[JmOz01]

A friend of mine asked me to work on his character.  The defining element was that he was a taxi cab driver, and should fill weaknesses in the group.  Well we need a wheel man so cool, and a good melee sam.  This is what I came up with, let me know what could be better

Unnamed Hero (Ork)
B 7, A 5/7, R 5/7, S 7/9, C 2, I 3, L 1, W 3, E 1, Ess 2, Init 8/10, IP 1/3
Condition Monitor boxes (Physical/Stun): 12/10
Novatech Airwave Commlink Condition Monitor: 10
Armor (Ballistic/Impact): 25/20
Skills: Automatics 4, Automotive Mechanic 4, Close Combat Group 4, Electronics Group 4, Influence Group 1, Navigation 5, Perception 1, Pilot Ground Craft 5, Pistols 1
Knowledge Skills: Cars 1, English 4, Hindi N, Or'Zet 1, Seatle Streets 6
Metatype Abilities: Enhanced Senses: Low-Light Vision
Qualities: Day Job (2500 nuyen/month, 20 hrs/week) (2), Incompetent: Hacking, Records on File: Lonestar, Scorched, SINner
Cyberware:
. . Control Rig
. . Datajack
. . Wired Reflexes (2)
Bioware:
. . Muscle Augmentation (2)
. . Muscle Toner (2)
Gear:
. . Armor Jacket
. . Certified Credstick
. . Concealable Holster
. . Contact Lenses (3) with Flare Compensation, Image Link, Skinlink, Smartlink
. . Datachip
. . Earbuds (1)
. . Fiberoptic Cable (m)
. . Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit with Gel Packs, Nonconductivity (6)
. . GMC-Nissan Doberman
. . Helmet
. . Identity: Specify Name with Day Job, Low Lifestyle
. . Identity: Specify Name with Fake License: Armored Vehicle  Licence, Fake License: driving, Fake License: Drone Licence, Fake License: Weapon Licence, Fake SIN
. . Leyland-Rover Transport
. . Medkit (6)
. . Novatech Airwave Commlink with Analyze (3), Basic+ Suite, Browse (3), Command (1), Command (3), Edit (3), Iris Orb Operating System, Sim Module, Skinlink
. . Plastic Restraints x20
. . RFID Tags x40
. . SecureTech Leg and Arm Casings
. . SecureTech Vitals Protector
. . Shop, Automotive Mechanic
. . Subvocal Microphone
. . Tool Kit, Automotive Mechanic
Weapons:
. . Ares Crusader [Machine Pistols, DV 5P vs. B, SA/BF/BF-L/FA, RC 5, 40 (c)] with Explosive Rounds x80, Firing Selection Change (FA), Gas-Vent 2 System, Gas-Vent 3 System, Lanyard, Personalized Grip, Skinlink, Smartgun System, Internal, Spare Clips
. . Attack of Will (vs. Spirits) [DV 2P vs. I]
. . Sap [Clubs, DV 6S vs. I]
. . Unarmed Strike [Unarmed, DV 5S vs. I]
. . Vibro Sword [Blades, DV 9P vs. I-2, Reach 1] with Lanyard, Personalized Grip

Hero Lab® and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Shadowrun © 2005-2012 The Topps Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Shadowrun is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc.

[JustADude]

Replace the Sap with a Defiance EX Shocker with Melee Hardening and Personalized Grip.

Yeah, it's a Taser Pistol, but the description says it has melee prongs, so you can tag someone using the Clubs skill for 8S vs Half Impact... and, since the ammo is specifically described as wired darts that are separate from the prongs and there's no battery-limit called out, that means infinite ammo for the melee attacks.

[Csjarrat]

do you need to spend the full points on the melee group? could you just make do with blades and unarmed?
you could free up some BP that way as you really really need to spec up your vehicles.

for a wheelman you'll need:
morphing plates
spoof chip
gridguide override
manual control override
run flat tires

this is so you can actually get away from people, as they can just hack your car or track you very easily via the gridguide co-ordinates your car is broadcasting.
if you're being shot at in your car, you probably want to have run flat tires on it, maybe some speed mods and extra armour too :-)
i assume the doberman is for combat support? if so you'll need some weapons, targetting autosofts, ammo bins etc

[WellsIDidIt]

Yeah, it's a Taser Pistol, but the description says it has melee prongs, so you can tag someone using the Clubs skill for 8S vs Half Impact... and, since the ammo is specifically described as wired darts that are separate from the prongs and there's no battery-limit called out, that means infinite ammo for the melee attacks.

It states that it has contacts and never once mentions that they are separate from the darts. I would assume that they channel the dart's energy into the contact for the stunning blow, as nothing ever even remotely suggests it doesn't eat ammunition in melee.

It's a great weapon, and I second the suggestion for a melee/range stun weapon, but the rest is pretty much skewed assumption.

Also keep in mind that it's a taser, not a melee weapon, so it doesn't get a bonus die to hit in melee from personalized grip.

This is what I came up with, let me know what could be better

With a Charisma 2, the Influence group isn't doing you a whole lot of good. I'd honestly ditch it. At the same time, unless the player really wants the mechanic skill, I'd toss it and spend some of the points on a Mechanic Contact (a C3/L5 would still leave you with 8 points back from the deal). The logic is so low that it's not going to be a worthwhile skill anyway.

Honestly wheelman and close quarters specialist are two very different roles to play. I honestly feel like one or the other would be a better route to go. Maybe tone wheelman down a bit (a good driving skill is enough for a decent wheelman provided you have combatant level Reaction like this character) toss some of the ware (like control rig) and refocusing points.

Overall, melee specialists will almost always come out worse than a gun specialist working at close range. Ditching close combat for unarmed (to use for melee defense primarily) and focusing on your automatics skill could be a good way to go as well.

PS: Where is the armor coming from? I can't get it to add up to 25/20 for the life of me for some reason.

[JustADude]

Yeah, it's a Taser Pistol, but the description says it has melee prongs, so you can tag someone using the Clubs skill for 8S vs Half Impact... and, since the ammo is specifically described as wired darts that are separate from the prongs and there's no battery-limit called out, that means infinite ammo for the melee attacks.

It states that it has contacts and never once mentions that they are separate from the darts. I would assume that they channel the dart's energy into the contact for the stunning blow, as nothing ever even remotely suggests it doesn't eat ammunition in melee.

It's a great weapon, and I second the suggestion for a melee/range stun weapon, but the rest is pretty much skewed assumption.

Also keep in mind that it's a taser, not a melee weapon, so it doesn't get a bonus die to hit in melee from personalized grip.

Wells, first off, have you ever actually held, used and/or studied a real-world taser?

I'm guessing not, because if you had, you'd know my "skewed assumptions" are pretty much freakin' industry standard with companies like Taser International that make single-shot versions of the exact same product right now, in the real world, including the melee contacts.

And, no, the melee contacts aren't tied to the dart cartridges. They're built into the framework you insert the cartridges into and run off an internal battery that sure as hell has a lot more than four "jolts" worth of juice in them. Yeah, not "infinite", but that's the authors' fault for not properly implimenting the weapon's features. Yeah, sloppy editing. There's a shocker.

As for "not being a melee weapon"... it's designed to be used at range or in melee. Says so right in the text. It is both a Ranged Weapon and a Melee Weapon. Or do you not count a Throwing Knife as a Melee Weapon if you use it to stab someone in the kidneys, either, since they're listed as Throwing Weapons?

[JmOz01]

Hero Labs adds the body in, that is the total roll so

7/7  Body
7/3  Form Fitting Suit (with Gel Packs)
8/6 Armored Jacket
1/2 Helmet
1/1 Vitals Protection
1/1 Arm and Leg Casings
-----
25/20

[WellsIDidIt]

Wells, first off, have you ever actually held, used and/or studied a real-world taser?

I'm guessing not, because if you had, you'd know my "skewed assumptions" are pretty much freakin' industry standard with companies like Taser International that make single-shot versions of the exact same product right now, in the real world, including the melee contacts.

Yes, I have yet to hold a Shadowrun taser yet though. Oddly in the Shadowrun world, melee use is not an industry standard and unlike all other stun weapons, tasers do not have a "charge", instead they have darts. This implies far more heavily that the darts are tied into the taze process than a magical no limit shockability. But again, you can skew things toward how you want them to be, don't assert that to be the rules. Nowhere in the book is it stated that it does not use ammo when used in melee (if you find it, please let me know).

And, no, the melee contacts aren't tied to the dart cartridges. They're built into the framework you insert the cartridges into and run off an internal battery that sure as hell has a lot more than four "jolts" worth of juice in them. Yeah, not "infinite", but that's the authors' fault for not properly implimenting the weapon's features. Yeah, sloppy editing. There's a shocker.

So things don't add up to real world products and you think that's a shocker? Shadowrun, no dart, no juice. pretty much end of story for tasers. Not a single one mentions being able to be used in melee without ammo. I guess the industry standard has changed to whatever the author's understanding of tasers is. Welcome to RPGs.

As for "not being a melee weapon"... it's designed to be used at range or in melee. Says so right in the text. It is both a Ranged Weapon and a Melee Weapon. Or do you not count a Throwing Knife as a Melee Weapon if you use it to stab someone in the kidneys, either, since they're listed as Throwing Weapons?

It's a Taser. Taser's are ranged weapons. According to Personalized Grip: When using the weapon, this person receives 1 point of recoil compensation in the case of a ranged weapon (for restrictions on recoil compensation, see p. 148.), or +1 dice pool modifier on melee combat rolls in the case of a melee weapon.

There is no wiggle room here. Ranged Weapons get 1 RC. Melee Weapons get +1 DP. It doesn't matter how you're using the weapon, it matters what the weapon is. This is no different than using a BF heavy pistol with the pistol skill instead of automatics, or using SA Battle Rifles (or Assault Rifles on SA) with Automatics instead of Longarms).

Ya, Throwing knives are not Melee Weapons. They do not get a +1 DP from Personalized Grip. Get a real knife to shank people in the kidneys. Get a stun club if you want a personalized grip for melee.