With the release of Run & Gun, I decided to try to make a Martial Arts Blademaster Adept, with a few design principles core to the build.
a) He had to be fast, both in terms of movement and initiative
b) He had to have had extensive training in swordsmanship and martial arts
c) He had to have a background befitting the station, so Bushido philosophy was researched
With the above in mind, I have come up with the following build, which makes two big assumptions; the first is that Adrenaline Boost and Improved Reflexes stack, and the second is that Iaijutsu and Finishing Move are allowed to stack.
Character sheet created with the excellent Chummer for 5th Edition, by Adam. Find it here:
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=17200.0Character Sheet== Info ==
Street Name: Seijin (The Saint)
Name: Takashi Sato
Movement: 14/28
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 3
Public Awareness: 1
Elf Male Age 28
Height 2m Weight 80kg
Composure: 7
Judge Intentions: 8
Lift/Carry: 9 (75 kg/50 kg)
Memory: 6
Nuyen: 6000
== Attributes ==
BOD: 4
AGI: 7
REA: 5 (8)
STR: 5
CHA: 3
INT: 5
LOG: 2
WIL: 4
EDG: 4
MAG: 6
== Derived Attributes ==
Essence: 6
Initiative: 13 + 4d6
Rigger Initiative: 13 + 1d6
Astral Initiative: 10 + 2d6
Matrix AR Initiative: 13 + 1d6
Matrix Cold Initiative: 5 +DP + 3d6
Matrix Hot Initiative: 5 +DP + 4d6
Physical Damage Track: 10
Stun Damage Track: 10
== Limits ==
Physical: 8
Mental: 5
Social: 6
Ballistic Mask [+1]
Securetech PPP: Arms Kit [-1]
Securetech PPP: Legs Kit [-1]
Securetech PPP: Vitals Kit [-1]
== Active Skills ==
Animal Handling : 0 Pool: 2
Arcana : 1 [Warrior's Way] Pool: 3 (5)
Arcana, Artificing : 1 [Warrior's Way] Pool: 7 (9)
Arcana, Metamagic : 1 [Warrior's Way] Pool: 6 (8)
Archery : 0 Pool: 6
Armorer : 1 [Melee Weapons] Pool: 3 (5)
Automatics : 1 [Machine Pistols] Pool: 8 (10)
Blades : 6 [Swords] Pool: 13 (15)
Clubs : 0 Pool: 6
Computer : 0 Pool: 1
Con : 0 Pool: 2
Cybercombat : 0 Pool: 1
Demolitions : 0 Pool: 1
Disguise : 1 Pool: 6
Diving : 0 Pool: 3
Escape Artist : 0 Pool: 6
Etiquette : 1 [Street] Pool: 4 (6)
First Aid : 0 Pool: 1
Forgery : 0 Pool: 6
Free-Fall : 0 Pool: 3
Gunnery : 0 Pool: 6
Gymnastics : 1 Pool: 8
Hacking : 0 Pool: 1
Heavy Weapons : 0 Pool: 6
Impersonation : 0 Pool: 2
Instruction : 0 Pool: 2
Intimidation : 0 Pool: 2
Leadership : 0 Pool: 2
Leadership, Command : 0 Pool: 1
Leadership, Direct Fire : 0 Pool: 4
Longarms : 0 Pool: 6
Navigation : 0 Pool: 4
Negotiation : 0 Pool: 2
Palming : 1 Pool: 8
Perception : 6 [Visual] Pool: 11 (13)
Performance : 0 Pool: 2
Pilot Ground Craft : 0 Pool: 7
Pilot Watercraft : 0 Pool: 7
Pistols : 0 Pool: 6
Running : 1 Pool: 6
Sneaking : 1 Pool: 8
Survival : 0 Pool: 3
Swimming : 1 Pool: 6
Throwing Weapons : 0 Pool: 6
Tracking : 0 Pool: 4
Unarmed Combat : 4 Pool: 11
== Knowledge Skills ==
English : 1 Pool: 6
History : 3 [Japan] Pool: 8 (10)
Japanese : N Pool: 0
Magical Threats : 1 Pool: 6
Philosophy : 3 [Bushido] Pool: 8 (10)
Police Procedures : 1 Pool: 6
Security Procedures : 1 [Bodyguarding] Pool: 6 (8)
Street Rumours : 1 Pool: 6
== Contacts ==
Jason van de Haven (Fixer) (2, 1)
Kensei Matsuo Ito (Kenjutsu Mentor) (1, 5)
== Qualities ==
Adept
Agile Defender
Bad Rep
Code of Honor (Bushido (Warrior's Code))
Low-Light Vision
Mentor Spirit (Bear)
Prejudiced (Specific, Biased) (Sociopaths/Predators/Amoral Individuals)
== Powers ==
Adrenaline Boost Rating: 2
Combat Sense Rating: 2
Critical Strike (Blades)
Improved Reflexes 3
Kinesics Rating: 2
Rapid Healing Rating: 1
== Lifestyles ==
Apartment 1 months
== Armor ==
Ballistic Mask 2
+Image Link
+Thermographic Vision
Lined Coat 9
+Quick-Draw Holster
Securetech PPP: Arms Kit 1
Securetech PPP: Legs Kit 1
Securetech PPP: Vitals Kit 1
== Weapons ==
Forearm Snap-Blades
Pool: 13 Accuracy: 4 DV: 8P AP: -2 RC: 2
Katana
Pool: 13 (15) Accuracy: 7 DV: 9P AP: -3 RC: 2
Steyr TMP
+Laser Sight
Pool: 8 (10) Accuracy: 5 DV: 7P AP: - RC: 2
Unarmed Attack
Pool: 11 Accuracy: 8 DV: 5S AP: - RC: 2
== Martial Arts ==
Kenjutsu
+Finishing Move
+Iaijutsu
+Multiple Opponent Combat
== Commlink ==
Meta Link (, , 0, )
== Gear ==
Ammo: Regular Ammo (Machine Pistols) x90
Fake License (Katana) Rating 3 x3
Fake SIN (Daisuke Kurosawa, UCAS) Rating 3
Qi Focus (Bonded Foci) Rating 1
Spare Clip (Steyr TMP) x2
Survival Kit
Weapon Focus (Bonded Foci) (Katana) Rating 1
== Description ==
Seijin is an Elf male in his late 20s, exact age unknown, standing 2m tall and weighing in at just over 80kg. He wears loose, flowing clothes under an old floor length trench coat, and his personalized weapon focus, a cold-forged Katana, holstered on his back with the hilt sticking out from under the coat. He also carries a Steyr TMP and a few extra clips in a concealable holster underneath the coat, and keeps a survival kit on his person at all times which also holds additional pieces of armor like a ballistic mask and PPP armor for arms, legs, and vitals.
A diffucult man to read, Seijin has had extensive training in controlling his own feelings and emotions, and his philosophies have had him on edge of a fight with more than one team. He is, however, an incredibly skilled swordsman with what some say are nearly superhuman reflexes, and he has allegedly been known to slip past enemy fire to knock out the opposition using his fists or the pommel of his sword.
In combat he can be ferocious due in part to Hachiman's guidance and the subsequent blood-rage that occurs when he's wounded, and he is honorable to a fault. He will not accept missions where people who are unarmed and unable to defend themselves are to be harmed, and will refuse to accept such jobs. That being said, if a case can be made for why a particular person deserves to suffer, Seijin can be convinced to go against his beliefs; he will still, if given the opportunity, challenge such targets to single combat, a solution that has worked out favorably on a few occasions.
== Background ==
As far as Takashi Sato knows, he was orphaned on the streets of Neo-Tokyo when he was just a child and he vividly remembers seeing the pain and suffering of his fellow metahumans up close and personal during his childhood. Though his early years were spent in abject poverty and in spite of suffering from severe malnutrition, Takashi grew quickly and the local gangs actively tried to recruit him as muscle when he was around 12 years old. After taking several beatings for refusing to join up with the gangers, he was eventually forced to leave his old neighbourhood when he accidentally killed a gang leader who personally tried to beat him into submission. He spent months on the run, eventually seeking refuge at a small Shinto temple where he begged the priests for food and shelter.
Having assensed the youth the moment they saw him, the priests took the distraught boy in without question. Unbeknownst to Takashi, the temple was a shrine to Hachiman, kami of war and protection, and the warrior-priests of the Ittō-ryū were always looking for worthy recruits. Before long, the priests made Takashi an offer; in exchange for food, shelter, and service to Hachiman, they would provide him with a general education, school him in the history and philosophies of the Bushido warriors of ancient times, and teach him the principles of armed combat.
After years of intense mental studies and rigorous physical exercise, Takashi, now in his mid-20s, had spent most of his adult life in service to the temple. The magical abilities that had manifested during his self-imposed exile had been honed to a point, and his knowledge of the world had increased exponentially. Ever since his arrival at the temple Takashi had felt the influences of the Kami guide his path, and none more so than Hachiman; it was at the Kami's urging that Takashi decided to venture out into the world to walk the Warrior's Way, fighting the injustices he had experienced as a child. Only through dedication to the ideals of Bushido could Takashi prove himself worthy in the eyes of Hachiman, and Takashi took the challenge head on.
The Kensei at his temple provided Takashi with contacts in the shadows, and he began working as an enforcer and protector under the alias Seijin, aka The Saint, and he always made sure that his team fought honorably and left no bodies unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, one such job went completely out of control when one of the newest team members, a sociopathic mercenary going by the alias KillSwitch, refused to leave any witnesses to their operation alive. The team had worn disguises so the witnesses would pose little to no threat, but KillSwitch was adamant. Takashi, at first conflicted by his loyalty to his cause and the loyalty to his team, was guided by Hachiman to step into the path of KillSwitch's bullets, an act which sent Takashi into a berserk state during which he ended his teammates life. Understandably, this action left a black mark on Takashi's reputation, and at the urging of his former teachers he left Japan to continue his work elsewhere.
Though rumours of his actions persisted, Sejin's reputation as a master swordsman preceded him. A fixer by the name of Jason Vale, aka Valen, recognized the rarity of someone with morals working the shadows, and saw Seijin as a kindred spirit. The fixer set Takashi, now living under the name Daisuke Kurosawa and still going by Seijin in the shadows, up with multiple bodyguarding jobs for prominent people of integrity and honor. Sejin may have just begun his path to become a Kensei himself, and he is still finding his way in the darkness.
== Concept ==
Japanese blademaster adept; honorable fighter who won't kill a defenseless person for any reason, and if forced to harm such a person will give the target a chance to defend him/herself.CONTACT DETAILS, JASON "VALEN" VAN DE HAVENDESCRIPTION:
Jason van de Haven, aka Valen, is a human male in his mid-40s who stands just shy of 6 feet tall, wears fashionable suits, and keeps his facial hair and scalp cleanly shaven.
BACKGOUND:
Valen is intelligent but honorable, a trait which is not always appreciated in the shadows, and as such has found himself working the fringes of the shadow, arranging protection details more often than not. He's good at what he does, but has a limited sphere of influence in the shadows, staying more in touch with local celebrities and visiting bands than corporate types and the deeper shadows.
RELATIONSHIP:
Valen shares many of the same ideals of Bushido with Seijin, preferring honor and justice over deceit and duplicity. None the less, he barely knows Seijin and, due to the reputation of the Elven swordsman, the two remain merely business associates for now.
CONTACT DETAILS, KENSEI MATSUO ITODESCRIPTION:
Matsuo Ito, Kensei of the Ittō-ryū, is a wiry Elf of undetermined age, standing 6' 2" tall with long, blonde hair kept in a neat warriors braid. He wears traditional Japanese style clothing, outdated by modern social standards, and always carries his two blades at his side.
BACKGOUND:
Kensei Ito is a bit of a paradigm, having left the monasteries and temples of Japan to travel the world, yet never returning after his journeys. He's attained mastery of the sword through decades of training, and while he's certainly aged he's still faster than most people on their good days.
RELATIONSHIP:
The old swordmaster met Seijin during their respective travels, and they instantly recognized each other as followers of both Bushido and Hachiman. They struck up a conversation about lost philosophies and ethics, and ended up becoming fast friends. Deciding to mentor the young Elf for a while, Matsuo settled down on the outskirts of the city, preferring the solitude of nature over the bustle of the city.
