Shadowrun Play > Character creation and critique

Suggestions on Optimizing a Quality Technomancer

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School Idol:
Hi Everyone!

I wanted to make another pre-made character for my stockpile, this time a Technomancer.
Obviously, I know Deckers are way way easier to optimize and most people tell you not to bother with a Technomancer, but I wanted the challenge. :)

Anyways, I was hoping for some suggestions on how to tweak the character to help optimize them based on some build guidelines I had.
The goal was to make a Technomancer that can:

A) Hack just as well a decent Decker -without- the use of Sprites
B) Isn't useless in a firefight (guess we're using combat drugs and Machine Sprites)
C) Has full Resonance and is a decent Technomancer

EDIT: Updated the build to reflect that I forgot Boosted was Cyber, and made minor changes that had to be worked in to make Cerebral Booster work in its stead, and added a point of Body.

Name: Lain

A   Attributes   24
B   Skills      36/5
C   Magic   T/3
D   Race      H/3
E   Resources   6000

==Attribute Array==
Strength 1
Agility 5
Body 3
Reaction 2 (Core Book Decker's Reaction + Intuition is 7, so I can live with this)
Willpower 5
Intuition 5
Logic 6[8]
Charisma 5

==Karma Expenditure==
10   Restricted Gear
10   Prototype Transhuman
05   Born Rich

25   Nuyen (50, 000)

-15   In Debt (75,000 / 112,500)
-10   Weak Immune System

==Skills==
5   Electronics [Group]
5   Cybercombat
5   Electronic Warfare
6   Hacking   (Specialization: Hosts)
6   Compiling (Specialization: Machine Sprites)
6   Registering (Specialization: Machine Sprites)
6   Pistols
5   Perception

==Gear==
63 000      Cerebral Booster 2   Essence: 0.4
48 000      Pain Editor       Essence: 0.3
12 000      Sleep Regulator    Essence: 0.1

5000      Rank 2 SIN
400      Rank 2 License (Firearms)
500      Rent: Squatter (1 month)
500      Armor Vest
300      Biomonitor (Pretty Important to have with Pain Editor)
100      Meta Link Commlink

725      Ares Predator V
240      120 Rounds Normal Ammo
70      Trodes (For Show)
15      3 Spare Clips

150      Jazz x2

==Complex Forms==
Resonance Spike
Static Veil
Puppeteer

(I hate the In Debt Quality SO MUCH but it's the only way I could pull this off... plus Technomancers don't really have a lot of things to save up for.)
Thanks again in advance!

ShadowcatX:
You can't take in debt and spend karma on nuyen, it's one or the other.

Body 2 and str 1 scream kill me.

Prototype transhuman doesn't work for cyberware, only bioware, so boosted reflexes is a no.

Prototype transhuman and restricted gear are also both qualities banned by a lot of tables.

Last but not least, if a technomancer could hack as good as a decker without using sprites there would be no reason for anyone to ever play a decker.

School Idol:

--- Quote ---You can't take in debt and spend karma on nuyen, it's one or the other.
--- End quote ---
I'm looking at page 156 of Run Faster, but I'm not seeing where it specifies you cannot spend karma on nuyen.
Was this in an errata post?


--- Quote ---Body 2 and str 1 scream kill me.
--- End quote ---
I don't agree with Strength 1, but I'm willing to switch around Reaction and Body. :)


--- Quote ---Prototype transhuman doesn't work for cyberware, only bioware, so boosted reflexes is a no.
--- End quote ---
True! I will swap things around and work in Cerebral Booster 2 instead. :)


--- Quote ---Prototype transhuman and restricted gear are also both qualities banned by a lot of tables.
--- End quote ---
Tons of qualities are banned from tables; some tables insist on Street Level play even while knowing it's imbalanced. Other don't allow mages. I'm not really worried about it. I can easily make a 'vegan' version of a character ready on the side later.


--- Quote ---Last but not least, if a technomancer could hack as good as a decker without using sprites there would be no reason for anyone to ever play a decker.
--- End quote ---
I strongly disagree that a technomancer can't hack as good as a good decker. Hack as good an amazing decker? You're probably right. But it's -totally- doable to make one that's at least as good at hacking as the decker archetype in the book. :)

ShadowcatX:
Funny, it's in the first paragraph of "In Debt", not hard to find at all. "These points are spent in place of the normal Karma for extra cash and extend the possible additional funds to 75,000¥."

And second, you don't compare apples to oranges, if a technomancer could hack as well as an equally optimized decker, there would be no reason for anyone to ever play a decker.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat:

--- Quote from: ShadowcatX on ---And second, you don't compare apples to oranges, if a technomancer could hack as well as an equally optimized decker, there would be no reason for anyone to ever play a decker.

--- End quote ---

Well Deckers do have some not-insignificant advantages in using those expensive cyberdecks.  The ability to flop around ASDF stats pretty much at will is huge.  And the ability to benefit from programs without spending 7 karma each for them is also huge.  And while nothing prevents a Techno from using cyberware, Deckers tend to have an easier go with taking the essence hit and can therefore more easily benefit from implanted, passive Noise Reduction.

A Technomancer can duplicate the effect of a few key programs through some steep karma expenditure, but swapping ASDF stats is something else entirely.  Luckily for Technos their Living Personae tend to have all around high stats (if you build them correctly) so it's less important to move high stats into relevance before they come into use.

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