[chryx]

I've recently started getting back into Shadowrun, and I've just been fiddling around with building characters.

Bison the Ork is a former MMA fighter. Unfortunately, a Grand Jury Investigation into match fixing revealed all the games he threw or had thrown to him, and ruined his career. Since then, he's been forced to run the shadows. He also moonlights as a Okichitaw and throwing weapon instructor. He would probably be a pretty good instructor, except all the blows he's taken to his head have left him a little less eloquent than most.
== Info ==
Name: Unnamed Character           Alias: Bison
Ork                               Movement: 18/36
                                  Composure: 7
Street Cred: 0                    Judge Intentions: 7
Notoriety: 3                      Lift/Carry: 18                    (165 kg/110 kg)                 
Public Awareness: 0               Memory: 6
Karma: 0                          Nuyen: 0
Age:                              Skin:
Eyes:                             Hair:

== Priorities ==
Metatype: C(2) - Human, Dwarf, Elf, or Ork
Attributes: A(4) - 24 Attributes
Special: E(0) - Mundane
Skills: D(1) - 22 Skills/0 Skill Groups
Resources: B(3) - 275,000¥

== Attributes ==                 
BOD: 7                                           CHA: 2
AGI: 5 (9)                                                              INT: 5
REA: 5 (6)                                                              LOG: 1
STR: 7 (11)                                                             WIL: 5
EDG: 1                           

== Derived Attributes ==                 
Essence: 0.21                                    Initiative:           10 (11) + 2d6
Physical Damage Track: 12                        Rigger Init:          11 + 2d6
Stun Damage Track: 11                            Astral Init:         
Physical: 12                                     Matrix AR Init:       11 + 2d6
Mental: 4                                        Matrix VR Cold Init:  5 + DP + 3d6
Social: 4                                        Matrix VR Hot Init:   5 + DP + 4d6
   Ballistic Mask [+1] (Only for intimidation, Must be visible)
   Securetech PPP: Legs Kit [-1] (Must be visible)
Astral: 4

== Active Skills ==
Con                                          Base: 0  + Karma: 1  = 1      Pool: 3
Escape Artist                                Base: 0  + Karma: 1  = 1      Pool: 10
Gymnastics                                   Base: 5  + Karma: 0  = 5      Pool: 14
Instruction                                  Base: 0  + Karma: 1  = 1      Pool: 3
Perception                                   Base: 0  + Karma: 1  = 1      Pool: 6
Running                                      Base: 0  + Karma: 1  = 1      Pool: 12
Sneaking (Urban)                                                Base: 3  + Karma: 0  = 3      Pool: 12 (14)
Throwing Weapons (Blades)                                       Base: 5  + Karma: 0  = 5      Pool: 14 (16)
Unarmed Combat ([Martial Art])                                  Base: 6  + Karma: 0  = 6      Pool: 15 (17)

== Knowledge Skills ==
Alcohol                                              Base: 4  + Karma: 0  = 4      Pool: 9
English                                              N                                       
News                                                 Base: 4  + Karma: 0  = 4      Pool: 9
Sports                                               Base: 4  + Karma: 0  = 4      Pool: 9

== Contacts ==
Hopkins (Bartender), The Big Easy (CON: 4, LOY: 2)             

== Qualities ==
Bad Rep
Biocompatability (Cyberware)
Insomnia (Basic)
Low-Light Vision
Restricted Gear
Uneducated

== Lifestyles ==
Crumbling tenement (Low)             1 months             

== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Bone Lacing (Titanium)
Muscle Replacement Rating 4
Orthoskin Rating 2
Sharkskin
Striking Callus Rating 4
Synaptic Booster Rating 1

== Armor ==
Armor Jacket                        12
   +Attachable Gear Access
Ballistic Mask                      2
   +Flare Compensation
   +Gas Mask
Forearm Guards                      1
Forearm Guards                      1
Securetech PPP: Legs Kit            1

== Weapons ==
Shock Gloves
   Pool: 15       Accuracy: 12    DV: 8S(e)    AP: -5    RC: 5
Throwing Knife
   Pool: 14       Accuracy: 12    DV: 12P      AP: -1    RC: 5
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 15       Accuracy: 12    DV: 16P      AP: -     RC: 5
Urban Tribe Tomahawk
   Pool: 14       Accuracy: 13    DV: 13P      AP: -1    RC: 5

== Martial Arts ==
Okichitaw
   +Called Shot (Pin)
   +Counterstrike
   +Sweep

== Commlink ==
Sony Emperor (ATT: 0, SLZ:                0, DP: 2, FWL:                2)

== Gear ==
Fake License (Restricted Bioware License) Rating 2
Fake License (Restricted Cyberware License) Rating 2
Fake SIN (Balrog) Rating 2
Throwing Knife x8
Urban Tribe Tomahawk x2

== Karma Expenses ==

== Nuyen Expenses ==

[drakir]

Restricted Gear unfortunately only give access to one piece of equipment at high availability. You have at least two (Bone Lacing Titanium and Muscle Replacement). Change the Bone Lacing to Aluminium or bioware Bone Density Augmentation (rating 3 or used rating 4) and you should be good.

[chryx]

Ooops. Cyberware grades aren't shown. The Bone Lacing (Titanium) is used.

Bone Lacing (Titanium) - Used - 1.73 Ess
Muscle Replacement Rating 4 - Alphaware - 2.8 Ess
Orthoskin Rating 2 - Alphaware - 0.4 Ess
Sharkskin - Alphaware - Alphaware - 0.2 Ess
Striking Callus Rating 4 - Alphaware - 0.16 Ess
Synaptic Booster Rating 1 - Standard - 0.5 Ess

There's even a bit of a story to the cyberware. The Bone Lacing is oldest piece, put in at the start of the career when Bison was semi-pro. He probably had some low level used Muscle Replacement at that point. As he started winning, he put in a Synaptic Booster to keep up. As he became a big pro and getting endorsement deals, he got offered a Muscle Replacement 4 to showcase the top of the line product offered by a major company. At the peak of his career, he got offered Sharkskin and the Striking Callus to showcase some SOTA stuff.

[Hobbes]

I would ask what does he do as a runner when he's not punching things?  As long as you're cool with having such a specialized focus, rock on.  But, you've got minimal opportunity for growth with low Logic and Cha. 

And Edge 1 on a combat focused character is, I'll say, brave of you.  11 +2d6 is also a touch slow for a character that really only brings combat to the table.  Cram, Jazz, Psyche, Novacoke, Betameth, ect, ect will help out a bit here and there. 

Unarmed is tricky.  It'll suck up as many resources as you throw at it and not care about the rest of your build.  It's possible to make a character that can punch out a truck, but how much truck punching does a runner team need?

Pretty sure Forearm Guards don't stack with more Forearm Guards.  See also Gel Packs and Ares Big Game Hunter armor and just embrace the gawd awful SINless Cyber-Orcness of your bad self.  I'd also just go with Intimidation over Con.  You're not fooling anyone with 3 dice.

[chryx]

I would ask what does he do as a runner when he's not punching things?  As long as you're cool with having such a specialized focus, rock on.  But, you've got minimal opportunity for growth with low Logic and Cha. 

And Edge 1 on a combat focused character is, I'll say, brave of you.  11 +2d6 is also a touch slow for a character that really only brings combat to the table.  Cram, Jazz, Psyche, Novacoke, Betameth, ect, ect will help out a bit here and there. 

Unarmed is tricky.  It'll suck up as many resources as you throw at it and not care about the rest of your build.  It's possible to make a character that can punch out a truck, but how much truck punching does a runner team need?

Pretty sure Forearm Guards don't stack with more Forearm Guards.  See also Gel Packs and Ares Big Game Hunter armor and just embrace the gawd awful SINless Cyber-Orcness of your bad self.  I'd also just go with Intimidation over Con.  You're not fooling anyone with 3 dice.

First thing: the Forearm Guards thing was a mistake. I looked through the list of items for the second Forearm Guards and couldn't find it, even though it was literally the first item on the list.

I think I'll swap out Insomnia for some addiction to combat drugs. Seems like it would fit a washed out, burned out MMA fighter better.

As for the rest, I think you're right. I'm seriously considering dumping Willpower and picking up Charisma 4 or 5, dropping the Sweep for some more character building points (and Agile Defender) and reducing the Gymnastics in favor of more social skills. It makes sense a former MMA fighter would be charismatic and high intimidation. I'd play him so that his low Log and Wil are the result of taking a few too many hits to the head, so he's got a bit of a glass jaw.

[Whiskeyjack]

There's pretty much no point ever trying to use a dice pool of 3, especially one involved in opposed tests.

[chryx]

I'm also noticing that using drugs and dumping logic and willpower don't mix at all. They really, really don't. Not without Nephritic Screens, at any rate.

[Hobbes]

Gymnastics isn't opposed.  10ish dice is usually enough to get you by.  I wouldn't go below Will 3, just a personal preference.  You could also move a couple points out of Body.  Body 5, Cha 4, shuffle several points into Intimidate.  The dice pool wouldn't be huge but you'd be able to stare down flunkies. 

I'd also throw 2 Karma at Locksmith and get a Locksmith Toolkit when you can afford it.  Hardware with a specialization in Alarms is also handy for B&E.

[chryx]

I should note that Locksmith is a Technical skill, so I would be paying double for it being Uneducated.

Might be fun to get Charisma to 5, even. Easily done if I take the points out of Body. I could drop Willpower to 4. 5 dice on addiction tests isn't great, but doable. almost tempted to rebuild as an Oni.

[Hobbes]

Sorry, missed the Uneducated Negative Quality.  That quality is worth about 50 karma but they only give you 8 for it.  Uneducated and Uncouth are both very powerful negative qualities.  If you've got something you're not good at take a look at the Incompetent Negative Quality instead.  Avoid those two qualities as much as possible. 

[chryx]

Thinking also of redoing the character as a human. I would have more skill points and edge, and less exaggerated stats. Or I could have a whole shit ton of Edge.

[Whiskeyjack]

Sorry, missed the Uneducated Negative Quality.  That quality is worth about 50 karma but they only give you 8 for it.  Uneducated and Uncouth are both very powerful negative qualities.  If you've got something you're not good at take a look at the Incompetent Negative Quality instead.  Avoid those two qualities as much as possible.

Oh yeah these are ridiculous traps. People look at them wanting them to model specific personality traits, and don't realize how they can accomplish the same goal simply with lower stats, without the crippling difficulties to future advancement.

[chryx]

I think the plan with Uncouth or Uneducated is that you build your character around never taking those skills that are crippled by it. Then it's just free Karma, right?

[Whiskeyjack]

I think the plan with Uncouth or Uneducated is that you build your character around never taking those skills that are crippled by it. Then it's just free Karma, right?

That may be the plan but I bet 99% of people taking them aren't really clear on how crippling they actually are (which is very).

There's a big difference between "pretty bad at Etiquette" and Uncouth.

[jim1701]

Uncouth is difficult to work with, true.  I would not recommend it for most characters unless the player is ok with being left out entirely when the team is in a social situation. 

Uneducated, OTOH, is totally workable as a character concept.  There are plenty of skills a player can build a viable character around that don't involve technical skills.  It's not for every character obviously but hardly a trap.