PSST! You over there, pass me the ketchup., Need some advice for a stealth character Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Standard Switch to: Linear+

[mrobviousjosh]

Okay, I'm somewhat familiar with Shadowrun game mechanics (I've only played a couple of characters for about a year) but this is my first attempt at a truly stealth character. I went the magic route for him. He is at heart a street urchin (which is good because he's thankful for ration bars and doesn't have any particular crutches that can be used against him; i.e. luxury lifestyle with a view kind of thing). He's a Snake Shaman. Anyway, I've given him the following spells:

Detect Enemies 3
Detect Indiv. 3
Detect Magic 3
Alleviate Allergy 3 (He's an albino, it only made sense)
Treat 5
Mass Blindness 3 (A last resort, my character's a pacifist)
Improved Invis. 5
Physical Camouflage 3
Physical Mask 6
Stealth 3
Physical Double Image 3

I'm just now learning that some of my illusion spells (like invisibility) can be contested with a spell resistance test. I knew Mass Blindness and Physical Mask could but I wasn't sure about the others. I'm willing to drop Alleviate Allergy (since I can get around that with enough clothing) in order to free up some more spell points and maybe Physical Double Image (though I love the misdirection). Anyway, are these force levels good? I mean, generally pretty effective for what I'm doing? Also, how do I get around thermographic vision or ultrasound without technology? The easiest thing I could think of was Physical Mask so they thought I was someone else. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Ancient History]

Have the fire elemental attack the other side of the building. ;)

[mrobviousjosh]

Lol, that is a great idea! Unfortunately, I'm not much of a conjurer.

B 4
Q 6
S 3
C 2
I 6
W 8

Conjuring of 6 though. Maybe I could summon a small fire elemental.
(He's a dwarf albino with the human looking edge)

[Ancient History]

"Hey Phil, did you see the Mole Man just walk by?"
"John, I've told you before to lay off the amphetimines if you're gonna work the night shift."

[mrobviousjosh]

Fortunately, my character doesn't have those stupid glasses and haircut or a cane come to think or it, or he would look like the mole man. Lol.

[Panzergeist]

Well, you won't be summoning fire elementals as a snake shaman. And he's a pacifist? Good luck surviving. Hope your GM is not as hardcore as mine.

[mfb]

as i recall, mild allergies in SR impose a +1 TN on all actions you take. sustaining a spell imposes a +2 TN on all actions you take.

yeah, drop Alleviate Allergy.

[SpasticTeapot]

I'd go with a physmage.
Adept Powers:
Magic 2
Improved Stealth 6
Wallrunning

Spells:
Invisibility 4 (exclusive only for drain)
Treat 4 (exclusive only for drain)
Detect Enemies 3 (exlusive only for drain)
Improved Reflexes III 1(fetish-limited for learning the spell)
Healthy Glow 2 (exclusive for learning)
Makeover 2 (exclusive for learning)

Combine improved invis. with your stealth of 12 and some weak spirits, and you've got a pretty stealthy character. Wallrunning allows you entrance to windows without carrying any of that pesky climbing gear. Also, you can make yourself combat-capable by getting a cheap force-1 sustaining focus, and using it to sustain improved reflexes.

[Ol' Scratch]

You can always snag a Sustaining Focus for the Alleviate Allergy spell, though I find an albino to be a very poor choice for a "stealth type" to begin with.

As for Pacifist making it hard to survive? Wha...? It's a great edge for any character who has even a smidgeon of morality about them. Total Pacificist? Sure, that one's likely to get you killed in the shadows since you can't even really defend yourself properly, but Pacifist is just fine.

[Edward]

Between improved invisibility and stealth your as difficult to detect buy mundains as you can get (invisibility works on thermographic and stealth acts as invisibility against ultrasound), unfortunately sustaining spells just makes you easier to see on the astral unless you get masking and then you still visible on the astral, just not a glowy mage with spells active. Take the stealth skill

I would take a combat spell or 2, I know you’re a pacifist but stun bolt and or stun ball will be much more effective than mass blindness and wont kill1, the problem with mass blindness is that you have to sustain it as you make good your escape, the +2TN will be a real problem for you especially if there are guards that ether resisted the spell or where not present when you cast it.

Power bolt is also very useful, even if you are not going to be casting it at any people. Nothing in your listed spells will help you much against a drone or vehicle; you could even limit the spell so that it will only affect inanimate objects reducing the power of the drain buy one point, uses of this spell include attacking vehicles and drones, taking down doors and sections of walls to make an exit when you have to run, you can even target it at an opponents weapon although the DL necessary to disable a weapon would be left to your GM.

Improved invisibility should render physical camouflage obsolete, in most situations at least also I am not a fan of the double image spell but that is personal preference.

With a char of 2 spirits will be very difficult to summon at a useful force, force 5 is my basic level for spirits I use, if I recall correctly the most powerful spirit you can try is force 4 and that risks deadly drain, I would ether increase your charisma so you can summon more useful spirits or not spend a full 6 points on conjuring.

Edward

[RangerJoe]

Albino PCs make great infiltrators, provided you are sneaking around in a lot of snow. Fog, too.

[tisoz]

I'd try being able to conjure better, too. Many nature spirits have concealment power, and it adds to your stealth roll. Many nature spirits also have the confusion power, which may be the most broken power there is. Being a pacifist and using the confusion power will make the target wander about aimlessly at its worst or at least add the spirits force to all the victim's TNs.

[Jrayjoker]

[Fortune]

If you like Physical Camouflage, I suggest dropping the Force to 1, as the Force makes no difference for that spell (outside of dispelling).

I also suggest taking both the 'Caster Only' and 'Extended' options for most, if not all, of your Detection spells. In most circumstances the Drain Code will remain the same as that in the books.

[mrobviousjosh]

I derived the fact that my character was a pacifist (which became a part of my character concept) from this description in the book:
"Snake is wise and knows many secrets. She is a good councillor, but always exacts a price for their advice. Snake shamans are pacifists; they only fight to protect themselves and others. Snake shamans are obsessed with learning secrets and take great risks to do so. They trade their knowledge to others for whatever they can get in exchange."

Would I be able to take total pacifist (which I planned on RPing my character as) for the full points? Also, is Stealth treated as Silence for purposes of Ultrasound sight. The spell specifically stated Silence, not stealth. Just wanted to make sure because then I have some spell points to put into stunbolt or stunball. Also, I dropped his body one to give him Charisma 3. I built this character using the priority system and went: 1)Full Magician 2)400,000 :nuyen: (for spell points) 3) Attributes (24) 4) Race (Dwarf) 5) Skills

[ShadowDragon8685]

Snakes are cold-blooded predators, literally...

How did Snake get to be a pacifist?

[sidartha]

Mythology dude. Mythology

[mrobviousjosh]

[Smiley]

I believe the silence spell kills ultrasound.

[mrobviousjosh]

Yeah, Man and Machine reads. "Indirect illusion spells that affect sound will affect ultrasound vision, however. The silence spell affects ultrasound sight in the same way that invisibility affects normal vision. Characters cloaked using a silence spell do not show up as ultrasound images, and may not be located by an empty space in the ultrasound map."

According to this silence specifically cancels ultrasound, would stealth work on a smaller area the same way? I think it would but am not sure. Thanks.

[Glyph]

Yes, it would, since it is an indirect illusion spell that affects sound.

All right, let me take a look at your spell list:
Detect Enemies 3
Detect Indiv. 3
Detect Magic 3
Alleviate Allergy 3 (He's an albino, it only made sense)
Treat 5
Mass Blindness 3 (A last resort, my character's a pacifist)
Improved Invis. 5
Physical Camouflage 3
Physical Mask 6
Stealth 3
Physical Double Image 3

Here's my advice. First, some bad news. Not only are all of those illusion spells resisted, but so are those detection spells. So they need to be higher Force to have a decent chance of working - personally, I try to take Force: 5 or 6 for any resisted spells that I take. Detect Magic is decent if you don't want to risk astral perception, but I would still drop it and just assense things instead. Alleviate Allergy will be useful, when you get a sustaining focus. It only needs to be Force: 2 to alleviate a mild allergy, though, so drop it to that. Treat is a good spell. Mass Blindness at Force: 3, though, is relatively easy to resist. Even worse, it doesn't even make them blind - it just gives them, at best, a +3 perception modifier. Stunball is a much better choice, at Force: 5 or 6. Non-lethal, Drain that isn't too bad, and very effective. Improved Invisibility is a great spell, and so is Physical Mask. They give you one spell to hide, and one to disguise yourself. But Physical Camouflage and Physical Double Image are both redundant - you already have Improved Invisibility, so I would drop both of the other spells. Stealth is a keeper, though, both for sneaking past ultrasound and the general silence benefits.

Here's my suggested revisions:
Stun Ball: 6
Detect Enemies: 5
Detect Individual: 5
Alleviate Allergy: 2
Treat: 5
Improved Invisibility: 5
Physical Mask: 6
Stealth: 5
That leaves 1 point left, so I would suggest Levitate: 1. It lets you float over obstacles and snag small, loose items from a distance, both useful things for a stealth character.

[Smiley]

There's always ruthenium and thermal dampening. Couldn't hurt.

[Fortune]

[tisoz]

I would drop a spell or 2, not buy the spell points, lower the resource priority and raise the attribute priority and invest the surplu in maxxing out Charisma. Snake gets a -1 spellcasting modifier during combat, but conjuring gets no penalty. Take City spirits (as your spirit of man) and use their concealment power. It is a +(Force) for perception and targeting tests.

[mrobviousjosh]

These are my present spells now that I've reworked them:

Detect Enemies 3
Detect Individual 3
Treat 5
Improved Invis. 6
Physical Camoflage 1
Physical Mask 6
Silence 5
Stealth 6
Stunball 5

I can go ahead and cut up Silence for reworking purposes now that I know Stealth will work against Ultrasound sight if 3 still isn't high enough for the detection spells. Is there any way to magically get around thermographic vision though (I'm going to have to wait until my character gets some nuyen before I can get thermal dampening or anything else). Anyway, thanks again guys.