[Kontact]

Let me real quick make an elf sammy that murders with tracer ammo.

30 - elf
200 - atrib
[bod 4 agl 7(11) rea 5 (9) str 2
cha 3 int 4 log 2 wil 4]
30 - edge 4
30 - Pos qualities
[Ambidextrous(5) Hawkeye(5) Genetic Heritage{Genetic Optimization - Agility}(10) Restricted Gear{R4 muscle toner}(5) Restricted Gear{Move-by-Wires II}(5)]
-35 - Neg qualities
[Combat monster(-10) Enemy I(-5) Hung out to Dry (-10) Signature (-10)
96 - Active skills 
[Stealth group 3 Electronics group 1 Automatics (MPs) 6 Dodge (ranged) 4(6) Etiquette 1 Perception 1 Unarmed combat 1]
0 - Knowledge skills 18 free
0 - Contacts gone
49 - 245,000¥ in Gear

Including - AugMods
85,000¥ (+RG1) for MBW 2 (provides +4 reaction +2 IP and +2 to dodge skill - acts as R4 skillwires)
42,600¥ for two obvious forearm cyberlimbs containing (used) R4 Radar, R2 nanohive and Cyberarm gyros
32,000¥ (+RG2) for R4 Muscle Toner (+4 Agl)
0¥ (Genetic heri) for Genetic Optimization (Agility)
24,000¥ (after GH discount) for Reakt (Provides +2 reaction for dodging)
9,000¥ R3 Attention Coprocessor (Provides +3 on Perception checks)
15,000¥ for Neocoritcal Neural Amplifier Nanites (+3 to Logic-linked tests outside of combat)
15,000¥ for Limbic Neural Amplifier Nanites (+3 to Intuition-linked tests outside of combat)

- Guns 
5,120¥ for 2x Ceska Black scorpion with FA mod, extended (44 rnd) clip, personalized grip, laser sight, barrel-mounted GV3, Internal Sound Suppressor and single-point carry sling.  (RC for each MP = 7(8} or 4(5) silenced)
7,220¥ for 2x FN Praetor E with HV mod, Internal Sound Suppressor, Shock pad, top-mounted laser sight, barrel-mounted GV3 and single-point carry sling. (RC for each SMG = 9 or 6 silenced)

~50,000¥ left over for commlink, ride, chameleon suit, lifestyle and possibly skillsofts (demo, first aid, etc.).

Total = 200+96+49+30+30+30-35= 400BP





Alright, now let's see what this amazing akimbo bastard can do with tracer rounds.


Young Charger is tooling through an MCT zero-zone, looking to get rough.  With his Radar cyberware, he spots some guards about to turn a corner up ahead.  Spinning up his arm-gyros and bracing the folded-out stocks of his Two Ceskas he's ready for a little ambush.  He rolls 9 rea + 4 int + 6 = 19d6 on the surprise test, easily catching the two guards (8d6) flat-footed.

He fires one narrow full-auto burst at each guard using Ex-ex and tracer ammo.  Agl 11 + skill 6. DP =17/2 = 9 dice for one gun and 8 for the other.  Adding on modifiers, we have +2 for spec, and, because they are more than 5 meters away, he receives +3 from the tracers as well.  However because he is firing two weapons at once he doesn't receive the +1 laser sight bonus.  Finally, 8RC per weapon means a -1 penalty there.  Final DP = 13 and 12.  He gets 4 hits on each roll.  Neither guard gets to dodge.  Both guards have to soak 4DV+ 1ammo +5 hits +9autofire = 19P at -1AP.  Both die instantly.  Now that some biomonitors are flashing red, the whole building goes on full lockdown.  And that's when the fun starts. 

Releasing the Ceskas to hang at his side, Charger shoulders the two Praetors,also loaded with Ex-ex and tracers, prepared for what's coming down each hallway.  From the south comes another two guards, first responders, and from the north a Steel lynx and 3rd guard.
Easily beating all of them on initiative, Charger fires with his left gun at the Lynx and north guard using an HV long burst divided into two narrow short bursts.  DP = agl 11 + 6 skill + 2 tracers +1 laser sight =20 dice (9RC = no recoil) vs. the Lynx and 21 -2 adtnl target = 18 dice vs the guard.  7 hits vs the lynx's 1 = 5Dv +1 ammo +6 hits +2 autofire = 14P -1AP, which is enough to beat even a Lynx's maximum 12 hardened armor.  Soaking 4DV with hits, the drone takes 10DV, and is scrapped. 
The guard, more concerned with personal safety than the drone goes on full defense, scoring 2 hits to Charger's 6.  Attempting to soak the resulting 12P -1AP damage leaves him in overflow with massive internal bleeding.  Turning his head to the right, Charger uses his second simple action to fire another HV long burst using his right gun at the two southern guards.  The respective -4 and -6 penalties for engaging multiple targets in a pass make little difference.  The final two guards are knocked down and bleeding to death.  Satisfied at the ruckus, Charger removes the gas vents from the front of his Praetors so that he can engage their silencers.  Now, creeping around with 14 stealth dice, onlookers receiving a -4 penalty from his blur suit, he pings his radar and proceeds to seek and destroy.

Give a dude like this a team and a TacNet, and we're talking real trouble.

Too bad he killed everyone before anyone could shoot at him so I could show off the Rea 9 +6 skill +2 Spec +2 reakt = 19 dodge dice he gets on a full dodge, but that has nothing to do with Tracers, so...

[Mäx]

He fires one narrow full-auto burst at each guard using Ex-ex and tracer ammo.  Agl 11 + skill 6. DP =17/2 = 9 dice for one gun and 8 for the other.  Adding on modifiers, we have +2 for spec, and, because they are more than 5 meters away, he receives +3 from the tracers as well.  However because he is firing two weapons at once he doesn't receive the +1 laser sight bonus.  Finally, 8RC per weapon means a -1 penalty there.  Final DP = 13 and 12.  He gets 4 hits on each roll.  Neither guard gets to dodge.  Both guards have to soak 4DV+ 1ammo +5 hits +9autofire = 19P at -1AP.  Both die instantly.  Now that some biomonitors are flashing red, the whole building goes on full lockdown.  And that's when the fun starts. 

IIRc you can't fire full-auto burst akimbo, only up to long burst.

[Critias]

How much of that guy's build relies on Tracers to be effective, though, really?  Once you're talking Agility 11, 6 skill, specialization, cyberarm gyromounts, etc, etc, etc, it's a little hyperbolic to then try to claim it's Tracer ammo that makes him really good with his guns.

[Kontact]

It adds 32 dice to both guns.  That's like increasing his base dp by 64 for the purposes of shooting two guns at once.  Hurp, forgot that you can only do double simples.  Nothing to sneeze at there, though I did forget that specialization gets added before the split since it's not a modifier like tracers are.

Also, the fact that you can combine the bonus from tracers with that of a laser sight means that it'll always provide at least as much bonus as a smartlink/smartgun when one-weapon burst-firing at any real engagement range, if not more dice in the +4 total full-auto case.

[Mäx]

  Nothing to sneeze at there, though I did forget that specialization gets added before the split since it's not a modifier like tracers are.

Actually it is a modifier and as such gets added after the split, no matter how hard the FAQ tries to lie about it being otherwise.

[Kontact]

  Nothing to sneeze at there, though I did forget that specialization gets added before the split since it's not a modifier like tracers are.

Actually it is a modifier and as such gets added after the split, no matter how hard the FAQ tries to lie about it being otherwise.

It's not listed on the modifiers table, so that much is out, but doing a close reading... 

Specializations add 2 dice to any tests made for that skill when the specialization is applicable
to the test.

Any test would mean each and every roll, regardless of anything else, which ought to put it in both dice pools.

+1 for akimbo.

[Mäx]

  Nothing to sneeze at there, though I did forget that specialization gets added before the split since it's not a modifier like tracers are.

Actually it is a modifier and as such gets added after the split, no matter how hard the FAQ tries to lie about it being otherwise.

It's not listed on the modifiers table, so that much is out, but doing a close reading... 

Specializations add 2 dice to any tests made for that skill when the specialization is applicable
to the test.

Any test would mean each and every roll, regardless of anything else, which ought to put it in both dice pools.

+1 for akimbo.

How that part you quoted is worded really makes it a modifier and not a part of the base skill value.
Also adding the spec in before the split can lead to some very funky situation:
a)I'm shooting a heavy pistol and a machine pistol akimbo and have speck for both of those in the respective skills(that are at equal rating for ease of use), so does that mean i add both of those in for +4 to base pool before splitting, if yeas can i then split the pool in such a way that all of those 4 bonus dices help with shooting of the heavy pistol.
b) and you can also do the same with a combination of sword and a club.

[voydangel]

the discussion for specialization being added before or after the split is here. Personally, I used to add spec before the split, and now I add it after.

Aside: Where did the +6 come from on the suprise roll in the very beginning of the above character build/combat example post?

[Bradd]

My guess is from laying an ambush: +6 dice, and you can't be surprised.

[The_Gun_Nut]

The extremely bad part about tracers vs. smartlink isn't listed in the rules.  Tracers not only let you walk the fire to the target, they give away the firers position to everyone around.  This is an extremely bad thing, because once the opposition has your position made, then they can put fire on it and most likely overwhelm it.  Without tracers, it requires more effort to pick out where the incoming fire is originating.

It's not going to buy you more than a few seconds, but a few seconds without suppressive fire on your position is a few seconds where you don't worry about eating bullets.

[Dead Monky]

Exactly.  Tracers=easy target.  "Oh look tracers.  There they are.  Grenade launcher please."

[Angelone]

But...but... they're so pretty

That is the only reason for them, they combine the joy of firing a weapon with our love of fire.

[Chaemera]

the discussion for specialization being added before or after the split is here. Personally, I used to add spec before the split, and now I add it after.

+1 for killing that before it derailed the thread.

Okay, I can see tracers being useful for two-weapon fighting, when you can't use smartlink, but yea, Dead Monky and Gun Nut hit it on the head about tracers giving up your position.

[thalandar]

Having used tracers, there are more advantages than just correcting your own fire.

At night, you spot the enemy and you fire using tracers.  "Team: fire on my tracers"

You are extracting from a hot LZ and you want to direct you rigger to suppress the enemy while you extract, you light up the enemy with your tracers to direct air support.

Tracers would give a situational modifer to perception of other team mates.

Also, having tracers FIRED AT YOU is intimidating, to say the least. Its one thing to know someone is shooting at you, quite another to SEE tracer rounds coming right for you.

[The_Gun_Nut]

There are advantages and disadvantages to using tracer rounds.  I just don't want folks to think that tracers are the must have accoutrement, good for all situations.