to focus himself.

(Adramelek was a commander of hell, of infernal legions. He was the leader of his merc unit. In terms of the layers of hell, Violence and Anger were separated, but Anger is so all-encompassing he and other sort of double-dip into it.)

Charon: The Heretic. An interesting case as being a heretic in modern Shadowrun is more of a mental thing, but he's a fairly young ork(at 22, he's the second youngest member of the gang), who was raised by an extraordinarily religious family of the fire-and-brimstone type in Aztlan. Eventually breaking under the stress of his reclusive home life, he burned the church he went to, unfortunately killing one of the priests inside. Not being completely dim, he hightailed it out and eventually made it to Seattle. Afraid to die due to being told that he would burn and suffer forever in Hellfire for his entire life, he eventually found solace in vehicles, realizing as he disappeared into them he would forget his old life, quickly enjoying becoming 'one with the machine.' Spending more and more time here, he eventually started to use his ability to earn nuyen to live with; he eventually came to meet up with the rest of the lieutenants, and discovering what they did, he certainly became interested in it.

Charon had long renounced his religion and no longer fears death, though still feels deep down he has to atone(and he hates fire, small ones are generally alright but infernos tend to send him into heavy discomfort; count as a Mild phobia in game. He's not crippled by it but he is clearly left distracted.) He is the gang's vehicle expert and rigger. Charon is of average height for an ork(putting him around 6'4'' or so), has scruffy bright pink hair, swarthy skin, a slightly lean build for an ork(though he's not skinny), chromed cybereyes and tends toward a more 'punkish' style of dress these days(mostly him trying to get away from his old, forcibly strict styles); jeans or cargos, loose sleeveless shirts, and fingerless leather gloves-one of his favorite items being a battered but nicely customized armored urban camoflague jacket(all of his armor has a ton of fire resistance built in.) His colors are usually shown on his jacket in colored tape.

Charon has a simple shotgun for self-defense along with a knife but if he fights he fights in a vehicle or with a couple of drones(he's a ganger,he doesn't have an army but his van does have a hidden machine gun and a drone an SMG.) His 'baby' when it comes to drones is his heavily modified Steel Lynx, which he did manage to get ahold of during a knockover of a garage one day. His chosen targets are generally cult-like things that suck in the less fortunate and frighten them into staying. (The Universal Brotherhood-remember the time period-is high on his list, though he doesn’t know the real story behind them, should you play in the early 2050s.) He’s a fairly even-tempered lad who enjoys some beers and TV in seedy bars in his downtime, often keeping to himself, though fiercely protective of the gang.

(Charon's name is a little less tied to his sins and more tied to his duty; Charon is the ferryman of Hell, and he's the gang rigger, utilizing vehicles.)

Lilin: While her nickname is not as tied in compared to the rest, the gang decker's major sin was Greed. Raised rich, without a care in the world and funneled off to an excellent school to hone her decker abilities until she was further funneled off to a corp, she used anything and everything to get ahead and kept piling her cred up, up, and up. Living a previous life of luxury with about anything at her beck and call, she started to covet others' wealth as well; using her decking skills she would rip rivals' investments to shreds, driving them into financial ruin; she was rumored to cause at least one person to commit suicide after causing them to lose it all.

Of course, like all good while collar criminals, she eventually flew too close to the proverbial sun and went after the wrong people; people with ties to a corp with at least two A's after their name, and possibly three. After nearly dying in an explosion(she came home just a bit too late, thankfully the tube was held up somehow, to this day she counts it as a blessing she didn't deserve), she quickly lost everything; she found her own resources being demolished by an unknown assailant. Not being completely dim, she crawled underground with the little she had left and rebuilt her life the best she could from there; she then decided to atone by going after white collar criminals and extortionists, doing what she does best, and that's shred their resources and get them in all sorts of trouble with her 'baby', Mammon(her deck.)

She carries a Browning max-power and long stun baton for self defense but is generally found at gang HQ handling things in the Matrix. Her heavily customized Renraku Kraftwerk 8, however, is equipped with some nastiness, up to and including Black Hammer utilities(which can fatally attack deckers.) Lilin tried to get away from her previous highly expensive Tres Chic style of clothing(somewhat by necessity); she now chooses to dress more low-key in jeans and t-shirts, with a leather jacket for armor(these are common in the gang.) She did keep an old favorite item of hers, a silver bracelet-one of the last ties to her old life besides her deck(and something she has to remind herself where she came from and how she might not want to go back.) She wears her dark brown hair fairly long, though utilitarian, and has bright blue eyes. She had even picked up her first tattoo(on her forearm, a more tribal design.) Lilin has a penchant for old retro games(from way, way back in the 1990s even!) and will go through lengths to secure copies of them.

(Mammon is such a classic demon of greed, but I didn't want to give up this idea and had an idea for the female decker. So I decided that she named her deck Mammon. Also has a little tie-in to the Chrono Trigger 'Mammon Machine' idea as well, heh. I may have also been thinking about how Zeal fell...)

Beelzebub: Bel(as he's mostly called)is a dwarf-the oldest lieutenant at the ripe old age of thirty one-and his sin is Gluttony. He is a Gator shaman, and pretty much lives up to Gator's archetype, being lazy, loving to go for jobs with big payoffs that let him sit around and do essentially nothing for a long time. He has a taste for Bucket-burgers as well(they're easy to carry.)

It was this lifestyle that got him in trouble in the first place in his teens. Gluttony need not only be food, however, as he was a glutton for something else-gambling, and heavy gambling at that. He spent most of his time gambling away nuyen, stuffing his face with a bit too much McHughs and generally wearing on his older brother's resources, whom he lived with since they had no other family around. Eventually he lost their apartment, forcing them into more of a squat; at that point, his brother left him behind unable to take care of him. However, his brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time and killed by yet another repo man(one of the underbelly types), in a case of mistaken identity.

Having no hate for his brother even if they fought a lot, and guilty that his habits lead to their downfall and his death, he found out through the grapevine who did this, but not particularly being in much of a way of dealing with open combat himself, ended up wounded severely as well. Gator came to him, essentially saving the now-eighteen year old's life and allowed him to throw off a spell powerful enough to take out the attacker. He then devoted to attempting to come around, though he does, again, still take after his totem quite a lot(he tries to keep the gambling to a minimum nowadays, though he still slips up.) His targets are mostly the types like the man who murdered his brother, loan sharks, and so on-and in his own grumpy and gruff way he tries to get people out of the circle of losing everything they own. He tends to resent being considered a ‘father figure’ of the gang, usually fragging off to go drink a cheap synthahol after a job, though he does care for the members in his own way.

Bel resembles a 30-something redneck dwarf, with a scruffy beard, brown shaggy hair, weathered and ruddy skin, preferring jeans, work boots and flannel shirts as his style of dress, his bandanna around his neck. He's still a little chubby, though a harder life tends toward enough activity to counteract his indulgence in Bucket-Burgers. His mastery of offensive magic and command of city spirits(he actually has an affinity for them) quickly put paid to anyone who mocks him. Like Gator, he can have a temper on him(In a way, he could probably occasionally count as Anger, as well.) He is often seen with cigars and enjoys putting together retro models of various things(be it cars, old buildings, or whatnot.)

Bel fights with a Remington Roomsweeper sometimes but prefers his punishing combat spells or summoning spirits to wreak havoc; he generally doesn't get up front. If he has to, he has a jagged hunting knife. He has a few 'buffs' to throw around on others too.

(Under some writings, Beelzebub can be considered a demon of gluttony-not only the Lord of the Flies.)

Asmodeus: As his nickname says, this human has Lust is his major sin. The third youngest at twenty-three, this razorboy spent a lot of his early years throwing people-man, woman, human, or metahuman-aside after quick thrills. Drugs, drinking, it didn't matter; dropping out of high school early and taking on the life of a razorboy, his life also mixed in violence in between the usual antics. Paying for services was not below him, and while he personally never spiked a person's drink, he never spoke up if he saw it. There were lines that Asmo would not cross himself, but he certainly couldn't be considered a decent member of society, and had he disappeared at that time, he'd have gone un-noticed. He didn't have much of a family, his parents having been chipheads.

Eventually, he slept with the wrong person; the sibling of a second-tier gang leader; this got the leader fragged at Asmo and he went after him(since he ditched said acquisition aside as he usually would.) After a horrid fight where the leader's torso was scarred to bits and Asmo's arm was damaged to the point of needing a replacement, the rival lost the gang since he could not prove his superiority. After Asmo was hunted for a long time due to this-until he bailed from CalFree and went to Seattle he decided to take it easier since he realized his wham bam lifestyle tended to leave behind some vitriol.

Asmo looks and dresses much like a glam-rocker(frizzy hair, even some makeup, torn shirts, distressed jeans, boots, synthleather jackets, a gang color bandanna tied commonly around his upper thigh) with street-oriented combat 'ware and a glimmering cyberarm, and does still prowl the clubs from time to time, but now he chooses to turn his more razorboy oriented skills toward sexual predators to remove them from the streets, mostly since he felt particularly guilty about times he could have stopped things potentially but did not. He stands around six feet-not short but not standing out-and has a lean, but hard build. He’s actually fairly good at shredding on a guitar when he sits down to it, and has considered trying to get back with a band at some point, though he fears he might go into his old ways again around groupies.

Asmo has his razors, spurs, and an SMG, also equipped with rather strong reflexes and reflex enhancers, topped with a bit of muscle augmentation and toner in his meatbod. He is not as extensively cybered as Melek or Judas though is easily the fastest of the bunch.

(Asmodeus is traditionally a demon of lust.)

Astarte: The youngest of the group at just turning 19, this human lady of average height and slim build looks like a stereotypical high school goth in many ways; pale, makeup, black clothing, stockings, leather jacket; she has red, midnight blue and gray paint on her jacket in places typically for gang colors. She's also a mage, though still trying to completely understand her powers(she's Hermetic), and has decided to focus them toward more healing and defensive abilities. She also has an interest in the astral.

Being symbolic of Limbo, she's the lightest of them all when it comes to sins, though her big sin was actually apathy(which fits the grey wastes of limbo). Unhealthy amounts of it where she literally did not care about what went on around her, from random robberies, whatever-she just didn't seem to care as it didn't affect her, up to and including the time she saw a hint of smoke coming from a classroom that she just shrugged and thought was a science experiment flaring up, so she shrugged, didn't bother finding anyone, hit no alarms and walked out.

This caused an explosion(it was a bad reaction of chemicals) that killed a student and disfigured a teacher(he managed to get corrective surgery but it cost him about everything to do it.) Feeling guilty, she skipped from her home having recently awakened(raised by an aunt who was more 'adult' than 'family' so she was mostly alone), wanting to perhaps try to find camaraderie somewhere, which she did with the gang when she finally decided to help out with her magic.

Funny enough Astarte and Melek became an official item-jokes are muttered that she apparently is apathetic enough to not care or see what he does to enemies. Truth be told it started when she began to visit him after she had started noticing things around her, and she noticed he did not sleep well. She began to use her 'Dream' spell while he slept so he would not be haunted of nightmares caused by his previous 'ware damage and it went from there one day when he caught her when he woke up.

Astarte is armed with a Remington shotgun and monowhip, also utilizing Mana/Stun bolts, though generally her spells are specialized in support; if pressed for heavy ordinance she has a force 6 Earth elemental she calls Chronos that she sends to wreak havoc.

(Astarte is the queen of the spirits of the dead. She liked how it sounded.)

Gang Rating: Superior

Head Count: Aprox. 35-40 members.

Initiation Rituals: Prospective members have to first confess their 'sin' to an appropriate member(one particularly who shares said 'sin'. Said 'sin' does need to correspond with one of the nine levels of the hells; generally speaking that's a large amount. Then the gang tests them by having them defeat(somehow, it doesn't have to be physically; a greedy person can for example rob someone blind), another criminal who is currently involved in said nefarious business(after tracking them down on their own, of course). They must find someone within one month of the 'confession'. There must be at least two witnesses to this to prove it was done. Afterward, they are sworn in through blood(generally using one of Melek's Cougar Fineblades)-seen as a sort of penance-and put under one of the corresponding lieutenants.

Note that the 'sin' has to be actually there. For example, going after a 'runner who they heard had to gun down some corpsec in a botched escape doesn't count as a 'Violence' sin; they had to defend themselves. A fellow vigilante who robs greedy people wouldn't count, either. Someone who viciously goes after and beats to death any an every worker at a corp-from secretaries to janitors walking home-would count, since these people most of the time are simply trying to earn a living, not having anything to do with any of the bad stuff. (Gms-if you want to use the gang and have PCs interesting in joining, use judgment here.)

Funny enough, the gang is not actually religious as a whole, though some individual members may be in their ways.

Uniforms: The gang's colors are red, midnight blue, and gray, with gray being a theme(being neither good nor evil). They wear it somewhere on their bodies. Bandannas are common, tied wherever a member wishes. So long as the colors are represented somehow(colored tape, tattoos, bandanas, whatever), it's of no consequence how its worn; most gang members have a variety of styles because they come from a variety of walks of life, though for a 'general appearance' leather jackets and jeans are common.

Symbol: A crudely drawn 'gate' like symbol-an arch and two pillars connected at the top-symbolizing the gateway to the hells.

Territory: Tacoma and Downtown are their preferred grounds.

Operations: Mostly earn nuyen by fencing loot that they collect from the criminals they take down; sometimes selling weapons, chopping vehicles, or whatnot. They aren't so philanthropic that they try to get said stuff back to its original owners(they aren't THAT resourceful to track them down), so they do the next best thing. They also sell their individual skills when needed(their lieutenants can get fairly lucrative work, being actual real shadowrunners than street scum, though given the trouble they've run into, they choose to lay low.) They tend to leave civilians alone on their turf; they're the vigilantes going after the people who target civvies, after all.

Foes: Given the more educated background of some of them, they tend to run into issues with more 'Street Bred' gangs who think they're privileged drekheads(and some of the Trog underground take offense to Judas' cosmetic surgery, even though he was handsome to begin with.) Being vigilantes naturally puts them in contention with authorities, especially because they seem to be better at dealing with crimes in rougher zones than they are.

Uniqueness: While vigilante justice in the Sixth World is by no means rare(given corp cops often have their own ends), a gang devoted to it-particularly one of 'atoners' like this one-is probably a rarity. Their theme is uncommon, and their modus operandi is likewise something you won't see. The eclectic mix of people-looking to maybe not necessarily clear their consciences but to try to make up for what they have done, and sometimes maybe indulge their darker sides, depending on what 'sins' they are tied to.

Some of the rank-and-file are types who feel they have nothing left to lose until they 'atone', which can make them very dangerous in a battle. The lieutenants in particular are still very flawed individuals; while Judas would never betray his gang like he did the others, he is still willing enough to go out and be judge, jury, and executioner. Likewise, driving people into financial ruin even if they are bad guys isn't the best way of going about things. Melek is violent enough he gives several other members pause, having been left a bit damaged and never 'repaired' fully. Yet, they do quite a service to the people around.

Despite a few of them coming indeed from better means(and even college educations in some part), the gang maintains a typical more Low lifestyle(their hideout-rumored to be in a converted underground place in Tacoma-is actually skirting Medium.)

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Aesculapians

Gang Focus: Sort of like the Red Hot Nukes, this gang considers themselves more along the lines of a 'Neighborhood Association' type(in fact, they get along fairly well with the Nukes, given they actually share a goal somewhat of 'protecting their neighborhood' in Redmond, even if they sometimes see the Nukes' methods as extreme-they do accept sometimes this has to happen.)They sort of act as a 'poor man's Docwagon' in a sense.

They will fight to defend people and their territory, but generally prefer stun spells(if magically active), gel rounds, concussion grenades and stun batons, or even drugs in syringes that cause no lasting damage(just knocking people out.) If they must use live ammo or a real spell it is in dire straits only, to protect another life.

Leader:

Doc Brown, an unseemly choice for a gang leader, being a 38-year old human. He did indeed get his nickname from the various old flatvid moves he enjoys watching on his spare time. Charismatic and even tempered, Doc Brown was actually a military medic in his younger years. Having worked on the field until he was thirty, he saw a lot of bad out there, but also saw how he could do a lot of good. After being discharged honorably after being injured on the field(his knee still acts up on rainy, cold days though it is dealt with easily enough), he joined Docwagon...only to become quickly disenfranchised with how they turned medicine into a business.

Eventually getting disgusted when he witnessed them leave a ganger to die one day because they were afraid to go in(being an ex combat medic, he looked upon this as cowardice as they did tend to have heavily armed guards with them), he quit, walking out of his life after funneling some funds and just a bit of gear over to Redmond to potentially set up a shadow clinic. After meeting up with his other three lieutenants, the group decided to do one better and actually became a gang, feeling an almost sort of camaraderie that they hadn't before in their other jobs, and they were better able to relate to other Redmond folk in that state. Over time, the gang grew in size, and they now boast a respectable number of varied specialists in different areas.

Doc Brown is of average height, with messy brown hair(he's starting to get a few gray streaks already, though he has lived a fairly stressful life), and a very 'typical' appearance(think 'Blandness' edge.) He has an average, though healthy build(his previous shape from being in the military has worn off somewhat.) He is actually skilled in some weaponry out of his old necessity, but prefers an Ares Predator with gel rounds, concussion grenades(he has an Armtech-6 which he takes into hostile territory), and is decent with his long stun baton, though he's only above average in terms of physical ability. (He has a mix of 'ware from his military, though most of this is mental stuff.) He generally wears jeans, work boots and a t-shirt with an old urban camouflage type of jacket with it(armored, and well protected.) His only visible cyberware is a datajack and chipjack; his cybereyes are picked to resemble his originals(hazel.)

Lieutenants: 3

Joey C: a young mage of around 26, he came from a middle-class family whose corporate sponsored teachers, immediately upon finding out he was magically active, assembled a new set of courses for him and found himself on the academic fast-track. Being a fairly low-key and even somewhat shy fellow, he actually found himself enjoying his newfound confidence in this(given he was not much of an athlete or interested in much else except for reading and video games in his youth.)

He quickly realized-upon reaching his fourth year of medical college(being trained to be a magical cybersurgeon, who are greatly appreciated), that his 'free education' came with strings of servitude to a corporation for an unknown time. Deciding he did not want this life, having seen how a couple of his friends became rather soulless in the process, over the next two years managed to arrange himself to bail out, scrubbing some of his records, and taking refuge in the underground. He met up with Doc Brown by chance while looking for work he could do on the down-low, and being a mage with access to healing spells AND cybernetic knowledge, almost immediately found himself set up in Brown's clinic. (He's the closest thing to a cyberdoc they have, though Brown does have his share of cyber knowledge as well.

Joey is an African-American about five foot nine, slightly chubby, with hair cropped short, light brown eyes, and has taken to wearing a lab coat as his 'signature', as he sort of likes how it kinda-sorta resembles 'mage robes' given his magical ties. He otherwise dresses casually in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt or t-shirt, not particularly standing out. His old class ring is actually a power focus. He carries a staff with him, which can be used to subdue opponents(mostly he thinks it looks cool.) He's also a bit of a comedian.

Andi: A human woman from the UCAS of unknown decent, she was 23 when she was wrongfully accused at her university for stealing drugs from the lab(she was specialized in pharmaceuticals.) Having been heading on the fast-track to being a worker in a corp which she does not mention, she was quickly estranged by her family, as they did not believe her when she told them. Being cut off from the family resources, she decided to try to find medical work in the underground via shadow clinics. About 25 now, she met up with Doc Brown when he was working with his clinic; the two quickly became friends over a soykaf and he needed someone that was skilled in the things she knew.

Andi stands around 5'5'', has strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes; she has a datajack and some other headware installed, as well as a chemical analyzer which helps her in her work. Her choice of clothing tends toward blue jeans and a scrub shirt(which she says she got used to in college and is 'fragging comfortable.') She keeps her hair pulled back in a utilitarian ponytail most of the time and chooses an ordinary armored jacket while outdoors with her Ares Squirt concealed inside. She has a large military rucksack which she often has on her back which has a various supply of necessary items, and has a car which she does drive around from time to time(the headquarters has a garage in it.)

Overseeing much of the gang's drug/pharmaceutical activity, she is usually back at the hideout doing various things with them. If pressed in combat, her choice of weapon is an Ares Squirt with some sort of painless subdual concoction inside of it. Andi loves the game Go and is often seen playing a round with people at a cafe or something(as well as with the other two lieutenants, who likewise enjoy games of skill. In fact, one of the things often kept in her 'doctor's bag' is a small Go set.)

Keiji:a Japanese-American troll, he's the youngest lieutenant at 24. The physically toughest of the bunch(even moreso than Doc Brown who hasn't been on the lines in awhile), he is no less skilled in terms of his medical skills; his specialty is general emergency care, quickly setting limbs and using his strength to get people gently to the headquarters if necessary. He has a van which he is skilled at driving(though he is not a Rigger, and he is not the only 'emergency driver' they have.) He has some light 'ware. He also has quite a bit of knowledge of the inner workings of people, and will oversee the organlegging on the odd unfortunate time they cannot save someone nor find any of their contacts(there is no use to wasting potentially life-saving organs.)

Keiji came from a human family; being fairly traditional Japanese and associated with Mitsuhama(a very traditional company), they did not take too kindly when their son goblinized around his fifteenth birthday. Still holding family fairly important, they decided to go ahead and send him through school, though did not particularly care to see him too much after that. Realizing there was not much he could do with no backing and with little money having to pay off his debt himself, he took to the underground in an attempt to find work he could cope with. He met with Joey and Andi while they were actually playing Go and had some interest, and it didn't take them too long to find out his skills.

Keiji is actually rather handsome(influenced by this artwork from SR: Hong Kong actually), with long, black hair pulled back in a loose tail, pale green cybereyes, and groomed horns and tusks. He likes wearing fairly casual and 'street-tough' clothing-tank tops, an armored leather jacket, cargos and boots, and does not look like the type able to deftly put someone back together, but he is. He's around eight feet tall(putting him above average troll height, though not as big as some) and of medium build. If he has to fight he relies on a shotgun with stun rounds and is actually fairly skilled at judo(which he uses to disarm and subdue opponents without killing them.) He's also artistic, and has skill at tattooing(a side interest of his.)

Gang Rating: Equal

Head Count: Aprox. 15-20 members.

Initiation Rituals: Prospective members must find and stabilize a character with Deadly damage. Once they are safe, they take the person back to an offshoot of the gang's HQ(one of their crude clinics that they set up), and the member must nurse the person back to the point where they are able to leave on their own(a Medium wound or less, preferably Light.) At this point they are sworn in, though they do not use the Hippocratic Oath(as sometimes they DO need to throw down with weapons.)

To become a lieutenant, a member must successfully resuscitate and heal a patient. They of course must not WAIT until a patient gets to that point(sadly in Redmond, it's usually not difficult to find someone at this point).(Mages have an easier time here. Yes, this means mages with access to things like the Stabilize spell have an easier time getting into and advancing the gang, but they group is all too eager to take on healing mages.)

Uniforms: They actually dress casually(which on the streets means jeans, t-shirts and the like), but always have some sort of medical item on their person. A lab coat, a scrub shirt, a doctor's bag, a hospital band, anything of that nature. Their colors are white and pale green(the 'typical' colors of scrubs), and use everything from bandanas to colored tape to show off the colors somewhere. They tend to be armed with non-lethal weaponry(concussion and smoke grenades are actually common, with Doc Brown still having some military contacts, as are stun/gel rounds, stun batons, clubs and the like.)

Symbol: A crude, simplistic Rod of Aesculapius, easy to draw via spraypaint or something of that nature quickly.

Territory: The Aesculapians claim Redmond generally as their turf(with a couple of exceptions.) They are not particularly territorial, though, given the nature of their operations.

Operations: They aren't lawful good, and given they don't charge for their 'emergency services', they do make money selling pharmaceuticals on the side(they actually feel they do a favor by supplying some of the denizens with 'clean' drugs instead of filthy needles and badly-cut, potentially deadly ones), and they'll unload stolen medical equipment for a price to varied street docs and the like as well. Given many members have had ties to various medical facilities and colleges, and some contacts therein, they sort of still have some access to things here and there. (They have limits; they will not, for example, hold up a Docwagon cart that is handling an emergency.) Sometimes they lose people, given they have crude headquarters and the like this is unfortunate(or they get there too late), selling old cyberware to street docs(after cleaning and sterilizing it) is also done, or keeping it for later installation if it is a limb or something of that nature. Their side-business is lucrative enough(along with the occasional knocking-over of Docwagon/CrashCart) that it keeps them with the necessary cred. (While they do not like to do this, if people are lost and their kin cannot be contacted, they will take part in organlegging, though they will only sell organs to other street docs.)

Foes: They do run into issues with Docwagon; namely because they do have to generally steal their equipment and are not shy about doing it, particularly from Docwagon as they do not like the way they are 'choosy' with their medical care. Some gangs see them as equal parts angel and devil; the latter because they end up trying to patch up anyone, regardless of affiliation; at the same time, the other gangs do not like to lose their source of potential healing. They can run into issues with other drug dealers from time to time as well.

Uniqueness: A 'medic gang' is something that you don't see very often in the Sprawl. All of them coming from different walks of life and such, they have taken to the streets to try to do what others cannot. They have limited resources to keep people healed up, some gang members taking on the roles of nurses or whatnot for some people, and they can even do certain cyberware surgeries. The gang doesn't have the equipment to implant bioware nor particularly touchy things like reflexes or anything requiring heavy neural implants-they are limited to cyberlimbs, weapons, and other quickly-installed and not particularly invasive items. They are on good terms with several clinics around, though, and will give 'street referrals' to people looking for such things.

In a way they bridge the gap between gangs and cyberclinics/street docs. Their clinic would be equivalent to a more 'middle' lifestyle as well.

--

The Technodrones

Gang Focus: This 'tech gang' is essentially made up of disenfranchised, intelligent but more low-income (ex)students who generally want to escape prospective corp life. (Corps have a habit of sometimes recruiting promising, budding students-particularly mages, but technically inclined people as well-and giving them scholarships, which families tend to push them toward. Of course, this tends to come with the 'strings' of what becomes 'indentured servitude' to said corp afterward.)

The leader and lieutenants are all particularly victims of this; the rest of the gang come from all walks of life, all with an interest and skill in drone rigging, but nowhere to really turn. The gang are almost mercenary like in their ways, selling their services to people who happen to need them; they run cheaper than Shadowrunners(though they are also generally less well-spread out, being more specialists). They also perform 'neighborhood services' if requested.

Leader:

Gearbox: A young dwarf who doesn't mind the humor/stigma of being a stereotypical fan of mechanics. Gearbox is around 24 years old, though looks a little older(he's got more facial hair than one might expect a 24 year old to have). An actual graduate of MIT&M(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Magic), he had ran away from his old life on the East Coast once he heard a rumor that any of the young folks involved never really did get any choice in their new jobs. Managing to drain some certified cred from a few places, he bought a train ticket to Seattle with only a large rucksack filled with tools and equipment, and attempted to set up to make his own life.

Given he was decent at fixing and repairing things, he was able to set himself up in a more underground garage, making a living, though not a massive one. He started to take old, junked drones that were lying around and began to fix them up in his spare time; he realized first he could make fair cred turning these around, and second, he was actually pretty damn good at piloting them, and realized that perhaps these services would be useful to people willing to pay.

Gearbox is Latino, with black hair, brown eyes, and a much heavier beard than even a dwarf of his age might have; he's fairly hirsute in general. He's got a knack for languages, speaking three fluently(English, Spanish and Japanese), and actually speaking German, Italian, Korean and even Sperethiel to decent levels, making it easy for him to deal with people. He drives a large, heavily modified van(which has more than one pop-up turret that he's not adverse to using), and in that his 'drone army' is kept; he has six fully tweaked and well-taken care of drones of many types; a Roto-Drone, a smaller spy drone, of course an outfitted Steel Lynx. One of Gearbox's favorite pastimes is watching American football, and on his spare time can even be seen going to a game live at Seattle's stadium during the season.

Lieutenants: 2

Torquewrench: A 23 year old human from the seedy side of the Barrens. Barely able to graduate high school unlike the other two, he's actually incredibly intelligent; just being a young fella from the bad side of the Barrens from a family of about five tended to let the teachers sort of just ignore him. He did a lot of reading and tinkering on his spare time, loving shop class since it was the one place where the teacher paid attention to him. He did manage to make it through-he also excelled at math, though other subjects weren't his forte-though college was a distant dream. He simply couldn't pull the grades needed for a scholarship, and despite being an almost prodigy at tech, they were more interested in either overall excelling students, or mages. He did wrestling on the school team on the side.

His family ended up moving to CalFree after his parents both received a good job offer; however, he was ingrained into his place here-he didn't care to move to California, and insisted on staying behind; his other siblings scattered to the wind. He began to work in a small garage, making enough to pay for his little flop of an apartment, until one day he met up with Gearbox, who had some impressive drones that he actually managed to suggest some improvements to. After being introduced to Gadget, the three became friends and from there the rest was as they say Technodrone history.

Torquewrench is actually fairly large;he's around 6'3'' or so and easily the most physically inclined of the bunch, though like the rest of them he still prefers to do what he does via his drones and vehicles. Like his name, he happens to use a large one of these as a club when it comes down to it, though he is also armed with a Remington 990 if things go bad. (He usually packs stun rounds unless things look bleak.) His hair is shoulder-length and blonde, in no particular style but 'messy', and his cybereyes are a mirrored blue color. Torque also has a penchant for watching WCWF(World Cyber Wrestling Federation), and can actually mimic the moves rather impressively in combat. He's a jeans and tshirt guy when he's not wearing the boiler suit, and his hands are forever grimy with oil that will never seem to come out.

Gadget: A young human who is only 22, but a prodigy at mechanics. She lived a fairly decent childhood; two parents who had emigrated from Iran when they were about twenty(she was born and raised in Denver), and a younger sibling. They worked decent corporate jobs and doted on both kids; but her younger sister was found out to be a full magician; and thus, from any corporate family, a prize. Despite her completely cleaning up in school grade wise and being on the academic fast track, a mage was too hard to ignore, so she was mostly put on the back burner; cared for physically and even emotionally, but her parents did not particularly care what happened career wise at this point, figuring she was smart enough to figure things out on her own.

She left for Seattle after two years of college(she graduated at 17), after she grew bored; one of the first people she met was Gearbox when she went to a garage to look for some parts for a drone that she was working on customizing. After a few friendly drone battles, the two started to realize their skills could actually start bringing in nuyen; almost as a message, Torquewrench came along only a week later and with the three of them, the gang was founded, with the other two deferring to Gearbox as the leader, respecting his slightly older age and the fact he beat them a few more times in drone fights.

Gadget is about 5'7'' with medium-length black hair and brown eyes, usually wearing a casual armored jacket while outdoors, along with the typical t-shirts and jeans that the gang tends toward, along with a bag that usually has a variety of tools in it(her drone repair kit.) While going full drone pilot, she and the others often wear boiler suits of sorts(in gang colors.) Her combat drone is armed with a Mossberg, and she carries a Browning Max-Power for a sidearm herself; she carries a stun baton in melee if necessary(and actually has one of her melee drones equipped with one, as to not be fatal.)

Gang Rating: Equal

Head Count: Aprox. 15-20 members.

Initiation Rituals: Initiation into the gang is a 2 part affair. All members of the gang must have at least a Vehicle Control Rig-1 or greater, for starters.

First, in a sort of game of 'Battlebots', a prospective member must take on one of the Lieutenant's drones in drone combat. Firearms are not allowed for this, as it tends to make things too easy. Melee weapons are allowed on the drones(usually ramming or hydraulic type of weapons). This battle goes on until the first vehicle reaches S damage(for roleplaying purposes, becomes 'rather damaged', since naturally damage codes aren't alluded to in game.) The catch is here-despite VCRs being necessary, this must be done with traditional remote control; the gang wants to see how well you can handle something if you can't jack into it.

The second half is that the member has to then repair the lieutenant's drone themselves back to fully working order. They are allowed to use the gang's workshop for this(but any spare parts must come out of their own pockets). They have one week to complete this. If they do not, then they must compensate the lieutenant their own drone in recompense. (It's one of the reasons this gang has low membership, but highly skilled drone pilots and repair people.)

Uniforms: Goggles(worn on the head or normally) are required when all members are out and about; otherwise people are free to dress casually as they will(usually, they pick utilitarian clothing). When going full drone pilot, they wear jumpsuits or boiler suits in their gang colors. Their gang colors are steel and brown, worn any way the gang member wishes(often using paint or tape on jackets and their drones as well; their drones are practically treated like extra members of the gang.

Symbol: A crudely drawn small 'tank drone'-picture something like a tank a child would draw with crayons. The small tank may or may not be blasting something from its turret.

Territory: They don't claim too much as their 'own', but they are often found around Downtown and Puyallup, mostly around the junk and salvage yards in those areas. Their hidden HQ is actually in Renton, a large converted factory that actually has a deep basement, perfect for holding a vehicle and drone facility.

Operations: The Technodrones have a few ways of making money. Their most lucrative is most definitely vehicle chopping; given their overall average skill level they are able to quickly chop and strip vehicles for a premium; if you need a vehicle chopped fast and with no questions, the Technodrones are the place to go.

Underground battlebot fights are also a decent pull; once a month they usually hold one that attracts riggers of all types. Scouring junkyards, repairing and reselling used and junked drones and small vehicles also works out pretty well for them. Hell, they'll even give you a tuneup; they're not above chopping vehicles but they personally won't steal your car.

Foes: Given they don't claim too much turf as their own, and are not particularly territorial, they don't run into too many problems, actually, particularly since they're not overtly vicious, mostly using their drones in combat if necessary. That being said, they do tend to step on the toes of gangs who happen to have chopping vehicles as one of their more lucrative endeavors; given the Technodrones are generally better at it than most, and they are almost actually trustworthy as far as gangs go, they can suck up some of the business there. They can clash with people at junkyards over the best parts.

Uniqueness: A gang of(mostly)young Drone Riggers that operate in random areas of Seattle is definitely not something one finds a lot; even rarer than decker/Matrix gangs which actually do float around from time to time. They hold no prejudice about who can join, just so long as you know how to fix and pilot a drone.