[Ugh]

Here is a new character I made for a game that start in a couple of months.  400 point build and we all start off as gang members in Chicago.
As usuall I've used alot from UmaroVI's sample archtypes (Great work by the way. If I could figure out how to +1 you I would.  I would like to have some more edge, but I can't seem to drop anything else. For a summary of my RP choices, I wanted the paraplegic for the birth story.  Vindictive and combat monster help me roleplay his bitterness about  his legs, his mothers, his life on the street, his size, and having one too many people ask him if he want's some candy (whether or not they follow up with "it's right here in my pocket.")  First technomancer, first rigger so there are probably a few things that don't make sense.  If you see any let me know.
Essential equipment:
Transyss steed:  It's my legs and they're at pim level II! The cocoon for protection., but i'm not sure the cocoon will work that well with Pimp my Ride ascetically.
Nordkapp Zugmaschine: You know someone this short has to have the biggest vehicle around!  Plus the grapple arm lets it pick me and my wheel chair up and put us inside (Modified for race and wheelchair, since I'm a rigger I figure this means I took out the drivers seat and maybe put in some quick locking wheel snaps or something.)

“What ya lookin at slotter?  Never seen anyone in a rigger’s cocoon on a wheelchair before?  Oh you got chummers?  Everyone’s got chummers on the street.  Go ahead an call em, you’ll be geeked before they ansew thier com.  I got a chummer with an M-23 pointed at your head and another with an AK-98 pointed about a meter lower.  If I were you I’d slot an run”.
 
Turns to you

“It’s tough on the streets.  You can’t let some slotter give you the wrong look if you want to make it on the streets.  I should know, I’ve lived here my whole live.  Literally born on the streets.  My mother was a KE patroller until she was killed in the Bug wars in 2055.  The round that took out my mother also severed my spine.  I crawled out just after that… Ok, ok!  so I didn’t pull myself out of her womb, but I was born on the street nonetheless.  I should have died there but a breeder chiphead picked me up and washed the blood off.  That was before she was a chiphead of course and working for DocWagon.  She’s the one I call mom… or called mom before the beetle got her.  Sometimes I wonder if it was all that mother’s milk mixed with the BTL use made me what I am. “

“What am I you ask?  For one I’m a drekking Gnome.  The other part you’re better off not knowing.

“Anyway, back to my life. I had an older brother too.  He was mom’s bio son, real prick about it too.  A real go-go-go he was til he went-went-went too fast straight into a truck.  I did get two things from him though.  Him being born started mom with the milk, cheaper than soy and chip addict don’t have a lot of extra nuyen.  Second, he got me into the gang.  We run this sector and no one crosses us.  If you realized that before you VR tagged my block with that drek about my mom, you wouldn’t be laying there on the street oozing brains out the back of your head.  Hey,  like I said. It’s tough on the streets.”

NAME/ALIAS: Gnorman            PLAYER:            MOVEMENT: 8/20, Swim: 4                           
METATYPE: Dwarf (Gnome)            AGE:   19   SEX:   Male   NUYEN:   900                        
HEIGHT:  0.8m           WEIGHT:  35kg                   HAIR:  Light Brown     EYES:  Blue     SKIN:  pinkish
STREET CRED:  0     NOTORIETY:  0                   PUBLIC AWARE:  0                        
COMPOSURE:  9       JUDGE INTENTIONS:  8     LIFT/CARRY:  6         LIFT/CARRY WEIGHT:  45 kg/30 kg     MEMORY:  9

BODY:  3              CHARISMA:  3        EDGE: 1                 CURRENT EDGE POINTS:
AGILITY:  1           INTUITION: 5         ESSENCE: 6
REACTION:  1      LOGIC: 3                INITIATIVE: 6          MATRIX INIT:  11                     
STRENGTH:  3     WILLPOWER: 6     RESONANCE: 6     INIT PASSES:  1     MATRIX:  3                                          
      
ACTIVE SKILLS                  ACTIVE SKILLS                  KNOWLEDGE SKILLS               
SKILL NAME   POOL   RTG.   ATT.   R. MOD.   P. MOD.   SKILL NAME   POOL   RTG.   ATT.   R. MOD.   P. MOD.   
Climbing                     4   1   3   0   0                 Hacking                     2   0   3   0   0   
Compiling                     10   4   6   0   0   Hardware                     7   4   3   0   0   
Computer                      7   4   3   0   0   Perception                     6   1   5   0   0   
Data Search   7   4   3   0   0   Pilot Aircraft   2   1   1   0   0
Electronic Warfare   4   1   3   0   0   Pilot Anthroform   2   1   1   0   0   
First Aid                     4   1   3   0   0   Registering                     10   4   6   0   0   
Gunnery (Ballistic)   7 (9)   6   1   0   0   Running                      2   0   3   0   0   
Shadowing                     4   0   5   0   0   Software                      7   4   3   0   0

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS               
SKILL NAME        POOL   RTG.   ATT.   R. MOD.   P. MOD.
Language: English        N   N   N   N   N
Area Knowledge: Chicago 9   4   5   0   0
Gaming                           8   3   5   0   0
Gangs (Chicago)        11 (13)   6   5   0   0
                        
CONTACT - Fixer   3/3
QUALITY NAME                                       
Arcane Arrester (Racial)
Codeslinger (Control Device)
Day Job (10 hrs/week)
Distinctive Style [Racial]
Neoteny [Racial]
Paragon (Pulse)
Paraplegic
Poor Self Control (Combat Monster)
Poor Self Control (Vindictive)
Technomancer
Thermographic Vision [Racial]

ARMOR   BALLISTIC /IMPACT                                                
TOTAL   13/11                                                
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit   6/2                                                
SecureTech Forearm Guards   0/1                                                
SecureTech Shin Guards   0/1                                                
Vashon Island: Steampunk Corset/Vest (Ensemble)   7-7                                             
VEHICLE   HANDLING   ACCEL   SPEED   PILOT   BODY   ARMOR   SENSOR   CM   RESP   SYS   SIG   FIRE   DEVICE
MCT-Nissan Roto-drone (Medium)   
                  0                     8/20   80   3   3   9   3 (4)   10   3   3   3   3   3   SR4 350         
Ammo Bins; Armor, Normal Rating 20; Chameleon Coating; Improved Takeoff and Landing Level 2; Weapon Mount (Normal, External, Fixed, Remote)   
Medium Drone Sensor                                                   
WEAPON   DAMAGE   AP   MODE   RC   AMMO                                    
Colt M23   6P   -1   SA/BF/FA   0   100(d)   AR 27                                 
Imaging Scope; Smartgun System, Internal; Sound Suppressor; Barrel Extension; Camera Upgrade, Smarlink; Camera Upgrade, Vision Enhancement Rating 3; Camera Upgrade, Vision Magnification; Chameleon Coating; Easy Breakdown, Manual; Extended Clip, 100 Drum; Safe Target System                                                   
   S: 0-56   M: 57-165   L: 166-386   E: 387-605   

VEHICLE   HANDLING   ACCEL   SPEED   PILOT   BODY   ARMOR   SENSOR   CM   RESP   SYS   SIG   FIRE   DEVICE
Nordkapp Zugmaschine with Trailer (Tractor Trailer)   
                   -3                     5/20   90   2   24   10   1 (5)   20   3   3   3   3   3         
Anti-Theft; Armor, Concealed Rating 10; Lock-On Countermeasures; Mechanical Grapple; Metahuman Adjustment; Morphing License Plate; Ram Plate; Rigger Adaptation; Spoof Chip                                                   
Vehicle Sensor
VEHICLE   HANDLING   ACCEL   SPEED   PILOT   BODY   ARMOR   SENSOR   CM   RESP   SYS   SIG   FIRE   DEVICE
Repeater Drone (Minidrone)   
                 1                     3/15   15   3   1   0   2 (3)   9   3   3   3   3   3
         
Chameleon Coating
Minidrone Sensor
VEHICLE   HANDLING   ACCEL   SPEED   PILOT   BODY   ARMOR   SENSOR   CM   RESP   SYS   SIG   FIRE   DEVICE
Transys Steed (Small)   1   8/20   40   3   2   2   3 (4)   9   3   5   5   5   3
Assembly Time Improvement; Firewall 5; Metahuman Adjustment; Pimped Ride Level 2; Rigger Cocoon, Basic; Signal 5; System 5; Weapon Mount (Normal, External, Flexible, Remote)
Satellite Link; Small Drone Sensor   
WEAPON   DAMAGE   AP   MODE   RC   AMMO
AK-98   6P   -1   SA/BF/FA   0   38(c)   AR 26
Airburst Link; Guncam; Smartgun System, Internal; Sound Suppressor; Camera Upgrade, Smarlink; Camera Upgrade, Thermographic
S: 0-50   M: 51-150   L: 151-350   E: 351-550
Und. AK-98 Grenade Launcher   Grenade   -   SS   0   3(m)
S: 5-50   M: 51-100   L: 101-150   E: 151-500                                       
COMMLINK   RESPONSE   SYSTEM   FIREWALL     SIGNAL                                       
Meta Link                     1                      1   1     2                                       
ACCESSORIES:Vector Xim                                                   
Living Persona   5 (6)   3   6   3
ACCESSORIES: Biofeedback Filter 3; Living Persona
NAME   SKILL   RATING
Stream: Dronomancers Resist Fading with INT + RES (11)
Analyze   Computer   6                                             
Command   Varies   6                                             
Exploit (Mute)   Hacking   6                                             
Spoof   Hacking   6                                             
Stealth   Hacking   6                                             
LIFESTYLE   MONTHS
Low                     1   
NAME   RTG.   QTY.
Earbuds   3   1      
Fake SIN (Robin Martin)   3   1   
Medkit   6   1   
Audio Enhancement 3; Skinlink
Glasses   4   1      
Tag Eraser   -   1                     
Fake SIN (Steven Brown)   2   1   
Flare Compensation; Skinlink; Vision Enhancement 3            
Tool Shop (Automotive)   -   1                     

[UmaroVI]

The formatting seems to have died from being copy-pasted; you might want to use Google Docs for this sort of thing since it's better at formatting preservation and you can just link people to it.

Willpower is not particularly important to you and you don't really need 6. That's a good place to dig up more Edge.

First Aid 1 "manually" is kind of a waste, but note that you can Control Device a medkit so it's actually not bad.

Why do you have climbing? You're a paraplegic, and it's really hard to climb without your feet.

You appear to have 0 hacking, which is not a good idea. You really want to have 4.

With a 3 Body you can't wear that much armor.

Drones are capped at armor of (Bodyx3), and vehicles at (Bodyx2)

I'm not a big fan of the roto-drone and recommend the generally superior Ford LEBD-1 instead, for several reasons. First, the Ford comes with a weapon mount and is R. Putting a weapon mount in the Roto-drone makes it F. Second, the Ford comes with a mechanical arm for free which is enormously convenient. It also ends up cheaper since you don't need to mod it as much.

Keep in mind that putting a weapon mount on something - even if you don't have a weapon in the mount at the moment - makes it F. That means you can't take your wheelchair anywhere that people are watching. You might want to own a PMV of some kind without any illegal stuff on it.

If you want to +1 someone, you click on the "Applaud" link beneath their name in one of their posts 

[CitizenJoe]

You should totally go by the street name "Silent G"

[Ugh]

Citizen Joe,  I think that is the best name ever!  So it was said and so it shall be Silent G.

UmaroVI  Why isn't willpower important?  It's my firewall and I'm working on a new stream so it could be my fade resist as well.  I'm updating it to have 4 Will, maybe 3, but I'm still trying to understand why it isn't that important.
I had climbing in case the GM made me use it to pull myself up into my truck.  I wasn't planning on scaling buildings 
0 Hacking:  DOH!!!  fixing that.
With a 3 body I can wear that much armor, I just take a hit to agility.  Since I don't use Agility, I don't see it as a big hit.  That said, I don't want to stack as much armor as possible just because I can, I'm just putting on what I think he would wear.
I've changed the armor,  Thanks again for that.
Exchanged the rotodrone for the Ford with an Ares HVBR.
Having illegal stuff won't be an issue for the starting game.  We are starting in a cordoned off sector of Chicago that hasn't been OK'd since the bugs.  No bugs live there, people do. but it hasn't been cleared and cops don't patrol.  Just us SINless trying to make a buck.  (Still limited to the rating 12 though for starting.)

Both:  +1 to you both as soon as I find that appause link.  Right now I don't see one under peoples names, perhaps because I am new?  All I see is Name, Ranking, newyen symbols,  Icon, # of post, Rep +/-, and under that links to view profile or send a message.

I'll post a better looking sheet when I've finished him.

(It's there now  +1 to you both!)

[Ugh]

I've decided to go with the EVO Orderly instead of the Transys for mobility.  If my GM allows the mechanical arms to mount or hold weapons, what would you need to be able to rig them assuming the weapon is held not mounted?

[JustADude]

I've decided to go with the EVO Orderly instead of the Transys for mobility.  If my GM allows the mechanical arms to mount or hold weapons, what would you need to be able to rig them assuming the weapon is held not mounted?

Normal weapon-skill for the gun or gunnery, depending on your GM.

If it were me, though, I'd say use the normal weapon skill since you're holding and shooting it as normal, just with a different body.

[Ugh]

I guess what I am really wondering is what is the best way to make he guns smart link mesh with the drones sensors and link.  Would a skin link work between two mechanical parts once they touch etc...  I think it would be less to figure out if they count as mounted, but a mechanical arm holding it would make it possible to switch out weapons, not have an F rating, and other possibilities.

[JustADude]

I guess what I am really wondering is what is the best way to make he guns smart link mesh with the drones sensors and link.  Would a skin link work between two mechanical parts once they touch etc...  I think it would be less to figure out if they count as mounted, but a mechanical arm holding it would make it possible to switch out weapons, not have an F rating, and other possibilities.

Smartlink is a vision enhancement. Cameras can take vision enhancements. Cameras can be mounted on a Drone's Sensor Array. Ergo, buy a Rating 6 Camera as part of the Drone's sensor array, then put Smartlink on the Camera. Done.

As for Skinlink... I think you'd have to put it on the drone as a mod, and on the weapon.

[UmaroVI]

Citizen Joe,  I think that is the best name ever!  So it was said and so it shall be Silent G.

UmaroVI  Why isn't willpower important?  It's my firewall and I'm working on a new stream so it could be my fade resist as well.  I'm updating it to have 4 Will, maybe 3, but I'm still trying to understand why it isn't that important.

Having illegal stuff won't be an issue for the starting game.  We are starting in a cordoned off sector of Chicago that hasn't been OK'd since the bugs.  No bugs live there, people do. but it hasn't been cleared and cops don't patrol.  Just us SINless trying to make a buck.  (Still limited to the rating 12 though for starting.)

To answer your questions:

Willpower isn't super important because you really shouldn't need Firewall that much.

First, you don't want to do jumped-in rigging, because as a technomancer you can do command rigging much, much better.

Second, you really shouldn't be engaging in "personal" cybercombat, because sprites > you. Fault sprites in particular are much more effective at cybercombat.

Because of this, Willpower streams are not good. Rigging-oriented technos want to be Intuition streams, because your initiative is Intuitionx2 (+1 in Hotsim), and that's very important for rigging.

To top it off, Willpower is a very inefficient source of defense even if you do care; avoid dumpshock by not jumping in (if you need to do something for which the complex-actions-only part of RC is an issue, use a machine sprite), and if you are really worried about matrix combat, get the Shield complex form.

On vehicles: if you just don't care about legality, you might want to consider the Lone Star Strato-9. It doesn't have arms, but it comes with a Reinforced weapon mount which is quite nice (and is hard to find on small flyers like that). You can mount some quite nasty Vehicle weapons on it (see Arsenal's section on vehicle weapons). Its main drawback is being F, but if you don't care... they're also quite cheap at 3500 each, and if you slap on a cheap gun into the mount, are a good thing to have Machine Sprites pilot.

[UmaroVI]

Re: armor, note you take a hit to agility and reaction, not agility and reaction based skills. This is a problem because when one or the other hits 0, you go from paraplegic to quadraplegic. Also, -1 to agility and reaction per 2 points over, versus 1 more body letting you wear 2 more armor, means if wearing enough armor to encumber you is a good plan, having less agility/reaction and more body is a better plan.

[Ugh]

I just found out we'll be starting with 300 points for this game instead of 400.  With 100 less points I thik I will have to be an Ork (well an Ogre anyway).  My question is, with 300 points can you make an effective technomancer Rigger, or should I just go with a cybered rigger.  If you were going to make a 300 point techno rigger how would you build him.  For rp, I still would like the Paraplegic negative quality, and would love to be a Gnome so I can keep the callsign Silent G (If i go with ork, I'll keep it in rememberance.)

Thanks.

[Captain Karzak]

Ugh, could you tell us if your GM has laid down any other restrictions?

For example, can you still allocate 50 BP to Gear nuYen?
Is the availability cap still 12?
Can you only spend 150 BP on attributes, or there a houserule that loosens this constraint so that you can at least have the stats of an average human being?
Is there cap on how high special attributes : Edge, Magic, Resonance, can be bought up at chargen?
Is there some kind of hard cap on how large dicepools can be?
etc.

If you can tell us all this, up front, then UmaroVI won't have to continuously a stream of sample builds every time we learn about an new constraint.

Also, 300 BP is stupid, and is there any chance you can convince your GM not to go through with this act of stupidity? For those of you who don't understand why this stupid, consider this: Take a look at the Sample Characters out the SR-4a rulebook. Now look at UmaroVI's Archetypes (you can find them in his signature at the bottom of any of his posts). Realize that BOTH sets of characters were built with the SAME number of BP.

So how is possible that the Sample Characters are complete ass and Umaro's Archetypes are so functional if BP's (and KArma totals) are the key determinant of character ability?

The obvious answer is that they are not the key determinant. BP's and Karma are just resources that can be invested for a high or low return. It is the investment options - how well these resources are spent - that actually matters far, far more than the BP total. If your GM want's a lower powered game, then maybe he should start weeding out the high powered options instead of putting stupid constraints on BP.

[UmaroVI]

300 bp encourages you to be very, very hyperspecialized. You can probably build a 300 bp technomancer that doesn't shaft themselves on the karma advancement front, but they will have a razor-thin and laserlike focus on the core technomancer abilities and will also need to start out with very minimalist drones. This is because Technos don't really need money for anything but drones as they advance, so you are better off buying the buy-it-now-or-get-screwed-with-karma-later abilities with your bp, rather than cash.

I'm not a big fan of 300 bp either; low-powered games are much better done with karma and caps. 300 bp gets you hyperspecialists, not "low powered characters" or 'street level characters' or the like.

[All4BigGuns]

300 BP doesn't get "hyperspecialists" or "street level" either one. Despite what some people try to claim, 300 BP gets you underdeveloped and unplayable weakling characters that are not even as good as your average human being walking down the street. That 40-something with no real appreciable ability in anything that bumped into your 400 BP runner in the Stuffer Shack, yeah, at least 360 BP. That said, low-powered games such as that aren't fun in the slightest anyway.

[default_108]

Ugh is actually going to be a player in my future game where they are gangers, I decided 300 BP because the book says that's a good idea for a low powered game.  I'm still new to Shadowrun and I'm still learning.  Since Umaro said karma and caps work best for a low powered game I kind of want to know what that means?  I get the caps (lowering nuyen and availability and what not) but how does a karma come into play here?

I probably should have posted this elsewhere but it seemed appropriate since at least three people here seemed they would have other ideas.