What do you think of this character?, I'd like the opinion of you fine folks. Options

[de4dmeta1]

Hey hey, I just finished up a character for a new campaign I'll be playing in soon. I've spent quite a lot of time on this character (and his contacts), so any/all criticisms/compliments are welcome.
EDIT: Changes are in bold.
EDIT:EDIT: Changes still in bold.

Name: Sgt. Karl Ziedrich
Alias: Kronos
Race: Elf
Sex: Male
Age: 31
Height: 6'4"
Eyes: Green
Hair: Dirty Blonde
Skin: Caucasian, lightly tanned

Description: Stands 6'4" tall, with dirty blonde shoulder length hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Has 3 studs in his right ear and a tattoo of Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer on his left shoulder. Can be spotted wearing almost anything, including clothing with an oriental flair and a dark green embroidered trench coat.

Attributes
Body:4
Quickness:8
Strength:5
Charisma:4
Intelligence:6
Willpower:6
Essence:6
Magic:0

Reaction:7
Initiative: 1D6
Combat Pool: 10

Edges/Flaws
Bonus Attribute Point-Quickness
Bio-Rejection
Pacifist

Skills
Active
Pistols-4
Pistols B/R-2
Rifles-5
Spray Weapons-3
Brawling-4
Demolitions-3
Stealth-3
Athletics-3
Electronics B/R-3
Etiquette-4
Negotiation-4
Throwing Weapons-4
Rifles B/R-3

Knowledge
Infamous Revolutionaries-3
Gunsmithing-5
Body Armor Fabrication-3
Lone Star Procedures-3
Miltech Manufacturers-3
Physics (Ballistics)-2(4)
SWAT Tactics-4
Shadow Organizations-3
Metroplex Law-3

Language
English[Read/Write]-4[2]
German[Read/Write]-3[1]
Sperethiel[Read/Write]-2[1]

Contacts
Col. Kelly Smith (Elf UCAS Military Armourer, Level 2)
Wrench (Human Mechanic, Level 2)
Doc Brown (Troll Street Doc, Level 2)
Lt. Cabbie (Human LS 'Irregular Assets' Acquisitions Officer, Level 1)
Mao Tze Ming (Human Owner/Operator of the 'Merciless Ming's Street Cuisine' Franchise, Level 2)
'Gabbi' (Ork Mafia Hit Man, Level 1)
'Hacksaw' (Ghoul Organlegger, Level 2)
'Louieville' (Human Mafia Soldier, Level 2)
'Fritz' (Ork Decker, Level 2)
Nate (Human Smuggler, Level 2)
Scar (Dwarf Ganger, Level 1)
Ralph Lyons (Elf Med Tech, Level 2)
Dr. Jon Kruger (Troll Pharmacist, Level 1)
'Finger' (Dwarf Talismonger, Level 1)
Olaf (Troll Bouncer, Level 2)

Gear
Weapons
Hardliner Gloves
Q. Draw Thigh Holster, 2 Q. Draw Hip Holsters
Morissey Elan (w/Personalized Grip, Conc. Q. Draw Ankle Holster, loaded w/ Gel rounds w/ 1 clip gel 1 clip normal rounds)
Colt Manhunter (w/ Personalized Grip, loaded w/ Gel rounds w/ 1 clip Gel 1 clip normal rounds)
Ares Predator (w/Personalized Grip, loaded w/ Gel rounds w/ 1 clip Gel 1 clip normal rounds)
FN-AAL Gyrojet Pistol (w/Personalized Grip, loaded with Normal rockets w/ 2 clips
Remington Roomsweeper (w/Personalized Grip, Conc. Q. Draw Holster [small of back], loaded w/ Stun shells, w/ extra 8 Flare and Slug shells carried)
Ruger 100 (w/ Personalized Grip, Sling, loaded w/ Gel rounds, w/ extra 5 Gel and 10 normal rounds carried)
2 Spray Tanks (1 w/ Freeze Foam, 1 w/ Slip Spray, both w/ 1 re-fill each)

Armor
Half-Body Form-Fitting Body Armor
Real Leather Jacket
Sleeping Tiger* Suit (all items)
Executive Suite Tuxedo
Actioneer Suit w/Long Coat
Large Riot Shield

Clothing
4 Outfits Tres Chic
6 Outfits Fine Clothing
20 Outfits Ordinary Clothing

Misc.
Grapple gun w/ 200m Grapple Line
Micro Flare Launcher w/ 10 Micro Flares
Rating 6 Micro-Transciever
Electronics Tool Kit
Gunsmithing Shop
Survival Kit
Full Climbing Gear w/ 200m Rope
Gas Mask w/ Air Tank
Pocket Flashlight
Wire Clippers
Pocket Secretary
5 Steel Restraints

Sgt. Karl Ziedrich doesn't officially exist. He 'died' during a botched SWAT excercise that ended in the death of 6 hostages, an event he still blames himself for. He has been known to work for Lone Star's 'Irregular Assets' Tactical Division on occasion, and under their direction, he helped keep a mafia hit man by the alias of 'Louieville' out of prison by tampering with evidence and threatening the jury. Although he still believes he has the authority to enforce the law, he is nothing more than another 'deniable asset' as far as Lone Star is concerned.

So, comments/criticisms/death threats/free money?

[BitBasher]

Is this for a Lone Star campaign or is this a Lone Star employee performing felonies for extra cash? :D

Just as an FYI "deniable asset" and still works for the Star are kind of contradictions. if he has ties to the star like that then he's piss poor in the "deniable" category. That's why SR's are hired rarely knowing their employer, it's deniable that way. I'm referring to the "Although still has the authority to enforce the law". If he's deniable he can have absolutely no authority to enforce anything, cause granting him authority means he is no longer deniable because he is *granted* that authority. He would sure as hell never wear a uniform, nor could he even have one that would be found linking him to Lone Star. YMMV, depending on GM.

Also, All Lone Star employees past or present have a headware radio, subvocal mike and subdermal speakers, and I believe a piece or two of other headware related to it, it's manditory according to the Lone Star sourcebook.

I also think it's kind of unrealistic he is on SWAT, (Special Weapons and Tactics) with no reflex engancement. I want to say as standard those teams have wired one or two or boosted at least.

On a related note he doesn't have any Lone Star contacts.

Other than that I dont see any glaring problems, :)

[EDIT]
You also definitely, definitely need to add the skill Police Procedures at three or four, and probably Metroplex Law at 2 or three.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Give him some skills or something that indicate an actual personality. Walking kill-fest gets boring.

BitBasher:

[BitBasher]

[de4dmeta1]

Good points all round. This is why I post WIP characters, so others can spot the glaring errors I don't notice.

On the topic of cyberware, Bio-Rejection keeps that from being possible. I didn't notice in the LS book that certain 'ware was mandatory. In his original 'build' he had neither Ambidexterity, Aptitude or Bio-Rejection. I'm starting to re-think those though.

As for the backstory, I wrote it as I wrote that post, so I think I'm going to change it around a bit.

Thanks for all the help so far.

EDIT: As for the walking kill-fest, most of the guns he packs are loaded with non-lethal ammo. So not quite. I think I'll drop the Ambidex. though, it's eating up way too many points. Buy some more contacts I could.

[BitBasher]

I may be wrong about the headware radio. I vould have sworn that was the case but now cannot find it.

[Kagetenshi]

Many GMs won't allow Aptitude for combat skills, as it's recommended against in SRComp. YMMV.

~J

[de4dmeta1]

Duly noted.

One thing though, a bit OT.
What does YMMV stand for?

[BitBasher]

Your Mileage May Vary, IE: Depends on your GM.

[Crusher Bob]

You might want to add in a skill for throwing granades. Also, see if your GM will let you rework the LS 'day job' into an obligation. My impression is that you don't spend time doing paperwork and stuff that the day job flaw implies. More like you get a call from LS and have to do a run for them.

[tisoz]

Strength of 4 and 9 pistols carried at the same time plus any armor or other gear is probably going to overencumber your character. Not to mention if you want to carry an extra clip or two for every weapon.

[Jason Farlander]

[BitBasher]

Good point, partially why I was wanting to know about the campaign earlier.

[de4dmeta1]

It's actually more of an 'underworld' oriented campaign, revolving partially around organized crime, but not completely. I've re-organized some skills and points to better represent his SWAT position of sharpshooter. I've also added some skills, active and knowledge to represent some of his interests (swordfighting, diving etc.)

I'm going to edit my original post instead of re-posting everything. Check back soon.

EDIT: Done editing.


If you only read the first line of this edit, it looks a wee bit stupid, yes? :spin:

EDIT:EDIT: Concerning the 9 pistols, I don't plan on him carrying all 9 of them at once, 4 at most. I'm not that crazy.

[kevyn668]

Why do you need to carry four pistols? I usually limit my characters to two pistols, a primary and a backup. If the character has a main "assualt" weapon (AR, SMG, or SG) that means he might carry up to three total weapons but if thats the case, I'll usually--depending on the run--either swap the backup for a dartpistol or have a clip or two of DMSO/Gamma-Scop cap rounds for one of the guns.

Why Intelligence:7?

Why Diving?

Edged:2 and Brawling:3 aren't going to do a whole lot for you if you run into someone that knows how to handle himself in a fight.

Demolitions: 3 is a surefire way to get your face blown off. So you might want to put some more points into that or scrap it and use the points elsewhere.

Spraw Weapons:3....hmmm, I can see why you'd like this guy to have that but those points can help you in better places. Unless he plans on using a spray weapon a whole lot, just load non-leathal rounds. Cap rounds are good for this. If your GM isn't keen on that, I'd use a taser.

Pacifist, huh? You're a better man than I am. ;)

I'm not trying to micro manage, I'm just curious. :)

And as some one who suffers from the same affliction, I think you may have over-generalized.

Edit: I do like your concept and I really dig your contact list. :)

[Eyeless Blond]

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Bölverk]

Why would a pacifist put so much time into learning five different ways to hurt, maim, or kill people?

[Misfit Toy]

If someone with a high skill rolls all 1's and who has no Karma Pool available to turn it into a normal failure, that is "damn near impossible." And while a Skill of 3 is considered normal within the setting, within the game itself it is a "low skill level."

[Austere Emancipa...]

I was maybe, just maybe, at Demolitions 1 when I started playing around with TNT. Seriously, anyone with the slightest sense of sense-preservation needs the kind of bad luck which makes meteors rain down on every new car you buy to blow himself up with the proper gear.

The only way anything bad can happen to you is if you do something incredibly stupid. Like licking a battery while holding the wire ends of a detonator that you have already pressed properly into the explosive. Or use a burning fuse the burning speed of which you haven't got a fricken clue about.

Having all 1s with Demolitions blow up whatever you're working on is equally stupid as having all 1s with a firearms skill make you shoot yourself on a firing range. At least in a combat situation I can understand how that just might happen -- in a panic you don't handle a weapon well and it fires at an inopportune moment. But blowing yourself up with proper demolition gear while nobody is shooting at you would take more pure idiocy than I have ever seen.

This, at least, is one case where RL facts are firmly on my side. If people just Introduced to setting up explosives or firing a small arm blew themselves up or shot themselves in one out of six cases, basic training would be a hell of a lot more lethal.

This post has been edited by Austere Emancipator: Jul 11 2004, 03:38 PM

[Misfit Toy]

I'm not saying that having the explosives detonate in your face is how you should handle it, I was only contesting the parts I was responding to.

If it were my call, I'd have the Rules of One cause the problem when the explosives were actually detonated, not while setting them up (instead of blowing the safe door off its hinges, it instead firmly welds the door into place)... at least not unless the circumstances were so wild that he was working blind in a high-stress situation as multiple shots were being fired at his head or something. Then I'd argue that such a result would reflect his lack of focus on what he was doing.

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Siege]

My two bits:

1. He's SWAT? What function did he serve?
This will help narrow down the focus so we can better offer advice.
a) Demolitions tends to be a "do it or don't" skill - especially if you're doing EOD (Explosives Ordinance Disposal). And I don't think most SWAT members are trained to handle explosives - that's the province of the bomb disposal unit and as a rule, they like specialists to handle things that go "boom".

b) He has Rifles at 5 - is he a sniper? Most SWAT units use either ARs or SMGs for their tactical entry teams.

2. I'll second the knowledge skills: Law, Police Procedures suggestion. Change "Policing Procedures" to "Lone Star Procedures".

3. Pacifist - in SWAT? Um...yeah.

4. Brawling/Edged weapons. I'd forgo Edged weapons and dump those points into Brawling. Weapon training, particularly edged weapons, is not a high priority in SWAT units. Now, clubs (asp batons) are. Remember, you're still playing to the court of public opinion and knives are just...icky.

On a mechanical note - a skill of 5 will be more useful than two skills of 3. And it's even plausible - see above.

5. Cyberware
If you're going to keep "bio-rejection", it'll make the point moot. If you're going to change it, we can offer more advice on cyber ideas. :P

Background
You have a UCAS army contact, which means he could have spent some time in the UCAS mil, which would account for his acquiring non-police skills.

Gear
9 pistols that he can carry around at the same time? Eek? If you have an AR or SMG, a handgun is your backup weapon. In the world of street cops, you have a primary handgun and a secondary handgun. The ammo requirements alone for two guns can be complicated, never mind four.

For a better visual, stop by a local gun shop (if you're over 18) and look at the size of most handguns and ammo pouches. Then visualize where the hell you're gonna strap that to your body.

I'm not trying to be rude - I didn't appreciate the size of a handgun until I bought my Sig 220.

@Austere - Not every GM has your experience with explosives. :P Although I will second my dislike of the "it goes off in your face, even under controlled conditions" rule.

-Siege

[Kagetenshi]

Or maybe the person setting the explosives up just put them in a big chunk and tossed them next to whatever they were trying to destroy. Or maybe the explosives just won't go off for whatever reason, and the person setting them doesn't know. I agree, though, that under most circumstances explosions should not be a result of rule-of-oneing.

~J

[Siege]

The rule of one tends to be applied to absurd levels like:

Player: "I stick a detonator into a brick of C-4 and toss it."
GM: "Roll Demolitions."
Player: "Uh...why?"
GM: "Because you're using plastique."
Player: "Like a grenade - shouldn't that be thrown weapons?"
GM: "What's your demolitions skill?"
Player: "Um...I don't have one. But it's a satchel charge - you flip a switch and get clear of the explosives before the timer hits zero!"
GM: "Uh oh - anyone know the penalties for defaulting to an attribute?"
Player: "$(^#)^*)(!"

-Siege