[Teabeeyea]

I have wanted to play the game since it came out new.  But I am just now getting the chance.  So here is my attempt building a PC.  The concept is to provide the team with Air Transport and Air Cover via the helicopter.  The chopper is flown at all times by the sprites.  Additional sprites are dedicated to radar jamming, and ECM duties.  To have enough sprites available for all desired tasks, this is a CHR based Technomancer style rigger build.  With the CHR so high, I dip into a "face" skill set for a secondary role.  Using the sprites to control the chopper lets me participate in ground actions.  But at the moment I am looking for ways to make involvment in ground actions feasible.


Attributes
Body: 2
Agility: 2
Reaction: 2
Strength: 2
Charisma: 7
Intuition: 3
Logic: 3
Willpower: 6

Edge: 2
Resonance: 6
Initiative: 5
Essence: 6
 
Knowledge Skills
English: N
Military (Coast Guard) : 5
Engineering : 3
Matrix Games : 2
Security Design : 2
Security Procedures : 2
Hospital Routes : 1
Native American Nations : 1
Elven Society : 2
       
Active Skills
Con : 2
Etiquette : 2
Leadership : 2
Negotiation : 2
Compiling : 4
Decompiling : 4
Registering : 4
 
 
Positive Qualities
Digital Doppelganger
       
Negative Qualities
Scorched
Sensitive System
 
Weapons
Guncam
4x Ares MP-LMG
4x Ammo Box/Drum
40x Regular Ammo (10 shots)
       
Armors
 
Vehicles
Hugues Stallion (utility helicopter)
Rigger Adaptation
Dodge Scoot (Scooter)
4x Weapon Mounts
 
Complex forms
       
Sprites
Weapon System Control
Pilot
Sorter
Sorter
Attacker
Pilot
Pilot

[UmaroVI]

You appear to have no Software skill and no Complex Forms?

The Decompiling skill is a trap option, don't take it.

So far as I can tell, you are really, REALLY narrow in what you can do. You can summon sprites and are an alright face - that's it. You're a complete sitting duck in your meat body and you can't do anything else helpful at all. The reason for this is that you're trying to focus far too much on a single aspect of technomancy, and being mildly better at that than a more diverse technomancer at the price of being dramatically weaker in every other area.

You need to start cutting stuff in order to scrape up some points to be able to do other stuff. The first thing I would do is take a Charisma technomancer stream, like Technoshaman, and not have so much Willpower. As mentioned above, Decompiling is a trap; get rid of it. You probably will have to shave some here and there from your stats; you don't really NEED anything besides Charisma and Resonance, but I would sure not want a 2 body.

So far as being able to do other stuff goes, your best bet is (a) have a not-pathetic Body score so you can wear enough armor not to die when it comes to that, and have a few dirty tricks on hand when you get caught in meat combat (b) be able to VR joystick rig adequately (not hard as a Technomancer) so you can come along in a rigger cocoon and run a drone. Also, a technomancer who can't hack at all is pretty sad.

[Neurosis]

With Body, Agility, and Reaction of 2 I do seriously worry about your basic survival.

However you slice it, Shadowrun is not a game where you never get shot at.

[Teabeeyea]

Thanks for the input!  Is there a general "What not to do" list on the forums?

[baronspam]

I don't know of a specific do/don't do list, but I will start one:

Don't assume you can always stay in the van (or other vehicle of your choice).

Not everyone has to be a combat monster, but be able to do something  in a fight.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket, but don't try to do so many things that you end up being good at none of them.

Don't take skill groups unless your really want all the skills.  But if you do they are a bargain.

Being able to defend and to perceive are critical to survival.

Edge is a wonderful thing.

Don't forget that gymnastics substitutes for dodge, and is easier to bonus with cyberware.

Augmentation or Magic, and play it to the hilt.

Adepts are the exception to the above rule.  A little bioware can make a good adept into a great adept.

Always have another ID ready.

Firewall 6.  Analyze 6.  There is no excuse. 

Legwork is everyone's job.

Contacts: you want some.

A specialization is only 2 karma during play.  Unless its a low skill that will only be usefull in the specialized area that you don't intend to advance, save the specialization for later.

When in doubt, more grenades.

And above all, DONT FEED THE TROLL.

[squee_nabob]

I play a TM in missions so some of this is limited to what is legal in missions. First I will direct you to my previous thoughts on TMs, then I will make specific comments on your character:

http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=3839.msg50965#msg50965

http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=3982.msg53690#msg53690

Now for specific comments:

Are you an elf? I think you are, and that’s fine. I can’t figure out your TM stream but I suggest Technoshammy.

If you want to be a rigger, you probably want more intuition for more initiative (which means drop elf and Technoshammy for an intuition stream).

Digital Doppleganger requires you to be a SINner, and it’s kinda bad. You need the TM positive Quality, and I’d suggest a paragon.

Scortched and Sensitive System are fine, you want 10 more points of negative qualities.

The whole concept of “I have a helicopter” is so awesome, I’ve wanted to do it for about a year now. The problem is that helicopters are bad investments. They cost a great deal of points and are easily destroyed. I suggest not getting one.

I also suggest being good at using a helicopter, or a gun. Get Gunnery and Command, possibly piloting. If you can’t thread and have no CFs you are bad. There is no redeeming that, just buy some agents to do a bad job at compensating for your inhibility to contribute anything to the team. You can’t hack, you can’t shoot a gunship, you can’t sneak around, you can barely assist a face with 9 dice.

Remember most runs are “go into a place, do a thing, leave”. You can’t always bring a helicopter along. Even if you wanted to wait outside, 4 LMGs is the wrong move. You want a combination of rockets/grenades to crack walls, HMGs to paste people, and water cannons to KO them.

Dear God, get a machine sprite in that chopper to use Stability to protect from Accident and Gremlins.

Tl;dr: Without compiling and CFs you cannot contribute to a team 80% of the time, and you are better off being a street sam who owns some agents and a helicopter.