[Pixelated]

Okay! so...I never played 5E before. All my Shadowrun comes from 2nd edition BUT! I found a copy of the core book and generated from that. So, this is what I made Tell me what you think since it's been a long time since I played Shadowrun but I tried to remake my old Decker Thief from 2nd ed ^^


General Info

Name: Amira Star "Pixel"
Race: Elf
Class: Decker
Gender: Female
Hair: Bright Green (Styled rocker fashion)
Eyes: Purple Hue (glow)

Priorities:

A- Resources
B- Attributes
C- Skills
D- Meta
E- Magic

STATS

BOD 3
AGI   4 (5) (Elven and Muscle replacement)
REA  4 (5) (Reaction Enhancers)
STR  1 (2) (Muscle Replacement)
WIL   5
LOG  5 (6) (Cerebral Booster)
INT    6
CHA  3 (Elven)

EDGE         1
ESSENCE 1.79
INI               9
MAGIC       0

KARMA      1
ARMOR     12 (Coat + Orthoskin)

QUALITIES

Codeslinger +
Catlike+
Distinct Style -
Prejudice Extreme (Humanis Group) -  (She basically needs to be retrained if she ever has a chance to strike at one)
Weak Immune System -

SKILLS

Automatics  2
EW               5
Pilot Gr.       1
Perception  1
Computer   5
Cybercombat 2
Hacking      6 (Hack on the fly) (+2) (Specialization Devices +2)
Hardware   5
Software     5
First Aid       2
Con              2
Skill Group Stealth (2)
Disguise     2
Palming      2
Sneak          2


KNOWLEDGE

Security Companies (Seattle) 3
Matrix Games            2
Fencing                      2
Music Culture (rock) 2
Matrix Security Prog. 4


LANGUAGE

English N
Sperethiel 3
Japanese  3

CONTACTS
Type               Qual    Loy
Mechanic        2         2
Street Doc       2        2
Smuggler        2        2

CYBER ENHANCEMENTS

Cyber Eyes (Rating 2) (Purple Hued glow)
-Flare Compensation
-Image Link
-Low Light
-Thermal Vision
-Vision Enhancement (rating 2)

Sleep Regulator
Cerebral Booster (Rating 1)
Datajack
Reaction Enhancers (1)
Orthoskin (3)
Muscle Replacement (1)
Tracheal Filter (2)
Toxin Extractor (3)

EQUIPMENT (NOTE THIS LISTS EQUIPMENT ON HAND IN HER VAN AND RESIDENCE!!)

Residence (LOW + Hard to find) Abandoned street garage with office (Paid 2 months)
GMC Bulldog (Wan with Shop in back for Decking and Electronics)

Knife x 2
Ares Crusader II (Laser Sight)
Spare clips 8
500 rounds Ares basic ammo (stored)
100 Hollowpoint (Stored)
50 Taser Rounds (Stored) (Sometimes you just need to shock someone)
Lined coat (9 armor)
Clothes (Stylized)
Renraku Sensei Comm w/ Sim Mod (worn like google glass is)
AR Gloves
Biometric Reader (Van access)
Sat Link (Van)
Trid Projector
Sub Vocal Mic
Datachip (200) (stored)
Sensor Tag (100) (Stored)
Data Tap
Tag Eraser
White Noise Generator (5 Rating)
Shop (All the tools of a decking/electronics shop....This is in her van)
Micro Camera
Directional Mic (3 Rating)
Laser Mic (4 rating)
Ear Buds (3 Rating)
Hardware kit (personal; IE Deck repair in the field)
Stim Patches 4
First Aid Kit (Rating 6)
Fake SIN (Rating 4)
Fake License (Rating 4)

Sensor Array (Rating 8. ) (capacity 6)
-Camera
-Cyberware Scanner
-Ultrasound
-Omni Directional Mic
-Motion Sensor
-Radio Signal Scanner

Sensor (Rating 8. ) (Capacity 1) X8 (These are used by Pixel to set up a warning perimeter of sorts when her main array is in use elsewhere)
-Motion Sensor

MCT Fly-Spy X2
Autosofts (Installed on one only)
-Clear sight Drone (6)
-Stealth (6)
 (She sometimes uses these as an aerial perimeter she can quickly jump into via Matrix for a top down look at escape routes or where people are)


DECK RENRAKU TSURUGI (3)  (ASDF) 6553 Avalable Prog 3 (9.5 Condition)
Grid: Emerald City (Seatlle)
Programs owned
Common
Browse
Configurator
Edit
Encryption
Signal Scrub

Hacker Programs
Armor
Baby Monitor
Decrypt
Exploit
Demolition
Guard
Hammer
Shell
Sneak
Stealth

Agent Program (Rating 4)

Starting Nuyen (Low plus leftover) 5370

SHORT BACKGROUND! (Note...the details of this are only IC knowledge if Pixel told you IC during a campaign, unless )

Pixel or Amira Star was born to a well to do family in Seattle. Not the usual wage slave her father was an up and coming corporate man with Renraku who doted on his daughter and spoiled her to no end. There was no harsh childhood for Amira only a sort of Idyllic life devoid of want which most people scratch and crawl to reach but never find. Even so however as she grew older Amira felt that she never fit in. The continuous doting of her parents, the corporate exec father and her mother a devoted subsidiary shop owner of her mates Corporate branch, left Amira something of a spoiled brat. Never having had to work for anything she quickly fell into that privileged sense of entitlement and so had little regard for the property of others. Influenced by her fathers career as a successful Corporate programming exec she took to the Matrix at an early age. Showing a more than passing aptitude for it her father dreamt of his darling daughter following in his footsteps to one day work alongside him. As such she was enrolled in a modestly prestigious private school, as far as those go in seattle, and began working toward her career. Unbeknownst to her parents Amira was not using the Matrix to expand her learning or to ensure herself a bright future. Instead she was following the instruction of an online decker simply called "The Hatter". He had apparently come across Amira in her stumbling about the Matrix when she was a child and became intrigued to discover that someone not even into double digits age wise had showed the proficiency she did. After teaching her a lesson for poking to close to his domain on the Matrix he then took her in as a sort of prodigy of his. For years she learned from him all the way through grade school and well into her private university schooling. Amiria's sense of entitlement flourished under the Hatter as well as her sense of 'whatever you have online is actually mine'. She began her fledgling Decking days under him, using her father trust fund to supply herself with a deck and all the trappings she would need as a digital and sometimes meatspace thief. Truth be told she came to crave the feeling she got when she hacked into something she was not supposed to and take things she was never supposed to see.The life of a Data Thief called to her though and Hatter had always given her a cut of what info they sold and she had even been contracted a few times alone which delighted her to no end. All in all things were good and she enjoyed her secret life. Hatter had often referred to her as his little Pixel, that oddly meant more to her than her privileged life and the name stuck.

Then everything changed.

Hatter suddenly vanished off the grid. Amira, now styling her life after her digital obsession and calling herself Pixel, went on a crusade to find him. Her schooling dropped off markedly and she was in danger of being ejected from her school. Her father was receiving multiple warning from his corp about her own embarrassing flair and apparent failures and so was ordering her to turn herself around or be disowned. None of that mattered to her though, she had to find Hatter and she didn't care the cost. She had come close to achieving her goal once, and wrapped in her ego believing herself untouchable racing to the rescue of her mentor she made a near fatal mistake. Whoever Hatter was he had apparently crossed the Humanis group, whether they killed him or he is simply hiding it's hard to say however a random file Pixel found on the Matrix led her to them. Blinded by her need to find Hatter she was tricked into following one of the Humanis deckers into a virtual trap. It was the first and last time she ever wanted to see a Black IC as well. Running from the assault and using every evasive technique she knew Pixel was cornered on the Matrix and nearly killed. Ironically it was the Humanis group that 'saved' her.

Tracing her location they burst into her room at the school where she was residing ad yanked her datajack out forcibly dumping her from the Matrix. Suffering from severe biofeedback thanks to the Black IC and the other Decker she was in no shape to fight back. Noth that Pixel was a physical fighter anyway. She was all about in and out, not being seen..this ganger style stuff was alien to her. The Humanis thugs beat her savagely, questined her extensively about Hatter and when she gave them nothing they cut out her eyes to teach her a lesson and dumped her in a garbage bin where they said she belonged. Whatever Pixel had come close to the effects had radiated down to her family as well. Faced with the ire of the Corporation he worked for Amiras father, now disillusioned by his daughter, had her declared legally dead and as a show of his commitment to his corp had her SIN destroyed. Amira's mother buried her head in her business...however the Corp had removed her as the owner and now she severed as a mere wage slave to the new proprietor....she also turned to sims to deal with the nightmare of it all. So it was not Pixels family who pulled her from the dumpster as far as the world and her family was concerned Amira Star was dead.

Moths after the incident Pixel awoke in a small clinic, for the most part she initially panicked almost uncontrollably when she first saw the world through her new cyber eyes. Her head she discovered was also shaved and she could feel the markings of additional surgeries and tell tale signs of enhancements. She may have slipped into psychosis then and there until she spied something set on the table beside her, a little black Top Hat with a note inside. Hand trembling Pixel still remembers reading what that note said.

"My little Pixel....I did what I could for you. Now make them pay. Make them all pay."

Clutching the note like it was her last link to sanity Pixel went through an intensive recovery process and learned the extent of her modifications and what had happened to her. The staff were professional and always polite and never asked from money or ID or anything. They simply told her Mister Hatter had taken care of it whenever she asked. Knowing that The Hatter had been responsible for her enhancements helped her deal with the idea of augmentation beyond her datajack, now she is quite proud of them as she see's it as carrying part of her mentor with her. She has even modified her cyber eyes to glow purple, the exact purple of The Hatter Icon. Now fully recovered and with her clothing and Deck restored, Pixel sporting once more her long bright green hair and Deck, has followed the instruction given to her by Hatter and taken up residence in the secluded street Shop which she found to be stocked with a number of goodies and personal vehicles for her use.

Now somewhat wiser and less egotistical Pixel has embraced the life of a Decker in the Shadows. She has learned of her families abandonment of her and is happy to let them think her gone. She has yet to hear from The Hatter again however most of her time not doing odd jobs is spent searching the Matrix for her missing Idol. Pixel has also taken a near blinding hatred to the group called Humanis, who not only brutalized her but worse caused her to lose touch with the Hatter. She fully intends to take the words of his note which she carries always to heart. She is going to make them pay.

[Tym Jalynsfein]

Personally... I like it... Good job.

[Pixelated]

Thanks! ^^ I made a few small changes last minute but I feel like it's where I want if only I had more than the core book.

[Kuirem]

That backstory is really nice, it made me think of a Negative Quality from Data Trails :

CURIOSITY
KILLED THE CAT
REQUIREMENT: MINIMUM HACKING
SKILL OF 3
BONUS: 7 KARMA

Oooh, an encrypted file … you just know the data in it must be juicy! Let’s just take a quick peek, okay?

The character has an unrelenting compulsion to grab protected data, crack it, and see what’s in it. Whenever
the character encounters protected files (see the Edit File action, p. 239, SR5), he must succeed in a Composure (3) Test or attempt to Crack the File. The character is allowed to attempt to check if the file has a Data Bomb on it, and if so, to disarm it. However, the character cannot move on with his life until the file has been cracked and downloaded (he can read it later). Even if the character is in the middle of a host with IC trying to kill him and enemy hackers slinging at him, he will stop what he is doing and attempt to get that file.

But wait, it’s not all bad! You get +2 dice to all Crack File tests.

If you want to optimize the character a bit :

• Your character isn't much of a fighter. I would probably move 1 point from STR to AGI to have a better dice pool for Sneaking.
• Your Perception and Sneaking are really low for a 'thief' (unless you are talking about only Data Thief), in fact for any Shadowrun that's quite low unless you really want to stay in the van at all time. If you want to fulfill 2 roles properly you could switch Attributes and Skills (reduce your STR and REA) so you get high skills in everything for Hacking and Infiltration
• You should get Smartlink in your Cybereyes, that's +2 dice on shooting roll easy to take. You do not need Image Link if you have Datajack. Datajack gives DNI and DNI provides both Image and Sound Link to see in the Matrix.
• You do not use Reaction that much except for Initiative so taking a Reaction Enhancer seems a bit pointless. If you want extra Initiative you should go for Wired Reflexes.
• Muscle Remplacement is cheaper than Muscle Augmentation and give Agility as well. You can even take it Alphaware to reduce the Essence cost.
• Any SIN with a Rating inferior to 4 by any Decker's cop in a couple of minutes. A Rating 4 requires at least your biometrics to bust it.

[Bushw4cker]

I like the character.

If you are playing by the rules...

You can only start with One Attribute at Maximum Rating.

Hack on the Fly, from what I understand, can't be a Specialization for Hacking Skill, unless Hack on the Fly +2 is from your Codeslinger quality.

If it is from your Codeslinger quality, you should specialize Hacking (Devices +2) or something..

I agree with most everything Kuirem says, except I think Reaction Enhancers are better than Wired Reflexes. Reaction is used for avoiding getting hit. That's important! Reaction also contributes to your Physical Limit. I would go with Reaction Enhancers-2 over Wired Reflexes-1.

Muscle Replacement would be better, unless your trying to be more Essence friendly, than Muscle Toner would be preferable to Muscle Augmentation.

[Kuirem]

Reaction is used for avoiding getting hit. That's important! Reaction also contributes to your Physical Limit. I would go with Reaction Enhancers-2 over Wired Reflexes-1.

You know what is better than avoiding getting hit? Hitting the other guy first. Sure Reaction Enhancer 2 will give you +1 Dice to dodge (remember that Wired Reflexes give 1 Reaction too), also this +1 will feel a bit pointless after getting focused by a couple of Semi-Auto Burst in the same turn.

But if you hit the guy first? You can easily give him 1 or 2 less dice on all his rolls. Wired Reflexes is cheaper than Reaction enhancer and give the same +2 Initiative minimal but if you pop a Cram over it you can easily get 3 action phases.

Initiative can also be directly converted into defense through Full Defense Interrupt Action. Personally I would only take Reaction Enhancer over Wired Reflexes if I have an other use than the usuals for Reaction (either because I am over specializing into Dodge or I want to drive some cars without rigging). But why not both? They are compatible through Wireless anyway, as long as you have the nuyen of course 

[Herr Brackhaus]

Reaction Enhancers are 13k per rating, Wired Reflexes is 39k. I would agree that for a Rating 1 implant Wired Reflexes is more bang for your buck, assuming you can afford it of course.

I'd also agree on Muscle Replacements over Muscle Augmentation/Toner for this character. Essence isn't particularly important in this case.

[Bushw4cker]

Well getting back to Pixelated's character..

Edge 1 is not good imho, especially for Matrix Char.

Might want to look at Karma gen character creation method... I much prefer to Priority. I Like the flexibility.

[Pixelated]

I've made some adjustments! I considered wired reflexes...though Pixel would never really be in a physical fight, or even a firefight if she can help it and if she was she would be more about surviving and getting away. Live to fight and all that. I also considered her background too and figured Orthoskin for added protection would make sense for her. (Again I like to RP over min max...and after getting beat to a pulp a protective coating would fit ) She's not made to be a combat char, very back lines or out decking in the truck from afar. She was a rich privileged kid once, getting into a fight is not her taste, so I don't mind passing on the more aggressive combat oriented stuff. The Matrix should be her arena. Also why I put in some more equipment in the sensor way of things, knowing where everything is so your not there is a good way to avoid fighting

Ah!! yes the codeslinger is not a specialization it was a reminder I had it but I did forget to put my spec in there! I'll need to change that...thanks! As for edge I had been regarding that all through character gen...I was gambling on raising it after the fact but maybe I'll look at it again?

[Bushw4cker]

You still have Smartgun with no Smartlink..

Contacts are a little.. Boring.. All Con 2 Loy 2..

Besides that.. Looking good!.

[Bushw4cker]

Been working on improving my Character sheets. I'm trying to make them very new player friendly. (I GM, and I have about 4 to 6 new players.)  I also wanted to see how much your character would cost with Karmagen/Pointbuy. I much prefer Karmagen/ Point Buy character creation over Priority.


 I put your Decker on my latest version, let me know what you think..






POINT BUY
The Point Buy method has greater flexibility than any
other system; the tradeoff, of course, is that the complete
range of options available can make character
creation a somewhat time-consuming process. For
many, though, the time investment is worth it, as they
have the chance to design a character precisely the
way they want it to be.
In the Point Buy system, you start with 800 Karma.
The first thing you have to do is purchase a metatype, as
per the Metatype Cost Table.
Once you have purchased your metatype, set your
attributes at the minimum levels using the Metatype Attribute
Table on p. 66, SR5, or p. 106 of this book. From
this point on, the Point Buy system generally works similar
to Character Advancement (p 103, SR5), only you are
advancing a character with the minimum attributes for
their metatype and no skills. The player uses Karma to
buy attributes, skills, qualities, contacts (per the rules on
p. 98, SR5), gear (at the cost of 1 Karma for every 2,000
nuyen; a maximum of 200 Karma can be spent this way),
and anything else needed to flesh the character out. The
things that must be taken in consideration are the following:
First, as with the Priority System, characters at
creation may only have 1 Mental or Physical attribute
at their natural maximum (the special attributes—Edge,
Magic, and Resonance—do not fall under this limit). Second,
if characters want to use Magic or the Resonance,
they must buy one of the additional qualities below:
Adept (20 Karma): This makes a character an adept,
able to channel mana into physical abilities. They get a
Magic Rating of 1 and can buy more ranks with Karma.
As with customary character creation, the character gets
free power points equal to their Magic Rating. For more
information on adepts, see p. 69, SR5.
Aspected Magician (15 Karma): Selecting this quality
allows a character to be an aspected magician, meaning
they are skilled in one particular area of magic—Sorcery,
Conjuring, or Enchanting. They get a Magic Rating of 1
and can buy more ranks with Karma. For more information
on the abilities and limitations of aspected magicians,
see p. 69, SR5.
Magician (30 Karma): This makes the character a magic-
user, able to cast spells, conjure spirits, and use other
magical abilities. They get a Magic Rating of 1 and can buy
more ranks with Karma. For more information on magicians
and what they can do, see p. 69, SR5.
Mystic Adept (35 Karma): This makes the character
a mystic adept, a hybrid of magician and adept who can
cast spells while also gaining some of the physical abil-
METATYPE COST TABLE
METATYPE COST
Basic metatypes
Human 0
Dwarf 50 Karma
Elf 40 Karma
Ork 50 Karma
Troll 90 Karma
Extended metatypes
Centaur 60
Cyclopean 100
Dryad 90
Fomorian 100
Giant 90
Gnome 50
Hanuman 100
Hobgoblin 40
Koborokuru 70
Menehune 50
Minotaur 100
Naga 95
Nartaki 40
Nocturna 60
Ogre 40
Oni 50
Pixie 70
Sasquatch 90
Satyr 50
Shapeshifter [Bovine; Vulpine] 100
Shapeshifter [Canine; Falconine] 110
Shapeshifter [Lupine; Equine] 120
Shapeshifter [Pantherine; Tigrine] 150
Shapeshifter [Ursine; Leonine] 160
Wakyambi 70
Xapiri Thëpë 80
>> RUN FASTER <<
64 CONSTRUCTION KITS >>

[Hobbes]

Very nice character.  Minor mechanical tweaks for you to consider, it looks like a long list but it's really just some minor shuffling of a point here or there.

Skills:
Hacking Specialization I'd recommend Hosts or Devices.  You've typically got to get past the host or the device a file is stored on first.

Software and Hardware are lower priority skills for a Decker.  You really can get by with a minor investment in those two skills at first and buy them up later.  Software (Specialization Databombs) and Hardware of 2 or 3 is usually all you need to start.  Computer should be maxed, with a spec in Matrix Search or Matrix Perception.  Matrix Perception is probably going to be your most checked Matrix Action.

Stats:
As others have noted Edge 1 is rough.  Faces and Matrix characters get a lot of opportunities to turn the run into a shoot out   :  )   Edge is a safety net.  Whatever Karma you can shake loose should go to bringing up Edge.

I'd drop Body to 3, and drop either Cha or Will to bring Reaction to 5 and Agility to 6.  At char gen its "best" to max out the attributes you've got skills in, and then raise up the secondary stats later.

Gear:
Winners use drugs.   Psyche & Cram cocktail is my go to buff, although Psyche and Novacoke are a nice mix too.   

Chameleon Suit, you want one.  You want nothing to do with combat on this character every dice in Sneaking is another +1 dice to not getting shot at.

I'd build the Sensors into your Armor and carry on.  Always keep in mind you can use Electronic Warfare for Perception checks if you're using a Sensor. 

[Pixelated]

Okay I did another edit! this one is based off some suggestions from the group I am gaming with....however I am definitely filing away suggestions made here too for character advancement options since well I can't do everything I'd like at char gen Again keep in mind this char would stay far far away from fighting, she's a data thief almost purely not so much a mercenary type at all.

 Mostly Tecumseh spoke to something I had first done when I made the char with priorities and such but wasn't sure if it was a good idea...now feeling more comfortable with SR again I went back to it and dipped further into augments. So...Resources became first to represent the rich kid thing....and I went back to the muscle replacing because one it fits with background and two people who are definitely more knowledgeable than me have both said it was a good idea I also gave her a skill jack and some pilot skill for some drones...there's a few reasons for this. It's inspired by my Shadowrun returns Decker and two once I realized and read you could Jump into Drones via the Matrix to see through them I thought Pixel would definitely do that....being caught unawares in Meatspace once was enough for her. She's a bit paranoid about seeing everything all the time now. I know I may never need to use the Skillsoft for piloting but...I wanted to have it to show that she does pilot them sometimes to specific locations that the dog brain won't do.

Her Essence is now under 3 so I put in weak Immune system, she's not the outdoors rugged type and despite her attitude is fragile in certain ways. So she gets sick alot, I like that for some reason. I also upgraded her deck to a Renraku to match her Comm and I liked Tecumseh's idea that her father may have been part of the corp so now he was/is Which has no effect on her OOC since IC he considers her dead and she's cool with that.

With the new blob of Karma the immune sys gave me I brought back her Con (spoiled kids lie afterall) and I also put up a skill for First aid. Again I tied that into her nearly dying and she figured as boring as leaning how to put your arm in a sling might be she should be able to patch herself up if it ever comes to that. I also reworked her ammo stores a little so there's a little diversity there. I had thought of trying to put edge to 2 but I just didn't have the Karma...so that may be one of my first purchases later. It's a gamble I know.

All in all she's not a combat char and very much a Data thief which is what I am going for thanks for all the input as well everyone I am copy and pasting ideas so I don't forget them as the char progresses through games I considered the devices spec too and that is probably the better idea I agree.

[Pixelated]

Also Bushw4ker I REALLY like that character sheet! could I trouble you to put my last edit into that one I posted just now?  It's so much more contained than my giant list of text

[Hobbes]

Skillwires are go big or go home typically.  And without the Skillwire Subscription from Chrome Flesh they're really too expensive to get much mileage out of them IMO.  You can't edge them so you're looking at a dice pool of 6 or 7 typically.  That isn't much better than a default skill check if you're just trying to do something basic that only needs a single hit.

40K is a lot to spend on something that doesn't do anything.  (I don't see any Skillsofts listed?)

Also, Noise Reduction from Data Jacks stack as an FYI.  On the off chance something like Noise Reduction should interest a Decker...