[8-bit]

Hello, I'm a fairly new Shadowrun player. I've never played any previous editions and my group just decided to start playing Shadowrun. I would really appreciate some help making my character more efficient and any advice that anyone can give me.

The obvious choice for Priority setups seems to be A for Resources, but I wanted to see if I could create an extremely skilled Rigger instead, so I set my priorities slightly differently, but I'm not sure how well it actually works out.
My current setup is: Metatype D (Human), Attributes C, Magic/Resonance E, Skills A, and Resources B.

Attributes:
Body 3
Agility 3
Reaction 4
Strength 1
Willpower 3
Logic 6
Intuition 3
Charisma 2 (Was 1, but upgraded with Karma)
Edge 5
Essence 4.55

Qualities:
Gearhead (-11 Karma), National SIN (+5 Karma), Allergy - Bees, Mild (+10 Karma), Weak Immune System (+10 Karma)

Skills:
Computer 6, Engineering 4, Gunnery 6 (+2 Ballistic), Pilot Aircraft 4, Pilot Groundcraft 4, Perception 6 (+2 Visual), Automatics 6, Electronic Warfare 6, First Aid 5 (+2 Gunshot Wounds), Con 5 (+2 Fast Talk), Athletics 1 (Bought with Karma), Navigation 1 (Bought with Karma), Armorer 1 (Bought with Karma), Sneaking 1 (Bought with Karma)

Knowledge Skills and Languages:
English N, Japanese 1, HTR - Street 4, Seattle City Streets - Street 4, Smugglers - Street 3

Augmentations:
Rating 1 Control Rig - Used (1.25 Essence) - 32,250 nuyen
Smartlink in Natural Eyes (.2 Essence) - 4,000 nuyen

Weapons:
2 Ares Crusader II's - 200 Regular Ammo, 100 Stick-n-Shock Ammo (Shared between the 2) - 2,860 nuyen
Ares Alpha - 100 Regular Ammo, 50 APDS Ammo - 3,450 nuyen
2 Concealable Quick-Draw Holsters - 550 nuyen
3 Spare Clips for each weapon - 45 nuyen

Gear:
Credsticks: 3 Silvers, 1 Gold - 160 nuyen,  1 Rating 6 Directional Jammers - 1,200 nuyen,  1 Rating 4 Fake SINs - 10,000 nuyen,  Biomonitor - 300 nuyen,  Micro-transceiver - 100 nuyen,  Armor Jacket w/ Nonconductivity 4 - 2,000 nuyen,  Renraku Sensei Commlink - 1,000 nuyen,  Low Lifestyle (1 Month) - 2,000 nuyen, Capacity 4 Glasses w/ Image link, Flare Compensation, Vision Enhancement 2 - 1,675 nuyen

Rigger Gear:
Proteus Poseidon RCC - 68,000 nuyen
Programs: Browse, Encryption, Signal Scrub, Armor, Wrapper - 740 nuyen
Rating 4 Clearsight Autosoft - 2,000 nuyen
Rating 6 Ares Alpha Targeting Autosoft - 3,000 nuyen
Rover Model 2072 w/ Rigger Interface + Manual Operation + 1 Standard Weapon Mounts (AK-97 w/ 100 rounds of APDS Ammo) - 71,650 nuyen

3 MCT Fly-Spy Minidrones w/ Sensor Array Rating 3
Camera (Capacity 3 w/ Low-light, Flare Compensation, Vision Magnification), Camera (Capacity 3 w/ Thermographic, Flare Compensation, Vision Magnification), Laser Microphone (Capacity 2 w/ Select Sound Filter 2), Directional Microphone (Capacity 3 w/ Audio Enhancement 1, Select Sound Filter 2), Motion Sensor, Olfactory Sensor, Ultrasound, Radio Signal Scanner (Rating 3) - 20,250 nuyen

3 MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone w/ Standard Weapon Mount - Ares Alphas + Grenade Launcher + 100 APDS Round each +100 Stick n' Shock Round Each + 30 Flashbangs each + 30 Smoke Grenades each + 30 High Explosive Grenades each - 60,050 nuyen


Total Money: 287,000 nuyen (6 Karma spent) - 285,280 nuyen = 1,720 + (3d6 x 60) nuyen

Initiative: 7 + 1d6,  Matrix (cold-sim): 8 + 3d6,  Matrix (hot-sim): 8 + 4d6

Limits: Physical 3,  Mental 6,  Social 4

Karma Left: 4

Fixer (Specializes in Arms dealing): 6c/1l, Mechanic: 1c/6l

As a new Shadowrun player, I would greatly appreciate any and all criticism.

Edited on August 6 due to suggestions.

[ZeldaBravo]

Well, my first character for 5e was a rigger and I still have no clue how to build it 'right'. It seems that one of the best options is buying a swarm of rotodrones with sniper rifles and grenade launchers, a couple of spy drones and a van. And put sensors and jammers everywhere you can.

[lazlo]

You say you bought gymnastics, running, and swimming with karma, but did you spend 2 each (for 6 total) or 5 to buy the Athletics skill group?

[8-bit]

You say you bought gymnastics, running, and swimming with karma, but did you spend 2 each (for 6 total) or 5 to buy the Athletics skill group?

2 Each, I didn't realize the group was actually cheaper. I'll change the post to include the group, since it is cheaper. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Well, my first character for 5e was a rigger and I still have no clue how to build it 'right'. It seems that one of the best options is buying a swarm of rotodrones with sniper rifles and grenade launchers, a couple of spy drones and a van. And put sensors and jammers everywhere you can.

Well, I guess there is no 'right' way to build a rigger, but I would assume some ways are better than others. I tried to keep my drone application fairly broad instead of all combat oriented, but your setup seems to be pretty interesting. I'll give it some thought.

I do have a question though. For the microdrones and minidrones, do I need to install sensor arrays for them to actually 'see' anything and provide information? I was under the impression they could do some undercover spying just on their own, but if they need sensor arrays to actually gather information, I may need to change some stuff around and rethink it a little bit.

Also, any advice on whether it's better to just stick to drones for combat, or to have a bunch of weapons of my own? My main reasoning was to make good use of the Firearms Skill Group, but maybe I don't need that much versatility with weapons and I can use it for something better, such as Outdoors or Stealth.

[martinchaen]

8-bit
Vehicles and drones come with sensor arrays included.

Most vehicles and drones come factory-equipped with a sensor array (at a rating listed with their stats).

Drones under the current rules are very fragile. Even a light pistol stands a good chance of taking one out, which is why I've proposed a reworked set of rules to give riggers more options. You'll also find some common questions and suggestions you'll want to pose to your GM.
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=17554.0

Feel free to take a look at a rigger I built for inspiration. I went the Control Rig route for substantial VR use, and essentially interface with the world entirely through drones. Not in any way "the" way to build a rigger, but he's worked out great for the game I'm playing him in currently.
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=15964.0

I also wouldn't go for dual weapons on Roto-Drones; it doesn't really give you a benefit, and since Roto-Drones have paper mache for armor that's a lot of money potentially gone with a bullet or two.

[8-bit]

8-bit
Vehicles and drones come with sensor arrays included.

Most vehicles and drones come factory-equipped with a sensor array (at a rating listed with their stats).

Drones under the current rules are very fragile. Even a light pistol stands a good chance of taking one out, which is why I've proposed a reworked set of rules to give riggers more options. You'll also find some common questions and suggestions you'll want to pose to your GM.
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=17554.0

Feel free to take a look at a rigger I built for inspiration. I went the Control Rig route for substantial VR use, and essentially interface with the world entirely through drones. Not in any way "the" way to build a rigger, but he's worked out great for the game I'm playing him in currently.
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=15964.0

I also wouldn't go for dual weapons on Roto-Drones; it doesn't really give you a benefit, and since Roto-Drones have paper mache for armor that's a lot of money potentially gone with a bullet or two.

Looking back at p466 of SR5 is actually pretty disappointing. Most of the drones don't even have the defense pool of an Armor Vest with 1 Body, let alone an Armor Jacket which I think is pretty standard. Even the Steel Lynx has only a slightly better defense pool than your average metahuman with an Armor Jacket, but Bulky Dwarfs, Orks, and semi-bulky Trolls can get more dice and they can also get better armor. Well, this makes drones slightly less useful, since it's basically only an extra gun/super expensive distraction.

Anyways, thanks for the information about the sensor arrays, that is a relief that I don't have to spend extra there.

I took a look at your Rigger build, and I think it is an interesting concept, but I think I prefer to stay in the meatworld a little more. I can just control most combat drones with one Action Pass and use my meat body for extra attackers. I only really need to jump in if it's necessary, as going into VR on a mobile run is not always the safest thing to do.

Since you've pointed out that drones are so fragile, I am going to drop the Roto-Drone, as my only reasoning was for it was that it had two weapons to fire. What are your thoughts on the multiple weapons on the car? I feel like it's a serious enough investment with enough Armor and Body to keep. It probably won't stand up to anything designed to be Anti-Vehicle, but I feel like the car is useful enough to keep the weapons.

All right, a few more questions and then I'll finish this post. Do I need Electronic Warfare? From what I can tell, the only uses are Noise Reduction (Useful, but RCC gives Noise Reduction + Signal Scrub helps) and operating a Jammer (which I still can't figure out how it works, I thought you just used it and it provided Noise = to it's rating). What should I do with the extra money from getting rid of the Roto-Drone? I was thinking a) getting a few more Aztechknowledgy Crawlers fitted with Lethal guns, b) Some more spying drones + 1 Aztechknowledgy Crawler, c) More Jammers to help protect against hacking, or d) Some combination of the above. Finally, do I need to change my Priority System around? I really like the concept of having A for skills, since I can barely squeeze by with B for resources, but it seems like I can't get the 'best' out there and that I'm really limited unless I use some creativity.

[ZeldaBravo]

Since drones are so fragile I use them with long range weapons so that they stay away from gunfire.
Electronic warfare covers noise reduction, jamming and any and all sensor operation out there, including sensor targeting.
I think that rigger is better played a sort of secondary role. I play a combat medic and wheelman that happens to have a control rig, an RCC and some drones. Bring as much utility as you can.

[Marcus]

I don't see any major issues, I think ZB advice on drone survivability is spot on. I think you would probably want a fixer contact and an arms dealer contact.
I think the firearms skill group may lead the character into trouble. The character has a lot of guns, and some ok skill but lacks the rest of the package needed to be very survivable in person.

[Csjarrat]

Honestly i think juryrigger is a bit of a trap, sounds cool but not hugely beneficial in the long run. that karma would be better spent elsewhere tbh (couple ranks in a social skill would help you not auto-fail social skill tests for example). Given the lack of rules for armourer skill, i'd probably bump it down two ranks and take a spec in "firearms" to maintain the 6 dice. it frees up a skill rank which could get you a specialisation in "remote operation" for pilot air or a rank in Ewar (seems odd that a rigger wouldn't at least know the very basics of this skill).

Cybereyes are also a bit of a money sink for the benefits you get.
If you're going to be spending a lot of time piloting vehicles and drones then most of this stuff is just gathering dust.
I'd spec some basic glasses with image link/vision enhance/flare comp and leave it at that.
All the money you save here, put into your drone's sensor arrays.

its not explicit but every drone comes with a sensor array at a rating indicated by their stat-line.
each sensor array contains 8 sensors, you get to choose which ones are in by default. I'd personally go with a pair of cameras, laser mic, directional mic, motion sensor, olfactory as a base load-out and then buy low-light, vision mag, vision enhance etc for the cameras and some SSF for the microphones.
This makes them much more useful when spying on targets/facilities at night/at range/or in bad weather.

Just take the smartlink and implant it directly into your eye. its cheaper and less essence than the cybereye suite.

[8-bit]

Since drones are so fragile I use them with long range weapons so that they stay away from gunfire.
Electronic warfare covers noise reduction, jamming and any and all sensor operation out there, including sensor targeting.
I think that rigger is better played a sort of secondary role. I play a combat medic and wheelman that happens to have a control rig, an RCC and some drones. Bring as much utility as you can.

That's actually a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Having the drones sort of be long range support fire seems reasonable. The only problem I have is, how am I going to get long range weapons? Unless you mean just Assault Rifles from a Long Distance (Which is a pretty heavy firing penalty, unless I'm missing something), then I need a Sniper Rifle, which you can only mount on a Heavy Weapon Mount. I cannot access Heavy Weapon Mounts (14F Availability) unless I get a Steel Lynx, which is a lot of money and I can probably only get one.

My goal was for this to be more utility, as I don't expect this character to dominate the battlefield (I'll leave that to combat Adepts and dedicated weapons specialists), but I did sort of want to hold my own in a fire fight. I think I might just tweak this character to provide more of a "drone overwatch" by just having microdrones scout out areas and watch our backs. I did also want him to be good at repairing anything that gets broken, which is why he has so many repair skills, but I'm not sure how useful that is on a run; that's more for after a run.

I don't see any major issues, I think ZB advice on drone survivability is spot on. I think you would probably want a fixer contact and an arms dealer contact.
I think the firearms skill group may lead the character into trouble. The character has a lot of guns, and some ok skill but lacks the rest of the package needed to be very survivable in person.

Thanks for the suggestions, I was thinking about a Fixer Contact only, since I have so little Karma, but I think I'll take Csjarrat's advice and drop Juryrigger for more karma for contacts. Something like a 5/2 Fixer and 6/1 Arms Dealer? Also, I think I'll change that firearms skill group, and maybe just go with Automatics for combat. That will free up some money and the skill group points. What should I place the skill group points in? I was thinking either Stealth, Outdoors, or maybe Biotech for some more utility.

Honestly i think juryrigger is a bit of a trap, sounds cool but not hugely beneficial in the long run. that karma would be better spent elsewhere tbh (couple ranks in a social skill would help you not auto-fail social skill tests for example). Given the lack of rules for armourer skill, i'd probably bump it down two ranks and take a spec in "firearms" to maintain the 6 dice. it frees up a skill rank which could get you a specialisation in "remote operation" for pilot air or a rank in Ewar (seems odd that a rigger wouldn't at least know the very basics of this skill).

Cybereyes are also a bit of a money sink for the benefits you get.
If you're going to be spending a lot of time piloting vehicles and drones then most of this stuff is just gathering dust.
I'd spec some basic glasses with image link/vision enhance/flare comp and leave it at that.
All the money you save here, put into your drone's sensor arrays.

its not explicit but every drone comes with a sensor array at a rating indicated by their stat-line.
each sensor array contains 8 sensors, you get to choose which ones are in by default. I'd personally go with a pair of cameras, laser mic, directional mic, motion sensor, olfactory as a base load-out and then buy low-light, vision mag, vision enhance etc for the cameras and some SSF for the microphones.
This makes them much more useful when spying on targets/facilities at night/at range/or in bad weather.

Just take the smartlink and implant it directly into your eye. its cheaper and less essence than the cybereye suite.

Thanks for the advice! Your comment on Juryrigger made me look back at its description, and I believe you are right; it really is not that useful to waste 10 karma on it.

The points in Armorer were for the idea that I can repair pretty much anything, but that doesn't help much when on a run. I'm thinking of dropping it to 3 or 2, getting that Remote Control specialization you mentioned, and maybe get Con at 2 or 3 (+2 Fast Talk)? I wasn't planning on really talking that much, I'm not gonna negotiate or intimidate anyone, but looking back at it, maybe some Social Skills are all right. The problem I see is that even with Con 3 + Fast Talk, I'm only getting 7 Dice. That's not likely to get me anywhere unless I spend some Edge, which would put it at 12 dice + Explosive dice.

Electronic Warfare seems to be something that everyone agrees I need at least 1 rank in, so I'll see how I am going to rearrange it. Can someone find the specific roll I make to operate a Jammer? I can't seem to find it, and the hits on any test there is don't seem to matter, as the Jammer just provides Noise = to it's rating, regardless of hits.

I was under the impression that I could command 2 drones per Action Pass through AR, so that's why I had the cybereyes for my "meat" body. However, I am thinking of dropping most of my personal weapons, which makes the expensive cybereyes somewhat less useful. I would still like to keep the smartlink in a pair of natural (or essence paid for) eyes, as the bonus is a little better. You mentioned putting a Smartlink right into your natural eye, but I can't seem to find that anywhere in SR5. Is it just getting the Smartlink upgrade from the cybereyes and paying for that? If you could reference the page for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Upgrading the sensor arrays of the drones seems like a fantastic idea. Thank you so much for the suggestion, I'm glad to find my character can be improved upon and that I am learning some new things.

Thank you all for the advice and criticism, it really helped me a lot. I'll be updating the main post as soon as I can.

[martinchaen]

Assault Rifle + Improved Range Finder = -3 Dice Pool Penalty out to 550m.

[ZeldaBravo]

The only problem I have is, how am I going to get long range weapons? Unless you mean just Assault Rifles from a Long Distance (Which is a pretty heavy firing penalty, unless I'm missing something), then I need a Sniper Rifle, which you can only mount on a Heavy Weapon Mount.

Actually, I think almost everybody here uses standard weapon mounts for sniper rifles. It is only logical, because they are not THAT big to be mounted on a heavy weapon mount. Sporting rifles and EBRs are roughly the size of an AR, sometimes an inch or two longer and the recoil is not that hard too. Gun H(e)aven 3 has some neat rifles, you might want to take a look.
About smartlink: page 454 has an 'Eyeware' table with smartlink stats. As you can see essence cost is there too, which means it can be installed directly into your meat eyes. You are only restricted from installing 'ware without an essence cost like cyberlimb enhancements.

[martinchaen]

As for Sniper Rifles in Standard Weapon Mounts; clear it with your GM, don't count on it being allowed.

I've had it disallowed twice, which I'm quite frankly ok with. Just means you need to be a little bit closer.

[ZeldaBravo]

clear it with your GM

It is an answer for an almost every single question about the game  And it is a correct answer.

[8-bit]

Assault Rifle + Improved Range Finder = -3 Dice Pool Penalty out to 550m.

Wow, that is ... far to say the least. How often would you really be that far away though? Plus, Extreme range is unlikely, due to the fact that any other conditions would still bump it up to -6. I think I can get away without the range finders, since by the time I get a drone 150 meters away, I'll have a ton of Noise and other unpleasant things to deal with. If a drone is 150 meters away, is it too close? I would find it hard to believe that someone would target the drone 150 meters away as opposed to the humans in front of them. Thanks for pointing this out though, I'll take it into consideration.

The only problem I have is, how am I going to get long range weapons? Unless you mean just Assault Rifles from a Long Distance (Which is a pretty heavy firing penalty, unless I'm missing something), then I need a Sniper Rifle, which you can only mount on a Heavy Weapon Mount.

Actually, I think almost everybody here uses standard weapon mounts for sniper rifles. It is only logical, because they are not THAT big to be mounted on a heavy weapon mount. Sporting rifles and EBRs are roughly the size of an AR, sometimes an inch or two longer and the recoil is not that hard too. Gun H(e)aven 3 has some neat rifles, you might want to take a look.
About smartlink: page 454 has an 'Eyeware' table with smartlink stats. As you can see essence cost is there too, which means it can be installed directly into your meat eyes. You are only restricted from installing 'ware without an essence cost like cyberlimb enhancements.

Page 461 of SR5: "Vehicles may be equipped with a number of weapon mounts equal to their unaugmented Body ÷ 3 (round down). Standard weapon mounts may hold any assault rifle or smaller-sized weapon and 250 rounds of ammo. Heavy weapon mounts count as two weapon mounts and can hold any weapon and up to 500 rounds of belted ammo or up to Body rockets/missiles. All weapon mounts are operated remotely and can target a ninety-degree arc of fire (horizontal and vertical)."

Standard Mounts cannot hold Sniper Rifles unless I get permission from my GM, but as I've decided from above, I don't think I'll need 800 - 1,500 meters in range. 150 seems more than enough. I would rather have something that I know will be allowed through the rules than have to rely on permission from my GM and not get it, which would mean I would have to start over.

Thanks for clarifying that bit with the Smartlink installed in a Natural eye. I wasn't sure if that was how it worked, so I didn't include it yet. Thanks again everyone for the help, I'll be finishing this round of changes very soon.

After making changes, I have some leftover cash and karma. Is there anything anyone can think of that I'm missing? Again, I would like to thank everyone who helped me out already. Any suggestions are welcome.