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> Needing help, Challenge Time.
Shockwave_IIc
post Jul 26 2004, 06:58 AM
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Ok, Im needing a bad guy to put up against my players. 1 Person, Human, Physad (NOT a Magicians Adept) Why?? Because my twink-fu is weak.

Brief Background. This Person is a Hitman/Bodyguard for a Important Member of the Yak's (so Yes Tattoo magic is fine, though not to much please about this much.Cool Shirow Pic

Style of game, Anime/Matrix/Jackie Chan. Ie. If it looks cool and (to a degree)believable all is good.

Around a Lvl 4 Initiate
Some Cyber/Bio is fine but no more then 2 Essence worth (Beta/Cultured is ok)
Hth skills, Cos Guns are boring and Martial Arts is cool (IMO). Pref either Dual Weapon Wielding or Polearm, but not a must.


Some Powers that i know im wanting.
Imp Combat Skill...
Imp Athletics
Great Leap and Free Fall.

NO Imhabitated Spirits. (thats for the Master Shedim when/if he gets killed :vegm: Kidding!!)

Not totally strict on rules interperations, but no stretching the rulebook around the world.


So lets see what the combined minds of Dumpshock can do.
Thanks

[EDIT] Oh a brief distcription on how the character "works" would be good to[/EDIT]
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Crisp
post Jul 26 2004, 01:50 PM
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So you want a Yak Adept with a magic rating of about 10, right?

Some suggestions for a fairly generic katana-toting killer:

Lets say Imp. Edged Weapons 4+, possibly with a Talisman Geas that requires him to only use his ancestral family katana which has been passed down for the last umpteen generations. If there are Melee specialists in your team you might want to raise this even further (all the way up to ten?) or add a weapon focus (or do both if you are a particularly evil Gm).

Great Leap/Freefall, rating 4 each at one Magic point each feels just about right. Ditto for Imp. Athletics.

I'd give him some decent Initiative increase, choose your favorite: Cyber, Adept Power or a Tattoo Quickened spell. It's mostly a matter of taste IMHO, however note that since he's supposed to act as a bodyguard a high Reaction would be nice to avoid getting surprised, so if you get him a tattooed Increase Initiative spell make sure he also has a decent Reaction.

Muscle Augmentation 4 cost only 1.6 Bio even without culturing, it might be worth a shot since he's human and his strength might be a little low.

Speaking of Bio you might want to get him a Trauma Damper, it doesn't cost much Bio and it can be very useful, Pain Resistance is also nice but the two don't combine too well...

Btw what will the PCs be packing?

If they are gun-happy and our poor Adept is caught "bringing a knife to a gun fight" you might want to make one of those tattoos something like Combat Sense/Deflect to give him a better chance of dodging incoming bullets or something like Bullet Armor/Bullet Barrier to stop those pesky bullets altogether.

If they're spell-happy you might want to invest in the Magic Resistance power or a tattoo with Increase Willpower or that nifty spell that increases other people's target numbers (Unfortunatley I don't remember the name right now, check MitS it's a Manipulation spell IIRC)

Hope this'll get the creative juices flowing.
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Crisp
post Jul 26 2004, 02:00 PM
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Stupid double post...
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toturi
post Jul 26 2004, 02:26 PM
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Personally, I would give him Improved Athletics 4, Stealth 4, Edged Weapons 6, Great Leap 4, Traceless Walk, Combat Sense 2 and Quick Draw. Some Bioware I think would be appropriate would be Muscle Aug 4 BUT remember to give him Exceptional Attribute: Strength and of course, Enhanced Artwinkulation. :D

Stealth 4 increases his chances of surprising an enemy (hitman) and helps his Perception tests via Stealth(Awareness) complementary rolls (bodyguard). Great Leap and Imp Athletics and Traceless Walk can get him into difficult to reach places :P. Great Leap and Imp Athletics also allow him to get into the thick of things faster.
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BitBasher
post Jul 26 2004, 03:46 PM
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I would like to know how many people are on your team and what their combat skills entail.

The reason I ask this is because the way combat in SR inherintly works, one opponent in a stand up fight will flat out usually get mauled by a few normal starting characters. Dice pool deplete rapidly. Without cheating he will either kill one or more of them outright and(or) then then will kill him. usually within one round. It's hard to balance something like this, particularly with only a single opponent.
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SirKodiak
post Jul 26 2004, 07:26 PM
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BitBasher has an excellent point. Most characters powerful enough to not get killed in the first round (even if they eventually win, which I assume is the point) when up against a team of shadowrunners are also powerful enough to kill at least one of them a round. Putting them up against a super-powerful swordsman is basically asking them to jump into an industrial-sized grinder until they clog it up. It'll work, but it'll be bloody. Unless the point is that they shouldn't face this guy in a face-to-face fight.

Really, the only characters I've seen do that are Trolls with boosted Body stat, with lots of armor. Throwing so many dice at every soak attempt that it's hard to do a lot of damage. Of course, this is basically a gimmick character, because, while they'll be able to do damage, it won't be in the range of most characters that cost so much.

Anyways, the question I have, in addition to BitBasher's team composition information, is what the desired outcome of the fight is. Things don't always go the way you want, because you might have a plan. Do you want this guy to be so scary they avoid him, do you want him to be a challenge but all of the runners make it through, are you okay with half the team dying? That would help in terms of balancing.
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shadd4d
post Jul 26 2004, 07:37 PM
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Also what are your party's prediclations? Do they fight tactically? Do they accept turn and run as a viable tactic? Do they even consider it? How do they approach challenges, i.e. do they expect that they can overcome any and every?

If he's a scary assassin and sneaky, at least one party member will most likely die or be seriously wounded while the rest put 2 and 2 together and whip out an ingeneous plan and proceed to walk all over your NPC bad dude.

In my experience anyway,

Don
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Apathy
post Jul 26 2004, 08:49 PM
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QUOTE
Really, the only characters I've seen do that are Trolls with boosted Body stat, with lots of armor. Throwing so many dice at every soak attempt that it's hard to do a lot of damage. Of course, this is basically a gimmick character, because, while they'll be able to do damage, it won't be in the range of most characters that cost so much.

I agree, but that character wouldn't fit the situation that well. Yaks (and Japanese in general) would never accept a troll as one of them, and heavy body/heavy armor doesn't fit in with the stealthy assasin image.

If you were open to a little 'give-and-take' on the human side, you could make the NPC a shifter masquerading as a human [as in the Striper Assasin novel]. Regeneration can be a real pain in the ass for your players, allowing the NPC to keep coming back for more, or to get away dispite incredible damage. This way, you can make his/her attack skills weak enough that you wouldn't be assured of killing the first couple opponents in reach, while still giving everyone a tough time of it.
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BitBasher
post Jul 26 2004, 09:12 PM
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QUOTE
I agree, but that character wouldn't fit the situation that well. Yaks (and Japanese in general) would never accept a troll as one of them, and heavy body/heavy armor doesn't fit in with the stealthy assasin image.
Actually the Yakuza is split between old and new yakuza, with the old not accepting metahumans and the new accepting metahumans just fine. There are many Yakuza clans that make use of orcs and trolls in SR canon, just not the traditional clans. I like the idea of a stealthy troll ninja. :D
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Xirces
post Jul 26 2004, 09:17 PM
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Was the Oni-Do allied (or even part of) the Yakuza?

I'm specifically thinking of the Troll Assassin from Silver Angel as a canon example if I'm correct.

Anyway, it's easy enough to justify anything as far as the Yaks go - there's so much internal competition that any one of them could have formed an off-shoot, which does happen to like metas.
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Apathy
post Jul 26 2004, 09:17 PM
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If you do use a true [meta-]human, then go for the high-level increased willpower in a sustaining focus tatoo, though, or it'll still be over as soon as the first stunbolt hits.

My personal opinion on which melee powers are the most dangerous?
[ Spoiler ]


Even with all this munchiness, the NPC's still a goner unless he's got sheilding or a sustained Improve willpower spell.

I would not throw something like this against the players because he's almost certain to score a one hit kill on someone in the first pass.
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Shockwave_IIc
post Jul 26 2004, 09:25 PM
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Fair points all round.

Ok,
Primary Players.
1, Lvl 9 Initiate Phsyad, Prefers Hth but will get lose after a couple of rounds to a twinked starting adept, Ie, LOTS and LOTS of low level powers. Best she can do is 15 dice with dual weapons before pool (Crap considering her grade). Skimped a bit on some skills. SMG as firearm of choice.

2, Sammy, Likes his assault rifles. Lacking in Hth (3 skills at 3), Has 14+3d6 for Initative, fastest in the group. Also has the Biggest Karma Pool (15 last time a checked)

3, Elf Adept, Weapons of choice Katana and Atropine loaded Dart guns.
Perception (10 dice at -1 Tn's) and stealth out his arse.

As a group they tend to rely more on their stats then their Savvy's. I've stung them a lot for this.

No regular mages hence why i wanted to avoid mages and spirits.

QUOTE
Also what are your party's prediclations? Do they fight tactically? Do they accept turn and run as a viable tactic? Do they even consider it? How do they approach challenges, i.e. do they expect that they can overcome any and every?

They have run from a fight, but more often then not walk into the hell mouth blindly and then proceed to crawl back out.
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golden1
post Jul 26 2004, 10:10 PM
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*** Twinkage warning***

Edged weapon (Katana) 6/7
Off hand Weapon (Katana / Wakasahi<sp?>) 6/7

improved Skill (edged weapon) 6
Counter strike 6

Improved reflexes (2)

Stealth (some)
Athletics (some)
ALL the Vision modifers.

A Bioware Pain Ed. (What damage modifiers)

Muscle Augmentation (3 or 4)
Enhanced artwinkulation.
(and if you can afford it, a Relfex recorder for edged weapons. )

Base skill 7 dice
+off hand 4 (11 total)
+improved skill 6 (17 total)
+Improved skill 3 (20 total ) (as you're using the same skill twice)
+counter Strike 6 (26 dice)
+E A (27 dice) (possibly even 28 dice)

With a Katana, and a Katana like off hand weapon (which you've Di-koted of course) That's a 11 or 12S Attack, with 28 dice behind it.

(and then combat pool)

******* End Twinkage ****


Now if you want to get in to REALL twinkage teritory, get the yak-adept mage pall to stick a Increased quickenss (lots) spell on him, as well as possibly even increased Str..

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Odin
post Jul 26 2004, 10:32 PM
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QUOTE
Was the Oni-Do allied (or even part of) the Yakuza?

I'm specifically thinking of the Troll Assassin from Silver Angel as a canon example if I'm correct

it was Dark Angel actually .yeah the Oni-Do was basically a revamped version of the ninja clans they took in japanese kids who goblinized and trained them to become perfect killers the troll assasins were seriously lacking as their natural reaction was only 2 the Oni-Do was run by yakuza mages the names supposedly meant way of the goblin but Oni's actual translation is actually more like ogre then goblin ,but it wouldn't be the first time cannon used a little fuzzy reality to fit the campaign.
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Shockwave_IIc
post Jul 26 2004, 10:47 PM
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QUOTE
Off hand Weapon (Katana / Wakasahi<sp?>) 6/7


Better to go Ambidextrous 3
QUOTE
(and if you can afford it, a Relfex recorder for edged weapons. )

Didn't think this stacked with Adept Powers

Ok's my try...

Body-6 (9)
Quick- 5
Strength-6
Int-5
Cha-4
Will-6

Cyber: Ceramic Bone Lacing (Beta), Dermal Sheath 1 (Beta), Boosted 1 (Beta)

Powers.
Imp Athletics 4
Free Fall 2
Great Leap 4
Imp Combat skill 6 (Not Sure Yet *)
Quickdraw
Combat Sense 2
Mystic Armour 4 (geas's Hth only)

* Still not sure on the skill, Could go for traditional Wakasashi (Long Blade) and Katana, but two of the PC's kinda fight like that already. was thinking dual Stun Batons and Linking with Martial Arts or a Polearm.

What this fuss about Morning Stars that i heard???

I was hoping for 2 actions almost guranteed, but going first on one, Which meant Quick Strike, but it 3 magic points...

Tattoo'd Spells, Was thinking Combat Sense and Deflect.


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CBrate
post Jul 27 2004, 01:42 AM
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And if things start going very wrong remember you are the GM and fudge a few rolls/rules for the sake of the plotline.
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toturi
post Jul 27 2004, 01:05 PM
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QUOTE (golden1)
*** Twinkage warning***

Edged weapon (Katana) 6/7
Off hand Weapon (Katana / Wakasahi<sp?>) 6/7

With a Katana, and a Katana like off hand weapon (which you've Di-koted of course) That's a 11 or 12S Attack, with 28 dice behind it.

(and then combat pool)

******* End Twinkage ****


Now if you want to get in to REALL twinkage teritory, get the yak-adept mage pall to stick a Increased quickenss (lots) spell on him, as well as possibly even increased Str..

I would recommend a Dikoted Ares Monosword, a katana is a two handed weapon. Or at least it is in the description text.
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Cochise
post Jul 27 2004, 01:37 PM
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QUOTE (toturi)
I would recommend a Dikoted Ares Monosword, a katana is a two handed weapon. Or at least it is in the description text.

Since the Katana is listed as viable primary weapon on the dual-wielding table, that description is not set in stone. Technically the Katana is more like a 1.5 handed weapon, since there are techniques both for two-handed and single-handed attacks ...
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Raife
post Jul 27 2004, 06:27 PM
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Here is the phys-ad bodyguard of one of my Yakuza bosses that I run in my game.

Shi Koto (Level 4 Initiate)

B: 4(6) Q:6 S:5 C:4 I:6 W:6 R:6(10) M:10 E:6 Initiative 10+3D6

Powers: Imporved Reflexes 2, Quickdraw, Sixth Sense 2, Improved Pistols 4, Improved Edged Weapons 4, Pain Resistance 4

Active Skills: Athletics 5, Stealth 4, Pistols 6(10), Edged Weapon (Custom Pistols) 5(9)/7(11), Ninjitsu 4, Biotechnology 5
Throwing 4, Centering 4
Knowledge Skills: Kata 5 (Linked to Centering), Security 4
Martial Arts Techniques: Kick Attack, Blind Fighting

Equipment: Pair of Custom Pistols*, 4 Concussion Grenades, Dikoted Plates in Long Coat (5/4), Wrist/Shin Guards (0/2)

Total Armor Value: 5/6 (Wrist/shin guards stack)

*Shi Koto uses a pair of custom made Heavy Pistols. They have dikoted curved blades from the tip of the barrel to the bottom of the handle, allowing them to be used as edged weapons in close combat.

Damage: 9M Mode: SA/BF, Range:Heavy Pistol, Ammo: 18©, Reach 0, Melee Damage: Str+1(M), Recoil Compensation 2

I really enjoy this NPC, as his damage output is relatively low (he always fires with BOTH guns, even though he lacks ambidexterity) and will often fire the guns at different targets.

My players have learned that keeping him at long range is a smarter move, and this gives him an excellent chance to get his client out of harms way, as he always has an "interesting" escape route planned, like explosives in floors to create makeshift tunnels and throwing his client onto a riot shield and sledding down a ski slope.

So far he is the bain of their existance.
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