Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: zorz on <02-15-11/1314:10>
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Hey everyone, this is the first Shadowrun character I've ever made. I think I've got the stats where I want them, as well as skills (maybe). But past that I'm totally lost, especially when it comes to spells.
This character needs to be able to handle the spirit world for the team, as I'm going to be the only one capable of doing anything to spirits. The group wants to me to summon, detect, hide them from, and banish spirits with flair. I also need some help handling drain, as the GM has implemented this houserule:
All spells with the (direct) tag add net hits to drain.
The other major houserule is that you can role dodge to avoid bullets as long as you're aware of them.
Alright here's the (very incomplete) statblock.
Name: Leslie, alias Rowan
Metatype: Human
Qualities
Positive
Magicial (Druidic Path)
Mentor Spirit (Great Mother or Owl, I think)
Negative (Was not allowed to take sensitive system)
Addiction, Mild, BTLs
Scorched
Allergy, Uncommon, Moderate (Formaldehyde)
Day Job (2 levels)
Big Regret
Attributes
Body 3
Agility 3
Reaction 3
Strength 1
Charisma 5
Intuition 5
Logic 3
Willpower 5
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Magic 5
Edge 4
Skills
Perception 3
Spellcasting 6
Counterspelling 3
Assensing 3
Arcana 1
Astral Combat 3
Gymnastics 2
Conjuring Group 4
Spells (potentially)
Sterilize
Shape Metal
Stunbolt
Heal
Improved Invisibility
Stealth
Increase Reflexes
Manabolt
Orgasm (after I learned about the direct tag houserule)
Equipment:
Probably not going to have much left for this, I'm just hoping for a decent force Sustaining Focus or two.
edit: Build is 400 BP, but all 35 points in flaws are required.
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You could get rid of the conjuring group and take only summoning and binding. Then use the 8 pts for more spells or gear. You can use your astral combat for your banishing supplemented by your stunbolt spell.
Any stat at 1 worries me both as a player and GM. Not sure how to correct it, but just a thought.
For spells get an indirect elemental effect spell. This will allow you to deal damage without having to worry about the boosting of drain. I especially like shockwave? (sound area effect) it does stun damage and bypasses armor 99%+ of the time.
With sustaining focuses you have to declare what category of spell they will be for. So if you want one for the increased reflexes it will only be useful for that (with your current spell list) or get one for your illusion spells (or go all out and get both)
Hope these thoughts help
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With the Qualities, if you're going to be big on summoning, I recommend taking the Spirit Friend (or whatever the quality is called) so that one branch of spirits will always be friendly to you (maybe Spirits of Air from Great Owl mentor?)
Please swap out the Orgasm spell for something else. I know it's a legitimate spell, but it just detracts from any even semi-serious game... Maybe Hot potato or something else distracting?
Stealth and Improved Invis are overlapping. You're unlikely to ever sustain both spells, and Invis is the much better option.
I'd swap out Manabolt for something else (Maybe an Indirect Physical Elemental spell based off Blast, Acid or Fire?) Currently, you have nothing that can damage a physical object, and Stunbolt will do everything Manabolt does, just with Less drain.
I'm assuming the Sustaining focus is going to be locked to Health spells for the Increased Reflexes. Fair enough, but without the Masking/Extended Masking metamagic, a Focus makes new mages prime targets for anyone with Astral Sight (Spirits, enemy mages etc).
- Nothing screams 'Kill me, I'm a mage' like a focus burning bright on the Astral.
Maybe ditch both the spell and the focus for some extra BP in other areas, and aspire to learn this stuff later?
New Mages can only do so much at once. Spreading yourself out too thin from the start is a dangerous option...
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One spell I cannot recommend enough is levitate. At force 5 with 5 hits you can lift a ton (1000 kilos) and swing it around at 21 mph (30 kph). Beat a ganger with his own bike, trap a target under a dumpster, throw the scenery into the blades of your nemesis' chopper as he tries to escape!! Not to mention the handiness of being able to levitate yourself and allies. The ways to fluster your GM and amaze you friends are limitless! Mind probe and control actions are two others I love.
On spirits, while they can certainly kick some butt in a fight, that's what you have those nice meatshields...er team members for. I think of spirits as a nice source of buffs and debuffs. A confusion spell can only keep as many gross hits as its force while a spirits confusion power suffer no such limitation. Also Breezy the wind slyph suffers no penalty for sustaining such powers and unlike when bound spirits sustain a spell, will do so the entire combat for one service.
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Note: I LOVE levitate, but because it was such a staple 'weapon ' for a psycho combat shaman, I've been veto'ed from utilising it in my current campaign, for all of the above cool tricks that Loki has mentioned....
So if you can take it, do so.
Nothing surprises the troll ganger more than the scrawny runt gesturing for him to fly three stories in the air...
Gang Bosses become much more open to negotiation if hurting you means they take physical damage....
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Thanks for the help, everyone.
I think I was able to build a character that can at least survive until I pick up a few more things. I ditched orgasm (it was a little too creepy), and went with stunbolt and acid stream (couldn't find shockwave) as my combat spells. So far the drain on stunbolt has injured me almost as much as the people I use it on, but at least it's something to have versus spirits. I don't like the 1 strength either, but I couldn't think of anything I was willing to ditch for it.
My spells ended up being Acid Steam, Heal, Improved Invisibility, Levitate, Mind Probe, Shape Metal, Sterilize, Stunbolt. Hopefully I can pick up some others in play. I've never had a Shadowrun character survive long enough to spend karma, so fingers crossed. I ditched the sustaining focus to free some points for more spells. Summoned spirits will hopefully be able to do the job until I can buy one in game and get Masking.
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Shockwave is either in Street Magic or it is under the sidebar about elemental effects. It would stat just like toxic wave, but use the sound elemental effect which is in Street Magic.
Hopefully you will survive long enough because additional spells are surprisingly cheap for the formula and not much karma to learn. It won't be much to buy up the strength then also.