Shadowrun (Sega Genesis)/Runners

Runners will join your party for a fee. Here's the list of all the shadowrunners available for hire. Note that you won't have access to all of them at the beginning of the game, so read the notes for each subsection so you have an idea of what you'll have to do to get the runner on your team. Under each name is the in-game description of the runner as seen in the notebook portion of the pocket secretary.

How to read the hiring price table
Below the initial description of the runner is the hiring price table, which is probably one of the most complicated concepts in the game. This is because the prices for most things vary incredibly depending on your skills, attributes, and even actions. The rest of the runner character sheets is pretty straightforward.

First of all, you should know that all prices listed are for one-time hires. If you want to know the equivalent full-time fee, just multiply by 10.


 * The hiring price of each shadowrunner will vary according to several factors:
 * 1) Your skills and attributes - specifically:
 * 2) *Charisma
 * 3) *Negotiation
 * 4) *Reputation
 * 5) The runner's attitude toward you.

A runner's attitude has to do with the fact that depending on your history with that particular runner, he or she will be more or less willing to go on a run with you. If you successfully complete a run with a runner that you hired for the short term and go back to hire the runner again, he or she will be encouraged by your success and their hiring price will probably drop a little. If you fail in a run, or if you dismiss the runner, they will be a bit more surly the next time you talk to them and their price will be higher.

Obviously, you can't increase your relationship with a runner by hiring them for life, since the only way to keep hiring them is to keep dismissing them or dying. But if you prefer to keep hiring them for the short term, you'll see their fees gradually drop.

Runner attitudes
There's a five-point scale of each runner's attitude toward you. Each successful run (not counting courier and bodyguard runs, since the runners don't get paid and go home afterwards) will move the runner's attitude one spot in the positive direction, while each failure or dismissal will move the attitude one spot in the negative direction. There is an exception, however: it takes two moves to go between med-high and highest attitudes. That is, if the runner's attitude is med-high, you'll have to go on two successful runs before you'll get the highest attitude and the lowest hiring price. The same thing goes for moving in the opposite direction: if the runner has the highest attitude, you'll have to fail two times in a row with him or her before their attitude will drop and their hiring price will go back up.

The scale of their attitudes has five degrees:
 * Lowest: Having a bad relationship with a runner will get you the highest hiring price. Note that the runner will be more surly when you ask him or her to sign on.
 * Med-Low: This is the level that you start out at with all the runners. If their attitude is on this level, you'll still get a neutral reply when asking them to join you.
 * Neutral: Having a neutral relationship with a runner will get you fair hiring prices, and you'll get the neutral reply from them when asking them to join.
 * Med-High: With medium-high respect from a runner, you'll still get the neutral dialog when you ask them to join you, but their prices will be very good.
 * Highest: Represented on the charts by three plus signs. When a runner has the highest attitude towards you, you'll get rock-bottom hiring prices, since they enjoy running with you so much. Also note that they will give a cheerful, eager reply when you ask them to join you.

Total
You'll notice on the charts below that across the top is the runner's attitude. Down the side, though, is a point total. This total is determined by doubling Joshua's Charisma score and adding it to his Reputation and Negotiation scores.

If you had a Charisma of 4, a Reputation of 7, and a Negotiation of 3, your point total would be: $$(4\times2)+7+3=18$$. You'd then fall into the row marked "16-19" on the chart. Suppose you were trying to hire Ricky and he had a neutral attitude toward you. Follow the "16-19" row across to where it meets the "Neutral" column and you'll see that his hiring price would be 100 nuyen for a one-time job, or 1,000 for a full-time hire.
 * An example

Ricky
He can be found in the Jackal's Lantern, Redmond Barrens. He's the weakest runner in the game, and also the cheapest. He may be worth hiring at the very beginning, just to have an extra body around until you can fend for yourself. After you get Michael's stuff from the motel, you may want to hire him for the short-term (without taking a run) and just let him hang around until you have the money to hire a stronger runner.
 * Description: Dwarf Rat Shaman

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Streetline Special
 * Armor Clothing
 * Stim Patch (3)
 * Trauma Patch (3)
 * Fetish (10)
 * Rat Totem
 * Clips: 2
 * Cyberware
 * None
 * Magic
 * Stink: 3
 * Flame Bolt: 1
 * Invisibility: 1
 * Rockskin: 2

Winston Marrs
He can be found in the Big Rhino, Penumbra District. Winston's the only samurai available at the beginning of the game. If you aren't playing as a samurai, you will want to hire him for the long term, to protect you until you get around to meeting Stark or Two Fists. Even if you are a samurai, Winston is a solid character who gets good physical bonuses for being a troll. Hang on to him for a while, but you probably shouldn't invest too much time trying to upgrade his stats.
 * Description: Troll Samurai

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Allegiance Shotgun
 * Lined Duster
 * Medkit (6)
 * Scatter Grenade (6)
 * Clips: 4
 * Cyberware
 * None
 * Magic
 * None

Trent Delisario
He can be found in the Space Needle Bar, Downtown Seattle. He only has three spells, but at least he has Heal Wounds. His equipment and stats leave something to be desired, too. Just like any other runner, he has the potential to be a very powerful character, but you would have to invest a lot of time, money, and Karma for that to happen. If you want a powerful magic user, hold out for Walking Bear or Freya. Finally, it may be worth mentioning that Trent is the only runner who will give you a contact, and for free, too. Just ask him and he'll give you Prof. Jefferson's number.
 * Description: Human Mage

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Streetline Special
 * Armor Clothing
 * Stim Patch (6)
 * Clips: 3
 * Cyberware
 * None
 * Magic
 * Flame Dart: 2
 * Heal Wounds: 2
 * Rockskin: 3

Petr Uvehr
He can be found in the Wanderer, Puyallup Barrens. A decker with a 2 in Computer? What's the point? Even though his attributes are decent and his fees are low, it's still not worth hiring him. If you want a cheap decker to use until you can afford Rianna, it is strongly recommended that you choose Phantom over this has-been.
 * Description: Dwarf Decker

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * American L36 Light Pistol
 * Armor Vest
 * Trauma Patch (6)
 * Stim Patch (6)
 * Clips: 4
 * Cyberware
 * Datajack
 * Magic
 * None

Walking Bear
She can be found in the Friendship Restaurant Council Island. A solid magic user. She's a little pricey, but she backs it up with a good spell selection and some nice initial stats. Plus, she's an Ork, so she'll get some nice defensive bonuses for a little extra protection. She can't hope to compare to Freya, but for the price, she'll definitely do until you can hire Freya and start working on her as a permanent member. If you want to hire two magic users for your team, use Freya and Walking Bear.
 * Description: Ork Bear Shaman

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Warhawk Heavy Pistol
 * Armor Clothing
 * Fetish (10)
 * Fetish (10)
 * Heal Wounds Spell Focus (Lvl 2)
 * Bear Totem
 * Clips: 6
 * Cyberware
 * None
 * Magic
 * Mana Zap: 1
 * Mana Storm: 4
 * Sleep: 3
 * Heal Wounds: 2
 * Confusion: 2

Phantom
He can be found in the Frag Grenade, Renraku Arcology. Phantom only has one purpose, but he serves it well. As soon as you have the resources, hire him for the short term, get a Matrix run on a weak system, and then use his skills to mine data until you can afford Rianna, the premier decker in the game. You only need to make a few small upgrades with Phantom to be able to rustle up the thousands of nuyen you need to hire Rianna full-time. In this game, though, there's no reason to have more than one decker in your party, so don't view Phantom as a permanent member worth investing a lot of time, money and Karma in.
 * Description: Elf Decker

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Security 500 Light Pistol (w/Laser Sight)
 * Lined Duster
 * Medkit (6)
 * Medkit (6)
 * Clips: 4
 * Cyberware
 * Datajack
 * Hand Razors
 * Wired Reflexes
 * Magic
 * None

Ilene Two Fists
She can be found in the Jump House, Redmond Barrens. Ilene is one of the two human samurai who aren't available at the beginning of the game. Stark, the other one, is an absolute beast – probably the best character in the game in terms of initial strength. One area in which Two Fists is a little better, though, is the fact that she comes with a little Essence left over for you to spend how you wish. That's not the case with Stark, who comes cybered to the gills. For all intents and purposes, though, Two Fists is just as good a character as Stark. So, if you want to hire only one samurai, you can skip getting Stark (which is optional) and just hire Ilene (who you'll have to meet eventually) when you get the chance. Don't settle for Winston.
 * Description: Human Samurai

Here are the bare-bones directions for getting Ilene Two Fists. For more information, see the walkthrough. From the beginning of the game:


 * 1) Pay Stoker the money to get Michael's stuff.
 * 2) Go to the Tarislar City Inn in the Penumbra District and ask about Tabatha Shale.
 * 3) Go to Boris the fixer in Redmond Barrens and ask him about Michael (you'll be attacked by two Renraku Strike Team members).
 * 4) Go to Icarus Descending in Downtown Seattle and meet Caleb Brightmore.
 * 5) Go back to the Tarislar City Inn and ask about Frosty.
 * 6) Go to the Sinsearach, ask to see the elders, and agree to be tested.
 * 7) Bring the package to Red Buffalo Woman and return to the Sinsearach with the other package. Lady Gillian will tell you about Ilene.
 * 8) Return to Icarus Descending and ask Caleb about Ilene.
 * 9) Go to Hollywood Correctional in Redmond Barrens. Get inside the prison and open Ilene's cell (last row, cell farthest left).
 * 10) Talk to Ilene.

After you do that, Ilene will be there when you go back to the Jump House and will be available as a runner from that point on.

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * None
 * Clips: 0
 * Cyberware
 * Hand Razors
 * Muscle Replacement
 * Wired Reflexes
 * Magic
 * None

Freya Goldenhair
She can be found in Club Penumbra, Penumbra District. Freya is an expensive runner, but her impressive magic arsenal and her excellent initial stats are worth it. She's the finest magic user in the game and if you're looking to hire a permanent magic user, you should definitely get Freya. Note that she's located in Club Penumbra, which you can't get into unless Joshua's Reputation score is 4 or higher. It's Joshua's score that counts, not anyone else's.
 * Description: Elf Mage

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Predator Heavy Pistol (w/Silencer and Laser Sight)
 * Lined Duster
 * Fetish (10)
 * Fetish (10)
 * Hellblast Spell Focus (Lvl 3)
 * Clips: 8
 * Cyberware
 * None
 * Magic
 * Mana Blast: 3
 * Hellblast: 3
 * Super Barrier: 2
 * Invisibility: 3
 * Sleep: 4
 * Heal Wounds: 4

Rianna Heartbane
She can be found in the Matchstick, Downtown Seattle. Very expensive, but she has the decking skills to match her fees. Rianna is the weapon of choice if you want a hotshot decker to make you some money or, if you must have a decker on your team, to hire permanently. Her initial attribute stats are just great and that 6 in Computer isn't too shabby either. Overall, she is a very good runner.
 * Description: Elf Decker

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * Mach 22 SMG (w/Smartgun System and Gas Vent II)
 * Lined Duster
 * Medkit (6)
 * Medkit (6)
 * Stim Patch (6)
 * Trauma Patch (6)
 * Clips: 6
 * Cyberware
 * Datajack
 * Smartlink
 * Wired Reflexes (2)
 * Magic:
 * None

Stark
Stark is the only surviving member of Michael's team. He was Michael's best friend and is more than willing to help find who set them up. He can be found in Underground 93, Puyallup Barrens.
 * Description: Human Samurai

Stark is an interesting runner. He's kind of a "hidden character" in the sense that it's quite possible to go through the entire game, start to finish, without so much as seeing him. But, for those who happen to stumble onto him, he can be the best runner around. He's already got a full set of cyberware, a large arsenal of weapons, and some great initial attributes and skills. The best part, though, is that once he's available, he will join your group, for life, free of charge – no matter what. You can dismiss him or fail as many runs as you want, he'll keep on coming back for more. If you want a samurai in your final party, getting Stark is a no-brainer.

Here are the bare-bones directions for getting Stark. For more information, see the walkthrough. From the beginning of the game:


 * 1) Pay Stoker the money to get Michael's stuff.
 * 2) Go to the AmerIndian village in the Salish-Shidhe and take the cave entrance in the southeast corner of town.
 * 3) Take the southern exit from the cave and walk southeast, over the two bridges and enter the hut in the clearing that you come to.
 * 4) Go to Seattle General Hospital and ask Dr. Haversheen about the Holopix.
 * 5) Go to the Fuchi building in the Penumbra District. Get the prototype heart (third floor, third small room down off the hallway immediately to the right of the elevator).
 * 6) Return to Seattle General with the heart.

After you do that, Stark will be at Underground 93 in the Puyallup Barrens when you go there.

Initial setup

 * Equipment
 * HK227-S SMG (w/Sound Suppressor, Smartgun System and Gas Vent III)
 * Lined Duster
 * Smart Goggles
 * Frag Grenade (6)
 * Frag Grenade (6)
 * Medkit (6)
 * Medkit (6)
 * Clips: 10
 * Cyberware
 * CyberEyes
 * Spurs
 * Muscle Replacement
 * Dermal Plating (3)
 * Wired Reflexes (2)
 * Magic
 * None