Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Bushw4cker on <12-06-17/0952:33>
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A Character that I'm helping player make who is new to Shadowrun. It's going to be a bit above Street Level campaign that I have ran before with other players.
The character is an uncouth elf magician who a practitioner of Black Magic. He does whatever he wants and doesn't care who he hurts in the process. He has two blackmailed contacts that are terrified of him. (Better to be feared than to be Loved Quality.) He uses a small army of bound earth spirits to help in combat and to intimidate.
Any thoughts, comments or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks
Link to character sheet.
https://ibb.co/mo5ESw
Karma Gen 800 Karma
CHARACTER
Elf Magician
Black Magic Tradition
ATTRIBUTES
BOD 3
AGI 3
REA 3
STR 3
WIL 6
LOG 3
INT 5
CHA 6
EDG 2
MAG 6
Initiative: 8 + 1D6
LIMITS
Physical 4
Mental 6
Social (Astral) 8
POSITIVE QUALITIES
Better to be Feared than to be Loved
Spirit Affinity (Earth)
Dark Ally (Boggle)
Animal Empathy
Animal Familiar
Mentor Spirit (Stag)
NEGATIVE QUALITIES
SINner (National)
Uncouth
In Debt 6
SKILLS
Pistols 1
Blades 1
(Knives +2)
Perception 1
(Visual +2)
Animal Empathy 1
Computer 1
Intimidation 1
(Mental +2)
Counterspelling 3
Arcana 1
Assensing 1
Astral Combat 1
(Weapon Foci +2)
Ritual Spellcasting 3
(Minions +2)
Spellcasting 6
(Manipulation +2)
Summoning 3
(Spirits of Earth +2)
Binding 3
(Spirits of Earth +3)
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
Music 1
Trid Shows 1
Matrix Games 2
Social Networks 1
(Trolling +2)
Magical Threats 1
Talismongering 1
Magic Theory 2
Police Procedures 1
Insults 2
(Racial +2)
LANGUAGE SKILLS
English N
Japanese 1
Sperethiel 1
SPELLS
Stun Bolt
Control Actions
Mob Control
Influence
Levitate
Opium Den
Heal (Self Only)
Combat Sense
RITUALS
Watcher
WEAPON FOCI
Ceramic Knife (Rating 3)
FOCI
Binding (Rating 3) Spirits of Earth
BOUND SPIRITS
4 x Spirits of Earth (Force 6) with 3 services each.
1 x Boggle Spirit (Force 6) with 5 services.
ANIMAL FAMILIAR
Crow
STAG MENTOR SPIRIT
Composure (3) Test to back down from being disrespected
+2 To Summon Spirits of Earth
+2 To Blades
BLACKMAILED CONTACTS
Mohammed (Arab Dwarf Street Doc) Connection 4 Loyalty 3
Chief (Native American Human Talismonger) Connection 3 Loyalty 4
CONTACT
Smiley (Ork Fixer) Connection 4 Loyalty 2
ID/LICENSES/MONEY
Real SIN (National, UCAS)
Fake SIN (Rating 4) John Smith
2 x Standard Credsticks
COMMLINK
Renraku Sensei (with Hot Sim Mod)
Data 3 Firewall 4
Program Carrier Mod (Virtual Machine)
Programs: Encryption, Browse
Apps: P2.1, Miracle Shooter
AR Gloves, Trodes, Subvocal Mic
WEAPONS
Ruger Super Warhawk w/ 30 Rounds Explosive Ammo
ARMOR
Lined Coat
w/ Fire Resistance 6, Nonconductivity 3
Armor Clothing
w/ Concealed Pockets (x1), Biofiber Pockets (x2), Faraday Pocket (x1)
GEAR
Contacts (Capacity 2)
w/ Flare Compensation, Image Link
Ear Buds (Capacity 2)
w/ Audio Enhancement 2
Concealable Holster (Ruger Super Warhawk)
40 x Reagents
LIFESTYLE
High w/ Special Work Area
Magic Lodge (Rating 6)
Saeder-Krup Grid Access
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Your spell list lacks improved reflexes, which I usually consider to be a standard spell for mages (Though I know some people/tables feel differently.)
Your skills seem to be a bit... All over the place. It may be worth it to pull back on some of the ones you're not as attached to and bump the more central ones (e.g. perception, summoning, binding.)
Dark Ally requires Binding 7 and Ritual Spellcasting 9, so unless your GM has made an allowance, you shouldn't have it.
In Debt is usually frowned upon as a quality, but that's by table.
Most programs can only be run on cyberdecks, not commlinks.
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The Uncouth quality really hurts this character!
First, that intimidation skill and specialization will cost double, or 18 Karma rather than 9 Karma. So the quality only gives a net gain of 5 Karma.
But the social skills that he is missing make it even worse for him, because he is treated as "Unaware" in those skills. This means that he cannot default for etiquette, negotiation, con, etc. And what makes this even more painful is that normally a Charisma of 6 would give 5 dice for defaulting, which isn't that bad.
I would reconsider this quality. There are much better qualities to emulate an intimidating sociopath - Sadism, Vindictive, etc.
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Checkmate
Your spell list lacks improved reflexes, which I usually consider to be a standard spell for mages (Though I know some people/tables feel differently.)
Your skills seem to be a bit... All over the place. It may be worth it to pull back on some of the ones you're not as attached to and bump the more central ones (e.g. perception, summoning, binding.)
Dark Ally requires Binding 7 and Ritual Spellcasting 9, so unless your GM has made an allowance, you shouldn't have it.
In Debt is usually frowned upon as a quality, but that's by table.
Most programs can only be run on cyberdecks, not commlinks.
.................
Maybe get rid of Ritual Spellcasting...?
Improved Reflexes... As the GM of this players character.. I am OK with him not having Improved Reflexes, even though it might help team, I had some Playhers in the past abuse it.. Well maybe not abuse, but use to it's maximum potential, which made my job less fun, when the mage kept casting it on the team's Elf Sniper who had a 20 dice pool Longarms skill.
Practitioners of Black Magic gain the Dark Ally for Free. It is a Boggle Spirit.
Programs can run on commlinks with Mod in Data Trails.
My Table, I like In Debt...
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The Uncouth quality really hurts this character!
First, that intimidation skill and specialization will cost double, or 18 Karma rather than 9 Karma. So the quality only gives a net gain of 5 Karma.
But the social skills that he is missing make it even worse for him, because he is treated as "Unaware" in those skills. This means that he cannot default for etiquette, negotiation, con, etc. And what makes this even more painful is that normally a Charisma of 6 would give 5 dice for defaulting, which isn't that bad.
I would reconsider this quality. There are much better qualities to emulate an intimidating sociopath - Sadism, Vindictive, etc.
The Player is excited to play an Uncouth character after seeing the Quality. The number one important rule when I GM, is everyone have fun. The team does have a Face which can hopefully reign in some of this characters less than delicate social graces. At least he can socially interact with animals quite well.