[X] My Assistant

[KarmaInferno]

Still, it's hard to imagine many situations that a tiny flying bug wouldn't be ideal.

Why stop at one?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)





-k

[Yerameyahu]

Exactly, and then you can tacnet them and finally get that numeric bonus on the shot.

[bustedkarma]

I'd imagine in 207X, an handful of microdrones is standard kit for a Scout/Sniper.

I'm curious as to how the sniper in question fits into the game. I've seen a few tried, but they never fit real well.
I played in one game with an Orc adept, who had some longarms/fieldcraft skills, and he seemed to work out pretty well, although he did very little actual sniping. More shadowing, and generally being a "6th Man", one more gun type.

[CanRay]

Try thinking less "Long Range Shooter" and more "Stealth Fighter".

Watch "Heat" for how to properly do this when a deal goes wrong. Val Kilmer does a good role of this.

[Yerameyahu]

Yeah, 'snipers' at our tables are always more like scouts/overwatch.

[bustedkarma]

That said, the Sniper intro in Arsenal (Running Gear, pg 42) is top notch. It also serves as a testament that shooting folks, at a great distance, with a big bullet, is sort of a lone wolf act.

[Sengir]

It also serves as a testament that shooting folks, at a great distance, with a big bullet, is sort of a lone wolf act.

And unfortunately (well, for sniper fans) the two emphasized points do not happen in most games. Snipers in SR are a real niche job probably better left to drones

[Yerameyahu]

Good point. The biggest reason is perhaps that sniping is *easy*. Targets who can't react don't require huge Firearms DPs, which is why a drone can handle it. That's why your 'sniper' will have plenty of BPs left for overwatch, maybe leadership/planning, shadowing, elec-war, perhaps hacking/rigging, infiltration, etc. If he's a sniper, he probably doesn't have spellcasting (why bother with sniping?), so he's either an adept or cyber, which means he has easy access to a lot of non-sniping functionality there as well.

[bustedkarma]

All valid points.
The Longarms/Survival/Stealth bits all play elsewhere.

Anyone ever home-brewed a sniper drone?

I was thinking something aerial, that could orbit an area.
Hidden mount, with a Barrett, gyro stabilized, firing DU slugs, or something of the sort.

I think the Stormcloud would be popular for its ability to loiter, but it also isn't getting out of the area very quickly.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

All valid points.
The Longarms/Survival/Stealth bits all play elsewhere.

Anyone ever home-brewed a sniper drone?

I was thinking something aerial, that could orbit an area.
Hidden mount, with a Barrett, gyro stabilized, firing DU slugs, or something of the sort.

I think the Stormcloud would be popular for its ability to loiter, but it also isn't getting out of the area very quickly.

With a Concealed Gun, it doesn't have to. Put an add on the side. Ergo, you are an advertising Drone.

[bustedkarma]

Nobody here but us NERPS

[CanRay]

...he probably doesn't have spellcasting (why bother with sniping?)...

Rifles have to deal with muzzle drop and rotation of the bullet.

Magic works on line-of-sight and can be augmented by non-electronic vision enhancement systems (AKA: Binoculars and Telescopes.).

How powerful can you get a Telescope again, especially one that you'd be fitting into a case the same size you'd use for a broken-down sniper rifle? Being completely legal, but really weird to have in an office building if searched?

Alternatively, old fashioned film SLR Cameras are still in use in Shadowrun, and have some mighty powerful lenses on them as well, and are easier to explain. And they're just glass and mirrors, so would work for the "Line-of-sight" bit too.

A Magician Sniper can work just fine.

[bustedkarma]

Most definitions of the word "Sniper" do not specifically include the word "rifle".

[CanRay]

Yeah, but Muskets are so 19th Century. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Sengir]

All valid points.
The Longarms/Survival/Stealth bits all play elsewhere.

Anyone ever home-brewed a sniper drone?

I was thinking something aerial, that could orbit an area.
Hidden mount, with a Barrett, gyro stabilized, firing DU slugs, or something of the sort.

I think the Stormcloud would be popular for its ability to loiter, but it also isn't getting out of the area very quickly.

I'm still hoping for a blimp with Body 6-8, so it can have an internal mount, satellite link, and Chameleon Coating...so far all blimps are either too small or too large for that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)


Another possibility would be a smart firing platform (2000 ¥) + some cheap rifle and a few thermite bars. Place it a few days before you need it and put the platform in standby mode, on the big day fire two shots and then burn all evidence.

[Ascalaphus]

I gotta say, I like the idea of making an Overwatch character, who has good stealth and communications technology skills (*coughhackingcough*), drones, and who knows how to play backup gunman. A dedicated sniper isn't often necessary, because a dedicated sam does a very similar job. But someone to hide in the background and provide cover to the sam has his uses.

That, and I figured out while playing a hacker that I enjoyed playing Overwatch, but needed some "hands at a distance" too, so drones. And sniping can be added without too much trouble.

[Yerameyahu]

I'm not sure what you're responding to there, CanRay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) My point was that we can assume he has no spells, because 'sniping' with spells is called 'Monday' for any magician. It's nothing special, and it's usually much better than using a firearm.

The definition of 'sniper' *does* include, if not 'rifle', than certainly 'firearm'.

Ditto and exactly, Ascalaphus. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[bustedkarma]

The definition of 'sniper' *does* include, if not 'rifle', than certainly 'firearm'.

If you ask me, it most certainly does, however the interwebs don't consider it a requirement.
A quick search on "define sniper" lands a bunch of sites, some respectable, some not, who use the word "shoot", no mention of firearms on Websters.
...and we all know, if it isn't on the internet, it can't be true.

I propose a working definition of...

"Well trained sneaky type, with large rifle, large scope, and large watch, who sends lead down range in a manner that results in the quick and painless death of his enemy."

[Fatum]

If you ask me, it most certainly does, however the interwebs don't consider it a requirement.
A quick search on "define sniper" lands a bunch of sites, some respectable, some not, who use the word "shoot", no mention of firearms on Websters.
...and we all know, if it isn't on the internet, it can't be true.

Right, because you can be a sniper even if you use a crossbow or just a bow.
Spells, though - eh, no.

[Socinus]

Maybe I end up in the weird campaigns, but the last several games I've played we've had an Adept gunbunny who ended up being a sniper because they came in so handy.

Whenever we had a meet, he'd cover us and that saved our asses multiple times either by giving us overwatch or by adding a big rifle that could hit from far away.

[The Jopp]

how often does your typical shadowrunner team need a sniper to begin with?

Well, for starters, let's ignore the sniper types with big rifles, let's go with a pistol sniper. Let's call him a marksman instead.

Ruger Super Warhawk, APDS ammunition, range finder, tac-net, several spotter drones and you have a guy that shoots people through walls. Shorten the barrel and we shoot people at 48 meters.

We could even get him a shotgun with a shortened barrel. He will still "snipe" people at 120 meters with no range penalties.

People seem to get stuck on the fact that when they pay a sniper they must suddenly use a big honking rifle.

[bustedkarma]

I'm not really stuck on the rifle. I use a big rifle every fall, and I call it "Deer Season".

[Yerameyahu]

… Because it's true, The Jopp. You're not 'sniping' from pistol ranges. That's called 'normal shooting people'. Even the shotguns (Longarms) really don't have the range. In SR ranges, an assault rifle is probably acceptable, minimally, as are sport rifles. I doubt a bow/crossbow can either, but I'm open to being informed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I don't think it's crazy to assume that when people say 'sniper', they mean 'long range small arms'. In SR4, that's AR, sport rifle, and sniper rifle; things with an Extreme higher than 150m (these are all higher than 500m, actually). Heavy weapons have the range, but that's not really what they *mean*.

[CanRay]

Sniping with a Grenade Launcher, Daddy likes!

[Yerameyahu]

You totally can, they (just barely) qualify. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) It's just not what people mean when they say 'sniper', hehe.