[Joush]

Hopeing for some feedback on my first attempt at a troll. It's a 400pt game, starting character and I wasn't going for a super-powerful character, but someone competitive in the hard streets of Seattle. I'm relatively inexperienced, so any help is very welcome.

Thomas White, Troll Ex-Marine turned Street Samarui

A touch above average at eight feet three inches tall, the troll's skin has a faintly grey, stony cast and dark horns like a ram curl back along the line of his black hair shot though with strands of grey. His right side is marked with faint scars where his clothing doesn't cover, radiating out as if that side of his body had caught the brunt of an explosion that would have left another metahuman a shattered ruin, and even the troll did not escape unscathed, his right arm from the shoulder down replaced with a black carbon fiber prosthetic that speaks of military-grade cybergear.

His features are craggy and rough and his massive frame speaks of inhuman strength, yet his dark eyes hold a hint of kindness and he moves taking care not to damage things around him in a world that seems made too small and fragile for him. For work, a black armored jacket with several pockets, huge black boots, jeans and a tee shirt.


::Attributes::
Body: 8
Agility: 4
Reaction: 3 (4)
Strength: 8
Charisma: 3
Intuition: 3
Logic: 3
Willpower: 4

Edge: 2
Initiative: 6(7) Initiative Passes: 1(2)
Essence: 3.12

Condition Boxes: 13 Physical, 10 Mental
+1 Reach, +1 Natural Armor, Lost Natural Thermograpic Vision (replaced by implants)
Armor: 9 Ballistic, 7 Impact w/ Cyberarm, Armor Jacket

::Active Skills::

==Skill groups
Computer : 1, Data Search : 1, Hardware : 1, Software : 1
Blades : 2, Clubs : 2, Unarmed Combat : 2
Automatics : 3, Longarms : 3, Pistols : 3
Climbing : 1, Gymnastics : 1, Running : 1, Swimming : 1
Navigation : 1, Survival : 1, Tracking : 1
==
Etiquette (Military) : 1, Intimidation (Physical): 1, First Aid (Combat Wounds) : 1
Pilot Ground Craft (Wheeled) : 1, Dodge (Ranged Combat) : 1
Infiltration : 1, Perception (Scent) : 3, Throwing Weapons : 1
Cybertechnology (Cyberlimbs) : 1, Armorer : 1

::Knowledge Skills::
UCAS Politics : 2, Military : 5, Computer Background : 2
Seattle Street Gangs : 2, Security Procedures : 3
Lanauges: English : Native, Or'zet : 2, Japanese : 2

::Positive Qualities::
Toughness(10), Erased (5) A UCAS AI tasked to support black operations still eliminates records for Thomas out of thanks for him preventing the AI from being purged.

::Negative Qualities::
Allergy (Silver, Moderate)
SINner (UCAS)
Dependent ("Snow", a young human orphan he found during a run in the Redmond Barrens that is hunted by the Seattle Humanity First cell)
Vendetta (Jon Rath, Humanity First cell leader)
Enemy (Jon Rath, Humanity First cell leader. C: 3, I: 2)

::Cyberware::
Cybereyes Basic System (Rating 3, Alphaware)
+ Low-Light Vision + Flare Compensation + Smartlink + Thermographic Vision + Vision Enhancement (Rating 2)
Cyberears (Rating 1, Alphaware)
+ Audio Enhancement (Rating 2) + Damper
Obvious Full Arm (Alphaware, Custom) with + Spur (Retractable) + Body Enhancement (Rating 3)(Custom to 5, Total + Strength Enhancement (Rating 3)(Custom to 8, Total 11) + Agility Enhancement (Rating 1) (Total 4) + Armor (Rating 2) + Commlink (4 Response/3 Signal) + Datajack
Wired Reflexes (Rating 1, Alphaware) w/Fake Licence (Rating 4)

::Weapons::
Ares Predator IV with Concealable Holster, 3 Clips Gel Rounds, 10 Clips Normal Ammo, Fake License (Rating 4)
AK-97 with Gas-Vent 3 System, Shock Pad, External Smartgun System, 10 Clips Normal Ammo, Fake License (Rating 4)

::Programs:
Analyze (Rating 6), Browse (Rating 4), Edit (Rating 3), Encrypt (Rating 6), System (Rating 4), Firewall (Rating 6)

::Equipment::
Low Lifestyle (2 months)
Armor Jacket
Metal Restraint
Survival Kit
Medkit (Rating 3)
Fake Sin (Rating 4)

::Contacts::
Street Fixer (Contacts 3, Loyalty 2)
Runaway (Contacts 1, Loyalty 4)

[Phylos Fett]

Kinda on the low power side of things, is my first thought. Looking at your skills, why don't you have anything over 3? And you look like you have all the components of some of the skill groups - why not take the skill groups, as they are cheaper than taking the skills individually?

[Joush]

Sorry, I did take skill groups, just listed them separately on my sheet. I wasn't aiming for huge power, just effective. (As far as I know I'm the only person in the group that made a PC with more then one initiative pass, so I didn't want to go too far). I edited the sheet to show where the skill groups start and end.

I guess I was trying to get more of a broad base of different skills rather then a few skills maxed out. Thinking of it now, I feel like I should get Firearms SG up by one more point if I can.

[UmaroVI]

If your group is that low-powered you should be fine.

The only problems I see are:
You have a fake SIN, but no fake licenses.
Your commlink doesn't work. You can't run rating 6 analyze on a response/system 4 commlink. Also, you can't just buy system and firewall; you have to buy an OS and then upgrade by a max of 2.

[Joush]

There are fake licenses listed with Reflex Wiring, AK-97 and Aries Preditor (all at rateing 4).

I'll shift some things to fix the comlink, but where is the rule that you have to buy an OS and can only upgrade it to +2 max?

[UmaroVI]

It's under Upgrading Devices p222 of SR4A - it's actually not just OS's that work that way, it's all matrix attributes; same reason you can't buy just Response 5 and Signal 5 on their own and make your own commlink, but instead have to buy a commlink that then upgrade the stats.

[rasmusnicolaj]

Specializations are cheap in karma.
Maybe drop those (you have a lot) and use the points to raise a few of your primary skills. They are really fast to learn when you start to play.
You have several dicepools 4-5. That is not much more than an average of 1 success per roll. That almost isn't worth it. Maybe specialize a little in fewer skills?

Rasmus

[UmaroVI]

OK, I am mostly going to refrain on suggesting power upgrades but Toughness just makes me cry on the inside. Please, please drop that and just buy 1 more point of body. It is better in every way and there is literally no defense of the Toughness quality until you have softcapped your Body score.

[The Big Peat]

Alternately, drop it and take that extra point of Firearms group you know you want...

Ye know you do...

Also, this is all flavour and one man's Scarlett Johansson is another man's Jabba the Hutt's daughter, but I can't help but feel a big military Troll badass without Heavy Weapons is just missing something... missing something vital...

[Joush]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, I think I am going to make some serious changes.. and.. yeah, I hadn't realized that about toughness. While I sort of like the look of it, it is hard to defend it in the face of what buying another point of body would do.

I'll fix the problems and change some things, then probably come back with a revised sheet.

[Glyph]

I wasn't aiming for huge power, just effective. (As far as I know I'm the only person in the group that made a PC with more then one initiative pass, so I didn't want to go too far).

It's good in one way to not want to overshadow the other players, but that's only if they, too, are playing combat oriented characters.  If they are playing roles such as hacker or face, you should be tougher than they are in combat.  In fact, they might be counting on you to be tough.

[CanRay]

Now I want to make a new 'Trid show:  "Pimp My Troll".

[rasmusnicolaj]

Now I want to make a new 'Trid show:  "Pimp My Troll".

Concept:
The street samurai's girlfriend helps the famous cyber-doctor by stealing her boyfriends old cyberarm.
He is angry and even more when he gets some weird prank calls.
At the same time we follow the doctor and his team while they build and improve the old arm making it better than new.
And then the arm is revealed to the samurai that cries and laughs because it was all just a joke, and the because he is a runner and hates smart asses he shoots everyone.
End of episode 1.

Regards
Rasmus

[Joush]

I wasn't aiming for huge power, just effective. (As far as I know I'm the only person in the group that made a PC with more then one initiative pass, so I didn't want to go too far).

It's good in one way to not want to overshadow the other players, but that's only if they, too, are playing combat oriented characters.  If they are playing roles such as hacker or face, you should be tougher than they are in combat.  In fact, they might be counting on you to be tough.

I see what you mean, and in one case a person is playing a high charisma "Face" type that can be only some aid in combat, but another has gone for an unaugmented nonmagical human with a focus on combat, and it's them that I'm trying not to outshine. (Refuses to use drugs too..)

[Glyph]

Shadowrun is a game of transhumanism.  Unaugmented mundane characters are supposed to be outshone in combat.  They can only survive by being resourceful and cunning.  If a normal person can perform at the same level as an augmented person, it kind of breaks the whole premise of the game.

An unaugmented human can get past security checkpoints more easily, blends in more, and usually deals with less racism (not to mention that things like cars and guns are naturally sized for him, rather than needing to be specially adjusted for him).  The downside is that he should be less effective in a stand-up fight than a hulking troll with a metal arm and other augmentations.