Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Stainless Steel Devil Rat on <02-17-18/0017:41>
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I have no idea why I've had so much fun building this character, but I thought I'd share. Can't you just picture a debutante complaining about the clothes worn by her grubby teammates? I usually play Riggers and Adepts (and of late a Decker) but I wanted to get an infiltration specialist ready as a new option for SRM. Definitely looking for advice about any bases I've forgotten to address.
Basic character background is a corp kid who had a successful career as a professional dancer cut short by thrill-seeking in art thievery. Got caught; company cleaned up the affair but terminated her contract over "moral clause" violation. Which of course led to becoming a fulltime shadowrunner.
(character sheet edited to reflect current state)
== Personal Data ==
Name: Lauralasthana Moonbeam Alias: Break N Dancer
Elf, Female Movement: 18/36 (2m/hit) Swim: 10 (1m/hit)
51 kilo, 190 cm Composure: 9
Street Cred: 0 Judge Intentions: 10
Notoriety: 0 Lift/Carry: 5 (45 kg/30 kg)
Public Awareness: 0 Memory: 7
Karma: 0 Nuyen: 2,475¥
Age: 27 Skin: Flawless
Eyes: Sparkle Blue (TM) Hair: Fabulous
Primary Arm: Right
== Priorities ==
Metatype: D,1
Attributes: B,3
Special: E,0
Skills: C,2
Resources: A,4
== Attributes ==
BOD: 2 CHA: 6
AGI: 7 (9) INT: 4
REA: 4 (6) LOG: 4
STR: 1 (3) WIL: 3
EDG: 2
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 0.71
Initiative: 10 +2d6
Physical Damage Track: 9
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Limits ==
Physical: 5
Autopicker [+6] (Only for picking a mechanical lock)
Chameleon Suit [+2] (Only for Sneaking, Must be visible)
Smart Articulation [+1] (Only for test involving endurance, Must be tightened)
Smart Articulation [+2] (Only for Escape Artist and Grapple, Must be loosened)
Mental: 5
Audio Enhancement [+3] (Only with audio Perception)
Spatial Recognizer [+2] (Only with Perception to find the source of a sound)
Vision Enhancement [+2] (Only for visual Perception)
Social: 7
Audio Analyzer [+1] (For musical performances)
Ballistic Mask [+1] (Only for intimidation, Must be visible)
Astral: 7
== Active Skills ==
Automatics (Submachine Guns) Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 10 (12)
Con Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 7
Disguise Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Etiquette (High Society) Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 7 (9)
Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Exotic Ranged Weapon (Parashield Dart Pistol) Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Gymnastics (Dance) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15 (17)
Hardware Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Impersonation Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 10
Industrial Mechanic Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Leadership Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 7
Locksmith (Maglock) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15 (17)
Negotiation Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 7
Perception Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7
Performance (Piano/Keyboards) Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 7 (9)
Sneaking (Urban) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 17 (19)
== Knowledge Skills ==
English Native
French Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (Linguasoft)
Japanese Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7 (Linguasoft)
Sperethiel Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (Linguasoft)
Architecture (Modern) Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (7)
Art Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 6
Business Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (Knowsoft)
Classical Music Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 6
Connoisseur (Fine Arts) Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7 (9)
Fashion (Tres Chic) Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 6 (8)
Megacorporations Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5
Security Design Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 6
Tir Nobility Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (Knowsoft)
Yakuza Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (Knowsoft)
== Contacts ==
Assistant D.A. (Shark Lawyer), Campaign City (Connection: 4, Loyalty: 2)
Generic Fixer Contact (Fixer), Campaign City (Connection: 6, Loyalty: 1)
Shady Art Dealer (Fence), Campaign City (Connection: 2, Loyalty: 5)
== Qualities ==
Agile Defender
Allergy (Uncommon, Mild) (Polyester)
Biocompatability (Cyberware)
Catlike
Double Jointed
Low-Light Vision
Prejudiced (Common, Biased) (The Poor)
SINner (Corporate Limited) (Horizon)
== Lifestyle ==
Nice Condo (High) 1 Months
+ Skillsoft Network, Basic [+2000¥]
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
Active HardwiresRating 5 (Escape Artist)
Active HardwiresRating 5 (Throwing Weapons)
Active HardwiresRating 5 (Palming)
CyberearsRating 3
+ Sound Link
+ Balance Augmenter
+ Spatial Recognizer
+ Increased Hearing Spectrum
+ Audio Analyzer
+ Audio EnhancementRating 3
+ Damper
Datajack
Internal Air TankRating 1
Muscle ReplacementRating 2
Reaction EnhancersRating 2
SkilljackRating 3
Smart Articulation
Smartlink
Tailored PheromonesRating 1
Voice ModulatorRating 3
Wired ReflexesRating 1
== Armor ==
Ares Victory: Industrious 9
+ Gear Access
Ballistic Mask 2
+ Thermographic Vision
Chameleon Suit 9
+ Chemical Protection 4
+ Thermal Damping 3
+ Jammer, AreaRating 4
Securetech PPP: Arms Kit 1
Securetech PPP: Legs Kit 1
Securetech PPP: Vitals Kit 1
== Weapons ==
Grapple Gun
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 3 DV: 7S AP: -2 RC: 2
Grenade: Flash-Pak
Pool: 14 Accuracy: 5 DV: Special AP: - RC: 2
Grenade: Gas (CS/Tear Gas)
Pool: 14 Accuracy: 5 DV: Chemical (10m Radius)AP: - RC: 2
Grenade: Gas (Nausea Gas)
Pool: 14 Accuracy: 5 DV: Chemical (10m Radius)AP: - RC: 2
HK 227
+ Folding Stock
+ Gas-Vent 2 System
+ Sling
+ Smartgun System, Internal
+ Smartgun System, Internal
+ Sound Suppressor
+ Spare Clip
Pool: 10 (12)Accuracy: 7 DV: 7P AP: - RC: 4 (5)
Lapel Dagger
Pool: 8 Accuracy: 4 DV: 4P AP: -1 RC: 2
Parashield Dart Pistol
+ Concealed Quick-Draw Holster
+ Gecko Grip
+ Laser Sight
+ Smartgun System, Internal
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 7 DV: 0 AP: - RC: 2
Stun Baton
Pool: 8 Accuracy: 4 DV: 9S(e) AP: -5 RC: 2
Unarmed Attack
Pool: 8 Accuracy: 5 DV: 3S AP: - RC: 2
== Martial Arts ==
Parkour
+ Monkey Climb
== Commlink ==
Transys Avalon (ATT: 0, SLZ: 0, DP: 6, FWL: 6)
+ Encryption
+ Signal Scrub
+ Sim Module
== Gear ==
Ammo: Injection Darts (Exotic Ranged Weapons) x10
+ Narcoject
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Submachine Guns) x140
Certified Credstick, Gold
Certified Credstick, Silver x2
Contacts Rating 3
+ Vision Enhancement Rating 2
+ Flare Compensation
Datachip x10
Fake SIN (Tir Tairngire: Jenny Smith) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Restricted Cyberware License) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Driver's License) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Concealed Carry Permit) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Weapon License) Rating 4
Grapple Gun
Grenade: Flash-Pak x2
Grenade: Flash-Pak
Grenade: Gas x2
+ CS/Tear Gas
Grenade: Gas x2
+ Nausea Gas
Knowsoft (Tir Nobility) Rating 1
Knowsoft (Business) Rating 1
Knowsoft (Yakuza) Rating 1
Linguasoft (French) Rating 1
Linguasoft (Japanese) Rating 3
Linguasoft (Sperethiel) Rating 1
Microwire (100m)
Rapelling Gloves
Restraint, Plastic x10
Sensor Tags x10
+ Camera Rating 2
Sensor Tags x10
+ Omni-directional Microphone Rating 2
Sensor Tags x10
+ Motion Sensor Rating 2
Stealth Rope (100m)
+ Catalyst Stick
Stealth Tags x10
Tool Kit (Hardware)
Tool Kit (Locksmith)
+ Autopicker Rating 6
+ Cellular Glove Molder Rating 4
+ Chisel
+ Keycard Copier Rating 6
+ Lockpick Set
+ Sequencer Rating 4
+ Miniwelder [Miniwelder Fuel Canister]
Tool Kit (Disguise)
== Vehicles ==
Dodge Xenon
+ Sensor Array Rating 2
+ Grid Link Override
+ Spoof Chips
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I did end up realizing I left a couple of obvious boxes unchecked:
Picked up a bunch of RFID tags. Naturally the infiltrator is the one who'd be planting bugs, right?
Decided to pay more essence and less =Y= by swapping Muscle Toner out for Muscle Replacement. Got a strength bonus to go with the agility AND more money at the cost of lower essence.
Used some those savings to pick up the Smart Articulation cyberware. Some kind of escape artist augmentation is clearly called for on the archetype, and this one has the added benefit of saying that you can "fit through any opening big enough for your head". Opens up lots of extra doors!
I squeezed some points to find a way to get some ranks in Connoissuer as a Knowledge skill. Clearly it was an unforgivable oversight to omit that :D
And blew the rest of the money on upgrading to a flashier car :D
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A couple things, I am deeply amused by the name, your skill set is too spread out, get your 6 in your core skills. Buy the low skills with karma. If your gonna run gymnastic like that maybe consider a martial art with Clinch and throw/sacrifice throw.
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I find your lack of "Plan B" options disturbing.
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A couple things, I am deeply amused by the name, your skill set is too spread out, get your 6 in your core skills. Buy the low skills with karma. If your gonna run gymnastic like that maybe consider a martial art with Clinch and throw/sacrifice throw.
You know, sometimes simple advice is going to address some of your problems. Yes, it turns out I had done some highly suboptimal things with skill points. Just rejiggering the same number of points freed up more karma for spending on the same low skills, and had more left over to boot. Skills after being more optimized:
== Active Skills ==
Con Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 7
Escape Artist Base: 4 + Karma: 0 = 4 Pool: 12
Etiquette (High Society) Base: 1 + Karma: 1 = 2 Pool: 8 (10)
Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) Base: 0 + Karma: 2 = 2 Pool: 10
Forgery Base: 0 + Karma: 2 = 2 Pool: 7
Free-Fall Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 4
Gymnastics (Dance) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 14 (16)
Hardware Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 6
Impersonation Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Locksmith Base: 2 + Karma: 1 = 3 Pool: 11
Palming Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 9
Perception Base: 0 + Karma: 2 = 2 Pool: 7
Sneaking (Urban) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 16 (18 )
Throwing Weapons Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 9
I find your lack of "Plan B" options disturbing.
Honestly I have some of the same concerns. I had deliberately decided against buying the pistols skill before, as I thought it would be more fun if she had it more for show than being proficient with it. (besides, being a sneaky specialist ideally I'll be shooting at people who don't get a dodge test anyway) So I expanded combat options instead by taking the throwing weapons skill. And bought some flash-paks and gas grenades!
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You can use Active skills as a substitute for Knowledge skills, so dance knowledge is redundant.
So I expanded combat options instead by taking the throwing weapons skill.
This gave me an idea - how do you feel about baseball as a hobby? Maybe buy a point in Clubs so you can use a stun baton for some silent takedowns?
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You can use Active skills as a substitute for Knowledge skills, so dance knowledge is redundant.
So I expanded combat options instead by taking the throwing weapons skill.
This gave me an idea - how do you feel about baseball as a hobby? Maybe buy a point in Clubs so you can use a stun baton for some silent takedowns?
No no no, she did baton as a child, baton is prefect for shock stick fighting.
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(http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/make_you_look_fat.jpg)
If I had photoshop skills I'd give her elf ears and call it a mugshot from a "slumming day" with the yacht club.
"Sports" is something I'm seeing this character as viewing being only for the boorish masses, although I'm sure I will be making some minor investments in close combat skills very soon after the first mission. Starting to scrape the barrel to do it now, though.
The low lying fruit for optimization has been taken; pretty much from here out I'm pretty sure it's all zero sum to make further changes. If I want to give a point to provide some kind of close combat skill, it's going to have to come at the cost of something else. And I'm thinking a pittance of social skills is going to further at avoiding fights in the first place than a pittance of combat skills will go to winning combats. I really want to find a point for disguise before I put any more combat ability in.
And besides just because the character isn't great at dealing damage, I'm thinking she's capable enough at surviving a fight. 10 dice for regular defense tests isn't shabby, and if necessary I can even add 6 more dice via gymnastics. And then there's the Agile Defender quality (AGI in place of WIL on Full Defense) I'm thinking the minxy dodgy dice pools and the flashpaks/gas grenades to cover a withdrawal ought to be enough to at least stay alive long enough to be bailed out by the rest of the team. Just have to make sure I don't overly annoy the players with the bleedingly stereotypical elf superiority complex :D
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Well there is sports and Sports. A fine art of baseball has nothing similar to something as base and plebeian as urban brawl.
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Ahhh ZB it's like old times lol.
Well said.
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I think this character could really be improved w/ some priority swaps.
Skills, Race, & Cash look like an obvious one to me. The extra points at C are well worth the loss of some of your toys, cyber, & edge.
But also Cash & Attributes could work to push more cyber and drop a couple points from LOG/STR.
I feel like Logic is higher than it needs to be & you don't appear to have a single maxed attribute.
At the very least I would move around some STR/LOG over to AGI/REA/ITN for better dice pools.
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At the very least I would move around some STR/LOG over to AGI/REA/ITN for better dice pools.
Fair point. Swapping Muscle Toner bioware for Muscle Replacement cyberware gave me two more points of STR that I'm not doing anything with. And while I'm not a fan of having low LOG, I'm not necessarily needing to go all the way to 5 either. I was planning on spreading out into more tech skills with post-chargen karma as they seem to be in chronically short supply in my circle. But you have a point about making some cuts could enable better values on attributes I'm using right away.
And you may well be right about the possibilities manifest from priority swaps. Problem I'm having is I don't know what cyberware I'd give up to be able to pick a lower resource priority. Obviously the skilljack would be the first to go from an optimization standpoint... but that was actually my first "get" with this character. An infiltrator who can upload knowsofts on the fly as needed for the situation was part of the concept even before being a snooty spoiled rich girl was :D I actually started out with skillwires too, but I just had to acknowledge that they're junk and didn't go so far as to use those. Cyberears and Voice Modulator round out a three-way synergistic trifecta of infiltration goodness. I listen to what you sound like, so when I talk I sound like you, and I (appear to know) what you're supposed to know! The Cyberears also contribute to the sneaking-in venn diagram via Balance Augmenter, joining with AGI and Escape Artist augmentations. The only cyberware that I'd be comfortable cutting is the datajack and/or internal air tank. The former is so cheap as it wouldn't make a difference and the latter is something I'm thinking is also fairly useful/important (especially if I'm going to make Nausea Grenades a part of my arsenal... internal air tank would let me be immune to my own grenades as that gas is only inhalation vector. Besides, another factor in favor of the air tank is that with Adepts and magic being so very powerful, if you take Cyberware I feel you should take some cyber that does things that magic doesn't do (and likely do better). Like give you the ability to hold your breath for hours!
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Hmm, I'm thinking this might make for a major change that over all will serve the character well.
A-Skills
B-Attributes
C-Cash
D-Elf
With that change you'll have a huge # of points in skills, more than enough to cover the Attr & cyber changes, with the only downside being the loss of Edge & you can get that to 2 w/ Karma at chargen.
B3, A7(9), R4(5), S1(3), W3, L3, I5, C5
Setting up your attributes above would be solid for infiltrator I think & again can use Karma for STR-2(4) as well as Edge-2
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I tried looking at swapping C: Metahuman/D: Skills for D:Metahuman/C:Skills.
After my latest round of shuffling, I'm spending 40 karma on 13 ranks in little skills (although I did squeeze a way to gain Pistols and Disguise, and with better AGI and CHA all those little skills are even better still). It's only 25 karma to buy EDG 3, which is a value I could probably live with. Going from D to C in skills would give me 6 more skill points, but also 2 points in a skill group. I really hate C for skills. 2 in a skill group is a huge point of why bother. Even with the karma savings by leaving EDG at 3, I don't know if it works out to be a wash in the end. Even if it did, 1 less EDG wouldn't be worth the trade.
You're probably right in that for the skills to pay off by dropping metahuman priority, it's gotta go all the way at least to B which is gonna necessitate a complete rebuild due to dropping resources. I'll try building an evil twin character to this one using your recommended priority array and see which I like better.
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Edited the OP to reflect current tweaks.
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I really hate C for skills. 2 in a skill group is a huge point of why bother.
Ah, see, for me I much prefer C, its D in skills that I "Hate" with a Passion, that and Magic-C, both are just so weak compared to the points just above/below them.
2 Points in Influence would be solid with Charisma-6/7 to get you buy for any social interactions your forced to do.
I also love C because the remaining 28 points works out to 4 maxed out 6+Spec skills which is normally enough to get me a semi-focused starting character.
In the case of Infiltrator you have Gymnastics & Stealth, with Pick 2 more from (Perception, Disguise, Locksmith, Pistols, Con), or Pick 3 at 4/5 points each.
But over all I think the Skills-A build I suggested above might be over all the best way to accomplish this character.
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2 in a skill group works just fine when your attributes are very high, like street samurai(s?) tend to have.
I can't help but notice that this character has a lot of extra quality of life stuff. Basically, all you want to have is used Muscle Replacement 2 and RFIDs, everything else is optional. She can live with minor discomfort just fine with Skills B and Resourses D+10 karma.
Acting or Stealth Skill Group 5;
3 skills @6;
3 skills @4;
6 specializations;
A sprinkle of skills @1 for karma.
What do you think?
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Well you guys convinced me to try a minor priority swap.
Again the dice pools at Metatype C and Skills D:
Active Skills: Animal Handling 6, Archery 8, Armorer 3, Automatics 8, Blades 8, Clubs 8, Computer 3, Con 8, Cybercombat 3, Demolitions 3, Disguise 6, Diving 2, Escape Artist 13, Etiquette (High Society) 9 (11), Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) 10, First Aid 3, Forgery 6, Free-Fall 4, Gunnery 8, Gymnastics (Dance) 15 (17), Hacking 3, Hardware 5, Heavy Weapons 8, Impersonation 11, Instruction 6, Intimidation 6, Leadership 6, Locksmith 12, Longarms 8, Navigation 4, Negotiation 6, Palming 10, Perception 7, Performance 6, Pilot Ground Craft 5, Pilot Watercraft 5, Pistols 10, Running 2, Sneaking (Urban) 17 (19), Survival 2, Swimming 2, Throwing Weapons 10, Tracking 4, Unarmed Combat 8
And with Metatype D and Skills C (with 25 Karma being spent to get EDG 3)
Active Skills: Animal Handling 6, Archery 8, Armorer 3, Automatics 8, Blades 8, Clubs 8, Computer 3, Con 9, Cybercombat 3, Demolitions 3, Disguise 4, Diving 2, Escape Artist 11, Etiquette (High Society) 8 (10), Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) 10, First Aid 3, Forgery 3, Free-Fall 2, Gunnery 8, Gymnastics (Dance) 15 (17), Hacking 3, Hardware 5, Heavy Weapons 8, Impersonation 9, Instruction 6, Intimidation 6, Leadership 6, Locksmith 15, Longarms 8, Navigation 4, Negotiation 8, Palming 10, Perception 9, Performance 9, Pilot Ground Craft 5, Pilot Watercraft 5, Pistols 10, Running 2, Sneaking (Urban) 17 (19), Survival 2, Swimming 2, Throwing Weapons 10, Tracking 4, Unarmed Combat 8
With attributes (other than EDG) and resources being the same across the two, it pretty much seems like it did indeed come out to be a toss up. Advantage in the re-priority is higher Locksmith and Perception which are both skills the archetype uses a lot. And as an added bonus gains in Performance (via skill group) which is fun since since it helps give an explanation for why the Audio Analyzer cyberware might be there prior to beginning a life in crime.
OTOH the original build has more dice pool advantages over the respec despite having fewer skill points, because it has more Karma available to spend on skills. Where the original has a 2 dice disadvantage in Locksmith, it has a 2 dice advantage in Escape Artist. And advantages in several other secondary skills that'd probably be used often. The only real disadvantage I'm seeing is in Perception, as that'll be one of the most used skills for an infiltrator. And a tossup except for a point higher in EDG isn't much of a tossup.
In order for the higher skill priority to actually give a solid advantage, I'm gonna have to run with even lower EDG than 3 so that I can spend a comparable amount of karma on skills. That or get more extreme and go with the suggestion of dropping resources. But I'm liking the cyber; it's giving abilities that won't be replicated by some rando with a sneak skill and a mage backing him up with some sustained spells.
Some abilities the cyber is giving that isn't represented in dice pools:
Passive ultrasound (hearing motion sensors is huge for an infiltrator)
Ability to pinpoint location of (sound emitting) objects even while being unable to see them
Dampening from Flash Bangs
Noise Reduction
All of the above can be had via external/worn gear, but the following can only be done thru the cyberware:
DNI
Ability to squeeze whole body through any opening big enough to fit the head through
Ability to hold breath for hour(s) (immunity to inhalation vector; easy to use underwater terrain for ingress/egress/hiding while waiting)
And last but certainly not least, ability to know anything that's plausibly ever been published on a knowsoft :D Need to get inside a facility and do a task? Getting in is the first part. Doing the task is the second, and whatever task it is, surely there's a knowsoft relevant to that task! Besides, if you're using an impostor strategy to infiltrate, it's easier to look like you belong if you know what people who belong are supposed to know!
I guess a way to look at it is since I'm set on having a lot of cyberware, I'm building a snooty chromegirl specializing in infiltration rather than an infiltrator specializing in being snooty :) I am still thinking though about maybe running with 2 EDG, and seeing if the extra skills that'd then be available make it more difficult to stay with the original priority array even with 4 vs 2 EDG. It'd allow for bringing the rebuild's skills up to meet the original's in every case (except Impersonation by way if being part of the skill group) and still have 8 more karma left over. That's a big chunk for even more dinky skills or even some positive qualities.
EDIT: I was thinking the best way to maximize the impact of 8 karma would be to look at positive qualities. And Oh. My. God. Friends in high places with 7 CHA is wringing a LOT of value out of 8 karma. And it's SRM legal... I think my decision to run with Skills C and only 2 EDG is a lot easier to make when I can have some uber contacts... Maybe pick a connection rating 12 and call her the black sheep relative of a Horizon Executive Board member :D Hey I've already assumed for the background that the company already bailed her out by squashing a potential criminal conviction...
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Update: I decided to go with the C/D priority swap. Thanks to all who helped give feedback, I made lots of tweaks based on that and I feel the character is better thanks to you!
The updated character:
== Personal Data ==
Name: Lauralasthana Moonbeam Alias: Break N Dancer
Elf, Female Movement: 18/36 (2m/hit) Swim: 10 (1m/hit)
115, 6'2" Composure: 10
Street Cred: 0 Judge Intentions: 12
Notoriety: 0 Lift/Carry: 6 (45 kg/30 kg)
Public Awareness: 0 Memory: 7
Karma: 0 Nuyen: 490¥
Age: 25-ish Skin: Flawless
Eyes: Sparkle Blue (TM) Hair: Fabulous
Primary Arm: Right
== Priorities ==
Metatype: D,1
Attributes: A,4
Special: E,0
Skills: C,2
Resources: B,3
== Attributes ==
BOD: 3 CHA: 7
AGI: 7 (9) INT: 5
REA: 5 (6) LOG: 4
STR: 1 (3) WIL: 3
EDG: 2
== Derived Attributes
Essence: 2.76 Initiative: 11 +1d6
Physical Damage Track: 10Rigger Initiative: 11 +1d6
Stun Damage Track: 10Astral Initiative:
Physical: 5 Matrix AR: 11 +1d6
Autopicker [+6] (Only for picking a mechanical lock)
Chameleon Suit [+2] (Only for Sneaking, Must be visible)
Smart Articulation [+1] (Only for test involving endurance, Must be tightened)
Smart Articulation [+2] (Only for Escape Artist and Grapple, Must be loosened)
Mental: 6 Matrix Cold: 5 + DP +3d6
Audio Enhancement [+3] (Only with audio Perception)
Spatial Recognizer [+2] (Only with Perception to find the source of a sound)
Social: 7 Matrix Hot: 5 + DP +4d6
Audio Analyzer [+1] (For musical performances)
Astral: 7
== Active Skills ==
Con Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 9
Disguise Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 6
Escape Artist Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 11
Etiquette (High Society) Base: 1 + Karma: 1 = 2 Pool: 9 (11)
Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Forgery Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Free-Fall Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 4
Gymnastics (Dance) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15 (17)
Hardware Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Impersonation Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 12
Locksmith Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15
Negotiation Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 8
Palming Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Perception Base: 4 + Karma: 0 = 4 Pool: 9
Performance Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 9
Pistols Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Sneaking (Urban) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 17 (19)
Throwing Weapons Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
== Knowledge Skills ==
English Native
Sperethiel Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 8
Architecture (Modern) Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 5 (7)
Art Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7
Classical Music Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 7
Connoisseur (Fine Arts) Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 8 (10)
Fashion (Tres Chic) Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 7 (9)
Forensics Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7
Megacorporations Base: 1 + Karma: 0 = 1 Pool: 6
Security Design Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 8
Tir Nobility Base: 3 + Karma: 0 = 3 Pool: 7
== Qualities ==
Agile Defender
Allergy (Uncommon, Mild) (Polyester)
Catlike
Friends in High Places
Low-Light Vision
Prejudiced (Common, Biased) (The Poor)
SINner (Corporate Limited) (Horizon)
== Lifestyle ==
Nice Condo (High) 1 Months
== Cyberware/Bioware ==
CyberearsRating 3
+ Sound Link
+ Balance Augmenter
+ Spatial Recognizer
+ Increased Hearing Spectrum
+ Audio Analyzer
+ Audio EnhancementRating 3
+ Damper
Datajack
Internal Air TankRating 1
Muscle ReplacementRating 2
Reaction EnhancersRating 1
SkilljackRating 3
Smart Articulation
Voice ModulatorRating 3
== Armor ==
Chameleon Suit 9
+ Chemical Protection 3
+ Thermal Damping 6
Vashon Island: Ace of Clubs 7
+ Chemical Protection 3
+ Thermal Damping 3
+ Holster
== Weapons ==
Grapple Gun
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 3 DV: 7S AP: -2 RC: 2
Grenade: Flash-Pak
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 5 DV: Special AP: - RC: 2
Grenade: Gas
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 5 DV: Chemical (10m Radius)AP: - RC: 2
Grenade: Gas
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 5 DV: Chemical (10m Radius)AP: - RC: 2
Parashield Dart Pistol
+ Gecko Grip
+ Laser Sight
Pool: 10 Accuracy: 6 DV: 0 AP: - RC: 2
Unarmed Attack
Pool: 8 Accuracy: 5 DV: 3S AP: - RC: 2
== Commlink ==
Transys Avalon (ATT: 0, SLZ: 0, DP: 6, FWL: 6)
+ Encryption
+ Signal Scrub
== Gear: Equipped ==
Ammo: Injection Darts (Exotic Ranged Weapons) x10
+ Narcoject
Certified Credstick, Gold
Certified Credstick, Silver x2
Contacts Rating 2
+ Image Link
+ Thermographic Vision
Datachip x10
Fake SIN (Tir Tairngire: Jenny Smith) Rating 4
+ Fake License (Restricted Cyberware License) Rating 4
Grapple Gun
Grenade: Flash-Pak x2
Grenade: Gas x2
+ CS/Tear Gas
Grenade: Gas x2
+ Nausea Gas
Knowsoft (Forensics) Rating 3
Knowsoft (Tir Nobility) Rating 3
Linguasoft (French) Rating 3
Linguasoft (Japanese) Rating 3
Linguasoft (Sperethiel) Rating 3
Microwire (100m)
Rapelling Gloves
Restraint, Plastic x10
Sensor Tags x10
+ Camera Rating 2
Sensor Tags x10
+ Omni-directional Microphone Rating 2
Sensor Tags x20
+ Motion Sensor Rating 2
Stealth Rope (100m)
+ Catalyst Stick
Stealth Tags x10
Tool Kit (Hardware)
Tool Kit (Locksmith)
+ Autopicker Rating 6
+ Cellular Glove Molder Rating 4
+ Chisel
+ Keycard Copier Rating 6
+ Lockpick Set
+ Sequencer Rating 4
+ Miniwelder [Miniwelder Fuel Canister]
== Vehicles ==
Dodge Xenon
+ GridLink Override
+ Spoof Chips
+ Sensor ArrayRating 2
== Contacts ==
Bvlgari Cyberware CFO (Corporate Manager), Rome (Connection: 10, Loyalty: 4)
Generic Fixer Contact (Fixer), Campaign City (Connection: 4, Loyalty: 1)
Johnny Cocharin IV, Esq (Shark Lawyer), Campaign City (Connection: 3, Loyalty: 1)
Lady La La (Simsense Star), Los Angeles (Connection: 8, Loyalty: 6)
Shady Art Dealer (Fence), Campaign City (Connection: 5, Loyalty: 2)
Trendy Club Owner (Club Owner), Campaign City (Connection: 3, Loyalty: 2)
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What no Smartlink?
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What no Smartlink?
There wasn't one to begin with because it didn't feel like it fit with the background.
One didn't get added halfway thru because it doesn't help with the primary offense: chucking grenades.
Still don't have one because there's a connection rating 10 contact for cyberware upgrades now. Why buy an alphaware smartlink now when I'll be able to get a deltaware version in the short future after leaving chargen? :D
still, with resources B I should be able to swing a simple smartlink. I want to avoid gunfights, but I have to agree having a smartlink IS hard to beat for those times you have to fight. It's certainly a wiser investment of =Y= than any single skillsoft, which is what I'd probably cut to acquire it. Skillsofts can be bought anytime for no time investment.. even a cheap smartlink bought after chargen costs time as well as =Y=...
Edit: Just had an epiphany. A grapple gun is a ranged weapon. No reason it couldn't be smartgun'd, right? Hmm, maybe that'd be reason enough for metagame and in-game reasons to get a smartlink... I wouldn't have even considered that had you not asked about it :)
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Carrying a gun and enjoying being alive is enough of a reason to get a smart link in my eyes. I mean if your life depended on your accuracy with a firearm, even occasionally, wouldn't you want every advantage?
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SSDR, I had to try this concept at Skills-A because while I'm normally against Skills-A, this concept is one of the few where using it can REALLY shine.
Look at your dice pools now.
== Priorities ==
Metatype: D,1
Attributes: A,4 B
Special: E,0
Skills: C,2 A
Resources: B,3 C
== Attributes ==
BOD: 3 CHA: 7 5
AGI: 7 (9) INT: 5
REA: 5 4 (6) LOG: 4 3
STR: 1 (3) WIL: 3
EDG: 1 (3 w/ Karma)
== Active Skills ==
Con Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 9
Disguise Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 6
Escape Artist Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 11
Etiquette (High Society) Base: 1 + Karma: 1 = 2 Pool: 9 (11)
Exotic Ranged Weapon (Grapple Gun) Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Forgery Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Free-Fall Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 4
Gymnastics (Dance) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15 (17)
Hardware Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 5
Impersonation Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 12
Locksmith Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 15
Negotiation Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 8
Palming Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Perception Base: 4 + Karma: 0 = 4 Pool: 9
Performance Base: 2 + Karma: 0 = 2 Pool: 9
Pistols Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
Sneaking (Urban) Base: 6 + Karma: 0 = 6 Pool: 17 (19)
Throwing Weapons Base: 0 + Karma: 1 = 1 Pool: 10
OR
Stealth-6G (Sneak-17, Disguise-11, Palming-15)
Influence-4G (Etiquette-9, Negotiation-9, Leadership-9)
Con-6S (Seduction-13)
Gymnastics-6S (Parkor-17) (Its like Climbing, Leaping, & Rolling all in 1...with terrain/environment restrictions I suppose)
Locksmith-6S (Maglocks-17)
Pistols-6S (Semi-Autos-17)
Escape Artist-6 (15)
Grapple Gun-6 (15)
Perception-6 (11)
This is a triple threat able to infiltrate both physically & socially & still able to participate if the lead starts flying.
I also had to drop the Throwing Grenades concept, because, well, stealth infiltration & BOOM do not play well together. Better Suppressed Pistols w/ Tasers.
== Qualities ==
Agile Defender 3
Catlike 7
Friends in High Places 8
Jack of All Trades 2
Trust Fund (Medium) 5
Negatives = 25
I stuck in Jack & Trust fund to allow you to pick up cheap skills w/ Karma later & have a fixed Medium lifestyle w/o the monthly upkeep cost.
== Cyberware/Bioware == Went used based on a good suggestion from ZB above, its cheaper for lower resources & allows you to upgrade later & still not loose essence.
Muscle Replacement-2U (37.5K)
Reaction Enhancers-2U (19.5K)
Skilljack-3U (45K)
Datajack-A (2K)
Dropped the rest of that stuff as most of it can be duplicated with some earbuds for far less $$
== Contacts == Had to tweak from lower CHA
Bvlgari Cyberware CFO (Corporate Manager), Rome (Connection: 9, Loyalty: 1)
Lady La La (Simsense Star), Los Angeles (Connection: 8, Loyalty: 2)
Generic Fixer Contact (Fixer), Campaign City (Connection: 5, Loyalty: 1)
Trendy Club Bouncer/Bartender, Campaign City (Connection: 1, Loyalty: 1) (Gets you in, minor info, but not the owner)
Assistant DA, Campaign City (Con-4, Loy-3) (Never underestimate the power of a good friend who can make police charges disappear)
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This is a triple threat able to infiltrate both physically & socially & still able to participate if the lead starts flying.
I usually am not a fan of Skills A either since skills are the easiest/cheapest thing to advance after chargen, so why not pick something that's harder/more expensive to advance for priority A?
But your demonstration is compelling, to be sure. It's a choice between do I want to focus on building the cyber or the skills after I begin playing? Using Friends in High Places to pick a contact for cyberware acquisition only serves to make delaying the cyberware even more viable.
It's a tough choice.
I stuck in Jack & Trust fund to allow you to pick up cheap skills w/ Karma later & have a fixed Medium lifestyle w/o the monthly upkeep cost.
I don't think I said at any point in the thread, but this is going to be a SRM character. So alas, no Trust Fund is possible. Oh how I wish it were otherwise; I absolutely would have already grabbed it! Paying for high lifestyle in SRM is just silly to the point of stupid when lifestyle appears to have no impact on your character other than how much you spend on upkeep per month :(
I'm expecting to probably have to go down to the still sub-optimal Medium lifestyle after beginning play as is. To make it even worse, I'm looking at the Skillsoft network subsricption because I'm just being adamant about having skilljacks. So why shouldn't I have infinite skillsofts for a "modest" monthly fee? Since I want skillsofts mainly for maintaining appearances whilst infiltrating, I'm thinking the basic membership granting rating 1s would suffice. Also looking at tweaking a stat to get another point of LOG from somewhere to make professional knowledge skills get another die to help make up for not using rating 3s.
Fun find: Pressure plates (a concern for infiltrators) penalize you for your BOD stat. Having 2 BOD is actually superior to a 3 in this corner case... maybe I should cut there :D
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Tarislar you made it really hard for me to make up my mind :D
I ultimately compared the two strategies and compared how long it'd take the more cyber version to earn the karma to match the skills, and for the higher skill version to earn the =Y= to match resources of the cyber.
It'd take 96 karma for the first case, and 310,000 =Y= for the second.
In SRM the assumption is 6-8 karma and 10,000-12,000 =Y= per successful mission.
That works out to about 14 sessions for the cyber build to gain the karma to match the skill build (10 sessions if consistently working for the People-possibly not feasible though due to lifesyle demands)
Compared to about 28 sessions to amass the nuyen for the Skills A build to match the resources of the cyber build. Working for the Man consistently can shave that time almost in half, nearly matching the same timeframe. But unlike karma, nuyen doesn't just sit and amass. You lose chunks of it every month due to lifestyle, and working consistently for the man means half as many Shadowruns per month, which ends up being a wash BEFORE paying for lifestyle each month.
From an optimization standpoint.. I'm thinking paying up front for cyberware is the much more efficient build than paying for skills up front.
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There's a flaw in your calculations. You assume that builds in this topic are different routes leading to the same endgame goal, while they are, infact, different characters. Tarislar's build has seven skills with dicepools of 15+, it doesn't need the exact same cyberware set your original character has. You can actually focus on "inefficient" fluff nuyen and karma purchases because you're already great at what you're supposed to do. You don't have to wait 6-8 sessions until your build comes online, and you don't have to specialize further.
You can just spend all your income on plastic surgeons and SPA, and get a PhD in Marine Biology or something.
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Optimization is great and it can help refine a concept, to where you want it to be. Optimization is terrible, it can destroy what it is you love about the concept in the search for a couple more crappy d6s. Everyone's line in the sand is different, just be sure not to cross yours.
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Optimization is great and it can help refine a concept, to where you want it to be. Optimization is terrible, it can destroy what it is you love about the concept in the search for a couple more crappy d6s. Everyone's line in the sand is different, just be sure not to cross yours.
A-frakkin-men.
This ruleset, more than any other, has a siren's call for me to build what is "optimal"...
...but I've always had fun playing the characters that clearly aren't.
-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist
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My idea of non optimized is the fact that any optimization you do pretty much leaves you lacking in other areas.
So you end up with 6+Spec in 4 skills & then totally lacking in the other 10 skills you want and you are stuck doing Ability-1 defaults till you can by a Level-1+ in those other skills.
Having 3 in everything is another way to be sub optimal & it gives you better dice pools in your off skills but then leaves you a bit short in your primary.
So there is no win-win in chargen at this point.
Not that everything should be OP but just that it seems you are down right short in multiple areas these days.
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After much deliberation I think I'm going with the cyber option and riding a handful of max dice pools in the primary infiltration arena (Stealth, Gymnastics, Locksmith) and splitting the 2 skill group points as one each in Influence and Acting as well as having low stacks in assorted complimentary skills. It's not logical/optimal but I do have to admit that something that helped influence the decision is that the Resources C has a hell of a time fitting a car in. And if I'm gonna be teasing the other runners about how poor they are, it really won't do to have to beg a lift from them.
Resources vs Skills aside: I noticed I completely overlooked one really critical thing: I didn't buy a jammer to give some cover vs cameras & other (wireless) sensors! Heh, easy fix though as those are comparatively cheap.
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My idea of non optimized is the fact that any optimization you do pretty much leaves you lacking in other areas.
So you end up with 6+Spec in 4 skills & then totally lacking in the other 10 skills you want and you are stuck doing Ability-1 defaults till you can by a Level-1+ in those other skills.
Having 3 in everything is another way to be sub optimal & it gives you better dice pools in your off skills but then leaves you a bit short in your primary.
So there is no win-win in chargen at this point.
Not that everything should be OP but just that it seems you are down right short in multiple areas these days.
It's certainly true that you can't be strong everywhere, and that's certainly working as intended. Competently covering a role and being useful in a fight should be sufficient, cover two rolls is also doable though odds are your skirting the edge a little, clearly some roles take more some less. But what I'm saying is, at some point during optimizing it's a very different character then what it started as. Which can be fine or it can be a problem all depending on the creators image.
EDIT: Sorry Steel not meaning to hijack your character thread, i'm glad you made your decisions, and I think wheels are critical to being appropriately snooty. I just get philosophical from time to time. Just ignore me when I do, i'll revert to my power gaming ways soon enough.
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In the end, feeling good about your character and being excited to play is what matters the most.
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It's certainly true that you can't be strong everywhere, and that's certainly working as intended. Competently covering a role and being useful in a fight should be sufficient, cover two rolls is also doable though odds are your skirting the edge a little, clearly some roles take more some less. But what I'm saying is, at some point during optimizing it's a very different character then what it started as. Which can be fine or it can be a problem all depending on the creators image.
I read something on these boards once & liked it enough to mostly remember it & follow it.
To be a good SR character you need to be doing "SOMETHING" in each of 3 scenarios.
1. Combat
2. Information Gathering (Research, Social Skills, Contacts, Drone Recon, etc etc)
3. Some form of Support Function (Infiltration, Healing, Facing, Repair, Piloting, Etc Etc)
Most of SR revolves around Information Gathering & Combat, and you need a 3rd option for times when neither are up.
You don't need to be able to do 5 things for each of those scenarios, but ONE is pretty much a Must.
So basically, if you are a Troll Samurai who's only skills are Shooting & Slashing with 1's in LOG/CHA, then you need to dump a bunch of Karma into your Contacts pool to help you out with IG & Support. Meanwhile being an Elf Face with 8 Charisma & a load of social skills & contacts is still no excuse for not being able to do anything in combat but run/hide/scream like a 6 year old.
At least that was the basics of what I read. And its good advice for anyone in this game, IMHO.
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Thanks again to everyone who gave me excellent advice. The character is indeed better for it.
I've updated the OP (https://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=27042.msg495751#msg495751) to reflect what I feel is probably the final form.. but who am I kidding. I'll be tempted to continuously tweak until I actually ever get a chance to play it :)
Changes:
- Had to drop Friends in High Places. I was mistaken in thinking it was SRM legal. And I shoulda known... too good to be true and all!
- I added Parkour and specifically the mundane version of the Wall Running adept power :D
- Better combat options (slightly)
- Dropping BOD to 2 was deliberate. I'm figuring 1 less soak die and 1 less CM shouldn't get me killed. And if it does, that's what Burning EDG is for. But BOD2 > BOD3 in weird pressure plate math :)
- Since the current SRM season is coming to a close, I'm saving this character to be my primary Neo-Tokyo Shadowrunner. That helped cinch selecting heavy cyber over heavy skills... I want to know Japanese only via Sixth World Google Translate for funsies. And Knowing Japanese at rating 3 is way more playable than level 1.
- Speaking of Cyber vs Skills... I went with 3 B&E skills via Active Skillwires. Doing so meant in the end a high skill version only had an edge in Hardware and Disguise. That's not nothing, but I'm choosing to let karma catch those up and enjoy the added capabilities cyberware brings in the meantime.
- I had Breast Replacement 2.0s, then decided against them. Had them to help on Disguise which this version is weak on, but dropped them as the augmentations don't actually give you an explicit bonus to disguise. SRM and all and I want to avoid GM variance. And lastly, planning ahead: I don't have to upgrade anything to betaware now to fit a planned muscle augmentation upgrade from 2 to 3.