[Balage]

Hello i want to know what you think about my character becouse i think its very good, powerfull, and usefull. And needless to say i am very fund of it
Thats why im curious whats your opinion about it.
I attached a picture of him too. I couldnt attached a picture about his mansion but i put a link at the end. (dont be suprised yes its a hungarian site )
Please tell what your thoughts about it or if you have questions about it.
Thanks.

Jaha Marul   Human Shaman   Rastafari tradition (posssession, Digital Grimoire)
Starter character from 400 BP (besides the first initiations minimal karma cost)

General description: He is a rasta, afro-american human. Luxury is almost everything for him. He likes the expensive suits and live in a lifestyle that some people in the shadows cant even imagine. He is basicly a good person but sometimes he just like to be a jerk for fun. Helps the good people if he can… and dont have anything else to do. He dont kill his enemy if he can make fun of it and humiliate it in the proccess. And most of all HE DONT LIKE TO BEING MESSING WITH!!!... becouse then no more fun, and he give no mercy.
His fighting style not average, he is willingly possessing himself with a strong bond spirit and becouse of the channeling metamagic he keep the control of his body while enjoying the enhancing benefits of the spirit’s possession, and go into close combat with his weapon focus staff mostly. If not shooting with his sniper rifle or commandig his spirits from the astral. And use his daily summoned spirit to possessing an enemy, turning him against his friends, and so many other ways in the "daily life" in the shadows. 

Body      3
Agility      5
Reaction   2
Strength   4
Charisma   3
Intuition   5
Logic      2
Willpower   3
Magic      5/7 (1st initiation, Channeling metamagic)
Edge      2

Pozitive qualities
   Magician (we do not count it in the max 35 points of qualities, just have to spend the
15 points from the starting 400 BP)
   Mentor spirit – wolf
   Animal empathy
   Elongated limbs
   Celerity
Negative qualities
   Addiction (marihuana)
   In debt (maximum)
   Mood hair

Active Skills
Name /spec         rate+spec   bonuses from other sources (m spirit, etc)
Astral combat /weapon focus      3+2      +2
Clubs /staff            5+2      +2 +2 +1
Longarms /sniper rifles      1+2
Summoning /beast spirit      5+2      +2 +2
Binding /beast spirit         4+2      +2 +2
Counterspell            2      +2
Arcana /ally spirit         1+2
Spellcasting /manipulation      1+2
Animal traning /paranormal      1+2      +2
Animal handling /paranormal   1      +2

Knowladge skills
Metaplanes            4
Spirits               4
Reagge            3
Animals            4
Para animals            3
Willdernes lore         3

Contacts
Animal merchant      6/4  profession/loyality

Spells
Wrath of the pack (self made)
Physical   manipulation      aura   area   touch(self)   fire, smoke   fetish
Concentration      F/2+4

Gears
First of all: marihuana 
Customized zippo lighter (fetish)
Teleschopic staff (WF)
Armor clothing 4/0
Weapon focus 2
Sumonning focus 2
Binding focus 2
Counterspell focus 2
Ares desert strike (customized sniper rifle)
   Extended barrel   detachable scope      smartgun system
   Rigid stock      vision enchancment 3      firing selection change  SS -> SA
   Shock pad      vision magnification      internal silencer
   Laser sight      tripod
Advanced safty system (self destruct 10Pf AP+5/-4 -2/meter)
   Ammos: subsonic, EX Explosives, Tracker security tag
1 self trained male Warform Fenrir Wolf (Running wild) Akela
1 untrained female Warform Fenrir Wolf (Running wild) Rama
   Akela: height 150 cm, length 210 cm, weight 150 kg, speed 15/60
   Rama: height 135 cm, length 198 cm, weight 130 kg, speed 15/60
      They have the same attributes, warform specs, skills etc
      Body 11 (wf)      Strength 12 (wf)   Logic 2      Edge 2
      Agility 8 (wf)      Charisma 2      Willpower 5      Essence 6
      Reaction 6 (wf)   Intuition 8 (wf)   Magic 5      Initiative p 2

Counterspell 3         Shadowing 3
      Infiltration 2         Tracking 3
      Intimidation 2         Unarmed combat 6 (wf)
      Perception 3

      Enhanced sense (H, LLV, S)      Magical guard
      Fear               Nautral weapon C, B (6P AP-1)

Advanced Lifestyle (Runner’s Companion)
8000+500 nuyen /mounth
Comfort      6
Enertainement      4
Necessities      6
Neighborhood      2
Security      6

Positive qualities
Outbuildings +2
Animal lover +5
Rural home +2
No neighbors +1
Aspected domain +5

Negative qualities
Black hole -2
Rough neighborhood -1
No privacy A/M/P -3 -3 -3
Deflective CHN -1
Network battleneck -1
Hunted -4
Sprite magnet -3

http://kepfeltoltes.hu/120901/Screenshot-003_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

[ArkangelWinter]

Get Strength to an odd number, because melee damage is Str/2 and rounds up. More Spells, you're a one-trick pony. Drop all the specializations to pay for it, they're cheaper with Karma than BP. I'd also split that 10bp contact into two 5bp ones.

[Balage]

First thank you the reply, appreciate it, and i looking forward to more critiques.

But i feel the need of some explaining. My str is changing time to time when im possessed with a spirit becouse its force rating,
About the spells i agree with you but i thougth i learn some usefull spells later becouse the char first a melee fighter with one of his strongest (force 9-10 for start) spririt in him with all its bonuses, and ofcourse his playfull Fenrir wolves Use his spells only if its needed for some other reason,
I picked specializations becouse it was cheaper 2 rank for 2 Bp then 1 rank for 4 Bp .
I maybe buy more contact but i dont felt the need for it and i want to work with some exotic and hard to find animals later, and easier to keep a 6 proff rating contact then find one and earn his friendship.

Once again thanks the reply.

[Scarecrow71]

You say he is melee fighter, but you only have clubs?  Find a way to get Unarmed Combat because younwon't always have a club, but you will always have your fists.  And a BOD of 3 in melee combat will get you killed fast.

I agree about the specializations - it is far cheaper to get them later on with karma than to spend the BP up front. Furthmore, think about skill groups as they are also going to be cheaper at the start.  Right now you have very little skills, and you aren't very good at most of them.

I know you defended this already, but split that 6/4 contact into more contacts.  It is going to be harder later on to gain new contacts, but cheaper to get them up front.

And I am not all that familiar with shamans, but what attributes are used for your character to resist drain?  I didn't see them listed, and with my limited knowledge I gave to ask.

If you are going to be a melee fighter (and if you are casting spells, I don't see why you would ever get into melee range) you should find a way to get more initiative passes and a higher initiative score.

[All4BigGuns]

Some of the rest I can get behind like the spells part, but regardless of common belief on these forums there is nothing wrong with getting specializations in creation. As to the contact, what do you expect him to drop a useFUL contact for multiple useLESS ones?

[Balage]

Thanks the reply Scare_Crow.

You guys forget about the fact that im possessed with a high force spirit My body and the other physical stats gets the spirits force what useally 10 and most of all becouse of the spirit i get the "Mystic armor" and "Natural weapon immunity" spirit power also,
if i cant use my staff i simple go into the astral and leave the control of my body to the spirit in me and he has a natural weapon and unarmed c skill as well

i am good in what skills i need for the start and these also gets bonuses from the higher pyhisical stats when a spirit in me (almost everytime not just in combat, little paranoid ) and like i said its a starter character besides only the first initation minimal cost about 7 karma

i can get some low loyality rate contact relativli easy that i can use time to time.

The rastafarian tradition use the intuition attribute to resist.

I said i cast a spell if its really nessesery but i try solve the problems without it.
The answer for how i get into melee range, well if my Mystic armor what i mentioned earlier is not enough. I run when i can roll a test with my str (what has the bonus from the spirit ofcourse)  to be faster and use the spirits "Movement" power what multiple my moving speed with its force rate what for example 10 with these i can be very very fast i know its not give me more pass but i can be there in a heartbeat and then i dont need much turn to get rid of the enemy
And if im remember right i also gets 1 initiative pass shile possessed and again the enhanced reaction stat

[Balage]

As for the spells i simple not want to use them like a normal caster. The spells are just secondery at minimum to me. These are not needed for this character concept what i had in mind.
I use my spirits so many other ways and not just in combat situations.
And ofcourse my creativity and good thinking

[Balage]

Oh and Scare_Crow as for my staff, as you see its a rate 2 weapon focus what is very expensive in nuyen and karma also, and believe me i am take care of it very much becouse i cant tell you what would i do if i lost it...

[All4BigGuns]

As for the spells i simple not want to use them like a normal caster. The spells are just secondery at minimum to me. These are not needed for this character concept what i had in mind.
I use my spirits so many other ways and not just in combat situations.
And ofcourse my creativity and good thinking

Since your spells are so unimportant to your character concept, if you don't have 35 BP worth of Negative Qualities, you could consider taking Aspected Magician: Conjuration. I believe it'll cut spells out almost entirely, but it might be worth it since you have so few anyway.

i can get some low loyality rate contact relativli easy that i can use time to time.

To expand on this, go to a nice bar/club, and buy some drinks for people. Talk to them for a bit with a low to moderate empathy software running to help gauge their interests and boom, instant (almost) loyalty 1 contacts.

The rastafarian tradition use the intuition attribute to resist.

You would still utilize Willpower as well. All the traditions use Willpower plus one other (Intuition in your case).

[ArkangelWinter]

As to the contact, what do you expect him to drop a useFUL contact for multiple useLESS ones?

I agree that contact fits his needs, but at Con6 he's not an.animal merchant, he's Emperor of Exotic Animal distribution. At least 2 of those points, plus points from an unnecessary specialization, could go into a street contact. Actually, I'd drop the 6 you like least, just for a 2/2 contact in.Animal Control or a Zookeeper, and the rest to bump Willpower to 4

That said, Aspected is a good idea, makes me wish I'd thought of it. +1 to you sir

[Scarecrow71]

As to the contact, what do you expect him to drop a useFUL contact for multiple useLESS ones?

The question becomes "How useful is the contact?".  Having a contact with a 6 connection is great, but how useful is it in this situation?

Yes, the character is a shaman, and yes the contact fits his concept.  But is it worth having one contact with a 6 connection at the expense of having zero other contacts?  I agree that he should at least pick up 1 street contact - preferably a fixer - so he has some connection to the street.  He is, after all, a runner.  And without a fixer, how is he supposed to get jobs?

Even if he drops the connection to a 4 and picks up a 1/1 street contact, a 4 connection for the animal trainer/handler contact is pretty stout.  That guy will still be well-connected to the animal trade and should be able to provide any type of information related to that area of expertise with little trouble.

Just my 2 creds, and if you want to keep it this way, then that's all cool.  It's your character, and I'm just giving my opinion. 

[Balage]

Since your spells are so unimportant to your character concept, if you don't have 35 BP worth of Negative Qualities, you could consider taking Aspected Magician: Conjuration. I believe it'll cut spells out almost entirely, but it might be worth it since you have so few anyway.

I could but i dont want to drop the possibilites of casting spells entirely, i want to expend my spells spellcasting later, that i can cast some usefull spell like invisibility levitation etc.in the future

[Balage]

The question becomes "How useful is the contact?".  Having a contact with a 6 connection is great, but how useful is it in this situation?

Yes, the character is a shaman, and yes the contact fits his concept.  But is it worth having one contact with a 6 connection at the expense of having zero other contacts?  I agree that he should at least pick up 1 street contact - preferably a fixer - so he has some connection to the street.  He is, after all, a runner.  And without a fixer, how is he supposed to get jobs?

Even if he drops the connection to a 4 and picks up a 1/1 street contact, a 4 connection for the animal trainer/handler contact is pretty stout.  That guy will still be well-connected to the animal trade and should be able to provide any type of information related to that area of expertise with little trouble.

Just my 2 creds, and if you want to keep it this way, then that's all cool.  It's your character, and I'm just giving my opinion. 

I understand what you mean by that, and i agree itsgood to have some other contact. but one of the reasons i wasnt picked more that my team members have those anyway so i use them to use those contacts if i need. it And with a 6 rate contact i can get almost any animal or paracritter i want in the future. Also i can use it other ways too not just buy animals since its loyalty rate also 4.
But you have to agree its very hard to find a contact with that level of profession and earn his thrust in the game.

[Balage]

Thanks the replyes, looking forward for more.

[Orvich]

I'd go for a higher charisma score and lower physical stats, specifically strength and agility. In fact, you should at least swap your agility and charisma. Also, raise your willpower. While you are an Intuition tradition, keep in mind that charisma limits how many spirits you can have bound at any given time, and you may only ever have a single unbound spirit.

The real limit to summoning and binding is generally going to be your drain resist (which is intuition plus willpower). A force 4 spirit gets to only roll 8 dice to resist being bound (4 dice to resist being summoned). However, you have to take their hits times two in drain, that's the real limiter. You want to pump more points into drain resist!


Drop the summoning focus, the binding focus, and the counterspelling focus. You can't actually use all of these foci at once, you can only have 2 activated at any given time (it's limited by your Logic).

Take a sustaining focus in manipulation or in health. You can't keep up your one spell without a -2 modifier to everything without it. Either that or using up services on a spirit (and really making it angry at you). Remember, spirits do 'talk' to eachother. If you become a known spirit abuser, they may start being recalcitrant.

Get more spells. Even if your plan is to mostly be a physical (When possessed) fighter, you'll benefit from having more options to hook onto your sustaining focus. Sustaining foci are one of the better types of focuses because they actually expand the utility of the mage, instead of just adding some dice to existing abilities.

Get counterspelling score higher, or you'll get geeked by other mages.

Drop all of the specializations.

Drop the weed addiction. Take deepweed addiction. It's magic weed, that gives you more willpower while you're on it (though you do trip out harder). SR4A pg 257 for more on that.

EDIT: Everything else looks to be there for some RP reason so I won't really try to dissuade you there.

The house looks pretty pricey, especially with all of the downsides it has.

For spells, I'd suggest possibly some detection spells to give you more of an innate sense of the area (like combat sense, or detect enemies, or that spatial mapping one), or possibly even a mindlink spell to link with your warforms.