[Clasher]

Hi everybody,

I'm a new player to Shadowrun and need some help with revising character concept. I planned for my character to be the team's healer but yesterday during our first session I found out two other players are mages with healing spells, making my role in the group less important. I also need advice on what can I do with the chemistry skills my character has.

Thanks. 

Street Name: Dr. Malpractice
Name: Cole Fonzworth
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Human
Composure: 3
Judge Intentions: 6
Lift/Carry:30/10
Memory: 8
Nuyen: 0

== Attributes ==

BOD: 3
AGI: 3
REA: 4
STR: 2
CHA: 1
INT: 5
LOG: 6
WIL: 2
EDG: 6
MAG: 0

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                9
IP:                        1
Physical Damage Track:     10
Stun Damage Track:         9

== Active Skills ==

Clubs                                                              Rank: 4  Pool: 7
Cybertechnology (Specialization (Bioware)  Rank: 2  Pool: 8
Stealth Group                                                Rank: 4 Pool: 8
Dodge (Specialization Long Range)             Rank : 4  Pool: 8
First Aid (Specialization Combat Wounds) Rank : 5 Pool: 11
Medicine (Specialization Trauma Surgery) Rank: 4  Pool: 10
Chemistry (Specialization Compounds)   Rank : 4  Pool: 10
Perception (Specialization Scent)              Rank: 5  Pool: 10
Pistols                                                         Rank: 5  Pool: 8

                                                                 
== Knowledge Skills ==
Academic-Biology (Specialization Physiology)      Rank: 4 Pool: 10
Academic- Biology (Specialization Organic Compound) Rank: 4 Pool: 10
Street- UCAS Politics (Specialization State) Rank: 4  Pool: 10

==Language Skills==
English N
German (Speak) Rating 6

== Contacts ==
Flatline (4, 6)

== Qualities ==
Quicker Healer
Day Job (small)
SINner (Standard) (UCAS)

==Gear==
Low Lifestyle
Armor Clothing with Rating 1 Thermal Damping
Medkit Rating 6
Biomonitor
Chemistry Kit
Glasses
Disposable Syringes (4)
Medkit Supplies
Antidote Patch Rating 2

==Weapons==
Raecor Sting
Extendable Baton

[JustADude]

Well, a lot of really nasty compounds can be cooked up out of common, very inexpensive substances Castor Beans, or Rosery Peas. You could also cook up all sorts of yummy head-candy and other things.

You'd have to get with your GM on the exact effects of anything not in the books but you've got an easy way to make chemical attacks cost effective.

[CitizenJoe]

I'm going to suggest a background as a sports doctor.  Yes there is the immediate need to set that broken leg after the touchdown, but the chemistry background seems to imply doping with steroids and other performance enhancers. The need to keep that secret and hidden, plus the emphasis on bioware seems to imply tailored drugs.

[The Big Peat]

How much can you revise this character and what else is in your group?

The easy dirty solution in many ways appears to play up the combat part and become a second rate Street Samurai, to give you something to do when your medical aid/chemicals aren't needed.

Also, if thats a beginning character, its illegal, and depending on your GM, low Willpower/Cha is 'asking for it' (of course, it might be you're fine with your GM).

[Clasher]

How much can you revise this character and what else is in your group?

The easy dirty solution in many ways appears to play up the combat part and become a second rate Street Samurai, to give you something to do when your medical aid/chemicals aren't needed.

Also, if thats a beginning character, its illegal, and depending on your GM, low Willpower/Cha is 'asking for it' (of course, it might be you're fine with your GM).

In my group we have a technomancer,a weapon specialist,an adept, a mage, and a hacker. My GM approved of my stats with him only advising me to put bod at 3. I wouldnt mind the Street Samurai as long as I'm using bioware over cyberware.

I'm going to suggest a background as a sports doctor.  Yes there is the immediate need to set that broken leg after the touchdown, but the chemistry background seems to imply doping with steroids and other performance enhancers. The need to keep that secret and hidden, plus the emphasis on bioware seems to imply tailored drugs.

I didnt want to put my entire character bio up but the gist of it is he was a guy who work at a corp in a Medical Biochemistry division and a rival set him up and imprisoned him. He escaped and found a old friend who works was a street doc for the poor and for runners. He learn trauma treatment/surgery  and picked up some basic pistol and baton skills. He's now a hood runner to bring income for his friend's clinic and also to get revenge on the Orc who imprisoned him.

Well, a lot of really nasty compounds can be cooked up out of common, very inexpensive substances Castor Beans, or Rosery Peas. You could also cook up all sorts of yummy head-candy and other things.

You'd have to get with your GM on the exact effects of anything not in the books but you've got an easy way to make chemical attacks cost effective.

Are there any specific source book  I can buy for chemical idea lethal and non lethal as my character while not a pacifist (He like to shoot people in the kneecaps and throws them a med kit after) don't wont to be a  people to suffer he will kill if he has to.

[JustADude]

Are there any specific source book  I can buy for chemical idea lethal and non lethal as my character while not a pacifist (He like to shoot people in the kneecaps and throws them a med kit after) don't wont to be a  people to suffer he will kill if he has to.

Arsenal has a whole chapter on the subject, and there's some basic stuff in the core book. Arsenal also includes the "chemistry set" rules, which are a godsend for anyone that actually wants to use chemicals as a part of their setup, since the retail prices per "dose" in the books are just ridiculous.

Arsenic, for example, is 120¥ a dose and, IRL, it costs under $4 a gram at a chemical supply retailer. That means a "dose" would be 30 grams... which is problematic, given that it states that Arsenic has 1 power per total number of ingested doses. Toxin charts tell me that 2mg/day is fatal in a matter of weeks, while an acutely lethal dose is in the range of 100-200mg. That means a "dose" is pretty much 2mg, working out to 60,000¥ a gram, or a 15,000x increase from 2011 retail.

This is pretty typical of a lot of compounds and chemicals in the game. However, if you brew your own you bypass all that nonsense although, ironically, non-lethal compounds would actually be more involved and complex than extracting simple toxins from common plants... Ricin from Castor Beans, Abrin from Rosary Peas, Atropine from Nightshade, etc).

[CitizenJoe]

Ya, stuff that kills you is easier to find than stuff that doesn't kill you.  The same goes for people.  I always get a laugh out of runners that hype their ability to kill with all sorts of expensive gadgets and bang bangs.  They are marginally more effective than a pack of cigarettes. 

[Clasher]

Thank for the feedback.

My DM emailed me yesterday allowing me to revise my character as long as he stays a pacifist. I will look into investing in the supplemental book as I found the wiki on SR Denver chemical section I don't want to use the highly lethal ones; I will likely become a Green Arrow type (with out the Robin Hood theme) with a non lethal payload. I'm curious  to see what role play elements will come out of when my less restrained team members find out at that I'm holding out the good stuff from them .