[Silverblade]

This is a gunslinger adept character I've been working on for the last little while. Written up a cool western themed back story for him too. Let me know what you think both of his build and the story.

Name: Paladin Roland
Race: Human
Magic Status: Adept

Attributes
Body: 4
Agility: 5
Reaction: 4 (6)
Strength: 4
Charisma: 3
Intuition: 3
Logic: 3
Willpower: 4
Edge: 5
Magic: 5
Initiative: 9
Essence: 6


Skills
Skillgroup Firearms: 4 (Pistols 7 after having been modified by Adept powers)
Blades (Knives): 2
Pilot Ground Craft (Bike): 2
Survival (Forest): 1
Intimidation: 3
Armourer (Firearms): 3
Running (Wilderness): 2

Adept Powers
Combat Sense: Level 2
Improved Reflexes: Level 2
Improved Ability: Pistols Level 3

Contacts
Jimmy: Connection 2 / Loyalty 4
Jimmy is a professional burgular whose life Roland saved from a gang of angry thugs. Out of gradtitude Jimmy is willing to act as Roland's sensei in the Stealth skill group.

Language Skills
English: Native
Sperethiel: 3
Spanish: 1

Knowledge Skills
Firearms (Pistols): 4
Firearms Design: 3
History (American): 2
Native American Nations (Police Tactics): 2
Liqour (Whiskey): 1

Qualities
Positive Oualities
Ambidextrous (5BP)
Guts (5BP)
Hawk Eye (5BP)
Sensei (5BP)
Martial Arts 2 (10BP)
Adept: (5BP)

Negative Qualities
Enemy 2 (10BP)
Addiction, mild (5BP): Tobacco
Addiction, mild (5BP): Alcohol
Incompetent (5BP): Hacking
Incompetent (5BP): Software
Incompetent (5BP): Enchanting

Equipment

Weapons
Surival Knife, Tomahawk, 2x Ruger Super Warhawk, 2x Quickdraw Holster, 2x Underballer Weight, Remington 950, Weapon Personality, Sling, Morrissey Elan, Concealable Holster, Silencer, Weapon Personality, 200 Rounds of Regular Ammunition, 50 APDS Ammo, 50 Explosive Ammo, 10 Hi-C Plastic Ammo, 5x Fragmentation Grenades, 5x Smoke Grenades, 5x Flash Bangs,

Armour
Armour Clothing, Armour Vest, Greatcoat Line, Desert Goggles,

Veichle
Harley Scorpion (Motorcycle)

Lifestyle
3 months of Low lifestyle

Other Items
Commlink: Renraku Sensei, 4x Fake License (Rating 6), Fake SIN (Rating 6), Tool Kit, Binoculars, Earbuds, Key Lock (Rating 6), Maglock (Rating 6) with Anti-Tamper Circuits (Rating 4), Metal Restraint, Chisel, Wire Clipper, Flashlight, Survival Kit, Standard Rope, Biomonitor, Medkit (Rating 6), 5x Medkit Supplies, Rations (10 Pack), Water Purification Tablets (10 Pack), Glasscutter,


Biography

Roland is a member of one the Pilgrim tribes that wander the world in the 2070s. Back in the early 21st century when the Amerindian tribes took over much of the western half of North America and the varios Elven nations like Tir Tangine were formed, millions of non-elvish or non-native people were kicked out. Most of these refugees settled in the U.C.A.S or any place else that would take them, however the Pilgrims did not. The Pilgrims were formed by a Christian preacher by the name of Martin Herapath who claimed the tribulations of the early 21st century such as the VITAS plague and the triumph of the Native peoples was a punishment from God for America's sins. He claimed that if they wandered the world like the Isrealites of old and did good deeds and lived good lives then eventually God would the refugees and allow them to go home again.
Many people who had lived through the horrors of plauge, UGE, goblinization, the breakup of their nation and being forced to leave their homes were attracted to Herapath's message and became Pilgrims.

Today tribes of Pilgrims wander from place to place much like the Gypses of Europe. You can find bands of them all over the world though they are the most common in North America. All in all they are a decent sort of folk, looking to do what good deeds they can in order to balance out thier sins, and the sins of their ancestors and to some degree the world. However there is only so much good an ordinary person with all the care and worries of suriving can do, this is the reason for the Paladins. Inspired by old westerns and ancient tales of heroic knights (the Pilgrims love stories) a number of young Pilgrim men train to be gunslinging warriors, leave the tribe and spend the rest of their lives walking the Earth a Paladins. The Paladins wander from place to place looking for evil to defeat and wrongs to right (in the world of Shadowrun this isn't very hard to do). Unconcerned with their own future, wellbeing, or survival, they devote all their time and energy to fighting the wicked, thus say the Pilgrims they balance out far more sin than an ordinary person.

Paladin Roland has walked the earth for 10 years and accomplished many heroic feats. Stories abound about how in Sacramento he uncovered and destroyed the Azure Circle, the biggest human trafficking ring in North America.  How he managed to rescue over a 1000 mages from the slave vaults of Tenochtitlan before they could be sacrificed in a magic ritual too dark to speak of. How in New York he fought and defeated the necromancer Marcus Stilman before the insane sorceror could unleash a horde of undead upon the city.

An adept, Roland uses his magical powers augment his skills with pistol and rifle to make himself into a gunslinger without peer, capable of shooting down a zipping microdrone at 100 yards. Riding from town to town on a growling motorcycle he is a scourge to those who prey on the defenseless. Many are the gangers, murders, rapists and other scum who's last sight has been muzzle of one of Roland's pistols delivering death and judgement from on high. Yet the Paladin is a grim man, having seen so much evil and having learned that in order to accomplish great good one must at times deal with the devil and no matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone. But such is the way of things in the Sixth World.

[UmaroVI]

The backstory is interesting, although I note it implies he should be good or at least competent at investigating things and stuff rather than just at shooting people, which he isn't.

You have 2 rules violateions: you spent more than 200 bp on non-special stats, and you can't boost a skill above 1.5x base with Improved Ability.

Do you have way of the adept?

What Martial Arts were you taking?

Why are you Human? You are currently paying 20 bp to not be an ork.

Do you specifically want to be an unaugmented adept ie are you not using 'ware because you don't want to for thematic reasons?

Your core problem is that you spent way too many points on having average-y stats, and not enough points on skills, and the result is that you are pretty good at shooting pistols and ehhh at a few other things.

Try to have an odd Willpower for the stun boxes.

You aren't using Form Fitting Body Armor. It is the Dikote of SR4, meaning everyone should use it.

Never take Firearms. One good way to roll Agility+Skill to do damage is better than umpteen half-assed ways of doing it. Take Pistols 6 separately, and buy Longarms as well assuming that's the one you really want for thematic reasons.

APDS is over the availability cap.

I would suggest taking a look at some of the characters in the first link in my sig, in particular the Gunslinger.

Are you playing with Pretend Stick-n-Shock Doesn't Exist rules?

[Silverblade]

The backstory is interesting, although I note it implies he should be good or at least competent at investigating things and stuff rather than just at shooting people, which he isn't.

Hmm, you're right it does. I didn't see that.

You have 2 rules violateions: you spent more than 200 bp on non-special stats, and you can't boost a skill above 1.5x base with Improved Ability.

But in the rule book the sample characters all have more than 200BP spent on attibutes.

Do you have way of the adept?

No. I have the Core Rule Book and Arsenal

What Martial Arts were you taking?

The Krav Maga ones, +1 to called shots and take aim becomes a free action

Why are you Human? You are currently paying 20 bp to not be an ork.

I prefer playing human characters. Plus I figured when roleplaying I would not have to deal with as much racism.

Do you specifically want to be an unaugmented adept ie are you not using 'ware because you don't want to for thematic reasons?

From what I understand its a bad idea for a magic user to use cyberware on account of the fact that it decreases your magic. Also yes about the thematic reason, I pictured the pilgrims being more focused on magic and religion and thus are suspicious of cyberware.

Your core problem is that you spent way too many points on having average-y stats, and not enough points on skills, and the result is that you are pretty good at shooting pistols and ehhh at a few other things.

What skills should he have?

Try to have an odd Willpower for the stun boxes.

He has 4, that isn't enough?

Never take Firearms. One good way to roll Agility+Skill to do damage is better than umpteen half-assed ways of doing it. Take Pistols 6 separately, and buy Longarms as well assuming that's the one you really want for thematic reasons.

Does that mean that its a bad idea to take any skill group or just Firearms?

Are you playing with Pretend Stick-n-Shock Doesn't Exist rules?

What is Stick-n-Shock?

[All4BigGuns]

The backstory is interesting, although I note it implies he should be good or at least competent at investigating things and stuff rather than just at shooting people, which he isn't.

Hmm, you're right it does. I didn't see that.

You have 2 rules violateions: you spent more than 200 bp on non-special stats, and you can't boost a skill above 1.5x base with Improved Ability.

But in the rule book the sample characters all have more than 200BP spent on attibutes.

Do you have way of the adept?

No. I have the Core Rule Book and Arsenal

What Martial Arts were you taking?

The Krav Maga ones, +1 to called shots and take aim becomes a free action

Why are you Human? You are currently paying 20 bp to not be an ork.

I prefer playing human characters. Plus I figured when roleplaying I would not have to deal with as much racism.

Do you specifically want to be an unaugmented adept ie are you not using 'ware because you don't want to for thematic reasons?

From what I understand its a bad idea for a magic user to use cyberware on account of the fact that it decreases your magic. Also yes about the thematic reason, I pictured the pilgrims being more focused on magic and religion and thus are suspicious of cyberware.

Your core problem is that you spent way too many points on having average-y stats, and not enough points on skills, and the result is that you are pretty good at shooting pistols and ehhh at a few other things.

What skills should he have?

Try to have an odd Willpower for the stun boxes.

He has 4, that isn't enough?

Never take Firearms. One good way to roll Agility+Skill to do damage is better than umpteen half-assed ways of doing it. Take Pistols 6 separately, and buy Longarms as well assuming that's the one you really want for thematic reasons.

Does that mean that its a bad idea to take any skill group or just Firearms?

Are you playing with Pretend Stick-n-Shock Doesn't Exist rules?

What is Stick-n-Shock?

The sample characters only spend more than 200 on their attributes because of their Edge. If you'll look, you should find that if you do not count their Edge, they're at 200 or less.

I say good for you on being human and staying as a pure adept. A lot of people on here just grab a calculator and finagle an augmented adept, but yes, despite the claims of "optimal" and all that noise, it IS a bad thing to jam implants into mages, adepts, mystic adepts and technomancers. I'll probably end up getting someone sitting on my smite button every hour on the hour for several days for this one, but, unfortunately there's no way to stop them.

Odd numbers on Body and Willpower are better. The 4 Will example, you would have the same stun boxes with a 3 and only 1 fewer die when using the stat.

If you want Firearms, take Firearms. The other is just another one of those "optimize" things. Optimal by the math is not always better.

Stick-n-Shock is an ammunition. It replaces the damage value of your firearm to 6S(e)--six stun electrical--at half impact armor. It is nice, but despite what some people on here claim it is not overpowered.

[UmaroVI]

It's 200, not counting Edge and Magic. You have, I think, 220.

Those two martial arts advantages don't synergize very well. Take Aim as a free action is cool. +1 to called shots is also cool - but that's also a free action, and you only get one. Also, neither works well with Adept Centering, which is another free action.

If you want to have martial arts, the Firefight/Krav Maga stuff that reduces the "attacker in melee combat" penalty for range combat are solid investments.

There's lots of other things you could do - for example, be good at investigation/social skills, like your background claims. It's not so much that you need particular skills you don't have, as that you can't really do anything but shoot people.

It's not that you don't have enough willpower per se, it's that you want it to be an odd number because of how stun boxes work. It's half round up. So you want 3 or 5.

You should only take a skill group if you actually want 3 or more skills in it. Influence, for example, is good. So is Stealth. Conjuring is a classic bad one because Banishing is terrible. And so on; there's not a general rule, it's a case-by-case thing.

Stick-n-shock is a type of ammunition that replaces your base damage with 6S and your base AP with -half. It makes weapons that have low base DV but good other properties, like machine pistols, comparatively better and ones that have very high base damage but other drawbacks comparatively worse. Some people don't like it and ban it, or just pretend it doesn't exist.

[Silverblade]

There's lots of other things you could do - for example, be good at investigation/social skills, like your background claims. It's not so much that you need particular skills you don't have, as that you can't really do anything but shoot people.

Which skills are best for investigation?

[Liam oConnor]

(Perception), Data Search and Etiquette, as well as Shadowing (depending on how much roleplay you do while doing legwork)

[Leticron]

And probably tracking. Although some groups skip that in favor of Perception.