[ZombieAcePilot]

Hey Everyone,

I've been working on a character that I'd like some advice on. The concept is newbie shadowrunner who gets by on luck more than high dice pools. He's human with the lucky quality and will have a maxed out edge stat.

A few Questions:
1. Is this viable? His average die pool before edge would likely be somewhere between 5-7. (Do these die pools seem appropriate for the concept?)
2. How important are multiple initiative passes? My plan was to be more normal (lacking adept powers or lots of cyber/bioware.
3. Would this character be more of a detriment to a party than an asset?

His backstory is that he is a corporate wage slave just trying to get by when his sister vanishes under questionable circumstances. When the corp and the cops can't help him he takes matters into his own hands, taking to the streets looking for her. Before long he becomes involved in runs to finance his searches as well as build up contacts who might know something.

He's built as a fairly average guy: AGI 4 , REA 4, STR 3, CHA 3, INT 3, LOG 3, WIL 5. I started all his stats as 3 and then upped a few to make him stand out, most notably willpower (he's certainly taking his fate by the balls). His Positive Qualities are: Lucky 20,  Guts 5, and Blandness 10. His Negative Qualities are:
Dependent [Live in Lover] 10, Lost Loved One [Younger Sister] 5, Sinner 5, and Allergy [Common, Moderate] Soy 15.

I tried to make his skills well rounded, mostly using skill groups at rating 3. His main weapon was going to be a shotgun, with an Ares Predator as a back and a stun baton for melee. For armor as well as its concealability modifier I was going to give him a lined coat. I haven't gotten much beyond that. Any help you all could provide would be much appreciated.

[emsquared]

I think this could be a fun concept. One big thing though that, I would say, must happen for it to be viable or any fun: Your GM has agreed to refresh EDG every session or has an otherwise liberal EDG policy (refreshes incrementally with massive successes, i.e. 5+ net hits, or when you do something "super cool" with it, etc.).

Beyond that, I think you should still have a limited skillset (2 or 3 diverse, yet functional "roles") where you are focusing most of your skill purchases - dice pools around 9 - 12 maybe, for those functional roles? Not really sure, I've never been a big EDG user as I've never had a GM with a liberal EDG policy. Regardless, high edge cannot replace crappy dice pools (which is 5-7), it just makes you more likely to pull through in a clutch situation at something you're not a phenom at. So, pick your skills with purpose, so they congeal into a functional set of things he can do to help the group, don't try and do everything.

If you intend Mr. Lucky to be of any worth in combat, you should have at least 2 IPs (I can't see myself ever building any character without some way of getting at least 2 IPs). Keeping in mind though, if he's using his EDG in combat, he's not gonna have any "luck" left for anything else - as combat can eat EDG up real quick. So I'd say keep him a background combat character, 2 IPs at chargen should do you.

He could absolutely be a detriment to the party, depending on the roles you choose, because if you're relying on (having) EDG for something important, well, you could already be out or it could otherwise not come up 5s and 6s (of course, just as high dice pool skills can - I swear the only times I've glitched have been using skills with dice pools in the teens).

You didn't list his BOD, but otherwise regarding attributes I think you should still stat him to be somewhat exceptional around his functional roles (combat i.e. AGI/REA/BOD? LOG skills? etc.), you're not a mage so don't put WIL so high, it doesn't make him stand out at anything except stun damage and drinking his own piss (i.e. Survival)...

IMHO, Blandness is not worth the 10BP it costs, YMMV.

All in all, I'd be interested to see what you come up with. A more detailed layout would probably get better advice.

[Thrass]

This is perfectly viable...

You are investing 95BP into Edge though, which means you shouldn't go for some super bp heavy build (technomancer for example) but maybe go for a cybersam...

If you do take that route think about genetic infusions as you have the single character build that can get the infusion to integrate permanently...
(Sideways for example)

Also note, that Pixies are also able to get 8 Edge with the Lucky trait.

[ZombieAcePilot]

Using the character as more of a support character for combat is interesting. What roles would you suggest for my main ones? Maybe more leaning towards investigator type skills (he is trying to track someone down after all)? If I go with that his main role would be investigator, with a secondary in combat. What is the best way to go about an investigator type? I know you can go the face route, but there is also more of tech way to do it as well as magical. Any advice for me there.

I switched my stats around a bit, dropping the willpower back to three. Iupped my body fro 3 to 4 and charisma from 3 to 4 as well. 

[Whiskeyjack]

Very viable with a second-line street sam...by that I mean maybe focus on B&E and suppression rather than being the mainline tank/cybered super-DPS. I only say second-line because that much Edge means you have that much less BP to spend on combat attributes, skills, and nuyen.

Another option is a 2-IP focused face who can also lay down some cover fire. I suggest 2 IP mainly from personal experience of combat viability.  Or face/B&E which actually blends really well and the ware for sam/B&E overlaps a lot. Those roles are a lot more BP-friendly than a balls-to-the-wall sam who will need all 250k of augmentation and gear. You can always depend on drugs for extra IP but beware addiction and potential boredom if everyone else has 2+ IP.

I would not go for "all average" non-Edge stats. I would focus on one role or a synergistic hybrid role and pump those stats. And Unaugmented mundanes, even Mr. Lucky, don't do well in a world of magic and wared-out opponents.

Also having both the Firearms and Melee skill groups at 3 is a major waste. You will have subpar pools in a ton of skills, many of which you may never find useful. Your effectiveness (and potentially fun) in a group will be worse if your fellow players build foused specialists. I would suggest focusing on one type of gun and one type of melee, and maybe investing a little into another type of gun if your primary gun skill is not Automatics. Skill groups can be good for Stealth and maybe a bit of Influence (though dedicated faces might want an influence skill at 6). IMO the combat skill groups are rarely worth it. Athletics can be to dabble unless you want to use Gymnastics Dodge.

[Lonewheels]

fun concept

go unarmed combat or other stat
It migth be a hobby, but no adept or magical necessary. in my opion think mr nice guy (example),
edge can prove the extra "dumb luck"

In the movie J.C. was a T.V. cook.
He knew unarmed combat. but in my opinion you can take it both way's  Adept or Edge.

I agree with the above, but have a backup skill U,Armed combatn hacking etc,

[emsquared]

You are investing 95BP into Edge though, which means you shouldn't go for some super bp heavy build (technomancer for example) but maybe go for a cybersam...

Oh yeah, meant to say; don't hard max EDG at chargen... the more chars I make the more I can't ever see hard-maxing any stat for any build.

As for specific skill-sets, as mentioned stealth/B&E has good synergy with combat, and if you dabble in hardware, could be cool to go the LOG route for investigator skills, then throw in First Aid, i imagine being a lucky driver never hurts... I dunno, post what you have so we know what we're working with.

[Whiskeyjack]

IMO the only state to EVER hard-max at chargen is Resonance at 6, since Technomancers want their most important Complex Forms at 6 (Threadable to 12) right out of the gate.

For everything else, hard-maxing is a waste...except MAYBE if you have a really specific augmented adept build, and even then it's very questionable.

[Glyph]

An Edge of 8 costs 95 points, including the Lucky quality.  An Edge of 6 costs 40 points.  Mr. Lucky is an interesting "concept" build, but spending 55 points for those last two points is really hitting the point of diminishing returns.

The original Mr. Lucky had a pistols dice pool in the high teens.  You want the high Edge to pull off things outside of your specialty, or when you really need a lot of successes, but you don't want to depend on Edge for basic functionality.

[JustADude]

IMO the only state to EVER hard-max at chargen is Resonance at 6, since Technomancers want their most important Complex Forms at 6 (Threadable to 12) right out of the gate.

For everything else, hard-maxing is a waste...except MAYBE if you have a really specific augmented adept build, and even then it's very questionable.

Or if the attribute is ever 10 or greater. At 10 the 25 BP is the same as the cost, and 11+ it actually saves Karma.

Still very niche examples, though, since that mostly applies to Troll Puncher Adepts or Main Battle Troll tank types with extra Body.

[Thrass]

6 karma costs 50 BP
7 karma costs 75 BP
7 karma costs 80 BP with luck
8 karma costs 105 BP with luck (I calculated wrong for the 95BP)

105BP is about a quarter of all your points... (435BP)
if you spend 200BP on your characteristics and 105BP on Edge you have 130BP left

You want Perception at 4 Athletics and stealth at least at 1 which is another 36 BP

So you have 94BP left to buy a lifestyle,gear and skills.

With unnarmed 4 and pistols 6 you are at another 30BP leaving 64BP

You want 2-3 initiative passes, qualities, a heavy pistol and armor (or maybe go the taser and clubs route instead of unnarmed)
Then maybe a couple stat boosters...
You probably need to squeeze but I think you can do it.

[Whiskeyjack]

This character could get his 2nd IP from drugs. But IMO you will want some ware even if not an IP booster...muscle toner, synthcardium, etc.

I've tried to build a Mr. Lucky adept...it's doable but you get very close with points. I've had good results with a B&E/face adept. You don't even need THAT much magic honestly...Invisible Way with Unseen Hands + Kinesics goes a long way. But of course even with that, ware helps (not trying to strt that argument again, just FYI).

[Glyph]

6 karma costs 50 BP
7 karma costs 75 BP
7 karma costs 80 BP with luck
8 karma costs 105 BP with luck (I calculated wrong for the 95BP)

Humans start with a base of two in Edge, so your costs are off.  An Edge of 6 is 40 BP, an Edge of 7 is 65 BP (or 70 with the Lucky quality), and you were right the first time that an Edge of 8 costs 95 points.

[Thrass]

Ah that's why suddenly my math seemed wrong...
Thanks for the correction