Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Halarion on <02-21-13/1456:43>
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Hello runners.
I need some help with my shifter. She is one of the fighters, a stealthy melee with some magic and i have some problems to get her the way i want her to be according to the backstory i have.
Story
Melony don't remember much from her childhood, she gets flashbacks of a what she thinks is her sister and sometimes of a few others.
What she do remember is that she got caught by a collector that did like exotic animals and items. After a bit more then a year of misery and torture that collector got hit by a shadowrunner raid.
In the raid the runners let loose all the animals and paracritters to create a diversion and in that mayhem Melony tracked the collector and ended his career. In that fight something happened that made her realize that she could use magic.
With no memory and no knowledge of where she was she followed the team from a distance to see if they might be willing to help her. When she heard they were from Tir Tairngire she got a flashback from an older male (fader) saying that people from the Tir was mostly OK but sometimes tricky.
Taking a chance she approached them in human form and what she got was a lot of big-eyed stares, well what do you expect when a nude female comes in to your camp.
After the shocked silence Melony got some clothes and then explained where she was from.
After that they took her to their HQ.
.
.
.
. TOP SECRET
.
.
.
( 8 months later)
Melony moved to Seattle to start her new life as a runner. Now she's amassing money and info, part to find her sister and family and part to help other shifters and people to escape those that want to collect them.
End story
I have 10000 nuyen(In Dept, To the ones that saved her) and 26 BP to play with. I am trying to play her as one that don't have much to start with, so what is the absolute minimum of gear that i need to have as a runner. I have no gear at all now.
The first run is somewhat easy as we have two totally new shadowrunners in the group.
What shall i do? + attribute, more in skills or gear(want as little as possible or need a good story as to how she got it)?
Please help
/H
I'm sorry if there is any bad spelling
== Info ==
Street Name: Melony softpaw
Name: Melony
Movement: 15/80
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Mountain Lion (Jaguar Shapeshifter (Human))
Composure: 7
Judge Intentions: 6
Lift/Carry: 6 (45 kg/30 kg)
Memory: 8
Nuyen: 10000 (In Dept)
== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 5
REA: 4
STR: 3
CHA: 2
INT: 4
LOG: 3
WIL: 5
EDG: 2
MAG: 4
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 6
Initiative: 8
IP: 1
Astral Initiative: 8
Astral IP: 3
Matrix Initiative: 4
Matrix IP: 1
Physical Damage Track: 10
Stun Damage Track: 11
== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling : 0 Pool: 3
Animal Training : 0 Pool: 3
Archery : 0 Pool: 4
Armorer : 0 Pool: 2
Artisan : 0 Pool: 3
Automatics : 0 Pool: 4
Blades : 1 Pool: 6
Climbing : 2 Pool: 5
Clubs : 0 Pool: 4
Computer : 0 Pool: 2
Con : 0 Pool: 1
Cybercombat : 0 Pool: 2
Data Search : 0 Pool: 2
Demolitions : 0 Pool: 2
Disguise : 0 Pool: 3
Diving : 0 Pool: 2
Dodge : 3 Pool: 7
Escape Artist : 0 Pool: 4
Etiquette : 0 Pool: 1
First Aid : 0 Pool: 2
Flight : 0 Pool: 2
Forgery : 0 Pool: 4
Gunnery : 0 Pool: 4
Gymnastics : 0 Pool: 4
Hacking : 0 Pool: 2
Heavy Weapons : 0 Pool: 4
Infiltration : 3 Pool: 8
Instruction : 0 Pool: 1
Intimidation : 1 Pool: 3
Leadership : 0 Pool: 1
Locksmith : 0 Pool: 4
Longarms : 0 Pool: 4
Navigation : 3 Pool: 7
Negotiation : 1 Pool: 3
Palming : 0 Pool: 4
Parachuting : 0 Pool: 2
Perception : 3 Pool: 7
Pilot Ground Craft : 0 Pool: 3
Pilot Watercraft : 0 Pool: 3
Pistols : 1 Pool: 6
Riding : 0 Pool: 3
Running : 3 Pool: 6
Shadowing : 0 Pool: 3
Spellcasting : 4 Pool: 8
Survival : 3 Pool: 8
Swimming : 0 Pool: 2
Throwing Weapons : 0 Pool: 4
Tracking : 1 Pool: 5
Unarmed Combat : 4 Pool: 9
== Knowledge Skills ==
Area Knowledge: Cheyenne : 3 Pool: 7
Art : 3 Pool: 6
Combat Tactics : 3 Pool: 6
English : N Pool: 0
History : 2 Pool: 5
Military : 2 [Special Forces] Pool: 6 (8)
Sioux : 2 Pool: 6
Sperethiel : 3 Pool: 7
Underworld : 2 Pool: 6
== Qualities ==
Amnesia (Past)
Distinctive Style
Flashbacks (Uncommon)
In Debt (10,000¥)
Lost Loved One (Twin Sister)
Magician
Mania/Phobia (Uncommon, Mild) (Sister)
== Spells ==
(Tradition: Druidic, Resist Drain with WIL + INT (9))
Heal DV: (Damage Value)-2
Increase Reflexes DV: (F÷2)+2
Invisibility DV: (F÷2)
Lightning Bolt DV: (F÷2)+3
== Critter Powers ==
Allergy (Silver, Severe)
Dual Natured
Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low Light Vision, Smell)
Natural Weapon (Claws/Bite: DV STR/2 + 2, AP 0)
Regeneration
Sapience
Shift (Human)
Vulnerability (Silver)
== Weapons ==
Unarmed Attack
Pool: 9 DV: 2S AP: - RC: 0
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Your combat pools seem rather low.
Without a sustaining focus for reflexes, you're going to have an even lower dice pool (they are expensive but you can RP out its existence without really having to explain the cost).
Depending on how accurate you and your GM want to be, you probably don't want form fitting armor, you want something fairly loose since your cloths don't shift with you.
You don't have a ton in the resist drain department, so you are going to have to be really careful there too.
Honestly, with a jaguar, I'd probably dump the magic for the most part and combat, although the lack of a 2nd IP is going to hurt. Unless you want to just drop most of it except increased reflexes and heal, and then just sustain the reflexes with a smaller pool (I'd say magic 3 tops).
I spent a while working on my eagle shifter, and she ended up pretty decent I think, but there are a lot of concessions you have to make with a shifter.
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I have to wonder if you wouldn't be better able to get what you want with an adept...
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I have to wonder if you wouldn't be better able to get what you want with an adept...
Yeah an Adept will be pretty good with a Jaguar.
Can do a lot more in hand to hand combat. Although you do want to be careful when coming out of Jaguar form into a fight because you'll be in combat.
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Well, you use Mystic Armour for your armour and build for Unarmed, and you could even fight in Jaguar form.
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With my admittedly limited experience and exposure to the game, I find unatmed adepts to be the best combatants, even if they have a higher initial point cost. +3 dv doesnt sound like much on its own, but the whole ap-half plus elemental effect deal is impossible to pass up. And unlike reflex recorder, improve ability goes up to rank 3. Also, I think combat sense might be more optimal than musimystic armor in a number of cases.
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You can use both. Mystic Armour isn't often the best thing to get, but for a shapeshifter, it's great - gives you armour that works in both forms.
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thats funny, i have never played a adept, so i didn't even think about em. Now that i have looked them over that make so much more sense then an magic using shifter, at least for me.
Thank you
Now i just need to read up on what powers i need to have.
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Increased reflexes I'd sweet. So are mystic armor, combat sense, and elemental resistance.
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Increased reflexes I'd sweet. So are mystic armor, combat sense, and elemental resistance.
If Ways and Adept Geasa are in play, you can grab Killing Hands, Critical Strike, Elemental Strike (which is awesome), Improved Ability (Unarmed), Improved Reflexes 1, Mystic Armour, Combat Sense, and, say, Missile Parry - and with enough ranks in the essentials to have them be very strong.
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Speaking as one who's played a leopard shapeshifter - three, actually* - I have this to say: adept for combat, mage for stealth.
If you want to build a combat-heavy character, make her an adept; most of the abilities will translate directly to your shapeshifter form. Find ways to increase your speed (both number of actions and pure ground speed), your stealth (just in case), and your dodge. Remember that without active spellcasting magic, 'can't find' and 'GTFO' will be your best friend.
If you want to build a stealth-heavy character, go with a mage - presumably a Jaguar shaman, yes? Go for illusions, invisibility, masking, some healing - such as Alleviate Allergy - and one mana-based go-for-broke, one-shot kill spell, i.e. manabolt. (If you need to kill a mage, that's claws & jaws work.) I would strongly recommend the two insta-change spells, however - Fashion and Makeover, with which you can be a Diva About Town, go around the corner, and a minute later be Bag Lady From Hell. For you, I'd also at least recommend Catfall.
In all cases, remember that Jaguar and Leopard are stalkers/lurkers/pouncers, not chase-down-and-kill hunters. Lie in wait, or get the drop on your target. Don't play with your food. One hit one kill. Hit and fade. Don't be seen. Remember you are not the most dangerous thing out there any more. Dive for cover, vacate, circle around, and dispose of your opponents.
Good advice for any shadowrunner, but especially appropriate for a jaguar shapeshifter.
* - Who were, now that I think about it, a Duke and Duchess in Tir Tairngire by the time we were done. He was a mage, she had no active magic. Their cub was a phyad.
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Ok, I remade her into an adept and grabbed some powers. I got killing hands, elemental strike, mystic armor and Imp reflex 1 for fighting and wall running and freefall to "drop in" in on the enemy.
Now, I want as little gear as i can get by with and i was thinking, do i need anything more then some cloth and an commlink? At least for a start.
And is there any way that i can get silence from paranormal critters power? Or any other way to be really silent?
thanks
/H
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IMO, toss elemental strike. You're innately dual-natured, you get to kick everyone's ass. Add in 'traceless walk' for the quiet stuff.
Also, don't make her into a complete idiot; get a good gun, get everything you'd need to pass for human. Poor human, maybe, but a human nonetheless.
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I think you actually don't need killing hands, you can attack astral beings anyway because you are dual natured.
It still does allow you to deal physical damage though, but your natural attack in animal form should take of this too.
If you don't need it as a prerequisite, I wouldn't get it.
Elemental strike Sound with it's ability to circumvent armor is quite nice though, there are ofcourse other cool elemenal effects.
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IMO, toss elemental strike. You're innately dual-natured, you get to kick everyone's ass. Add in 'traceless walk' for the quiet stuff.
Also, don't make her into a complete idiot; get a good gun, get everything you'd need to pass for human. Poor human, maybe, but a human nonetheless.
Elemental Strike isn't for astral combat, it's for its own innate awesomeness.
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Never said it was for astral combat, but it is often bought as an anti-spirit measure. And while awesomesauce is awesome, being a shapeshifter means she's already running on the edge and needs to use every possible advantage she can manage.
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Never said it was for astral combat, but it is often bought as an anti-spirit measure. And while awesomesauce is awesome, being a shapeshifter means she's already running on the edge and needs to use every possible advantage she can manage.
This is true, but the way I look at it, something done through adept powers is more useful to a shapeshifter than something done through equipment for the simple reason that it's useful in both forms.
Plus, in the sample I drew up before commenting, I can't really see anything to replace Elemental Strike with. And Blast isn't as flashy as some of the other options, too.
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Never said it was for astral combat, but it is often bought as an anti-spirit measure. And while awesomesauce is awesome, being a shapeshifter means she's already running on the edge and needs to use every possible advantage she can manage.
Between insane costs to make one, being dual natured, and not having basic meta-human rights in most places, yeah they need to make use of whatever they can.
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Don't forget that shifters are animals that can use magic to take metahuman form, not metahumans that can take animal form. They tend to be uneducated, unaware for most technology more advanced than a crossbow. Instead of going for technology, they're really got no option but to focus on skills, whether mundane or awakened. They do have natural weapons, which give them an edge that metahumans need Killing Hands to equal, so they're not totally helpless, and if they're good at playing possum and good at acting in general it could be better than an obviously prepared metahuman.
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Which is why looking at the appropriate mentor spirit is a good idea; it's a roleplaying archetype for that animal.
Though now that I mention it, I'm not finding Jaguar or Leopard ...
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Which is why looking at the appropriate mentor spirit is a good idea; it's a roleplaying archetype for that animal.
Though now that I mention it, I'm not finding Jaguar or Leopard ...
Chummer says its in RC.
They are both identical except for their origins and look.
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You're looking at building a shapeshifter. I'm talking about the Mentor Spirit.
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You're looking at building a shapeshifter. I'm talking about the Mentor Spirit.
Mentor spirit is core book, and SM I believe.
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You're looking at building a shapeshifter. I'm talking about the Mentor Spirit.
Mentor spirit is core book, and SM I believe.
He means an actual Jaguar or Leopard Mentor Spirit - for which there seems to be no obvious archetype.
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You're looking at building a shapeshifter. I'm talking about the Mentor Spirit.
Mentor spirit is core book, and SM I believe.
He means an actual Jaguar or Leopard Mentor Spirit - for which there seems to be no obvious archetype.
The Cat one kind of matches though, although I don't know how much one of them would toy with prey too much.
I'd maybe see if your GM wouldn't let you do a custom one.
Panther
+2 Illusion spells +2 dice when ambushing
Must make a will + logic (3) test to stop himself from continuing to attack an opponent even after they have surrendered or have been incompacitated. (sorry I can't spell today)
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When it comes to character builds I always look at the concept and to me I think the ratings given do not match those of the concept.
As a cat that can take human form, even if it was born in captivity and raised with humans, I would think these skills would be at least 3. of course this opinion smacks of "racial memory" and could be argued but I truly think these should be a bit higher.
Climbing: 2
Gymnastics: 0
Shadowing: 0
Tracking: 1
And though not a primary for the type of cat I would think it would at least be at 2 for the same reasons above.
Swimming: 0
Hope this helps,
Red
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Ok, so I did some rethinking on my shifter and now she's an adept.
Still captured at an young age, spent a year as a prisoner before getting away then less then a year at a secret camp in the Tir.
Now she's i Seattle to get money to pay those that rescued her and get info about her sister.
10 BP and 7k Nuy left.
Is there anything I need to change? I was thinking about dropping Traceless Walk and upping Imp Unarmed, it's just that i want to be able to drop from a hight and not be heard.
Decisions decisions.
== Info ==
Street Name:
Name: Melony
Movement: 15/80
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 1
Public Awareness: 0
Jaguar Shapeshifter (Human) Female
Composure: 5
Judge Intentions: 6
Lift/Carry: 9 (75 kg/50 kg)
Memory: 6
Nuyen: 0
== Attributes ==
BOD: 4
AGI: 5
REA: 5 (6)
STR: 5
CHA: 2
INT: 4
LOG: 3
WIL: 3
EDG: 2
MAG: 6
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 6
Initiative: 9 (10)
IP: 1 (2)
Astral Initiative: 8
Astral IP: 3
Matrix Initiative: 9
Matrix IP: 1
Physical Damage Track: 10
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling : 0 Pool: 3
Animal Training : 0 Pool: 3
Archery : 0 Pool: 4
Armorer : 0 Pool: 2
Artisan : 0 Pool: 3
Automatics : 0 Pool: 4
Blades : 0 Pool: 4
Climbing : 2 Pool: 7
Clubs : 0 Pool: 4
Computer : 0 Pool: 2
Con : 0 Pool: 1
Cybercombat : 0 Pool: 2
Data Search : 0 Pool: 2
Demolitions : 0 Pool: 2
Disguise : 0 Pool: 3
Diving : 0 Pool: 3
Dodge : 0 Pool: 5
Escape Artist : 0 Pool: 4
Etiquette : 1 Pool: 3
First Aid : 0 Pool: 2
Flight : 0 Pool: 4
Forgery : 0 Pool: 4
Gunnery : 0 Pool: 4
Gymnastics : 4 Pool: 9
Hacking : 0 Pool: 2
Heavy Weapons : 0 Pool: 4
Infiltration : 3 Pool: 8
Instruction : 0 Pool: 1
Intimidation : 1 Pool: 3
Leadership : 0 Pool: 1
Locksmith : 0 Pool: 4
Longarms : 0 Pool: 4
Navigation : 1 Pool: 5
Negotiation : 1 Pool: 3
Palming : 0 Pool: 4
Parachuting : 0 Pool: 3
Perception : 3 Pool: 7
Pilot Ground Craft : 0 Pool: 5
Pilot Watercraft : 0 Pool: 5
Pistols : 1 Pool: 6
Riding : 0 Pool: 5
Running : 3 Pool: 8
Shadowing : 1 Pool: 5
Survival : 1 Pool: 4
Swimming : 1 Pool: 6
Throwing Weapons : 0 Pool: 4
Tracking : 1 Pool: 5
Unarmed Combat : 4 Pool: 11
== Knowledge Skills ==
Area Knowledge: Cheyenne : 2 Pool: 6
Art : 2 Pool: 5
English : 3 Pool: 7
Military : 3 Pool: 7
Parazoology : 2 Pool: 5
Security Tactics : 3 Pool: 6
Sioux : N Pool: 0
Sperethiel : 3 Pool: 7
Underworld : 3 Pool: 7
== Contacts ==
(1, 1)
== Qualities ==
Addiction (Mild) (Taéngele)
Adept
Distinctive Style
Flashbacks (Uncommon)
In Debt (5,000¥)
Lost Loved One (Sister)
Mania/Phobia (Uncommon, Moderate) (Sister)
SINner (Standard) (Tir T)
The Warrior's Way
== Powers ==
Elemental Strike (lightning)
Freefall Rating: 4
Improved Ability (Combat) (Unarmed Combat) Rating: 3
Improved Reflexes 1
Killing Hands
Mystic Armor Rating: 6
Traceless Walk
Wall Running
== Critter Powers ==
Allergy (Silver, Severe)
Dual Natured
Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low Light Vision, Smell)
Natural Weapon (Claws/Bite: DV STR/2 + 2, AP 0)
Regeneration
Sapience
Shift (Human)
Vulnerability (Silver)
== Lifestyles ==
Low 1 months
== Armor ==
Clothing 3/1
+Color Changing
+Delta-Amyloid
== Weapons ==
Unarmed Attack
Pool: 11 DV: 3P AP: - RC: 0
== Martial Arts ==
Wildcat
== Commlink ==
Singularity Battle Buddy Basic (5, 0, 0, 5)
+Biometric Lock
+Hardening Rating 5
+Armor Case Rating 5
+Biometric Lock
+Hardening Rating 5
+Armor Case Rating 5
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1) Can you describe the mania/phobia sister? I'm not seeing how it is one.
2) Get a skill up to 6 or 2 to 5.