We're Spec-Ops Dude!, Some Character Help Needed Options

[Leviathan]

Ok, I've played shadowrun for about a year, but have very little mage experience, so I could use a hand working out my character for a campaign that my GM will be running in a few months (yes, I'm jumping in early so I can try and get this guy built properly).

My Character:
Dwarvish Shotgun-Toting Dragonslayer Shamen

The Campaign:
We're an Ares Spec-Ops team, a world-wide response unit, sent from hot-spot to hot-spot anywhere Ares thinks we need to be. DM said "Think of the military units from Half-life, Resident Evil or Doom (the movie)."
In his own words, this is going to be an "Insane campaign"

The Special Rules:
130 build points
*All* Availability restrictions are OFF at Character Generation
An extra :nuyen: 2million at chargen
Can 'buy' initiation at chargen for :nuyen: 500k per rank
The 'starting skill/force of 6' rule doesn't apply for us

Stats that I have worked out:
Attributes
Body 6
Strength 3
Quickness 6
Charisma 6
Intelligence 6
Willpower 8

Edges/Flaws
Attribute Bonus - Willpower
Sense of Direction
Focused Concentration
Sensitive Neural Structure
Allergy - Uncommon & Moderate - Soy

Skills
Staffs - 3
Stealth - 3
Athletics - 5
Sorcery - 6
Conjuring - 6
Shotguns - 6
Etiqutte - 6

Ok, thats all I have worked out so far. I was thinking of dumping a lot of cash into extra power points, purchasing a few Foci (though not totally sure what to get, other than a couple of Sustaining Foci), and equipment such as hardened military grade security armor.

Does anyone have some ideas/advice for building my character? I've only played a mage for one session, and never played in a campaign even close to this level of poweredness.

[shadowfire]

special ops rock... thats my fav. archetype.. in fact i have been told that i am surprisingly excellent at think like a real covert spec op... i've done things so well in a game or two that even the gm had to shake his head and wonder how the drek i get away with this stuff

[Glyph]

Specific spell foci give the most bang for the buck, but for a full mage, I would probably go with a nice big power focus, which can add dice to your sorcery and spellcasting. Definitely get at least a grade or two of initiation. Invoking is a must-have, especially for a shaman. And if skills are not capped at 6, then why are yours? You should want at least your bread-and-butter skills (sorcery and conjuring) up as high as they can go at char-gen.

For the shotgun, I would go with an Enfield with maxed-out recoil compensation (Gas-vent IV, shock pad, and custom grip), APDS rounds, and an underbarrel grenade launcher with an assortment of the nastier mini-grenades. For more "subtlety", a Defiance T-250 with an extended laser sight, a sound suppressor, and shock lock rounds.

[Leviathan]

[tisoz]

In all the magically active characters I have ever played, I have never bonded a Specific Spell focus, nor a Spirit Focus. The Power focus can fill all these uses.

As a shaman, grab Invoking. As a combat mage, grab Channeling, and Shielding. 500K per Initiation is high, but you need Invoking. Initiate grade gets subtracted when using Invoking and Channeling, and determines how well Shielding is going to help, so I would get at least three initiations. The only reason I can see for not getting a fourth is if you need the money o get a Trauma Damper.

The Trauma Damper means you need 2 less successes for every drain test, and can conjure Watchers without needing to roll drain. Being the Combat mage, then you may as well get a smartlink and maybe a datajack to cybernetically run stuff others can afford to implant. (Like comm gear, radio, telephone, etc..)

So 3 levels of Initiation, a bit of cyber, and a Power focus, Or 4 levels of Initiation, no Power focus and the Trauma Damper if you have the resources.

[SL James]

[Birdy]

If you are playing military units like in the mentioned films I recommend disadvantages like

Incompetence: Tactics
Incompetence: Perception
Incompetence: Firearms
Quirk: Wears unsuitable but sexy(female) / muscle revealing(male) clothing

and skills like

Being killed by monsters 5
Running into stupid ambushed 3
Taking needless heroics 5
Using senseless burstfire 6
Dying really messy 4
Giving heroic monologes upon death 3
Ironic one-lines 3

Add in attributes like

Bod 7
Str 7
Spd 5
Int 2
Wil 2
Cha 3-6


And you are set.

[Leviathan]

tisoz - The cost is actually 500k per initiate *Grade*, NOT per initiation. So initiate grade 1 costs 500k, initiate grade 2 costs 1million, etc.

SL James -
1) Dont ask me why we aren't running a different set of rules, I'm not the GM.
2) I am keeping body high because in spite of how high your armor is, being levitated by an enemy mage through a monofilament wire fence *HURTS* (and yes, this has happened)
3) Considering that the examples of 'common' is things like Air and Sunlight, I think soy better counts as uncommon
4) See that skill list you posted? How the fuck am I supposed to have that many skills? Those skills and stats that I posted there fill out 130bp
5) I dont know what the rest of the team is, it hasn't been assembled yet

[Oracle]

[nick012000]

Drop Ettiquette down. You don't really need it all that much. Use it to buy up Unarmed Combat or Stealth.

[tisoz]

Damn...

Then buy karma at 25,000 :nuyen: a point and initiate that way. ;)

I really do not know what to say. The GM sounds like he wants to magically screw you.

Shamen really need Invoking, I totally disagree with SL James here. Quickening without karma is like tits on a bull. Channeling will let you get the spirits powers for ten minutes to an hour, usually plenty of time going into combat, and you get immunity to normal weapons, improved physical stats, and unlimited uses of of normal spirit powers. I would have had you make an ally if you had the karma.

In light of your GM using magic tricks against you, Sheilding seems even more importan, but like I said, evidently he knows how he is going to screw the party and doesn't want magic to be anywhere near the tech advantage he is handing out.

See about buying karma. If not, start seeing about buying tech ways to counter magic. Buy several Nimu Salamanders and FAB III, biofiber...

How are you getting spells? Just out of starting resources?

[Leviathan]

[Lindt]

As a shamen, with the ability to be an initiate, either envoking or channeling is a MUST. Being able to call 2 nature spirits is a major useability jump.

I agree with SL that your starting skills are... lacking. It looks like typical NPC stats. And your playing a dragon slayer, ditch staff and take edged weapons like a REAL man. And whats with not having a B/R skill for your main weapon of choice?

[Leviathan]

[Edward]

Talk to your GM about allowing some of that 2mill to be traded in for karma. As a mage karma is far more important than cash. 25000 is what you pay for spell points at chargen and 1 spell point is worth 1 karma.

As for metamagics. Take one initiation and shielding. If your GM likes to pull stunts like that mono wire fence one you want shielding more than you want body. Also take heavy milspec armour and mono wire won’t hurt you, you may need to up your qui some however.

If the GM won’t move on the karma point then you in trouble. There really isn’t anything to spend money on. Frankly 2 mill in assets on a Sharman with max one initiation (2nd defiantly not worth getting) is like tits on a bull you don’t have the spell points to bond much in the way of foci. You can’t afford the essence for significant cyber and there is only so much stuff you can carry.

Some things worth buying if you cant get karma
Muscle toner (to carry your armour)
Low level bone lasing and dermal sheathing (to help resist damage)
Mnemonic enhancer lowers future karma costs and turns you into an instant linguist
Data jack (link it to external coms devices)
Smart link
Probably some other cyber wear.

As a special forces teem the geasas of talisman and gestures are unlikely to cause you difficulty and with grading I think you can get all the ubove for 2 points of magic lost

Edward

[Lindt]

I think the problem is what your trying to do is be too specific. The only att. you have that isnt near superhuman is your strength, and thats costing you 70 build in and of itself. (which is over the 'recommended' 60 points for atts, but IMO thats not a hard and fast rule)

I think Edward has it right, initate, get some cyber and drop your atts to gain skill points.

Channelling is from T:AL I believe? Or was is T:WL?

[Kyoto Kid]

Worked up a Fallen Angel character using the MJBB powerful rules and SOTA 2064 who ended up running through the Brainscan scenario. Had a lot of "specialised" and concealed gear (using the rules for disguising an object from SOTA 2064). Also had a large number of contacts including a CIA operative (who actually came in quite handy on a number of occasions), an international Terrorist, A "Procurement Officer" (who also was rather useful), and a Lone Star Commander. Her concept actually played out rather nicely in the scheme of things.

[SL James]

Channeling in in T:AL.

BTW, E's Ghosts from Double Take (which is where those Ghost stats come from (except for vehicle support. For some reason they have no rigger.) are basically for a high-end High-Threat Response/Counterintelligence sweeper team who doesn't do a lot of travel outside of TT or undercover work. They don't have Parachuting. They don't have Electronics. The only social skill they have is Etiquette (or Leadership for the leader, natch). No Wilderness Survival. No Navigation knowledge skill. No extra languages. And So forth.

But you know what? That's fine, because at the end of the day they only need the skills to fuck up a team of shadowrunners something awful, and I run with with their full potential KP (~15, since they're metas) so... But to make them really representative of what a Ghost specfor team would look like, especially one as high-end as them in their listed skills, would probably take another 100 to 200 karma. Adepts would have Centering and Centering Foci (For A Grade 3 - easy: Masking, Centering (Physical), Centering (Ranged). They'd get, with all 6's, 6 extra dice to all shooting tests or to reduce penalties before they shoot people).

If your guy is Specfor, then I'm wondering where are this guy's massive list of knowledge skills and multiple languages?

Moreover, Firewatch takes a lot of ex-(fill in the blank unit) operators. Where's he from? Was he a Wildcat? Was in in UCAS/CAS Special Forces? If he was in SF, he should have Instruction, since that is their primary mission: to provide "Foreign Internal Defense" support. Was he in a maritime-based unit like the SEALs (Underwater Combat, Diving, Demolitions, Swimming specialization)? Hmm? What he is is more than just the only skills you seem to think he needs. His skills list should be a page long (which is why starting ex-Specfor PCs are, IMO, nearly impossible to make under the rules unless most of their skills are <3).

Trust me. I've been making SF units for over a decade. Your guy is coming up very, very short for the goodies you're being offered. Like I said, you can't make a Ghost from Double Take, but you can at least not make a one-hit wonder who gets his ass kicked if someone gets the drop on him. Even those Ghosts can be killed if played poorly (I've seen it done. It was a one-sides bitch-slapping.), and they actually have lots of killing skills. Your PC... doesn't.

And for the love of God, someone take Small Unit Tactics at no less than 6.

[Altheas]

As the GM for this campaign, this is literally an insane idea that I’m experimenting with, so balance most likely is being thrown out the window. It is going to result in some glitches, since I don't have the experience, the time or the inclination to attempt to playtest or analyze it in an indepth manner. Already, this thread has pointed out there are a variety of different opinions as to how best the characters should be made, and the particular rulings that would aid the creation of these character.

I really don't find it relevant to argue about the different approaches I could take with this the issues this campaign raises. Advice for making a good character are good, particularly with the noticable gaps in this character. However I am not particularly interested in arguments as to particular rule details, for the purpose of making as 'powerful' a character as possible.

That said, now onto campaign details. The major justification for making initiations relatively expensive is that the extra nuyen represents gear that can be issued by Knight-Errant/Ares, and magical ability is somewhat hard to ‘issue’.

The money can be spent on spell points using the standard 25000¥ ratio, since spell formula can be passed along rather easily. IIRC (due lack of appropriate books at Uni) spell points purchased in this fashion may be usd to bond to foci, and I'll be applying those rules to the additional money. If the characters still need a little bit of fine-tuning, however I believe these characters should be very effective with all the options available to develop these characters. Beyond that I can't comment on other campaign details, since they are *censored*.

Finally, Soy is a common foodstuff 'nuff said.

[Glyph]

You know, I may have to revise my advice a bit. A power focus is still the best item that a full mage can get, but if you buy the focus and the spellpoints, you're well over a million - and you still want to initiate at least once (Shielding is normally better, but for a 1-grade initiate it isn't effective yet, so Reflecting is definitely the way to go). So, I would get a Force: 6-8 specific spell (combat, natch) focus to go with the obvious sustaining foci (increased reflexes +3 and improved invisibility). Invoking is still a great buy for a shaman, but you might be better served buying a wide assortment of useful spells. Let the mage with an elemental pack do the heavy lifting when it comes to spirit combat; you will be better off having a moderate-force spirit use powers such as concealment or accident on behalf of the team.

[Wounded Ronin]

SL James has won this thread, and Birdy is the runner up.

[tisoz]

[Edward]

The balance problem is that a samurai or rigger gets full utility out of 2mill in cash. A mage dose not.

And magical power can be issued, in the form of access to a magical group controlled buy the corp. and the necessary magical reagents to force the initiation (this is the normal explanation for cash for karma for initiation). If you don’t want to allow that then its your choice. Ill just have to spend the money in other ways, ways that many people consider broken, like lots of cyber wear and declaring an item of cyber wear to be a talisman.

And I still say reflecting sucks, the chance of avoiding the effect of the spell yourself is no better than with spell defence and the chance of having enough net successes to hurt the caster is close to nil.

Edward

[Altheas]

[Edward]

if you do allow initiation considering groups and ordeals then I would only allow ordeals that can only be done once, and have no chance of failure. Oath and thesis come to mind, there could be more. Geasa would also be an acceptable one because the geasa is required in game.

Ordeal would be stupid for reasons you stated and if they want meditation make them do the rolls.

Or just stick to your half million per grade. Its not so bad if not cumulative.

Edward