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First 5th Character - Mystic Adept Priest

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SladeWeston

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« on: <09-06-17/0107:41> »
This is my first 5th ed character and its been 6+ years since I've played any SR at all so please be gentle.

Goal:  So my goal was to make a solid mage style character who wasn't horrible with a gun.  Additionally, I tried to hit a middle ground between backstory driven choices and those that were more optimal.  This means I tried to make 80% good choices and 20% purely for the sake of concept.  That being said, if I totally missed something major that would be vastly more optimal or something that obviously fit better with my concept below, please feel free to let me know.  I know the GM pretty well and its safe to assume that the game is going to be pretty "gritty" and hard on the players.  I can expect BGC, slow healing wound rules variants and dump stats to be exploited.  So while I understand it might be more cost efficient in the long run to build a character with more min/max attributes, I just don't think they'd survive very long(although I'm open to being convinced otherwise).  Lastly, the character concept is still pretty loose.  As you can see, I don't even have a name picked out.  If you've got any good ideas roleplay ideas, those are very welcome too.

Concept:  An ex-assassin for the Vatican/Templars who was excommunicated because it was discovered he practiced chaos magic instead of standard christian theology.  He's gone to ground in the slums, hoping to hide among the SIN-less.  Seeking redemption from a misguided life of violence he spends his time working a soup kitchen and ministering to the bedraggled masses.  Despite his best efforts however the lure of action calls to him and he takes to the shadows once again.

Thanks in advance everyone.

== Personal Data ==
Street Name:
Name: Unnamed Character
Movement: 10/20 (2m/hit)     Swim: 6 (1m/hit)     
Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Notoriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0
Human
Composure: 8
Judge Intentions: 9
Lift/Carry: 6 (30 kg/20 kg)
Memory: 7
Nuyen: 680¥

== Priorities ==
Metatype: D,1
Attributes: A,4
Special: B,3
Skills: C,2
Resources: E,0

== Attributes ==
BOD: 4
AGI: 5
REA: 5 ( 8 )
STR: 2
CHA: 3
INT: 6
LOG: 2
WIL: 5
EDG: 3
MAG: 6

== Derived Attributes ==
Essence:                   6
Initiative:                14 +4d6
Rigger Initiative:         14 +4d6
Astral Initiative:         12 +3d6
Matrix AR:                 14 +4d6
Matrix Cold:               6 + DP +3d6
Matrix Hot:                6 + DP +4d6
Physical Damage           Track: 10
  Stun Damage           Track: 11

== Limits ==
Physical:                  6
Mental:                    5
Social:                    6
   Ballistic Mask [+1] (Only for intimidation, Must be visible)
Astral:                    6

== Active Skills ==
Assensing                Base:  1          Pool:  7
Counterspelling          Base:  1          Pool:  7
Etiquette                Base:  1          Pool:  4
Flight                   Base:  1          Pool:  6
Gymnastics (Dodging)     Base:  1          Pool:  6 ( 8 )
Navigation               Base:  1          Pool:  7
Negotiation              Base:  1          Pool:  4
Palming                  Base:  0          Pool:  7
Perception               Base:  5          Pool: 11
Performance (Sermon)     Base:  1          Pool:  4 (6)
Pilot Ground Craft       Base:  1          Pool:  9
Pistols (Semi-Automatics) Base:  5          Pool: 10 (12)
Running                  Base:  1          Pool:  3
Sneaking                 Base:  4          Pool:  9
Spellcasting (Combat)    Base:  6          Pool: 12 (14)
Summoning                Base:  6          Pool: 12
Survival                 Base:  1          Pool:  6
Swimming                 Base:  1          Pool:  3
Tracking                 Base:  1          Pool:  7

== Knowledge Skills ==
Italian                  Base:  1          Pool:  7
Latin                    Base:  1          Pool:  7
Spanish                  Base:  1          Pool:  7
Charity Shelters         Base:  1          Pool:  7
Gangs                    Base:  1          Pool:  7
Magic Traditions         Base:  1          Pool:  3
Religion (Christianity)  Base:  6          Pool:  8 (10)
Sprawl Life (Soup Kitchens) Base:  2          Pool:  8 (10)

== Contacts ==
; Gang Leader (4, 5)

== Qualities ==
Day Job (10 hrs) (Soup Kitchen)
Distinctive Style
Family Curse
Focused Concentration (Rating 1)
Mystic Adept
Wanted (30,000)

== Tradition ==
Chaos Magic, Resist Drain with: WIL + INT (11)

== Spells ==
Heal                     DV: F-4
Improved Invisibility    DV: F-1
Increase [Attribute] (INT)DV: F-3
Levitate                 DV: F-2
Manabolt                 DV: F-3
Physical Barrier         DV: F-1
Stunball                 DV: F
Trid Phantasm            DV: F

== Powers ==
Astral Perception
Heightened Concentration
Improved ReflexesRating: 3
Linguistics
Nimble Fingers
Rapid Draw

== Lifestyle ==
Old Church (Low) 1 Months
   + Obscure/Difficult to Find [+10%]

== Armor ==
Armor Jacket                       12
Ballistic Mask                      2

== Weapons ==
Ares Light Fire 70
   + Hidden Gun Arm Slide
   + Silencer, Ares Light Fire 70
   Pool: 10 (12)   Accuracy: 7   DV: 6P   AP: -   RC: 2
Savalette Guardian
   + Concealed Quick-Draw Holster
   + Smartgun System, Internal
   Pool: 10 (12)   Accuracy: 7   DV: 8P   AP: -1   RC: 3
Unarmed Attack
   Pool: 4   Accuracy: 6   DV: 2S   AP: -   RC: 2

== Gear: Equipped ==
Ammo: APDS (Heavy Pistols) x30
Ammo: Stick-n-Shock (Light Pistols) x30
Contacts Rating 1
   + Image Link
Earbuds Rating 1
   + Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Fake License (Adept License) Rating 3
Fake License (Firearms License) Rating 3
Fake SIN (legitimate Preacher) Rating 3
Micro-Transceiver
Reagents, per dram x30
Slap Patch, Trauma Patch

== Vehicles ==
Entertainment Systems Cyclops     
   + Gyro-Stabilization
   + Sensor Array Rating 1

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #1 on: <09-06-17/0742:58> »
You have a lot of skills at rating 1. If they were purchased with skill points that is highly suboptimal. Increase attributes won't work with focused concentration 1.

SladeWeston

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« Reply #2 on: <09-06-17/0827:42> »
Thanks for the reply.
Skills - Please explain how 1 rank is not optimal?  I understand that ranks have a scaling karma price post character creation, but I'm balancing that with the fact that 1 rank is worth a net 2 increase and not having to justify something like learning to swim post character creation.  I very much have a GM who punishes untrained tests.  It's also worth noting that a lot of those ones are from the two skill groups C rank grants.  Is there a way to get those skill points not as a skill group?  I couldn't see a way in Chummer nor do I know if it was an option (man I hate the priority system).  Apart from Counterspelling and Assensing which I wouldn't get rid of, I only see about 4-5 points that are being spend on thematic specializations or rank 1 skills.  How would you suggest I move things around to be more optimal?

Focused Concentration - Ya, I get that.  I considered juggling the points to find room for enough ranks but decided that was impractical.  I opted for the heightened concentration power specifically for that reason.  I know there is some debate as to the duration of heightened concentration but my GM is going to allow it for the duration of the spell.  In the end I grabbed Focused Concentration because it seems incredibly useful to sustain a physical barrier for free and to have the option to cheese** up levitate or Imp. Invis. to a decent force with reagents and get the sustain.  Plus down the road there are plenty of other spells worth sustaining for 1 force.  Seemed worth the 4 karma but I'm open for discussion.

**Regarding using reagents to cheat up the force of a spell for low level sustaining.  I have discussed it with my GM and he said that he plans on using background count and counterspelling enough that he wasn't concerned about it as long as it wasn't part of my regular "load out".  Given how little cash I have on hand, I don't suspect that will be an issue.

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #3 on: <09-06-17/0904:20> »
Note that reagents don't effect the force of the spell, they effect the limit of the spell. A force 1 physical barrier with reagents is still only force 1 and still just a tiny little area.

And if your DM uses house rules to punish not having ranks in skills, that obviously changes how much skill 1 vs. skill 0 is worth. That's probably something you should have included in the original post.

SladeWeston

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« Reply #4 on: <09-06-17/0930:45> »
I'm not sure I would call what he does house rule.  He does insist that we role play our characters skills and weaknesses.  He's the type of GM who is going to look at you sideways if you want to truck around town on a bike relying on your untrained Reaction pool.  That kind of thing is frowned upon at my table.  Sorry if that wasn't clear in the post.

FST_Gemstar

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« Reply #5 on: <09-06-17/0937:26> »
Looks functional! 

Like shadow said, it would be more optimal to use your skillpoints to go deeper into fewer skills than spreading them around. It only takes 10 karma in game to get five rank 1 skills, but 30 karma in game to get one skill to rank 5.  The character generation system is fifth skews to building "tall" characters and widening out in play, not the other way around. It is more efficient to make sure you are very good at what you do at character generation, and pick up the little stuff later. At the very least, instead of spreading skill points into rank 1 skill, you a point to add a specialization to some of them.   

You also don't need heightened concern and Focused Concetration 1.

For spells, I would probably replace stunball with a physical AoE indirect spell, to have another kind of damage option. Something light Lightning Ball works well against drones, for example. 
« Last Edit: <09-07-17/1016:06> by FST_Gemstar »

SladeWeston

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« Reply #6 on: <09-06-17/1009:23> »
At the very least, instead of spreading skill points into rank 1 skill, you a point to add a specialization to some of them.
So here are the rank 1 skills not tied to a skill group.
Assensing
Counterspelling
Etiquette
Negotiation
Pilot Ground Craft
Performance (Sermon)
Apart from Performance, which is obviously just a RP concession, which would you suggest I drop.  How about I drop the outdoors skill group for the influence skill group?  That would free up two points to bump sneaking and perception.  I'm pretty sure I want at least 1 in both assensing and counterspelling.  That doesn't leave much left to move around.  Also, as far as specializations, did you see anything obvious that I missed?

You also don't need heightened concern and Focused Concetration 1.

Can you elaborate a bit on this please?  Which would you drop?  What would you use the PP/Karma for that would be superior and why?  Was their a major flaw in my logic for wanting both?

For spells, I would probably replace stunball with a physical AoE indirect spell, to have another kind of damage option. Something light Lightning Ball works well against drones, for example. 
Honestly I copied those spells, mostly wholesale from another thread.  I guess the idea behind this suggest would be to have a physical damage spell in addition to a stun spell?

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #7 on: <09-06-17/1020:01> »
If you are assensing, you have to be perceiving, which means you are taking -2, so you aren't really rolling great on assensing. You could just have a spirit do it for you.

You have an 8 reaction. That means 7 untrained dice in pilot ground vehicles compared to a normal person's trained dice pool of 6.

Etiquette and negotiation are fine for 1 point, but use karma on them instead of skill points.

Put those skill points into counterspelling so you can actually cover your team and do so meaningfully.

Marcus

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« Reply #8 on: <09-06-17/1051:20> »
Is being an m-adept critical to your character concept or image? Adept while very strong is very resource intensive, with foci and more spells you can achieve most of the same things.

Manabolt is a direct physical damage effect having both your spells be direct is limiting. Indirect can be advantageous and lightning is the preferred elemental effect in this edition.
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SladeWeston

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« Reply #9 on: <09-06-17/1110:08> »
If you are assensing, you have to be perceiving, which means you are taking -2, so you aren't really rolling great on assensing. You could just have a spirit do it for you.

Doesn't heightened concentration allow me to ignore that -2 penalty?  Is a 7 really not worth having?  I don't know about this edition, but it seems like a bad idea to rely on summons for all your assensing.

Put those skill points into counterspelling so you can actually cover your team and do so meaningfully.
So would you suggest that I drop Focused Concentration 1 and adjust my skills to max counterspelling?

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #10 on: <09-06-17/1130:04> »
It isn't that it isn't worth having, but it might not be worth having at the cost of a skill point. At the cost of 2 karma, it would be fine.

And yes, more counterspelling is very good.

SladeWeston

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« Reply #11 on: <09-06-17/1203:50> »
Manabolt is a direct physical damage effect having both your spells be direct is limiting. Indirect can be advantageous and lightning is the preferred elemental effect in this edition.

That makes a lot of sense.  Lightning Ball it is. 

As for the Mage vs MystAd thing.  I'm not sure.  I mostly went Mystical Adept because the consensus seemed that they could do most everything a mage could do only better.  Before I trigger some people, I'm only repeating threads I've read and don't have an opinion one way or the other.  I could be way off base here or I could have built this character in such a way that he is better off as a mage.  I'm pretty open to whatever.

Glyph

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« Reply #12 on: <09-06-17/2238:20> »
Mystic adepts trade astral projection for the ability to buy adept powers, also losing out on whatever else they could have purchased with that Karma.  They are very robust in SR5, but mages are competitive.  It depends on what your focus is.  For a combat mage type, mystic adept is a good choice.

Marcus

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« Reply #13 on: <09-06-17/2345:21> »
Many games never touch on projection, and while project can open up some very interesting options is mostly beyond the scope or your average game.
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ShadowcatX

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« Reply #14 on: <09-07-17/0826:17> »
Projection is a wonderful tool. It shouldn't be "beyond the scope of a game" any more than the matrix is or face skills are.

Personally, I think this character would work fine as a straight mage, you aren't doing anything with the adept side you can't do just as well with magic.
« Last Edit: <09-07-17/0829:11> by ShadowcatX »