Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: gargaM0NK on <12-06-12/1443:24>
-
Hey guys.
I'm looking at playing a character whose niche is augmenting the abilities (and dice pools) of his teammates.
So, stuff like Heal is okay, but stuff like TacSoft[4] and sensor packages to distribute is Awesome.
What are your favorite ways to boost your chums?
Thanks,
--gargaM0NK
-
Mages with good Heal group spells are pretty capable at a wide variety of things; but a well-equipped rigger can also put a lot of helpful equipment where it needs to be when it needs to be there, whether that's an LMG-armed drone on point or a gecko-crawling drone with a rope and winch to help your team make an escape from the latest skyscraper.
-
Perhaps make a Mage/Rigger.
Put points into summoning and let spirits do the healing and buffing.
Then you have your own Character free for Rigging.
Synergy: money into drones, karma into magic.
-
Perhaps make a Mage/Rigger.
Put points into summoning and let spirits do the healing and buffing.
Then you have your own Character free for Rigging.
Synergy: money into drones, karma into magic.
Silly idea. You'll make yourself less effective as a Mage getting the Control Rig needed to be a real Rigger. This whole idea swarming these boards of putting implants into Mages and Adepts is just completely and utterly STUPID to me. You are spending points to buy a Magic stat of a certain rating and then intentionally losing it? Ridiculous...Waste...Of...Points.
-
Cybershaman Technomancers with an iteration of Sprite Link make for amazing rigger support characters, with no small thanks to Machine Sprites. You want Sprite Link for Fault Sprites.
-
My main character is a Technomancer, so I am some what biased =D
I employ a hacker/rigger combo to feed my team tactical information and buff their electronic defenses while my drones assist in tearing it up. It is also really useful to have such a character during the legwork portion of the mission.
I rarely play them, but it seems that Mages are more useful blowing stuff up or facing it up.
-
This whole idea swarming these boards of putting implants into Mages and Adepts is just completely and utterly STUPID to me.
It's these kinds of statements that aren't necessary and end up hampering what could be productive (or at least interesting) discussion on these forums, if not outright derail. Because to the other side, it's just completely and utterly stupid to them that you ignore basic Algebra.
-
Perhaps make a Mage/Rigger.
Put points into summoning and let spirits do the healing and buffing.
Then you have your own Character free for Rigging.
Synergy: money into drones, karma into magic.
Silly idea. You'll make yourself less effective as a Mage getting the Control Rig needed to be a real Rigger. This whole idea swarming these boards of putting implants into Mages and Adepts is just completely and utterly STUPID to me. You are spending points to buy a Magic stat of a certain rating and then intentionally losing it? Ridiculous...Waste...Of...Points.
He is making a support charactrr.. so it would be totally legit Tod go for a com and Ritter er just not use implants...
-
AI / rigger? Accessing the right node, they can also act as a secondary in teamwork tests for technical, piloting, & combat skills. With autosofts, they .don't even need the actual skill.
-
It's these kinds of statements that aren't necessary and end up hampering what could be productive (or at least interesting) discussion on these forums, if not outright derail. Because to the other side, it's just completely and utterly stupid to them that you ignore basic Algebra.
It's not my fault that those people treat building a character like solving a math problem (which is just silly).
-
You can always try: http://xkcd.com/55/
But telling people that it's a shit approach because you shouldn't ware up even if no one ever said he should put ware into the character is just Trolling.
-
You could go high logic build. There's a lot of useful support skills that are logic based. First Aid is always useful and will make your team's mage/technomancer love you long time since you can first aid drain/fade. If you have a good armorer or mechanics roll, you can make cheap use of the modification rules in Arsenal which is one of the best ways to improve the effectiveness of your party. Hardware is useful to crack most maglocks fairly quickly and reliably.
After that, you have to decide on your primary role in the team. There's two approaches that synergizes well with having a high logic. The first and most common is to be a hacker. The logic-linked skill boosting ware works just as well on the above skills. You can also maintain a TacNet and protect your other PC's PANs. An example of this approach (along with social skills to work as a backup face) is Umaro's Generalist. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/13ozdYUhCaaIBdRAaRV8rOLBnIzHsjxdI31LR60rlXJk/edit)
The other option is to go cyber-awakened. You pick up a logic-based tradition like Wuxing or Hermetic. Then you grab Cerebral Boosters and rock out having a high drain pool and being good at logic skills as seen by the Burnout Combat Mage (https://docs.google.com/document/d/15coH0xoRgDOeUD-gAOlFvYNaJhzHDsLSxCmRxYOqtXw/edit). The other and in my opinion more interesting approach is based on the Mind Over Matter power from War!. You can be a mystic adept that casts spells with a good drain pool, have a high "agility", and be great at logic-linked skills as seen by the Transhuman Mystic (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ph6kgrCLolu1XLZNJ58iAcnOBPrNKEzt8HbJifBz0LY/edit).
-
Obviously TacNets are great for support. Similarly, a high Perception and Sensor suite (drone based) will let you use the Active Targeting rules by linking your sensors to a weapon and lay down extremely accurate supporting fire.
Many GMs will let you use the same rules for actively targeting with handheld sensors as well, letting you effectively play as a spotter for the group's street sams by linking your sensors to the street sams weapons and actively targeting.
Don't forget to consider a Buffy the Buffmaster mage build. Heal and health spells can provide very easy and cheap boosts to your allies, as can many illusions (especially if you have a mind for trickery).
Theoretically a INT based mage (for Perception) could easily hack (you never actually use the Log for your hacking roles), autonomous rig, actively target, run the teams TacNet, provide magical overwatch and buffs, and summon more allies all in one sitting. Think about it, 4-5 drones out, 3-4 bound spirits out, a TacNet of Awesome, a few sustaining foci for some buffing spells, and a couple simple actions for actively targeting a couple poor poor bastards. That's probably a little overboard though.
And of course you wouldn't technically have to cyber up to do any of that, but a point worth of ware would make life a lot simpler.
-
There's an optional rule somewhere where it says instead of losing Magic with each bit of Essence, you instead lower your maximum Magic. Get a Control Rig and lower down to 5.7(?) Essence, but only get a Magic of 5 and have your maximum lowered to 5 and you cap it out by default.
-
There's an optional rule somewhere where it says instead of losing Magic with each bit of Essence, you instead lower your maximum Magic. Get a Control Rig and lower down to 5.7(?) Essence, but only get a Magic of 5 and have your maximum lowered to 5 and you cap it out by default.
But it would also cost more points to get that 5 since that is your new maximum.
-
How about we just focus on making a good support character instead of having the thread go off topic in the first few pages?
gargaMONK, you need to tell us what sort of support your character is going to use. Are you going for a techie type route? It sounds like you are in your first post.So, stuff like Heal is okay, but stuff like TacSoft[4] and sensor packages to distribute is Awesome.
Or are you trying to go for a more "Pick-and-Mix" route, using both tech and magic? Because you got to be careful when putting up these types of posts. Far too many topics get locked because of the issues it brings up... :-\
My reccomendation is to pick one thing to start with, then figure out how to best work with that part first. Best to start off with one area first, then work on another area later, once you realize what things your team needs help with.
-
Thanks everyone for the constructive feedback.
TwitchyD: So far in my head it's not specific enough for a particular direction, and I generally open up the book from a pick-n-mix perspective. Historically I've had a specific role (like the ones in RC: fire support, matrix, magic, etc). But I already have a heavy mage for SR: Missions, and I find myself sitting back a lot so other people get a chance in the limelight. So while it's different from anything I've tried before, I want to focus on That. I want a character who enhances the rest of the team, so "sitting back" is where my points are spent.
As far as mixing 'warez and wiz, it's never bothered me. It's all a tool-kit. If it helps me get to my destination, I don't mind cutting off an arm or two, foregoing it entirely to commune with the spirits, or using some combination.
Obviously TacNets are great for support. Similarly, a high Perception and Sensor suite (drone based) will let you use the Active Targeting rules by linking your sensors to a weapon and lay down extremely accurate supporting fire.
Many GMs will let you use the same rules for actively targeting with handheld sensors as well, letting you effectively play as a spotter for the group's street sams by linking your sensors to the street sams weapons and actively targeting.
Don't forget to consider a Buffy the Buffmaster mage build. Heal and health spells can provide very easy and cheap boosts to your allies, as can many illusions (especially if you have a mind for trickery).
Theoretically a INT based mage (for Perception) could easily hack (you never actually use the Log for your hacking roles), autonomous rig, actively target, run the teams TacNet, provide magical overwatch and buffs, and summon more allies all in one sitting. Think about it, 4-5 drones out, 3-4 bound spirits out, a TacNet of Awesome, a few sustaining foci for some buffing spells, and a couple simple actions for actively targeting a couple poor poor bastards. That's probably a little overboard though.
And of course you wouldn't technically have to cyber up to do any of that, but a point worth of ware would make life a lot simpler.
This is my favorite pack of suggestions so far.
-
Just a raw fire-support rigger can be good support. Keep watch on the team with the sensors in the vehicle while keeping the drones warmed up in case the fecal matter hits the oscillating blades and have a Valkyrie Module in the vehicle with some good medical skills to keep the team patched up.
-
This is my favorite pack of suggestions so far.
Back in my SR3 days, one of my favorite characters was a support mage. The group already had all their main roles covered, so I built mage that used primarily illusion and health spells focused on buffing other people.
Never ever underestimate the value of a good illusion. Trid Phantasming your group to look like they're wearing the proper security uniforms is a nice touch. Trid Phantasming the opposing security guards to look like hulking trolls trying to gun down their buddies is always a great route too, and nothing ever causes a group of baddies to go running like a couple "grenades" that manages to tink tink tink right at their feet and somehow roll right along behind them as the scramble for cover.