One of my players challenged me to make the character of Max Payne via SR4 chargen using 400 BPs. I think that he not only came out close to what he is in the games, but that he turned out to be a pretty scary fellow. I figured I'd post him here to see what you guys thought.

I decided to make him as a mundane and use cyberware to emulate his superhuman abilities in the game. Between the 'ware and his innate qualities, I think I achieved that.

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If you are sticking to the chargen Availability rules, you can't get that third level of Reaction Enhancers.

Ah, thanks. I probably misread the avail when I was picking up ware. I fixed it accordingly. Even so, that just gives him wiggle room to benefit from graded WR3 or a Synaptic Booster 3 if he ever gets up the money.

Just go Edge all the way. Also by chargen rules, you can't spend more then 200 BP on attributes, or more then 35 on both positive ad negative qualities(Ok, no more adding after 1 AM for me). Here's my quick interpritation of Max Payne:


Attributes (200 BP):
STR 3 . CHA 1
AGI 5 . LOG 3
REA 5 . INT 3
BOD 4 . WIL 4

Special Attributes (65 BP):
Edge 7

Positive Qualities (35 BP):
Amberdexterious (5)
Quick Healer (10)
Toughness (10)
Will to Live +2 (10)

Negative Qualities (15 BP):
SINner (UCAS) (5)
Addiction: Moderate (10,Alcohol)

Skills (98 BP):
Dodge 5
Firearms 4
Heavy Weapons 1
(Machine Gun) +2
Throwing Weapons 2
Unarmed Combat 2
Running 2
Computer 1
Data Search 1

Contacts (17 BP):
Senator C:4, L:1
Mob Boss C:3, L:2
Police Chief C:2, L:3
Drug Dealer C:1, L:1

Like many conversions, I'd say that for a really accurate flip of Max Payne you'd need to not be inhibited by starting character rules.

Damnit! Now you made me wat to play Max Payne again!

I have to agree with Gyro, though: you can't really convert this bloke by the starting character rules. And I'd send his charsma up a bit by the way. 1 or 2 seems too low.

Seeing as his abilities are an inherent thing wouldn't Max Payne be better represented by an Adept character rather than a cybered mundane?

naaaah. who needs yet another video game/comic/movie character ported to SR as an adept? it's kinda nice to see a conversion that doesn't go straight for the power points.

Okay, then do this: Wally, from Monkey Island.
He doesn't need any amount of karma.

Agreed with mfb. Max Payne might not be portrayed as being chock full of wires, but he isn't portrayed as living in a world of "magic" either. Bioware would probably be even be MORE appropriate than Adept powers.

EDIT: And no, most fiction characters that fall into the major ass kicker catagory aren't really creatable under normal chargen. At least not such a character at his/her peak. You want to play a PC that is at least a shadow of Marv from Sin City? Convince your GM to let you start a, i don't know, 500BP+ 200 karma PC?

Oh, yeah by the way. On the cyberware front I'd give this bloke as much pain editor as possible, considering that he limps around with bullets in his guts and gets by on painkillers...

I went with Uncouth and Charisma 2 because, admittedly, he's kinda a gloomy, sullen guy, and given how noir the game is, he's a little on the sociopathic side. He mows down enemies by the hundreds and doesn't bat an eye. I say that qualifies for Uncouth.

Also, the challenge was to make Max Payne using SR4 chargen rules and 400 BPs. If the restrictions were 500 BPs and everything goes, I probably would've gone a more Bioware route.

I considered making him as an adept, but I felt like the expense that would go into Magic would really gimp him in other areas. Besides, I can get all the benefit I need from cyberware and still have a bunch of cash left over for other stuff.

Also, the thing about the Painkillers makes sense. I knew that putting down Alcohol was a bit of a stretch, but I thought it would've made for a better addiction. (I forget the internal arguments I had for not putting painkillers down, honestly.)

As for blakkie's comment about making an asskicker: For making a 400 BP character using chargen rules, I think Max is a highly capable asskicker. Granted he's not so much if he runs out of bullets, then again the games never focused on hand-to-hand combat.

I also liked the mechanics to the Damage Compensators more than those of the Pain Editor. I felt like the Pain Editor would've actually hurt him a bit.

You can make someone that can kick one-dimensional ass. But major? By that i mean someone that has "It", and i'm kinda at a loss for the words to fully describe the breadth of the category. It's just they are so good it's like they are the figment of a wild-eyed adolescent dream...because often they are, be the creator of adolescent age or not.

For example Leon** (The Professional). Here is a guy who's existance is basically limited to drinking milk, wacking people, and occationally napping while sitting up in the corner. He's the film personification of a min/max PC. But to duplicate at chargen just the ass kicking shown in the movie, off the top of my head, in infiltration, a sense for intimidation, unorthodox weapons, knives, playing with bullets (and all those just in the "Someone's Here. Someone Serious." sequence), firearms of various sorts, and "the ring trick"? Maybe if you removed the limits on Skills. But you are going to run really tight on BP.

** I have heard a rumour/factiod that the first iteration of that story was conceived by Luc Beson when he was 12. Which would make it an excellent example.