Shadowrun Play > Character creation and critique

Help with a Dwarf Rigger, Please?

(1/5) > >>

Avatarbf:
I need some help creating a rigger for an upcoming game, I have made this character a few times and my GM has pointed out things I missed every time. I want to make a Dwarf rigger to complement the Dwarf Decker (They will be siblings, according to GM.) The problem is that there are no restricted books so I've mainly stuck to the corebook and Rigger 5, given my character's role. The last build I submitted I forgot to give my character an RCC (Which I totally meant to BTW.) I don't usually have this level of difficulty with character creation.

It's not our first game by the way, more like second or third.

firebug:
What kind of help would you like?  A list of suggestions, or someone making a character most of the way and letting you customize it?  Or you can do the more common approach and build a character, then share it on here and people will offer suggestions and point out any mistakes.

Avatarbf:
I think more like a list of suggestions would be useful, I'm going to use my previous build (as soon as I find where I wrote it down.) but would like some suggestions for things I might've missed/ overlooked.

Avatarbf:
Plus I was going to post the finished character on here before I went for GM approval again to get him checked out. That's one of the reasons I started the thread.

firebug:
The core aspects of what makes the rigger archetype would be:


* A Rigger Control Console
* One or more drones
* A Control Rig implant
* The skills Electronic Warfare and Gunnery, some Computer, and relevant Pilot & Mechanic skills depending on what vehicles and drones you have
* And usually, a vehicle for transportation
Important attributes for a rigger are:

* Logic.  Matrix actions, firing a mounted gun with your drone's sensors, and the mechanics skills all use Logic.
* Intuition.  A few other Matrix actions, the Full Vehicle Defense action, using your drone's sensors, and your initiative and defense.
* Reaction.  Mostly just for Pilot rolls, initiative, and defense.
Willpower and Agility shouldn't be totally neglected, but Strength and Charisma are often unimportant.

A few miscellaneous tips I have:

* The +2 bonus to Matrix Actions from Hot Sim applies to Vehicle actions made through the matrix, and firing a gun from a drone is also a vehicle/matrix action.  This often means you can have a very very high dice pool from your Control Rig, Hot Sim, and potentially even the Codeslinger (Control Device) quality, though make sure your GM is okay with that last one.
* Try to only go all-out on mods for one or two drones, these should be your primary combat drones or the drones you go to for most situations.  Small, cheap drones used primarily for recon are usually fine unmodded.
* Remember that if you would make a Perception test through a drone's sensors (like while you're jumped in, or just remotely controlling it) you can use your Electronic Warfare skill instead of Perception.
* You're gonna end up the team soccer mom.  Getting a decent SUV with some subtle mods can really help out the team and give you a place to chill while in VR besides staying at home.
* There's been unofficial errata regarding autosofts-- Wakshaani, the freelancer who wrote the section in Rigger 5.0, confirmed that a line was left out by accident.  Autosofts are limited to the drone's Pilot rating now, but there's a higher number of autosofts a drone can run at once.  Link.
* Automatic weapons are good for drones, because drones have innate Recoil Compensation equal to their BOD, and with the right weapons, even a simple drone with a R3 Targeting autosoft can make good use of Suppressing Fire.
* Remember that drones do not have auras, and cannot take stun damage.  This can make them a bit more effective against unprepared magicians, if the magician can't do electric damage.
* Similarly, gas and smoke grenades can work in your favor more easily through a drone.
* In order for a drone to benefit from a smartgun installed into it while on autopilot, it has to have the Smartlink autosoft.  In order for you to benefit from the smartgun mounted while you're jumped in or remotely controlling it, the drone's camera needs the Smartlink upgrade.
* If you put a shotgun or a hunting rifle on an MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone, you have a deadly flying sniper bot.
Finally, there's always been a bit of confusion about what attributes are used to fire a drone-mounted gun.

Should you want, you can fire a drone-mounted gun with Gunnery + Agility [Accuracy].  This is if you're not using the drone's sensors to find the target; this is you aiming the gun based on what you can see.  Instead (or if you're in VR) you can use the drone's sensors to fire.  This uses Gunnery + Logic [Sensor Rating], also called passive sensor targeting.  The drone's Sensor rating is used instead of the gun's Accuracy, which is often lower, and you will have to apply signature modifiers (see the chart on page 184).  In the end though, the massive bonuses you can get to using drones in VR will usually make this option better.

In combat, don't try to be in the front line.  You should jump into a well-armed drone and be ready to play the role of a glass cannon.  Your bonuses mean you'll have an enormous dice pool (easily 20+).  If your drone's Sensor Rating is low (4 or below) then you should go for called shots.  Your pool is lowered (meaning less wasted hits) for a powerful effect.  Location shots are your friend, but even just "Vitals" for +2 DV is quite powerful and will probably be your go-to.  Drones are relatively fragile; most have low armor and almost all of them have few condition boxes.  In some fights (like a Steel Lynx against a bunch of street gangers with nothing bigger than an SMG) your drones will feel like unstoppable tanks, but those fights will be incredibly one-sided in your team's favor already.  Any real challenge (like a spirit or someone competent with a shotgun) can one-shot any medium or smaller drones, so you are not a front line fighter.  That said, drones are worth a lot less than the life of a teammate, so don't hesitate to send one into the fray if it means your drone gets got instead of a fellow shadowrunner.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page