[EternalZiggurat]

I'm about to make my second adept, and I'm wanting to make him optimized. What powers do you guys think are general must haves? I'm making him combat primary, infiltration secondary. What powers are traps/not worth the cost?

With way of the adept, do I still "need" to make him augmented?

[All4BigGuns]

Some will say you do, but even without it you don't NEED to, and IMO one loses a lot of the flavor of being an Adept (to the point that one might as well just build a Street Sam) by taking the implants.

[Shadowjack]

Most people like to take Muscle Toner to get higher agility. If you don't want to do that, an alternative would be to make a Mystic Adept and use a Increase Agility spell. I don't think you need ware to be optimized but there are definitely pros and cons. Attribute Boost is also a good option to get that extra agility.

[All4BigGuns]

And really, you don't need to enhance your attributes at all with an Adept. Remember, their power to improve skills can give up to 3 to the skill whereas the implant that can bonus any skill can only give 1. Not to mention that if building a melee Adept, you have the option of a Weapon Focus (something a mundane can't get the benefit of) and that can be up to 4 more dice to attack that weapon right out of creation--with Restricted Gear.

[emsquared]

Even with Warriors Way AND Optional Adept Geasa rules, the cold hard math is that you will miss out on some numbers if you don't take 1 ESS in Bioware, once you get Delta or even Alpha ware. Sorry, but them's the breaks.

[All4BigGuns]

Even with Warriors Way AND Optional Adept Geasa rules, the cold hard math is that you will miss out on some numbers if you don't take 1 ESS in Bioware, once you get Delta or even Alpha ware. Sorry, but them's the breaks.

Not enough to really matter much. As I said, an Adept doesn't even need to enhance attributes at all to be very, very good at their specialty, and be passable in a secondary ability. (I know this because I have either one or two built that are actually kinda sickening without a single augmented attribute beyond the Reaction from getting IP or implant.


 == Info ==
Street Name: Steelshine
Name: Blake Storm
Movement: 10/25, Swim: 6
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 1
Public Awareness: 0
Elf Male Age 35
Height 6'3"
Composure: 6
Judge Intentions: 7
Lift/Carry: 10 (75 kg/50 kg)
Memory: 5
Nuyen: 0

== Attributes ==
BOD: 5
AGI: 6
REA: 3 (5)
STR: 5
CHA: 3
INT: 4
LOG: 2
WIL: 3
EDG: 1
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                7 (9)
IP:                        1 (3)
Astral Initiative:         8
Astral IP:                 3
Matrix Initiative:         7
Matrix IP:                 1
Physical Damage Track:     11
Stun Damage Track:         10

== Active Skills ==
Blades                     : 6 [Swords]             Pool: 15 (17)
Climbing                   : 3                      Pool: 8
Disguise                   : 4                      Pool: 8
Etiquette                  : 3 [Street]             Pool: 6 (
Flight                     : 3                      Pool: 8
Gymnastics                 : 3                      Pool: 9
Hardware                   : 4 [Maglocks]           Pool: 6 (
Infiltration               : 4                      Pool: 12
Palming                    : 4                      Pool: 10
Perception                 : 3                      Pool: 10
Pilot Ground Craft         : 1 [Wheeled]            Pool: 6 (
Pistols                    : 2 [Semi-Automatics]    Pool: 8 (10)
Running                    : 3                      Pool: 8
Shadowing                  : 4                      Pool: 8
Swimming                   : 3                      Pool: 8

== Knowledge Skills ==
Area Knowledge: Seattle    : 3                      Pool: 7
Bars and Clubs             : 3                      Pool: 7
English                    : N                      Pool: 0
Security Systems           : 4                      Pool: 6
Sperethiel                 : 4                      Pool: 8

== Contacts ==
Fixer (6, 3)

== Qualities ==
Adept
Bad Luck
Low Pain Tolerance
Low-Light Vision
Restricted Gear (Rating 1)
SINner (Standard) (Blake Storm)
The Warrior's Way

== Powers ==
Combat Sense Rating: 4
Enhanced Perception Rating: 3
Improved Ability (Combat) (Blades) Rating: 3
Improved Ability (Non-Combat) (Infiltration) Rating: 2
Improved Reflexes 2
Sustenance

== Lifestyles ==
Middle  4 months

== Armor ==
Bike Racing Armor         5/8
   +Chemical Protection 6
   +Gel Packs
   +Ruthenium Polymer Coating
   +YNT SoftWeave
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
   +Nonconductivity 6
SecureTech PPP Armor (Ensemble)2/4

== Weapons ==
Browning Ultra-Power
   +Chameleon Coating
   +Laser Sight
   Pool: 9 (11)   DV: 5P   AP: -1   RC: 0
Sword
   +Chameleon Coating
   +Personalized Grip, Melee
   +Weapon Focus Rating 4
   Pool: 20 (22)   DV: 8P   AP: -   RC: 0
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 5   DV: 3S   AP: -   RC: 0

== Martial Arts ==
Arnis De Mano
   ++1 DV on Blades attacks
   ++1 DV on Blades attacks

== Commlink ==
Novatech Airware (3, 3, 3, 3)
   +Iris Orb
   +AR Gloves
   +Subvocal Microphone
   +Analyze Rating 6 [Copy Protection 6, Optimization 3, Registration]
   +Encrypt Rating 6 [Copy Protection 6, Optimization 3, Registration]

== Gear ==
Autopicker Rating 6
Chisel
Contact Lenses Rating 3
   +Vision Enhancement Rating 3
   +Image Link
   +Flare Compensation
Earbuds Rating 2
   +Audio Enhancement Rating 3
   +Select Sound Filter Rating 3
Fake SIN (Brian Ceran) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Focus Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Weapon Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Bodyguard License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Drivers License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Vehicle Registration) Rating 4
Fake SIN (Stephen Franks) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Focus Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Weapon Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Bodyguard License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Drivers License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Vehicle Registration) Rating 4
Fake SIN (Jonathan Drake) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Focus Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Weapon Permit) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Bodyguard License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Drivers License) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Vehicle Registration) Rating 4
Maglock Passkey Rating 4
Maglock Sequencer Rating 4
Medkit Rating 6
Spare Clip (Browning Ultra-Power) x5
   +Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Heavy Pistols)
Tool Kit (Hardware)
Weapon Focus (Bonded Foci) (Sword) Rating 4
Wire Clippers

== Vehicles ==
BMW Blitzen 2050 (Combat Bike)
   +Morphing License Plate
   +Obsolescent
   +Spoof Chip
   +Vehicle Sensor

[RHat]

Even with Warriors Way AND Optional Adept Geasa rules, the cold hard math is that you will miss out on some numbers if you don't take 1 ESS in Bioware, once you get Delta or even Alpha ware. Sorry, but them's the breaks.

Which is not that same thing as "you need to take it".  You don't have to grab all the bonuses possible.

That said, I think the OP should clarify if he means a good adept, or the very best possible adept.  Using the example A4BG posted, that's gotten to the point where improving that Blades pool wouldn't gain him much of anything - diminishing returns, basically.

[emsquared]

4 AGI, 4 STR, + up to 4 boxes of Damage Compensation, and/or 1 to favorite combat skill(s), or 2 REA (to passive dodge), or other flavors of your choice is pretty huge. And the thing is, using Bioware for what it does well allows you to use your Adept Powers for the unique flavor things only they can do.

[Mirikon]

What powers you take depends on what kind of adept you want to be. While a Warrior or Athlete might get good mileage out of a bit of ware, the Artisan, Speaker, or Invisible adept really don't benefit from ware that much. So first tell us what role you are looking at, and then we can move on to the other things.

[Thrass]

I'm making him combat primary, infiltration secondary.

He told us...
And implicitly this means he has not yet chosen a way.

What he didn't tell us is if he has access to the ways, if he wants unnarmed, armed melee, thrown weapons, pistols, automatics, ...
And there is no theme yet.
Which is kinda "scroll through the character section take the first 5 adept builds 3 of them will have combat/infiltration and take your pick"
or likely more effective check out Umaros archetypes.

[Whiskeyjack]

Do we really need to get into the "to ware or not to ware" debate again in here? Some people are going to advise augmenting. Some aren't. Fine. Let's just answer the OP and not devolve into the same old cycle.

Combat primary, infiltration secondary, I would actually go for Invisible Way, see if your GM won't charge you for being part of a Way. The key to this kind of build is taking Magic 5, and no more than 2 Essence worth of ware.

Bio-compatibility: Bioware
Muscle Toner 2 or 4 (Restricted Gear)
Synaptic Boosters 1 at least, 2 is better.

Improved Ability: Infiltration
Improved Ability: primary combat ability
Unseen Hands (requires Invisible Way)
Kinesics - mostly for Con/Etiquette, which IMO are fundamental to infiltration


What weapons do you want to use?

[Thrass]

If I'ld use Bio compatibility and synaptic boosters Ild think about going the burnout's way to sayve the 10BP on biocompatibility...

[All4BigGuns]

Do we really need to get into the "to ware or not to ware" debate again in here? Some people are going to advise augmenting. Some aren't. Fine. Let's just answer the OP and not devolve into the same old cycle.

If people wouldn't throw out their opinion as hard fact, it wouldn't have started going that route. All I ever did was say that it was my opinion that it's not necessary with a follow-up explaining why. Emsquared on the other hand came roaring in with what basically boils down to "you must take implants or you will suck" as though it were "true fact of the universe".

If you will look at the build I posted, you will see that I have a point that such is not strictly necessary (especially since it would be at least close to what the OP was asking for).

[emsquared]

Emsquared on the other hand came roaring in with what basically boils down to "you must take implants or you will suck" as though it were "true fact of the universe".

Demonstrate to me how you can get the same bonuses from 1 pt of MAG that you can from 1 pt of ESS (and therefore MAG), and then you can say I am wrong. I didn't say anything like; "you must take implants or you will suck" - this is like the stuff you say, A4BG: opinion. In fact all I said was:

...the cold hard math is that you will miss out on some numbers...

I left it where I thought it would do the OP the most good, no opinion, just math.

[All4BigGuns]

Emsquared on the other hand came roaring in with what basically boils down to "you must take implants or you will suck" as though it were "true fact of the universe".

Demonstrate to me how you can get the same bonuses from 1 pt of MAG that you can from 1 pt of ESS (and therefore MAG), and then you can say I am wrong. I didn't say anything like; "you must take implants or you will suck". In fact all I said was:

You're of course ignoring the example posted because it is very, very good at combat and sneaking around without taking a single implant, and since that disproves the general "implants or bust" sentiment...