Expiriments in archetype selection, Just because you're loaded with chrome.. Options

[Toptomcat]

...doesn't mean you're a street samurai.

Inspired in equal parts by the sensory adept and the 'gargoyle' rig from Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, this character, Metis- ancient Greek for wiliness and wisdom in combat, and the quality that Athene and Odysseus embodied- aims to break away from the sammy-mage-rigger-decker archetype rut and do something entirely new in Shadowrun while still remaining useful. Tell me what you think...I'd especially like help in making a personality and a history.

'Metis'
Human male
Strength: 3
Body: 4 (6)
Quickness: 4
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 6
Reaction: 5
Essence: .04
Initiative: 5 + 1d6
Combat Pool: 8
Karma Pool: 1

Skills:
Clubs 5 (Stun Batons 7)
Sub-Machine Guns 6
Stealth 5 (Alertness 7)
Small Unit Tactics 6
Leadership 5
Etiquette 4

Knowledge:
Physics 6
Chemistry 6
Metacorp Policies 6
Magic 6
History 5(Ancient Greek 7)

Language:
English 6
R/W English 3
Ancient Greek 1
R/W Ancient Greek 3

Edges:
College Education
Perceptive
Photographic Memory

Resources: 1,000,000
Lifestyle:
3 months Low

Armor:
FFBA combined with Greatcoat line armor clothing (Conc 11, Ballistic 6, Impact 2) Weight: 4.25

Weapons:
"Odysseus" Submachine Gun
Conc 6, Ammo 35©, Mode SA/BF, Damage 6M, Weight 6.25, RC 5 (6 w/stock)
Integral sound suppressor
Folding stock
Top-mounted high-power laser sight
In concealable, quick-draw holster.
Loaded w/35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 EX Explosive rounds
Spare clip: 35 Flechette rounds
Spare clip: 35 gel rounds
AZ-150 Stun Baton: Conc 5, Reach 1, 8S Stun, Weight 1

Cyberware:
Alphaware chipjack (Essence .16)
Alphaware datajack (Essence .16)
Alphaware headware memory 360 mp (effective 504 mp) (Essence 1)
Alphaware Data Compactor Rating 2 (Essence .12)
Alphaware Cyber Ear Replacement with dampener, high frequency, low frequency, recorder, .Level 5 SSF (Essence 0.76)
Alphaware Retinal Mods: Image Link, Flare Comp, Low-Light, Opticam, Thermographic, Electronic 3 Vision Mag, Microscopic Vision, Ultrasound Vision (Essence 1.44)
2x Alphaware, Obvious Cyberleg (Essence 1.6)
ECU: 18 per leg
Chemical Analyzer and Gas Spectrometer w/Rating 14 Reference Program in right leg (1 ECU)
Orientation System in right leg (1 ECU)
Nav-Dat GPS system, DNI-adapted, in right leg (1.75 ECU)
Laser Microphone, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (3.25 ECU)
Shotgun Microphone, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (3.25 ECU)
Bug Scanner, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (4.25 ECU)
Handheld Cyberware Scanner, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (2.25 ECU)
Magnetic Anomaly Detector, DNI-adapted, in left leg, Rating 6 (2.25 ECU)
Transceiver Radio, DNI-adapted, in left leg, with Rating 3 Broadcast Encryption, Rating 6 (1.25 ECU)
Alphaware Direct Neural Interface for Nav-Dat GPS (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Laser Microphone (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Shotgun Microphone (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Bug Scanner (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Cyberware Scanner (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for MAD Detector (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Radio (.08 Essence)
Alphaware Rating 6 Olfactory Booster (Essence .16)
Alphaware Transducer (Essence .08)

Contacts:
Level 1 troll Talismonger, Graak- physmage specializing in old and faux-antique items, like crusty grimiores and broadswords
Level 1 elven CIA man, Lenez- high-clearance paper-pusher prone to saying WAY too much after a few drinks.

Rating 3 Knowsofts: Cybertechnology, Paranormal Animals, Metahumanity, Dragons, Data Havens, Politics, Safehouse Locations, Gang Identification, Criminal Organizations, Police/Security Procedures and Tactics, Biology, Literature, Medicine, Parabiology, Engineering, Psychology. Each is in a labeled pouch in a carrying case, to prevent slotting one when the other would be better.
16.75 ECU right leg
3.5 ECU left leg

Gear:
500 nuyen

[GrinderTheTroll]

Cool character, but don't you have to Alpha all the items in the Cyberleg for costing purposes?

[hyzmarca]

You only need one DNI per liimb.

[Toptomcat]

None of them are actually peices of cyberware- just DNI-modified surveillience equipment.

[The White Dwarf]

I would lower small unit tactics and leadership in order to raise strength to 4, considering how high you put your clubs skill.

Id check with your gm about putting an smg in a concealable holster, not sure of the canon ruling since as I recall the wording is a bit vague, but our group wouldnt allow that.

Id also check with your gm on the DNI thing, I was under the impression you needed 1 per item as youve done, but I guess not everyone shares that impression.

Id change the launguage from ancient greek to just greek, afaik theyre the same.

As for history, put some ops or connection to (brace yourself) greece. For personality, youve obviously got some flavor with the name; Id just build that into an MO and go from there. Stick with the more greek feel to avoid a default sam complex, this is a nice twist to it.

[GrinderTheTroll]

[U_Fester]

[Moon-Hawk]

You can always use SUT just to give yourself a boost without using an action to communicate orders to anyone else. It's a great skill to have that gives you +3 or so to initiative every turn.

[Jrayjoker]

As for his history, It sounds like he was an infiltrator, information gatherer of very high order for a very long time. He could have surrendered his humanity piece by piece over the course of his training and been left with little empathy for anything except his next assignment.

And he has a beautiful tenor voice, quite the baladeer. (Untrained of course)

[Kagetenshi]

[Garland]

He has no Pistol skill. This bothers me. Can't carry that SMG everywhere you want to go to listen in on things.

[Kagetenshi]

Can't carry a pistol a lot of those places either. The +2 / 1/2 CP penalties are survivable, IMO; I don't think it's worth going for Pistols.

~J

[Garland]

A pistol will get you into less trouble than an SMG and they're more common.

edit: But you're right. It probably wouldn't kill a person to suck up that defaulting penalty once in a while.

This post has been edited by Garland: Jan 6 2005, 08:57 PM

[mfb]

plus, you can make some really small SMGs. ...and even smaller ARs, but that's another discussion.

[Toptomcat]

In at least one case, concealable holsters for SMGs are canon: the Summit line of armor clothing from Mortimer of London from Cannon Companion includes one.

[Modesitt]

1. Headware memory is such a waste of essence. Put it in your cyberlimb, it's so much cheaper that way. Use some of that essence and nuyen to buy yourself a Smartlink-2(I know you're trying to get away from the street samurai archetype, but seriously, you need one if you ever expect to see combat) and a router(Believe me, you definitely need one of those to link up everything)

2. Your eyes aren't legal. Pg 44 M&M, right column. No more than 1.2 essence of stuff in a pair of cybereyes. Drop the ultrasound vision. Pick up eyelights in its place. The only times ultrasound would be better than thermo+lowlight+eyelights is when it comes to thermal smoke or situations where you're using low-light or thermo and suffering glare.

3. If you're using CC(And I think you are), drop the tranceiver and buy a tactical comm unit. Much better value.

4. The chipjack is pointless. Drop it and buy a knowsoft link for your datajack.

5. You have no mapsofts for your GPS system. Buy some.

6. You don't have a pocket secretary. Buy one. They are very useful.

7. Not even a chemistry kit? Bad boy. Buy one.

[Zeel De Mort]

Modern and Ancient Greek are two different things. At least, there are two different languages which you can learn which are both Greek, one modern that all Greeks speak, and another which far fewer people learn. Perhaps a bit like Latin.

Don't ask me, I don't speak either of them, but I know there are two.

Anyway, what else...

You can use SUT to benefit other people as well, you don't have to have battletac systems or even radios, it's just far easier that way. Hand signals or verbal commands will work, it's just that the TNs suck.

Chipjack is still useful. You might want to have a soft loaded and also be using your datajack for something else, like a radio. As far as I know you can only connect one thing at a time to a datajack. Obviously you should be able to hook up much more, but the rules don't seem to agree.

[Kagetenshi]

Modern and Ancient Greek are nontrivially different. IIRC, slightly more pronounced than the difference between modern and Middle English.

~J

[lorthazar]

Actually not as much as you would think. The words are basically the same. Some small difference. it's just the speaking structure is much different. much like talking to Yoda. You can understand them but it so frigging hard it makes your head hurt.

[Kagetenshi]

I've taken a year of Ancient Greek and learned snippets of modern Greek over a month spent there. They're recognizably the same language, but I still maintain that it's only in the same way that, for instance, the following text is recognizably English:

[Lantzer]

One question: He has a handheld DNI-linked cyberware scanner implanted in his cyberleg? How does he scan people?

I'm envisioning a guy waving his leg around people to check them out.

That's not simply storage space - look at the difference between a cybergun and a cyberlimb holster. If I remember correctly, the holster takes more space.

Same problem with the MAD-detector. Even worse, in fact. He's got a Magnetic anomaly detector imbedded in a piece of chrome with a bunch of other gear wedged in nearby.

EDIT: I'd like to be clear that I like the idea. The execution suffers from a few problems.

[Toptomcat]

[Toptomcat]

Here's the new draft.


'Metis'
Human male
Strength: 3
Body: 4 (6)
Quickness: 4
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 6
Reaction: 5
Essence: .2
Initiative: 5 + 1d6
Combat Pool: 8
Karma Pool: 1

Skills:
Clubs 5 (Stun Batons 7)
Sub-Machine Guns 6
Stealth 5 (Alertness 7)
Small Unit Tactics 6
Leadership 5
Etiquette 4

Knowledge:
Physics 6
Chemistry 6
Metacorp Policies 6
Magic 6
History 5(Ancient Greek 7)

Language:
English 6
R/W English 3
Ancient Greek 1
R/W Ancient Greek 3

Edges:
College Education
Perceptive
Photographic Memory

Resources: 1,000,000
Lifestyle:
5 months Low

Armor:
FFBA combined with Greatcoat line armor clothing (Conc 11, Ballistic 6, Impact 2) Weight: 4.25

Misc:
Pocket Secretary

Weapons:
"Odysseus" Submachine Gun
Conc 6, Ammo 35©, Mode SA/BF, Damage 6M, Weight 6.25, RC 5 (6 w/stock)
Integral sound suppressor
Folding stock
Top-mounted high-power laser sight
In concealable, quick-draw holster.
Loaded w/35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 normal rounds
Spare clip: 35 EX Explosive rounds
Spare clip: 35 Flechette rounds
Spare clip: 35 gel rounds
AZ-150 Stun Baton: Conc 5, Reach 1, 8S Stun, Weight 1

Cyberware:
Alphaware datajack (Essence .16)
Alphaware chipjack (Essence .16)
Alphaware Chipjack Expert Driver Rating 2 (Essence .16)

Alphaware Cyber Ear Replacement with dampener, high frequency, low frequency, recorder, .Level 5 SSF (Essence 0.76)
Alphaware Retinal Mods: Image Link, Flare Comp, Low-Light, Opticam, Thermographic, Electronic 3 Vision Mag, Microscopic Vision, Ultrasound Vision (Essence 1.44)

2x Alphaware, Obvious Cyberleg (Essence 1.6)
ECU: 18 per leg
Chemical Analyzer and Gas Spectrometer w/Rating 14 Reference Program in right leg (1 ECU)
Orientation System in right leg (1 ECU)
Nav-Dat GPS system, DNI-adapted, in right leg (1.75 ECU)
Laser Microphone, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (3.25 ECU)
Shotgun Microphone, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (3.25 ECU)
Bug Scanner, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (4.25 ECU)
Handheld Cyberware Scanner, DNI-adapted, in right leg, Rating 6 (2.25 ECU)

Magnetic Anomaly Detector, DNI-adapted, in left leg, Rating 6 (2.25 ECU)
Transceiver Radio, DNI-adapted, in left leg, with Rating 3 Broadcast Encryption, Rating 6 (1.25 ECU)
5000-MP OMC, DNI-adapted, in left leg (0.5 ECU)
Communications Scanner, DNI-adapted, in left leg, Rating 6: Rating 4 Broadcast Decryption (1.75 ECU)
Ultrasound Detector, DNI-adapted, in left leg (0.75 ECU)
Gas Detection System, DNI-adapted, in left leg, Rating 6 (3 ECU)

Alphaware Direct Neural Interface for Nav-Dat GPS (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Laser Microphone (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Shotgun Microphone (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Bug Scanner (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Cyberware Scanner (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for MAD Detector (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Radio (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for OMC (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Communications Scanner (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Ultrasound Detector (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for Gas Detection System (.08 Essence)
Alphaware DNI for a future Nanoscanner (.08 Essence)

Alphaware Router (Essence .08)
Port for Datajack (Essence .008)
Port for Chem Alyzr/Gas Spec (Essence .008)
Port for Orientation System (Essence .008)
Port for Nav-Dat DPS System (Essence .008)
Port for Laser Microphone (Essence .008)
Port for Cyber Ear Replacement (Essence .008)
Port for Image Link (Essence .008)
Port for Opticam (Essence .008)
Port for Shotgun Microphone (Essence .008)
Port for other Router (Essence .008)

Alphaware Router (Essence .08)
Port for other Router (Essence .008)
Port for Cyberware Scanner (Essence .008)
Port for MAD Detector (Essence .008)
Port for Radio (Essence .008)
Port for Transducer (Essence .008)
Port for OMC (Essence .008)
Port for Communications Scanner (Essence .008)
Port for Ultrasound Detector (Essence .008)
Port for Gas Detection System (Essence .008)
Port for a future Nanoscanner (Essence .008)

Alphaware Rating 6 Olfactory Booster (Essence .16)
Alphaware Transducer (Essence .08)

Contacts:
Level 1 troll Talismonger, Graak- physmage specializing in old and faux-antique items, like crusty grimiores and broadswords
Level 1 elven CIA man, Lenez- high-clearance paper-pusher prone to saying WAY too much after a few drinks.

Rating 2 Knowsofts: Cybertechnology, Paranormal Animals, Metahumanity, Dragons, Data Havens, Politics, Safehouse Locations, Gang Identification, Criminal Organizations, Police/Security Procedures and Tactics, Biology, Literature, Medicine, Parabiology, Engineering, Psychology. Each is in a labeled pouch in a carrying case, to prevent slotting one when the other would be better.

16.75 ECU right leg
9.5 ECU left leg

Gear:
675 nuyen

[Fortune]

[Toptomcat]

True, but this is a neurally linked version of the Nav-Dat, not a direct adaptation of the GPS system.