Decker/Mage, a surprisingly compatible combo Options

[kerbarian]

I've been playing around with some more character builds, and I quite like this one. He's a strong decker and a strong mage -- everything came together with very few compromises. I think this is the first character where I've tried skills A and attributes E, and it worked out great. His stat line does leave a bit to be desired, but adept powers (did I mention he's also a mystic adept?) bring it up to the equivalent of C, and sustained spells can boost it well beyond that.

[ Spoiler ]

Hex

Metatype: Human

Body 2(3), Agi 2, Rea 1(4), Str 1, Wil 4(8*), Log 4(8*), Int 4, Cha 2
Edge 3, Ess 6, Magic 6 (Mystic Adept, Hermetic)

Condition monitor: 10 physical, 10(12*) stun
Armor: 12

Limits: Physical 3, Mental 6(10*), Social 5(6*)
Initiative: 8 + 4d6

Active skills: Banishing 6, Biotech skill group 4, Computer 6, Counterspelling 6, Cracking skill group 6, Etiquette 4, Hardware 6, Perception 5, Sneaking 2, Software (data bombs) 5 (+2), Spellcasting 6, Summoning (spirits of air) 6 (+2)
Knowledge skills: Magical Theory 4, Cyberdeck Design 4, Vory 3, Classic Wargames 2
Languages: English N, Russian 3

Qualities: Focused Concentration 4, Allergy (mild, stimulants), Codeblock (Matrix Search), Prejudiced (biased against shamans), Spirit Bane (beasts)

Adept powers: Enhanced Senses [low-light, thermographic], Improved Body 1, Improved Reflexes 3

Spells: Clout, Detect Life (extended), Increase Logic, Increase Willpower, Mob Mind, Phantasm, Resist Pain

Gear: Microtrónica Azteca 200 cyberdeck [attrs 5 4 3 2, programs 2], Transys Avalon commlink (device rating 6), trodes, fake SIN 3 [licenses for cyberdeck, practicing magic], armor jacket, hardware kit, medkit (rating 3), sustaining focus 4 (health, bonded), 20 drams of reagents, middle lifestyle (1 month)

Programs: Baby Monitor, Browse, Configurator, Decryption, Defuse, Edit, Encryption, Fork, Hammer, Signal Scrub, Stealth, Toolbox, Virtual Machine, Wrapper

Contacts: Fixer (Connection 2, Loyalty 2), Vory soldier (Connection 1, Loyalty 1)

Note: power points were purchased at the Missions-errata cost of 5 karma each.

* when Increase Logic and Increase Willpower are sustained

Whenever possible, Hex will keep Increase Logic and Increase Willpower sustained using a focus plus Focused Concentration. Casting them until they're at 4 hits each typically takes 1-2 turns and causes no drain, so it should be easy to keep them up. For example, to pass through a ward he could just drop them and immediately re-cast them on the other side.

Logic and Willpower are his drain attributes and also two of the three hacking attributes, so the increases make him far more effective in both roles. They let him easily summon Force 6 spirits and cast spells with 4-5 drain, and in the matrix they give him great dice pools and defense.

In combat, Hex can use Clout and Mob Mind, he can use matrix attacks to knock out drones and such, and he can also send a Force 6 spirit into the fray. On defense, 8 dice isn't bad, and Full Defense increases that to 16 dice (Willpower 8 is pretty handy). Hex also has great initiative, which lets him use Full Defense and (usually) take two more actions.

Hex's initiative is good enough to match hot-sim VR while staying in AR -- where he can be aware of his surroundings and is immune to biofeedback, dumpshock, and link-locking. AR won't give him the bonus dice of hot-sim, but he can always switch to hot-sim for those if he thinks they're worth it. Also, Full Matrix Defense with Willpower 8 is just as impressive as the meatspace version.

On top of all that, Hex has a huge list of skills and some handy utility spells.

Edit: shuffled the skills a bit. The original version took a skill group and then advanced individual skills within it, which isn't allowed during chargen.

[Makki]

Mind over Body, an adept power from sr4 Spy Games would work brilliantly with this character. Because suddenly he has 4((IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Agility as well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

At least I'd recomment the cheap attribute boosting power Attribute Boost (XXX). Boost STR is nice for the time, when you need to run or swim.
And of course Enhanced Perception. It adds to all Perception tests, which includes Matrix Perception.

[Umidori]

Hey, it worked for Jake Armitage!

~Umi

[Voran]

Alternately as a mystic adept you throw some points into Skill Boost:Hacking Stuff

[Slide]

seems like a strong starting character with lots of room to grow. Particularly in the bicep and pectoral regions.

[HugeC]

How did you get two skill groups at 6 with only 10 points to spend on skill groups?

I like the idea. Gonna try creating a dwarf like this.

[Draco18s]

did I mention he's also a mystic adept?

No, you said he was a mage. Mystic Adept is kind of "specifically not a mage."

Sure, they both sling spells, but a mage is a mage and a mystic adept is not.

[Rebeldawg]

My question is how is he supposed to jack into his deck? At the moment his cyberdeck is just an expensive paper weight since he doesn't seem to have a datajack.

[DeathStrobe]

My question is how is he supposed to jack into his deck? At the moment his cyberdeck is just an expensive paper weight since he doesn't seem to have a datajack.

Trodes

[kerbarian]

How did you get two skill groups at 6 with only 10 points to spend on skill groups?

He took Cracking group 6 and Electronics group 4, then spent the skill points to raise Computer, Hardware, and Software each individually to 6 and re-combined them as Electronics group 6.

[kerbarian]

My question is how is he supposed to jack into his deck? At the moment his cyberdeck is just an expensive paper weight since he doesn't seem to have a datajack.

As DeathStrobe mentioned, trodes are the main way. If he manages to lose his trodes, though, I believe he can still hack just fine in AR by pulling out his deck and typing really fast.

It's a bit less ridiculous than it sounds at first, since the deck has a micro trid projector and gesture recognition that would let him work with a cloud of icons all around him rather than staring at and typing on a tiny screen.

[HugeC]

He took Cracking group 6 and Electronics group 4, then spent the skill points to raise Computer, Hardware, and Software each individually to 6 and re-combined them as Electronics group 6.

On p. 88 it says, "In addition, skill groups cannot be broken up in [the Purchase Skills] step, so individual skill points cannot raise the ratings of skills purchased as a group."

[kerbarian]

On p. 88 it says, "In addition, skill groups cannot be broken up in [the Purchase Skills] step, so individual skill points cannot raise the ratings of skills purchased as a group."

Ah, I missed that -- I'll rework it and edit the post.

Edit: fixed now. He converted First Aid + Medicine to the Biotech group and then bought the Electronics skills separately. That cost an extra 4 skill points, so he dropped Banishing and a point from Negotiation. In almost every case, casting Clout on a spirit is more effective than Banishing unless you really specialize in it. Also, Banishing against a bound spirit is extremely dangerous, and without the ability to assense Hex can't tell the difference.

On the plus side, this gave him the opportunity to specialize Software for data bombs -- those things are scary!

[Voran]

Huh, that certainly seems odd that a wired Street Sam could be just as fast a decker as a true decker. Looking at it, aside from an external perception modifier, there's no downside to being in AR? That doesn't seem right. So unless a decker is going hotsim, and risking more dmg, the samurai with wired reflexes can be just as good?

[DeathStrobe]

Huh, that certainly seems odd that a wired Street Sam could be just as fast a decker as a true decker. Looking at it, aside from an external perception modifier, there's no downside to being in AR? That doesn't seem right. So unless a decker is going hotsim, and risking more dmg, the samurai with wired reflexes can be just as good?

Nope. You get +2 dice and get +5 dice for Matrix initiative while in hot sim. Also a street sam is going to spread himself out to thin if he has to pick up all the hacking skills and buy a deck.

AR decking is doable, but VR decking still gets you too many bonuses to say its not hands down better then AR hacking.

[kerbarian]

Huh, that certainly seems odd that a wired Street Sam could be just as fast a decker as a true decker. Looking at it, aside from an external perception modifier, there's no downside to being in AR? That doesn't seem right. So unless a decker is going hotsim, and risking more dmg, the samurai with wired reflexes can be just as good?

Hot-sim gives you extra dice, but AR with wired reflexes can equal or surpass cold-sim. Of course, a sam without a deck or hacking skills can't do much with his AR initiative, and anyone *with* a deck and hacking skills (even if they also have wired reflexes) is a true decker.

The external perception modifier of AR also isn't a disadvantage compared to VR. In VR you can't perceive the real world at all with your normal senses, whereas with AR you can -- just with a -2 penalty. For example, if someone starts shooting at you while you're in VR, you're unaware and get no defense dice. If you're using AR you can defend normally, assuming the perception penalty didn't cause you to be surprised.

[Makki]

Huh, that certainly seems odd that a wired Street Sam could be just as fast a decker as a true decker. Looking at it, aside from an external perception modifier, there's no downside to being in AR? That doesn't seem right. So unless a decker is going hotsim, and risking more dmg, the samurai with wired reflexes can be just as good?

nothing new here. It has been like that in SR4 already. But an AR-Hacker be it a Sam or an Awakened lacks the cyber/bio to really shine.