[X] My Assistant

[sunnyside]

Ok so they don't have anyone facey, you do use the social rules, I guess the last thing is would your jobs expand a little if a more flexible character.

Stealth has a way of just being useful but if it's all combat having face skills and some of the B&E gear becomes pointless.

Though regardless a face can still be good. Just remember to be proactive. Spend a little time using ettiquit and a little RP to get the guy your guarding to like you and suchnot.

[klinktastic]

I was just about to say something similar to Sunnyside. Being a face and having stealth doesn't really do much for you. My face has stealth, but can also change his appearance (with adept powers: facial sculpt and melanin control) at will and impersonate someone. Or with time, i can impersonate anyone, with my voice control power. Additionally, witha little emphasis on on B&E, you can do a lot of things, and persuade people to believe you weren't doing anything wrong.

[Ryu]

They've only had one job that had a Johnson. The other two were given via fixer. And yeah, the one Johnson negotiated them out of money. Though they get paid insane amounts of money for the stuff they're given, as they have a very focused skill set. Basically being doing long-term bodyguard work of particularly cautious individuals, as well as wiping out a (non-Canon) Knight Errant base.

In that case, I´d stress the combat part of the char - that means choose to be an ork, buy synthacardium instead of tailored pheromones, and by all means buy the Firearms group. Your group will face combat because that is what the others are good at. Do not sit back from the action.

[sunnyside]

I was just about to say something similar to Sunnyside. Being a face and having stealth doesn't really do much for you. My face has stealth, but can also change his appearance (with adept powers: facial sculpt and melanin control) at will and impersonate someone. Or with time, i can impersonate anyone, with my voice control power. Additionally, witha little emphasis on on B&E, you can do a lot of things, and persuade people to believe you weren't doing anything wrong.

Disquise, shadowing, and palming are useful skills for a face. So it's like he gets infiltration for free and the others at a discount with the skill group. And infiltrating to get an ambush and such is something that comes up (at least if you make it come up as a player).

It's more of a matter of having adventures that aren't just shoot 'em ups. But still that's partly due to the players. A face should manage to do some stuff proactively regardless. (Using the fixer to point them to people to get useful info, making friends with the guy your guarding, actually trying to sneak past the guards for a while.) At the least they might catch when a Johnson is lying and their negotiating skill should nearly pay for their place on the team all by itself.

And he's not worthless in combat at any rate.

[sunnyside]

I was just about to say something similar to Sunnyside. Being a face and having stealth doesn't really do much for you. My face has stealth, but can also change his appearance (with adept powers: facial sculpt and melanin control) at will and impersonate someone. Or with time, i can impersonate anyone, with my voice control power. Additionally, witha little emphasis on on B&E, you can do a lot of things, and persuade people to believe you weren't doing anything wrong.

Disquise, shadowing, and palming are useful skills for a face. So it's like he gets infiltration for free and the others at a discount with the skill group. And infiltrating to get an ambush and such is something that comes up (at least if you make it come up as a player).

It's more of a matter of having adventures that aren't just shoot 'em ups. But still that's partly due to the players. A face should manage to do some stuff proactively regardless. (Using the fixer to point them to people to get useful info, making friends with the guy your guarding, actually trying to sneak past the guards for a while.) At the least they might catch when a Johnson is lying and their negotiating skill should nearly pay for their place on the team all by itself.

And he's not worthless in combat at any rate.

[piiman]

alright, has taken all your advice and grabbed the athletic skill group, have about 13 dice towards an automatic group, 15 with assualt rifles (got ride of pistols for automatics, sure i can sneak a pistol easier but i got a small uzi for that) and got ride of some of my items so i can get more in the stealth skill grup. got ride of allergy alchohol and double jointed. if there is anything else you guys can think of it would be usefull, i got 2 more days to perfect this guy before i might have a chance to play him. (i say chance cause Im only using him if my useless monk dies or the group takes a vote and they would prefer this guy over my monk)

[KurenaiYami]

i say chance cause Im only using him if my useless monk dies or the group takes a vote and they would prefer this guy over my monk)

Oh, come now. He's not useless. He just...hasn't had a use thus far.

[ElFenrir]

Also, you might want to pick up a melee skill, to work with the Gymnastics Dodge in close. It doesn't have to be high; with your good Agility a point or two in Unarmed Combat or Blades(or even Clubs) would suffice. Even a 1(+2), which isn't that expensive.

[NativeRigger]

Never done one before, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. The guy's not a combat monster, and in a fire fight is meant to hunker down under cover and provide indirect support. This guy's gearing is a little weird and that's because the premise I am working off is that this guy is a young wannabe that's just managed to get noticed by a fixer. He took his life's savings and went willy nilly purchasing all the wiz-bang stuff first and only then finding out he didn't have enough nuyen left for many of the "essentials". And without any idea of what he was doing, his health suffered from all the cut-rate surguries he underwent.

CODE

Race: Elf

BOD: 3
AGL: 5
REA: 3
STR: 3
CHA: 8
INT: 3
LOG: 5
WIL: 3
INI: 6
EDG: 2
ESS: 1.6

Qualities:
Photographic Memory
Sensitive System
Sensitive Neural Structure
Biosystem Overstress
Nano Intolerance

Bioware:
Cerebral Booster 2
Muscle Toners 2
Tailored Pheromones 3
Sleep Regulator
Clean Metabolism
Enhanced Pheromone Receptors
False Front 3 w/ Mimic capability
Chemical Gland/Internal: False Front Trigger
Dynamic Chameleon Skin

Cyberware:
Voice Modulator
R2 Cyberears w/ Dampener, Record, Audio 3, Select 4, Link & Spatial
Olfactory Booster 3
(Alpha) Attention Coprocessor 3
(Alpha) Datajack
(Alpha) Fiber Optic Hair
(Alpha) R4 Cybereyes w/Flare, LLTV, Smart, Thermo, Vis Enhanc. 3, & Magnification

Skills:
[Stealth]:  4
[Influence]:  4
Data Search:  3
Hacking:  3
Heavy Weapons:  3
Pistols:  2
Unarmed Combat:  3

Contact:  Fixer  (2/2)

Cash: $65

Gear:
1 Month Low Lifestyle
Metalink w/ Vector Xim
Armored Vest
Mag. Passkey 4
Mag. Sequencer 4
Autopicker 6
Armtech MGL-12 w/ 2 Extra Clips, External Smartlink and Airburst Link
Ares Predator IV w/ 2 Extra Clips, Concealable Holster and R3 Fake License
Yamaha Pulsar w/ Concealable Holster
3 Frag  Grenades
30 Rds. Predator Ammo
10 Rds. Pulsar Ammo

-NR

[piiman]

NativeRigger - i am assuming you are using more books then just the core SR4 book, which is the only one i have, so im not really sure what some of that stuff you listed is

[sunnyside]

On your old Monk character. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's a human skilled only in close combat, with other players who are highly skilled at range.

Therefore it sounds like you've spend the last sessions doing nothing until combat. At which point you run forward catching lead, but by the time you actually get there the enemy is usually dead to the shooters. I don't see why that paradigm would change.

Careful about not making your new guy too combat oriented. I guess it's a trick of finding a good balance. But you'll want ~12 dice at least in the things your good at (social skills and infiltrating) so you can't relaly cut from there.


Once the char is finalize you might want to see if the GM will give you a little Karma to start with. Maybe half what you've made in the adventures so far? So less than everybody else, but at least something to keep up with.

Lastly you might want to flesh the guy out beyond the numbers somehow.

[NativeRigger]

NativeRigger - i am assuming you are using more books then just the core SR4 book, which is the only one i have, so im not really sure what some of that stuff you listed is

Yeah, I also used Augmentation

Clean Metabolism: Gets rid of unpleasantness such as flatulence, BO and burping.

Enhanced Pheromone Receptors: +3 to scent-based Perception tests, +2 to social tests

False Front 3 w/ Mimic capability: Let's you physically alter your body to alter your looks. Somewhat random unless you take the
mimic upgrade. Mimic lets you duplciate someone else, but requires and expensive custom-synthesized trigger drug.
Chemical Gland/Internal: False Front Trigger: This gland produces the drug that triggers the basic False Front transformation

Dynamic Chameleon Skin: You can quickly and selectively change your skin color. Besides the obvious "blend in to background" it can also be used w/ False Front so that you can change your skin color also.

(Alpha) Attention Coprocessor 3: +3 to perception tests, taken more as an RP thing as it'd allow a face to focus their attention on one individual while simultaneously working the crowd.

(Alpha) Fiber Optic Hair: Change your hair color and style with a thought.

-NR

[stevebugge]

I remember an earlier post about you trying to improve the role play ability of the character, building a new character is a good chance to do it, but it will help if you can put together a good story for the character. Have you worked on one yet for this character?

Referencing that thread, this might help some

There used to be a section in the rulebooks (SR1 & 2) called 20 questions to help you flesh out characters. I've also seen various character info / background sheets over the years that help. The basic idea is the same in all of them though, a fluff sheet for your character.

Start with the basics
Age
Hair Color
Eye Color
Build
Ethnic Heritage (Troll isn't an ethnicity, Norwegian is, Norwegian Trolls can be lots of fun)

Add a few favorites
Favorite Band / Style of Music
Favorite Food
Favorite Trid Show

Family / Friends
Not contacts that you use for game purposes, but people you know that help define the character

Religious or Political Affiliations
In the Sixth World all sorts of religious groups and political parties sprouted up

Interests or Hobbies
Pick a couple, good way to pick Knowledge skills, a guide line I use is reserve at least 1/3 of your Knowledge skills for these

Pet Peeves
Everyone has little irrational things that bother them

Why does the character run the shadows?
Some do it for thrills, others for money, others for more personal reasons.

What (if anything) did the character do before running the Shadows?
Were they gainfully employed, did they lose everything in the crash of 2065, were they born on the streets and come up in a gang?

If you're feeling like you really want to add some depth to a character you can try some of these:

Does the Character do drugs? If so what is the character like when they are high?

Has the Character been raped or abused, how has this affected their world view?

Has the Character ever been in Prison?

Does the Character Drink? If so what is the Character like when drunk?

Does the Character have a psychological disorder? If so what?
I found in college this was a favorite of psychology students, and with a little research can create a very convincing character. It doesn't have to be something very extreme either.


Once you have a background worked up some other things to keep in mind for RP is to play the character in line with what you've developed. Sometimes that means doing something dangerous or stupid to stay in character. Making a habit of doing dangerous or stupid is generally considered "being a bad player" but my bias is if you do something dangerous or stupid because it's what the character would do that's doing a good job staying in character.

[masterofm]

Don't get a Predator as a weapon. It is a one-shot deal and so therefore kinda sucks to be honest. Get a sniper rifle instead and try and load it up w/ AP ammo. It's cheaper, you get to fire two shots instead of one per IP. Although the down side is it does not fall under heavy weapons. Still use a heavy machine gun or something like that. Also instead of going 8 cha go 7 instead for your elf. You already throw enough dice and having 25 BP for a single dice on your social tests is not worth it in the slightest. Remove your pistol skill and buy that w/ ingame karma and move some points into longarms for a sniper rifle. After that you will have a few more bp to kick around. May I suggest boosting one of your skills to 6 or two of them to 5? Man is it really important to have something like that, because it will be a long time before you go and improve your skills because of the karma NR. Those are my suggestions.

[masterofm]

@ Piiman - yes your monk has not been used, because generally you have to set yourself up in a situation where you would be useful. It's a shame since you already have the gun nut, who will out-damage and out-range you every single time. Hand to hand is just not where it's at and if your character only has skills in that I would suggest having another character. If he does have other skills try to play those out instead, and move in for the neck breaking after you stealth up to someone. Helps a lot, and is totally silent.

[KurenaiYami]

Helps a lot, and is totally silent.

This actually got me thinking. I've never personally snapped a neck, and I'm sure the movies play up the noise a lot, as they do with all speciel effects.

How loud is the sound of a neck snapping? What would be the threshold for hearing a neck snap in the next room?

Now I have stuff to think about.

[masterofm]

Well killing the person is mainly about severing the spinal chord. I'm not sure myself, but I have had chiropractic work done on me before and mainly I think what you hear would be as if someone was just popping their joints. My neck was pretty stiff at that point and it was quite audible, I don't think you would really even hear it through a closed door, maybe if the door was was made out of paper. This is SR though so I would set it pretty high honestly because who would be trying to hear specifically for that sound. It also might just sound like the guy was cracking his neck, so even with a perception test he might hear the sound, he might not know exactly what just happened. Maybe even just say "Dang Morris you O.K. out there? That sounded like you need to stretch out more." If there was no response I would have him check out what happened.

[NativeRigger]

Don't get a Predator as a weapon. It is a one-shot deal and so therefore kinda sucks to be honest. Get a sniper rifle instead and try and load it up w/ AP ammo. It's cheaper, you get to fire two shots instead of one per IP. Although the down side is it does not fall under heavy weapons. Still use a heavy machine gun or something like that. Also instead of going 8 cha go 7 instead for your elf. You already throw enough dice and having 25 BP for a single dice on your social tests is not worth it in the slightest. Remove your pistol skill and buy that w/ ingame karma and move some points into longarms for a sniper rifle. After that you will have a few more bp to kick around. May I suggest boosting one of your skills to 6 or two of them to 5? Man is it really important to have something like that, because it will be a long time before you go and improve your skills because of the karma NR. Those are my suggestions.

The pistol is there for times when you can't talk your way out of a situation. Given that I only expect to use it at close ranges, icould drop the skill down to 1 and use the point somewhere else. Using a snipe rifle's really not a valid option for me because I don't have the cash to spare.

-NR

[piiman]

Once the char is finalize you might want to see if the GM will give you a little Karma to start with. Maybe half what you've made in the adventures so far? So less than everybody else, but at least something to keep up with.

the karma, my GM has said is up to my party/group to see if i start with any

[piiman]

I remember an earlier post about you trying to improve the role play ability of the character, building a new character is a good chance to do it, but it will help if you can put together a good story for the character. Have you worked on one yet for this character?

Referencing that thread, this might help some

yeah i remebered to go through those steps, and i think about those and other questions that people have sent me on both my monk and my face/stealth person

[stevebugge]

If you have time post it, we can help you tweak that too.

[sunnyside]

The pistol is there for times when you can't talk your way out of a situation. Given that I only expect to use it at close ranges, icould drop the skill down to 1 and use the point somewhere else. Using a snipe rifle's really not a valid option for me because I don't have the cash to spare.

-NR

Right and wrong. Right is that a pistol is great for a stealth of face guy because it's small and concealable.

Ok, it's true that most GMs don't bother with encumberance and the size of things so you could sneak around with a 12ft ladder in your backpack. But at some point they'll ask for a role to contrort through a tight space and they'll remember your hauling around a huge snipe rifle.

And for the face part. Well that's just a no go.

However using it as short range is no excuse to have a low skill! If you're sneaking and you shot/taser/sticknshock someone you need them to go down on the first shot, definitly by the second. That means you need to raise that damage value up.

[piiman]

If you have time post it, we can help you tweak that too.

yeah ill put it up and the other information that i made after i finalize it all

[piiman]

my group is tomorow, anymore idea's or suggestions before i go?

[sunnyside]

my group is tomorow, anymore idea's or suggestions before i go?

Your GM said that he'd do what the group felt like. You might want to try contacting them ahead of time so you can plan and possibly gain favor. I'd see if they'd let your new char start with 1/2 the Karma you've collected over the course of the campaign on different characters.

Cupcakes and similar snacks may help.

Save one for the GM though.

And whatever you do. DO something this time around. This would likely be easier with the face/infiltrator character. Remember with that fixer contact he should be able to direct you to who you need to see for what you want to know.