[Xarin]

You mainly need extra passes if you plan to drop into a fight and be a major player rather then spending your time looking for someplace safer to be (like behind a big strapping orc).  And even then, you can try using chems instead of actual augmentations.  Risk of addiction, but cheaper, and only use it when you really need it.  Jazz and it's like can be effective since combats are typically over with quickly.

And if you go for face / smuggler / hacker, you can drop into full VR and get extra IPs on the matrix doing things like hacking into enemy smartlinks / drones / alarms / cyberlimbs, etc.

A Face/Smuggler should be ok I think.  Mel's issue is being a Sammie / Face in a group already full of sammies and a face.  Hence I'm contemplating a hacker or, perhaps more likely, a ripperdoc.

[Kylen]

Anyone happen to know if I have to initiate in order to take a Way off hand? If not, I got 10 points going into Way of the Artisan.

Also: How exactly does rounding work? Down to the nearest .25, or .50? Important because if I take my Way, a handfull of the powers I want get a 25 percent discount.

[Kontact]

I KNOW I'd have a hard time in the shadows, but so does every single character who forgoes augmentation of some kind.
I guess the idea of 'unneeded augments' bugs this character. His arm gets mangled though, and guess what he'll do? He'll go get a new arm of some kind.
Ya know, that whole idea of "Play what's fun." But I'll think about it...though that requires me to get rid of the fun and possibly interesting Sensitive System that would make getting such
a piece of hardware dangerous/interesting for the character.

And he's supposed to be a martial artist pacifist. The Ideal of "I shall not strike the first blow, but I WILL strike the last if I must", thus why the 5 point version instead of the 10 point
"Violence makes me gag" version.

Sensitive System doesn't cause problems with bioware, only with cyberware, but I get the character concept.  I'm just warning you that it's not all that much fun to play someone who can't particularly do anything very well on the dice side of things.  One option that might appeal to you is to max out your edge.  7 edge will let you do all sorts of things well.  Since you're mostly looking towards roleplay and away from rollplay, tossing edge when you really need to roll will let you shine in those tight pinches.

[Kylen]

Nah, it's cool..though I need some offical word on this:

I'm taking Way of the Artisian, and it gives me a 25% discount on some powers, (specifically Mutlitasking and Improved Reflexes, as I gotta choose)

Given that I'm taking R2 Improved reflexes (cost 2.5) and Multitasking (cost .50), what would the final costs come out to after the proper rounding? I can't seem to find anything on rounding in
either book, and am tempted to just make it a .25 reduction.

Edit: Alright. I think I'm done. I got 2 BP left, and I've spent the rest.

[Kontact]

Edit: Alright. I think I'm done. I got 2 BP left, and I've spent the rest.

Same link?

[Xarin]

The specifics don't really round a lot.  As a rule of thumb, I only round Essence and such to the nearest 0.00 place.  So 2.5 with a 25% discount = 1.875, rounded to 1.88

[Kylen]

Kontact: yeah

Xarin: I actually remembered that the guy who wrote Way actually had an errata in his sig, and went with the .25 discount, minimum of .25 idea he had in there.

[Xarin]

I have a bunch of characters handy and I'm just as happy playing any of them, so whatever the group needs filled.  When I submitted Mel, all the bases were covered so I grabbed one of the stranger characters I had.  Right now though, it looks like it might soon be in need of matrix support and a bit of subtlety if Spider doesn't pop in.  So here's my hacker / B&E for review / critique.

Venessa Yoshiko
Street Name: "Yuri"
Female Human Hacker / Infiltration Specialist
400 BP (+ contact house rules)

Character Sheet:
Metatype: Human (0 BP)

Attributes: (190 BP)
Body      3   20
Agility      3(5)   20
Reaction   3(4)   20
Stength      2   10
Charisma   4   30
Intuition   5   40
Logic      3   20
Willpower   4   30

Special Attributes: (0 BP)
Edge      2
Essence      2.09
Initiative   8 (9)
Passes      1 (2)


Qualities: (0 BP)
5   Erased (boyfriend AI, crim rec & unwanted data poof in a week)
5   Restricted Gear (Response 6)
5   Privilaged Family Name (Influentual Seattle business family)
10   Trust Fund (Medium lifestyle)
10   Born Rich
-5   SINner
-5   Lost Loved One (Parents)
-10   Poor Self Control: Vindictive
-5   Media Junkie (Mild)
-10   Biosystem Overstress


Active Skills: (134 BP)
4   Electronics Skill Group [40]
    Computer, Data Search, Hardware, Software
2(+2)   Disguise (Cosmetic) [10]
3(+2)   Con (Impersonation) [14]
1(+2)   Perception (Visual) [6]
1(+2)   Etiquette (High Society) [6]
4   Cybercombat [16]
6(+2)   Hacking (Stealth) [26]
4   Electronic Warfare [16]

Knowledge Skills: (0 BP, 24 free)
3(+2)   High Society (Seattle) [7]
2(+2)   Business (Finance) [5]
1(+2)   Secutiy Design (Matrix) [3]
1(+2)   UCAS Politics (Seattle) [3]
1(+2)   Security companies (Seattle) [3]
1(+2)   Literature (Romance) [3]

Language Skills: (0 BP)
N   English


Contacts: (16 BP (+8 free points))
Jarvis - AI from old hacker friend, spawned in Crash 2.0 (Conn 4, Loy 6) [10]
Shiela - female human Doctor (Conn 3, Loy 3) [6]
Crank - male orc fixer (Conn 3, Loy 1) [4]
Dahlia - female elf socialite (Conn 2, Loy 2) [4]
Van Isherwood - team fixer (Conn 4, Loy 1) [free]


Equipment: (60 BP, 300,000 nuyen)
Starting Nuyen: 4D6+4 x 100, +500 per month from Trust Fund

Cyberware: ( Essence: 3.31  Nuyen: 76,000 )
0.75   Encephalon, Rating 1         30,000
0.48   Skill Wires, Rating 3, Alpha      12,000
1.6   Wired Reflexes, Rating 1, Alpha      22,000
0.16   Datajack x 2, Alpha          2,000
0.32   Cybereyes, Rating 3, Alpha [1/12]    2,000
[1]   Flare Comp, Alpha (used)         750
[2]   Low-Light, Alpha (used)          1,000
[2]   Eye-Light, Alpha (used)            750
[3]   Smartlink, Alpha (used)          1,000
[3]   Vision Enh, Rating 3, Alpha (used)    4,500

Bioware: ( Essence: 1.19  Nuyen: 38,000)
0.48   Muscle Toner, Rating 2 (used)       8,000   R
0.36   Synthacardium, Rating 3 (used)      15,000
0.1   Clean Metabolism          2,500
0.1   Dietware             2,500
0.15   Sleep Regulator (cultured)      10,000

Skill Softs: ( Nuyen: 69,000)
3(1)   Pistols             9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
3(1)   Dodge             9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
3(1)   Unarmed Combat          9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
3(1)   Gymnastics          9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
3(1)   Infiltration          9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
3(1)   Shadowing          9,000
   *Pluscode, Rating 2       2,000
1   Swimming          3,000
1   Climbing          3,000

Knowsofts: ( Nuyen: 0 )

Linguasofts: ( Nuyen: 7,500)
Japanese, Rating 3       1,500
Russian, Rating 3       1,500
Spanish, Rating 3       1,500
Sperethiel, Rating 3       1,500
Or'Zet, Rating 3       1,500

Mapsofts: ( Nuyen 30 )
Seattle Metroplex, Rating 6       30

Programs: ( Nuyen: 53,600)
-Common- 8,600
6   Analyze            600
6   Browse            600
6   Command            600
6   Edit            600
6   Encrypt            600
6   Scan            600
5   Programming Suite    5,000

-Hacking- 45,000
6   Armor          6,000   R
3   Attack          1,500   R
6   Biofedback Filters    6,000   R
3   Blackout       1,500   R
3   Decrypt          1,500   R
3   Defuse          1,500   R
3   ECCM          1,500   R
6   Exploit          6,000   R
3   Medic          1,500   R
3   Sniffer          1,500   R
6   Spoof          6,000   R
6   Stealth          6,000   R
3   Track          1,500   R
3   Agent          3,000

Gear: ( Nuyen: 39,800 )
Renraku Sensei (Response 2[6], Signal 4)   1,000
*Response Upgrade, Rating 6         8,000
*Hot Sim Module                 500   F
*AR Gloves                 250
*Subvocal Microphone               50
Custom OS:
*Firewall, Rating 6            3,000
*System, Rating 6            3,000
Meta Link commlink w/ Vector Xim OS        300
RFID tags x 35                  35
Tag Eraser                 150   F
Hardware Kit                 500
Audio Enhancement Earbuds, Rating 3        310
--17095

Autopicker, Rating 6            1,200   R
Celluar Glove Molder, Rating 3           600   F
Keycard Copier, Rating 6         1,800   F
Maglock Sequencer, Rating 4           800   F
White Noise Generator, Rating 4           200
--4600

Ares Predator IV              350   R
*Concealable Holster               75
*Silencer                 200   F
*Spare Clips x 6               30
*Regular Ammo x 50              100   R
*Stick-n-Shock x 50              400   R
Respirator, Rating 6              600
Second Skin suit (4/1)            5,000
*Ruenthium coating            1,000
Executive Suite Suit (5/2)
*Short Jacket (3/1)              750
*Blouse (1/0)                 400
*Skirt (1/1)                 550
Lined Coat (6/4)              700
Form-fitting Armor, Half-Body suit (4/1)     900
Securetech PPP, discreet versions
*Forearm Guards (0/+1)              200
*Shin Guards (0/+1)              150
--11705

Fake SIN, Rating 4            4,000   F
Fake License, Rating 4 (Pred)           400   F
Fake SIN, Rating 2            2,000   F
--6400

Chrysler-Nissan Jackrabbit         10,500
 Bod/Mod slots: 8  Used: 3
 *1 Amenities, Middle               100
 *2 Anti-Theft                1,600
 Morphing Liscence Plate          1,000
 Spoofing Chip                  500
--13,700

Lifestyles: ( Nuyen: 2,000 )

Low - 2,000, 1 month Paid, on Rat4 fake SIN; Safehouse w/ upkeep (In Tacoma, a small apartment a short drive from the docks)

Advanced Lifestyle option:

4   Comforts - High ; Fully equiped with high-end designer furniture, well-maintained drones for all household chores, real china and crystal drinking glasses
3   Entertainment - Middle ; Matrix extravanganza, occassional night out and pampering time at the spas.  Her social standing has lessened somewhat as she focuses on the shadows.
4   Necessities - High ; Small 200 sqr meter home, 2-car garage, Real food, trendy clothing and jewelry with even some Zoe suits, strong home node with IC
3   Neighborhood - Middle ; Quiet Suburb in Renton not far from Bellevue, low crime area where it's safe to walk at night without arms/armor.
3   Security - Middle ; Anti-tamper biometric locks, alarm, etc.

Qualities:
1   Free Access (+2 to Trace me when hacking from home)
-2   Living by Committee (suburban home-owners association)
-1   Sprite Magnet (they're attracted to the resident AI, Jarvis.  It's like having neighborhood kids drop by)

Total: 15 (Middle); Free (Trust Fund)

Background (SR companion 20 questions)

SR Companion Questionaire:

1) What's your heritage?

Venessa is from a mixed heritage of Japanese and American.  Her mother was from a wealthy family in Japan, and her father was a rising business star in Seattle.  Venessa got some of the best of both worlds for pop-culture physical attractiveness, but she also picked up a lot of the colder demeanors from her very business-like parents.

2) What would your parents say about you?

If they were alive, well, it depends. 

Mother always thought Venessa wasn't quite lady-like enough and is even the one who suggested she get skillwired upon discovering she couldn't properly ballroom dance just 2 weeks before a big benefit ball.  And if she'd known about the romance with the lowly computer tutor or the shadowrunning now?  Oh heavens, what ever has her darling girl become?

Father, on the other hand, thought Venessa wasted too much time on all these frivilous pursuits.  He was grooming her to take over the family's matrix security firm and thought she wasn't investing enough time in learning proper business management for it.  He's the one who insisted she study Matrix systems under a tutor he hired.  Ironically, the tutor was a hacker that taught her more then daddy had bargained for.  If he'd known about the romance as well, he'd have probably had the hacker killed for despoiling his daughter.

In the end though, both of them loved Venessa and only wanted to see her succeed.  They just never agreed on how, or listened much to her thoughts on the matter.

3) What historical events does your character remember?

Haley's Comet came around right about the time her interest in boys was starting to kick in in middle school.  She remembers this mostly because the boy she had a crush on SURGEd in the middle of class one day.  And he didn't luck out with a cute expression either.  Gills on the face are something of a turn-off to her.

The other major event that effected her life was the Crash of '64 just a few years later.  Her private romantically entangled matrix tutor failed to show up for her lessons after the crash.  It wasn't until months later that she discovered a new AI hanging around her node in the Matrix when they finally got back online.  Her loverboy had been caught in the crash and left as a ghost in the matrix.  He still carried most of his old memories intact, including his feelings for her.  The couple has continued carrying on with thier relationship in the Matrix ever since.

4) How did you get into shadowrunning, and why?

Venessa's parents were killed in a dubious accident.  The family's holdings were divided among the children, but it was somehow the over-ambitious black sheep of the family (her youngest brother) that recieved the controlling interests in everything.  Since then he's been getting chummy with Shiawase.  She suspects he and perhaps Shiawase both had a hand in her parents' death and that the will he produced may not be entirely on the up-and-up.  The authorities are un-interested in further investigation however.

Her old flame, Jarvis (now an AI trapped in the matrix) offered to help her find the truth.  With his guidance she's prepared herself as best she can to enter the shadows where truth often lies buried beneath the lies.  If she's successful, not only could she avenge her parnets, but as thier favored child she may well be the one who was to gain control of the family fortunes and could yet do so.

5) What is your living space like?

Venessa is used to living in the lap of luxury.  Her current abode in Bellevue is slumming it by her standards (though upper middle class to most).  So, she's added some touches to help make a shack a home.  Fancy AR artwork covers the walls, predominantly romantic scenes from classic works.  The virtual view is of her old home in the family mansion as a reminder of what she's working for.  A physical picture of Jarvis and herself when they were teenagers sits on the nightstand by her bed.  The condo itself is covered in warm earth tones and maroon accents with comfy funiture throughout.

Her safehouse, however, is pretty spartan with little more then basic essentials and a solid matrix connection.

6) What are your beliefs / convictions (if any) and why do you hold them?



7) what do you think is your most annoying / worst trait?

Venessa may be proffessional, but she's still got a little spoiled princess at heart.  She's a bit condensending and petty with a quiet mean-streak.  Cross her and she'll eventually make sure you regret it.  Most likely when you're least expecting it.

What megacorp do you like the most?  the Least?  Why?

Most - NeoNET; She just likes the ergonomics of thier software products better, both matrix and active-soft.  It just feels more "comfortable".  Beyond that prefference in product though, she's pretty corp-neutral.

Least - Shiawase; Venessa suspects that they were either involved in her parents' deaths or are (unknowingly or otherwise) harboring those who are.

9) How did you come to know your contacts?

Jarvis - They first met when her father hired Jarvis (a security decker at the time) to give her private lessons in the matrix, electronics, and other fields of study that would be useful for understanding matrix-based business.  The two became friends and then secretly became a good deal more then just friends.  During Crash 2.0, Jarvis was online and was caught in the havoc.  They found each other again in the following months, but Jarvis had been trapped in the matrix as an AI, an imprint of his mind left behind that was surprisingly intact.  The couple still feel the same as ever and even manage to continue the relationship via the matrix.

Shiela - A local doctor that runs a quiet upscale body mod clinic in Bellevue just a few blocks down from Venessa's old residence.  They first met when Venessa's mother sent her to Shiela to get her skillwires installed and a competent dancing activesoft loaded in time for a big benefit ball.  Since then, Venessa's discovered that Shiela does a little more clandestine work as well and she's been a regular customer since as she's been getting augmented for an edge in the shadows.

Crank - Crank's a fixer that operates out of the Ork Underground.  Jarvis used some of his old contacts to locate Crank and arrange an introduction with "Yuri".  Having met only recently, it's purely business between them but he has helped her aquire a few select items of dubious legality, and is keeping his ear out for work.

Dahlia - One of the hangers-on often seen at high society gatherings, Dahlia is from one of the "little people" families that's still big enough to stay in the "it" circles.  The two met at a party for some overly rich but tasteless kid's sweet 16 and got to talking just to pass the time at the insufferably dull event.  While not really close, they keep in touch for any up-coming events and always try to arrange time together there, finding each other's company prefferable to the majority of the rabble.

10) What do you do on a day off?

when not working on something shadow-related, or attending a high society function, Venessa likes to spend a lot of her time on the Matrix.  In particular, spending some romantic time in Hot Sim with Jarvis.  She's also been known to take a walk around her neighborhood when the air's clear enough to not need a rebreather (which isn't often these days since she doesn't live under a filter dome anymore).

11) How did you come to learn your skills at your present profeciency?

Growing up in high society circles meant learning the ins and outs of Etiquette at an early age.  And it didn't take long to start learning how to spot the fake smiles while plastering on one of her own.  When she started preparing for the shadows, Yuri focused on improving those talents for deception to better conceal her own identy.

Most of her Matrix skills were learned under the private tutoring of an expert security hacker pre-Crash 2.0, and despite taking extra time for thier romantic entanglements she picked up a great deal about the subject.  She's honed the basic skills ever since and has become quite adpet at hacking in this new wireless world.

12) Are thier any moral limits on what jobs you take or things you'll do?

Venessa's dark side has developed since her parents died.  She can count on 1 hand the number of people she has genuinely loved, and they were on that very short list.  The desire to repay the pain that caused has been eating at her and driving her to great lengths.  She would go out of her way to "take care of unsettled business".

However, if you're not on her personal hit-list, you're pretty much getting the kiddie glove treatment.  Unless of course she's hired to kill you, in which case she'll just try to make sure there's as little suffering involved as possible.

13) How do you view magic?

Venessa grew up in a rich family post-awakening.  There's always been a wage-mage on the security team, and she's always been around magic in some form or fashion.  To her, it's just another part of life and tool to use like any other talent.

14) How did you get your augmentations?

Some of her initial body mods were just part of living in very well-to-do circles, like dietware to maintain a perfect figure or clean metabolism to prevent an emerassing faux-pas.  Even her skillwires were insisted upon by her mother as a fast-track to learning skills in time for big events or public appearances.  She even picked up a sleep regulator to give her more time to take care of her busy social life.

The rest, however, have been additions made using a good deal of the funds from her portion of her parents' estate that was granted along side her trust fund.  Wired Reflexes, cyber eyes, and muscle toners for surviving the streets without a bodyguard.  An Encephalon to help her hacking skills, and a suite of datajacks and new active-softs to complement her skills in a relatively short time frame.

15) What do you think of ordinary life and those who live it?

Dull.  It's for the little people who refuse to make something big of themselves.  Still, if they're happy, then who is she to get in thier way?

16) What would be a bad nightmare for you?  Any deep-rooted fears? Why is it so frightening to you?

She was a depressed worried wreck for months when she couldn't get ahold of Jarvis after the Crash.  And he was her lifeline when her parents died.  Losing him again would be like pulling the keystone from the bridge holding up her world.

17) What or who is your "sacred object" or "close one", and how did they come to be so important to you?

Jarvis is the love of her life, be it in the meat or in the matrix.  He's the only one that ever got her guard down enough to be "real".  The only one she feels completely like herself around.  No fake smiles for mom and pop, no act or airs put on to impress the neighbors, just the two of them together.

18) What did you want to be as a child, and what are your goals now?

Venessa wanted to be everything from a Ballerina to a ritzy housewife, to a sim starlet when she was little.  It just depended on what caught her fancy that week.  As she grew older though, her parents started imposing thier ideas more and more and her childhood dreams faded away.

These days, her primary goal is to uncover the truth about her parents' deminse and her little brother's rise to power in the family.  If she succeeds, she can lay old ghosts to rest and resume her place in the sun with a life of luxury.

19) What do you look like, and what inspired those choices?

Venessa does her best to make herself look like she fits in wherever she's working.  In her normal daily life, it's fashionable tailored shirt and slacks, or a nice dress, all made to flatter her figure.  In shadow work, it's the basic off-the-shelf look with the ubiquitous lined coat and discreet armored protection beneath average bargain-mart baggy cloths.  Hair is long and straight.  Sometimes loose, sometimes tied back into a lengthy ponytail or a shorter sports braid.

Whatever the case, it's "blend in" time.  She learned a long time ago that you can slip around where you're not supposed to be just by looking and acting like you belonged there.  It's how she got most of her juicy gossip as a kid and it's served her well ever since.

20) How did you get your street name?

When she was first discussing her plans to look into her parents' demise and the subject of the shadows came up, Jarvis called her his beautiful flower, delicate like a lily, and expressed his concern for her safety.  It was his counsel that convinced her to spend over a year in training and preperation rather then dive head long into such a rough life.  Out of a sense of irony, she chose to go by the alias of "Yuri", Japanese for "Lily", when she finally felt ready.


And pics:
Portarit
Showing off the 2nd Skin armor and a few gizmos

[Kylen]

Godamnit Xar. She's quite a looker. Too bad her armor doesn't cover what's ACTUALLY important (though it IS hot)

Too bad Jackson's a scruffy smuggler with a penchant for having grease on his face. Ooh..I should add a pair of goggles to his list instead of the glasses...or maybe as well. I got the cash for it.

Edit: Uh...are we using the standard 35 BP limit on Positive qualities? If so, I gotta go do some editing again real quick.

[Xarin]

Godamnit Xar. She's quite a looker. Too bad her armor doesn't cover what's ACTUALLY important (though it IS hot)

Ya gotta love Adam Warren's art   But hey, it's Second Skin with Ruthenium.  Which means it does indeed cover her entire body, it's just optionally transparent wherever the wearer pleases.

Too bad Jackson's a scruffy smuggler with a penchant for having grease on his face. Ooh..I should add a pair of goggles to his list instead of the glasses...or maybe as well. I got the cash for it.

Edit: Uh...are we using the standard 35 BP limit on Positive qualities? If so, I gotta go do some editing again real quick.

Believe so on the 35pt limit.  And if you want Goggles just for the looks, you should be able to just have some from the wardrobe included with your Lifestyle.  You only need to pay from your chargen cash if you want goggles that actuall do something.  All of Yuri's stuff is in the cybereyes so it's just costuming for her goggles.

[Kylen]

Thanks Xar.

Character sheet SHOULD be finalized, unless I turn up over points.

[Kontact]

Right now though, it looks like it might soon be in need of matrix support and a bit of subtlety if Spider doesn't pop in.  So here's my hacker / B&E for review / critique.

Awesome.  Consider yourself drafted.

If you want to have been digitally present for the meeting with Blue and have the team's comm IDs you can start posting right away.

[Xarin]

Right now though, it looks like it might soon be in need of matrix support and a bit of subtlety if Spider doesn't pop in.  So here's my hacker / B&E for review / critique.

Awesome.  Consider yourself drafted.

If you want to have been digitally present for the meeting with Blue and have the team's comm IDs you can start posting right away.

Spiffy.  I'll read back through the thread.  Think I'll go with the replacement angle though.  Got comm IDs from Isherwood when he reached me through our mutual aquiatence Crank and offered a cover job for some talent that was a no-show on him.  I can pick up the details from the team and thier 'links after that

Or, more specifically, after I've had some sleep.  I'm about to faceplant into the keyboard otherwise and the post will look like "yadda yadda sdjdbvjhgakj34h482ch"

[Kontact]

Or, more specifically, after I've had some sleep.  I'm about to faceplant into the keyboard otherwise and the post will look like "yadda yadda sdjdbvjhgakj34h482ch"

Cool cool.  Team shouldn't need a hacker to choose their destination tonight, just the promise of one.