[Hoplophobia]

Hello there, this is my first time playing Shadowrun of any edition, and I was hoping I could get a few pointers in what direction to go. There seem to be so many options it's a little much for me it's got me stumped.  I'm not adverse to complex characters and learning how they work, but I'm sorta at...decision paralysis, I guess. So I've stepped away from the mechanical and just decide what I want to play and make it and stick to it.

I'd really like some help making a Sneaky Infiltrator type that is focused on athletics and melee weapons, with a secondary focus in social skills. I'd really like the primary weapon to be a whip of some kind. Is the mono filament the only one available? (It seems like a lot of people regard this as broken.) Sorta as if Indiana Jones was a straight up thief with a little less knowledge and a little more charisma. Should they be an Adept, or use Cyberware...? Can melee be effective at all with a more athletic sort of character that is not a huge hulking troll?

Thanks in advance for any help or pointers you could give me.

Addendum: To be an effective thief type..do I also need to look at some way to bypass electronic security as well?

[UmaroVI]

Monofilament whips are the only viable whips. They are an OK weapon choice for a low-strength melee character, with the other contender being shock clubs.

You can either be an adept or not. If you aren't, you want to load up on cyberware and bioware. If you are, you want a little bit. I would recommend not, because you want to cover B&E, combat, and social, and that's going to spread you rather thin as an adept, but you could do it.

You need Hardware if you want to be able to break into anything. It is the Open Locks of the future.

Take a look at the first link in my sig and the Spook for a similar character; since monowhips are not dependant on high strength, the end result is pretty similar.

One note: I do not recommend having no ranged weapons. I would suggest Automatics (Battle Rifles), Heavy Weapons (Assault Cannons), or (if you really love the Barrett sniper rifle) Longarms (Sniper Rifles) as a backup weapon skill.

[Hoplophobia]

Wow thanks, no idea how I missed that. Going to definitely read more of those. The Spook very much seems like the template/guide I was looking for in designing this character. Is it viable to try and do two ranged weapons, such as the Longarm (Sniper Rifles) and then Pistols or SMG's for the concealment and portability, or does that just end up making you bad at both?

Also, in looking at the Spook, if I opted to go that way with ware..is Biocompatibility a good idea to try and cram in as much as possible?

Also as a house rule, my...(is it GM for Shadowrun?) Is allowing us to take 1 specialization out of each skill group without breaking the group at chargen. Not sure how much that might change things.

Edit: Also, is there a particular martial art that I should take a look at? We're using those rules as well.

[UmaroVI]

I would suggest not using two ranged weapon types and also a melee weapon on a character who's also trying to cover two additional roles. One of the advantages of the monowhip is that it is very, very concealable (use a Fingertip Compartment). Longarms, Automatics, and Heavy Weapons all have at least one OK concealable weapon option as well (Defiance T-250, any machine pistol, and the ArmTech MGL-6, respectively) which you should own for short-but-out-of-melee-range fights.

Biocompatibility can be worth it, but not in a case like this, no. It's a pretty marginal savings in essence; it's only worth it if you are a very specific type of cybered awakened or emerged character who has to jam specific things in under a low essence value, or if you are planning on going full cyberlimb replacement robocop style.

I would actually suggest no specializations at chargen. They are only 2 karma each, and you are going to want 1 more weapon skill, so that's a good place to steal from.

(My exact recommendations would be: lose the Infiltration specialization, lose Intimidation, -1 Logic, swap Pistols for Exotic Melee Weapon: MF Whip, gain whichever of the ranged weapon skills you want, fiddle with gear some).

[Hoplophobia]

Thanks again for the information. This is really helpful. Opted to go Automatics, seems to give the most bang for the buck. Lots of guns there to choose from, which is a nice option, especially with the Ares Executive for concealability. Ares in one hand, monowhip in the other is a pretty cool image. Is there a good option for bypassing MAD scanners in that group?

Everybody seems thing Krav Maga is a good martial art. Maybe I'll go with that. Seems to fit for the sorta former military angle I am going for anyways.

Those archetypes have been a big help, using them in conjunction with Chummer has really made character creation not as intimidating as it could be. Sharing them with the rest of my group for sure.

[Katrex]

Well the think about bypassing mad scaners is you still ownt be able to bypass mm wave scaners. But if you're set on it, check out arsenal weapon modification rules and go for ceramic parts.

[Hoplophobia]

Probably too pricey to take a chargen, but I'll look into though, thanks! Just wanted to know what my options were in that regard. Appreciate the post!

Are there any good Automatic weapons that I should take a look at beyond the Executive Protector?

[JustADude]

Probably too pricey to take a chargen, but I'll look into though, thanks! Just wanted to know what my options were in that regard. Appreciate the post!

Are there any good Automatic weapons that I should take a look at beyond the Executive Protector?

The Ares HVBR is godly.

Take it Full Auto and work the Recoil Compensation and you're looking at a bullet-chainsaw. HV Long Bursts means you'll be dropping people left right and center for those times when you need to get loud.
or
Leave it on Burst and you can easily max out the recoil comp, with enough room left over for an integral Sound Suppressor and Electronic Firing. Works great for sniping out to 750 meters, and just as well for getting up close.

[Hoplophobia]

Interesting, thanks. How long does it take to switch out mods? Could I run with the same rifle and switch it out when needed?

[JustADude]

Interesting, thanks. How long does it take to switch out mods? Could I run with the same rifle and switch it out when needed?

You'd need a decent Armorer + Logic skill check and a Took Kit to get it done, and it's not going to be fast.

Really, though, it depends on your group. If your group likes to go in loud and blowing stuff up, don't bother with the Sound Suppressor route. If they like to be sneaky, the extra few DV off the FA version just really isn't worth it once you load up some APDS.

Of course, you could talk to your GM about allowing "over-modification" (aka, going beyond the 6 slots), which is allowed with GM approval. That would let you fit the Suppressor on along with all the other goodies. Best of both worlds.

[UmaroVI]

There's several Automatics users among the archetypes. Keep in mind that most of them have either a Cyberarm Gyromount or high strength (one of the optional rules in Arsenal, which Missions uses, is +1/+2 recoil compensation at 6/10 strength). Generally, though, the same guns are still good: the B&P MP-9 (a Machine Pistol with 1 magical recoil compensation), the Ares Executive Protector (which I see you already found), the Praetor (SMG with magic recoil compensation), the Ingram Smartgun X (it's R, but has a sound suppressor which is F if you add it aftermarket), the Ares Alpha (AR with 2 magical RC), and the Ares HVBR (already mentioned).

One thing to keep in mind is that it's alright to not start with every gun you ever want. Especially if you're tight on points, get what you can now and get other things later is fine.

Martial Arts: Krav Maga (ready weapon as a free action) is very good for your character, and I'd recommend that and the Watchful Guard manuever.