 Stats on a Spy, anyone got stats on Michael Western? |
  |
 Sep 21 2007, 12:08 PM
Post
#1
|
|
|
Target  Group: Members Posts: 20 Joined: 26-September 05 From: Cincy Ohio Member No.: 7,778  |
Just curious, I need a spy for my game of the Burn Notice variety ( for those that don't want .. you need to). Anyone have some good ideas for stats, gear, contacts such. What does a spy in the 6th world look like?
|
 |
 
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 12:40 PM
Post
#2
|
|
|
Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
Well, there's a number of ways to do it. Are you going to have this character be magical or mundane? If magical is it an adept, magician, or mystic adept? Once you make that fundamental decision, we can probably help you out a little more since it'll alter the priorities.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 01:07 PM
Post
#3
|
|
|
Target Group: Members Posts: 20 Joined: 26-September 05 From: Cincy Ohio Member No.: 7,778 |
Mundane Preferably
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 01:14 PM
Post
#4
|
|
|
Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
Bioware or cyberware, what do you prefer?
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 03:42 PM
Post
#5
|
|
|
Target Group: Members Posts: 20 Joined: 26-September 05 From: Cincy Ohio Member No.: 7,778 |
Bio Ware is less Exploit-able and detectable however I am assuming some cyberware would be required. Wired reflexes etc..
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 03:49 PM
Post
#6
|
|
|
Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
So, what are you asking? Do you want us to actually make your character for you?
Why don't you post what you have, and we could work from there? |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 03:53 PM
Post
#7
|
|
|
Target Group: Members Posts: 20 Joined: 26-September 05 From: Cincy Ohio Member No.: 7,778 |
I was really just looking for ideas. What kinds of things a spy would have and need. That sort of thing. However if someone wants to roll full stats. That would be cool. As for what I have to go on is just flow right now. I was basically going to take the Face out of the core book and throw in some skills from the Weapons Specialist and Covert Ops etc. So I was really just looking for some ideas on skills, gear, ware, etc..
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 03:58 PM
Post
#8
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
I would go with eyes/ears/datajack since they are so useful for intel gathering and get about as much attention as a digital watch does today.
From there, it gets tough. I don't think I would go with wired reflexes. A spy like Mike Weston really only needs the extra passes when his charm, tech, and tactics fail him. Perhaps synaptic acc 1, or maybe just a combat drug gland. You really want to be able to fly commercial air with just a fake ID. That seriously limits the amount of chrome you can get away with. Of course, if this will be a PC, you really have to have Wired or Synaptic because the other players will probably have 2+ passes too. I would call Michael Weston 50% face, 25% covert op, and 25% sam. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:09 PM
Post
#9
|
|
|
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,718 Joined: 14-September 02 Member No.: 3,263 |
I'm with Ed_209a. No implants beyond what Average Joe would have. Spys don't stick out. For the same reason I'd stay mundane. Unless you are thinking totally glitz Hollywood spy. Although even there nah.
Try build a 450BP with implants of only a DJ, eyes, and ears. Nothing 'R' or definately not 'F' in them and definately NOT better than Alpha. Hell, not even sure you need to worry about ears as a bud will do just fine. He might have a concealed cyber-glove compartment although I'm not sure I'd even do that. But definately have some nifty 'F' gear stashed. Like the new nano fingerprint faking goop and hardware/software cracking stuff. Drugs for a pinch. Then give them solid 4s and 5s for stats and go nuts on the skills. Don't forget the Knowledge skills either. Knowledge skills are very useful for blending in and appearing to be something they are not. A spy above all things is about social stealth. EDIT: Oh and Edge. Break the bank on Edge. If you want him to be truely formitable in a fight that's how you do it without IP implants when surprised and no time to dig out and drop a combat. He'll still have to use guile and hit & run (before the Edge runs out!) but he'll still be a serious threat and have survivability. P.S. Another interesting potential way to go I think is technomancer. Right off the bat they are as hard to detect an not mundane as higher Grade Initiates with Masking. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:18 PM
Post
#10
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 12-October 03 From: Germany, Regensburg Member No.: 5,709 |
Personally, I would build a spy completely without cyberware... Perhaps some bioware, because it's hard to detect, but probably totaly without any ware... Ok, perhaps geneware...
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:26 PM
Post
#11
|
|||
|
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,718 Joined: 14-September 02 Member No.: 3,263 |
That occured to me too. I've found that playing such a character is a lot of fun and in a lot of ways it turns out a lot like this. I just thought that no cyber at all could stick out a bit in 2070? |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:29 PM
Post
#12
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
With some Back-of-Envelope figuring, I got 3's for the physical stats, and 4s for the mental stats from 200 BPs. Seems appropriate. As for 4s & 5s, what is the attribute limit for 450? Sounds like you would need nearly 300 pts just for the stats.
Oh, LOTS of Edge... EdgeEdgeEdge. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:42 PM
Post
#13
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 12-October 03 From: Germany, Regensburg Member No.: 5,709 |
As you can access full VR with trodes, there's absolutely no need to get a datajack. And a "normal" corp employe doesn't need artificial eyes or ears... So I think that most people in 2070 are not cybered... |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:47 PM
Post
#14
|
|||||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
I think of it sort of like personal electronics today. If a guy has a digital watch, a cell phone and is listening to a MP3 player, you don't look twice at him. I think it will be the same in 2070 with cyberware. Eyes, ears, jacks, skillwires, implant commlinks, it's just part of the landscape. Now, if you have rat4 eyes, rat4 ears and rating 5 skillwires, that might raise some eyebrows... but it doesn't' mark you as a 'runner. |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:47 PM
Post
#15
|
|
|
ghostrider Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 |
Don't forget that this is SR, though. Cyber is "normal" to an extent. Malls have bodyshops in them as standard storefronts. Obvious cyberlimbs on a wageslave? Maybe not. Cybereyes that change colors (and could easily be hiding other mods)? Certainly. Gotta impress the girls at the club. At least, that's what the ads said. Now that I have them, freakin' everyone has them. Waste of damn money if you ask me now. Course, they do look cool.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 04:59 PM
Post
#16
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
Perfectly valid points, nobody _needs_ the items mentioned. No one today _needs_ a cellphone. Or a watch. Or MP3 player. We just want them. It will be no different in 2070. They will be convenience items. They will be status items. To put these in perspective, most of us are probably middle lifestyle in S4 terms. Eyes ears and jacks each cost 10% of a months total bills. Skillwires are a little more than one month's bills. Balance this with people today who spend 2-3 months bills just to change the way they look. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 05:07 PM
Post
#17
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,246 Joined: 8-June 07 Member No.: 11,869 |
I'll take a stab at statting Michael Western
Attributes: Bod 3 Agi 3 React 3 Str 3 Chr 5 Int 1 Log 1 Will2 Active Skills: Influence Group: 4 Knowledge Skills: Pseudo-spy Buzzwords: 6 T&A Montages: 6 Contacts: Lots of Loyalty: 1 contacts Resources: 6 months High Lifestyle (an apartment right on the beach in Miami) Negative Qualities: Incompetent: Finance (he leaves his emergency accounts where they can be easily found and frozen. Then after several scenes complaining about not having any money, he gets one of the most expensive apartments you can find in Florida) Incompetent: Leadership (clearly incompetent in Tactics and Strategy because he gets an apartment that faces the open ocean. Not too smart if you're worried that someone may be watching you or wanting to kill you). Did I miss anything? :D |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 05:25 PM
Post
#18
|
|
|
Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,159 Joined: 12-April 07 From: Ork Underground Member No.: 11,440 |
Some of the rating 12 or less or non F rated Cyberware Suites would also work and not raise any alerts.
Shiawase ExcutiveSuite Line-Silverline Ziess SenSation Line-Basic Edition, and Livecaster Edition. Most of the Geneware is going to be hard for most security scanner to detect. Most of the Nanoware would be legal and would prove to be harder to detect, now the Nanocyberware is a different story. WMS |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 05:38 PM
Post
#19
|
|
|
Man Behind the Curtain Group: Admin Posts: 14,871 Joined: 2-July 89 From: End of the Yellow-Brick Road Member No.: 3 |
I would submit this as a little closer... :P
Attributes: Bod 3 Agi 3 React 3 Str 3 Chr 5 Int Log Will Edge 7 Active Skills: Influence Group: 4 Pistols: 3 Perception: 5 Knowledge Skills: Pseudo-spy Buzzwords: 6 T&A Montages: 6 Contacts: Sam Axe Loyalty: 5 Fiona Glenanne: Loyalty 6 Lots of Loyalty: 1 contacts Resources: 6 months In addition to his apartment being several months rent-free due in return for services rendered, the siphoned off a little cash from the $10M out of the boat. His lifestyle is far from high.... Negative Qualities: Dependants: Mother & Brother Code of Honor: Cannot leave friends/family in the lurch even if it may cost him his life. Feels compelled to help the underdog. (Must make Will[3] test to not assist people coming to him in need where his talents are one of the only ways they can be helped.) |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 05:55 PM
Post
#20
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 12-October 03 From: Germany, Regensburg Member No.: 5,709 |
I'm not really convinced, sorry. Spending money to look better, ok, that's what people will always do - they do since someone invented make-up and jewelry. But I can't imagine that a woman who would pay much money today to look better will pay much money in 2070 to get her eyes ripped out and replaced by cameras with infravision or lowlight. MP3 players, cellphones, etc. - surely. Everyone wants a comlink. But why should anyone want to get one into their brain? Listening to music is something people do - but running around and having lowlight? Why should a "normal" person want that? Some computer freaks, programmers, data workers, etc. will perhaps want to have a datajack - at least as long as trodes aren't equally good. Some corp people will want to have their comlink implanted, along with some headware memory. Many professional drivers, etc. will want to have control rig, ok. But most people simply don't need cyberware. Why should they want it? "Cool" things like Nanotattoos - sure, of course, many people will want to have these. But how many people need or want artificial ears? Of course there will be enough transhumanists, who really want to get better without any really practical reason (similar to the people who train every day for big muscles without ever having a real use for them), but this people will not be the majority. Bioware is perhaps another matter - except for a datajack (unless good trodes are available) I personally wouldn't want cyberware, but I would really like to get my hands on some of the bioware goodies, because they make your life better (less sleep, less fat, less smell, better memory, etc.). Who cares about lowlight, but being imune to many diseases? Cool. So personally I still think that most people in 2070 are uncybered - perhaps even less people than 2040 and 50. Bioware could be more common - if it wasn't that expensive. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 06:26 PM
Post
#21
|
|
|
Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
First of all, I don't think it's easy to examine if that fancy cybereyes have extras like low-light vision built in.
Getting cyberware is a main part of the whole cyberpunk genre and even though SR is not 100% pure cyberpunk, it has strong ties to it, what leads to the conclusion that many people in the 6th world will have cyberware. Not only nerds, military personnel and criminals, but also Joe and Jane Average. Fancy new cybereyes, cybergenitalia, trauma damper and whatnot. Augmentation offers cybersuits (basically packages of cyberware that are a little more essence-friendly) so there seems to be a market for it. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 06:35 PM
Post
#22
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 12-October 03 From: Germany, Regensburg Member No.: 5,709 |
No, I don't think that there's much PUNK in Shadowrun. Style over Substance is not written in big letters on the sky :-) If you want cool eyes, get contact lenses, they can even have an image link, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 06:37 PM
Post
#23
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
Doesn't bother me a bit. Enjoy your game. :) Except at the most basic level, human culture and fads are even harder to predict than technology. I fully expect the 2070s to be completely unrecognizable to my 2007 self. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 06:47 PM
Post
#24
|
|||
|
Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
It is virtually guaranteed that the people of our future will do things which would shock and horrify us. Were we able to glimpse our own future we would riot and panic and do anything possible to prevent it. Similarly, the people of the future will look back at us and consider us ignorant savages for thinking so. What would someone from 200 years ago think about our attitudes towards entertainment, sexuality, and race? It is perfectly reasonable to think that "people of the future" would find our reluctance to replace our fallible meat with superior technology quaint, at best. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Sep 21 2007, 07:51 PM
Post
#25
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 12-October 03 From: Germany, Regensburg Member No.: 5,709 |
It's also perfectly reasonable to think that the people of the future would find our ideas of becoming "transhuman" cyborgs strange and sick :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 26th April 2024 - 12:06 PM |
Topps, Inc has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Shadowrun. Topps, Inc has granted permission to the Dumpshock Forums to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with the Dumpshock Forums in any official capacity whatsoever.