Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: SarahConnor on <11-18-12/0137:32>
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Hi guys. I'm fairly new to Shadowrun (I played it once, but didn't create my character) and I'm having an issue trying to find the right balance for my character. My backstory goes like this: Alice is a 112 year old Elf that was bred to be the leader of one of the most powerful corporations in the world, but along the way her power was taken away and any and all assets were stripped from her. She's maintained few contacts that give her information. She is a natural talker and quick thinker, but was born with poor physical abilities (can change if cripples character). Her main goal is to take back what is hers and to do that she puts together a team (friends I'm playing with) that can solve her dilemma along with their own. Physically, I imagine that she looks like a Banshee from Mass Effect.
Here's what I have so far (feel free to tear it to shreds, I need the feedback and the advice):
Attributes: Body-1 Agility-2 Reaction-1 Strength-1 Charisma-6 Intuition- 4 Logic-3 Willpower- 3
I haven't done anything with Edge, Essence, Magic, etc due to complete confusion.
I've only picked one skill so far and that is Leadership. I could use some advice on which to pick.
Qualities
Guts, Double Jointed, Quick Healer, Sensitive System.
I haven't chosen Armor or Weapons as of yet as I didn't really know what to do with that in terms of my character.
I appreciate any and all feedback that I get as I am really itching to play this game. Thanks.
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Given your high Charisma and the information that you have given, I'd think trying for a Face-type build would be a good idea. High social skills and a little self defense training should do ya.
Though I do wonder. Is she a Spike Baby? The UGE where elves started to be born in great numbers wasn't anywhere near a century back in the timeline (unless your GM made alterations).
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Honestly, I'm not familiar with the Universe at the moment. I have a copy of the book and plan on reading it as much as possible. So, I have no idea what timeline rules I may or may not be breaking, but it does look like she will be a Spike Baby as I wanted her to be familiar with a lot of old world technology. I appreciate your feedback and am quite surprised at how fast it was.
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Honestly, I'm not familiar with the Universe at the moment. I have a copy of the book and plan on reading it as much as possible. So, I have no idea what timeline rules I may or may not be breaking, but it does look like she will be a Spike Baby as I wanted her to be familiar with a lot of old world technology. I appreciate your feedback and am quite surprised at how fast it was.
Not a problem, wish I could give a bit more specific advice for a Face build, but I don't really play that character type.
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That's quite alright. I'll probably take that default build and tweak it here and there. Once again I appreciate the help and I hope I get some more tips.
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Some general advice. I am assuming the basic rulebook only for now, to keep it relatively simple:
I would avoid those low physical Attributes. Essentially, they mean that if your character ever gets in a fight, she will die, or at least be gravely injured. Plus, to be honest, the quick healer quality looks kind of odd in conjunction with such a low Body. She is very weak and unfit, but heals quickly?
For a face, Charisma is your main Attribute, although the other mental Attributes are also important. An elf can get up to an 8 Charisma, but you are probably better off starting with a 7 in Charisma (the last, maximum point of an Attribute costs 25, rather than 10, points, so it is rarely worth it).
Skill-wise, the most important skills are, obviously, social skills. I would recommend getting the Influence skill groups. You can only get skill groups up to rating: 4 at character creation, but the skill group saves you points, and has most of the social skills that you need (con, etiquette, leadership, and negotiation). You will also want the intimidation skill. Even if your character will not normally be so crass as to threaten people, you will still want to get at least a point or two of it to help resist intimidation. For other important skills, mainly at least one low-rated ranged combat skill, probably pistols, for basic self defense; dodge (gymnastics is just as good for ranged defense, but doesn't really seem to fit the character concept); perception; and perhaps a point or two in computer, to show general familiarity with tech. Normally, I would recommend some stealth skills, especially disguise and palming, but like the gynmastics, they don't really fit the concept of a scheming ex-corporate executive.
For qualities, first impression and guts are both relatively inexpensive positive qualities that boost social skills. For negative qualities, sensitive system is decent for a non-combat type who won't be loading up on 'ware. Others are - combat paralysis, and moderate allergy to silver (I like this one for both metahuman and awakened characters - it fits the mythology a bit, and silver bullets/jewelry are just common enough that it isn't cheesy, but it isn't crippling either). A big thing to decide is whether to be an adept or not. If you envision her as a mundane, then keep her that way, but an adept definitely has an advantage over a mundane as a face, because they can have the same augmentations, and add their powers on top of that.
For augmentations, the obvious choice is tailored pheromones. Possibly cerebral boosters, too. Beyond that, a datajack and cybereyes at least; I see a corporate type as gravitating towards headware and senseware.
If you choose to be an adept, you can add the kinesics power at rating: 3 to the above. If you want to play an adept who is unsullied by technology, this will give you parity with a mundane face with tailored pheromones. Or, you can play an adept who has succumbed to the temptation of augmentations. The disadvantage of this is that you will have to buy an extra point or two of Magic to compensate for losing magic from the augmentations. The advantage is that you can combine the effects of tailored pheromones and kinesics.
For gear, leave yourself enough money for a decent lifestyle, a good vehicle, a good commlink, and plenty of linguisofts.
Contacts are important for a face - don't neglect them. Hers might tend to be more corporate, but there should still be some criminal and/or street-level contacts. Corporate execs go slumming, after all, or know people they can get in touch with when they need some dirty work done.
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Ok....
1)The first Elven were Born back in 2011 when the Magic returned
--->so Your Elfin Ex-Exec could be only 60+ Years old
2) Attributes of 1 means a ...kind of crippled Char.
STR1,BOD1 & REA 1 in an old Human Senior Citizen may be OK, but not in a fit,near perfect Corp-Leader Elf. I would raise BOD and REA to at least 2
Raise BOD to 3 or You'll have problems with even the lightest Armor
3) Alice is a 112 year old Elf that was bred to be the leader of one of the most powerful corporations in the world, but along the way her power was taken away and any and all assets were stripped from her.
this would mean a lot of genetic Manipulation and Bioware so You'll need the Augmentations Book
but was born with poor physical abilities
If she was BRED to be Leader of a Megacorp, They would never allow a physical crippled Specimen. A Leader has to be physically and mentaly stable and inspiring
....I've got another Idea
What If Your Char is an imperfect Clone of Nadja Daviar or any other Megacorp Leader
that was rejected and put to Death/Obliteration but somehow escaped & survived......
with an imperfect Dance
Medicineman
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Assuming you keep your physical stats as they are: you want to avoid combat like the plague! Here's why:
To resist damage you roll: body+armor
To dodge an attack you roll: reaction (or reaction + dodge if full defense), -1 dice per incoming attack!
To shoot/Melee: you roll: agility + firearm/unarmed/armed skill
However, all is not lost for you. The face archtype is a good fit, as it is a charisma based character. They are the smooth talkers, powerbrokers, wordsmythes of SR. They get things done by talking/conning/guilting and beguiling people into doing what they want! So for skills you would want the skills in the influence skill group.
Hacking/rigging is also a possibility... They are the drone/computer wizards of SR. (but not my speciality so I can't help much)
Edge is an important attribute as it is basically 'luck'... Extra dice you can add to a test.
Essence starts off at 6, and limits how much bioware and cyberware you can have...
As to what type if cyberware (bioware) you want... That depends on what archtype you are going for...
Any more questions, feel free to ask!
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I do agree that you should at least be average metahuman in the physical attributes (3 is average), but I wholeheartedly and completely disagree with this idea of Edge being an important attribute. If anything, it is the attribute that one can most afford to do without, as without a very generous GM, it is far too finite a resource to be worth the cost to raise.
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I do agree that you should at least be average metahuman in the physical attributes (3 is average), but I wholeheartedly and completely disagree with this idea of Edge being an important attribute. If anything, it is the attribute that one can most afford to do without, as without a very generous GM, it is far too finite a resource to be worth the cost to raise.
You don't need an edge of 6 to start, true.... But an edge of 3 is useful for making sure you live when in that unintended gunfight...
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Yes critical glitches get you killed. It is possible to be an elf from before 2011 But it requires someone like harlequin to be her father, which to be honest knowing harlequin is totally possible hes got a few illegitimate children. The only thing id be worried about is the "being raised to be one of the leaders of the most powerfull...." sounds a little mary sue, and not really realistic if its only a 400 bp charecter.
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Hey, cut SarahConnor some slack if He/She did'nt know about Shadowrun History . Forget about the 120+ Years.
And You'd better not put any Bugs into His/Her Ears :-X (Harlequin ,Neh >:( )
@SarahConnor
Forget Harlequin and what Katrex wrote !
He who dances with a Stop Sign
Medicineman
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Hey, cut SarahConnor some slack if He/She did'nt know about Shadowrun History . Forget about the 120+ Years.
And You'd better not put any Bugs into His/Her Ears :-X (Harlequin ,Neh >:( )
@SarahConnor
Forget Harlequin and what Katrex wrote !
He who dances with a Stop Sign
Medicineman
Yeah, even with the age, there probably wouldn't be that much problem with saying there was a mana spike back in the 1960s which brought about a couple elves here and there, and the being bred to lead a major corp, well that's just a cool background tidbit.
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Going to agree with what was said before:
1 Rea means you'll act last and won't be able to dodge, while the 1 body means you won't be able to wear armor or have the health to take a bullet. I'd STRONGLY recommend increasing both. My Face has 1 Str too because of a whole "I usually can get other people carry my things" mindset, which probably suits your character too.
Ignoring the issue of "elves weren't born before 2011 so you can't be older than 61", there's a second problem with that age:
I don't see how "bred by a megacorp" and "born in 1960" would work together. The first implying the use of technology which was was not available in that time and the fact that actual megacorps as known in SR didn't exist yet.
For the rest, you're definitely going to want the Social Skillgroup. Best weapons for a face, if you ask me, are pistols. Easily concealable and often carrying a taser (uses pistol skill) may be allowed in areas where pistols aren't.
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I totally agree, a localized manaspike in the 1960s could be tied to a lot of cool events. Its a picturesque decade and there are a lot of global events that could make for the seed of a good backstory.
Mechanically I do worry about the low physical attributes, especially the Body and Reaction. The double jointed quality also seems strange for a character with an Agility as low as this one.
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Going to agree with what was said before:
1 Rea means you'll act last and won't be able to dodge, while the 1 body means you won't be able to wear armor or have the health to take a bullet. I'd STRONGLY recommend increasing both. My Face has 1 Str too because of a whole "I usually can get other people carry my things" mindset, which probably suits your character too.
This I can agree with, but I'd rather not tell people what stats to take since that is highly individual per character. Personally, being at least average in the 'non archetype' stats would be my preference, though.
Ignoring the issue of "elves weren't born before 2011 so you can't be older than 61", there's a second problem with that age:
I don't see how "bred by a megacorp" and "born in 1960" would work together. The first implying the use of technology which was was not available in that time and the fact that actual megacorps as known in SR didn't exist yet.
Could be a problem, but it would only be a slight tweak of wording to go from "bred to lead a megacorp" to "bred to lead what would become a megacorp". :D
For the rest, you're definitely going to want the Social Skillgroup. Best weapons for a face, if you ask me, are pistols. Easily concealable and often carrying a taser (uses pistol skill) may be allowed in areas where pistols aren't.
Some Perception might be nice. It is after all a very general skill useful for everyone. Couldn't really see Dodge as being a good skill here since I'm assuming the character wouldn't be heavily combative.
Mechanically I do worry about the low physical attributes, especially the Body and Reaction. The double jointed quality also seems strange for a character with an Agility as low as this one.
Meh, I kind of look at that as just a flavor thing. After all, I'm not that agile, and I am a bit double jointed (much less than I used to be...damn age catching up to me).
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Hell, if you feel like changing the history a bit, you could always say that a couple groups of people had gone under a sort of "elfinization" or "dwarvinization" during the birth of the sixth world. It's all up to what you and your GM feel like what would make a good plotline for a campaign.
...just a suggestion... :-[
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Awesome. This is exactly what I wanted. I appreciate all the feedback. I'm going to take the Face build and tweak it with the advice I've read here. I'm going to change out those ones and make them twos or threes based on what you guys have suggested. I'll probably have a little combat abilities sprinkled on so I won't die all the time.
When it comes to the backstory that was just a brief outline. I'm thinking of changing it. While she was bred to be this all powerful leader, she was born a physical disaster (for the most part) and cast out. She retained a great corporate mind and charisma, but was born with a poor immune system and freakish deformities (the double jointed ability). Quick Healer is out because it makes no sense.
Also, the GM for my group isn't going to be a dictator when it comes to following the timeline. It's less of following someone else's world and more of forming our own.
Again, thanks for taking the time out to help me out. It's much appreciated.
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Yeah, I wouldn't ever advise having a BOD of less than 3, but then again I come from a table where there's a 95% chance of at least some combat every session. Even if it's just an unexpected bar-fight or a burglar in your pad, you can't always keep yourself out of the way of danger (especially if you have a BOD of 1, it's your GMs job to bring it to you and make sure you know WHY a 1 BOD is a weakness). Weaknesses are meant to be weaknesses and a 1 BOD is a MASSIVE weakness.
On the same note, I'd probably never have a reaction of less than 3 either - even if you're not combat focused, getting caught with your pants around your ankles will just make it infinitely worse. 1 STR you can deal with (especially if you slap on a couple levels of muscle augs), otherwise just pray you don't ever have to drag your teammate's unconscious body out of the line of fire. IMHO, agility - even for a non-combat oriented character - is one of the most important attributes in the game (again I come from what might be a combat heavy table), because even if you don't need a decent AGI for being the truest of shots, you will probably then want it to keep yourself hidden or use other discreet actions, etc. when the lead starts to fly. If you're trying to squeeze points out of attribute allocation, maybe drop LOG by 1 unless you have some plans for utilizing it? I'm not a fan of investing a lot in EDG, so this would also be a good spot to save BP, IMO.
Regarding skills, I wholeheartedly second Glyph's recommendations. Influence Group, Pistols (they're discreet), Dodge, Perception and Stealth skills. A stealth skill-set doesn't seem contradictory to your concept to me. If one loses their traditional tools of power, ya gotta do what you can, and the easiest place to start could very well be from a covert approach. Knowledge skills should pick themselves for you, Business/Corporate skills/knowledge, Languages, etc.
Regarding Qualities, Double Jointed is a pretty niche application and I wouldn't advise it, also I think you're missing out on some NQs that can provide hooks that are custom made for backgrounds like yours, with the whole "lost glory" and "driven to reclaim it" background. If you know you aren't going to take any cyberware, Sensitive System is great (like if you're gonna be a Adept), but if you're not gonna be an Adept you may want to ditch that - as 'ware is key for a mundane. Some recommended bioware for if you are an Adept and keep Sensitive System would be Tailored Pheromones and Muscle Toner. Other gear to save up for; get tricked out Vision Enhancement contacts and glasses, and Audio Enhancement earbuds. Armor will depend on where your BOD ends up.
Edit: Guess I was typing too slow on this one, 7 ninjas! Dang.