[Ajax]

I needed a drink. I needed a lot of life insurance.
I needed a vacation. I needed a home in the country.
What I had was a coat, a hat, and a gun.
                        
Name & Principle Alias Ishida Ide / ''Lucky''                        
Concept Ex-Cop Private Dick                                       
Ethnicity & Metatype Japanese Human                        
                        
Born 2051 Sex Male Height 5'10"  Build Slight                        
Nationality American                        
The Pitch They told me you were looking for me. Well, you found me. So turn on the sob story. I got the time. But first, tickle my commlink with your credstick. I may have the time, but I haven't got the interest until I know you've got the nuyen. Time takes money, chummer. Just flick the stick through the ARO of the mail slot. My pocket secretary will dump my rates and sheet onto your `link.

The sheet will give you the highlights of my illustrious career: maidens rescued (no guarantees of returning in 'like new' condition), the lost made found, the found made lost... But I don't do erasures. No point in going on, I see in your eyes you've already scanned the sheet. Charlies at the precinct or did Stevie the Snitch pass it on? Don't really matter. If somebody hadn't given you my name, you wouldn't be looking at me.

Now, before we go any further, let me check the cred balance. Whiz! You got my interest, all right. What's the job?
                        
The Lowdown The private detective leads a hard life, balanced between the shadows of crime and the harsh glare of corporate and city law. To keep his own code of honor and justice in tact, he makes constant compromises to get through the day... or the night. He won't touch magic, though his cases often involve it, and he won't augment his body, though sometimes his resolve puts him at a disadvantage. He'll tell you that a man has to stand on his own feet.

Race C Attributes A Magic E Skills B Resources D                        
                        
Attributes                        
                        
Body:   3   (   3   )            
Agility:   3   (   3   )            
Reaction:   5   (   5   )            
Strength:   3   (   3   )            
Willpower:   3   (   3   )            
Logic:   5   (   5   )            
Intuition:   6   (   6   )            
Charisma:   6   (   6   )            
Edge:   7                     
Magic/Resonance:   0                     
Essence:   6.00                     
Initiative:   11+1D6                     
Matrix VR Initiative:   7+2D6      +1D6 HotSIM               
Astral Initiative:   11+2D6                     
                        
Phys CM:   10                     
Stun CM:   10                     
                        
Surprise:   11                     
Composure:   9                     
Judge Intentions:   9                     
Memory:   8                     
Lift/Carry:   90kgs                     
                        
Defence Rating   4                     
Bonus D Damage Res   0                     
Unarmed Attack   2S, 8/—/—/—/—                     
Primary Ranged Attack   Test, 1P, SS, 1/0/0/0/0, 0                     
Primary Melee Attack   Test, 1P, 1/—/—/—/—                     
                        
Positive Qualities / Racial Bonuses                        
                     
Negative Qualities / Racial Penalties                        
                  
Skills                        
                        
Astral   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Athletics   1   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Biotech   2   (   7   )   S:   First Aid   E:   0
Close Combat   2   (   5   )   S:   Unarmed   E:   0
Con   4   (   10   )   S:   Acting   E:   0
Conjuring   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Cracking   1   (   6   )   S:   Hacking   E:   0
Electronics   1   (   6   )   S:   Computer   E:   0
Enchanting   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Engineering   0   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Exotic Weapons   0   (   /   )   S:   0      
Firearms   5   (   8   )   S:   Pistols   E:   0
Influence   4   (   10   )   S:   Intimidation   E:   0
Outdoors   0   (   5   )   S:   0   E:   0
Perception   2   (   8   )   S:   Urban   E:   0
Piloting   1   (   6   )   S:   Ground Craft   E:   0
Sorcery    0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Stealth   2   (   5   )   S:   Sneaking   E:   0
Tasking   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
                        
Knowledge / Language Skills                        
English (Native)
Japanese (2)                        
Organized Crime                        
Police Procedure                        
[Sprawl] Streets               

Gear                        
”My buddies travel light, and they're fun to have around. One travels in a holster, and the other in a hip flask."

There's a lot of gear, but the major items are a Ruger Super Warhawk, Actioneer Business Clothes, a Toyota Gopher, and piles of surveillance equipment... and a hip flask.
                        
Lifestyle                        
Low (One month pre-paid)

Contacts

"Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one's all right, he turns legit."

Thành "Duke" Nguyen [Fixer] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 2                        
Nicholas "Dr. Knick" Knickerbocker [Street Doc] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 2                        
Sanjuro Nui [Yakuza Lieutenant] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 3                        
Eijiro Gonji [Yakuza Soldier] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 4                        
Margret "Maggie" O'Hara [Police Detective] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 3                        
Charlie Kim [Beat Cop] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 4                        
Tsukasa Nui [Coffin Motel Clerk] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 5                        
Stevie "The Snitch" Wichita [Bartender] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 4                        


Karma Expenditure                        
Starting Karma   50                     
Racial Costs   0                     
Qualities   18                     
Negative Qualities   22                     
Attributes   45                     
Skills   5                     
Resources   4                     
Remaining   0                     

[ZeroSum]

1. You have both Intuition and Logic at 6, but at character creation only one attribute can be at max (I fell into this trap when making my first character, too).

During character creation, only one attribute may be at the maximum for the selected metatype.

2. Just a note on the efficacy of picking Skills at high priorities; spending skill points for low rating skills is quite inefficient considering 1 skill point gives you rank 6 for no additional cost over rank 1. For example, raising a skill from 0 to 1 with Karma costs 5 karma, but going from rank 5 to 6 costs 30 karma. In other words, by spending a skill point on a rank 1 skill you are essentially forfeiting a potentially significant karma advantage. Now, this might be perfectly fine depending on the game you're playing. Just something to be aware of is all; if I were you, I would raise fewer skills to higher level, and spend a few points of Karma on your rating 1 skills. This will let you focus your abilities just a little bit more.

3. Also, you have the Cracking and Electronics skills, but Cracking relies heavily on having a cyberdeck to be able to perform Matrix actions. Was there a specific reason you picked these skills?


For Skills, here's a few things you could do if you were so inclined: Drop Athletics 1, Cracking 1, Electronics 1, and Piloting 1. I would personally also drop biotech 2 or stealth 2. This gives you 6 skill points to further raise Close Combat, Con, Firearms, Influence, and Perception with. To give you an idea of what the math looks like, consider the following.
4x R1 skills: 4x5=20 Karma
1x R2 skills: 2x(5+10)=15 Karma

It would cost you 35 Karma to raise those skills back up to the level they are currently at using Karma. Comparatively, consider this:
Firearms 5 to 6: 30 Karma
Con and Influence 4 to 5: 2x25=50 Karma
Close Combat or Perception 2 to 5= (15+20+25)=60 Karma

You are saving your character from having to spend 140 Karma in-game to increase those skills. Again, this is just general advice to consider when using a priority based system; some choices are objectively more optimal than others, but ultimately you have to choose what concept fits your character. There is no right or wrong way to build a character, but there are ways you can optimize if you want to.

On a non-mechanical note, I think a detective would probably want to be quite perceptive and have good if not great social skills in order to be able to interrogate suspects and ferret out the truth. Skills like electronics and cracking are better left to the Matrix specialists, as police forces in the Sixth world have dedicated personnel for these activities similar to the forensic experts in modern day police forces. Similarly, piloting is something you may or may not need, as driving in SR6 can be wholly handled by GridGuide for the most part, and if you ever have to take a piloting test with only 6  dice you are going to be in trouble because you have to hit the Handling Threshold of your vehicle, which for the Gopher is 4.

I think you have a solid concept on your hands; if you were playing at my table, I would merely recommend narrowing your focus a little bit.

[Ajax]

Name & Principle Alias Ishida Ide / ''Lucky'' Version 2                        
Concept Ex-Cop Private Dick                                       
Metatype Human                        

Race C Attributes A Magic E Skills B Resources D                        
                        
Attributes                        
Body:   3   (   3   )            
Agility:   4   (   4   )            
Reaction:   5   (   5   )            
Strength:   3   (   3   )            
Willpower:   3   (   3   )            
Logic:   5   (   5   )            
Intuition:   6   (   6   )            
Charisma:   6   (   6   )            
Edge:   7                     
Magic/Resonance:   0                     
Essence:   6.00                     
Initiative:   10+1D6                     
Matrix VR Initiative:   6+2D6      +1D6 HotSIM               
Astral Initiative:   10+2D6                     
                        
Phys CM:   10                     
Stun CM:   10                     
                        
Surprise:   10                  
Composure:   9                     
Judge Intentions:   8                     
Memory:   8                     
Lift/Carry:   90kgs                     
                        
Defence Rating   4                     
Bonus D Damage Res   0                     
Unarmed Attack   2S, 8/—/—/—/—                     
Primary Ranged Attack   Test, 1P, SS, 1/0/0/0/0, 0                     
Primary Melee Attack   Test, 1P, 1/—/—/—/—                     
                        
Positive Qualities / Racial Bonuses                        
Analytical Mind ( 3 )
First Impression ( 12 )
Networker ( 3 )
                     
Negative Qualities / Racial Penalties                        
Addiction, Level 3 ( -6 )
Allergy, Uncommon Moderate [Cats] ( -8 )
SINner ( -8 )
                  
Skills                        
                        
Astral   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Athletics   0   (   3   )   S:   0   E:   0
Biotech   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Close Combat   3   (   7   )   S:   Unarmed   E:   0
Con   5   (   11   )   S:   Acting   E:   0
Conjuring   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Cracking   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Electronics   0   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Enchanting   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Engineering   0   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Exotic Weapons   0   (   /   )   S:   0      
Firearms   6   (   10   )   S:   Pistols   E:   0
Influence   5   (   11   )   S:   Intimidation   E:   0
Outdoors   0   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Perception   3   (   8   )   S:   Urban   E:   0
Piloting   0   (   4   )   S:   0   E:   0
Sorcery    0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0
Stealth   2   (   6   )   S:   Sneaking   E:   0
Tasking   0   (   /   )   S:   0   E:   0

                        
Knowledge / Language Skills                        
English (Native)
Japanese (2)                        
Organized Crime                        
Police Procedure                        
[Sprawl] Streets               

Gear                        
”My buddies travel light, and they're fun to have around. One travels in a holster, and the other in a hip flask."

¥ 50,000 from Priority D, ¥ 24,000 from Karma

Lifestyle                        
Low (One month pre-paid)

Contacts
Thành "Duke" Nguyen [Fixer] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 2                        
Nicholas "Dr. Knick" Knickerbocker [Street Doc] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 2                        
Sanjuro Nui [Yakuza Lieutenant] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 3                        
Eijiro Gonji [Yakuza Soldier] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 4                        
Margret "Maggie" O'Hara [Police Detective] Connection: 4 Loyalty: 3                        
Charlie Kim [Beat Cop] Connection: 3 Loyalty: 4                        
Tsukasa Nui [Coffin Motel Clerk] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 5                        
Stevie "The Snitch" Wichita [Bartender] Connection: 2 Loyalty: 4                        


Karma Expenditure                        
Starting Karma   50                     
Racial Costs   0                     
Qualities   20
Negative Qualities   22                     
Attributes   40                     
Skills   0                     
Resources   12                     
Remaining   0

Build Notes Okay, this incorporates ZeroSum's feedback and mostly consists of moving his Skills from many "short stacks" into a smaller number of "tall stacks." Thoughts?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Seems thematically odd that if you're going to have a maxx'd out skill, it's not Perception. He is a Detective, after all...

[Ajax]

I see him as being more of the information gathering detective, rather than the forensic evidence gathering type. I’m going for a Sam Spade / Philip Marlowe sort of noir private eye, rather than a Sherlock Holmes sort.

That’s why I’ve chosen to emphasize his Influence and Con skills over Perception. He’s still pretty decent at Perception and his large Edge pool means he can get a “lucky break” now and then to uncover something.

His maxed out Firearms skill is just a necessary conceit to the fact that at the end of the day, he’s a Shadowrun character.

[ZeroSum]

I think not maxing out Perception is fine. My own Decker/PI uses drones (and thus their sensor + clearsight rating) instead of his own Perception skill to gather crimescene / perception related data.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

His maxed out Firearms skill is just a necessary conceit to the fact that at the end of the day, he’s a Shadowrun character.

I'm not saying you don't have a point... it's just that my point is you're gonna be rolling Perception more often than Firearms.  No matter what archetype you are.  And whereas everyone looks to the Sammie/Weapons Specialist when it comes to excelling in combat, they'll look to you when you say you're a Detective and it's time to search for a clue

[Ajax]

It’s a lot easier to boost Perception via gadgetry than Firearms. Plus, I don’t see any need to raise Firearms past this point as the game goes on...

[Ajax]

LUCKY

I needed a drink. I needed a lot of life insurance.
I needed a vacation. I needed a home in the country.
What I had was a coat, a hat, and a gun.

Personal Data
Birth Name Ishida Ide
Metatype Human Ethnicity Japanese-American
Born 15 May 2051 (Age 39) Sex Male
Height 1.78 m (5'10")  Weight 75 kg (165 lbs.) 

Priorities (Sum to 10)
Metatype D Attributes A Skills A Magic E Resources D

Karma Expenditures
Starting Karma 50
Positive Qualities 13
Negative Qualities -23
Attributes 0
Skills 49
Resources 11
Remaining 0

Attributes

Attribute Description.....	Value....	Attribute Description.....	Value
Body	2	Essence	6.00
Agility	3	Magic	--
Reaction	5	Initiative	10 + 1d6
Strength	3	Matrix VR Initiative	5 + 2d6 (Cold)
Willpower	3	Astral Initiative	--
Logic	5	Composure	9
Intuition	5	Judge Intentions	10
Charisma	6	Memory	8
Edge	5	Lift/Carry	90 kg
Surprise	10	Movement	10 m
Damage Resist	0	Defense Rating	6

Core Combat Info
Primary Armor Mortimer of London Greatcoat
Primary Ranged Weapon: Ruger Super Warhawk
Primary Melee Weapon Unarmed

Condition Monitor
Phys 9
Stun 10

Skills

Active Skill Name .....	Specialization .....	Rating .....	Dice Pool
Athletics	--	1 (+1 from Karma)	4
Biotech	--	2	7
Close Combat	Unarmed (+1 from Karma)	2	5 ( 7 )
Con	Acting (+1 from Karma)	5	11 ( 13 )
Cracking	--	1 (+1 from Karma)	6
Electronics	--	1 (+1 from Karma)	6
Firearms	Revolvers (+1 from Karma)	5	8 ( 10 )
Influence	Intimidation (+1 from Karma)	6	12 ( 14 )
Outdoors	Tracking	2	7 ( 9 )
Perception	Urban	5	10 ( 12 )
Piloting	--	1 (+1 from Karma)	6
Stealth	--	3	6

Language and Knowledge Skills: English (N), Japanese (2 +1 from Karma); Con Schemes, Gambling Games, Nightclubs, Organized Crime, Police Procedure (+1 from Karma), Sprawl Life (+1 from Karma)

Qualities
Positive:
Analytical Mind +3
Candle in the Darkness +5
Networker +5

Negative:
Honorbound (Code of Wuxia) -10
Hooder -5
SINner -8

IDs/Lifestyles/Currency
If business was as good as my aim with a .44, I'd be on Easy Street. Instead, I've got an office on 7th Avenue and a nasty relationship with a string of collection agents.

Primary Lifestyle: Urban Office-Apartment Neighborhood: Low; Necessities: Middle; Comforts: Low; Security: Middle; Entertainment: Low; Space: Low; Qualities: Bat Cave [1], Reliable Utilities (¥3,850 per Month)
Nuyen: ¥285
Fake IDs / Related Lifestyles / Funds / Licenses
Tsu Do Nym Fake SIN 4; Fake Licenses (Concealed Carry, Driver's License, Firearms)
John Lee Fake SIN [1]; Fake Licence (Driver's License)

Contacts
Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one's all right, he turns legit.

Contact's Name	Contact Type	Expertise	Connection	Loyalty
Dan WILSON	Corporate Manager	Corporate	4	3
Rosie BACKO	Corporate Hacker	Corporate	4	3
Mary-Anne SALGUERIO	Corporate Secretary	Corporate	2	3
Bonnie KOWAL	Police Detective	Law Enforcement	4	3
Wayne KEESO	Beat Cop	Law Enforcement	3	3
Katherine MYLETT	Forensics Expert	Law Enforcement	3	3
RENTA Hiro	Fixer	Street	3	4
"Mr. Hyde"	ID Manufacturer	Street	3	4
Billie PETRIE	Bartender	Street	2	3
Jim McCOOEYE	Taxi Driver	Street	2	2
Shep PRESTI	Bail Bondsman	Street	2	2
Bill HARROUCH	Bookie	Street	2	2
Alexander McENERY	Gambler	Street	2	2
Jake ABRAHAMSON	Street Preacher	Street	2	2
Troy MAYBEE	Snitch	Street	2	2

Weapons
Colt Secret Agent Hold-Out Revolver
 w/ Hidden Arm Slide
 w/ Regular Ammo, Caseless (x6, loaded)

Ruger Super Warhawk Heavy Revolver [4P, SS, 13/15/—/—/—, 6(cy)]
 w/ Personalised Grip, Short Barrel, Smartgun System (internal)
 w/ Concealable Holster
 w/ Stick-n-Shock Ammo, Caseless (x6, loaded)
 w/ 2x Speed Loaders: Explosive Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)
 w/ 4x Speed Loaders: Stick-n-Shock Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)
 w/ 2x Speed Loaders: APDS Ammo, Caseless (x6 each)

AK-97 Assault Rifle
 w/ Smartgun (external), Vision Magnification, Underbarrel Weight, Regular Sling
 w/ Regular Ammo, Caseless (x38, loaded)
 w/ Spare Magazine: Regular Ammo, Caseless (x38 each)

Grenades: Thermal Smoke (3x)
Grenades: Flashbang (2x),
Grenades: CS Gas (1x)
Grenades: Glitter (2x)
Knife

Armor
Berwick (Mortimer of London) Business Clothing
Mortimer of London Greatcoat
 w/ Cold Resistance 1, Fire Resistance 1, Chemical Resistance 4; Water Repellent
Fedora

Other Gear
My buddies travel light and they're fun to have around. One travels in a holster and the other travels in a hip flask.

Alcohol (¥50 worth)
AR Gloves
Bug Scanner
Commlink: Metalink Disposable Commlink [R1, D/F 1/0, P0]
Commlink: Renraku Sensei [R3, D/F 2/0 (2/3), P1] w/ Sim Module, Biometric Reader, Browse, Signal Scrubber
Contacts [2] w/ Imagelink, Smartlink
Credstick, Standard (1x)
Credstick, Silver (2x)
Directional Mic [6] w/ Audio Enhancement, Select Sound Filter [5], Laser Mic [6]
Earbuds [2] w/ Sound-Link, Audio Enhancement
Flashlight (IR)
Flashlight (Lowlight)
Flashlight (Standard)
Glasses [3] w/ Lowlight, Vision Enhancement
Glow Stick (5x)
Local Area Mapsoft
Magnesium Torch/Flare (3x)
Medkit,
Micro Transceiver & Subvocal Mic
Microflare launcher w/ 3 Microflares
Plastic Restraints (10x)
Pro Camera [6] w/ Internal Smartcam, Vision Enhancement, Vision Magnification
Respirator [6]
Stim Patch [4] (2x)
Sungard Jewelry
Survival Kit
Tag Eraser
Tranq Patch [6] (2x)
Trauma Patch,
Trodes
Vehicle: BMW Tsarina II Coupe  [H3/5, A18, I25, Sp220, B12, A4, P3, S2, St3]
Weapon Cleaning Kit

Concept
“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

“He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.

“The story is this man’s adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in.”
― Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder (1945)

The Private Detective is a staple of the cyberpunk genre, owing both to the film noir and pulp fiction roots of the genre as well as to the genre's seminal work Blade Runner. The first two editions of Shadowrun included a Private Detective as one of the sample characters and has always sort of epitomized the role for me. The Private Dick should eschew both cyberware and magic, relying on his wits and his innate talents more than anything. He isn't typically heavily armored or armored (but he keeps a rifle or a shotgun stashed somewhere in case SHTF). He's no great keyboard cowboy, but he knows enough to do some basic snooping. He's no great warrior, but he can hold his own in a fight. He's no forensics whiz, but he knows how to snoop around a crime scene. Most importantly, he knows what he doesn't know... but he knows a guy who knows a guy. The Private Detective is the ultimate in legwork.

He's not the guy you hire for a purple mohawk, neo-anarchist, smash-and-grab. He's not the guy you hire for a black trenchcoat, black ops, wet-work job. But if you need something or someone found (especially if they don't want to be found), then he's your guy. Provided you can pony up ¥500 a day plus expenses, chummer.

Honorbound (Code of the Wuxia) seems like a perfect fit for a Chandler-meets-Cyberpunk Private Dick. He won't harm innocents, he won't accept bribes (but he's not above greasing the palms of others), he won't serve the truly corrupt (but he knows everybody in thsi world has an angle), he won't back down from a fair fight (but he's not suicidal deathseeker). Hooder fits this attitude as well, he's a man of the streets and man of the people, even if he remains somewhat apart from them and somewhat distant. He's a SINner, but he mingles with the SINless, his business is legit and his gear is legal... But he packs a false ID and some phoney paperwork just to avoid prolonged entanglements. He's got a reputation - Candle in the Darkness and Network - for being a hard guy to like, but being a harder guy to hate.

Comments, criticism, and optimization advice welcome!

[Xenon]

I really enjoyed the read. You put a lot of thought into the character and the concept. Close to 4 years by looking at the timestamps from your previous post :-)

I also think that SR6 is a really good edition for this type of character. Not investing into magic or chrome would typically game mechanically punish you a lot more in previous edition than it does in this edition.

With the film noir vibes you seem to be going for I was a bit surprised to not find a mild substance addiction to nic-sticks or alcohol (or both). Could perhaps fit your concept? Other than that minor comment I don't have anything to add.

Good luck chummer and see you in the shadows!

(the format of the header of the contracts section currently seems broken, since the rest of the post had such a flawless editing you might want to correct that).

[Ajax]

I’ve always tried to make the chrome-less, magic-less Runner viable. SR5 and SR6 are the only ones that have really be able to handle it, thanks to their Edge mechanics… Although in either edition, it requires a campaign that’s going to place more emphasis on the social, investigative, and exploration aspects of gameplay than combat. “Lucky” can hold his own against a couple of thugs, but he’s not going to be the guy you want in a heavy combat campaign.

I considered both Alcohol and Tobacco Addiction, but decided against it. I’ve always felt that an Addiction Negative Flaw shouldn’t simply be about the dependency but also about the addition being either difficult to feed such as illegal narcotics (BTLs, nova-coke, heroin) or have some serious mechanical impact for using it even if legal (Longhaul, prescribed painkillers). Alcohol and tobacco are legal and readily available, regular use isn’t too much of a mechanical drawback during play, et cetera. Plus, SR6 limits you to six Qualities total, the other qualities just seemed to be more fitting. YMMV.

Thanks for point out the problem with the Table Header row on his Contacts section… Not sure what’s causing the formatting issue there. I’ll see what I can do to fix it. Edit to Add: Seems like this forum isn’t setup to use [ TH ] tags, which is kind of annoying… But what can you do?

[Hobbes]

I considered both Alcohol and Tobacco Addiction, but decided against it. I’ve always felt that an Addiction Negative Flaw shouldn’t simply be about the dependency but also about the addition being either difficult to feed such as illegal narcotics (BTLs, nova-coke, heroin) or have some serious mechanical impact for using it even if legal (Longhaul, prescribed painkillers). Alcohol and tobacco are legal and readily available, regular use isn’t too much of a mechanical drawback during play, et cetera. Plus, SR6 limits you to six Qualities total, the other qualities just seemed to be more fitting. YMMV.

I find that for legal addictions the Dependents negative quality does the job.  Mechanically it's a cash drain and the fluff is 100% up to the player.  So have a bartender, stripper, bookie, VRgirl, whatever as your 'Dependent' and call it a day.  I did that and SINner for my similar 'hard boiled' detective pre-gen I use to represent minor gambling, drug use, and child support.  Where does the Nuyen go?  Who knows, it's just gone instantly.

[Ajax]

Ooh. I like that interpretation of Dependents… I’m out of room for more Qualities, but I think I’m going to flavor a bit of his “Hooder” Quality that way.