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Heavily armored PC needs a little humbling.

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summers307

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« Reply #15 on: <03-18-13/0553:21> »
Very valid points all of you, and first off thank you for the ideas.

The two things in my defense are 1) I wasn't the GM when the character was designed, so I couldn't veto him. I voiced that I thought it was over the top and was ignored. 2) I'm still a REALLY new GM, and though I'm fluent in the art of being a GM, just not so for Shadowrun yet.

Magic was my first way to go. I do want to mess with him but he's made it openly clear that he thinks only magic can mess with him.

I have gone over his character sheet AND we use chummer for character creation. I'm not gonna post it yet simply for this. (Also I was wrong, he did burn quite a few BP on body, intuition, and reaction. It's mostly his agility that was enhanced and he only uses tasers since they're more effective then guns in close combat).

If his fake licences fail for his cyberlimbs, is he supposed to be arrested? And if so is he scrapped or something for his illigal tech (which would leave him as a frail torso that I would find hilarious).

And lastly, because this one called to me before, how does hacking an individual go, and what can you do to them. Sourcing pages will be cool from 4E.

Thank you everyone, and Mirikon especially for that charming and thought provoking list ;)
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I_V_Saur

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« Reply #16 on: <03-18-13/0654:28> »
I've seen characters like that before.They're possible, and chances are he either didn't know you had no experience as a SR GM, or counted on it.

As soon as the game became yours, you got veto rights. Should have double-checked everything, and simulated a 1v1 against a Prime Runner of some sorts, to figure out who is the most combat capable. Then check other major areas - 20+ dice is totally possible in a Face, at chargen. If you can't create something that can reliably take them down, one on one, tell them to roll up a new sheet, that this is not the other guy's game, it is yours, and you have your own balance to keep.

Magic is a headache for new GMs. I'm still tripping over it here and there. Against all that Cyber, go the DnD route - Pitfall trap! Remind the players, before and after, that they've attracted the attention of some serious competitors with actual heads on their shoulders. If they've been running against literally anyone, they've probably made an enemy or two. Consider how big the bounty on his head would be, if Ares decided to bring him up on false charges, and consider how the guy would respond to seeing that yacht they were hired to defend during an off-coast voyage, sink. With them on it. If the bounty was high enough, it'd be negligible cost to hire the team and drop them to the drink. Then the party can contend with him, for bringing it down on their heads.

Check his mental scores. Is he Intuitive, or would he not notice the tac-team following his every move? Is he Logical, or can he not connect the dots that his Doc is filling him with poison during the upkeep? Is he Charismatic, or are his Contacts gunning for him? Is his Will strong enough to resist a barrage of drugs and BTL long enough to complete a very boring job, or is he going to make sure no Johnson hires his team again?

If he's not thinking straight, because he had a dumpstat, then take advantage of it.

Oh, and Chummer isn't perfect. It really, just isn't.

Shadowjack

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« Reply #17 on: <03-18-13/0654:53> »
I have to chime in here and say: This character sounds fine to me. The GM has a plethora of tools at his disposal to keep the game interesting and challenging. 33/30 is impressive but it shouldn't break the game once you're more familiar wtih how to GM Shadowrun. There are so many ways to deal with this character but the most simple is weapons like tasers, stun batons, flamethrowers, and lasers. Tasers are very inexpensive and cut his armor in half. Lightning spells do the same thing. There is even anti tank rounds which give -6 armor dice. Trust me, even the tankiest  characters can go down when they get a bad roll or two. It does happen, and when it does, you will see him begin to sweat. Armor is pretty awesome to have but it does not guarantee victory.

It sounds like this guy is having some success in the shadows. With success comes enemies. Intelligent enemies will not simply throw goons with holdout pistols at this guy, they will come prepared and well equipped.

Above all, keep your cool. If he's doing well, he's probably having fun. I've been sucked into that bad train of thought so many times, "Wow. My character is so powerful... maybe even too powerful." Then some guy comes along with a pistol and puts me in a fatal scenario. It can happen quick and it doesn't take much. Roll up 33 dice and you can easily get only a few hits, meanwhile the guy with the pistol or katana uses his Edge and gets 8+ hits. A couple shots like that and most characters, even this guy, can be dead.

If you really feel like he needs a scare, feel free to have a larger number of goons attack him during combat. Give them a decent dice pool, the right weapons and a bunc h of attacks and there is a good chance he will feel the heat really fast.
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Xzylvador

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« Reply #18 on: <03-18-13/0745:10> »
I'll second wanting to see the charsheet.
If he's that problematic, chances are high something's not 100% correct. 250k nuyen can only get you that far.
(Although I agree even cheesier builds can be made with those resources.)

But yeah, the first mistake was probably allowing it. Don't take it bad, we're human, mistakes happen and, yes, by RAW he's right, you can do that.
But that doesn't mean you should just let someone get away with having 1 str, 1 body, 1 rea and 1 agi and then boost it all to max with 'ware.
That's such an unrealistic character. How the hell did he even survive this long, how did he manage to get the money for that 'ware, what kind of disease does he have that he'd be born that way?

If he insisted he's born with those stats, I'd call it a medical condition which includes Sensitive System (amongst other things) which automatically doubles the amount of essence penalty the 'ware inflicts on his feeble, frail body.

UmaroVI

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« Reply #19 on: <03-18-13/0819:11> »
Spells
Stick-n-shock and/or tasers
Spirits
Chemical weapons
In general, simply using decent weapons with FA narrow bursts will still hurt. The damage will be Stun, but that doesn't matter - you can only soak so much.

High armor is useful, but it isn't invincibility because offense still scales better than defense and many things bypass armor.

Also, about half the suggestions in this thread are terrible. If you really can't deal with it, suck it up and directly tell him he needs to reroll because his character is too high-powered for your game - don't do passive-aggressive crap like make a customized Kill This One Troll spell.

firebug

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« Reply #20 on: <03-18-13/0836:45> »
I'm agreeing with Umaro on this one, the bottom line is, if you as GM are actually bothered by this character, discuss it with the player.  Tell him you're worried his character is unbalancing your game and try to think of a way to redesign it to be more balanced and reasonable.  That said, if you like the character and just want to see how it's not as broken as it may feel... 


Everything he listed can make that armor not as big a deal as it may seem.  Best of all, they are all legitimate things that could be encountered in-game without it seeming like you are picking on anyone or pulling something out of your ass.  I had a similar problem (my players were known for being min-maxers, and I wanted to show them that Shadowrun is not the kind of game where you can have one guy take all the hits and have another be completely frail and expect him never to get shot).  One hit from a Stunbolt spell will immediately make him fear for his life.  Even if he's got a Pain Editor, he's still suddenly gone from "I roll 30+ dice!" to "I roll 4 dice!  D:" and it won't take much for him to start feeling the bite of what's likely considered a "safer" method of self-defense than a taser.
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Mirikon

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« Reply #21 on: <03-18-13/0838:55> »
FA narrow burst with SnS ammo. The AP from the narrow burst and the -half from the SnS would stack.

But yes, if the guy thinks only magic can defeat him, then I would do the LMG with SnS on full auto, or splash grenades (possibly overlapping splash grenades on an airburst link) with something fun like a DMSO/Laes cocktail. Even from a BF grenade launcher on an airburst link, that should take the guy down quite nicely. And then let him wake up without the arms and legs on his way to Asamando.

Also, I agree that talking with the player is a good first step. However, if you are saying that you have tried talking with the player and he refuses to change, either take the character out, and let him make a new sheet (which you WILL thoroughly check, and apply the phonebook treatment to the player as necessary until it is acceptable), or simply boot the player from the group until he agrees to behave.
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Decade Rider

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« Reply #22 on: <03-18-13/0847:20> »
You want an original non magical way to "humble" him or jus hurt him alot?


Have some random guy with a car thats just rolling at over 60-200 (maybe the driver was chased by some cops? :P) run into him..even the average car with 10 body would do : 20 damage -half impact armor and there no non-conductive ect to add 6 to it....or take the Conestga Vista bus from arsenal..I mean at 60 even a roaming city bus can do that and hit him for 40 damage -half impact armor

"Oh hey look how bad ass my character is with his 30+ soak pool!" *gets hit by random bus that didint see him* Dead

firebug

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« Reply #23 on: <03-18-13/0859:46> »
Ha!  No offense Rider, but I think hitting your player with a bus counts as "pulling shit out of your ass."   :P
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Mirikon

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« Reply #24 on: <03-18-13/0902:00> »
Send him a virus that makes him do the Thriller dance whenever combat starts.
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All4BigGuns

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« Reply #25 on: <03-18-13/1052:28> »
As soon as the game became yours, you got veto rights. Should have double-checked everything...

This. Since you didn't veto the moment you took over the game, you're screwed. Anything you do now will just make you look like an asshole. So basically, all that's left is to "suck it up" and deal.
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I_V_Saur

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« Reply #26 on: <03-18-13/1103:01> »
Send him a virus that makes him do the Thriller dance whenever combat starts.

This.

Rule of thumb, if a player gets cocky, and causes problems, use some Free Actions, take a called shot to their Ego. Silly stuff, painful but not lethal, will probably help. If he doesn't at least try to compromise, you give him a final warning, and turn his face red. Most players can shrug off being mulched horribly, but if you get real 'creative' about it, especially embarrassing things or horrifically mind-scarring things, it sends a message: "I am God in this world. If I tell you to roll up a new sheet, you'll be grateful."

Normally, you toe the line, or don't come down so hard. But when a player is pushing everything aside like flies, and refusing to allow you to properly balance things, they've lost the spirit of the game.

Embarrassing? Try letting him drown in pink jello. If he's fighting in a factory, and gets booted into a vat, while his teammates, without a tank, get mown down...Viruses through his system. Or, just put him in a position where Hans Brackenhaus wants him to do something he absolutely detests.

Horrifying? Bay 12 forums. Read up a while, you'll get some ideas.

Mirikon

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« Reply #27 on: <03-18-13/1110:40> »
Have the entire contents of http://boards.4chan.org/y/ (NSFW) downloaded into their commlink, and set to come up every time they try to perform an action.

Nanites are also fun.
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summers307

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« Reply #28 on: <03-18-13/1535:57> »
Anyone spare a link so I can easier post his sheet?

PS: Thank you for all the ideas. I simply was looking for a creative way to remind him his character is still mortal and there's mroe to this world then guns. If these other ideas don't pan out and he's still OP, then I'll confront him to make a new runner. I was there though during the initial creation, and no one likes it when someone shoots down your creation when it took hours to make and keep legal (for what we all can see).

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DaveDaveDaave

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« Reply #29 on: <03-18-13/1555:36> »
I have to chime in here and say: This character sounds fine to me. The GM has a plethora of tools at his disposal to keep the game interesting and challenging. 33/30 is impressive but it shouldn't break the game once you're more familiar wtih how to GM Shadowrun. There are so many ways to deal with this character but the most simple is weapons like tasers, stun batons, flamethrowers, and lasers. Tasers are very inexpensive and cut his armor in half. Lightning spells do the same thing. There is even anti tank rounds which give -6 armor dice. Trust me, even the tankiest  characters can go down when they get a bad roll or two. It does happen, and when it does, you will see him begin to sweat. Armor is pretty awesome to have but it does not guarantee victory.

It sounds like this guy is having some success in the shadows. With success comes enemies. Intelligent enemies will not simply throw goons with holdout pistols at this guy, they will come prepared and well equipped.

Above all, keep your cool. If he's doing well, he's probably having fun. I've been sucked into that bad train of thought so many times, "Wow. My character is so powerful... maybe even too powerful." Then some guy comes along with a pistol and puts me in a fatal scenario. It can happen quick and it doesn't take much. Roll up 33 dice and you can easily get only a few hits, meanwhile the guy with the pistol or katana uses his Edge and gets 8+ hits. A couple shots like that and most characters, even this guy, can be dead.

If you really feel like he needs a scare, feel free to have a larger number of goons attack him during combat. Give them a decent dice pool, the right weapons and a bunc h of attacks and there is a good chance he will feel the heat really fast.

Oh yes bunch o goons works well. Lots of people whittling down that precious defense pool/edge it`s scary how fast it drops if people get a serious mad on.
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