Abnormal Character Concepts, One-Shot GM looking for Dumpshock help Options

[Mickle5125]

I'm running a one shot for a small convention the gaming group at my school is hosting.

Since it's a one-shot, I'm wanting to use the character concepts that aren't viable, cost-wise, in a normal campaign. The drakes, the free spirits, the AIs. Whatever.

What I need from Dumpshock is the actual character builds. What characters have you wanted to play? Who have you been unable to bring into a game, just because they wouldn't be able to keep up with the group?

[AndyZ]

I think that a free spirit looks like fun, but with 250bp base cost and being capped by their Force, you're looking at serious difficulty at putting a decent character together. Assuming you raise your Force to 3 and get all your stats to human normal, you have 340bp and 60bp left to fix up your character. If you want any stats at 4, you need to raise Force to 4 first. Or do I completely misunderstand how this works?

[Draco18s]

Nope. You've got that right. Force limits stats.

Mickle5125: you looking for 400 BP characters, 750 Karma characters, or...?

[SpellBinder]

And here I was thinking about a changeling with a cephalopoidal skull and insectiod features (think Davey Jones with faceted eyes and pinciers) when I red the title.

[Wiggles Von Beer...]

K-10 addicted bear shifter melee adept.

[Fatum]

I believe I have an AI build I squirreled for better times.
Aurelia the 400BP AI hacker to be precise. She also has a couple of drones, a van and Piloting Origin. I intended to use her as a tactical advisor/support AI in a game where players were a high-threat police squad.
Here she is: http://danvolodar.ru/files/Aurelia.xls

[Draco18s]

K-10 addicted bear shifter melee adept.

That would be scary. I'm already familiar with a bear shifter adept who can dig through concrete.

[Mickle5125]

Mickle5125: you looking for 400 BP characters, 750 Karma characters, or...?

Mainly looking at the 400 BP variations. Pre-erata karmagen wasn't as big of a problem for most of these builds.



To give out a bit more information about the game, I'm calling it "Freaks on a Leash." It's a LA setting game with the PCs being assembled for a test-run of a P2.0 show by the same name. Participants in the show have been selected for their unusual nature, making this a very pink-mohawk-style game.

[655321]

That would be scary. I'm already familiar with a bear shifter adept who can dig through concrete.

Could I hear more about this build?

[Draco18s]

Quickly whipped up a one-shot version of Slinky. He's a little rough around the edges as far as a build is concerned--he's got a little over 10k left to spend (or could be converted into build points--can't reduce debt with it unless you want to take a different flaw) and 3 knowledge skill ranks that could be assigned to anything--but should be good for a one-shot. His primary focus is on being able to get into places unseen (dynamic colored skin, camouflage spell, high agility) as well as hack any computer systems mainly through brute for application of Logic (remember: if you're directly interfacing with a control panel you use Hardware or Hacking + Logic).

His spells (7 dice to cast, 9 to resist drain, "max force" of 3*) are centered on being able to infiltrate. Need intel behind a door? Need a passcode? Borrow [that guy's] Senses! Camouflage, as stated, plus Increase Reflexes and a F3 Sustaining focus for having those passes in combat.

He's not a combat monster by any means, but if he gets the jump on someone (especially in dracoform, which should be real easy with Camouflage and high infiltration rolls (8 dice while moving, or 10 standing still, after the sustained spell, with hopefully a -3** on the opposition's perception pool)) he could take them down: 11 dice^ to the attack roll, put 2 into direct damage (surprised target can't dodge) -> ~3 hits -> 9P damage AP -2.

If your player wants to be a little better at Agility (soft-capped) they can steal a point from Body, Reaction, Intuition, or by sacrificing Catlike (which is only +1 to Infiltration and Shadowing, rather than all Agl skills, but the flavor makes a nice touch). Means they can Called Shot for +1 more damage (hitting that nice 10P mark) and have a sexy 8 Agility in dracoform (which they should be in all the time--I did not give Slinky armor because it doesn't fit drakes and the natural 4/4 should be considered a "perk" rather than "getting squishier").

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~mmj29/temp/DrakeInfiltrator.xls

*Or five, if you run the "full magic = max force" thing for mystic adepts. Though, all of his spells are based on hits and he can't really take the drain for anything higher than a F3 spell anyway.
**Or over cast for F6, still only 1 drain, and hope for a bunch of successes (though with such a low drain, if Slinky has the time he can just keep casting until he gets as many as he'd like--you'll want at least 3 to have some benefit to your Stealth rolls after the sustaining penalty). No point in getting a sustaining focus for this spell, as low force isn't too great of a benefit; though you could drop the 10k on a F1 focus and then have the full 10 dice to infiltrate and still have the -1 on all spotters (its a valid choice, just not one I made in campaign play as I spent every last BP on things this sheet didn't).
^Only if you drop Camouflage first, which you can do without penalty.

[Draco18s]

Could I hear more about this build?

Friend's character, I keep telling him to post it on Dumpshock. He has something like 14 strength and has the Smashing Blow adept power. A single melee attack against a wall does, on average, 40 damage (enough to chew through ~15cm of a 1x1 meter concrete wall). So even accounting for his size and digging a 2x2 meter tunnel he digs at a rate your average human would be lucky to get using a shovel against loose dirt (say, your back yard).

[The Jake]

I usually don't go for anything too exotic but here's some:

* An AI with the Pilot Origin quality. A former agent security program for a high research Mitsuhama facility, it keeps talking about blowing people away, referring to humans as "meatbags", etc. Uncouth.

* A Disonant TechnoMancer recently broken out of a high grade security facility. Wanted, Enemy, Records on File.

- J.

[Draco18s]

* An AI with the Pilot Origin quality. A former agent security program for a high research Mitsuhama facility, it keeps talking about blowing people away, referring to humans as "meatbags", etc. Uncouth.

Or as loyal troubleshooters?

[Glyph]

Here's a character I did for another thread, tweaked a bit to fit here (added SURGE, changed the background slightly).

[ Spoiler ]

Name: Mburu (Top Wire)
Gender: Male
Race: Elf - Wakyambi

BREAKDOWN (400 Points)
Core Attributes: 190
Special Attributes: 10
Race (Wakyambi): 35
Active Skills: 112
Qualities: 0
Contacts: 6
Resources: 47

=Attributes=
Body: 4(5)
Agility: 5(10)
Reaction: 4(9)
Strength: 2(3)
Charisma: 3
Intuition: 5
Logic: 2(3)
Willpower: 5
Edge: 2

Essence: 0.30
Initiative: 14
Initiative Passes: 3
Physical Damage Track: 11
Stun Track: 11

Current Karma: 0
Total Karma: 0
Street Cred: 0
Noteriety: 0
Public Awareness: 0

=Qualities=
Critter Spook
In Debt (30)
Genetic Heritage: Reakt
Restricted Gear (x 3)
SURGE II
>Astral Hazing
>Magic Resistance: 4

=Active Skills=
Dodge/Ranged: 4(6)/+2
Etiquette: 1
Infiltration: 4
Long Arms/Sniping Rifles: 4/+2
Monofilament Whip: 4(5)
Perception/Visual: 3/+2
Pistols/Semi-Automatic: 6(7)/+2

=Knowledge Skills=
Languages>
African(tribal dialect): N
English: 6

Other>
Bodily Augmentation SOTA: 3
Guerrilla Combat Tactics: 4
Paranormal Critters: 3
Safe Houses: 2
Seattle Black Market: 3

=Cyberware=
Attention Coprocessor: 3
Cyberears I with:
>Damper
>Increased Sensitivity
>Select Sound Filter: 2
Cybereyes II with:
>Flare Compensation
>Low-Light Vision
>Protective Covers (1-way reflective)
>Smartlink
>Vision Magnification
Fingertip Compartment with:
>Monofilament Whip
Internal Air Tank
Move-by-Wire: 2
Radar Sensor: 4
Skillwire Expert System

=Bioware=
Cerebral Booster: 1
Muscle Toner: 4
Reflex Recorders
>Monofilament Whip
>Pistols
Suprathyroid Gland

=Transgenics=
Reakt

=Contacts=
Media Producer (Connection: 4/Loyalty: 2)

=Lifestyle=
Low (1 Month prepaid)
Starting Money: 3d6 x 50 Nuyen

=Equipment=
ID/Credsticks:
Fake ID (Rating: 4); Fake Gun Registration, Pistol (Rating: 4); Fake Concealed Carry Permit (Rating: 4); Fake Bioware Registration (Rating: 4); Fake Cyberware Registration (Rating: 4) x 2; 4 Certified Credsticks.

DocWagon Contract:
Basic (1 Year).

Weapons:
>Walther Secura Kompakt (smartlinked version) with skinlink, concealable holster, silencer, 90 normal rounds and 90 gel rounds of ammo, 6 spare clips.
>Walther MA 2100 Sniper Rifle with skinlink, silencer, trombone carrying case (100 Nuyen), 100 regular rounds of ammo, 3 spare clips.

Armor/Clothing:
Armor Jacket, FFBA half suit, PPP (forearm guards and shin guards - discrete protection version), Chameleon Suit with Thermal Dampening: 6; 2,000 Nuyen worth of assorted clothing.

Commlink/Software/Simsense:
Sony Emperor Commlink with Renraku Ichi OS, skinlink, sim module, trodes, and subvocal mic; Utilities (Browse: 2, Command: 2, Edit: 2, and Encrypt: 2); Mapsoft (Seattle metroplex, Rating: 6), Datasoft (Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' annotated version with commentaries, Rating: 6), Virtual Surround Music, Electronic Paper.

Other:
Military-surplus duffel bag (50 Nuyen cost), Survival Kit, Medkit (Rating: 6) with 5 refills, Tag Eraser, Metal Restraints.


=Background=
Mburu was born in a lab somewhere in South Africa, part of an experiment to breed the next generation of augmented killers. Another group mounted an attack on the lab. His fellow test subjects fought the invaders, but Mburu, seeing that the other side was bringing much superior force to bear, did not see the logic in staying for a losing battle. Instead, he fled.

He wound up in L.A., eventually, hopefully far enough away from both sides, if either of them even remain. He is in debt to a sleazy media producer, who helped him get set up with a new identity and get settled in. He hopes that being part of this tawdry "Freaks on a Leash" show will help him get out of debt.

=Description+
Mburu is tall and thin, like most of his metatype, with sharp, chiseled features. He disdains tattoos and piercings, which he considers puny and insignificant things compared to the augmentations which make him superior to the majority of metahumanity. He prefers looser, flowing styles of clothing such as robes.

=Personality=
Mburu is a killer, and sees little wrong with that. It's simply something he's good at. He smiles to himself at the hypocrisy of most people, who decry killing, until THEY need someone killed. It can be a bit disconcerting to see how "normal" he seems otherwise. He is amused by the elf-philia he has encountered in L.A. He considers himself a superior being, to be sure, but not because of the minor difference which is his metatype. Rather, it is his extensive bodily modifications which have evolved him past the common herd.

[Blackb1rd]

I made a Shapeshifter Face Adept Surge hybrid a while back, he was a good character until i made a stupid mistake and got hauled off to a Horizon rehab camp... probably the most unique character i've ever written.

[ Spoiler ]

“KEVIN ALLEN” SHAPESHIFTER FACE

Negative Qualities:
Wanted: Hunted by the Vory, he escaped from them several years ago, but once they figured out what they had lost they were hot on his trail. +10BP
Weak Immune System +5BP
Distinctive Style: Blood red tribal tattoo that extends up the shoulder and onto the neck, visible in Animal and Human forms. (Also affects the character due to Glamour SURGE quality) +10BP
Paranoia +10BP
Metatype: Shapeshifter, Black Jaguar, Shift (Human), (Allergy Silver Severe, Vulnerability Silver) 65BP

Positive Qualities:
Adept 5BP
Class II SURGE 10BP
Linguist 5BP (1/2 time to learn languages, +2 to all language skills)
First Impression 5BP (+2 on any social tests at first meeting)

Attributes:
Body 5 20BP
Agility 6 10BP
Reaction 5 30BP
Strength 4 10BP
Charisma 5 40BP
Intuition 4 30BP
Logic 3 20BP
Willpower 3 20BP

Edge 2 10BP
Magic 4 30BP

Adept Powers:
Kinesics 3 (1.5M) +3 to social tests, making and resisting
Improved Ability: Con +2 (0.50M)
Improved Ability: Negotiation +2 (0.50M)
Rapid Healing (0.50M) 2 +2 to body for all healing tests
Cool Resolve 3 (0.75M) Each level of the power adds one die to the adept’s dice pool for Opposed Tests involving Social Active skills in which he is the target/defender.

Linguistics (0.25M) Pick up language skills at rating 1 free, 1/2 time to learn languages (This combined with the linguist positive quality means new language skills automatically start at rating 3 and it takes 1/4 the time to improve them.)
SURGE Qualities:

Positive:
Glamour +3 to all social tests
Nasty Vibe +3 to Intimidation

Negative:
Vestigial Tail
Extravagant Eyes: Eyes are of a deep crimson color

Skills:
Influence Skill Group 4 40BP
Con & Negotiation 6 w/ Adept Power
Pistols 4 16BP
Intimidation 2 (5 with Nasty Vibe) 8BP
Unarmed Combat 4 16BP
Dodge 3 12BP
Knowledge Skills: 21 Free Points
Interests:
Poker 3
Fine Cuisine 3
19th-20th Century Russian Literature 2
Language Skills:
English 4(6)
Russian 3(5)
German 3(5)
Polish 3(5)

Gear:
35,000 Nuyen 7BP

Black Suitcase 250¥
Morrissey Alta (5P, AP-1, Built in Laser Sight) 850¥
Advanced Safety System 600¥
10 Spare Clips 120¥
Fairlight Caliban Commlink 8000¥
Novatech Navi OS 1500¥
Agent 4 5,500¥
Subvocal Microphone 50¥
Form Fitting Body Armor 1600¥
Thermal Damping 6 3000¥
Chemical Protection 4 1000¥
Jet Black Suit from the Berwick Line W/ Blood Red Silk Tie 3100 Nuyen
Rating 5 Fake SIN (Kevin Allen) 5000¥ Personal: Freelance Translator
Rating 5 Fake Gun License 500¥, Allen
Rating 5 Concealed Carry License 500¥, Allen
Platinum Credstick 25¥ (500,000¥ Maximum Funds)

Contacts:
26BP
Argus: Privatized Global Intelligence Network L4/C6 (16) (6 Group size, 6 Influence, 4 Matrix Integration)

Physical Description:
Height: 5’8” Human
Weight: 230 Jaguar/150 Human
Eye Color: Crimson Red
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Short
Age: 24
Complexion: Pale Caucasian, unblemished
Defining Features: Large Crimson Tribal Tattoo, every Vory member would recognize it as a mark of enslavement. Long black cat-like tail in human form.
Clothing and Accessories: Expensive black suit, black shirt, red tie. White Gold and Ruby ring, platinum watch with a black face. Sunglasses and a leather suitcase, also an expensive commlink.
His walk and speech, the very way he moves, are as graceful as a cat and as sharp as a snakebite. There’s something odd about him though and many people feel a little ill at ease when he’s around, this does not hinder his impressive skill in the social arts though, in fact it bolsters his skill in the art of intimidation. His weapon is as fashionable as it is functional. His prowess in European language is almost unmatched in the Seattle area. Having grown up traveling all over Europe he had picked up a few European languages very proficiently, upon honing his magical skills he was able to influence people even further. He can speak German, Polish, and Russian fluently and English practically flawlessly, he also has an uncanny knack for picking up more languages.
As a young Jaguar he was part of a Vory owned and operated traveling circus act, the Vory tattooed him as a mark of ownership. He is the offspring of a mundane female Jaguar and a charismatic demon that took animal form to mate with his mother. As such he is able to take human form and picked up social skills relatively quickly. However an unfortunate side effect of the mixed DNA and magic gave him a weak immune system, when he gets sick, he really gets sick.
As soon as he found out he could take human form he escaped the circus and travelled Europe seeking a better life. His “owners” were not to happy about that and have hunted him down ever since, even more so since they learned of his abilities. There were few places that he could hide from the Vory, he eventually found Sanctuary at the Marienkirche, the Church of Saint Mary, a famous church In Berlin in the Allied German States. He didn’t come here for religious purposes but rather because of the intolerance the clergy had for violent crime, which meant few if any Vory. Here he stayed for some time as a personal friend of the Monsignor he held the privilege of coming and going as he pleased and always being able to find refuge in the church. After some time the priests let him in on their little secret, the building was an operating post for Argus, a global intelligence network. The clergy had been gleaning information from locals and foreigners alike for several years. Recording conversations during confessions, advising the congregation to come to them for anything, the works. They offered him a job as a low-level operative in Berlin, working as a translator and fixer, bringing people of interest together and then recording their business deals and conversations. When they finally realized that they had stumbled upon a truly talented operative they immediately sent word up the ladder and soon afterwards he was meeting with the men at the top. And in Argus he stayed for years, gathering not only information but the unwavering trust of the other members of the organization. With powerful players on speed dial he could call in a request for information from anywhere, a luxury he certainly didn’t take for granted and one that definitely made his life on the run from the Vory a little bit easier. When the time was right, and it seemed like there was little breathing room left in Europe, he took leave of Argus and moved to Seattle. He set up shop in the Seattle area providing translation serviced for wealthy businessman and crime syndicates, most every meeting he visits he makes sure to record for upload back to Argus, you can’t use a machine and not oil it now and then. Currently the Seattle Vory take a special interest in tracking him down and put several efforts towards doing so, unfortunately not everything he does has gone unnoticed.
And if there is one thing he is good at it is smooth talking people. He can sweeten any deal and turn any foe. In recent times, clinging to the shadows as always, he’s taking managerial positions for running teams, setting up meets, squeezing more nuyen out of clients, the works. He charges enough to keep his gear in working order and not much more. He enjoys the taste of human food and has written several articles critiquing the finer restaurants in the greater Seattle metroplex. He’s fairly well read in Russian Literature a passion he’s had ever since he ran across a real paper copy of Anna Karenina in a used bookstore. He finds pleasure in playing poker at exclusive underground locations but is careful to steer clear of Vory run gambling locations. He is rich but all of the money he doesn’t use to maintain his gear is used for philanthropic endeavors, usually as an anonymous donor. He does not have a home, a side effect of constantly being on the run, he sleeps wherever he can, usually cramped up in an unoccupied space under a dumpster in a dark alley, or under the water tower on the top of a Seattle apartment building, normally in animal form. When he needs to take a shower he visits the local gym and lays the credit down for a basic membership. He lives a relatively simple life. The only reason he has money, or even a name, is because they are human conventions and he simply could not get around without them. Before setting up a reputation in the Seattle Underground he worked as a freelance translator for European businessman in Seattle, especially in situations where linguasofts where not discreet enough. Even though he has gotten expertly good at hiding it one of his major flaws, his tail, which won’t go away in human form, occasionally pokes out of his overcoat and peaks the interest of the observant eye. This quirk in transformation due to being a magically active creature when SURGE hit, what SURGE did to most mundane creatures was doubly effective on him. Crimson eyes, a tail in human form, his father’s malevolent air but also his smooth movement and manner expressed as well.

[Mickle5125]

thanks guys!

[makari]

at one point in a game I played in one of the characters took complete amnesia....


it was pretty awesome, the GM completely made a character, even rolled to determine whether to go physical, mage, adept, hacker, rigger, etc...

since the player had no idea what the character was the GM was pretty liberal with all costs... probably making something more like a 500 bp char with more money alotment than norm

came up with a short 1 pg description of how the character woke up, covered in blood, a pistol in his hand, 3 dead bodies in the room with some description of one looking like somebody had tried to perform improptu surgery on the table...

so the player assumed he had atleast some pistol skill... since he was holding one and atleast one of the bodies had been shot... i forget what all the clues were, but the idea was, he was on the run, found another dead body that I believe was suppose to be his old fixer, and the combination of clues led him to believe he was stuck being a shadowrunner because anything else was surely jail or death.... and so he made contact with one of our characters contacts...

it was pretty fun, although probably some work for the GM, but the player had a blank sheet, that he filled in as he figured things out... and any time a situation arose where his character would know something the GM would role a flashback to see how well the character remembered, and then let him know what skill his character had just used... and if he rolled high enough he let him know at what level he had it.... the GM did a good job of coming up with little story snippets for each skill to help fill in a complete backstory too... made for an incredibly interesting first 5-6 runs