Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Daffodil on <01-16-18/2124:43>
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Hey everyone, I might be playing a game of Shadowrun 5e soon and I'd like to put together a character, but I really just don't get it. I've been reading some resources I've been able to find around the net, but it's not really like any game I've played before and I just can't really parse the decision making process. I've downloaded Chummer and I like minmaxing/charop, but mostly I want a character that is competent and will do their job right. Would anyone be willing to walk me through making a Street-level character?
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The Shadowrun system favors specialization.
For a Street-level character, focus on characters that don't need much in the way of gear to operate.
Get used to juggling around your priorities.
I like to start by choosing metatype and archetype.
Attributes/Metatype
These form the backbone of your build, so start here.
Play around a bit in Chummer to see how changing your attributes affects your limits.
Metatype, besides allowing you to play a non-human, grant points in that can be put into Edge and Magic.
Skills:
For what your character is supposed to do, the skill and attribute should total 12 or more.
Other skill/attributes should be 9 or 10 minimum.
Perception is a common choice regardless of archetype
Magic:
Unless you plan on playing a mundane, having at least Magic D or C gives a lot of options.
Resources:
At a minimum, you need a commlink, an emergency weapon, and a lifestyle.
Qualities:
There are some options here that can make or break a character.
Feel free to look through them.
Knowledge skills:
You want at least knowledge of where you are operating.
Contacts:
A Mr. Johnson and a fixer at a minimum.
Karma:
Use this to shore up issues with your build.
I hope this helps with the start of your build.
Go ahead and post the build you got, you will get a lot of advice.
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"His job"... you're actually off to a good start right there. A lot of new players plunge right into their character's background without asking the question - what does the character DO? So prioritize the things you want to do - sneak, hack, negotiate deals or bamboozle people, fight (lots of ways to do this), patch up your wounded comrades, or be the getaway driver. I'm probably missing a few, but you get the idea. You start out with limited resources, so it usually works out best to be very good at your main job, and just passable in a few other areas.
In general, pick up the skills to do your job at a high rating, then get the Attributes that go with those skills at a high rating. Skill + Attribute + modifiers gives you a dice pool, which is a number of dice that your roll to see if you succeed in a task or not. Dice pools are the main mechanic of the game, so you want a high one for your job. After getting a high skill and a high Attribute, look for the ways you can increase the dice pool further - magic, cybernetic augmentations, or gear.
Example - Eddie the street samurai is good with his gun. First, he has Agility of 6 and a pistols skill of 6, specializing in semi-automatics (specializations can be added to skills, giving you a +2 bonus to a narrower area within that skill), then, he gets used muscle toner: 3 to raise his Agility to 9, a reflex recorder to add 1 to his pistols skill, and cybernetic eyes with a smartlink (paired with a smart gun) for a +2 bonus. So all told, Eddie rolls 20 dice to shoot people (although dice pools have situational modifiers - darkness, long range, etc. - that can lower your dice pool).