Artemis Khaine, retired Firewatch, Heres an Idea I have for a character, suggestions please Options

[Deadpool]

Hi, Im new to these forums, if I am posting this in the wrong place I appologize.
The character I am looking to play is named Artemis Khaine (don't have call sign yet. suggestions appreciated). Before I go into his back story, let me give you the nuts and bolts description. He's a gunslinger adept (not going to crazy with it) who uses fire fight, as well as the elven Martial Art Carromeleg, (also not looking to go to crazy with that) who has some leader/face like qualities.

Artemis was a very charismatic Elven child who was born and raised in Tír Tairngire, with a very nasty Allergy to Silver, and his parents planned on raising him according to the old traditions. As such he was beginning to learn about the intricacies of elven culture and was even sent to a private instructor to learn the great Elven Martial art known as Carromeleg. He did fairly well with the martial arts, but didnt care much for his schooling. One day when walking home he found a discarded pistol near an alleyway in a somewhat shady neighborhood. The weapon intrigued him, and he spent all his free time learning how it worked, putting it together just to take it apart once again. About the time Artemis graduated high school, his parents began talk of going to University, however Artemis had no desire to "waste" his life reading books about things he could care less about. So instead he decided to run away from home. It was a long and dangerous trek but he finally managed his way into Seattle. He was able to land a job with ares corporation in the lowest rungs and wound up at a pistol manufacturing plant where he was content to work with the one thing that interested him above all else. One day while at work a great and marvelous thing happened, Artemis awakened, his magical power surging though his very being, and caused him to black out. He awoke in a Hospital where a man in a black suit and tie with a pair of very expensive shades was waiting for him. The man introduced himself as "a man he should listen very closely to". He told Artemis that if he was interseted in being more than just a simple pistol manufacturer, Ares Corporation was willing to train him to be apart of their Fire Watch team. Artemis was scared, he didnt have the money to cover the Hospital bill and he had no idea what was happening to his body. So he did what any other scared 19 year old would do, take the easy way out. Artemis agreed to entire the Fire Watch Program in the hopes of actually getting to use the pistols he helped build, as well as discover his true potential as, what people were now calling him, an adept. Artemis spent the next three years in very intense physical training and meditation. He found a new use for the martial arts he learned in his younger years and learned a new one that complemented his natural talent at firing heavy pistols. It was like a dream come true, everything was falling into place... Until he received his first assignment. A corporate executive known as (insert name here) had special privligaes wtihin Ares Corporation, one of which was a personally assigned Fire Watch Team to both guard him and do whatever else he requied of them. The executive was also a member of the humanis group and was very upset when the team leader of his new Fire Watch group was an Elf, even though he specifically requested an all human team. The Exec. decided to keep him on in order to constantly ridicule and humiliate Aretmis by sending him on incredibly dangerous and or pointless missions and tasks. Artemis put up with his crap for 2 years. The only friend he made during that time was a fixer at Ares Corporation who was responsible for arming the Fire Watch squads (he needs a name). Artemis's friend slowly showed Artemis there was a better way to put his unique talents to use, as well as make alot more money, but he would need to get out from under the Execs. thumb first. So after much deliberation, he put in a request to retire. The Exec. pulled strings to make him lose severance pay. Artemis's Ares Fixer then introduced him to his "new" employer, a man by the nme of Mr. Johnson. from here the Character is going to start running the shadows. That's the back story, and I apologize if I bored any of you, and thank you for reading this far, but I have some more help I need, and thats asking if I built what I described right, Below I will post his stats etc. Please let me know if I have done so right (new to game) and if you have any suggestions to make the character better, PLEASE let me know. I dont know how to do that spoiler insert or whatever so IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE THE MECHANICS PLEASE DON'T GO ANY FURTHER!!

Race Elf:30BP
STATS:180
Body:3
Agility:5
Reaction:4(6)
Strength:3
Charisma:4
Intuition:4
Logic:3
Willpower:3

SPECIAL STATS:65 BP
Essence:6
Edge:1
Magic:6

ACTIVE SKILLS:140
Armorer:4
Dodge:3
Pistols:4(spec heavy pistols or equivalent)
Unarmed Combat:4(spec in Carromeleg)
Perception:3
Pilot ground Craft:1
Athletics:2
Influence:3
Electronics:1

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS/LANGUAGES
Security Procedures:2 (corporate)
Etiquette:2 (corporate)
Literature:1(poetry)
Firearm design:2(pistols)

POSITIVE QUALITIES:
Adept 5BP
Ambidextrous: 5BP
Fire Fight Martial Art: 10BP
Carromeleg Martial Art: 10BP

NEGATIVE QUALITIES:
Allergy Silver Severe:+15BP
Record on File (Ares Corp): 10BP
Distinctive Style: 10BP

EQUIPTMENT:
2 Ares Predator IVs w/ laser sights
2 quickdraw Holsters
2 Colt manhunters 2 w/ laser sights
2 concealable holsters
lots of ammo...
Suzuki Mirage
Lined Coat
Fairlight Caliban Commlink
1month medium LS

CONTACTS: Ares Fixer 3/3
Mr. Johnson 1/1

ADEPT POWERS:
Improved Reflexes (2)
Attribute boost AGI
Attribute boost STR
Killing Hands
Elemental Attack (need suggestions for element)
Critical Strike 3
Improved Scent
Kinesics 1

So thats the character I have in mind, but I dont know if I could have built it better, to match what I described. I was someone who is as capable in melee with Carromeleg as he is with pistols, dont need a 30 dice monster just someone who can kick some ass and take some names, while at the same time having a decent number of dice twoards social tests to reflect a charismatic leader type. I want this character to be well balanced, so if it looks like I went too far somewhere and you can think of a better of allocation of points please let me know.

[Tycho]

For a retired Firewatch Member he is way to weak. Firewatch is one of the most elite units of Ares and has only about 50 members, who are the best of the best. Top of the line Equipment (even Deltaware) is common and no awakened member has less than 3 initiat grades. So personally I would take a background story that makes more sense, like a normal KE member and not firewatch. Your Stats are way off what a firewatch member must have.

cya
Tycho

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Basically, you take the Tir Ghost grunts in the main book and go from there. Or rather... don't go from there - back to the drawing board:
Any background that ends you with "Well, my character should be able to do that, but I didn't have the points" is pointless.

Use the Lone Star LT grunt for a base outline what a KE veteran should be able to do at minimum, drop the MA edges and get better gear.

[LurkerOutThere]

A few things

1)As other people have said a firewatch team member represents some of the best, if not the best corporate forces have to offers in resources equipment, training and overall experience. A better analog for them would be a seasoned or even very veteran shadowrunner. 2)Magical talent or no they would not recruit random Joe awakened pistol user, mostly because a lot of the stuff firewatch goes after will laugh off even heavy pistol rounds. 3) I'll admit this is me basing somewhat through my own biases but the firewatch are Damien Knights babies, as such he's the only one that gets to personally task them. Setting that aside for the moment 4) If your boss on firewatch or most other elite military units in SR has a problem with you he doesn't send you out on missions to ridicule and torment you, he has someone else on your squad frag you. 5) While there are exceptions it is unlikely that shadow work, especially for a "starting" shadowrunner would be more profitable then life as an Ares company man, especially on firewatch. He wants to leave for the freedom, that's understandable, but better pay almost certainly wouldn't happen to start.

So as others have said and I am truely sorry to be the one to rain on parades but the concept doesn't jive.

[Critias]

Which, really, is the problem with the SR setting being filled to the brim with all the dead sexy, cool named, super elite, get-the-good-PR, specops teams. Everyone wants to be a Tir Ghost, a Sioux Wildcat, a Firewatch member, etc, instead of just some schlub that did time in the regular military or security. And that same "everyone" surely doesn't start with nearly enough points to do so.

[LurkerOutThere]

I personally don't see that as a problem as i think it would be horrible idea to limit everyone in the setting to being no better then starting Shadowrunners, people whose greatest asset is that they've fallen through the cracks of society. Now there are rules on the books if someone wanted to play a more high powered campaign where a former special forces commando with years of experience under their belt might fit right in.

There are systems out there where the PC's are automatically superior to most if not all other's in the setting and systems where PC's are built the same as any other shlub, shadowrun splits the difference and I think it works well.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Now there are rules on the books if someone wanted to play a more high powered campaign where a former special forces commando with years of experience under their belt might fit right in.

Well, even those won't be enough to build even a rating 6 grunt.

[Glyph]

Which, really, is the problem with the SR setting being filled to the brim with all the dead sexy, cool named, super elite, get-the-good-PR, specops teams. Everyone wants to be a Tir Ghost, a Sioux Wildcat, a Firewatch member, etc, instead of just some schlub that did time in the regular military or security. And that same "everyone" surely doesn't start with nearly enough points to do so.

I agree that it ranges from tough to impossible to emulate a spec ops character with 400 points. But the trouble with this character is that the OP doesn't want to "go crazy" with his combat skills, and after winding up with them in the low teens is still worried he could have "went too far" somewhere.

There's nothing wrong with wanting a "balanced" character, but be sure the concept fits. If your concept is a former pit fighter, or an ex-Ares Firewatch team member, you shouldn't be balanced - you should be a buckets-of-dice-slinging asskicker. If you want a well-rounded character, be a covert ops specialist, or a detective - something where it makes sense for you to be decent at a wide variety of things.

[Sixgun_Sage]

Like others have said, a "regular" KE member is more in line with what is actually possible, and I gotta ask why scent and elemental strike? those powers really just don't fit at all.

[Deadpool]

I really appreciate all of your feedback, as I said, I new to the setting, and got the idea as I was reading through some of the material and dont quite have a solid grasp of where everything fits. Can Someone point me in the right direction or another group where that idea would fit? It doesnt necessarily have to be Fire watch, that was just the first group that cam to mind. And if you feel the character should be crazy, how should I make changes?

[Whipstitch]

Really, about the only corporate elite group that I think works well for PCs is the remnants of the Seraphim. The fluff on them makes them sound bad ass (they were essentially Cross Applied Technology's in-house shadow runners and trouble shooters, very mysterious and very accomplished), but more importantly, it was vague.

After all, if you're on a FireWatch team, by definition you are a bug stompin' paramilitary bad ass. You can't just be pretty good at combat, you need to be either a combat monster or a highly skilled Magician or combat drone rigger. Social skills and pistols are nice, but we're talking about guys that are called upon to deal with things like high power spirits, combat drones and milspec armor. Likewise the Red Samurai aren't really shadowrunners. They are warriors.

By contrast, all we really know for sure about the Seraphim is that they worked for CATco. It's believed that there were multiple tiers to the hierarchy, but all anyone knows for sure is that we don't know what happened to all of them now that CATco is gone. I'd have to go dig up my copy of Shadows of North American, but if I remember correctly some of the lower tiers were basically Johnsons that handled or worked with "irregular assets," which were outside shadowrunners brought in for some jobs. This leaves you a lot more room to create a variety of characters while still fitting the "former corporate trouble shooter" mold. The only potentially annoying bit is the Quebecqois pride thing, but even that is easy to work around as well since no megacorp can afford to be truly provincial. Besides, even if it did turn out that the higher Seraphim ranks turn into a French speaking old boys club that would still leave plenty of room at the bottom for a 400 bp character with whatever background you want.

If you want an easy but fun corporate combatant concept to play around with, consider being a former handler/bodyguard for an exec or maybe even their kids. Think about it: not all bodyguards can or should be big hulking trolls that are good for doing little more than soaking bullets. I can easily imagine elves being groomed as bodyguards, escorts and personal assistants all in one. I can also easily imagine why someone groomed for such a job also might want to up and quit after getting tired of putting up with their client's bs. After all, picture the sleaziest bastard you've ever met in your life. Now, imagine having to take a bullet for him.

[Deadpool]

That group sounds pretty awesome, any suggestions on how to build the character?

[Glyph]

I think it would work if you had him as a normal Ares security guy - not the gate grunts who act like canaries in coal mines and call for backup, but the ones who get sent as backup. That's the only change you need to make - a cosmetic one. It also takes care of the problem of this Humanis guy getting a Firewatch squad as his personal detail - that sort of deal makes a lot more sense if it was a normal security squad.

Also, Tir Tairngire is not a bunch of daisy-eating Neo-Luddites. If you like the idea of someone finding an old gun and being fascinated by it, by all means keep it, but you don't need it to justify him being a gun lover. Just say that he had an unusual interest in guns and how they worked as a kid.

[Deadpool]

very cool, and thanks again for all of the input! ill see what I can do with what you have all suggested, and if you have any other suggestions please post them here. Thanks in advance!

[KnightVeritas]

I agree that it ranges from tough to impossible to emulate a spec ops character with 400 points. But the trouble with this character is that the OP doesn't want to "go crazy" with his combat skills, and after winding up with them in the low teens is still worried he could have "went too far" somewhere.

There's nothing wrong with wanting a "balanced" character, but be sure the concept fits. If your concept is a former pit fighter, or an ex-Ares Firewatch team member, you shouldn't be balanced - you should be a buckets-of-dice-slinging asskicker. If you want a well-rounded character, be a covert ops specialist, or a detective - something where it makes sense for you to be decent at a wide variety of things.

Well, I would think that some of the difference in skills, at least, could be explained away simply by atrophy from lack of use. Real-life special forces team practice constantly to maintain their skills with firearms, and that can atrophy quickly if you are cashiered, let go, are chased out, or the like - especially if you spend a while after that crawling into a bottle or shooting yourself up with every drug you find. A Tir Ghost's having Firearms skill group at rank 5 and Stealth group at 6 reflect that; they are constantly working,whereas a former Ghost would have trouble practicing those skills to the degree necessary while running in the shadows.

[Glyph]

I kind of agree - people often forget that a shadowrunner's stats are not all that he has ever learned or done, but a snapshot of him at a particular point in time. I'm not sure shadowrunning would cause a Tir ghost's skills to degrade, though. Rather, it would be the several months to years of self-abuse between the two careers that would cause most of the decline. In this particular character's case, though, the original background has him pretty much segueing directly from working for Firewatch to working as a runner.

[Professor Evil O...]

A couple of other possibilities to explain low skills or stats, usable for just about any concept...

1) Your character was injured. And not just in the regular trip to the doctor/magic healer sort of way. More like the this is going to cost Ares more than you are worth sort of way. A major spinal injury, head trauma that lead to memory loss or motor skills, nasty critter powers that sucked the magic out of you, etc. Note that this works better for characters with less ambitious backgrounds. Plus, imagine how bitter you will be when you get fired for being injured on the job. "Sorry Joe, your insurance plan just doesn't cover this sort of thing."

2) You washed out of the program and blame your failure on someone else. All those dirty missions you underwent? Those were just tests to see if you had the right attitude and skills for the job. You didn't. Your boss wasn't a bigot who fired you because you were an elf, he fired you because you just couldn't do the job. Maybe the only reason you were hired in the first place was because your family/mentor/buddy/enemy who wants you dead/spouse pulled some strings rather than your ability.

3) Maybe the reputation of <fill in name of group> isn't really deserved. Maybe they aren't as good as their PR firm and all those action sims make them out to be. Or maybe it's a large enough organization that it contains members of differing levels of training and experience all under the same umbrella and command structure. This is more of a call on the part of the GM than just you, so check with them first.

[Karoline]

Which, really, is the problem with the SR setting being filled to the brim with all the dead sexy, cool named, super elite, get-the-good-PR, specops teams. Everyone wants to be a Tir Ghost, a Sioux Wildcat, a Firewatch member, etc, instead of just some schlub that did time in the regular military or security. And that same "everyone" surely doesn't start with nearly enough points to do so.

I don't think the fact that these groups exist is the problem, it is the fact that everyone wants to be one from the get-go. I very much like the fact that these high powered groups exist, simply because it puts out the idea that the runners aren't the biggest baddest guys on the block. In fact, they're fairly middling at best.

The truth is that unless you have some exceptionally good reason to have lost butt loads of skill, stats, and equipment since leaving such a group (And a really good reason that you would 1. want to leave and 2. be allowed to leave) you shouldn't even begin to consider your character having once been a part of any kind of famed group.

I've only once made a character that was supposed to be along the lines of (Better than actually) a firewatch member, but before play began she had lost all of her original equipment in an attempt to make her 'employers' believe she was dead (including her 'ware). She also had her memories erased (Amnesia quality and a good reason to have significantly lower skills and mental stats) which took several months of hospital time (Thus her severely reduced physical stats).

Very fun character, but the campaign is in limbo right now.

[Stry]

Something no one else has mentioned is maybe you character was never able to complete training. This could be for any number of reasons, he could not hack it, fired, black mailed to leave, cough the chicken pox, etc. What it means skills may be higher than a normal guy but still lower than the elite guy.

I am currently putting together an elf merc character, nick named Duke (nothing to do with GI Joe.) Before the Tir had their revolution. Duke held a duke title and was in Tir military training to become a ghost or paladin. When the revolution happened he had to go in exile, and was never able to finish his training.

As a very basic background it explains why and how he learned what he does, why the skills are lower than a ghost's skills, and some of the ware he might have.

[Karoline]

Something no one else has mentioned is maybe you character was never able to complete training. This could be for any number of reasons, he could not hack it, fired, black mailed to leave, cough the chicken pox, etc. What it means skills may be higher than a normal guy but still lower than the elite guy.

I am currently putting together an elf merc character, nick named Duke (nothing to do with GI Joe.) Before the Tir had their revolution. Duke held a duke title and was in Tir military training to become a ghost or paladin. When the revolution happened he had to go in exile, and was never able to finish his training.

As a very basic background it explains why and how he learned what he does, why the skills are lower than a ghost's skills, and some of the ware he might have.

Make it 'The Duke' and insist that people always add the 'The' when using his name, even when talking to him directly.

[Professor Evil O...]

Make it 'The Duke' and insist that people always add the 'The' when using his name, even when talking to him directly.

And be sure to act very confused if anyone makes a John Wayne reference (he would be dead for close to 100 years by now, and it would be a rare person who knew who he was).

[Sixgun_Sage]

And be sure to act very confused if anyone makes a John Wayne reference (he would be dead for close to 100 years by now, and it would be a rare person who knew who he was).

The greatness of The Duke transcends time, I fully expect if I ever get to kill a GD to find all the works of John Wayne in every format in their hoard.

[KarmaInferno]

I play a similar character in Missions.

I explained why his skills and gear aren't way up there by making him old.

He's 67 years old, has asthma, and a cyberarm that creaks in the mornings. He has to hit the bathroom 3 times a night. He's grumpy and cynical and while he was an elite special ops ninja, that was 30 years ago. He retired and opened a bar. Which got blown up recently. With all his savings in it. Which is why he's back in the biz. And pissed off.

SOTA has passed him by, and all his skills and gear are no really now better than any starting shadowrunner's.

So, really, SOTA can explain a lot of reasons why someone might not be where they used to be.



-karma