By David Eber.
Here are the main characters of the story in Feng Shui terms. As noted in the story, both are experienced characters. Although they can be played as player characters, they do not correspond to any archetype in the rulebook.
Buro Assassin
Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 0 (Mag 5, For 4), Mnd 6 (Per 8), Ref 8
Weapons: Ruger K89 x 2 (10/2/15+1), knife (8)
Ex-Buro Assassin
Attributes: Bod 6 (Mov 7), Chi 0 (Mag 5, For 4), Mnd 6 (Per 7, Cha 8), Ref 8
This device is about the size of a pocket calculator and it looks like half-melted plastic with a a green glowing display screen. It is used by Buro agents who are operating in an unfamiliar area. Intelligence will program the pathfinder with information pertaining to the area the agent will be operating in, specifically geographical information. The pathfinder can also act as a homing device or a tracker. Because it is not generally used in combat, the Pathfinder usually only adds one to the difficulty of the mutation check whenever it is plugged in, and not for each sequence. GM's may wish to increase this if a PC spends a lot of time plugged into a pathfinder.
This looks like a black jumpsuit with a hood made out of some sort of rubber-like material. It has arcanowave fibers threaded directly into the material, with the powerpack (about the size of a deck of cards) resting at the base of the spine or on the waist. When plugged in, the suit bends and refracts the light around the wearer, causing him to blend into his surroundings. All Intrusion task checks that involve stealth or hiding are made with a +4 bonus to the action value. This may be further modified by the surroundings of the wearer (as one might expect, the suit works better in the dark than during the day). Because characters will probably be plugged into this for a while, GM's should add one to the difficulty of the mutation check for every 10 minutes spent with the suit plugged in, as opposed to every sequence.
When fully opened, this knife appears roughly as a slightly curved "S" shape, with blades on both ends of the hilt (both blades fold into the hilt when not in use). It is meant primarily as a throwing weapon, and when used by an expert it will return to its owner if it misses its target. On a critical success, it will slice through its target and return to its owner, while a way awful failure means that it will miss its target and fail to return. If used by a character will a skill of less than 10 in Martial Arts, a failure means that it fails to return, while a way awful failure means that it injures the thrower.
These tiny grenades, each the size of a marble, are made of an experimental substance which detonate into a miniature explosion when it impacts on a surface with sufficient force. The common method of use is either to scatter them from a higher position onto an enemy below, or to either drop them behind or set them up on a floor where a pursuing enemy will step on them. These grenades are always thrown in clusters of 2-4 dozen, with each dozen doing 14 points of damage in a 5 meter area. Unnamed characters in this area are taken out on an outcome of 3 or greater.
This weapon appears as two heavy balls, each about the size of a plum, connected by a thin meter long cord. The two balls contain a substance which, like the marble grenades, explodes when in impacts on something with sufficient force. Like regular bolas, this weapon is meant to be thrown. However, whenever it hits a target (whether the target is the intended target or not), the bolas explode, doing 10 points of damage to everyone within a ten meter area. Anyone within three meters of the area of the explosion suffers 20 points of damage. This weapon is usually used against particularly heavy opponents, such as cyborgs and demons.
This device, which is in some ways an advanced taser, is usually worn strapped to a forearm. The trigger, usually a small squeeze pad, is held in the hand, connected to the device by a wire. The shocker has a concelment rating of 1, which means it is generally worn under the sleeve of a outfit. When fired, two micro-thin cables shoot out at high speed toward the target, snaking around it when they hit and delivering a powerful electrical charge to the victim. The cables themselves area about 5 meters long. The victim suffers impairment equal to the outcome of the attack for the rest of the combat. Other effects depend on where the shocker hits. A hit to the leg or the arm usually stuns that limb, while a hit to the head or the body may result in unconsciousness (the location of the hit should depend on the success of the outcome). Unnamed characters hit by the shocker are impared on an outcome of three or better, and are knocked out on an outcome of five or better. The shocker can only be fired once before it needs recharging, which is why the Buro rejected it (rumor has it that they are working on an arcanowave version of the same device).
Last modified: September 19, 1996;