Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: ofrunsandrugby on <03-17-21/2137:11>

Title: [SR5] Physical Adept Face
Post by: ofrunsandrugby on <03-17-21/2137:11>
I was trying to make an adept face who could rely on unarmed combat to protect himself. I first focused on building up my character's charisma and face skills, pushing my social limit with adept powers. After that I mostly focused on making my face competent in unarmed combat with the ability to disarm and subdue opponents. Our group only uses Run and Gun, Run Faster, and Rigger 5.0, so I cannot access the abilities from other books. Can I get your opinion on if this character is viable?
Priority:
Metatype: D - Human
Attributes: A
Magic: C - Adept
Skills: B
Resources: E

Attributes:
Body: 3
Agility: 5 (6)
Reaction: 4
Strength: 3
Charisma: 6
Intuition: 3
Logic: 3
Willpower: 5
Edge: 3
Magic: 6

Qualities:
+ Adept
+ Bilingual
+ First Impression
- Addiction (moderate) Novacoke
- Poor Self Control (vindictive)
- Vendetta

Skill Groups:
Athletics group: 3
Stealth: 2

Active Skills:
- Automatics: 3 points + 0 Karma = 9
- Con (Fast Talk): 6 points + 0 karma = 12(14)
- Disguise: 2 group points + 0 karma = 5
- Etiquette (corporate): 6 points + 0 karma = 12(14)
- Gymnastics: 3 group points + 1 karma = 10
- Leadership: 4 points + 0 karma = 10
- Negotiation: 6 points + 0 karma = 12
- palming: 2 group points + 0 karma = 8
- Perception: 4 points + 0 karma = 7
- Running: 3 group points + 0 karma = 6
- Sneaking: 2 group points + 0 karma = 8
- Swimming: 3 group points + 0 karma = 6
- Unarmed Combat (Martial Art): 6 points + 0 karma = 12 (14)

Knowledge Skills:
- English: Native
- French: Native
- Gangs: 4 points + 0 karma = 7
- Police Procedures (street): 4 points + 0 karma = 7
- Street Drugs: 4 points + 0 karma = 7

Martial Arts:
Jujitsu
- Called Shot (disarm)
- Clinch
- Throw Person

Adept Powers: 6 points spent
- Astral Perception
- Critical Strike (unarmed strike)
- Improved physical attribute (agility) rating 1
- Killing Hands
- Kinesics (rating 2)
- Voice Control (rating 6)

Augmentations: None

Gear:
- 50 novacoke
- tag eraser
- gold credstick
- 5 standard credsticks
- 2 metalinks
- Glasses (rating 4)
  Vision Enhancement (2)
  Flare Compensation
  Low Light
- 150 stick n shock machine pistol ammo
- 200 regular machine pistol ammo
- Duffle Bag
- Earbuds (rating 3)
 Audio Enhancement (2)
 Select Sound Filter (1)
- Transys Avalon (rating 6)
- Actioneer Business Clothes
 Nonconductivity (rating 6)
- Armor Jacket
 Nonconductivity (rating 6)
- Steyr TMP
 Spare Clip
 Silencer
 Concealed quick draw holster
- 1925 Nuyen

Lifestyle:
Low: 3 months
Title: Re: [SR5] Physical Adept Face
Post by: drakir on <03-18-21/1356:55>
Seems viable. Astral Perception without assensing seems unnecessary. Get that with a Qi foci later. A bit low on the Physical limit to be using unarmed.

Street Grimoire would really improve the build imo. Lots of fun/powerful adept powers like Cool Resolve, Nerve Strike, Facial Sculpt, Nimble Fingers, Hang Time and more.

Built a totally different version of unarmed face for you to look at. Feel free to use.
Title: Re: [SR5] Physical Adept Face
Post by: Tecumseh on <03-18-21/1644:54>
I'm going to be honest that I hate trying to build an adept without Street Grimoire. I can cook up a great street sam without additional books and you can do okay as a mage with just the core book, but adepts are maddening without additional powers found in other books.

That said, a few pointers:

1) I would get Edge 5, even at the expense of lowering Magic, or swapping Magic and Skills priorities. Face characters often have their success or failure boiled down to a single roll or two (Negotiation, Con, etc.) so it's important to not mess up that one role. That's where Edge comes in. As drakir points out, you don't even have the Assensing skill so your Astral Perception power isn't useful right now. It can be cut.

2) You don't hit that hard. Strength 3 + Critical Strike + Killing Hands = 4P. Anyone with a modest amount of armor and a modest amount of Body is going to soak that with no damage. From a damage perspective, you're better off with a shock glove.

3) Mentor spirits are great for adepts. Check out Seducer or Wise Warrior. Maybe Thunderbird if you pick up some Intimidation, which I'd recommend.

4) For your skills, I'd prioritize the Stealth skill group over Athletics. Sneaking is hugely important unless you're a hide-in-plain-sight type.

5) Unless you're going for an Disguise/Impersonation build (which you don't seem to be, since you don't have Impersonation) you have more Voice Control than you need. I'd dial that back. You're unlikely to hit your Social Limit anyway.

6) You're slow in combat. 1d6+7 Initiative means you'll be acting last most of the time, and often only once. That's not desireable for an unarmed combatant. I'd try to get some ranks in Improved Reflexes to not only boost your Initiative but also your Reaction so that you can dodge better too.

7) Using Clinch is a Gymnastic test, not Unarmed Combat, so you're not that good at it. Throw Person depends on comparing your Strength (low) plus net hits vs. the target's Physical Limit. You might roll 4-5 hits. Your "average" guard might have a Physical Limit of 5, so you can throw them a couple meters. Your professional security will probably have a Limit of 7 or more, so you'll be lucky to throw them a meter. All-in-all, I think it's too expensive, especially since it costs you Initiative as an interrupt action. Which, unless you follow my advice from point #6, you won't have. I'd reinvest this karma elsewhere.

Long story short, I think the character is a viable face (very viable with extra Edge) but I wouldn't want to take him into combat. If you are forced to fight, an automatic weapon that you can use to lay down suppressive fire would likely be your most effective approach to helping your team.