[dresdran]

So this is my first ever foray into Shadowrun (outside of the video games Dragonfall and Hong Kong) and I am joining a group already in progress, although said progress is currently only a single mission. As the new guy and the last guy to end up joining I decided that it would be appropriate for me to fill a roll that has not been filled in the party. Unfortunately for me the only roll that has not really been filled is the rigger/ tech guy (we got ourselves a mage/ face, a medic, a street samurai, an adept of some sort, and a decker that hasn't shown up yet). That's not to say I didn't want to be one it's simply that as I have found trying to be a freaking rigger with lots of drones is incredibly taxing for someone that has never even played the freaking tabletop. This is why I am going for a wheelman type rigger, because hopefully it will require less upkeep and memorization needed. Now on to the guy himself:

For this wheelman I was thinking of taking specializing into a repairman/ driver that can repair his vehicle, pilot it, and do whatever is necessary to make sure that he can get his team out of there when the drek hits the fan. One of the few things I won't budge on is the Dependent negative quality I have taken (the 6 karma option) as that is the reason he is working in the shadows for the most part and why he has moved to "lovely" Montreal (that is where this game takes place). I plan for him to be a human with no magic. Our GM let us use the Sum to Ten rule so I was thinking of having Skills being A, Attributes and Resources being B, and Metatype and Magic/ Resonance being E when it comes to priorities.

So what exactly should I focus on for skills and attributes (besides the obvious answer of the drive skills, although I would appreciate knowing just how much I should have to be an effective driver) and what do I need to buy to really soar in my chosen task?

[fseperent]

First purchase is a control rig.
You can buy a used R3 rig for 156k or a used R2 rig for 72750.
Main vehicle has to be large enough to carry the team and their gear.
Armor, rigger interface, and turrets would be good mods to apply.
If you have enough left, buy a fancy ride for meeting with potential Mr. Js.

First, Skills A is often seen as a trap.
On the fence about this archetype.
Attributes: Maxed Reaction, high Logic, Agility, and Intuition.
Skills: Perception, Automotive Mechanic, Computer, Hardware, Gunnery, Navigation, Pilot Groundcraft.
Optional skills: Armorer, Electronic Warfare, Software, Tracking

Knowledge Skills:
Area Knowledge
Vehicle Parts
Stunt Techniques
Safehouses
Law Enforcement Procedures
Enginnering

In terms of dice pools, you want at least 10-12 for your primary skills.

That should give you a starting point.
Feel free to post your build if you want advice.

[dresdran]

What exactly is an archetype in the context of this game? Are we talking vehicle rigger being an archetype of sorts whereas the drone rigger is another archetype? Also I might be having to take the place of the party decker instead (at the behest of the GM who is a friend of mine and the reason I got in), but in my free time I might make a build here for further use/ as a back-up character.

[DeathofVirtue]

  Deckers can be a hot mess for newer players to get to grips with, if it is something you are intrested in then good, it's nice to see somone who doesn't make the traditional street sam/mage as their first character.  Be prepared to make lots of notes for how matrix actions work (It may be a pain but you will find it much easier when you are in game if you don't need to keep borrowing the crb to look up how stuff works, at least untill you have the basics memorised)  and ask your gm if they use any "House Rules" affecting deckers as it's not too uncommon for gm's to simplify rules for matrix actions to speed things up etc.

  As far as riggers, they are a mixed bunch with a wide variety of options, theres no real "archetype" rigger per se, I would also point out that the wheelman only approach to rigging is rather bland and only really skims the surface of how usefull a rigger can be, they have a wide variety of options open to them and investing heavily into one particular aspect of the  riggers options does not mean you should ignore the others entirely.

[fseperent]

Here's a basic build I just threw together.
You have 7 karma left.

Unnamed Hero
METATYPE: HUMAN
B 3, A 4, R 6, S 2, W 2, L 5, I 4, C 2, ESS 2.25, EDG 3
Condition Monitor (P/S): 10 / 9
Armor: 9
Limits: Physical 5, Mental 6, Social 3
Physical Initiative: 10+1D6
Active Skills: Armorer (Firearms +2) 6, Automotive Mechanic (Wheeled +2) 6, Electronic Warfare (Sensor Operations +2) 6, Electronics Group 5, Etiquette (Professional +2) 3, Outdoors Group 5, Perception (Visual +2) 6, Pilot Ground Craft (Wheeled +2) 6, Pistols (Holdouts +2) 6
Knowledge Skills: Enginnerring 4, Montreal (Streets +2) 4, Stunt Techniques 4, Vehicle Parts (Scavenging +2) 4
Languages: English N
Qualities: Chaser, Dependent(s) (2): ?, Hawk Eye, Speed Demon, Steely Eyed Wheelman, Subtle Ground Craft Pilot: Pilot Ground Craft, Vehicle Empathy
Augmentations:
   Control Rig (Used) (3)
Vehicles:
   Dodge Caravaner [Handling 3/5/2/4, Speed 4, Accel 1, Body 12, Armor 12, Pilot 2, Sensor 2/3, Seats 7]
      Gear:
         Armor, Concealed (4)
         Chameleon coating
         Gridlink
         Gridlink Override
         Handling Enhancement (2)
         Linguistics: English (local language)
         Linguistics: Japanese (Manufacturer's Language)
         Morphing license plate
         Rigger Cocoon
         Run Flat Tires
         Sensor Enhancement (3)
         Spoof chip
Gear:
   AR Gloves
   Armor Clothing
   Armor Jacket
   Biomonitor
   Bug Scanner (6)
   Concealable Holster
   Contacts (2) w/ Image Link, Vision Magnification, Electronic
   Datachip x50
   Ear buds (3) w/ Audio Enhancement (2), Select Sound Filter (1)
   Electronic Parts x5
   Flashlight
   Identity: Specify Name w/ Fake License: Driving (4), Fake SIN (4), (1 month) Low Lifestyle
   Jammer, Area (4)
   Lined Coat w/ Chemical Protection (2)
   Medkit (6)
   Medkit (6)
   Medkit (6)
   PULSE Wave w/ Mapsoft: Montreal, Shopsoft: Car Parts
   Quick-Draw Holster
   Respirator (5)
   Satellite Link
   Shop, Automotive Mechanic
   STATscan
   Subvocal Microphone
   Tag Eraser
   Tool Kit, Automotive Mechanic
   Tranq Patch (5) x4
   White Noise Generator (6)
Weapons:
   Colt America L36 [Light Pistol, Acc 7, DV 7P, AP –, SA, 11 (c)] w/ (110x) Regular Ammo, (2x) Spare Clips
   Colt Government 2066 [Heavy Pistol, Acc 7, DV 7P, AP -1, SA, 14 (c)] w/ Laser Sight, (280x) Regular Ammo, (3x) Spare Clips
Starting ¥: 5,000 + (3D6 × 60)¥

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[dresdran]

Never mind then, apparently the GM will just bring in an NPC decker when need be. So what kind of drones should your average rigger have? I'm assuming a handful of Fly Spy (or whatever the fuck they are called) as well as an assortment of various combat drones?

Also fseperent what priorities are we looking at? I can definitely tell from the attribute spread that I am looking at priority B for attributes and a priority E for metatype. Since my magic would be at an E would this be the case of me having a priority of A for skills and a priority of B for resources or is that vice versa? Also why outdoors group at 5?

[fseperent]

I went with the Priorities you specified.
Skills A, Attributes and Resources B, Magic and Metatype E.
As for Outdoors 5, Navigation and Tracking are pretty useful and Survival can help in emergencies.
Engineering might of been useful, but Outdoors granted more of a benefit.

Drone selection depends more on the role you plan on playing.
Small sized or smaller can be great for surveillance.
As for combat drones, that's going to be quality vs. quantity.
Do you want an army of cheap drones with small guns or a few tanks?

[dresdran]

Well to keep things simply I'd probably focus mainly on surveillance with maybe one or two tanky drones. My group seems to be rather combat focused so the way I see it we could use some ways to eavesdrop or spy on things. This is also due to me not wanting to get overwhelmed by what I have. And yeah, sorry, I realized that you in fact did stick to the priorities after I had opened my fat mouth.

[fseperent]

Looks like a modified Steel Lynx (or 3) are your best bet for tanks.
Vulcan Leigelord is a good starting point for a RCC.
Fly Spies are the standard for surveillance drones, but there are other options.

[dresdran]

So I noticed that the Control Rig 3 is quite expensive, which I suppose is why you have the used thing there. What exactly does the used condition do and where can I find it? Also how do I explain having an item with an availability of 15R?

[fseperent]

The used grade only cost 75% and lowers availability by 4 but uses 25% more essence.
Page 451 of the core book.

[Duellist_D]

A very cheap and effective Cyberware package for all Rigger-types that don't want to suck at Combat is the following:
Get a Rating 1 Wired Reflexes (Alphaware) and Rating 3 Reaction Enhancers (Used). You need "used" to lower the availability rating and Wired Reflexes are both Cheap on Nuyen and heavy on essence, so alphaware is a must.
Costs you 2,76 Essence 76k Nuyen while giving you +4 Reaction and an additonal +1 D6 for INI, though it need active wireless.
Since your reaction is usually already quite high, you should be able to get it to 9-10 with this, and making you fast enough to not be a burden in combat while making you an exceptionally good driver, even if you aren't jumped into the vehicle. Put a smartlink in your Cybereyes and you aren't stuck in your support role.

To keep some room for cyberware charactergrowth, I'd advise you to take Biocompatibility (Cyberware).
I'm also not a big fan of a level 3 Control Rig.
Its super-heavy on essence if you take it used and is entering the "to much" level in my opinion.
Stick with Alphagrade Level 2. Thats already very good and it costs you very little essence.

Skills over Attributes is usually a trap-option.
Attributes are so much more expensive and important, while Skills B is still plenty to get you all what you need. Even Skills C would work, if you ditch the "multiple drones" angle and stick to being a driver with one or two cars.