[Maded]

I'm working on building an adept for an upcoming game. The bare-bones concept is a surfer from the Philippines who follows the Way of the Athlete.

Already got most of the character done, just mulling over the powers that would be useful.

I know I am going to grab Agility Boost and the Gymnastics dice adder for certain.

Oh, and my initial run-through of power possibilities with the GM didn't include Killing Hands, and the response was something-something-spirits with a loud coughing, so I guess I will have to take that hint, and power 

I thought I might try to get some feedback on what else might be an appropriate power for such an adept. Any takers?

[Triggvi]

you could always take your surfboard as a weapon focus or even elemental strike(water)"Surfs up!"

[Charybdis]

Swimming should be a big component, possibly Diving also.

I always recommend sustenance, and I think for a surfer to go all day without having to come in and eat/drink would be pretty cool.
'Whoa, Omae's a machine, dude. Just hangin' ten all day, don't stop for eating or sleeping or nuthin'! Totally tuned with the motion of the ocean, man. Righteous...'

[Maded]

you could always take your surfboard as a weapon focus or even elemental strike(water)"Surfs up!"

I don't know about the surfboard = weapon thing, but elemental strike (water)? Never thought of that for some odd reason, but now I am totally gonna take that. Thanks

[Maded]

Swimming should be a big component, possibly Diving also.

I always recommend sustenance, and I think for a surfer to go all day without having to come in and eat/drink would be pretty cool.
'Whoa, Omae's a machine, dude. Just hangin' ten all day, don't stop for eating or sleeping or nuthin'! Totally tuned with the motion of the ocean, man. Righteous...'

Kinda like that idea, too Looking it up, here... oh wow, restroom trips once a day too. Interesting. Good buy for .25...

[Maded]

So with the GM's constraints on starting out as low-level starter runners, I've begun the build with a Magic Rating of 4 which is the highest he said he wants either Magic or Resonance to be. So I have the below powers picked up.

Agility Boost I = 0.25
Improved Gymnastics I = 0.25
Sustenance = 0.25
Killing Hands = 0.5
Elemental Strike (Water) = 0.5
Improved Reflexes I = 1.5

That leaves 0.75 left, and I am still pondering. Any other suggestions?

The subject of vision enhancement is on my mind right now, and which type would be the best for someone who spends any amount of time in or under water. Low light, or ultrasound?

[Charybdis]

Thermo, Low-light, Flare Compensation, Hearing Amplification, Sound Dampening.

These are the standard sense enhancements I take for most adept PC's (and Flare Comp is an especially good thing for someone out in the sun all day.)

Hearing Amplification/Sound dampening means you'll be able to hear people yelling at you from the beach, but won't get deafened when a big tube rolls and crashes you under for a while.

Thermo will tell you straight away when something is coming at you in the dark
Low-light is great for that early dawn, late dusk waveriding...

Due to the prevalence of toxic sludge in the world's oceans, I'd also be looking at Iron Gut or other Pathogen/Toxin resistance boosters.

[Maded]

Thermo, Low-light, Flare Compensation, Hearing Amplification, Sound Dampening.

These are the standard sense enhancements I take for most adept PC's (and Flare Comp is an especially good thing for someone out in the sun all day.)
Hearing Amplification/Sound dampening means you'll be able to hear people yelling at you from the beach, but won't get deafened when a big tube rolls and crashes you under for a while.

Due to the prevalence of toxic sludge in the world's oceans, I'd also be looking at Iron Gut or other Pathogen/Toxin resistance boosters.

Damn, too many there lol. Hrm. Definitely flare comp, you brought up a really good point there.

So with a Magic Rating of 4 and point breakdowns:
Agility Boost I = 0.25
Improved Gymnastics I = 0.25
Sustenance = 0.25
Killing Hands = 0.5
Elemental Strike (Water) = 0.5
Improved Reflexes I = 1.5
Improved Sense: Flare compensation = 0.25
Improved Sense: Low-light vision = 0.25 (makes more sense than thermo in water to me)

Leaving 0.25 to play with...

I'm not really sold on the idea of the oceans being completely toxic in my own view of the world of 207X, but the toxin resistance via Natural Immunity could be a pretty good idea anyway. I'll save the hearing amps for later, definitely a great idea there though. And I am sadly sacrificing Mystic Armor for the Killing Hands/Elemental Strike combo, but later also.

Iron Lungs, maybe?

Rapid Healing and Temperature Tolerance also sound pretty good.

Damn GMs.

WTB MR 6...

[Charybdis]

I promise, even with magic rating of 6 (or 7 for the Adept in our group) there are far too many cool powers to ever be truly satisfied

You'll always be wanting more, so the trick is to find a combination you're happy with, and a path to extra powers that will make you even happier

[Xzylvador]

Why not get most of those vision and sound enhancements through contacts + (swimming)goggles and earplugs? Saves those valuable points.

[Medicineman]

Why not get most of those vision and sound enhancements through contacts + (swimming)goggles and earplugs? Saves those valuable points.

You've never been Surfing or did Watersports with Contacts right ?
Its nearly impossible, You're bound to loose them
what about Combat Sense ?

with a Dance in the Water
Medicineman

[Charybdis]

Why not get most of those vision and sound enhancements through contacts + (swimming)goggles and earplugs? Saves those valuable points.

You've never been Surfing or did Watersports with Contacts right ?
Its nearly impossible, You're bound to loose them

I hear you.

Actually, if there's any chance of bioware being throwin into the mix, I highly recommend Nictating Membranes being applied.
- Low-light vision and a protective sheath for your eyes, all in once nice 0.1 essence package. (Very crocodilian  )

[Maded]

Why not get most of those vision and sound enhancements through contacts + (swimming)goggles and earplugs? Saves those valuable points.

You've never been Surfing or did Watersports with Contacts right ?
Its nearly impossible, You're bound to loose them
what about Combat Sense ?

with a Dance in the Water
Medicineman

Yeah, contacts in ocean water are a very bad idea, they're gonna get lost. Even under swimming goggles, because those can pop loose when, say, you go to shoot through a big tube and misjudge being able to ride completely through it and you get covered by it

I think Combat Sense is a later power... more Warrior and less Athlete. (But here I am taking Killing Hands/Elemental Strike, though lol. GMs and their dropping hints.)

So here's what I think I will settle on:

Agility Boost I = 0.25
Improved Gymnastics I = 0.25
Sustenance = 0.25
Killing Hands = 0.5
Elemental Strike (Water) = 0.5
Improved Reflexes I = 1.5
Improved Sense: Flare compensation = 0.25
Improved Sense: Low-light vision = 0.25
Natural Immunity I = 0.25

Thanks for all the input guys

Now on to Attributes and Qualities. I think I am gonna go with:

B: 4 A: 5 R: 4 S: 3 C: 4 I: 4 L: 2 W: 2 Edg: 4 M: 4

+ = Natural Athlete, Water Sprite, Martial Arts I, Adept
- = Thrill Seeker, Prejudiced (Japanese, Outspoken), Lost Loved One, Day Job (1000, 10 hrs.)

Concept fleshed out a little further, using the Qualities: Filipino, whose folks were part of the JIS resistance. Father killed, mother disappeared. Moved to Seattle recently to find her on the rumor she'd been taken there to be used as a sex slave in a Yak bunraku parlor. Day job = pizza delivery, for a friend who helped the adept get to the UCAS (Inspiration Snow Crash, heh). Part of the equipment list is gonna have a used GMC Bulldog, but that's a little later

That's 250 BP right there, on to skills in a few. Thoughts so far?

[Stahlseele]

Forget about Contact Lenses UNDER Swimming Goggles . . Just kit out the Swimming Goggles THEMSELVES!
They have this nice plastic strap that keeps them around your head. And you can Clip hearing aids onto that.

[Maded]

Okay so the GM has stated he wants novice-level, starter runners. With that in mind, working over the active skills I am coming up with this so far:

Athletics Group: 3
Stealth  Group: 2
Influence Group: 1
Clubs (Arnis de Mano, or Batons? +2): 2
Diving: 2
Dodge (Ranged Combat +2): 2
First Aid (Sports Injuries +2): 1
Perception: 2
Throwing Weapons (Knives +2): 2
Unarmed Combat (Arnis de Mano +2): 2

Along with the MA maneuvers Two-Weapon Style and Off-Hand Training for use with the rattan sticks which will be the arnisador's weapon of choice.

On the Clubs skill specialization, what's the benefit of using Arnis instead of Batons? I'm not clear on how it would make a difference. Would you have to use the Arnis spec to gain the benefits of the MA maneuvers with rattan sticks?

Any more thoughts or input on skills?

So with these selections, the total spent is up to 376 BP, leaving 24 BP for contacts and gear...