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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Smilin_Jack's Dedicated Character Thread
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 06:20 AM
Sup Chummers - in an effort not to spam the forums I thought I'd copy Emo's decidated character thread in order to get your thoughts, suggestions, and just plain dislikes of my first SR4 character.
So without further ado .... here's Cass:
Name: Cassandra “Cass” Davies
Age: 28
Sex: Female Elf
Build Type: Covert Ops/Weapons Spec
Build: 400
Race: 30
Attributes: 170
Skills: 158
Qualities: -5
Contacts: 6
Gear: 41
Background
Attributes
Active Skills
Knowledge Skills
Languages
Qualities
Contacts
Bioware
Cyberware
Gear
Posted by: Glyph May 7 2006, 07:05 AM
The background seems fairly plausible, although I would maybe consider changing it from the marines to the army. The marines have more of an elite unit attitude, and are a bit more picky about their recruits.
On skills, note that two stealth skills of 2 and one of 3 add up to 28 points - 2 points away from the cost of getting the Stealth skill group at 3 (which would raise two of your skills by 1 point, and give you the palming skill, which you don't currently have, at 3). So I would recommend scrounging 2 points from somewhere and taking the skill group. On the other hand, you could probably break up the close combat skill group, and just take unarmed: 3 and edged weapons: 3 (your gear doesn't seem to include any clubs or similar weapons). That would give you the 2 points for the stealth group, with 4 more to use to raise a skill by one point, or take two specializations.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 07:13 AM
Thanks Glyph. Nice catch there.
Updated as suggested below:
Active Skills
Posted by: fistandantilus3.0 May 7 2006, 08:47 AM
I was wondering why you have automatics, pistols, and unarmed combat at 4, and stealth group, for a covert ops specialist, at 3. Drop each of those down one, and you can hike that group to 4, which seems to fit more with the characters stated 'theme'. Besides, people trained by the military generally focus more on automatics as opposed to pistols, so they shouldn't be equal (IMO). I can defintely understand wanting to be a bit more prepared for combat that the GM is going to throw at you. Just seems off to me.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 03:42 PM
Hey Fistandantilus. I can agree witht he pistols vs autmatics issue - as far as raising her stealth to 4, I'm just not sure.
I'm thinking she either liked the training that her time in the Army offered, or maybe for the last 6 years she's come to understand that running the shadows you have to rely on both the indirect and direct approaches to get you to the next run.
She definately doesn't want to be unprepared when dealing with the megas, especially after watching (and assisting for that matter) Ares in the foul up that is Chi-Town. After seeing corp ruthlessness firsthand like that, she wouldn't be to enthused about not having enough firepower.
Howz 'bout something like the following:
Active Skills
Posted by: Big D May 7 2006, 05:16 PM
I'd recommend trying to find a few points for specs, especially for automatics (SMG or, more likely from the background, AR) and pistols (semi-auto covers almost everything). Depending on the role she served in the army, I don't have a problem with the pistol skill, but it would be worth it to drop it another point to pay for the specs instead.
Edge also seems really low, unless you're playing in a low-refresh game where it doesn't matter that much.
I'd probably recommend platelet factories over damage compensators. Don't take the damage in the first place. Also, it saves 1BP and isn't rated F.
Maybe not now, but I'd consider reflex recorders, a sleep regulator, and saving up for a pain editor later on.
I might recommend using a hardline from your datajack to a commlink instead of a chrome commlink, but that's not a big deal. Your goal appears to be EMCON on your PAN, and a chrome commlink just means no wires.
I don't know where you'd get the BP, but you might want to consider Computer Skill Group[1]. Hard to get by without that these days.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 05:50 PM
Hey Big D.
Didn't the Computer Skill Group turn into the Electronics Skill Group in SR4?
Electronics Skill Group
-Computer
-Data Search
-Hardware
-Software
As for Edge - I'm still feeling my way into it. A couple of the sample Archtypes in the book have an Edge of 2.
After looking at the platelet factory, I'm not sure which way to go. As for the F restriction on it - the Hacker has a Headware Commlink modified for HotSim which according to the table on pg 331 is listed as 12F. I didn't see anything about restrictions on the legality of starting gear based on F or R, only that it couldn't be rated higher than 6 or have an availability over 12?
EMCOM is the goal - as well as leaving a false datatrail (and known commlink) for the other side to follow (and exploit). Aside from using datachips to transfer data, Cass never interfaces her handheld commlink with her headware commlink. Running the headware commlink with the wireless transmitter turned off (DNI and skinlink connections only) she uses the handheld commlink to throw off the damn security drones that scan for PANs - and of course with the AR Gloves, Glasses, and Subvocal Mic she can still go into a closed comm loop with the rest of the team in a club or at a meet with a Johnson.
A sleep regulator, superthyroid gland, and some cerebral boosters are definately in her future - not sure I'll ever get a pain editor on a character again after that disaster in SR3. 
I like your suggestion on the gun skills - consider it taken.
Active Skills
Posted by: Butterblume May 7 2006, 06:32 PM
| QUOTE |
| s for Edge - I'm still feeling my way into it. A couple of the sample Archtypes in the book have an Edge of 2. |
Consider this: A street sam, for example, just can shoot again (most of the time) if he misses. An infiltrator, on the other hand, is pretty much screwed when the alarm is raised.
If you are not absolutely set on playing an elf, you could play human, spend the 30 BP instead for the attributes, and gain one edge point for free
.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 06:48 PM
I'd have to recover an addition 10 points to offset the losses from the Agility and Charisma bonuses if I changed races. :/
Maybe I could just toss out the Blandness quality? That'll give me an extra 10 BPs to bump up Edge to 3. Though I'll lose out on the -2 die mod on attempts to shadow or physically locate me.
Hrmm.. that'll also push my Notoriety up a point I think?
Posted by: Butterblume May 7 2006, 07:12 PM
| QUOTE (Smilin_Jack) |
| I'd have to recover an addition 10 points to offset the losses from the Agility and Charisma bonuses if I changed races. :/ |
I dont think so. Agility +1, Charisma +2 is just the 30 points you paid for being an elf.
Personally, i like the concept of the blandness quality. I didn't take it, because if the enemy can't find me, they still can find my teammates, and so is (in out-of-game-context) basically useless. (This is, of course, metagaming
).
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 07:35 PM
I think I'm more comfortable with dumping the blandness quality than changing her race. For some reason having her be an elf just feels right when I think of her IC. <shrug>
Attributes
Qualities
Of course, that'll bump up her Notoriety to 1 - but since she just moved maybe she insulted a Johnson when she was aquainting herself with the Seattle scene.
Posted by: Big D May 7 2006, 08:51 PM
| QUOTE |
| Didn't the Computer Skill Group turn into the Electronics Skill Group in SR4? |
Mongo not know. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
Or, I may be an idiot. Sorry, was thinking of all of the SGs that a hacker needs.
Only other thing that I can think of is to possibly drop some of the blades/UC skills in favor of another point of edge. Depends on how much you plan to skewer people vs. putting your silencer on the hammerli and zapping them quietly.
If you could get the points from somewhere, I'd bump A to 6[8] just below the elven max. That's a couple of extra dice for a *lot* of your primary skills. More edge is always good, too. But, the cost in skills or chrome might be too much.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 09:37 PM
Big D -
Again its you with your damn good points.
How about:
Attributes
]Skills
That gives me 10 or more dice for most of the Agi Skill Tests - plus an additional +2 due to smartlinks for the gun tests, right?
Posted by: Thanee May 7 2006, 10:28 PM
Well, you can drop Dodge, it won't do much for you, since you already have Athletics/Gymnastics and Unarmed Combat, both together cover pretty much the same that Dodge does in addition to their normal uses.
Bye
Thanee
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 7 2006, 10:48 PM
Hey Thanee.
I was under the impression that Dodge and Gymnastics were different at least for melee attacks?
Full Dodge = Reaction + Weapon Skill/Dodge + Dodge
Gymnastics Dodge = Reaction + Gymnastics
I thought that's why the standard Bounty Hunter, Street Samie, and Gunslinger Adept have both Atheltics and Dodge?
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 11 2006, 06:15 PM
I think my Search-Fu is weak.
Has there been an "official" FanPro ruling on the Dodge vs Gymnastics issue?
I've found a couple of threads arguing back and forth about it, but I can't tell if anyone submitted a question to FP about it. 
Posted by: Aaron May 11 2006, 08:59 PM
Check out the Defense cheat sheet on my http://pavao.org/shadowrun/ page. I probably have it right.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 14 2006, 08:00 AM
Revision
Name: Cassandra “Caz” Davies
Age: 26
Sex: Female Elf
Build Type: Covert Ops/Weapons Spec
Starting Nuyen: 1350:nuyen:
“This’ll be wiz!”
Build: 400
Metatype: 30
Attributes: 180
Special Attributes: 20
Skills: 142
Qualities: -30
Contacts: 8
Gear: 50
Personality:
Background
Attributes
Active Skills
Knowledge Skills
Languages
Qualities
Contacts
Bioware
Cyberware
Gear
I know some people here treat Dodge and Gymnastics interchangeably - but Dodge needs to stay until I get confirmation on how the GM is going to rule on it.
Posted by: Ophis May 14 2006, 08:20 AM
The BBB states the stuff on Gymnastics and dodge. It's in the rules man.
Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 14 2006, 08:25 AM
And what it states is:
| QUOTE (BBB) |
| Gymnastics Dodge: Characters skilled in Gymnastics can spend their action fl ipping, rolling, cartwheeling, etc. out of danger, and may add Gymnastics skill to their dice pool against either ranged or melee attacks. |
Is it added in place of or along with Dodge? I've searched these forums high and low and found both interpretations - so until I get an answer from my email to Rob or the GM rules on it.... I'll keep it.
Posted by: Big D May 14 2006, 04:02 PM
One thing that you dropped for this iteration that you might want to put back in is specs. For example, you could drop UC[3] to UC[2] (Martial Arts), and have an effective +4 for pretty much anything you do with UC, and have enough BP left over to spec AR or SMG in automatics, and pick up +2 there.
Same thing with Pistols, drop it by 1 and spec semi-auto, you're at +1 after the drop and have 2 BP to drop into a perception (probably visual) spec.
Posted by: Aaron May 14 2006, 05:17 PM
| QUOTE (Smilin_Jack) |
| Is it added in place of or along with Dodge? I've searched these forums high and low and found both interpretations - so until I get an answer from my email to Rob or the GM rules on it.... I'll keep it. |
http://www.pavao.org/shadowrun/cheatsheets/SR4Defense.pdf
Posted by: Stan Dard May 15 2006, 02:23 PM
Hi there!
I have to confess I would be more than happy if I could see more consistent characters like yours. I am probably knit-picking here, but I find the syn-booster [2] too expensive for this background. Aside from that, I really like the concept.
Thank you for reading
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