Critter Rules

Critter Rules
This is designed to be a brief compilation of translated German rules and roughly balanced House Rules with clear wording and intent to make critters a theoretically possible option. House Rules or clarifications meant for this server specifically are italicized. Translated German rules, missions errata items, and summarized rules from Howling Shadows are not.

Acquisition of Critters as Pets
Characters must make an availability test against the availability of the critter they are purchasing to purchase a standard, almost certainly cloned, critter. Chimeras, Paracritters, and Warforms require a contact who specializes in them to acquire, in the same vein as a fake SIN: the acquisition of all critters is covered by a new specialization of swag, Swag (Critters). Any cyberware or equipment to be applied to a critter can be acquired under the same Swag category as metahuman versions. Critters cannot be purchased with any training; the acquisition of such training is left to those who can go through legal methods. The black market does not compensate you for if your new alligator bites your hand off while you’re trying to train it.

Animal Normal/Black Market Acquisitions
"*" Purebred, non-cloned, luxury, or exotic varieties are available. Costs for these are much higher than the standard or cloned variety. See Howling Shadows p. 45 for exotic examples. Treat any purebred animal as being ‘cloned’ with that modifier.

Animal Paranormal/Exotics
Note: This is not an extensive list of every critter, but rather a list of all the critters available for purchase through the black market that will be simulated in this environment. (This section comes from Missions)

Required (Fake) License: All Critters require a Pet license. Warforms, chimerics, and biodrones cannot be licensed, as they are Forbidden outside of the laboratory or estate they belong to.

Chimera, Warform, and Biodrone Acquisition
What is the difference between a “Normal” animal, a Chimera, a Warform, and a Biodrone? A “Normal” animal has no special modifications and utilizes the stats for the base animal. A Warform animal has the following innate enhancements
 * 1) +1 to any two Attributes. This is because they are grown from the very best genetic stock
 * 2) The ability to take 1 Essence worth of Bioware or Genemods without actual essence cost (similar to the Prototype Transhuman quality)
 * 3) Inbred Biocompatibility which reduces all Bioware and Genemod Essence costs by 10%
 * 4) During the time they are being grown, and only during this time, all Genemods receive a 20% reduction in price.
 * 5) The Domesticated critter power, even if the species they are based on does not have it.

A Chimera has a set of additional abilities or attributes depending on what has been spliced into it: see below. A Biodrone animal is one of the above that has had extensive implantation, normally a stirrup interface, to allow a rigger or other pilot to interface with them. See Howling Shadows page 181-183 for details on critter cyberware.

Acquisition of Modified Critters

 * Warforms quadruple the base cost listed in Section 1a, BEFORE any further modifications (which includes the bioware and geneware they come with without any essence loss - be ready to pay up for that), and have +4F to their availability.
 * Chimeras cost 3 times the base cost listed in Section 1a, plus 25% of their base cost per chimeric modification (if you’re feeling lazy, that’s 4.5 times the base cost for a chimera with a full outfit of modifications). They also have +8R to their Availability. A chimera can have up to six total modifications. See Howling Shadows page 170-173 for a detailed list of modifications.
 * Biodrones cost their normal base price, as they are not a separate critter type, but all augmentations, including the stirrup interface to be able to jump in, must be bought separately.
 * A warform or chimera can be augmented and made into a biodrone. (HS 180)
 * All chimeras are inherently infertile (HS 170), all warforms are sold only in male (HS 176), and biodrones with a stirrup interface tend to lack any drive to do anything, let alone mate (HS 182). A critter cannot be both a chimera and a warform.
 * Paracritters cannot be made into Chimeras or Warforms, due to the interactions between genetic modification and the capricious nature of magic. They also lose magic with their essence, making them of limited utility as biodrones, and any astral sensations or magical abilities they have cannot be controlled or communicated with augmentations. Augmented paracritters that have lost more than 3 points of Essence are uncontrollable.

Maintenance and Lifestyle Costs for your Critters
Daily Care and Feeding
 * As long as you maintain the Minimum Lifestyle, the general costs for the daily care and feeding of your Pet or Biodrone is included in the allowed purchases for your monthly rent. If you do not meet the Minimum Lifestyle, the cost of caring for your critters is 10% of their cost per month (augmentations included).

Veterinary Care
 * In a world where your next-door neighbor could have horns, a tail, and fur, doctors have had to expand their skills to accommodate a much wider variety of physiologies. Applying those skills to a critter just isn’t much of a stretch. Any skills in the Biotech skill group can be used with critters at no penalty. “Veterinary” can be selected as a specialization for the Medicine skill, granting the standard +2 bonus when applicable. (Howling Shadows, p.185)

How Many Animals Can I Own?
 * You may own one animal if your Lifestyle is Low or less. At Medium Lifestyle, you may own up to three animals. At High Lifestyle, you may own up to five animals at no additional cost, and may add additional animals if you pay an additional 10% of their cost monthly for help caring for them. A Luxury Lifestyle allows you to own as many animals as you can afford without additional costs.

An Extremely Short Reference of Useful Rules
 * Training: Howling Shadows, p.183
 * Attune Animal: Street Grimoire p. 123
 * Animal Familiar: Forbidden Arcana p. 31
 * Empower: Street Grimoire p. 128
 * Critter Gear: Howling Shadows p. 185