[SR*]Ever just have one of those...days?, Trying to breathe different life into characters Options

[Wesley Street]

Find a fictional character you like, file off the serial numbers, and figure out how to create something similar. There have been a few "How do I make Jason Bourne?"-type threads floating around these boards which could be inspirational.

It also helps to step back and take a breather. Sometimes you get so immersed in a project that it creates circular logic patterns. Take a walk and let your mind go free. That's when you come up with something fresh. My best ideas come right before I go to sleep.

[JudgementLoaf]

My solution to this problem was to start trying to design mooks. Thats right, corpguards, lowlifes, joe average. Then, giving them the runner touch, a slightly tweaked stat, a slightly above average skill, maybe a new piece of 'ware. But nothing amazing. This seemed to open a whole lot of new doors and made much more compelling characters.

[Stahlseele]

am doing that too, no more than 3 points of cyber and 4 points of bio in my characters and they still start looking the freaking same x.x . . even if i try to do something else, my character will become the combat monkey because i refuse to play something that can't defend itself . .

[DV8]

I have little to add, but I want to say that this is one of the more interesting threads on character building I've seen on these boards in a long time. Thanks for that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Aaron]

Find that piece of equipment, skill, spell, power, program, Cf that you have never ever seen anyone, or yourself, equip or use.

Build a character around that.

This is an excellent idea.

[pbangarth]

My daughter is a drummer. I wondered what it would be like for a young musician who fell through the cracks and ended up in the shadows. I took some of her character, added a bit of mine at her age, and a dash of our friend's son who fancies himself a guitarist and a rebel.

Presto-digito, a character who isn't designed for the shadows, but has unique talents to offer. Lots of fun to play.

Peter

[JudgementLoaf]

Ever tried to make a total non-combatant? I know you stated that you didn't want a character that couldn't defend himself, but having a super-genius character with tons of skills and a good camo is very, very hard to find. After all, if you can unlock any door or subvert the local defense net and commlinks of anyone nearby, you can have them chasing ghosts for the majority of the mission.

[Rasumichin]

I'd second starting with the numbers.

It sounds as if you are going main combatant again.

So, try to figure out ways to build a combat monster that don't revolve around your usual setup.
Take a look at the things your previous sams had in common and find alternatives for them.
Dig through the rulebooks, focus on equipment that inspires you, something that makes you wonder what you could sqeeze out of that.

Select alternative ware, different -and massively customized- weaponry and so on.

Then go looking for an additional focus for your character.
Explosives expert, climber, gunsmith, whatever.
Try to merge this with the PCs role in combat.

Or you could go a completely different route and turn a posession-based magician into a combat expert.
An awakened mercenary boosting his stats not with ware, but with guardian spirits.

[JudgementLoaf]

Likewise, you could try a different combat focus. Switch it up and play a sniper. Or a hand to hand combat expert. Heck, try making an uber mundane (good luck). Or, if you want to mess around with magic, combo with utility spells and guns. Some of the characters this can create can be really, really nasty. For example, I had a mage-sniper that I played for a while that worked really well. Invisibility, a cloaking gun, detect life (or personal favorite divination spell) and a couple of watcher spirits can make a real mess of an entire runner team.

[ElFenrir]

One character type I've always wanted to put together is a successful hybrid mage/sam. I have a concept for the dude in my head, but damned if I just can't get the numbers to work. I admit I can do a little min-maxing when it comes to numbers-I'm not a pain in the ass about it but I do want a good set of numbers that makes sense together.

We use FrankTrollman's house rules these days, too...and I haven't tried the concept out under that yet. So perhaps that is one thing I'll fool with. I've always been a big fan of ''hybrids.''

[HeavyMetalYeti]

My group once made PCs based on our own stats. 3 being average human. We got extra points for actual training for the skills. Being in college at the time gave us plenty of time to figure it out. The game itself was based on a Red Dawn type of senerio. No cyber or Awakening just the rules. you could start a PC like this and as the game progresses, add the augs that you wanted, maybe awaken or goblinize, etc.

[Aaron]

Hmmm...
...What's on your list of Qs ??
My list of Qs to get Players to think about their Characters is less than that.
Would be interesting to see what you've got.

I can answer this question now:

Please turn to page 18, Runner's Companion. There were twenty-one in the original draft, and a couple were cut and replaced in editing, but that's a fair list.