Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Bushw4cker on <08-28-16/0703:25>
-
Potential Street Samurai before he/she gets all that fancy ware. I thought it might be fun character to play, especially for new player.
Any thoughts or comments are always Appreciated
Thanks )
Made Using Point Buy (KarmaGen)
RACE
Human
ATTRIBUTES
Body 5
Agility 6
Reaction 4
Strength 5
Willpower 5
Logic 4
Intuition 5
Charisma 4
Edge 4
Essence 6
Initiative 9 + 1D6
POSITIVE QUALITIES
Adrenaline Surge
Biocompatibility (Cyber)
Tough as Nails (Stun)
Quick Healer
NEGATIVE QUALITIES
SINner (National, UCAS)
Code of Honor (Warrior)
Addiction (Mild, Jazz)
ACTIVE SKILLS
Intimidation 2
Animal Handling 1
Perception 3
(Visual +2)
Sneaking 2
(Urban +2)
Unarmed Combat 6
Blades 4
(Kenjutsu +2)
Pistols 4
(Semi-Automatics +2)
Automatics 2
(Assualt Rifles +2)
Throwing Weapons 1
Pilot Ground Craft 2
Gunnery 2
(Ballistic +2)
Computer 1
Demolitions 1
First Aid 1
Armorer 1
FINISHING MOVE (KENJUTSU)
Special Complex Action (1 Edge)
Make Normal Attack, if Attack
Successfully Damages Opponent,
Immediately get Second Strike
with a +2 Dice Pool Modifier
SKILL GROUPS
Athletics 2
Influence 2
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
UCAS Military 3
(Army +2)
Local Street Gangs 1
Organized Crime 1
Small Unit Tactics 3
Street Drugs 1
Global Politics 2
Corporate Politics 1
Trid Shows 1
Sports 1
Music 1
LANGUAGE SKILLS
English N
Japanese 1
Spanish 1
RANGED WEAPONS
Browning Ultra-Power w/ 2 Clips (Reg) Ammo, 2 Clips (Gel) Ammo
FN HAR w/ Sling w/ 2 Clips (Reg) Ammo, 1 Clip (Gel) Ammo
ARMOR
Armor Jacket w/ Gear Access (Katana)
w/ Concealed Pockets (x2)
w/ Faraday Pockets (x2)
ID/LICENSES/NUYEN
Fake SIN (Rating 4)
Fake License (Rating 4) Restricted Firearm Possession
Fake License (Rating 4) Conceal Carry
GEAR
Contacts (Cap 3) w/ Flare Compensation, Low-Light, Image Link
Ear Buds (Cap 2) w/ Audio Enhancement (Rating 2)
Concealable Holster (Browning Ultra-Power)
Shock Gloves
2 Flash-Bang Grenades
2 Smoke Grenades
2 Stim Patches (Rating 6)
4 Chem Patches (Jazz)
100 Rounds (Reg Ammo) Browning Ultra
200 Rounds (Reg Ammo) FN HAR
100 Rounds (Gel Ammo) Browning Ultra
105 Rounds (Gel Ammo) FN HAR
COMMLINK & ACCESSORIES
Renraku Sensei w/ Program Carrier Mod (VM, Encryption, Browse)
w/ Diagnostics & Ticker Apps
AR Gloves
Subvocal Mic
Trodes
LOW LIFESTYLE
1800¥ a Month
Obscure/Difficult to Find
Dangerous Area
Public Grid Matrix Access
VEHICLE
Yamaha Rapier
CONTACTS
Fixer (Connection 5, Loyalty 2)
Army Supply Officer (Connection 4, Loyalty 3)
NOTES
Starting Nuyen: 3D6 x 60 + 2,200¥
19 Karma Spent on Resources
-
Is this a 800 karmagen? It could be fit to build him with 600-700 karma since he is supposed to be "pre-cyberbadass", so some kind of Street Scum level game.
I really like to pick Adrenaline Surge on low initiative combat character, it helps a lot with survival to shot first and it will still be useful once your character get more initiative.
Biocompatibility has to be either for Bioware or Cyberware.
I suppose it is In Debt V? If you can I would recommend to drop it, it's ~37k Nuyen + Interest to pay back and it will heavily slow down how fast you get your wares. I suggest to drop LOG from 4 to 3 (you don't use it a lot anyway) and convert that into 40k Nuyen.
You should consider going for Skill Groups for Firearms and Close Combat. Your GM might allow to even break the group with Specialization since Run Faster mention that Point Buy works similar to Character Advancement.
You do not have a non-lethal ranged options. I would probably add some Gel Rounds and/or Stick-n-Shock just in case you need to take down a target without killing it.
Your contacts (Avail 6) with Flare compensation (Avail +1) and Thermographic Vision (Avail +6) reach 13 Availability so they are illegal at chargen.
I like the concept though I would probably go for an Ork to deal better damage with that Katana.
-
Is this a 800 karmagen? It could be fit to build him with 600-700 karma since he is supposed to be "pre-cyberbadass", so some kind of Street Scum level game.
Yes it's 800 Karmagen. He/She is still a badass without the Cyber...
I really like to pick Adrenaline Surge on low initiative combat character, it helps a lot with survival to shot first and it will still be useful once your character get more initiative.
I really like Adrenaline Surge as Well, and if character didn't have have very good Initiative already, I might consider taking. Character has 10 + 1D6 (3D6 with Jazz)
Biocompatibility has to be either for Bioware or Cyberware.
Would you let player wait to choose which one to take right before they get their first cyberware/bioware installed? I figured since character didn't have ware yet...
I suggest to drop LOG from 4 to 3 (you don't use it a lot anyway) and convert that into 40k Nuyen
Character has 4 Skills linked to Logic, and Logic is used for Psychological Addiction tests.. Jazz is both Psychological and Physical Addiction. Also I like the idea of Samurai with Brains and Brawn..
You should consider going for Skill Groups for Firearms and Close Combat. Your GM might allow to even break the group with Specialization since Run Faster mention that Point Buy works similar to Character Advancement.
Is there an official ruling on that? I think you should be able to do that.
You do not have a non-lethal ranged options. I would probably add some Gel Rounds and/or Stick-n-Shock just in case you need to take down a target without killing it.
I'll fix that. Thanks
Your contacts (Avail 6) with Flare compensation (Avail +1) and Thermographic Vision (Avail +6) reach 13 Availability so they are illegal at chargen.
Now I have tough decision to make... I could get Thermographic Vision with pair of Glasses, but Street Samurai with Glasses just seems wrong. Think I'll just switch to Low-Light Vision Contacts.. Thanks )
I like the concept though I would probably go for an Ork to deal better damage with that Katana.
Yeah but everyone expects the Ork to be the Muscle in the Group. Besides, Orks are way more expensive with Karmagen compared to Priority.
I suppose it is In Debt V? If you can I would recommend to drop it, it's ~37k Nuyen + Interest to pay back and it will heavily slow down how fast you get your wares. .
Yeah it's In Debt 5, it's listed on the Character sheet Attachment. Have you ever played or played with a Character that had In Debt Negative Quality? I'm curious what other players/GMs have experienced taking that Quality.
I just don't think it's quite as bad as a lot of people think.. It all depends on the GM. Some GMs might make the quality a nightmare for the player, while other GMs might give you huge payday on your first run. I think a good GM will be somewhere in the middle.. It's only a 5 point Negative Quality...
If you're playing this character, you should be getting at least Beta Grade Ware. If I'm playing this character, I'm saving up till I can get Wired Reflexes 2 or 3 with Reaction Enhancers 3. That's at least 250K Nuyen,
-
Personally I would ask the player to chose for a Biocompatibility right away, as always it is up to the GM.
3 LOG is not too bad and raising it to 4 is only 20 Karma. It was just a suggestion you can certainly get the karma from somewhere else to raise your Nuyen. As you said In Debt depends heavily on the GM but don't forget that the interest will pill up if you have some months between missions and that you will have to pay 10 Karma to completely remove the debt. I believe average mission reward for starter are between 10k and 20k so it can easily takes 4 missions before buying back the quality, and that's not counting interests, lifestyle and other expenses. So 4 missions going without any wares (the first one you should get is Narco if you like Drugs by the way, ~16k Nuyen to get high stats boost).
Get Low Light Vision on your Contact and Thermographic on a Ballistic Mask or a Helmet! Or you can always get some super cool glasses (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/be/17/63/be1763e690d62874ab575a17906f432f.jpg).
Ork are actually cheaper than human, they are 50 Karma but start with 4 BOD and 3 STR which normally cost 60 Karma, because human start with 2 Edge which cost 10 Karma so it even in the end but you get free Light Vision (and higher possible BOD and STR).
Oh and finally you can't have 1 Starting Karma in karmagen :
Note that leftover Karma from the point-buy process cannot be carried over from character creation—it’s use it or lose it!
-
Made a bunch of Changes, let me know what you think..
-
That's some really high Attributes! If he can survive long enough to pick up some Gear (and spend some karma into Skills) he will be a truly scary foe.
Don't keep 2k Nuyen, spend them! A Medkit would be a good idea, at least a level 3 for the pocket and if you can a level 6 that stay in the car. Some B&E Gear, Datachip, Credsticks, Restraints... all the basis maybe you were planning to take them later but I thought I might as well mention it.
-
You seem opposed to Ork, which is fine since its all about character concept (for me anyway), BUT...
As a previous poster mentioned your STR is "low" for someone who is specializing in Close Combat.
Even with Katana you are doing 8P, -3P which won't cut through an Armored Jacket (which is pretty much the standard).
Also you have 6 Unarmed and 4 (6) Katana. I'd definitely switch those to 4 Unarmed and 6 (8) Katana. Unless you really want to specialize in Unarmed.
If you do, I'd get some Plastic Bone Lacing. It's really cheap (8k) and will up your damage with Unarmed and give you more damage resistance.
You might consider switching your Agility and Strength to get another point of damage.
For your ranged, you might want to just move your points in Pistol to Autos. You can always use machine pistols and have more skill with everything.
-
That's some really high Attributes! If he can survive long enough to pick up some Gear (and spend some karma into Skills) he will be a truly scary foe.
Don't keep 2k Nuyen, spend them! A Medkit would be a good idea, at least a level 3 for the pocket and if you can a level 6 that stay in the car. Some B&E Gear, Datachip, Credsticks, Restraints... all the basis maybe you were planning to take them later but I thought I might as well mention it.
All that stuff is pretty easy to get when playing. Credsticks, Restraints, and Datachips all have no availability.rating.
-
Plus, availability only counts when you go the black market way. If you don't mind having your purchases recording on a SIN (fake or not), availability doesn't matter.
-
You seem opposed to Ork, which is fine since its all about character concept (for me anyway), BUT...
As a previous poster mentioned your STR is "low" for someone who is specializing in Close Combat.
Even with Katana you are doing 8P, -3P which won't cut through an Armored Jacket (which is pretty much the standard).
Also you have 6 Unarmed and 4 (6) Katana. I'd definitely switch those to 4 Unarmed and 6 (8) Katana. Unless you really want to specialize in Unarmed.
If you do, I'd get some Plastic Bone Lacing. It's really cheap (8k) and will up your damage with Unarmed and give you more damage resistance.
You might consider switching your Agility and Strength to get another point of damage.
For your ranged, you might want to just move your points in Pistol to Autos. You can always use machine pistols and have more skill with everything.
1 net hit on Melee Attack with Katana will do 9S -3AP
In almost every Shadowrun game I've played, Unarmed Combat has come up way more than Armed Combat.
I would prefer to get Shock Hands vs Plastic Bone Lacing.
Agility is linked to so many Skills..
-
Would you go melee as much as possible or would you go ranged and melee only when it is worth it (like for a Stealth Kill)? 9S/-3AP is the damage of most weapons smaller than SMG so it is decent but a full melee character tends to go much higher than that to make up for the danger of being in melee.
If your character really has a big focus on melee switch that STR and AGI stat for extra damage. If melee is only a complement I think you can stay like that.
If you go Shock Hands it's a bit pointless to invest in so much STR. Maybe drop that STR and Blades skills, upgrade Clubs and Unarmed and use Stun Baton/Shock Gloves/Shock Hands for melee and keep that AGI at 6.
-
Plus, availability only counts when you go the black market way. If you don't mind having your purchases recording on a SIN (fake or not), availability doesn't matter.
RAW Availability always matters. There is no "ignore availability and just put it on the fake SIN" option RAW. Personally in my home game if it isn't Restricted or Forbidden I let the PCs buy things at the Wal-Kong or Stuffer Shack if it seems reasonable that it's available over the counter. For gear with a Rating I limit it to Rating one or two. Military grade Sensors aren't just sitting around, but for small stuff, sure. Miniwelder and a survival kit? Isle 7. Pepper Punch Grenade? No.
-
I didn't meant it applied to restricted or forbidden. But in the rules, the availability roll is only made when you get items from the black market. So sure, you may not get your grenade from the nearest stuffer shack, or your SOTA sensors either.
But hey, you can buy pretty much anything on internet today, I don't think you wouldn't be able to buy any less on the matrix in '75, especially if it's legal. So a pepper punch grenade with an availability of 2? I don't see the problem at all.
Except that it is then linked to a SIN, and you probably don't want to have that for something you'll probably use for something illegal.
-
1 net hit on Melee Attack with Katana will do 9S -3AP
You are still doing stun.. which is fine.. just depends what you want to do to your opponents I suppose.
In almost every Shadowrun game I've played, Unarmed Combat has come up way more than Armed Combat.
That's pretty odd I would think. Are you going on runs without weapons?
Or do you get in a lot of bar fights? ;)
I would prefer to get Shock Hands vs Plastic Bone Lacing.
Bone Lacing gives you body and armor. Shock Gloves don't.
However, if you are starting 0 cyber I get it.
Agility is linked to so many Skills..
It most definitely is. Which is why I would do all those other things instead.
A lot of this is pretty game dependent, but definitely "sub-optimal" IMO. If you going to be using a STR based weapon primarily then you'd probably want a high STR. If you are going to be using Shock Gloves primarily than your STR doesn't matter at all. At this point with 1 success, your Katana and Shock Gloves do the same damage. :)
One of the issues is.. you haven't really said what you are trying to do.
But from your latest comments it sounds like you want to be able to walk into places lightly armed.. perhaps just a pistol and be dangerous. It also sounds like that situation (or completely unarmed) happens a lot in your games. Although even if you are "lightly" armed you could have a combat knife (nearly as deadly as a Katana) if you could have a pistol.
That's a lot different than being set up for heavy combat with katana and assault rifles (which you also seem to want to do). Although I would never knock versatility.
Many people have pointed out (in past thread) that SR really rewards specialization over generalization and although I routinely violate that rules I do try to make the most of my points, hence not trying to duplicate skills like Pistol v. Auto. if I can avoid.
Of course the other choice is just getting a Mono-whip. ;D
-
Quote from: Bushw4cker on (17:54:24/08-28-16)
1 net hit on Melee Attack with Katana will do 9S -3AP
You are still doing stun.. which is fine.. just depends what you want to do to your opponents I suppose.
That's assuming you only get 1 net hit, more than that, it's Physical Damage.
That's pretty odd I would think. Are you going on runs without weapons?
Or do you get in a lot of bar fights?
Seems like there are a lot of situations where we don't want to use lethal force. Also there are a lot of places where you can't bring a sword, or it's going to raise a lot of eyebrows if you do. Lastly... yeah a lot of Bar Fights..
I would prefer to get Shock Hands vs Plastic Bone Lacing.
Bone Lacing gives you body and armor. Shock Gloves don't.
However, if you are starting 0 cyber I get it.
Shock Gloves/Hands do Electric Damage (Lowering Initiative), Have -5AP, and only need to touch to do any damage. Bone Lacing turns all your Unarmed Attacks into Physical Damage. (Which I don't like)
Agility is linked to so many Skills..
t most definitely is. Which is why I would do all those other things instead.
A lot of this is pretty game dependent, but definitely "sub-optimal" IMO. If you going to be using a STR based weapon primarily then you'd probably want a high STR. If you are going to be using Shock Gloves primarily than your STR doesn't matter at all. At this point with 1 success, your Katana and Shock Gloves do the same damage. :)
One of the issues is.. you haven't really said what you are trying to do.
But from your latest comments it sounds like you want to be able to walk into places lightly armed.. perhaps just a pistol and be dangerous. It also sounds like that situation (or completely unarmed) happens a lot in your games. Although even if you are "lightly" armed you could have a combat knife (nearly as deadly as a Katana) if you could have a pistol.
That's a lot different than being set up for heavy combat with katana and assault rifles (which you also seem to want to do). Although I would never knock versatility.
Many people have pointed out (in past thread) that SR really rewards specialization over generalization and although I routinely violate that rules I do try to make the most of my points, hence not trying to duplicate skills like Pistol v. Auto. if I can avoid.
Of course the other choice is just getting a Mono-whip. ;D
This is a character that is going to be getting a lot of Cyberware, so Strength is going to be raised at least 2 or 3 points, if not more. I took Unarmed Max rating partly because I'm assuming character is going to get some Cyber-Implant Weaponry later on, and I like idea of being able to kick ass in the many Bar Fights I know are going to happen.
With Katana, after successful hit, character can execute Finishing Move, which is probably one of the best Martial Art Maneuvers imho.
FINISHING MOVE
(CLOSE COMBAT ONLY)
Special Complex Action
(–10 to Initiative Score, spend 1 Edge)
A finishing move is that way-cool trid final attack maneuver
the hero makes to defeat the bad guy. The character
must declare that he is performing a Finishing Move
combination. The character makes an attack. If the character
successfully damages an opponent with the melee
attack, the character can then make an immediate extra
strike against the same opponent with a +2 dice pool
modifier. A gratuitous Free Action to taunt the opponent
can also be applied, especially if the attacker is holding
the target’s spine and skull in his hands at the time. This
action can only be performed once per Combat Turn. Note
that use of this action requires Martial Art training.
I'm trying to make a Fun Character to play, if I play it myself, or if I use it as an Archetype for when I GM.
I thought it would be good starting character for someone who is new to Shadowrun that wants to play a more Combat oriented character. I think the Normal Archetype Street Samurai can be a little overwhelming to someone who has never played Shadowrun before and has no idea what character is capable of with all the gear and cyber/bioware he has.
I was thinking about how you start a video game rpg, when I was making this character. You have no money, no cool stuff yet. You have to play a while to get the cool stuff.
I understand what you're saying about Duplicate Skills, and if I was making this character using priority, I wouldn't have as many skills as I do, but with Karma Gen, it's a little easier to have more skills, albeit at a generally lower rating.
Thanks for the Detailed reply btw.
-
Would you go melee as much as possible or would you go ranged and melee only when it is worth it (like for a Stealth Kill)? 9S/-3AP is the damage of most weapons smaller than SMG so it is decent but a full melee character tends to go much higher than that to make up for the danger of being in melee.
If your character really has a big focus on melee switch that STR and AGI stat for extra damage. If melee is only a complement I think you can stay like that.
If you go Shock Hands it's a bit pointless to invest in so much STR. Maybe drop that STR and Blades skills, upgrade Clubs and Unarmed and use Stun Baton/Shock Gloves/Shock Hands for melee and keep that AGI at 6.
Well Warrior Code kind of makes stealth kills a no no.
Like I said in last post.... there tends to be a lot of Bar Fights in the games I play and GM for some reason..
Melee is sort of a compliment skill..... I would have taken Unarmed Rating 4 with a Martial Art Specialization +2, but I don't like the Martial Arts in 5th Ed. as much as 4th.
Strength is good for few things... But probably biggest reason I think I should keep at Rating 5, I think it fits Character..
-
Shock Gloves/Hands do Electric Damage (Lowering Initiative), Have -5AP, and only need to touch to do any damage. Bone Lacing turns all your Unarmed Attacks into Physical Damage. (Which I don't like)
Funny thing.. My main player is a troll with Titanium Bone Lacing, and we were trying to figure out if he can even hit someone WITHOUT killing them. :-)
With Katana, after successful hit, character can execute Finishing Move, which is probably one of the best Martial Art Maneuvers imho.
Yah.. don't use MA moves because they are overpowered (IMO) for example.. Finishing move. ;D
I understand what you're saying about Duplicate Skills, and if I was making this character using priority, I wouldn't have as many skills as I do, but with Karma Gen, it's a little easier to have more skills, albeit at a generally lower rating.
Thanks for the Detailed reply btw.
[/quote]
You sill might want to combine Auto and Pistol. If you are going to be using Unarmed and Katana in close quarters, Machine Pistols are probably going to do the little shooting you might do at range when you aren't carrying an Assault Rifle. Another option is Longarms which gives you Shotguns which are simply brutal at short to medium range.
-
I could have swore there was rule in 5th ed. About doing stun damage with physical damage weapons, I spent about half hour looking for it a while ago then gave up.... If anyone knows about that would love to hear reply...
I actually don't think any of the MA moves are overpowered in 5th Edition, the 4th ed. Ones were way better (More Powerful) imho.
I would say Pistol or smaller concealabilty was appropriate for about 2/3 of the runs I have played and GMed. Maybe a third or fourth of the Runs, the team could have gotten away with carrying Assault Rifles or bigger..
I thought about Longarms, but thought Pistols, Gunnery and Automatics fit better for Character with Military Background. Also, Sniper Rifles don't fit with Warrior Code, and Shotguns can't be silenced.
-
There is, it's a called shot, so -4d to attack, and you make stun damage instead of physical.
p186, CRB "Changing damage type"
-
Thanks Imladir!!