Your suggestions for Street Sam - 500BP Options

[Cralen]

Mundage guy? Okay, here you go

Positive Qualities:
Restricted Gear(Move By Wire)
Born Rich 10
Genetic Heritage 10 (Adapsin) Alternatively, Genetic Optimization Reaction or Agility. Its only 1 bp more, and saves that cash from hitting your limit. The sideways Genetic Infusion is also good.
Genecrafted 5
=25 points. 10 left. Options:

What book is 'Born Rich' in? Unless I am missing a rule somewhere, 'Genetic Heritage' says it does not stack with 'Genecrafted'.

[Squinky]

Heh, Born rich is in Runners Companion.

[Cralen]

Runners Com. isn't one of the books that I bought. Is it worth getting?

[Karoline]

What book is 'Born Rich' in? Unless I am missing a rule somewhere, 'Genetic Heritage' says it does not stack with 'Genecrafted'.

RC is great if you want to try playing more oddball races like night ones or infected or free spirits or just about anything that isn't in the core book. The other great points are a ton of new qualities and the advanced lifestyle rules.

If you're limited on cash though, it isn't required to run out and grab it, as the main feature is the new qualities (Because most GMs are wary about allowing weird races).

That's crunch wise at least. Fluff wise there is tons of great stuff like ways to help round out your character, some ideas of what sort of team rolls you might want to consider, contact ideas, and so on.

And there isn't anything about genecrafted and genetic heritage being incompadable unless there is an Errata saying as much.

[Acidsaliva]

Yes and no.
I liked the Runners Companion because of it had the roles of a team and how they mesh together and what kind of builds are recommended. The extra qualities and flaws were mostly good. The advanced lifestyle options are good if you like that sort of detail.
I didn't like all of meta-variant rules and options which took up most of the book. If you want to play an AI or a ghoul you need this part, but if your GM doesn't allow it then its wasted.
Read through it first, think about it and then get it.

[Squinky]

Well, It's a fun read (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

But it seems to me you have everything covered to play. All the rest is just more options, and if nobody else has those books in your group, its not like you will be missing out.

Just pick em up as you go.

[Udoshi]

Runner's companion has a bunch of new and useful qualities in it, as well as much more flexible lifestyle rules. I couldn't really care about playing undead, or the build-a-furry surglings, but those the first two parts of the book i mentioned are very cool and well worth using.

[Glyph]

And there isn't anything about genecrafted and genetic heritage being incompatible unless there is an Errata saying as much.

If you have genetic heritage, genecrafted is redundant, since genetic heritage gives you the 20% discount on additional genetech. I would not let the two stack, since they are so similar.

[Omenowl]

How much do you want your GM to hurt you?

2 or 3 guys with a loyalty of 6 and a connection of 6 will really screw over a game. You mean I get to borrow 500k worth of equipment from each contact?

Personally, I like
Heavy weapons for grenade launchers and missiles
Firearms well I like them all from pistols, automatics to shotguns. I really like the automatic shotguns
Thrown for grenades.
Unarmed combat include some spurs and then don't worry about it.

2 Cyberarms optimized (alpha) 5 str, 5 agi, 4 bod, then add +2 to each stat via enhancement. Pick synthetic if you want to remain inconspicuous.
Wired reflexes (2) (alpha)
Cyber eyes (4)
Cyber ears (4)
Platelet factory
Trauma Damper

I like humans as they don't raise suspicion and if you go the incognito route then most people won't even notice your have cyberware.

[Shinobi Killfist]

How much do you want your GM to hurt you?

2 or 3 guys with a loyalty of 6 and a connection of 6 will really screw over a game. You mean I get to borrow 500k worth of equipment from each contact?

Personally, I like
Heavy weapons for grenade launchers and missiles
Firearms well I like them all from pistols, automatics to shotguns. I really like the automatic shotguns
Thrown for grenades.
Unarmed combat include some spurs and then don't worry about it.

2 Cyberarms optimized (alpha) 5 str, 5 agi, 4 bod, then add +2 to each stat via enhancement. Pick synthetic if you want to remain inconspicuous.
Wired reflexes (2) (alpha)
Cyber eyes (4)
Cyber ears (4)
Platelet factory
Trauma Damper

I like humans as they don't raise suspicion and if you go the incognito route then most people won't even notice your have cyberware.

I like heavy weapons for the white knight, grenades and rockets suck hard after 4A. Even with air burst the scatter is too big unless it is a missile. (int 3 or higher).

I'm really lovin cyber limbs since augmentation, I'd go with +4 to agility though in the stats for a 9 agility arm, I find strength much less useful. After one of my characters lost an arm, the replacement ended up being a decent power-boost.

[Udoshi]

Its worth saying that Platelet Factories and Trauma Dampeners are hilarious on spellcasters, because they work on drain.

[Omenowl]

I like heavy weapons for the white knight, grenades and rockets suck hard after 4A. Even with air burst the scatter is too big unless it is a missile. (int 3 or higher).

I'm really lovin cyber limbs since augmentation, I'd go with +4 to agility though in the stats for a 9 agility arm, I find strength much less useful. After one of my characters lost an arm, the replacement ended up being a decent power-boost.

I have looking at it as limited by the augmented maximum, which would have been 1.5 times the character attribute, which is why I put it as +2 for the stats. It would be much better to max at least 1 arm in strength and the other in agility while getting ambidextrous.

[Squinky]

Augmented maximum for humans is 9. With some juggling you can get that easy with optimized limbs.

[kjones]

How much do you want your GM to hurt you?

2 or 3 guys with a loyalty of 6 and a connection of 6 will really screw over a game. You mean I get to borrow 500k worth of equipment from each contact?

How the hell do you swing that kind of loan? Is there some rule about borrowing from contacts that I missed?

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

How the hell do you swing that kind of loan? Is there some rule about borrowing from contacts that I missed?

Yes, It is called a Favor... Page 288 of SR4A...
A Loyalty 6 Contact can, as a favor, loan the use of specialized equipment up to 500,000 Nuyen in value...

Keep the Faith

[Omenowl]

How the hell do you swing that kind of loan? Is there some rule about borrowing from contacts that I missed?

Page 288 under favors. Equal or less than the loyalty rating and with connection 6 they have the pull to do it.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Page 288 under favors. Equal or less than the loyalty rating and with connection 6 they have the pull to do it.

Loyalty Actually, not Connection...

Keep the Faith

[Omenowl]

Loyalty Actually, not Connection...

Keep the Faith

I was implying that you would need both to have someone be able to pull it off without a lot of complications.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

I was implying that you would need both to have someone be able to pull it off without a lot of complications.

Oh, Well of Course... Sorry...

Keep the Faith

[Omenowl]

I still plan on having my occult investigator start off with a contact of 12 representing a police station. Loyalty 6, connection 4, membership 2, area of influence district and minimal magical resources

[Cralen]

Here is what I have so far. I didn't end up with a Cyberarm but the GM is allowing us to keep the unspent Resources so once I have access to better then Alpha grade, I will pick it up.

Orc

Bod 8
Agi 5
Rea 5
Str 3
Cha 3
Int 5
Log 3
Wil 3
Edge 5

Biocompatability
Genetic Heritage

Addiction - Mild
Allergy - Common Moderate
SINer
Incompetent

Resources 50BP - $250,000

Contacts
5 / 2
6 / 4
4 / 1

Know: Physiology 4
Know: Sociology 4
Know: Security Procedures 4
Know: Security Design 4
Know: Military Weaponary 4
Lan: Spanish 2
Lan: Japanese 2

Automatics 5
Dodge 5
Infiltration 4
Heavy Weapons 4
Throwing 4
Perception 4
Gunnery 4
Unarmed Combat 3
Shadowing 2
First Aid 2

Move-by-Wire rating 2 2.4 Ess

Cybereyes rating 4 0.8 Ess
Eye Recording Unit
Image Link
Vision Enhancement rating 3
Smartlink
Flare Compensation
Low Light Vision
Thermographic Vision

Cyberears rating 4 0.8 Ess
Ear Recording Unit
Soundlink
Select Sound Filter
Damper
Audio Enhancement
Spatial Recognizer
Balance Augmenter

Synthetic Torso 1.2 Ess
rating 2 Armor
rating 1 Body

[Dakka Dakka]

Cybereyes and ears are up to 0.5 Essence per pair not for one eye or ear.

Why the cybertorso?

I assume you have resources allocated for other gear besides Cyberware.

[Karoline]

Cybereyes and ears are up to 0.5 Essence per pair not for one eye or ear.

Why the cybertorso?

Correct and good question.

Honestly this character seems distinctly unimpressive for 500BP.

It also seems you left some stuff out. What did you take with genetic heritage?

[Shinobi Killfist]

Correct and good question.

Honestly this character seems distinctly unimpressive for 500BP.

It also seems you left some stuff out. What did you take with genetic heritage?

I was whipping up a character last night, just giving them stats and skills as I saw fit for them at the start. It came out to 641 points and was still unimpressive, 700ish points in Karma though. But for some reason I think he has points to spend, it does not look like 500 to me.

I see 148 in skills, 50 in gear, 22 in contacts, 260 in attributes(including edge), 20 race. Well I guess that is 500. One of the flaws of the BP system IMO, you can end up with somewhat mediocre stats and still have spent a shit ton of points. But basically with Body, agility, reaction, intuition at nat 5's that costs a lot, and is somewhat impressive. But a 3 strength on a orc Sam seems weird to me and a 3 willpower is a weakness. And a 5 edge is sweet IMO.

[Karoline]

Well, I was talking alot more about equipment selection. 250k has gotten him eyes, ears, and a cybertorso that doesn't do anything. From what he said he is saving alot of that for beta gear, but personally I'd rather be able to survive my first run than save on essence a little bit for a character in which essence doesn't really matter.

It seems to me like he is being very over-cautious with his essence. (Betaware, biocompatability), and that is going to lead to a very sub-par character (Unless awakened or you go to great lengths to make an unaugmented mundane).

I mean .4 essence and 16k is enough to get him +2 agi which is +2 to combat.

Also important to note that this 500 BP Street Sam only has a single IP. Dude is going to have trouble with cops with wired reflexes I.

Then again, alot of equipment is left out, so many drugs will be helping supplement that.