[sirlink]

My group is getting ready to kick off a new game so we are all in creation mode.
Here is my challenge to all you net-runners out there...

Adept version of Sheppard Book from firefly. 

any and all help accepted.

[ArkangelWinter]

He better be a good shot and pacifist, except for being "fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps."

[sirlink]

He better be a good shot and pacifist, except for being "fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps."

That is the details I figured out just not sure about how to build the rest of him.
Human is standard but might be bland. A gentle troll...sounds way left field. Should be be Erased or SINner or both. Not to mention what kind of cyber/bioware would he be toting with his murky past.

[baronspam]

Well, Shepard Book had a unexplained past where he was likely some kind of agent or operative, but at to what he could actually do, that's a bit fuzzy.  He knew firearms.  I don't clearly remember any scenes where he took someone out hand to hand.  He was clever and a good planner, good social skills, he could use a hammer but didn't display much more advanced technical skills. 

I would start by asking yourself what your role in the group is going to be.  Are you a pacifist gunman who only uses tasers and stick-and-shock?  Are you primarily going to be social with a lot of contacts from your past?  What do you contribute to the team, aside from moral guidance?  Why is he a runner?  If he is pacifist to some degree what kind of work is he willing to do? From there you can decide more details about the  mechanical side of the build.

[JustADude]

My suggestion is to go with a primarily Face build, first and foremost, with Critical Strike (but not Killing Hands, because... well... Pacifist), soft-capped Agility, and 4 in Pistols, and Unarmed Combat. If you want to go the Augmented Adept route, throw in some Muscle Toner, as well as they standard Face-o-matic upgrades.

For his weapon, can't go wrong with a Sakura Fubuki + Smartlink, loaded with Stick'n'Shock. 40 round mag, can fire Narrow Short Bursts with semi-auto recoil. Best option in the game for firing nonlethal ammo at close ranges.

If you weren't doing "Core Only" I'd say take either Speaker's Way or Warrior's Way, depending on if you want to emphasize his current occupation or his past one, and take a Geas for all his powers around only causing harm in self defense or the defense of others, and only if it can't be avoided. Basically, linking his Pacifist to his Adept powers

[ArkangelWinter]

Records on File or Made Man would be good if you werent "Core only" to represent being In For Life with whatever agency. If you dont want to go combat adept, there are plenty of adept powers that can be used to boost social skills. You could probably eventually take more geasa for daily prayer. I'd definitely see Shepard Book having some cyberware as a roleplay thing, probably eyes and bone lacing, or any bioware that boosts healing. If he was an ex-Operative, he should take a fair amount of punishment or heal pretty fast based on how well the Operative in the movie moved after being run through by Mal.

[WellSpokenRunner]

They did make a Serenity rpg with a Book build in it.  But as for SR,

For the powers I suggest
Enhanced refelxes 2
Improved Firearms
Improved Unarmed
Combat sense
Kinesics

That should be 5 points of magic: enough to show that your Shepherd is a skilled and dangerous man of mystery but leaves room for growth.  From what I remember of his backstory, Book should be part covert ops specialist or face mixed with either street sam or enforcer.  A little light hacking too, just to freak people out.  (You may want to give the player a few extra build points to allow for the above average man of mystery vibe.) 

Anyway it sounds like a great idea.  Good luck!