My first SR4 Char, Critique please :) Options

[Aza]

This is my first attempt at rolling a SR4 char, so im not sure if i've gotten everything right, so if i've made any glaring errors, or if someone has some advice for changes, please let me know :)

First off, character concept:
Somewhere between a Face and a Covert ops-
Viren is an ex security "white hat" (corps hire us to test their security and show them their flaws and how to fix them). His partner was a decker, while viren handled the "physical" aspects, sneaking in, disabling devices etc, and the "face-to-face" aspects of running the business, using his social skills his partner lacked.
Eventually Viren decided that the money would be better if he got to keep what he broke in and took, he sold his half of the business to his decker partner and started running the shadows.

Viren is physically not very tough, relying on reflexes, agility and intuition to keep him out of trouble. His aim is not so much to be able to resist damage, as to simply not be where the bullets and fists land.

EDIT: Ok here goes version 2.
*I dropped the blades skill and added perception4, if ever i get into a melee situation i'll simply use my gymnastics skill to get the hell away from them and then shoot them in the face :)) Also removed the retractable spur. Thinking about it a retractble spur wouldnt suit my char anyways, in any social situation with non-runners (high society, corps etc) a sensor check will spot my spurs and that would cause problems. If i need a "hidden" weapon i could use a hidden arm slide and a raecor sting holdout pistol (undetectable by MAD scanners)
*Changed the security expert to a street doc and increased loyalty and contacts by 1 each with the 2BP i got back from the blades specialisation
*Put the datajack in the cyberear (i can't see any reason it can't be installed in the ear)

Human, Mundane
Attributes 200BP
Body: 3
Agility: 4
Reaction: 5 (8 with reaction enhance and synaptic)
Strength: 2
Charisma: 4
Intuition: 4
Logic: 3
Willpower: 3
Edge: 2
Initiative: 12
Essence: 3.08

Positive Qualities 10BP
Ambidextrous
First Impression

Cyberware (including gear and bioware = 42bp)
Skillwires (Rating 3) (a)
Cybereyes Basic System (Rating 4)
+ Flare Compensation
+ Low-Light Vision
+ Smartlink
+ Thermographic Vision
+ Vision Enhancement (Rating 3)
+ Vision Magnification
+ Ultrasound Sensor
Cyberears (Rating 4)
+ Audio Enhancement (Rating 3)
+ Damper
+ Spatial Recognizer
+ Commlink (2/4)
+ Datajack
Reaction Enhancers (Rating 2) (a)
(I didn't get alphaware eyes and ears because the additional cost of alphaware inserts was too high. Also i know i havent filled the earslots up, i intend to add sound filters later. I wonder if datajack can be installed in cyberears?)

Bioware
Synthacardium 3
Synaptic Booster 1

Contacts 34BP
Decker (L:5 C:2)
Corp Suit (L:2 C:5)
Socialite (L:2 C:4)
Fixer (L:3 C:4)
Street Doc (L:3 C:4)
(Im worried i may have skimped a little here for a semi-face char, but contacts are expensive BP wise)

Skills 114BP
Active Skills
Influence skill group: 4
Pistols (Semi-Automatics) : 6
Perception : 4
Inflitration : 4
Hardware : 3 (as a level 3 activesoft)
Gymnastics : 4 (7 with synthcardium.)
(i took gymnastics over dodge after reading a couple threads Here and Here)

Knowledge skills:
English : N
Sperethiel : 2
Security Procedures : 5
Security Design : 5
Corporate Politics : 4
Electronics : 5

This post has been edited by Aza: Nov 16 2005, 01:42 AM

[6thDragon]

Perception is always nice. Remember, you can't shoot what you can't see. Also, shadowing is a great skill to have too. Shadowing is conducting surveillance, perception is sneaking. Palming is also used for concealing things (like weapons). You could always give yourself a few negative qualities and stealth skill group. Just a thought. Also, a street doc would be good, you might want more cyberware someday, or at least maintain what you have. But your fixer or corp suit have high enough connectivity you could probably just rely on a friend-of-a-friend. And lastly, tailored pheromones are great for a face character.

[Aza]

I thought about perception, but seeing as perception defaults to my Int of 4 (with a -1 dice modifier for defaulting), i would be rolling 3 dice +the modifiers from my cyberears/eyes. To get a 4 in perception, i would be basically spending 16BP's just to get 1 extra dice. When i upgrade to skillwires 4 or 5 down the track i will definitely be getting a perception activesoft though.

I really would like the Stealth skillgroup but can't see where i could trim off the extra BP's to buy it, i don't want to use Bad qualities, both my GM and i find that they tend to be "free points" that are a pain in the ass for him to remember to enforce. That said if i were to take any, SINner would probably be the most appropriate. (remember my char was a legitimate businessman before he began running the shadows)

Streetdoc is definitely a great idea, one that slipped my mind, but as you say my fixer or corp suit could probably put me in touch (for a fee :P). I'll have to think about that one, maybe drop the security expert for it.

Tailored pheromones is something else i had forgotten, i'll have to look at what i can do to put that in.

Once my GM starts researching and learning the 4th Ed rules (he's still tied up finishing our current 3rd ed campaign) I'll suggest to him 450bp chars, which would be a little more in line with what our current 3rd chars are at. I think i could really finish rounding this guy out with those extra 50BP.

Thanks so much for your help 6thDragon, much appreciated :)

[Gothic Rose]

[Aza]

Maybe im misunderstanding the rules. (it does tend to happen, thus the point of this post lol :P)

I know for a perception check it is, as you say, int + perc +/-mods, but i thought i could default the perc roll giving int + int(-1) +/- mods, Similair to the melee full defense roll, where if you have a melee skill its reaction + melee + dodge, but if you dont (or dont want to use melee skill) its reaction + dodge + dodge?

Otherwise there would be no point in the perception skill having a default of intuition, because anyone without the perception skill making a perception check would just roll int +/- mods?

[Gothic Rose]

[Aza]

Yes, its definitely a handy skill that i would like, and if i had a lower int, one that i would definitely take, but at the moment for the sake of BP's i will do without and either buy it with karma or skillsofts later. (unless our GM lets us take 450BP chars then its definitely in there :))

Thanks for your help Rose :)

[Gothic Rose]

Also, remember that there's a limit to the amount of modifiers you can recieve, based on the rank of the skill - you can only ever get 1.5x skill level in modifiers.

I hate that cap so much, because what counts towards it is never defined. I'd talk to your GM, because otherwise, you might not be able to get ANY cyberware modifiers if you don't have any points in the skill itself. Which would be sucky, neh?

[Aza]

Hmmm very valid point, i'll have to look into that one, i keep forgetting about the new caps lol :)

[Aza]

[Jaid]

your dice pool is not int + int - 1, it's just plain old int - 1

defaulting means you use only the attribute, once, and subtract 1.

[Aza]

Actually thinking about it again, i believe you are right Jaid.

I was forgetting that in SR4 for any active skill test (like pistols, stealth etc) the test is attribute + skill, i was still in the mindset of SR3 where you only test the skill. :P
So for a perception test you are testing the skill(perception) + the attribute(int), without the skill you default purely to the attribute -1, just as in a pistols test without the pistols skill you would default to agi -1.

Hmmm, now i need to have a good think about whether to get activesoft perception3, or spend BP somewhere to buy it....maybe make blades an activesoft and buy perception4 instead.

Thanks for pointing out that big hole in my char before my GM did Jaid :)

[Jaid]

i dunno if you wanna rely on activesofts for too many combat skills... you can't spend edge on skillsofts.

looks like you have a pretty hard choice ahead of you...

[Aza]

Ok i've made the following changes

*I dropped the blades skill and added perception4, if ever i get into a melee situation i'll simply use my gymnastics skill to get the hell away from them and then shoot them in the face :)) Also removed the retractable spur. Thinking about it a retractble spur wouldnt suit my char anyways, in any social situation with non-runners (high society, corps etc) a sensor check will spot my spurs and that would cause problems. If i need a "hidden" weapon i could use a hidden arm slide and a raecor sting holdout pistol (undetectable by MAD scanners)
*Changed the security expert to a street doc and increased loyalty and contacts by 1 each with the 2BP i got back from the blades specialisation
*Put the datajack in the cyberear (i can't see any reason it can't be installed in the ear)

[FrankTrollman]

I'm fond of at least one point of palming if you want to secure a Raecor Sting on your body. It's not like you can't do without, but it works better with.

Now, I lack the patience to add up all your funds, but Skillwires don't do skill groups, just skills. So you'd have Hardware 3, not Electronics 3 on your activesoft.

-Frank

[Aza]

Ahh thats another misprint on my account, im used to electronics being a single skill in SR3. Hardware was what i meant.

Editing now, thanks Frank :)

EDIT: As an interesting idea, skillgroup activesofts, maybe with level 3 skillwires, you could have 1 level 2 skillgroup, instead of 2 level 3's?

This post has been edited by Aza: Nov 16 2005, 01:45 AM