Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Ted Fast on <03-21-12/2320:36>
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Hi.
I'm a newcomer to Shadowrun but is seems like a really cool game so I am planing on starting up a campaign soon-ish.
I have just tried my hand at making a charter using only the core book ( I also own Augmentations, Arsenal and Street Magic but I didn't want to overwhelm myself..)
and I was wondering if someone was willing to take a look at my character and see I have made any big mistakes or just give me some feed-back on him.
Any and all tips for a noob trying to make a competent character would be very appreciated.
The character I made is generic street samurai that should (hopefully) be able to both take punishment and dish it out.
== Info ==
Street Name: Ziggy,
Name: Sigmund Oxbaner
Movement: 10/25, Swim: 5
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: -1
Public Awareness: 0
Orc Male Age 25
Height 2.08M Weight 143Kg
Composure: 0
Judge Intentions: 0
Lift/Carry: 0 (0 kg/0 kg)
Memory: 0
Nuyen: 500
Metahuman ability: Low-Light Vision
== Attributes ==
BOD: 7
AGI: 5 (7 )
REA: 4 (6)
STR: 6 (8)
CHA: 1
INT: 4
LOG: 3
WIL: 3
EDG: 3
MAG: -
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 0,3
Initiative: 8 (10)
IP: 1 (3)
Physical Damage Boxes: 12
Stun Damage Boxes: 10
== Active Skills ==
Automatics : 6 [Assult Rifles] Pool: 12 (14)
Armorer : 3 [Weapon Accessories] Pool: 6
Blades : 4 [Axes] Pool: 9 (11)
Climbing : 3 Pool: 9 (11)
Dodge : 3 Pool: 7 (9)
First Aid : 3 Pool: 6
Infiltration : 3 Pool: 8 (10)
Perception : 3 Pool: 7
Running : 3 Pool: 9 (11)
== Knowledge Skills ==
European Military History : 4 Pool: 7
Asatro Theology : 3 Pool: 6
Medieval heraldry : 2 Pool: 5
Swedish : N
Or'zet : 5
English : 4
Arabic : 3
== Contacts ==
Greg Smith Fixer (3, 3)
'Choppy' Lisa Street Doc (3, 3)
== Qualities ==
Toughness
High Pain Tolerance x 3
Sever allergy to gold
Scorched
Incompetent Archery
Incompetent Leadership
== Cyberware/Bioware == Essence
Wired Reflexes Rank 2 Alphaware 2,4
Dermal Plating Rank 2 Alphaware 0,8
Muscle Replacement Rank 2 Alphaware 2,4
Reflex Recorder [Automatic] 0,1
== Armor ==
Armor Jacket 8/6
Armor Jacket with Helmet 9/8
== Weapons ==
Combat Axe
Reach: 2 DV: 8P AP: -1
Unarmed Attack
Reach: - DV: 4S AP: -
Ares Alpha Barrel-mod: Gas-Vent 3 Top-mod: Smartgun System
DV: 6P AP: -1 MODE: SA/BF/FA RC: 6 AMMO 42(c)
EX-explosive round
DV: 7P AP: -2
Ammo: 10 clips regular ammo, 2 clips EX-Explosive Rounds
Ceska Black Scorpion Barrel-mod: Gas-Vent 3 Top-mod: Smartgun System
DV: 4P AP: - MODE: SA/BF RC: 4(5) AMMO 35(c)
Stick-n-Shock
DV:6S(e) AP: -half
Ammo: 10 clips regular ammo, 2 clips Stick-n-Shock
== Commlink ==
Commlink (Reponse 3,Signal 4,Firewall 3,System 3)
Commlink Accessories: AR Gloves, Subvocal Microphone, Electronic Paper
== Gear ==
Fake Sin Rank 3
Cred Stick
Contact Lenses Rank 3
Flare Compensation
Image Link
Smartlink
Docwagon Basic for 1 year
Tool Kit
Medkit Rank 6
Respirator Rank 6
Tranq Patch Rank 6
Long Haul
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If you reduce your Strength by 1, your melee attacks will do the same damage since that rounds up. That should enable you to not have a 1 Charisma--and thus avoid the GM aggro that can spawn.
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I'll see if I can take a more specific look later, but if you're new to SR, you might want to take a look at the characters in my sig for some examples.
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You need Augmentation for cyberware and bioware coolness.
You need Arsenal to mod your weapons efficiently and for armor.
Toughness isn’t worth the point. You are better of with +1 Body (toughness is first worth it once you has reach your toughness maximum).
Karma efficient you should start with one skill at 6 and other skills at 4 and the skills you won’t do without but can’t afford at 4 get them at 1.
The same for specialities – they are super cheap to grab for karma after start.
Remember to think about getting skills for your high attributes and non for your low attributes because those will not do you much good anyway. In example drop First Aid and just use the Rating 6 Med kit instead.
I don’t think Dermal Plating is worth the essence loss and the money. They are not that great. And get some more bioware. The essence loss from bioware is only half because you have a lot of cyberware.
You should always use Form Fitting Body Armor from Arsenal (cost 1600 nuyen). They can be combined with other sets of armor and gives 6/2 armor for only 3/1 encumbrance.
You should get a really cheap commlink and OS for public use. And then get a few programs for your main commlink (without programs it really can’t do much).
You could get even more sensory bonuses with a pair of glasses with other vision enchantments and you should get some ear buds to.
And definitely look at Umaro’s archtypes. He is really good at making characters.
Welcome to the game and have fun.
Regards
Rasmus
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In addition to what rasmusnicolaj said,
High Pain Tolerance is also really bad. It negates 1 point of penalties, sometimes. For 15 points. Whee.
Dermal Plating is really bad - it just costs way too much for the small armor bonus it gives you.
Muscle Replacement Alphaware is silly - just get the Muscle Toner and Muscle Augmentation bioware.
I don't think Alphaware Wired Reflexes are a good idea - just get regular ones. If you can afford a really expensive set of initiative enhancers, get Move By Wire 2 (Augmentation), but that requires the Restricted Gear quality.
Reaction Enhancers: you want them.
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Looks good. Used Chummer, huh? Yeah, the Alphaware isn't really needed at chargen, as the costs are prohibitive. You could probably tone his ware down a bit. Alternatively, look into Bio-compatibility (cyberware) from Augmentation, which cuts all cyber Essence costs by 10% for 5 or 10 BP (can't remember which).
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From a chemistry background, your choice of allergy makes my brain hurt. Ya, I know, MAGIC! But its just that gold is so inert and nigh impossible to get it to react with anything that I can't figure out how you can be allergic to it.
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From a chemistry background, your choice of allergy makes my brain hurt. Ya, I know, MAGIC! But its just that gold is so inert and nigh impossible to get it to react with anything that I can't figure out how you can be allergic to it.
Pretty much it's RAR MAGIC! Heck back in the 1st edition days, metahumans got a randomly determined allergy and gold was one of the possible substances, just like wood, silver, or sunlight.
As for the characters, let me start by saying that you have a good start. He's competent at being a street samurai and would take him over a sample character any day. But let's see if we can make him better. I will only look at the core book for now.
First off, let's look at your skills. You have a bunch of skills at 3. As rasmusnicolj said, the most karma efficient way is to have skills at 4. So I would move your skills around. I would drop Climbing, Dodge, and Running. I would buy the Athletics Group at 1. This saves you 24BP. Instead of dodge, you'll use gymnastics (not that I recommend active defenses). As for climbing and running, there's ware that helps with that. You also are better at swimming for what that's worth.
With the 24BP, I'll raise your infilitration and perception to 4, leaving you with 16BP spare. Both are very handy skills. You could drop both and grab the Stealth group at 4 instead. You'll need to buy up perception during play, but you'll also be okay at disguise and shadowing (especially if you buy up your Int).
Now you're at a crossroads when it comes to armorer and first aid. You're good enough to be meh at this stuff. While you can put a smartlink on a gun by yourself, you don't need armorer for much else in core. With Arsenal, you have gun mod options which you are okay or very meh at depending on how you do extended tests. However you could also just pay someone to do this stuff. As for first aid, you can roll 12 dice (with medkit) which isn't that much better than the 9 you'll be rolling without any skill.
So you have two options. One is to drop the armorer and first aid skills, lower your logic to 2 (you can go down to 1) and move the 34 BP elsewhere. You'll need people to mod your guns and you'll be better off handing your med kit to someone else, but that's some deep point savings. If you know your team has a high logic type, I would recommend going this route. The logic guy can handle the modding and first aiding. In a pinch, you can first aid with 8 dice (likely spend a point of edge if you can).
The other option is to be the logic type and make the most of it. I would consider this if no one else is a logic character or you expect to be alone a lot. Being an ork stinks for logic, but the point savings elsewhere are worth the effective -1 logic. Augmentation has a lot of options to help you out if you go this route.
Since you'll be sneaking around a lot, being able to bypass maglocks is really really handy. Therefore, the hardware skill can pay off. Buy up your logic to 4 and get hardware 4. Buy some cerebral boosters 2 and you now have a 10 dice hardware check. That'll cover most maglocks and give you a decent chance at anti-tamper systems. After that, buy up your first aid to 4*. That will cost you 30BP from what you have now. I'll buy down armorer to 1 to save on points. Depending on how much you have to spare, you might want to pick up mechanics so you can be good at modding cars, but that can also wait for karma.
Speaking of karma, it is usually better to buy specializations in play rather than at creation. Since you're mundane, spending karma for specialization is a good idea since you don't have to save for initiation like awakened or technomacners. You'll rather have the 6BP now than 6 karma later. I would recommend grabbing hardware (maglocks), first aid (combat wounds), armorer (weapon modification) if you go the logic path.
As for attributes, they are mostly fine. I would lower your strength to 5 as All4BigGuns points out. I would move that point into Int or Logic (if you're going the logic route). If you're dropping logic instead, I'll also consider increasing reaction to 5 as well. Willpower 3 is acceptable though I wish there was a way to get it to 5 without too much dumpstating but I don't think there is.
I would drop toughness and pain resistance. Pain don't hurt in SR4. As for toughness, you're going to be fairly tough anyways. I'll move the 25 BP elsewhere.
Now it's time for your gear. Convert whatever spare BP you have from the work above into cash. If you need more cash, I'll see what else can be cut. I think you can spend the full 250,000Y of starting nuyen even with just the core books.
You have the right idea that as a mundane, the state of your soul doesn't matter and you can walk around with essence of .3. However, I'll find ways to make your soul stretch further. Muscle replacement uses up to much essence for its cost. I would instead get muscle toner 2 and muscle augmentation 2 for 30,000Y (net cost: 10000Y). Then I'll remove your dermal plating for now and downgrade your wired reflexes to basic grade. This give you a total savings of 42000Y and an essence of 2.55. Eventually you'll want to buy muscle toner 4 and muscle augmentation 4.
I would then get a Synthacardium 3 for 30,000Y. Your new superheart gives you +3 to your athletics skills so overall you're just as skilled in those fields as before but you saved 18BP and are good at swimming. I'll also grab reaction enhancers 2 for 20000Y. That'll put you at a 8 reaction which is pretty keen. You'll now be at 1.8 essence.
If you're going the logic route, you'll want to buy cerebral boosters 2. Other that, you can pick up nifty ware. Ones that are nice are platelet factories, enhanced articulation, or dermal plating.
As for weapons, you're right that the Alpha is the best gun. I'm not sure how you're getting 6 RC though. With gas vent 3 + innate 2, you should have 5. Does Chummer use the strength adds to recoil compensation rule by default? Either way, be sure to add a shock pad for an additional 1 point of RC.
As for your concealable backup, the Black Scorpion is fine. I like the TMP more since full-auto wide bursts are sometimes handy. You might want to look into the HK-227X since it has restricted legality suppressed fire. That or get a sound suppressed Alpha for when you need to be quiet.
Now for melee, things get more interesting. Right now, you're going with the blades approach. I would be sure to get a knife or some other sort of concealed bladed weapon. The reason why is that if you have a blade out, you can use your blade skill in melee defensive tests. That saves you the need to have a dodge skill (and one of the reasons I suggested dropping it earlier). You might also want to consider getting a spur installed. It's like having a sword on command. However its illegality makes it a debatable choice.
You could also go the Unarmed route. Being unarmed means you'll always have unarmed added to your melee defense. There's also some good unarmed options. One is to use a shock glove. That doesn't play to your strength score however. You can also get bone lacing and have your unbreakable bones do extra damage. Sadly it's also forbidden legality. Either way is fine, but I thought you might want to know your options.
In a later post, I'll discuss what in Augmentation and Arsenal you should get or consider. There's some gems in both books. Overall, Augmentation has some ways to make you tougher and helps a lot if you're going the logic path. Arsenal will make you much tougher stackable armor and deadly due to better recoil compensation options.
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From a chemistry background, your choice of allergy makes my brain hurt. Ya, I know, MAGIC! But its just that gold is so inert and nigh impossible to get it to react with anything that I can't figure out how you can be allergic to it.
Actually it's a fairly common real world allergy. None of my family can wear gold piercings-the hole gets inflamed and leaky within a day, at most. I thought I was immune in college and picked up a gold brow ring. Still have a nasty scar from it, and I know others with the same issue. You do mostly find it only as an issue with piercings, though
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I think normal gold allergy comes from allergy to nickel and other stuff in the gold jewelry, but in a magic setting I think gold is a fine allergy.
Rasmus
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Actually it's a fairly common real world allergy. None of my family can wear gold piercings-the hole gets inflamed and leaky within a day, at most. I thought I was immune in college and picked up a gold brow ring. Still have a nasty scar from it, and I know others with the same issue. You do mostly find it only as an issue with piercings, though
I always assumed real world gold allergies were just nickel allergies where one was reacting to the nickel commonly found in the gold alloys used in jewelry. However doing some research, articles like this (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0536.2010.01671.x/abstract) refer to allergic reaction to gold itself.
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Thank you all for the insightful posts, you guys really gave me somethings to think about. This has been a real learning experience. ;)
I am going to take all your advise and remake old Ziggy using Arsenal and Augmentation.
I also noticed that I made quite a bit of typos and other mistakes in the text e.g. Sigmund did have a knife but I forgot to add it to the post,
but there was nothing major expert that he had High Pain threshold Rank 3 insted of 1.
I was using the strength-as-RC rule because I will use it when I run a campaign, I see that I should have mention this in my first post.
I will be posting the new and improved Ziggy when I'm done with him.
From a chemistry background, your choice of allergy makes my brain hurt. Ya, I know, MAGIC! But its just that gold is so inert and nigh impossible to get it to react with anything that I can't figure out how you can be allergic to it.
Actually it's a fairly common real world allergy. None of my family can wear gold piercings-the hole gets inflamed and leaky within a day, at most. I thought I was immune in college and picked up a gold brow ring. Still have a nasty scar from it, and I know others with the same issue. You do mostly find it only as an issue with piercings, though
Bullets are a kind of piercings right? So Ziggy best watch out. ;)
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I was reminded of something by Tsuzua's post. His mention of Dermal Plating isn't bad, but personally I prefer Dermal Sheath. Sure it takes Restricted Gear to get rating 3, but do that and you can have Chameleon Modification on it as well.
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How heavily are you considering the logic sidejob aspect? I want to know just so I know if I should talk about it more or not.
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I was reminded of something by Tsuzua's post. His mention of Dermal Plating isn't bad, but personally I prefer Dermal Sheath. Sure it takes Restricted Gear to get rating 3, but do that and you can have Chameleon Modification on it as well.
Yeah Dermal sheath 3 looks really useful but I have to ask, in what book can i find the Restricted Gear quality?
How heavily are you considering the logic sidejob aspect? I want to know just so I know if I should talk about it more or not.
It seems kind of useful but I worry that the character would be spreading itself to thin. So no need post more info but thanks for the stuff you mention, I'm sure it will come in handy some time.
Also a more general question, is having 3 initiative passes right our of the chargen to much or should I try and keep it at that level?
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Restricted Gear is in Runner's Companion. 5 BP to get one piece of gear at max Availability 20 (can be taken 3 times).
For a combat guy 3 IP is fine. The 4. IP is to expensive to get from the start, and often you will not need that anyway. Combat is over quick.
Rasmus
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The main school of thought for street sammies is that you want 3IP. Lots of NPCS have 2IP, a few have 3. After 3, it gets less useful unless you'te hacking in AR
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Thanks for the answers guys, I'll keep that in mind.
I don't own Runner's Companion so no Restricted Gear for Sigmund. :'(
Do you have recommendation for qualities? I'm thinking that Genetic Heritage to get Reakt for free would help with staying alive, but maybe I'm wrong.
I have 27 free BPs right nowbut I could get up to 30 without to much pain.
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Reakt is excellent, but it actually makes more sense to Genetic Heritage for Genetic Optimization (what stat depends on what you value, Reaction is always a solid choice). The reasons are:
(a) Genetic Heritage is 45000Y, so you are paying 10 bp for 9 bp of free stuff and a 20% discount down the road on several good things (Reakt and Adapsin in particular). Reakt is only 30000Y so you are getting less for the same price.
(b) Starting with Genetic Heritage means you can pay an extra 10 bp to have a bit more Reaction out of the gate.
(c) Reakt is Transgenic, but Genetic Optimization isn't. So if you start with Genetic Optimization as your Genetic Heritage, you get 20% off buying Reakt later. Reverse it, and no discount for the Genetic Optimization later.
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Reakt is excellent, but it actually makes more sense to Genetic Heritage for Genetic Optimization (what stat depends on what you value, Reaction is always a solid choice). The reasons are:
(a) Genetic Heritage is 45000Y, so you are paying 10 bp for 9 bp of free stuff and a 20% discount down the road on several good things (Reakt and Adapsin in particular). Reakt is only 30000Y so you are getting less for the same price.
(b) Starting with Genetic Heritage means you can pay an extra 10 bp to have a bit more Reaction out of the gate.
(c) Reakt is Transgenic, but Genetic Optimization isn't. So if you start with Genetic Optimization as your Genetic Heritage, you get 20% off buying Reakt later. Reverse it, and no discount for the Genetic Optimization later.
Damn...maybe I should've put Genetic Heritage on my SURGEd elf.
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If you're not going logic, I'll drop Strength and Logic to 2, raise Intuition and Reaction to 5, and sell back First Aid and Armorer. I'll use the points saved to buy new skills (such as the stealth skill group) or cash. You'll then end up with an initiative score of 14 which is pretty rad.
Time to cover Augmentation. Overall, Augmentation has a few good options and a lot of ware that's just nifty.
The Attention Coprocessor is a wonderful buy. It's fairly essence friendly and gives you +3 to perception tests for 9000Y. If you have the cash, I recommend getting it. Most of the other cyberware is just nifty ware that you should buy only if you think it's cool.
Move-By-Wire systems are worth keeping in mind. The big thing they do is save essence. MBW2 for example gives you Wired Reflexes 2, Skillwires 4, and Reaction Enhancers 2 for 3 essence. That's a 1.4 essence savings for 25000Y! You can't start with them without restricted gear, but they might be worth upgrading to if you're rich and need the essence.
Dermal Sheaths is fancy legal (not restricted) dermal plating. In general +1 Body for Soak rolls is virtually the same as +1 armor except when facing down -1/2AP and ignore armor attacks and determining if you take physical or stun from attacks. Honestly since you're using Arsenal, you'll have a good armor score anyways. If you find yourself with 1 point of essence left over and 20000Y, sure you can get Dermal Sheath 2, but otherwise I'll put it on the backburner. If you really want armor, cyberlimbs are better even if this guy won't get the most out of one. Some people don't like cyberlimb armor though.
All of the bioware is nifty expect for the Trauma Dampener which is excellent. It turns 1 box of physical into stun and removes 1 point of stun taken per hit (to a min. of 1 box). Since the vast majority of damage you'll take is stun, that's really handy. I would grab it or the Pain Editor (they don't stack). Starting with a trauma dampener is a good idea. However, you can wait till play if you can't afford it, or skip it and get a Pain Editor during play.
Geneware has more noteworthy options. Reakt is perfectly viable. If you load up on Intuition linked skills, Qualia is a good idea. Synch and Neo-EPO are nifty. If you plan on loading up on geneware, Genetic Heritage is a good idea. UmaroVI has covered the genetic optimization options.
I wouldn't really worry about nanoware.
I will get to Arsenal once I find time.
Edit- On the topic of IPs, 3 IP is more than enough. Depending on the nature of your game, you can get away with 2 IPs or even 1 (especially with the use of drugs). 3 IP's however a good number because you'll rarely want more and it's fairly cheap.
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Thanks for the great tip UmaroVI.
I am thinking about picking AGI for Optimization to push the chars offensive ability a bit, but maybe that would be excessive as I have a 'general' Automatic dice-pool of 14 right now.
If you're not going logic, I'll drop Strength and Logic to 2, raise Intuition and Reaction to 5, and sell back First Aid and Armorer. I'll use the points saved to buy new skills (such as the stealth skill group) or cash. You'll then end up with an initiative score of 14 which is pretty rad
I have dropped Armory and First Aid but I can't drop STR to 2 on account of Sigmund being an Orc but I have shuffled around his stats a bit and this is what I have right now. What attribute will get optimized is undetermined.
BOD: 7 AGI: 5 REA: 5 STR :4 CHA: 2 INT: 5 LOG: 2 WILL: 3
(I wanted to keep my STR at 4 (6) so I could benefit from the high-strength-as-RC rule, is that unnecessary?)
I will keep what you have said about Augmentation in mind Tsuzua, especially the Trauma Dampener.
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Can't remember off hand which guns I've managed it on, but I've managed modding a few different SMGs and Assault Rifles (even a Battle Rifle) with enough RC to Full Burst without penalty--without Str -> RC.
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I have dropped Armory and First Aid but I can't drop STR to 2 on account of Sigmund being an Orc but I have shuffled around his stats a bit and this is what I have right now. What attribute will get optimized is undetermined.
BOD: 7 AGI: 5 REA: 5 STR :4 CHA: 2 INT: 5 LOG: 2 WILL: 3
(I wanted to keep my STR at 4 (6) so I could benefit from the high-strength-as-RC rule, is that unnecessary?)
I will keep what you have said about Augmentation in mind Tsuzua, especially the Trauma Dampener.
I didn't realize you raised your CHA as well. I was thinking you'll leave Cha at 1 and keep STR at 5. There's little particular difference cha 1 and 2 besides GM aggro. I guess you could drop Cha to 1 and buy some tailored pheromones (or pheromone receptors) to have enough of a roll to prevent GM aggro.
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Can't remember off hand which guns I've managed it on, but I've managed modding a few different SMGs and Assault Rifles (even a Battle Rifle) with enough RC to Full Burst without penalty--without Str -> RC.
Hmm yes I see, i guess that you used a auto-adjusting underbarrel-weight and I really wanna use those mod-slots for something else. :P Still it's a good point.
The Ares Alpha I'm thinking about using right now
Ares Alpha
Accessories
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Imaging Scope
+Shock Pad
Modifications
+Additional Clip
+Barrel Extension
+Extended Clip
+Foregrip
+Personalized Grip
Gun came with
+Smartgun System
DV: 6P AP: -1 RC: 8(With STR: ) Ammo: 53x2(c) Price: 6500¥
I didn't realize you raised your CHA as well. I was thinking you'll leave Cha at 1 and keep STR at 5. There's little particular difference cha 1 and 2 besides GM aggro. I guess you could drop Cha to 1 and buy some tailored pheromones (or pheromone receptors) to have enough of a roll to prevent GM aggro.
You have an interesting idea with the pheromones, don't know if I can afford them as I haven't totally nailed down all my gear/wares yet.
PS. Sorry for being so slow to respond, my internet is on the fritz or something
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You have an interesting idea with the pheromones, don't know if I can afford them as I haven't totally nailed down all my gear/wares yet.
As long as you're under the gear cap, you might consider them. For example, tailored pheromones 3 is 45000Y or 9 BP. You save 1 BP versus Charisma 2. However, your rolls are now 3 rather than 1. That's no face, but it's something. All of this is dependent on how your group handles social skills and GM aggro levels.
Now for Arsenal. Unlike Augmentation which more or less gave you options, Arsenal will make you more powerful. The two most important things are stackable armor and weapon mods.
But first, the weapons! Because blades adds to your melee defense, you'll want to have a blade ready to defend yourself. I know you're got a regular knife and that's good. You might want a ceramic knife for MAD scanners. A nodachi is -1AP better than a combat axe. If you want something less glorious Nippon, there's the vibrosword which is forbidden. A bayonet is a decent idea if you spare the mod slot or barrel slot. Either way, be sure to get personalized grip on everything! It's +1 rolled die for basically nothing.
As for machine pistols, you have better options now than the Black Scorpion now. They are the FN 5-7C and Ares Crusader. The FN 5-7C has 1 point of internal RC which is very valuable especially in a machine pistol. The Ares Crusader has an extremely deep clip. Most people like the Crusader, but I'm a FN 5-7C man myself. Either way, it's a good idea to mod them for FA fire if you use gas vents. I personally like suppressed fire on my concealable weapons.
Here's my recommend setup for the FN 5-7C:
Chameleon Coating [2]
Personalized Grip [1]
Underbarrel Weight [2]
Reduced Barrel [1]
Smartlink [Top]
Sound Suppressor [Barrel]
Concealable Holster [-]
Now, you have a fairly concealable (-4 to sight, +0 for patdowns) weapon for suppressed burst fire. For some reason, I can't seem to find the last point of RC I need for RC 5 without getting gas vents and losing the sound suppressor. A 20 round magazine (happy CanRay? :P ) will give you 3 passes of fire and that's enough. The MP9 from Gun Heaven is better if you ever get that book since it's got a foregrip (which machine pistols can't get otherwise).
I like SMGs and Umaro's examples typically a lot of examples of good SMGs to choose from. Top favorites are the Praetor (2 slotless recoil comp but forbidden) and the SuperMach 100 (if you can get the recoil for SnS spam). But I can see the argument for sticking for assault rifles. If you go down this route, you can make a fairly concealable SMG as your "sidearm" at least.
As for assault rifles, the Alpha is still the best. Sadly it's forbidden. If you want a restricted assault rifle you can keep in the truck, you'll want to mod an AK-97. As for the Ares Alpha, I'll drop the extended clip and extended barrel. Range modifiers are pretty lax in SR4A and the clip will last you 4 passes which is more than enough. I'll get a chameleon coating so you don't reduce the usefulness of your ruthenium outfit discussed. You can also drop either the personalized grip and foregrip and get a shock pad instead. After that, you can get what you want.
Now for armor! The big thing Arsenal introduces is stackable armor. FFBA and Securetech PPP both add to your armor values. FFBA not only adds to your armor value, it also counts as half encumbrance. For example, here's a good pink mohawk (i.e. when subtly doesn't matter) outfit (thanks goes to Umaro):
Full Form Fitting Body Armor 6/2 (3/1 for encumbrance)
Securetech PPP System Shin Guards, Forearm Guards, Leg and Arm Casings, Vitals Protector, Helmet 2/6
Armor Jacket w/ Gel Packs 9/7
That gives you 17/15 armor which penalty. You can't wear this to a party due to the armor jacket and the gel packs are restricted, but it's fairly cheap.
Your Body is high enough that it's actually hard to find non-silly outfits that are more discrete than the above. But I'll try. Also public acceptance of full FFBA and helmets varies from group to group. My group views it as acceptable especially since most of the body is covered anyways and trode nets making headgear quite fashionable. Other groups differ.
But here's my attempt at a completely discrete outfit you can wear to a party:
Half-Suit FFBA 4/1 (2/0 for encumbrance)
Vashon Island Steampunk Overcoat, Vest, Slacks, Shirt 7/7
Securetech PPP Securetech PPP System Shin Guards, Forearm Guards, Leg and Arm Casings, Vitals Protector 2/4
Moonsilver Line Scarf 1/0
Helmet (assuming there is a suitable in fashion variety)1/2
That's 15/14 armor. Not as good as above, but quite nice. You can get the full 17/15 above, but it requires full FFBA.
Now for the ruthenium coating. It really does help you hide as it gives you a -4. Now what you can and can't coat is vague. I'm of the opinion that something that covers most of you works and you can make a ruthenium poncho you carry around. Others take a more strict approach limiting to armor suits and the like. If you go with the later, I'll grab ruthenium coated full body armor at some point for sneaking.
Lastly always be sure to mod your armor with stuff like Chemical Protector 6 and Nonconducity 6.
That's enough for now. I might cover the rest of Arsenal at some point.
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Hot dang Tsuzua that as an excellent post. :) But I'll be honest with you, I feel a bit doubtful about just how ruthenium coating would work with a jacket.
I could total see a Armor Jacket be a long-overcoat with a hood but wouldn't people see a couple of feet moving around?
If I get the coating should I get thermal damping too?
I still have something of a problem. Right now I 17 unspent BPs and I have 50 PBs spent on nuyen already.
A summery of what I have spent BPs on.
Attributes 200 BPs
Edge 20 BP
Positive Qualities 10 BP
Genetic Heritage (For Gen opt)
Negative Qualities +35 BP
Allergy (Uncommon, Severe) (Gold)
Genetic Heritage
Incompetent (Archery)
Incompetent (Forgery)
Incompetent (Hacking)
Scorched
Skills BP 106
Athletics Skill Group 1
Stealth Skill Group 4
Automatics 6
Blades 4
Perception 4
Contacts 12 BP
'Choppy' Lisa (Street Doc) (3, 3)
Gred Smith (Fixer) (3, 3)
What should I get guys?
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You could pick up Influence skill group if not having ranks in social skills will bring the aggro hammer down on you from your GM.
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Hot dang Tsuzua that as an excellent post. :) But I'll be honest with you, I feel a bit doubtful about just how ruthenium coating would work with a jacket.
I could total see a Armor Jacket be a long-overcoat with a hood but wouldn't people see a couple of feet moving around?
If I get the coating should I get thermal damping too?
Yeah, I see you can wear something like the poncho worn in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD83dqSfC0Y). As for the feet and the like, maybe? To be fair, ruthenium only gives you -4, it doesn't make you completely invisible. You can also just carry an uncoated pistol and be fine. Or be a floating head with full body armor and no helmet. There's also the color changing mod in Attitude that is basically weak sauce ruthenium that you can just put on a normal leather jacket for a -2. But really you can go either way. I'll grab a ruthenium coated full body armor at some point. You could try something like ruthenium coated bike racing armor but you'll lose armor overall.
I always forget the thermal dampener. It's forbidden so I wouldn't put on your everyday wear, but it's perfectly fine for pink mohawk wear when you don't care that your armor is illegal (because being where you are is illegal anyways or they'll care more about that gun pointed at them).
As for your 17 free points, you could buy some etiquette which is most common social test you'll be "forced" to make. Heavy Weapons 1 might not be that bad of an idea for your grenade launcher. You'll want to use them once in a blue moon. Then you can specialized in grenade launchers later with karma. You can always get some more contacts. Sadly most of the good positive qualities are in Runner's Companion.
One more point of edge is always good. Edge is quite useful. It's the power to turn a bad roll into an average roll by rerolling failed dice.
Now for the rest of Arsenal. Most of the rest of Arsenal is full of nifty stuff that you don't need and can live without. However, it can be nice or cool. So take a look and pick up what you think is neat with your left over cash. Sensors are handy to fill out your sensor channels for TacNets, but those are in Unwired. One sensor worth mentioning is the Ultrawideband Radar since it look though most walls.
There's also the infamous emotoy and empathy software. Empathy software gives you a bonus to social skills equal to rating. So you can grab a rating 3 commlink, empathy software 3 for fairly cheap and have +3 dice to all your social rolls. You can also get an rating 6 emotoy which gives you 6 dice for even less. It's just pure roll inflation and that's why most people don't like it. If the PCs use it, NPCs should too and now it's just extra dice for everyone. Since most social skills are contested, it doesn't change the odds any excepts faces can pwn normal dudes even harder especially if you use dudes from the books. For that reason, I usually pretend it doesn't exist (and why Umaro's archetypes don't use it).
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But I'll be honest with you, I feel a bit doubtful about just how ruthenium coating would work with a jacket.
I could total see a Armor Jacket be a long-overcoat with a hood but wouldn't people see a couple of feet moving around?
There is no reason your "longcoat" clothing as an outfit couldn't come with a pair of boots (and gloves for that matter) . It's clothing that you're wearing over your armor (and if you're wearing an armored jacket, form fitting armor, and ppp stuff... those don't come with shoes/boots anyway... booties, but not shoes/boots). I honestly see no reason why it couldn't be any ensemble you want to describe, so long as the description can feasibly be said to cover you're whole body.
Why not just say "Character's Adventuring/Mission Oufit" /w Ruthenium Polymer Coating, and so long as the description seemingly covers your whole body you should be good.
Example: Bob is a an old west aficionado thinking of himself a Sixth World Jesse James. The "clothing" Bob usually wears over his armor is a reminiscent of an outlaw cowboy's attire, including a cowboy hat, a bandana (that can be pull up over his face or worn around hims neck, full length trenchcoat, leather gloves, and cowboy-like boots. His outfit is coated with Ruthenium Polymer.
Of course, depending on your GM you may not need to be THAT descriptive (depends on how much they want to micro-manage). I could easily see many GMs just seeing "longcoat" or "pocho" and saying that's good enough description-wise. I mean, implicitly there should be boots and such in any such ensemble, for the covering to be "complete"... but whether you need to go into detail about that on your character sheet is simply a matter of how anal retentive a GM you're dealing with (assumingly not too anal retentive, or else you probably wouldn't be playing with them as a GM at all).
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Hot dang Tsuzua that as an excellent post. :) But I'll be honest with you, I feel a bit doubtful about just how ruthenium coating would work with a jacket.
I could total see a Armor Jacket be a long-overcoat with a hood but wouldn't people see a couple of feet moving around?
If I get the coating should I get thermal damping too?
Yeah, I see you can wear something like the poncho worn in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD83dqSfC0Y). As for the feet and the like, maybe? To be fair, ruthenium only gives you -4, it doesn't make you completely invisible. You can also just carry an uncoated pistol and be fine. Or be a floating head with full body armor and no helmet. There's also the color changing mod in Attitude that is basically weak sauce ruthenium that you can just put on a normal leather jacket for a -2. But really you can go either way. I'll grab a ruthenium coated full body armor at some point. You could try something like ruthenium coated bike racing armor but you'll lose armor overall.
I always forget the thermal dampener. It's forbidden so I wouldn't put on your everyday wear, but it's perfectly fine for pink mohawk wear when you don't care that your armor is illegal (because being where you are is illegal anyways or they'll care more about that gun pointed at them).
As for your 17 free points, you could buy some etiquette which is most common social test you'll be "forced" to make. Heavy Weapons 1 might not be that bad of an idea for your grenade launcher. You'll want to use them once in a blue moon. Then you can specialized in grenade launchers later with karma. You can always get some more contacts. Sadly most of the good positive qualities are in Runner's Companion.
One more point of edge is always good. Edge is quite useful. It's the power to turn a bad roll into an average roll by rerolling failed dice.
Now for the rest of Arsenal. Most of the rest of Arsenal is full of nifty stuff that you don't need and can live without. However, it can be nice or cool. So take a look and pick up what you think is neat with your left over cash. Sensors are handy to fill out your sensor channels for TacNets, but those are in Unwired. One sensor worth mentioning is the Ultrawideband Radar since it look though most walls.
There's also the infamous emotoy and empathy software. Empathy software gives you a bonus to social skills equal to rating. So you can grab a rating 3 commlink, empathy software 3 for fairly cheap and have +3 dice to all your social rolls. You can also get an rating 6 emotoy which gives you 6 dice for even less. It's just pure roll inflation and that's why most people don't like it. If the PCs use it, NPCs should too and now it's just extra dice for everyone. Since most social skills are contested, it doesn't change the odds any excepts faces can pwn normal dudes even harder especially if you use dudes from the books. For that reason, I usually pretend it doesn't exist (and why Umaro's archetypes don't use it).
Would you happen to know which field in the gear portion of Chummer the emotitoy is in?
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Would you happen to know which field in the gear portion of Chummer the emotitoy is in?
Drones
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Would you happen to know which field in the gear portion of Chummer the emotitoy is in?
Drones
Thanks JustADude
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Actually I forgot another thing you can do with your 17 BP, martial arts. Grab two or three styles and fill up on maneuvers. I forgot about them since they aren't used in Missions, but you might in your game. I must admit I don't know them well enough to tell you the exactly what's best for your guy.
That said, I'll recommend looking at styles that reduced the attacking in melee penalty. That way you can shoot stuff that tries to melee you in the face with a net bonus. Martial Arts that give you +1 die on called shots is really nice if you think you'll be making a lot of those. Krav Maga's free action to aim I view is overrated, but it's nice especially if you're using FA fire a lot and thus can't use called shots. You can make your blades do extra damage, but they're more of a backup weapon anyways for you.
As for maneuvers, iaijutsu is amazing for you (draw that Alpha as a free action). Full Offense is handy when you don't expect to be meleed. The others are okay for you. Two Weapon Style and Off-Hand would make you fairly hard to hit in melee combat
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Thanks for the tips, I think that I'll grab the Influence skill group, Krav Maga (for the attacking in melee penalty reduction.)and iaijutsu.
But now i have something of a conundrum with Chummer. It classifies Ares Alpha grenade launcher as a assault rifle, not as a heavy weapon, is this correct or is it a glitch in chummer?
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The consensus is that the Ares Alpha grenade launcher is Heavy Weapons. You can make a somewhat sketchy "it's under the assault rifles table so it's an assault rifle!" argument, but that will usually get you a swift kick in the nuts from your GM.
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The consensus is that the Ares Alpha grenade launcher is Heavy Weapons. You can make a somewhat sketchy "it's under the assault rifles table so it's an assault rifle!" argument, but that will usually get you a swift kick in the nuts from your GM.
I figured that it was a heavy weapon but I thought I maybe had missed a rule about how underslung weapons worked.
Anyway here is the new an improved Sigmund
== Info ==
Street Name: The Blond Lightning
Name: Sigmund Oxbaner
Movement: 10/25, Swim: 5
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 4
Public Awareness: 1
Ork Male Age 24
Height 2,14 m Weight 105 kg
Composure: 5
Judge Intentions: 7
Lift/Carry: 12 (90 kg/60 kg)
Memory: 5
Nuyen: 0
== Attributes ==
BOD: 6
AGI: 5 (7)
REA: 6 (10)
STR: 4 (6)
CHA: 2
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 3
EDG: 3
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 0,3
Initiative: 11 (15)
IP: 1 (3)
Matrix Initiative: 8
Matrix IP: 1
Physical Damage Track: 11
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling : 0 Pool: 4
Animal Training : 0 Pool: 4
Armorer : 0 Pool: 1
Artisan : 0 Pool: 4
Automatics : 6 Pool: 14
Blades : 4 Pool: 11
Climbing : 1 Pool: 10
Clubs : 0 Pool: 6
Computer : 0 Pool: 1
Con : 1 Pool: 3
Cybercombat : 0 Pool: 1
Data Search : 0 Pool: 1
Demolitions : 0 Pool: 1
Disguise : 4 Pool: 9
Diving : 0 Pool: 5
Dodge : 0 Pool: 9
Escape Artist : 0 Pool: 6
Etiquette : 1 Pool: 3
First Aid : 0 Pool: 1
Flight : 1 Pool: 10
Gunnery : 0 Pool: 6
Gymnastics : 1 Pool: 11
Heavy Weapons : 1 Pool: 8
Infiltration : 4 Pool: 11
Instruction : 0 Pool: 1
Intimidation : 0 Pool: 1
Leadership : 1 Pool: 3
Locksmith : 0 Pool: 6
Longarms : 0 Pool: 6
Navigation : 0 Pool: 4
Negotiation : 1 Pool: 3
Palming : 4 Pool: 11
Parachuting : 0 Pool: 5
Perception : 4 Pool: 12
Pilot Ground Craft : 0 Pool: 9
Pilot Watercraft : 0 Pool: 9
Pistols : 0 Pool: 6
Riding : 0 Pool: 9
Running : 1 Pool: 10
Shadowing : 4 Pool: 9
Survival : 0 Pool: 2
Swimming : 1 Pool: 10
Throwing Weapons : 0 Pool: 6
Tracking : 0 Pool: 4
Unarmed Combat : 0 Pool: 6
== Knowledge Skills ==
Arabic : 3 Pool: 8
English : 4 Pool: 9
Military History : 3 Pool: 5
Or'zet : 4 Pool: 9
Parazoology : 4 Pool: 6
Retro-Punk Music : 3 Pool: 8
Swedish : N Pool: 0
== Contacts ==
'Choppy' Stormare (Street Doc) (3, 3)
Gred Smith (Fixer) (3, 3)
Gunwald Larsson (Gunrunner/Armorer) (2, 1)
== Qualities ==
Posivite
Genetic Heritage
Negative
Allergy (Uncommon, Severe) (Gold)
Incompetent (Archery)
Incompetent (Forgery)
Incompetent (Hacking)
Low-Light Vision
Scorched
== Lifestyles ==
Low 1 months
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Attention Coprocessor Rating 3
Bone Lacing (Aluminum)
Genetic Optimization (REA)
Muscle Augmentation Rating 2
Muscle Toner Rating 2
Reaction Enhancers Rating 2
Reflex Recorder (Skill) (Automatics)
Synthacardium Rating 3
Trauma Damper
Wired Reflexes Rating 2
== Armor ==
Pink Mohawk Armor
Chameleon Suit 7/5
+Chemical Protection 6
+Fire Resistance 6
+Gel Packs
+Insulation 6
+Nonconductivity 6
+Thermal Damping 6
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
SecureTech PPP Armor (Ensemble)2/6
+Ruthenium Polymer Coating
Civilian Clothing
Helmet 1/2
SecureTech Forearm Guards 0/1
SecureTech Leg and Arm Casings1/1
SecureTech Shin Guards 0/1
SecureTech Vitals Protector1/1
Vashon Island: Steampunk Corset/Vest (Ensemble)7/7
Zoé: Moonsilver Scarf 1/0
== Weapons ==
Civilian Guns
AK-97
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Shock Pad
+Smartgun System, External
+Extended Clip
+Extreme Environment Mod Rating 1
+Foregrip
+Personalized Grip
DV: 6P AP: -1 RC: 7
Pink Mohawk Guns
Ares Alpha
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Imaging Scope
+Shock Pad
+Chameleon Coating
+Extended Clip
+Extreme Environment Mod Rating 1
+Foregrip
+Personalized Grip
+Smartgun System
DV: 6P AP: -1 RC: 9
Ares Alpha Grenade Launcher
DV: Grenade AP: - RC: 0
FN 5-7C
+Concealable Holster
+Smartgun System, External
+Sound Suppressor
+Barrel Reduction
+Chameleon Coating
+Personalized Grip
+Underbarrel Weight
DV: 4P AP: - RC: 4
Grenade: Flash-Bang
DV: 6S (10m Radius) AP: -3 RC: 0
Grenade: High Explosive
DV: 10P (-2/m) AP: -2 RC: 0
Melee Weapons
Ceramic Knife
+Personalized Grip
DV: 4P AP: - RC: 2
Vibro Sword
+Personalized Grip
DV: 7P AP: -2 RC: 2
Aluminum Bone Lacing
DV: 5P AP: - RC: 0
== Commlink ==
Civilian Link
CMT Clip (1, 1, 1, 3)
+Vector Xim
Pro Link
Erika Elite (3, 3, 3, 4)
+Iris Orb
+AR Gloves
+Subvocal Microphone
+Trodes
+Browse Rating 3
+Edit Rating 3
+Mapsoft (Seattle) Rating 6
+VR Game
== Gear ==
Ammo: EX-Explosive Rounds (Assault Rifles) x160
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Assault Rifles) x270
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Machine Pistols) x100
Ammo: Subsonic Rounds (Machine Pistols) x60
Certified Credstick, Standard
Climbing Gear
DocWagon Contract: Basic
Earbuds Rating 3
+Spatial Recognizer
+Audio Enhancement Rating 3
+Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Electronic Paper
Fake License (AK-97) Rating 4
Fake SIN (Sven Svensson) Rating 3
Gas Mask
Goggles Rating 6
+Flare Compensation
+Image Link
+Smartlink
+Ultrasound
+Vision Enhancement Rating 2
Grenade: Flash-Bang
Grenade: High Explosive
Medkit Rating 6
Medkit Supplies x2
Spare Clip (FN 5-7C) x8
Spare Clip (Ares Alpha) x7
Spare Clip (AK-97) x7
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Just for comparative sake, I put something a little similar together as the thread progressed. Came out pretty decent, I think.
== Info ==
Street Name: Slider
Name: Merrik Vath
Movement: 10/25, Swim: 5
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Human Male Age 23 (as of 2073)
Height 5'10" Weight 175 lbs.
Composure: 6
Judge Intentions: 6
Lift/Carry: 8 (75 kg/50 kg)
Memory: 9
Nuyen: 0
== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 5 (7)
REA: 4 (7)
STR: 3 (5)
CHA: 3
INT: 3
LOG: 4 (6)
WIL: 3
EDG: 4
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 2.05
Initiative: 7 (10)
IP: 1 (2)
Matrix Initiative: 6
Matrix IP: 1
Physical Damage Track: 10
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Active Skills ==
Automatics : 5 Pool: 14
Blades : 4 Pool: 11
Climbing : 1 Pool: 9
Con : 1 Pool: 16
Disguise : 4 Pool: 7
Etiquette : 1 Pool: 16
Flight : 1 Pool: 9
Gymnastics : 1 Pool: 11
Hardware : 4 Pool: 10
Infiltration : 4 Pool: 11
Leadership : 1 Pool: 16
Negotiation : 1 Pool: 16
Palming : 4 Pool: 11
Perception : 4 Pool: 10
Pilot Aircraft : 1 Pool: 8
Pilot Ground Craft : 1 [Wheeled] Pool: 8 (10)
Pilot Watercraft : 1 Pool: 8
Pistols : 5 Pool: 14
Running : 1 Pool: 9
Shadowing : 4 Pool: 7
Swimming : 1 Pool: 9
== Knowledge Skills ==
Area Knowledge: Seattle : 5 Pool: 8
Bars and Clubs : 4 Pool: 7
English : N Pool: 0
Japanese : 4 Pool: 7
Music : 4 Pool: 7
Security Procedures : 4 Pool: 10
== Qualities ==
Poor Self Control (Vindictive)
Records on File
SINner (Standard)
Wanted
== Lifestyles ==
Downtown Penthouse 2 months
Comforts: High
Entertainment: Middle
Necessities: High
Neighborhood: Middle
Security: High
Qualities: Easy-Going Landlord [1LP]
Friendly Neighbors [1LP]
AI in Residence [-3LP]
Network Bottleneck [-1LP]
No Forwarding Address [-1LP]
This Isn't Big Bob's Autos [-1LP]
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Attention Coprocessor Rating 3
Cerebral Booster Rating 2
Muscle Augmentation Rating 2
Muscle Toner Rating 2
Reaction Enhancers Rating 2
Synthacardium Rating 3
Tailored Pheromones Rating 3
Wired Reflexes Rating 1
== Armor ==
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
+Chemical Protection 6
+Nonconductivity 6
+Ruthenium Polymer Coating
SecureTech Arm Casings 0/1
SecureTech Forearm Guards 0/1
SecureTech Leg Casings 0/1
SecureTech Shin Guards 0/1
SecureTech Vitals Protector1/1
== Weapons ==
Ares Predator IV
+Ceramic Components Rating 3
+Chameleon Coating
+Personalized Grip
+Skinlink
+Smartgun System
DV: 5P AP: -1 RC: 1
Ceramic Knife
DV: 4P AP: - RC: 0
HK 227-X
+Stock
+Chameleon Coating
+Gas Vent 3
+Personalized Grip
+Skinlink
+Smartgun System
+Sound Suppressor
DV: 5P AP: - RC: 5
Unarmed Attack
DV: 3S AP: - RC: 0
== Commlink ==
Meta Link (1, 1, 1, 2)
+Vector Xim
Novatech Airware (3, 3, 3, 3)
+Iris Orb
+Skinlink
+Analyze Rating 6 [Copy Protection 6, Ergonomic, Optimization 3, Registration]
+Encrypt Rating 6 [Copy Protection 6, Ergonomic, Optimization 3, Registration]
+Browse Rating 6 [Copy Protection 6, Optimization 3, Registration]
+Empathy Software Rating 3
== Gear ==
Ammo: EX-Explosive Rounds (Submachine Guns) x140
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Heavy Pistols) x80
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Heavy Pistols) x80
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Submachine Guns) x140
Autopicker Rating 6
Contact Lenses Rating 3
+Smartlink
+Image Link
+Flare Compensation
+Skinlink
Earbuds Rating 3
+Audio Enhancement Rating 3
+Skinlink
+Select Sound Filter Rating 3
Fake SIN Rating 4
+Fake License (Muscle Augmentation) Rating 4
+Fake License (Muscle Toner) Rating 4
+Fake License (Wired Reflexes) Rating 4
+Fake License (Reaction Enhancers) Rating 4
+Fake License (Ares Predator IV) Rating 4
+Fake License (HK 227-X) Rating 4
+Fake License (Autopicker) Rating 4
+Fake License (Contact Lenses) Rating 4
+Fake License (Smartlink) Rating 4
+Fake License (Ammo: Regular Ammo) Rating 4
+Fake License (Chameleon Coating) Rating 4
+Fake License (Chameleon Coating) Rating 4
+Fake License (Gas Vent 3) Rating 4
+Fake License (Ammo: Stick-n-Shock) Rating 4
+Fake License (Ammo: Stick-n-Shock) Rating 4
Goggles Rating 4
+Vision Enhancement Rating 3
+Vision Magnification
+Low Light
+Skinlink
Maglock Passkey Rating 4
Sequencer Rating 4
Spare Clip (Ares Predator IV) x10
Spare Clip (HK227-X) x10
Tag Eraser
Tool Kit (Hardware)
== Vehicles ==
Emotitoy Rating 6 (Minidrone)
+Empathy Software Rating 6
+Minidrone Sensor
+Camera Rating 2
+Microphone Rating 2
GMC MPUV (Utility Vehicle)
+Multifuel Engine
+Off-Road Suspension
+Vehicle Sensor
== Background ==
Born to a pair of Shadowrunner parents who left him with a relative when they were out on jobs.
Much to his uncle and aunt's dismay, he started showing signs of similar leanings around the start of adolescence.
At the age of 19, his aunt and uncle were killed in an act of 'random gang violence'--they refused to pay the protection money, and so they were killed by the Crimson Crush.
At this point, he finds a datachip containing contact information for a fixer along with a certified credstick that had apparently been sent to help with his upbringing, but was unspent for some reason.
He hasn't seen his real parents since the age of six and isn't sure if they're even still alive.
-
Looks good Ted! You may want to lower your strength to 3 to raise something else for minor breakpoint math. But it's not worth worrying that much. You have a good skill selection. Your first 20 or so karma might be eaten by specializations, but that's a good deal.
I do have some comments on your gear though. I'll see about getting the 5000Y for Dermal Sheath if you want to go down that route. This is because Dermal Sheath is legal while Bone Lacing isn't. While as a mundane, you basically have to live with a restricted legality body, you don't have to go forbidden. 5000Y saved and physical punches isn't worth this trade off in my opinion. If you don't care, then I would go with the bone lacing. Metal bones are cool.
Now for your armor. Your pink mohawk armor is good. If you're using the max armor modification optional rules, you'll have to spread out the bonuses. Your civilian armor needs work. It's 11/13 which is below the max you can get while at the same time encumbering you. With a 6 body, things are easier. You do want to wear Half Body FFBA. It's discrete as long as you wear pants and a shirt and gives you effectively +2/+1 armor.
Here's my suggestion for civilian armor (giving you 14/13):
Vashion Island Steampunk Ensemble 7/7
Half Suit FFBA 4/1 (2/0)
Secure PPP Vitals Protector, Leg and Arm Casings, Shin Guards 2/3
Helmet 1/2
Now for your guns, I have some suggestions still. For the AK-97, I suggest dropping the mods expect personalized grip and getting an auto-adjusting weight. That'll put you at the very important 8 RC. The Alpha is fine but you can live without 9 RC. Take off a mod and add something else like improved rangefinder.
I would find the cash to increase your goggles to Image Magnification 3. It's a small price for +1 sight mods. I also have your earbuds at 16 availibility. Maybe chummer doesn't add avail directly?
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Looks good Ted! You may want to lower your strength to 3 to raise something else for minor breakpoint math. But it's not worth worrying that much. You have a good skill selection. Your first 20 or so karma might be eaten by specializations, but that's a good deal.
I do have some comments on your gear though. I'll see about getting the 5000Y for Dermal Sheath if you want to go down that route. This is because Dermal Sheath is legal while Bone Lacing isn't. While as a mundane, you basically have to live with a restricted legality body, you don't have to go forbidden. 5000Y saved and physical punches isn't worth this trade off in my opinion. If you don't care, then I would go with the bone lacing. Metal bones are cool.
Now for your armor. Your pink mohawk armor is good. If you're using the max armor modification optional rules, you'll have to spread out the bonuses. Your civilian armor needs work. It's 11/13 which is below the max you can get while at the same time encumbering you. With a 6 body, things are easier. You do want to wear Half Body FFBA. It's discrete as long as you wear pants and a shirt and gives you effectively +2/+1 armor.
Here's my suggestion for civilian armor (giving you 14/13):
Vashion Island Steampunk Ensemble 7/7
Half Suit FFBA 4/1 (2/0)
Secure PPP Vitals Protector, Leg and Arm Casings, Shin Guards 2/3
Helmet 1/2
Now for your guns, I have some suggestions still. For the AK-97, I suggest dropping the mods expect personalized grip and getting an auto-adjusting weight. That'll put you at the very important 8 RC. The Alpha is fine but you can live without 9 RC. Take off a mod and add something else like improved rangefinder.
I would find the cash to increase your goggles to Image Magnification 3. It's a small price for +1 sight mods. I also have your earbuds at 16 availibility. Maybe chummer doesn't add avail directly?
Nice feedback but I have some questions.
1 Should I get a Fake License for every Restricted item I own, and if so what rank?
2 Could someone explain to me why 8 RC important but 9 is not so hot?
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Licenses are..funny. They aren't really explained in the rules, you can just "get licenses" but it's not clear what needs a license.
One interpretation is that you need a distinct fake license for each and every restricted thing, in which case you cannot realistically have fake licenses for every single R item you own, so you just get them for obvious visible things. The other is they are like RL licenses and you have, say "Concealed Carry Permit" or "Augmentation Permit" or "Private Investigator's License."
RC 8 is enough to do long burst/short burst which is what you want 90% of the time. RC 9 is enough to do Full Burst, but you rarely want to - most of the time short/long is better.
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Licenses are..funny. They aren't really explained in the rules, you can just "get licenses" but it's not clear what needs a license.
One interpretation is that you need a distinct fake license for each and every restricted thing, in which case you cannot realistically have fake licenses for every single R item you own, so you just get them for obvious visible things. The other is they are like RL licenses and you have, say "Concealed Carry Permit" or "Augmentation Permit" or "Private Investigator's License."
RC 8 is enough to do long burst/short burst which is what you want 90% of the time. RC 9 is enough to do Full Burst, but you rarely want to - most of the time short/long is better.
Oh okay, thanks for the quick answers. The RL licenses approach seems like it makes more sense but I'm Swedish so I don't know jack about weapon permits.
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Sorry for the double post but here is the tweaked variant of Sigmund.
== Info ==
Street Name: The Blond Lightning
Name: Sigmund Oxbaner
Movement: 10/25, Swim: 5
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 4
Public Awareness: 1
Ork Male Age 24
Height 2,14 m Weight 105 kg
Composure: 5
Judge Intentions: 7
Lift/Carry: 12 (90 kg/60 kg)
Memory: 5
Nuyen: 0
== Attributes ==
BOD: 6
AGI: 5 (7)
REA: 6 (10)
STR: 4 (6)
CHA: 2
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 3
EDG: 3
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 0,7
Initiative: 11 (15)
IP: 1 (3)
Matrix Initiative: 8
Matrix IP: 1
Physical Damage Track: 11
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling : 0 Pool: 4
Animal Training : 0 Pool: 4
Armorer : 0 Pool: 1
Artisan : 0 Pool: 4
Automatics : 6 Pool: 14
Blades : 4 Pool: 11
Climbing : 1 Pool: 10
Clubs : 0 Pool: 6
Computer : 0 Pool: 1
Con : 1 Pool: 3
Cybercombat : 0 Pool: 1
Data Search : 0 Pool: 1
Demolitions : 0 Pool: 1
Disguise : 4 Pool: 9
Diving : 0 Pool: 5
Dodge : 0 Pool: 9
Escape Artist : 0 Pool: 6
Etiquette : 1 Pool: 3
First Aid : 0 Pool: 1
Flight : 1 Pool: 10
Gunnery : 0 Pool: 6
Gymnastics : 1 Pool: 11
Heavy Weapons : 1 Pool: 8
Infiltration : 4 Pool: 11
Instruction : 0 Pool: 1
Intimidation : 0 Pool: 1
Leadership : 1 Pool: 3
Locksmith : 0 Pool: 6
Longarms : 0 Pool: 6
Navigation : 0 Pool: 4
Negotiation : 1 Pool: 3
Palming : 4 Pool: 11
Parachuting : 0 Pool: 5
Perception : 4 Pool: 12
Pilot Ground Craft : 0 Pool: 9
Pilot Watercraft : 0 Pool: 9
Pistols : 0 Pool: 6
Riding : 0 Pool: 9
Running : 1 Pool: 10
Shadowing : 4 Pool: 9
Survival : 0 Pool: 2
Swimming : 1 Pool: 10
Throwing Weapons : 0 Pool: 6
Tracking : 0 Pool: 4
Unarmed Combat : 0 Pool: 6
== Knowledge Skills ==
Arabic : 3 Pool: 8
English : 4 Pool: 9
Firearms Design : 3 Pool: 8
Or'zet : 4 Pool: 9
Parazoology : 4 Pool: 6
Retro-Punk Music : 3 Pool: 8
Swedish : N Pool: 0
== Contacts ==
'Choppy' Stormare (Street Doc) (3, 3)
Gred Smith (Fixer) (3, 3)
Gunwald Larsson (Gunruner/armorer) (2, 1)
== Qualities ==
Allergy (Uncommon, Severe) (Gold)
Genetic Heritage
Incompetent (Archery)
Incompetent (Forgery)
Incompetent (Hacking)
Low-Light Vision
Scorched
== Lifestyles ==
Low 1 months
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Attention Coprocessor Rating 3
Dermal Sheath Rating 1
Genetic Optimization (REA)
Muscle Augmentation Rating 2
Muscle Toner Rating 2
Reaction Enhancers Rating 2
Reflex Recorder (Skill) (Automatics)
Synthacardium Rating 3
Trauma Damper
Wired Reflexes Rating 2
== Armor ==
Pink Mohawk Armor
Chameleon Suit 7/5
+Chemical Protection 6
+Fire Resistance 6
+Gel Packs
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
+Insulation 6
+Nonconductivity 6
+Thermal Damping 6
Civilian Clothing
Form-Fitting Half-Body Suit4/1
Helmet 1/2
SecureTech Leg and Arm Casings1/1
SecureTech PPP Armor (Ensemble)2/6
+Ruthenium Polymer Coating
SecureTech Shin Guards 0/1
SecureTech Vitals Protector1/1
Vashon Island: Steampunk Corset/Vest (Ensemble)7/7
== Weapons ==
Civilian Guns
AK-97
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Shock Pad
+Smartgun System, External
+Personalized Grip
+Underbarrel Weight, Auto-Adjusting
DV: 6P AP: -1 RC: 7
FN 5-7C
+Concealable Holster
+Smartgun System, External
+Sound Suppressor
+Sound Suppressor
+Sound Suppressor
+Barrel Reduction
+Chameleon Coating
+Personalized Grip
+Underbarrel Weight
Pink Mohawk Guns
Ares Alpha
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Imaging Scope
+Shock Pad
+Chameleon Coating
+Extended Clip
+Foregrip
+Improved Range Finder
+Personalized Grip
+Smartgun System
DV: 6P AP: -1 RC: 9
Ares Alpha Grenade Launcher
DV: Grenade AP: - RC: 0
DV: 4P AP: - RC: 4
Grenade: Flash-Bang
DV: 6S (10m Radius) AP: -3 RC: 0
Grenade: Fragmentation
DV: 12P(f) (-1/m) AP: +5 RC: 0
Grenade: High Explosive
DV: 10P (-2/m) AP: -2 RC: 0
Grenade: White Phosphorus
DV: 8P/4P (-1/m) AP: -half RC: 0
Unarmed Attack
DV: 3S AP: - RC: 0
Melee Weapons
Ceramic Knife
+Personalized Grip
DV: 4P AP: - RC: 2
Vibro Sword
+Chameleon Coating
+Personalized Grip
DV: 7P AP: -2 RC: 2
== Commlink ==
Civilian Link
CMT Clip (1, 1, 1, 3)
+Vector Xim
Running Link
Erika Elite (3, 3, 3, 4)
+Iris Orb
+AR Gloves
+Subvocal Microphone
+Trodes
+Browse Rating 3
+Edit Rating 3
+Mapsoft (Seattle) Rating 6
+VR Game
== Gear ==
Ammo: EX-Explosive Rounds (Assault Rifles) x240
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Machine Pistols) x100
Ammo: Subsonic Rounds (Machine Pistols) x60
Biomonitor
Certified Credstick, Standard
Climbing Gear
DocWagon Contract: Basic
Earbuds Rating 3
+Spatial Recognizer
+Audio Enhancement Rating 3
Electronic Paper
Fake License (Augmentation Permit) Rating 4
Fake License (Fierarms License) Rating 4
Fake License (Concealed Carry Permit) Rating 4
Fake SIN (Sven Svensson) Rating 3
Gas Mask
Goggles Rating 6
+Flare Compensation
+Image Link
+Smartlink
+Ultrasound
+Vision Enhancement Rating 3
Grenade: Flash-Bang x6
Grenade: Fragmentation x6
Grenade: High Explosive x6
Grenade: White Phosphorus x6
Medkit Rating 6
Medkit Supplies x2
Metal Restraints x4
Spare Clip (FN 5-7C) x8
Spare Clip (Ares Alpha) x7
Spare Clip (AK-97) x7
Tag Eraser
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Your Fake SIN rating is the highest Fake License rating you can link to it.
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Your Fake SIN rating is the highest Fake License rating you can link to it.
Ahh okey, bummer chummer ;) . Thanks for mentioning it.
BTW I just picked up Gun Heaven and I wonder if you guys have any recommendations?
A B&P MP9 looks like a triad up from the FN 7-5C in every way to me.
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Your Fake SIN rating is the highest Fake License rating you can link to it.
Ahh okey, bummer chummer ;) . Thanks for mentioning it.
BTW I just picked up Gun Heaven and I wonder if you guys have any recommendations?
A B&P MP9 looks like a triad up from the FN 7-5C in every way to me.
The only problem is the MP9 is F rated and the 7-5C is only R.
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BTW I just picked up Gun Heaven and I wonder if you guys have any recommendations?
A B&P MP9 looks like a triad up from the FN 7-5C in every way to me.
The MP9 is the best machine pistol. It falls under the "so good it's illegal" category like the Praetor and Ares Alpha* as All4BigGuns pointed out.
The vast majority of firearms in Gun Heaven are just filler. Vintage is a fairly harsh trait since you lose a die on attacks since you can't make it into a smartgun***. They generally win in coolness though. The ones that aren't vintage are just alright which means they lose to their better brothers in the same category.
That said, the Equalizer is interesting if you don't use SnS though the small clip hurts. The HK MK31 has an built in silencer in a restricted package which is cool for a pistol. Beretta 97 is one of the few true BF pistols due to a misprint, but that might be fixed in an errata someday**** and you lose -1 AP.
The M4A1 carbine is a noteworthy vintage SMG. The +1 DV over a normal SMG makes it worthwhile if you don't use SnS. Depending on how mod slots you give the powered slide mount, it can have a huge advantage that makes up for the lost die. The 1 point of innate recoil compensation is quite nice too.
If you can find a use for the second clip and powered slide mount, the Jianshi QBZ-14 is interesting. Be sure to mod it for FA fire. Since you don't have War!, the Sig Sauer is pretty nifty. It's as good as any battle rifle in War! (expect for the HVBR).
*-People like to say it's the grenade launcher. But it's actually the two points of recoil compensation. In War! there's some assault rifles that have the 2 points recoil compensation but nothing forbidden on them.
**- This is assuming you can't stack a Red Dot Sight and a Light Sight for +2. But if you can do that, you can stack smartlink and Red Dot Sight for +3. Technically Red Dot Sight stacks with anything, but I'm willing to bet RAI is otherwise.
***- Just kidding! Though I could see a GM ruling that it does take a complex action to fire like the Savalette Guardian.
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I hope that Lofwyr eats whoever it was that stuck a 12 shot magazine on a BF/FA weapon. >:(
I'll switch out FN 7-5C but there is not need to re-post all of Sigmund just for that right?
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I hope that Lofwyr eats whoever it was that stuck a 12 shot magazine on a BF/FA weapon.
No worse than the AA12 shotgun in reality
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I hope that Lofwyr eats whoever it was that stuck a 12 shot magazine on a BF/FA weapon.
No worse than the AA12 shotgun in reality
With the AA-12 you don't have to fire burst-fire and it has a optional 20/32 shot drum magazine so I think that Lofwyr snacking on someone on the design team is still okay. :P
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Honestly 12(c) isn't criminally bad. You do have 2 passes of BF with it. Machine pistols typically don't have enough recoil compensation for FA fire. In a non-SnS game, the -1 AP is neat. Ex-Ex bursts would be 7P -2AP which is better than a heavy pistol's 6P -2AP. You might find yourself actually reloading in a fight though for that -1AP so it isn't a clear choice.