Drake Infiltrator, would this be an ok character? Options

[FrighNaar]

Hey everyone,
I tried to create a Drake Infiltrator for our next campaign. Problem is, I always run out of karma half way through because the drake part is so expensive. This is the best I could come up with and I wanted to ask whether someone sees some obvious flaws I'm missing.

Notes:
-750 karma
-No free knowledge points
-1 free contact
-We play before the crash, so no wireless and hacking skills for me. we'll have a dedicated hacker
-The drake - part is more for fluff, I don't plan to run around much in drakeform
-The Mystic Armor is for when I'm in drakeform so I don't become a complete clay pigeon

So here is my build:

[ Spoiler ]

Name: George Black / Scales
Race: Human / Drake
45.000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) for gear, lifestyle, etc.
Qualities:
Adept
Surge(I)
Camouflage - dynamic
Scales
Astral Chameleon

Allergy (uncommon, moderate)
Records on File
Hung Out to Dry

Attributes:

Bod 3 Cha 2
Agi 5 Int 4
Rea 4 Log 4
Str 3 Wil 3

Edg 2 Mgc 6

Active Skills:

Athletics(group) 4
Infiltration 5
Hardware 5
Computer 3
Unarmed 3
Automatics 3
Pistols 3
Etiquette 2

Knowledge / Language Skills:

English N
Japanese 4

Sec.Systems 4
Sec.Procedures 4
Sec.Design 3
Safe houses 3

Powers: PP
Attribute Boost (Agi) 1 0.25
Attribute Boost (Rea) 1 0.25
Improved Skill (Infiltr) 2 0.5
Gliding 1
Wall running 1
Traceless Walk 1
Mystic Armor 4 1.5 (Geas: only in dracoform)

Initiation Grade I (Masking)

Contact:
Draco Foundation Agent (3/4)

Thanks in advance for any suggestion

[phlapjack77]

after a quick glance, if you're running out of karma...

drop magic down to 5, you could geas your adept abilities to still try to keep them all
drop athletics group skill level
drop infiltration skill level
drop hardware skill level
drop automatics completely

don't know about initiation during chargen, can you get the discounts of using a group + init. ritual?

[phlapjack77]

doublemint gum

[UmaroVI]

There's a building your team needs to extract a McGuffin from. It has a ward covering it. What do you do?

What I am trying to say is Dual-Natured and infiltration role are like oil and water.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

There's a building your team needs to extract a McGuffin from. It has a ward covering it. What do you do?

What I am trying to say is Dual-Natured and infiltration role are like oil and water.

You use your Masking to penetrate the Ward while leaving no traces or alarms that you have done so...

The character DOES have Masking after all... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[UmaroVI]

You use your Masking to penetrate the Ward while leaving no traces or alarms that you have done so...

The character DOES have Masking after all... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Do you have a source for Masking allowing you to penetrate wards?

Masking says "Masking: A character who learns masking can change the appear-
ance of her aura/astral form to do the following: look mundane, look
as though her Magic is higher or lower than it is (+/– your grade of
initiation), or look as though she is a different type of astral creature.
When someone attempts to assense the aura of an initiate
using masking, make an Assensing + Intuition Opposed Test
against the initiate’s Intuition + Magic + initiate grade. If they
get fewer hits, they see only the false aura. If they get more hits,
they will see both the illusory aura she provided and her true aura.
To disguise her astral form to look like a spirit or other astral-
ly active creature, the character must be capable of astral projection."

I don't see anything about disguising your aura to look mundane letting you pass through wards. I see nothing under the "passing through barriers" that gives an exception for dual-natured beings who disguise themselves with Masking; they would still have to "press through" the barrier. And per SR4A 194, "Any attack on a mana barrier or attempt to break through is immediately felt by the creator."

If you know of some source for Masking letting someone walk through mana barriers I'd love to know, since I have several characters who would benefit. I do of course think Masking is a necessity for any drake or other dual-natured PC, since it's the only way to not show up as HEY LOOK AT ME $$$$$$ on the astral plane, I just don't think it lets you be an infiltrator.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Do you have a source for Masking allowing you to penetrate wards?

Masking says "Masking: A character who learns masking can change the appear-
ance of her aura/astral form to do the following: look mundane, look
as though her Magic is higher or lower than it is (+/– your grade of
initiation), or look as though she is a different type of astral creature.
When someone attempts to assense the aura of an initiate
using masking, make an Assensing + Intuition Opposed Test
against the initiate’s Intuition + Magic + initiate grade. If they
get fewer hits, they see only the false aura. If they get more hits,
they will see both the illusory aura she provided and her true aura.
To disguise her astral form to look like a spirit or other astral-
ly active creature, the character must be capable of astral projection."

I don't see anything about disguising your aura to look mundane letting you pass through wards. I see nothing under the "passing through barriers" that gives an exception for dual-natured beings who disguise themselves with Masking; they would still have to "press through" the barrier. And per SR4A 194, "Any attack on a mana barrier or attempt to break through is immediately felt by the creator."

If you know of some source for Masking letting someone walk through mana barriers I'd love to know, since I have several characters who would benefit. I do of course think Masking is a necessity for any drake or other dual-natured PC, since it's the only way to not show up as HEY LOOK AT ME $$$$$$ on the astral plane, I just don't think it lets you be an infiltrator.

It is Under the Wards Section of the Books. It is one of the Primary uses of Masking. Hold a sec while I look it up for you...

Okay, here it is... Page 124 of Strreet Magic...

Fooling Wards
Sometimes a magician just has to get through a ward. Attacking it or pressing through it are viable options (see p. 185, SR4), but both alert the ward’s creator to the action, which the magician may want to avoid. The most covert way of bypassing a ward is to take advantage of the
fact that every ward allows its creator to pass through it freely. If an intruding magician’s aura mimics an aura approved to freely move through the ward, the intruding magician may pass harmlessly through without alerting anyone to the action. Only magicians with the Masking metamagic technique (p. 190, SR4) or spirits with the Aura Masking power (p. 98) may attempt to synchronize their aura with a ward in such a way.

In order to synchronize one’s aura so it mimics a ward’s creator, the synchronizing magician or spirit must be able to see the creator’s aura to use as a reference. One way to do this is to track the astral link present between a ward and its creator (see Astral Tracking, p. 185, SR4). Then an Opposed Test is made between the initiate’s Intuition + Magic + initiate grade and the ward’s Force x 2. If the intruding magician succeeds, the ward no longer inhibits them. If the ward wins, it continues to inhibit the intruding magician, but does not alert its creator until the intruding magician tries to force his way through by another method.

If tracking the ward’s creator through the astral plane isn’t an option (the creator is behind another barrier, the intruding magician doesn’t want to risk being spotted, etc.), the intruding magician can instead use a material, sympathetic, or symbolic link for the synchronization process
(see Material Links, p. 28). Any dice pool penalties incurred by using those links in ritual sorcery also penalize the Opposed Test for fooling the ward.

Enjoy your New Found Wisdom... I am sure you will find lots of ways to make it very, very useful for those characters of yours that you mentioned. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Draco18s]

1) drop magic down to 5, you could geas your adept abilities to still try to keep them all
2) drop athletics group skill level
3) drop infiltration skill level
4) drop hardware skill level
5) drop automatics completely

1) I'd not do this, personally.
2) Agreed. My drake infiltrator had all of 2 ranks.
3) Agreed. Losing 1 rank won't hurt.
4) Agreed. I survived with 2-3 ranks.
5) You should want some weapon skill.

[phlapjack77]

he still has pistols at 3

[UmaroVI]

That's nice to know, yeah. You'd think they'd put it under Masking, but hey.

[FrighNaar]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
I think dropping Athletics and Infiltration a bit wouldn't hurt.

As for the dual natured problem, I thought that is only in dracoform

A drake’s defining ability is to take on the form of a small
dragon, called their dracoform or drake form. While in this form
(and only in this form), the drake gains the following powers: Dual
Natured, Elemental Attack, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-
Light Vision, Smell, Thermographic Sense), Hardened Armor 4,
Mystic Armor 4, and Natural Weapon.

So going through a ward would be as easy as staying in human form

[Draco18s]

So going through a ward would be as easy as staying in human form

Yup. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

So going through a ward would be as easy as staying in human form

There is that too... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[UmaroVI]

Whoops, I remembered them being like Shifters.

[Draco18s]

Whoops, I remembered them being like Shifters.

If only. Drakes are the only critter that gains and loses Dual Natured and there's no reason why they should, either.
Also, Regeneration would be awesome for them.

[Dez384]

don't know about initiation during chargen, can you get the discounts of using a group + init. ritual?

I think that would be GM dependent, but you would need a contact for your initiation group.

[Manunancy]

Keep in mind that to sucessfuly mask your way through a ward you need to have seen the aura of someone allowed to pass through (the creator or someone he has allowed). That can be a problem if you're in a hurry and the creator isn't anywhere close by. With wards longevity, he may even be on another continent...

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

I think that would be GM dependent, but you would need a contact for your initiation group.

Why is a Contact Necessary? Just be an actual part of the Group with all the benefits and drawbacks that it entails. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)
Of course, I would likely have them as a Group Contact as well. It only makes sense. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Keep in mind that to sucessfuly mask your way thorough a ward you need to have seen the aura of someone allowed to pass through (the creator or someone he has allowed). That can be a problem if you're in a hurry and the creator isn't anywhere close by. With wards longevity, he may even be on antoher continent...

This is very true indeed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[whatevs]

drop infiltration skill level

Not sure i agree with this. Character has around 12 dice for infiltration, which is his bread and butter as an infiltrator concept. Seems about right to me, unless i'm missing something.

[Draco18s]

Not sure i agree with this. Character has around 12 dice for infiltration, which is his bread and butter as an infiltrator concept. Seems about right to me, unless i'm missing something.

Are you counting dynamic skin? If so you have to remember that the character has to be naked for that to work, and if you're naked you might as well go full out drake (come on: bonus armor, fire breath,* and claws!)

*Get Exotic Weapon [Breath] now.

[phlapjack77]

yeah, probably right - but if you drop it a level or two, and pick up a spec instead, you save some karma...not that I'm at all advocating min-maxing, but if he really needs to find ways to make cuts...

[FrighNaar]

Ok, I've made some adjustments. Here is the next iteration

[ Spoiler ]

Name: George Black / Scales
Race: Human / Drake
30.000 nuyen.gif for gear, lifestyle, etc.
Qualities:
Adept
Surge(I)
Camouflage - dynamic
Scales
Astral Chameleon

Allergy (uncommon, moderate)
Records on File
Hung Out to Dry

Attributes:

Bod 3 Cha 2
Agi 5 Int 4
Rea 4 Log 4
Str 3 Wil 3

Edg 2 Mgc 6

Active Skills:

Athletics(group) 3
Infiltration (Urban) 4(6)
Hardware 5
Computer 3
Unarmed 3
Automatics 3
Exotic Weapon [Breath] 3 <- For the breath weapon (duh)
Etiquette 2
Disguise 3 <- Might be handy to disguise those scales once in a while
Perception 2 <- Our GM punishes you for not having this, completely forgot about it
Assensing 2 <- Might be usefull when in drake form

Knowledge / Language Skills:

English N
Japanese 4

Sec.Systems 4
Sec.Procedures 4
Sec.Design 3
Safe houses 3

Powers: PP
Attribute Boost (Agi) 1 0.25
Attribute Boost (Rea) 1 0.25
Improved Skill (Infiltr) 2 0.5
Gliding 1
Wall running 1
Traceless Walk 1
Mystic Armor 4 1.5 (Geas: only in dracoform)

Initiation Grade I (Masking)

Contact:
Draco Foundation Agent (3/4)

Basically dropped athletics and infiltration each one point, pistols competely and resources to 30.000.
Those points went into disguise, exotic weapon (breath), perception, assensing and specialisation for infiltration.

As for initiation, at char gen the GM allows only grade 1 and only for the full price