Unarmed combat adept, Or, how do I get enough dice to take advantage of called shot Options

[ggodo]

So, I'm making a pure adept unarmed combat specialist and I'm noticing that his dice pool has topped out at 14 for the actual hitting of things. AGI 5 + Skill 6 + Imp. Ability 3. Short of rejiggering his attributes, what can I stuff in him to make him more likely to hit? I want to take advantage of called shot for flavorish purposes, creating a fighter that specializes in hitting the vital parts to incapacitate his foes as fast as possible. I put for to you, how I hit better?

[Korwin]

So, I'm making a pure adept unarmed combat specialist and I'm noticing that his dice pool has topped out at 14 for the actual hitting of things. AGI 5 + Skill 6 + Imp. Ability 3. Short of rejiggering his attributes, what can I stuff in him to make him more likely to hit? I want to take advantage of called shot for flavorish purposes, creating a fighter that specializes in hitting the vital parts to incapacitate his foes as fast as possible. I put for to you, how I hit better?

Pure Adept? Might be one of the few cases where an Drake would be worthwhile? + Surge for Metagenetic Ability Agi.

[Medicineman]

Better Agi
Surge
Spezialisation
Martial Arts
Reflex Recorder
Drugs to Boost AGI & STR

With better Dances
Medicineman

[phlapjack77]

By "pure", do you mean no cyberware?

Off the top of my head, make an elf with the ex. attribute:agi and genetic opt: agi for 9 AGI (10 possible?). Add a spec to your skill for 2 more dice, so your total is 9 + 6 + 3 + 2 = 20 dice?

Prob some martial arts maneouvers you can get for the called shot stuff to offset penalties or something

[ggodo]

I'm using Wildcat for the +1 to called shots, SURGE is out, any other martial arts to look at? I'll boost AGI and get the spec. Does Drake do anything while not in Draco form?

[Magus]

Attribute Boost (temp boost then resist stun = boost level ) Boost Agility
Specialization +2 to martial arts
Positive Quality: AFBATM: but there is a quality for skill that gives you a +1 to the skill cap ummm brain fart

[Cain]

If you're wanting to go pure adept (no bio- or cyberware) then consider Improved Physical Attribute, but definitely buy Attribute Boost. It's quite a good deal.

If you want to make Called Shots, consider taking the Martial Arts edge and picking up Pentjak Silat or Wildcat. Wildcat is better for targeting vulnerable areas, while Silat is better for increasing the damage.

Oh, yeah, and pick up Aptitude: Unarmed Combat and Specialization: Martial Arts.

[Udoshi]

Attribute Boost (temp boost then resist stun = boost level ) Boost Agility
Specialization +2 to martial arts
Positive Quality: AFBATM: but there is a quality for skill that gives you a +1 to the skill cap ummm brain fart

Aptitude.

Basically, when pumping your dice pools, you want to take advantage of your AUGMENTED maxiumums. That is, a maxiumum of 1.5 times your max stat, round down. So an agility of 6 can be heightened up to 9 with ware.


Also tacnets.

So...
Agi 5.
Restricted gear: muscle toner 4. (alternately, attribute boost and magic 6 is just that good)
Hardliner gloves, weapon focus 3. (whichever the limit is)
Skill 6. Spec +2.
Tacnet +1-4
Synch or Sideways can nab another +1 to general combat tests.
Situational bonuses: Kung fu(or is it muy thai) can give you an additional +1 while making Charging attacks, which is hella excellent.

Additional ways include raising your natural maxiumum. Surge can do this, as can exceptional attribute(bad choice). Genetic optimization from augmentation can as well.

So if you're an elf with Genetic Optimization: Agility, you start with agility 2, your natural maximum is 8(one higher than normal due to the geneware), and your augmented max is 12. (8 x 1.5 round down).

Pumping your dice pools is all about exploiting your augmented maximums, and claiming as many situational bonuses as you can.

[kerbarian]

You can get another +1 from the Kick Attack martial arts maneuver, since it increases your reach for unarmed attacks.

[Glyph]

If you eschew 'ware for your character, then you should spend a point of Magic to get improved Attribute: Agility (0.75 points), and Attribute boost: Agility: 1 (0.25 points). For the latter, be sure not to get it over rating: 1. The extra difference is marginal, and the Drain increase is drastic - you want it where you can consistently, and reliably, soak that Drain completely.

[Magus]

but glyph you are only soaking the rating of the power not the hits so rating 1 1 drain rating 2 two drain etc etc

[Elfenlied]

Assuming you do not want to use ware or drugs, and stay adept (e.g. no Mystical Adept):
Agility 5
Attribute boost: Agility X (anything that will reliably grant you 9 agility)
Skill 7 +2 Spec
Improved Ability 3
Hardliner gloves weapon focus 2 +1 personalized grip

That's a DP of 24, or 19 if you can't activate attribute boost beforehand. I suggest coupling it with elemental strike, since you might as well use the second simple action. This allows you to reliably use called shots, and apart from aptitude for unarmed, no hardmax is used.

[Aerospider]

but glyph you are only soaking the rating of the power not the hits so rating 1 1 drain rating 2 two drain etc etc

He does still have a point that value-for-drain drops as you increase your rating in the power, which I (and I believe many others) think breaks it.

You get discrepancies like this:

Magic 8, Attribute Boost 1 = 9DP for boost, 1DV drain
Magic 5, Attribute Boost 4 = 9DP for boost, 4DV drain

To me it's not reasonable for the guy who has trained extensively in the power to be facing much more considerable drain than the guy who has only dabbled but is already great at everything else magical. Even if you can reason it out thematically, it's not good for balance.

I house rule the drain to be the average of power rating and Magic rating (round down, as per usual), since you roll both for hits. That way it doesn't matter at all whether the adept's dice come from the power or his Magic rating so increasing the power's rating is now attractive because it is relatively cheap.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

Agility Boost and Improved Ability: UC.
If you have Magic 6 and the Warrior's Way you could get something like:

Ability Boost (Agility) 1 0.25
Improved Reflexes 2 1.875*
Critical Strike 6 1.125*
Improved Ability (UC) 6 2.25*
Killing Hands 0.5

*means you got the discount from the Warrior's Way positive quality.

[Mardrax]

Heightened Concentration could be used as well. Takes a complex action though.

[Mäx]

Improved Ability (UC) 6 2.25*

Level 3 max.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

I don't see anywhere Improved Ability is limited to level 3.

[Makki]

Surge Elongated Limbs for +1 Reach
Etiquette Skill, so you can make friends and benefit from the "friends in melee bonus"
Always charge at the opponent +2
or jump at them from a rooftop +2 for superior position (Medicineman can tell you a story here)
make a knockdown attack and then use finishing move. you get +3 for defender prone and he receives -2 for being prone.

[Elfenlied]

I don't see anywhere Improved Ability is limited to level 3.

It says so in the SR4A rulebook. It's limited to 1,5*<skill value>, which is a maximum of 3, since they round down.

[Aku]

umm, wouldnt 1.5*a skill value of 6 =9?

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

umm, wouldnt 1.5*a skill value of 6 =9?

Which means you can only have 3 Levels of the Improved Ability Power (for that particular Skill), yes.

[Elfenlied]

umm, wouldnt 1.5*a skill value of 6 =9?

Yes, nine would be the total skill with mods.

[Aku]

Which means you can only have 3 Levels of the Improved Ability Power (for that particular Skill), yes.

Wow, thats a REALLY shitty way to word that sentence. it really should just say .... base value/2 rounded down (if that part isnt already implicit

[Elfenlied]

Wow, thats a REALLY shitty way to word that sentence. it really should just say .... base value/2 rounded down (if that part isnt already implicit

For what it's worth, the German version of SR4A is completely unambiguos on this.

[Mäx]

For what it's worth, the German version of SR4A is completely unambiguos on this.

As is the English version.