| Close Combat | Fire Support | Infiltration | Matrix | Negotiation | Transportation | |
| Cyberware | Troll Tank (http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=26238.msg487216#msg487216) | Ork Street Sam | Human Covert Ops | Troll Decker | Ork Face | Human Rigger |
| Adept | Elf Phys Ad | Troll Archery Adept | Elf Infiltration Adept | Human Matrix Adept | Dwarf Social Adept | Ork Smuggling Adept |
| Spellcaster | Ork Touch Mage | Troll Combat Mage | Dwarf Occult Investigator | Elf Shaman | ||
| Techno | Dwarf Technomancer |
Best Race for any role is the Race that you want to play. :)
Not surprising that Humans can do it all... after all, they are the most common race around. :)
B5, A4(7), R4(6), S10(13), W3, I4, C1, L1, Edge1; Throwing 6(+2 blades), Unarmed 6, Perception 4(+2 visual), Etiquette 3, Sneaking 1;
B4, A1, R3, S3, W5, I5, L5, C3, Edge 5, Magic 6; Spellcasting 6(+2 Manipulation), Summoning 6(+2 Spirits of Fire), Perception 4, Automatics 4 (+2 Machine pistols), Con 4 (+2 Fast talk);With 50.000 starting nuyen we'll get a focus or two, some vital gear, a R4 sin and a lifestyle. Probably even a bike!
B5, A5, R4, S3, W5, I5, L4, C6, Edge 2; Stealth skill group 5, Pistols 6(+2 holdouts or SA), Negotiation 6(+2 Bargain), Perception 6 (+2 Search), Con 5,We have a very solid statline which allows us for a little too liberal use of certain substances. Coupled with some very light augmentation, it gives us an edge both in and out of combat. Karma would probably go towards even more contacts.
Lockpicking 3, Hardware 3, Gymnastics 2, Computers 2.
B5, A3, R2(5), S5, W3, I4, L5, C1, Edge 2, Magic 6; Electronics Skill group 5, Hacking 6(+2 Hosts), Electronic Warfare 6, Cybercombat 6, Longarms 6(+2 Sporting rifles), Sneaking 5, Etiquette 3(+2 Matrix), Perception 1C-K Analyst and Little Hornet cyberdecks cost under ¥100k and with some modding they really become something great.
HOWEVER.Well said! What you seem to be suggesting here is that characters who need to prioritize Metatype are consequently better at roles that don't Demand high prioritization in another category (an obvious one being Mages).
Orks, trolls, and dwarves are not as popular as humans and elves not because they are bad at their jobs. It's because they have a high opportunity cost. That's the real deal breaker with... everything, actually... That's why humans are such a solid pick for any role, you get 3 edge minimum and Magic priority is quite easy to define for yourself anyway. Other metatypes make you wiggle around trying to find a balance between what you want, and what the system allows you to have.
The key word is "best", though. Outside of tank and/or close combat roles, orks and trolls may not be (purely numerically) optimal choices, but they are still viable choices.
Your roles are very biased. For instance, you're implying that for a magician, the only thing that matters is their drain resist pool. I could argue that since "Geek The Mage" is alive and well in the 2070's, picking a metatype that gives you added defense is a big deal. As well, increasing your ability to take drain includes increasing your Stun or Physical track, both of which a dwarf provides, making them the best at spellcasting.
I'll pose the question another way then. Say I have a player who loves Trolls from LotR.. Never played Shadowrun before, but knows he wants to play a Troll. But we have another character who already made a Tanky Close Combat specialist, and they don't want to double up on that role. He doesn't know enough about the roles to have a preference, he just wants to feel competent enough to contribute to the team. What's your next suggestion for him? What about Ork? Or same thing for Dwarf?
Where'd Fancy Derek go?
HOWEVER.Well said! What you seem to be suggesting here is that characters who need to prioritize Metatype are consequently better at roles that don't Demand high prioritization in another category (an obvious one being Mages).
Orks, trolls, and dwarves are not as popular as humans and elves not because they are bad at their jobs. It's because they have a high opportunity cost. That's the real deal breaker with... everything, actually... That's why humans are such a solid pick for any role, you get 3 edge minimum and Magic priority is quite easy to define for yourself anyway. Other metatypes make you wiggle around trying to find a balance between what you want, and what the system allows you to have.
I'll share this thread, which gargaM0NK may or may not have seen, because it's relevant to a lot of his inquires and research:
http://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=23374.0
In pure numbers, a Dwarf sounds like a serious boost, but an Elf boosts more universal attributes. BOD and STR aren't the most useful attributes in SR5, (especially STR, BOD has good benefit, but it no longer restricts your maximum Armor, so a good piece of armor can make up for what would have been a crippling weakness in SR4A) while AGI and CHA benefit significantly more skills, and are attributes people more often want to maximize, meaning the increased capacity is a big deal.Would you agree that the Str is somewhat useful in the fact that it's the most efficient way to increase your Physical LImit, which Sneaking / Weapons / Dodge all rely on?
As well, BOD and STR are less useful outside of specific archetypes. STR is almost useless outside of melee, unless you're relying on constant Full Auto on Heavy Weapons.