Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/0045:24>

Title: Former Soldier Build
Post by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/0045:24>
Metatype:
Human

Lifestyle:
Comforts 2, Entertainment 4, Necessities 3, Neighborhood 2, Security 3

Network Bottleneck -1
Perfect roommate +2

15 pts, 5000 nuyen per month

Attributes:
Body          5
Agility        4(6)
Reaction    4(5)
Strength    3(5)
Charisma   3
Intuition    4
Logic         2
Willpower  3

Edge         2
Essence    2.64
Initiative   8(9)
Passes      2

Skills:
Athletics             3
Close combat     3
Firearms             4
Etiquette            1  (Military specialized)
First aid              1  (Combat wounds specialized)
Gunnery             1
Heavy weapons 2  (Grenade launchers)
Infiltration          2
Intimidation       1
Parachuting       1
Perception         2
Survival              2
Throwing wpns  2  (Lobbed)
Pilot grndcrft      1  (Wheeled)
Armorer             1  (Firearms)
Dodge                3

Knowledge:
Military               3  (Army)
Sports                3  (Combat biking)
Club music         3
English               N
Japanese           4
Spanish             3

Qualities:
Restricted gear

SINner
Records on file (UCAS Army)
Phobia (flying)
Flashbacks

Augmentations:
Smartlink (alpha)    .08 ess
Image link (alpha)  .08 ess
Wired reflexes      1.60 ess (alpha)
Muscle replace.2   1.60 ess (alpha)

Gear:
Goggles (low light, thermo, flare comp)
Holo projector
AR gloves
Sim module
10 datachips
4 certified credsticks
10 spare Ares Alpha clips
8 spare Ares Predator clips
Rating 3 earbuds
Rating 6 medkit
Battle Buddy Basic commlink
Iris Orb OS
FTL Matrixware Net Wizard
Rating 1 Tacsoft

Weapons:
Ares Predator IV
Ares Alpha
12 frag mini-grenades
5 smoke grenades
12 high explosive mini-grenades
4 high explosive grenades
AZ-150 stun baton
Bayonet
Survival knife
Vibroknife
Shock gloves

Armor:
Light military armor (SoftWeave, R.I.G.)
Military helmet  (low light, thermo, flare comp)
Form-fitting body armor (SoftWeave)

Vehicle:
Harley-Davidson Scorpion

Contacts:
Army Captain - 4 loyalty, 4 connection
Supply Sergeant - 5 loyalty, 2 connection

Just thought I'd post this up and see what you guys thought of the build.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: baronspam on <05-23-11/0135:27>
You don't need dodge, the Athletics skill group includes gymnastics which lets you do the same things.

Your build is a generalist combat build.  You can fight up close, at range, small guns, big guns , really really big guns.  You have some nice support skills like first aid, infiltration, etc.  Depending on the campaign, nothing is really wrong with any of that.  Just keep in mind that you aren't "bleeding edge" good at anything.  A true sammi will take you out hand to hand, a focused gun adept will beat you in a firefight, a troll with bone lace and dermal plate will be twice as tough.  You do lots of things well, but nothing really, really well. 
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Operator on <05-23-11/0138:53>
My own recommendations.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/0156:22>
I keep forgetting about the Gymnastics skill substituting for Dodge. From what I can tell, relying on First Aid would be a bad thing, but I do see it as a good "emergency" skill to have when the drek hits the fan. Considering now in going ahead and dropping the Dodge for another First Aid rank and maybe some Data Search.

On a note unrelated to mechanics also need to come up with an alias for this guy. (Always have the most trouble with that part.)
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/1432:29>
You could also create a military skill group. This is something we house-ruled. It has three skills: Fitness, Military weapons, and one skill of your Military Specialty. The Fitness is used as bonuses to any athletic related checks, basically as that extra gut check to force through the pain, adversity, etc. The military rifles is just that: familiarity with assault rifles, heavy weapons and pistols, although, not specialized in anything. Lastly, your final skill is of the player's choosing, be it commo, first aid, etc. The skill group follows the same rules as skill groups. And it would probably do you good to to be specific about the kids of firearms (what was the standard issue for your military?).

It was stated in one of the books that a 4 in firearms is equivalent to a combat vet; not a newbie and not a Spec Ops cool kid. So I took that and ran with it.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Makki on <05-23-11/1438:44>
who's your GM? I wanna give him a call and laugh at him for allowing Softweave :P That';s the worst introduction in War! by far.
Anyways. Form Fitting Armor cannot be worn with Milspec, nothing can. So you're looking at 12/10 +2/2 which doesn't encumber you with your Body 5. Remember it's Body x3 for Milspec armor. So why Softeave in the first place?
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/1450:04>
I made this after looking at the War book and decided to toy around with tweaking and modding a couple of the soldier blocks in that book. (What can I say? I like former military char-types)

@Makki: I messed up, didn't see the Body x 3 for the military armor *sheepish grin*. As to your comment about FFBA, I just looked at that section in Arsenal, and I didn't see anything about not being able to wear both. Is this a houserule for your group, or am I missing a piece of errata somewhere?

Okay, didn't read far enough, but oh well. The FFBA gives some armor to wear under clothing just in case a "Food Fight" scenario erupts.  ;D

@Cass: Haven't found much detailed fluff on the matter, but the character is intended to be UCAS Army, so I imagine the Alpha (with the Predator as sidearm) would be likely since those are such common weapons in SR.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/1604:15>
I might have read somewhere that the Colt M22's were the UCAS standard. I could also be biased as I like the M4, lol. Its your world man, have fun with it.

Also, don't get so caught up in armor. You may have been a soldier, but you're working the shadows now. Armor is good of course, but milspec armor is cumbersome. You want to be flexible.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Makki on <05-23-11/1614:17>
but milspec armor is cumbersome.
that's just your personal opinion. by RAW it's less encumbering as common armor, due to it's custom tailoring. Spec-Ops grunts in War! wear it and they known to use the best gear for the job. Their kind of work is similar to a runner's.

You want to be flexible.
that's why you add Mobility upgrade (+dice for running), Hydraulic Jacks (+dice for jumping) and/or Strength Upgrade


I think Milspec armor is exactly, what a runner wants and can make use of. Assuming it's one of these kind of runs, where you don't plan on getting seen (so nobody cares about your clothing) and if you do, you better win the fight. How man runs are like this? That's for each group to answer.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: JoeNapalm on <05-23-11/1626:14>
I might have read somewhere that the Colt M22's were the UCAS standard. I could also be biased as I like the M4, lol. Its your world man, have fun with it.


It is pretty clear, from the pictures, names, and descriptions, that the M-23 is the 2072 equivalent of an M-4, and the Colt Govt 2066 is a Colt 1911 equivalent (well, more like a Springfield Armory TRP equivalent).

My street merc character concept is former UCAS military, and I tricked him out some custom weapons based on those assumptions. Pretty happy with how they came out.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/1721:50>
@ Makki....different strokes for different folks. Personally I don't think going on a run with full armor is a good idea. Secondly, former military doesn't mean former spec ops. That's just me though. YMMV.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Zephraim on <05-23-11/1801:45>
War! put everyone from basic infantrymen and up in light (or medium/heavy for special forces) Milspec armor.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/1933:03>
True, but why would former military have a full suit of milspec armor? Its not like they let you keep it.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/2022:38>
True, but why would former military have a full suit of milspec armor? Its not like they let you keep it.

Well, such a high loyalty supply sergeant could arrange for a suit to "fall off the truck."  ::) ;)
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/2101:58>
Well, just for flavor, the military tends to notice when sensitive equipment goes missing. So the question is if he/ she is loyal enough to go to prison. As a GM I wouldn't accept that response. Now if you came at me and said "I went AWOL and took it" then i'd probably trade you some negative qualities for it. Of course, that makes for a great campaign or two later...  ;D

Qualifier: I am military, so I tend to apply what I know about to my world. Your sandbox, roll with it.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: All4BigGuns on <05-23-11/2107:31>
Well I was joking with the "fall off the truck" comment. You do have a point in that there's a very high chance the sergeant would go to prison for stuff like that.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-23-11/2200:31>
Not trying to be a buzzkill. If you're GM is cool with it, go crazy.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: baronspam on <05-24-11/1107:16>
Well I was joking with the "fall off the truck" comment. You do have a point in that there's a very high chance the sergeant would go to prison for stuff like that.

Actually, from what I have heard from some friends/relatives that have been in the military, there is a staggering amount of theft of gear.  People steal things for profit, and people steal things becuase someone stole from them and they need to have one, and people steal things becuase they want to have a backup when someone steals whatever they were issued.  Yes, you can go to prison for it, and yes people do it all the time anyway.  My father once told me their motto in the air force was "be well equiped", meaning grab whatever the hell you can and cashe it somewhere, because someone will try to run off your *whatever*  if you aren't looking, and if the military issues you a piece of gear and you claim it came up missing they actually charge you the money for it. 

Add to this the hardcore ciminals, many of whom are in uniform, who will do the risky stuff like sell military grade weapons on the side, and its not to hard to say that something "fell off a truck".  The guy who did it may have got caught eventually and ended up in a tiny, dank, lightless cell somewhere, but the character was long down the road at that point.
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Makki on <05-24-11/1115:23>
and hey, they are custom tailored, so the armor won't fit anybody else anyway, right? :P
Title: Re: Former Soldier Build
Post by: Cass100199 on <05-24-11/1200:17>
@baronspam       To a certain extent your right. And it's not theft, it's securing what someone else left unsecured. It's a public service.  :P

What I meant earlier is that it seems to me that some sort of powered up armor would probably fall in the category of a sensitive item, i.e. guns, radios, cryptological codes, etc. So while gear might be easy to attain on the side, the military is very stringent with SI. I would imagine that in the SR world they are even more so with the amount of tech theft and the might of corp armies.