[Devil]

A bit silly how?

[Lansdren]

Making your own tradition can get munchkin like if the approch is wrong. I have seen some crazy ideas particually with possession traditions. A combination of a Possession tradition and a plant spirit can give you someone with regeneration, it gets sillier from there down.

[anotherJack]

I completely agree with Lansdren.

The question I've got is : what do you exactly mean by "samurai" ?
Because you can do a shintoïst magician without making of him a samurai, and the classic "samurai" archetype will fit more with an adept than with a magician.

[Lansdren]

I would say maybe adding in wise warrior as a mentor spirit would be a good idea as the negatives fit well with the idea I think, plus there bonus will help with a mystic adepts spellcasting

[Irian]

Honestly, a samurai doesn't sound like a spellcaster to me. Adept? Sure, why not. Mentor spirit? Yeah, why not? But Spellcasting? Hm. Or conjuring? Not really sure about that...

[Devil]

This is what I have so far

Body: 3
Agility: 4
Reaction: 5 (+3 Dice)
Strength: 4 (5)
Charisma: 3
Intuition: 4
Logic: 2
Willpower: 4
Edge:
Magic: 0/6
Essence: 6
Initiative/Passes: 12/4

Positive Qualities:
Adept

Active Skills:
Blades[Swords 4
Unarmed Combat[Martial Arts 4
Dodge[Ranged 6
Perception 4

Adept Powers:
Improved Reflexes Lvl 3 (5 Magic)
Improved Physical Attribute Lvl 1 (1 Magic)

Foci:
Weapon Focus (Katana) Force 2

Tradition:
The Buddhist Tradition
Spirits types:
Combat: Air
Detection: Guidance
Health: Earth
Illusion: Fire
Manipulation: Water
Drain Attribute: Willpower + Intuition


I'm still playing with the numbers, trying to find a good balance. Could someone help me figure out what my damage dice would be? I am still figuring out Weapon Foci and Strength/Melee Weapon Damages.

[anotherJack]

Okay, it's an adept.
So, first, I don't really understand why you need an magical tradition. As far as I know, you spend your 6 power points, so you're not making a mystic adept, so the tradition doesn't matter. But why not.

Then, I'd say you may take a martial art, with the maneuver which allows you to make a quickdraw with any weapon.
Now, really, for a fighter, he is weak, I think you spend too much in the improved reflex.
Don't forget the edge : among other uses, edge allows you to act before anyone else in fighting, and even to get more IP.

Shouldn't this thread be moved in the character's forum ?

[Devil]

If I don't have a tradition can I still do initiation?

[Max Anderson]

Even if he is an adept, thinking about how he perceives magic can't really be a bad thing. Too often, I met adept characters who where just : "Magic ? Oh, yeah I can do incredible things without any cyber or bioware enhancement. How comes ? Well, I don't know. I just kinda go with it, you know".

A little bit of a shame, I think...

EDIT : Yes, you can. But Initiation is a step toward more comprehension of magic and your relationship to it, so I'd say you need to think about what magic means to your character - and how his beliefs can evolve.

[Lansdren]

Oh right its a straight adept, I got thrown by the discussion of tradition because for the most part its irelevent to a adept. Might be better to look at the Way's of a Adept to choose one appropriate for a Samurai.

Looking at what you have I would second the comment about paying to much for increased reflexes. What kind of group you going to be in? if everyone else is only going for one - two IP's you could cut yourself some slack and take it a level one to start with and then (assumming you use the optional rule) Initiate for a second PP to up it to level two. Level three isnt very cost effective in the long run unless all your team has multiple IP's

The reason why I say this is that if a group only has one person with lots of IP's and everyone else is on one and two it can get abit dull waiting for all the IP's to be finished and personally Id use the power points to increase your combat skills abit or flesh out your other abilities.

From my understanding a Samurai is not only a warrior but a scholar so maybe somethign like linquistics and photographic memory to flesh out that side of him.

Combat is fine and dandy but its the little things that make a character more then just his stats

[Devil]

Oh right its a straight adept, I got thrown by the discussion of tradition because for the most part its irelevent to a adept. Might be better to look at the Way's of a Adept to choose one appropriate for a Samurai.

Looking at what you have I would second the comment about paying to much for increased reflexes. What kind of group you going to be in? if everyone else is only going for one - two IP's you could cut yourself some slack and take it a level one to start with and then (assumming you use the optional rule) Initiate for a second PP to up it to level two. Level three isnt very cost effective in the long run unless all your team has multiple IP's

The reason why I say this is that if a group only has one person with lots of IP's and everyone else is on one and two it can get abit dull waiting for all the IP's to be finished and personally Id use the power points to increase your combat skills abit or flesh out your other abilities.

From my understanding a Samurai is not only a warrior but a scholar so maybe somethign like linquistics and photographic memory to flesh out that side of him.

Combat is fine and dandy but its the little things that make a character more then just his stats

I agree. Right now this is a skeleton. I'm trying to flesh out the rest of him after I complete this part. Too much reflexes? what would you recommend instead?

He's not for any specific group right now.

As for traditions... I don't know. I may decide to go Mystic (for health spell boosts). I'm trying to figure out what would work best.

[anotherJack]

For your character, I'd say "way of the warrior" (an adept path) + you can decide he is shintoist and/or buddhist, giving him knowledges in these religions.
Actually, he may "follow" a tradition, the only thing it may change, if you can still initiate with an adept in magic groups which allows too other types of magician, then following a tradition may make it easier to find a group which would accept you.

[Lansdren]

Reflexes 1 is a good base 2 if you can spare the PP, but like I said initiation is very good for a adept if your running with the optional rule. First initiation is 13 karma (two runs at most for most people sometimes even just one) and you can get a PP and increase those reflexes to level two.

Other places to put those PP are all over the place depending on what you want to do with the guy.

Way of the Warrior is proberbly the way to go path wise,

What kind of thing do you see him doing? if you have some ideas on scenarios I might be able to give some other ideas power / skills wise to help flesh him out abit

[Irian]

Is a "Samurai" really playable? Where does a character that was educated as a "Samurai" come from? A "Red Samurai" is nothing but a glorified guard or soldier, but (imho) not really a samurai... So imho, much simply depends on the background of the character...

Technically, yes, I would simply use the way of the warrior.

[Lansdren]

I would say yes a Samurai is possible


Hell today int he real world I know a number of people who emmulate the Vikings but then I am a reenactor myself so its not a suprise.

In todays world there are many people who search for meaning in things from the past, trying to learn from cultures not even there own to find meaning in their life today. It wont be that much different in 2070 really people will always look backwards to define themselves.

I can see it being very posible for someone in a setting as linked to Japan as shadowrun to look at the Samurai and see something worth emulating, maybe more so when the Kami are a true force in Japan.