Checkpoint Realities
Shadowrunners always need to jump borders in Denver - It's just the cost of doing business in a town crammed with so many different and not-so-friendly parties. But that doesn't mean you need to physically jump the border - runners so equipped may wish to simply go through a checkpoint. Here's some facts you need to know.
Getting into the FTZ
Anyone and everything can get into the FTZ, there are no stringent border checks going in. Its a simple toll (Rating 1 SIN check) and that's it. Assuming you don't get caught by a patrolling police car on the way to the border point, its all free and clear.
Leaving the FTZ
Getting out of the FTZ is another story. For starters, you need a SIN, preferably belonging to the country you're in. If you don't have one, you'll need a visa to stay any length of time. You'll need to pass through customs, much the same way you would disembarking from an international flight. They generally check your vehicle over, and run you through a more invasive SIN check than you received entering the FTZ.
SIN Checks
How carefully your SIN is checked depends on which sector you're entering and when you're entering. There's also a slight element of randomness thrown in to mimic day-to-day changes in procedures, guards' motivations and what's going on in the world. The Game Master should roll 2D6 and consult the modifiers table, applying the dice result along with any other applicable modifiers to the Sector Checkpoint Ratings Table.
| Checkpoint Modifiers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier | TN Change | |||||||
| 2 | -2 | |||||||
| 3-5 | -1 | |||||||
| 6-8 | +0 | |||||||
| 9-11 | +1 | |||||||
| 12 | +2 | |||||||
| Time of Day | ||||||||
| Rush hour | -1 | |||||||
| Dead of night | +1 | |||||||
| Tight Security | +1 | |||||||
| Sector Checkpoint Rating | ||||||||
| Nation | Rating | |||||||
| Aztlan | 4 | |||||||
| CAS | 3 | |||||||
| Pueblo | 4 | |||||||
| Sioux | 3 | |||||||
| UCAS | 3 | |||||||
| Ute | 4 | |||||||
Suspicion and Searching
As well as the basic SIN check, vehicle/personal searches may occur. Typically there's an amount of randomness to the searches, but there's also a chance that a border guard may suspect something, or just feel like hassling you. While the GM is encouraged to determine whether or not this occurs, below some tables are provided.
Assume the guard begins at 'Neutral' and the outcome is 'Of no value to NPC'. This may change depending on the situation, at the GM's discretion. The target number of the Etiquette test is the guard's intelligence, Charisma 5+ characters receive -1 to the TN. If the PC generates 1 success or more, the guard does not hassle. If the PC fails the test, roll the guard's Intelligence vs a TN of 6, applying the appropriate modifiers from the Hassle Modifier Table.
| Hassle Modifier Table | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Situation | Modifier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PC has Charisma 2 or less | +1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PC is of the appropriate sexual orientation and Charisma is 5+ | -1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guard is Racist against PC | -1/-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossing in Dead of Night | -1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossing at shift change | +2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
If the guard achieves a success, the SIN is run again. For 2 successes, the guard commences a 'standard search' of person and vehicle, and at 3 or more successes, the guard attempts a 'deliberate search'. Rules for searching can be found in SR3, pg 236.
Unless the GM decides to hit the PC(s) with a random search anyway, that's all there is to it, and they're through the checkpoint.
