[haiiro_okami]

Ever since I first heard of Shadowrun I've wanted to play (and have built) an elf street samurai....problem is my old concept of making the character a mix of combat, social, and stealth skills (the elf metatype seems to sync fairly well with all three)....trouble is the build system and a few other rules have gotten changed on me (the priorities chart has made things quicker but I still don't quite have the hang of it) and unfortunately with the new social limits imposed on characters with low essence the "talky street samurai" option just doesn't work anymore (or at least not as well as I would like.....) So, with new rules keeping that option off the table, I have decided to go with the Adept route....for now I'm thinking of tweaking the Gunslinger Adept example in the Core rulebook to suit my needs (note: I am hoping to use this character for Shadowrun Missions play so I HAVE to use the priorities table and other restrictions...which I still need to read over more....) I am a bit more skilled with 4th edition character building but I have something of a concept in mind for this using the core rulebook's sample along with a modified code of honor and the Raven (Trickster) mentor spirit...I'm usually not one to completely min-max, but I don't like playing useless characters.....so I am more than open to advice and suggestions.

[falar]

Social Limit reduction from lowered Essence is not that big of a deal. You can still totally do a cybered-up Street Sam/Face. Take a look at Amp, who is a cybered-up elf sam/face. If you take out the parts where I shoe-horned a Skilljack/Skillwires into the build, you can definitely get a solid Sam and solid Face.

That said - in Missions, you can't use Code of Honor. Also, Face/Sam with an elf adept is a pretty straightforward build. Improved Ability: [Firearm Skill of Choice], Improved Reflexes II, then all the cool Social Adept powers that I forget and you're golden. Just eyeballing Priorities, I'd go with something like:

A: Attributes
B: Magic
C: Skills
D: Elf
E: Resources

[Hobbes]

A: Attributes
B: Elf
C: Skills
D: Magic
E: Resources

Gets you more Edge.  Decide early if you want to be a Face with a decent gun skill or a gunslinger with a splash of social.  The Face with a gun needs a lot more skills, likely have to go Skills B which will drive you batty trying to get to 6 magic with the leftover letters on an Elf. 

If your concept is more shooty than talky I'd simply go with the above array.  Skills are Gun 6, Stealth 6, Perception 6, Con 6, throw around some specializations, group skill points likely go into Athletics or Influence.  Throw a bunch of karma at Etiquette to get a decent dice pool.  Max Agility, soft cap Int, Charisma, Reaction, gear and powers to taste.  10 Karma for Nuyen/gear.  Positive qualities I recommend are Mentor Spirit (duh) and Perfect Time.

A for example to get you started.  Note the skills are a little off since this particular build was basic book only and had some max skill limits that don't apply anymore.  Really just a starting point for you to tinker with.

Street Name: Gunslinger Adept
Movement: 14/28
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Elf
Composure: 12
Judge Intentions: 12
Lift/Carry: 5 (30 kg/20 kg)
Memory: 7
Nuyen: 45

== Priorities ==
Metatype: B - Any metatype -Elf
Attributes: A - 24 Attributes
Special: D - Adept
Skills: C - 28 Skills/2 Skill Groups
Resources: E - 6,000¥

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 7
REA: 5 (7)
STR: 2  (Base 1, +1 Karma)
CHA: 7
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 5
EDG: 3
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                10 (12) + 3d6
Rigger Initiative:         12 + 3d6
Astral Initiative:         10 + 2d6
Matrix AR Initiative:      12 + 3d6
Matrix Cold Initiative:    5 + DP + 3d6
Matrix Hot Initiative:     5 + DP + 4d6
Physical Damage Track:     10
Stun Damage Track:         11

== Limits ==
Physical:                  5
Mental:                    5
Social:                    9
Astral:                    9

== Active Skills ==

Unarmed                 : 4                         Pool: 11
Etiquette                  : 4                      Pool: 11
Gymnastics                 : 1 (Karma +1)   Pool: 8
Intimidation               : 4                      Pool: 11
Locksmith                  : 2 (Karma+2)      Pool: 9
Navigation                 : 2                      Pool: 7
Palming                    : 2   (Karma +2)     Pool: 9
Perception                 : 4                      Pool: 11
Pilot Ground Craft         : 1   (Karma +1)    Pool: 8
Pistols                    : 6 [Semi-Automatics]    Pool: 13 (15)
Sneaking                   : 4 [Urban]              Pool: 11 (13)
Survival                   : 2                      Pool: 7
Throwing Weapons           : 1  (Karma +1)    Pool: 8
Tracking                   : 2                      Pool: 7


== Knowledge Skills ==
English                    : 3                      Pool: 8
Fashion                    : 2                      Pool: 7
Japanese                   : 3                      Pool: 8
Or'zet                     : 3                      Pool: 8
Shadow Community           : 3                      Pool: 8
Sperethiel                 : N                      Pool: 0

== Contacts ==
 Fixer (4, 1)
 Coyote (4, 1)
 Corporate Secretary (4, 1)
 Street Doc (1, 1)
 ID Manufacturer (1, 1)
 Talismonger (1, 1)

== Positive Qualities ==
Adept
Perfect Time
Low-Light Vision
Mentor Spirit (Eagle)
Quick Healer

==Negative Qualities==
Allergy (Common, Mild) (Pollutants)
Code of Honor (Assassin's Creed)
Prejudiced (Specific, Outspoken) (Goronagits)
SINner (National) (Tir Tairngire)

== Powers ==
Attribute Boost (AGI) Rating: 4
Combat Sense Rating: 6
Improved Reflexes 2

== Lifestyles ==
Low  1 months

== Armor ==
Armor Jacket                        12

== Weapons ==
Browning Ultra-Power
   +Concealable Holster
   +Laser Sight
   +Silencer
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 13 (15)   Accuracy: 6   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 1
Browning Ultra-Power
   +Concealable Holster
   +Laser Sight
   +Silencer
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 13 (15)   Accuracy: 6   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 1
Shock Gloves
  Pool: 11  Accuracy: 5  DV 8s(e)   AP: -5 
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 6   Accuracy: 5   DV: 2S   AP: -   RC: 1

== Commlink ==
Meta Link (ATT: 0, SLZ: 0, DP: 1, FWL: 1)

== Gear ==
Ammo: APDS (Heavy Pistols) x20
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Heavy Pistols) x10
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Heavy Pistols) x10
AR Gloves
Trodes
Contacts Rating 3
   +Flare Compensation
   +Image Link
   +Vision Magnification
Earbuds Rating 2
   +Audio Enhancement Rating 2
Fake SIN (William) Rating 3
   +Fake License (Adept License) Rating 3
   +Fake License (Concealed Carry Permit) Rating 3
Monocle Rating 4
   +Thermographic Vision
   +Vision Enhancement Rating 3
Subvocal Mic
Survival Kit
Locksmith Toolkit

== Vehicles ==
Yamaha Growler (Off-Road Bike)
   +Sensor Array Rating 2

[haiiro_okami]

A: Attributes
B: Elf
C: Skills
D: Magic
E: Resources

Gets you more Edge.  Decide early if you want to be a Face with a decent gun skill or a gunslinger with a splash of social.  The Face with a gun needs a lot more skills, likely have to go Skills B which will drive you batty trying to get to 6 magic with the leftover letters on an Elf. 

If your concept is more shooty than talky I'd simply go with the above array.  Skills are Gun 6, Stealth 6, Perception 6, Con 6, throw around some specializations, group skill points likely go into Athletics or Influence.  Throw a bunch of karma at Etiquette to get a decent dice pool.  Max Agility, soft cap Int, Charisma, Reaction, gear and powers to taste.  10 Karma for Nuyen/gear.  Positive qualities I recommend are Mentor Spirit (duh) and Perfect Time.

A for example to get you started.  Note the skills are a little off since this particular build was basic book only and had some max skill limits that don't apply anymore.  Really just a starting point for you to tinker with.

Street Name: Gunslinger Adept
Movement: 14/28
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Elf
Composure: 12
Judge Intentions: 12
Lift/Carry: 5 (30 kg/20 kg)
Memory: 7
Nuyen: 45

== Priorities ==
Metatype: B - Any metatype -Elf
Attributes: A - 24 Attributes
Special: D - Adept
Skills: C - 28 Skills/2 Skill Groups
Resources: E - 6,000¥

== Attributes ==
BOD: 3
AGI: 7
REA: 5 (7)
STR: 2  (Base 1, +1 Karma)
CHA: 7
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 5
EDG: 3
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                10 (12) + 3d6
Rigger Initiative:         12 + 3d6
Astral Initiative:         10 + 2d6
Matrix AR Initiative:      12 + 3d6
Matrix Cold Initiative:    5 + DP + 3d6
Matrix Hot Initiative:     5 + DP + 4d6
Physical Damage Track:     10
Stun Damage Track:         11

== Limits ==
Physical:                  5
Mental:                    5
Social:                    9
Astral:                    9

== Active Skills ==

Unarmed                 : 4                         Pool: 11
Etiquette                  : 4                      Pool: 11
Gymnastics                 : 1 (Karma +1)   Pool: 8
Intimidation               : 4                      Pool: 11
Locksmith                  : 2 (Karma+2)      Pool: 9
Navigation                 : 2                      Pool: 7
Palming                    : 2   (Karma +2)     Pool: 9
Perception                 : 4                      Pool: 11
Pilot Ground Craft         : 1   (Karma +1)    Pool: 8
Pistols                    : 6 [Semi-Automatics]    Pool: 13 (15)
Sneaking                   : 4 [Urban]              Pool: 11 (13)
Survival                   : 2                      Pool: 7
Throwing Weapons           : 1  (Karma +1)    Pool: 8
Tracking                   : 2                      Pool: 7


== Knowledge Skills ==
English                    : 3                      Pool: 8
Fashion                    : 2                      Pool: 7
Japanese                   : 3                      Pool: 8
Or'zet                     : 3                      Pool: 8
Shadow Community           : 3                      Pool: 8
Sperethiel                 : N                      Pool: 0

== Contacts ==
 Fixer (4, 1)
 Coyote (4, 1)
 Corporate Secretary (4, 1)
 Street Doc (1, 1)
 ID Manufacturer (1, 1)
 Talismonger (1, 1)

== Positive Qualities ==
Adept
Perfect Time
Low-Light Vision
Mentor Spirit (Eagle)
Quick Healer

==Negative Qualities==
Allergy (Common, Mild) (Pollutants)
Code of Honor (Assassin's Creed)
Prejudiced (Specific, Outspoken) (Goronagits)
SINner (National) (Tir Tairngire)

== Powers ==
Attribute Boost (AGI) Rating: 4
Combat Sense Rating: 6
Improved Reflexes 2

== Lifestyles ==
Low  1 months

== Armor ==
Armor Jacket                        12

== Weapons ==
Browning Ultra-Power
   +Concealable Holster
   +Laser Sight
   +Silencer
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 13 (15)   Accuracy: 6   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 1
Browning Ultra-Power
   +Concealable Holster
   +Laser Sight
   +Silencer
   +Spare Clip
   Pool: 13 (15)   Accuracy: 6   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 1
Shock Gloves
  Pool: 11  Accuracy: 5  DV 8s(e)   AP: -5 
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 6   Accuracy: 5   DV: 2S   AP: -   RC: 1

== Commlink ==
Meta Link (ATT: 0, SLZ: 0, DP: 1, FWL: 1)

== Gear ==
Ammo: APDS (Heavy Pistols) x20
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Heavy Pistols) x10
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Heavy Pistols) x10
AR Gloves
Trodes
Contacts Rating 3
   +Flare Compensation
   +Image Link
   +Vision Magnification
Earbuds Rating 2
   +Audio Enhancement Rating 2
Fake SIN (William) Rating 3
   +Fake License (Adept License) Rating 3
   +Fake License (Concealed Carry Permit) Rating 3
Monocle Rating 4
   +Thermographic Vision
   +Vision Enhancement Rating 3
Subvocal Mic
Survival Kit
Locksmith Toolkit

== Vehicles ==
Yamaha Growler (Off-Road Bike)
   +Sensor Array Rating 2

I would almost certainly go for the latter option as I tend to prefer shooty over talky and am probably going to mix and match some bits here and there to make sure it all fits....especially with the gear section there...mostly personal taste (Raven/Trickster is marginally important to the flavor I have in mind)

[gradivus]

AGI Boost 4 is 4 Drain and his Drain Pool is only 8 so he's taking 1 -2 stun on avg to increaee his AGI by 3 most of the time.

AGI Boost 2 will produce 2-3AGI increase with a more manageable 2 Drain.

I'd go (since you're a face):
ImpRef [2]
Authoritative Tone[3]
Attribute Boost(AGI)[2]
Combat Sense[4] 1free from Eagle included

For 2 less Karma then you spent, how about:
Athletics SG 1 (5 Karma)
Outdoors SG 1 (5 Karma)
Palming 1 (2 Karma)
Throwing 1 (2 Karma)
Pistol|Semiautomatics 6|+2
Con|Fastalk 6|+2
Sneaking|Urban 4|+2
Perceptin 4
Intimidation|Mental 4|+2
Influence SG 2

[Hobbes]

Oh so many tweaks are possible.  That was a build for the Archetype challenge so it's deliberately a little less focused.  The skills should be re-done to what the OP wants as well as the Mentor Spirit changed to Raven, and the powers should be tweaked.  It's a copy/paste from the challenge thread, the only update I did was change out Ambidexterity for Perfect time.  Gear should be updated with more recent source books too. 

If the OP posts a semi-final build he'll get plenty of feedback.

[Whiskeyjack]

the new social limits imposed on characters with low essence

This is a total non-issue.

[haiiro_okami]

the new social limits imposed on characters with low essence

This is a total non-issue.

Hmm....I preferred the tech over magic anyway....I have quite a bit of reading to do then....

[ProfGast]

Yeah, jacking up your Social Limit is depressingly easy...  I have a 5 CHA 1.1 Essence human who maintains a social limit of 9 while talking in person, without accounting for anything except for Augmentations... and could easily manage more if I was more focused on Social stuff.

[haiiro_okami]

Yeah, jacking up your Social Limit is depressingly easy...  I have a 5 CHA 1.1 Essence human who maintains a social limit of 9 while talking in person, without accounting for anything except for Augmentations... and could easily manage more if I was more focused on Social stuff.

So let's say I go samurai, shooty with some blades and talky skills.....what combat augmentations would you say are necessary? The prices and the rules have changed on me quite a bit since 4th edition....

[ProfGast]

Generally speaking for any close combat Sam the important gear is a Muscle Enhancement of some type (Muscle Replacement Cyberware or a combination of Muscle Toner and Muscle Augmentation) to get the most out of your Agility and Strength, and a Reaction or initiative improvement (There's a thread on the forums showing details on what's most efficient for cost, essence, etc.)

For social stuff the basic gold standard is Tailored Pheremones which adds a dice to Influence/Performance skills for people you're dealing with in person and also increases your social limit by 1 for every point of Rating.

There are of course other options and ways to specialize depending on how far Stabby or how far Talky you want to get but that's usually a decent place to start.

[falar]

For the Face Side for implants - Tailored Pheromones III is about all you absolutely need. Some faceshifting/voiceshifting might be cool, but it's not required.

For the Sam side you need -

• Initiative - Jazz in an auto-injector is my favorite here, but that's because I love drugs and I'm cheap. Synaptic boosters is cool or Wired Reflexes + Reaction Enhancers for getting more than +4 Reaction. WARNING, the latter is super essence intensive.
• Agility - actually landing hits = Agility. I always recommend Muscle Toner as high as you can and high natural Agility. For melee, I deprioritize Strength usually and pick up a shocking option.
• SmartLink - because +2 to guns is just rad

That's about ... eh ... a few hundred thousand and you're super-solid for implants for your role. Then you just need High-ish Charisma, High-ish Agility, High-ish Reaction/Intuition, a ranged skill, a melee skill and as many face skills as you can get.

[Whiskeyjack]

Yeah, jacking up your Social Limit is depressingly easy...  I have a 5 CHA 1.1 Essence human who maintains a social limit of 9 while talking in person, without accounting for anything except for Augmentations... and could easily manage more if I was more focused on Social stuff.

So let's say I go samurai, shooty with some blades and talky skills.....what combat augmentations would you say are necessary? The prices and the rules have changed on me quite a bit since 4th edition....

Frankly the new pricing scheme is absurd. They nerfed magic (which needed it) and then nerfed ware (which didn't need it), thus keeping magic better still.

Anyway.

For shooting, a classic is Wired Reflexes 2 + REA Enhancers 3, a retinal smartlink,a datajack, Used Muscle Toner 3, Platelet Factories, Bone Lacing, and orthoskin

[haiiro_okami]

Yeah, jacking up your Social Limit is depressingly easy...  I have a 5 CHA 1.1 Essence human who maintains a social limit of 9 while talking in person, without accounting for anything except for Augmentations... and could easily manage more if I was more focused on Social stuff.

So let's say I go samurai, shooty with some blades and talky skills.....what combat augmentations would you say are necessary? The prices and the rules have changed on me quite a bit since 4th edition....

Frankly the new pricing scheme is absurd. They nerfed magic (which needed it) and then nerfed ware (which didn't need it), thus keeping magic better still.

Anyway.

For shooting, a classic is Wired Reflexes 2 + REA Enhancers 3, a retinal smartlink,a datajack, Used Muscle Toner 3, Platelet Factories, Bone Lacing, and orthoskin

Huh.....guess my book is outdated or something....the availability ratings of a good chunk of that are out of the reach of starting players....

[Hobbes]

Used ware is a -4 to Availability, so when something is out of reach buy it used.