Shadowrun Play > Character creation and critique

SR6 - First attempt at a Detective

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ZeroSum:
I think not maxing out Perception is fine. My own Decker/PI uses drones (and thus their sensor + clearsight rating) instead of his own Perception skill to gather crimescene / perception related data.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat:

--- Quote from: Ajax on ---His maxed out Firearms skill is just a necessary conceit to the fact that at the end of the day, he’s a Shadowrun character.

--- End quote ---

I'm not saying you don't have a point... it's just that my point is you're gonna be rolling Perception more often than Firearms.  No matter what archetype you are.  And whereas everyone looks to the Sammie/Weapons Specialist when it comes to excelling in combat, they'll look to you when you say you're a Detective and it's time to search for a clue :)

Ajax:
It’s a lot easier to boost Perception via gadgetry than Firearms. Plus, I don’t see any need to raise Firearms past this point as the game goes on...

Ajax:

LUCKY

I needed a drink. I needed a lot of life insurance.
I needed a vacation. I needed a home in the country.
What I had was a coat, a hat, and a gun.

Personal Data
Birth Name Ishida Ide
Metatype Human Ethnicity Japanese-American
Born 15 May 2051 (Age 39) Sex Male
Height 1.78 m (5'10")  Weight 75 kg (165 lbs.) 

Priorities (Sum to 10)
Metatype D Attributes A Skills A Magic E Resources D

Karma Expenditures
Starting Karma 50
Positive Qualities 13
Negative Qualities -23
Attributes 0
Skills 49
Resources 11
Remaining 0

Attributes
Attribute Description.....Value....Attribute Description.....ValueBody2Essence6.00Agility3Magic--Reaction5Initiative10 + 1d6Strength3Matrix VR Initiative5 + 2d6 (Cold)Willpower3Astral Initiative--Logic5Composure9Intuition5Judge Intentions10Charisma6Memory8Edge5Lift/Carry90 kgSurprise10Movement10 mDamage Resist0Defense Rating6
Core Combat Info
Primary Armor Mortimer of London Greatcoat
Primary Ranged Weapon: Ruger Super Warhawk
Primary Melee Weapon Unarmed

Condition Monitor
Phys 9
Stun 10

Skills
Active Skill Name .....Specialization .....Rating .....Dice PoolAthletics--1 (+1 from Karma)4Biotech--27Close CombatUnarmed (+1 from Karma)25 ( 7 )ConActing (+1 from Karma)511 ( 13 )Cracking--1 (+1 from Karma)6Electronics--1 (+1 from Karma)6FirearmsRevolvers (+1 from Karma)58 ( 10 )InfluenceIntimidation (+1 from Karma)612 ( 14 )OutdoorsTracking27 ( 9 )PerceptionUrban510 ( 12 )Piloting--1 (+1 from Karma)6Stealth--36Language and Knowledge Skills: English (N), Japanese (2 +1 from Karma); Con Schemes, Gambling Games, Nightclubs, Organized Crime, Police Procedure (+1 from Karma), Sprawl Life (+1 from Karma)

Qualities
Positive:
Analytical Mind +3
Candle in the Darkness +5
Networker +5

Negative:
Honorbound (Code of Wuxia) -10
Hooder -5
SINner -8

IDs/Lifestyles/Currency
If business was as good as my aim with a .44, I'd be on Easy Street. Instead, I've got an office on 7th Avenue and a nasty relationship with a string of collection agents.

Primary Lifestyle: Urban Office-Apartment Neighborhood: Low; Necessities: Middle; Comforts: Low; Security: Middle; Entertainment: Low; Space: Low; Qualities: Bat Cave [1], Reliable Utilities (¥3,850 per Month)
Nuyen: ¥285
Fake IDs / Related Lifestyles / Funds / Licenses
Tsu Do Nym Fake SIN 4; Fake Licenses (Concealed Carry, Driver's License, Firearms)
John Lee Fake SIN [1]; Fake Licence (Driver's License)

Contacts
Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one's all right, he turns legit.

Contact's NameContact TypeExpertiseConnectionLoyaltyDan WILSON Corporate Manager Corporate 4 3 Rosie BACKO Corporate Hacker Corporate 4 3 Mary-Anne SALGUERIO Corporate Secretary Corporate 2 3 Bonnie KOWAL Police Detective Law Enforcement4 3 Wayne KEESO Beat Cop Law Enforcement3 3 Katherine MYLETT Forensics Expert Law Enforcement3 3 RENTA Hiro Fixer Street 3 4 "Mr. Hyde" ID Manufacturer Street 3 4 Billie PETRIE Bartender Street 2 3 Jim McCOOEYE Taxi Driver Street 2 2 Shep PRESTI Bail Bondsman Street 2 2 Bill HARROUCH Bookie Street 2 2 Alexander McENERY Gambler Street 2 2 Jake ABRAHAMSON Street Preacher Street 2 2 Troy MAYBEE Snitch Street 2 2
Weapons
Colt Secret Agent Hold-Out Revolver
 w/ Hidden Arm Slide
 w/ Regular Ammo, Caseless (x6, loaded)

Ruger Super Warhawk Heavy Revolver [4P, SS, 13/15/—/—/—, 6(cy)]
 w/ Personalised Grip, Short Barrel, Smartgun System (internal)
 w/ Concealable Holster
 w/ Stick-n-Shock Ammo, Caseless (x6, loaded)
 w/ 2x Speed Loaders: Explosive Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)
 w/ 4x Speed Loaders: Stick-n-Shock Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)
 w/ 2x Speed Loaders: APDS Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)

AK-97 Assault Rifle
 w/ Smartgun (external), Vision Magnification, Underbarrel Weight, Regular Sling
 w/ Regular Ammo, Caseless (x38, loaded)
 w/ Spare Magazine: Regular Ammo, Caseless (x38 each)

Grenades: Thermal Smoke (3x)
Grenades: Flashbang (2x),
Grenades: CS Gas (1x)
Grenades: Glitter (2x)
Knife

Armor
Berwick (Mortimer of London) Business Clothing
Mortimer of London Greatcoat
 w/ Cold Resistance 1, Fire Resistance 1, Chemical Resistance 4; Water Repellent
Fedora

Other Gear
My buddies travel light and they're fun to have around. One travels in a holster and the other travels in a hip flask.

Alcohol (¥50 worth)
AR Gloves
Bug Scanner
Commlink: Metalink Disposable Commlink [R1, D/F 1/0, P0]
Commlink: Renraku Sensei [R3, D/F 2/0 (2/3), P1] w/ Sim Module, Biometric Reader, Browse, Signal Scrubber
Contacts [2] w/ Imagelink, Smartlink
Credstick, Standard (1x)
Credstick, Silver (2x)
Directional Mic [6] w/ Audio Enhancement, Select Sound Filter [5], Laser Mic [6]
Earbuds [2] w/ Sound-Link, Audio Enhancement
Flashlight (IR)
Flashlight (Lowlight)
Flashlight (Standard)
Glasses [3] w/ Lowlight, Vision Enhancement
Glow Stick (5x)
Local Area Mapsoft
Magnesium Torch/Flare (3x)
Medkit,
Micro Transceiver & Subvocal Mic
Microflare launcher w/ 3 Microflares
Plastic Restraints (10x)
Pro Camera [6] w/ Internal Smartcam, Vision Enhancement, Vision Magnification
Respirator [6]
Stim Patch [4] (2x)
Sungard Jewelry
Survival Kit
Tag Eraser
Tranq Patch [6] (2x)
Trauma Patch,
Trodes
Vehicle: BMW Tsarina II Coupe  [H3/5, A18, I25, Sp220, B12, A4, P3, S2, St3]
Weapon Cleaning Kit

Concept
“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

“He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.

“The story is this man’s adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in.”
― Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder (1945)

The Private Detective is a staple of the cyberpunk genre, owing both to the film noir and pulp fiction roots of the genre as well as to the genre's seminal work Blade Runner. The first two editions of Shadowrun included a Private Detective as one of the sample characters and has always sort of epitomized the role for me. The Private Dick should eschew both cyberware and magic, relying on his wits and his innate talents more than anything. He isn't typically heavily armored or armored (but he keeps a rifle or a shotgun stashed somewhere in case SHTF). He's no great keyboard cowboy, but he knows enough to do some basic snooping. He's no great warrior, but he can hold his own in a fight. He's no forensics whiz, but he knows how to snoop around a crime scene. Most importantly, he knows what he doesn't know... but he knows a guy who knows a guy. The Private Detective is the ultimate in legwork.

He's not the guy you hire for a purple mohawk, neo-anarchist, smash-and-grab. He's not the guy you hire for a black trenchcoat, black ops, wet-work job. But if you need something or someone found (especially if they don't want to be found), then he's your guy. Provided you can pony up ¥500 a day plus expenses, chummer.

Honorbound (Code of the Wuxia) seems like a perfect fit for a Chandler-meets-Cyberpunk Private Dick. He won't harm innocents, he won't accept bribes (but he's not above greasing the palms of others), he won't serve the truly corrupt (but he knows everybody in thsi world has an angle), he won't back down from a fair fight (but he's not suicidal deathseeker). Hooder fits this attitude as well, he's a man of the streets and man of the people, even if he remains somewhat apart from them and somewhat distant. He's a SINner, but he mingles with the SINless, his business is legit and his gear is legal... But he packs a false ID and some phoney paperwork just to avoid prolonged entanglements. He's got a reputation - Candle in the Darkness and Network - for being a hard guy to like, but being a harder guy to hate.

Comments, criticism, and optimization advice welcome!

Xenon:
I really enjoyed the read. You put a lot of thought into the character and the concept. Close to 4 years by looking at the timestamps from your previous post :-)

I also think that SR6 is a really good edition for this type of character. Not investing into magic or chrome would typically game mechanically punish you a lot more in previous edition than it does in this edition.

With the film noir vibes you seem to be going for I was a bit surprised to not find a mild substance addiction to nic-sticks or alcohol (or both). Could perhaps fit your concept? Other than that minor comment I don't have anything to add.

Good luck chummer and see you in the shadows!

(the format of the header of the contracts section currently seems broken, since the rest of the post had such a flawless editing you might want to correct that).

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