So I'm getting ready for a Con this weekend and have to make my 100% by the rules SR character, with only MITS, M&M, and SR3. I decide to revamp my old Earth Elementalist Paracritter Hunter ™. He's a decent mage, a decent fighter, and a great survivalist and tracker. Now comes the hard part, helping him keep up with the Jones's , so of course I turn to cyberware just as he would. I decided on this spread, making some adjustments to make it all fit.

Cybereyes (alpha)
-low light
-thermo
-Imagelink (you'll see why later)

Boosted Reflexes 1 (alpha)

Datajack(alpha)

SGL Ltd simsence rig (alpha)
SGL II Processer (alpha)

all coming to a nifty .98 essence 63,200 =Y=

Now the question here is dose anyone have any better ideas for this thype of character? I decided to, for the sake of a datajack, forgo the standared sgl 2 for a datajack fed sgl, and saving another .1 essence (and adding functionality) by adding a imagelink. No I'm thinking of Having a induction pad attached to a glove attached to the datajack, any problems with that? Finally Can anyone come up with any problems with this grouping of cyberware. I think the datajack has enough ports to rout what in need but I'm not sure.

The Eggman

You want the really twinky advice?

Dump the boosted, and instead buy a Sustaining Focus 1. Buy Increase Reflexes +3 at force 1 fetish, for a net cost of zero. Use that saved force point to bond the focus.

Use your saved essence to buy yourself Flare Comp (a necessity for just about everyone); if you can persuade your GM to allow Bio index and Essence loss to be additive for Magic loss, then Enhanced Articulation will be useful.

My recommendation is also to loose the Boosted. Not worth it. Instead, take the induction pad and save the datajack for a transducer or computer/gps link. I agree with a Force 2 (Fetish) Increased Reflexes for 3 spell points (one for the spell, 2 for the foci) if you can spare it.

Also, no mage with cybereyes should be without FlareComp. All it takes is a FlashPak and you're practically useless. I'd spend 0.1 for FlareComp and replace Thermo with Optical Magx3 (Increased LOS).

Still gives essence to spare. Personally, I go with a 2nd Datajack so I have one for transducer communications and 1 for data usage.

Sphynx

I don't think the Intwinked Reflexes +3 focus will be very practical, he's an aspected Earth Elementalist, and therefore can't cast health spells.

For what it's worth, I think Boosted is very worthwhile in the long run. Since it stacks with Synaptic Accelerators, once you get a grade of initiation, you can get Synap. Acc. 1, Cerebral Booster 1 and still have .2 (I think) bioindex to spare on whatever you like.

Get a knowledge link, alpha or beta to make the numbers work.

That way you can optimize your datajack.

-Siege

He never said he was Aspected... You can be an Elementalist without being Aspected. However, even if he is aspected, I'd still not use Essence for Boosted, at least not if limiting myself to a single point of essence.

Much better can be gotten for the essence points I think.

Sphynx

I thought health spells were open to everyone because they don't correspond with any element. Have I been wrong this whole time?

Yeah, you're wrong. The only time Health corresponds to an element is in Wuxing where it corresponds to Earth. Normal hermetics have water = illusion.

Aspected elementalists only have access to one type of magic, determined by their element. Full mages who have an elementalist bend do get access to everything, with bonuses and penalties to spells of their and opposed types.

Can you make an elementalist that only gets health spells?

By using the FAQ, you can make a Wuxing Earth Elementalist who only gets health spells, yes.

Well, at least now I know the proper rules. But I still think it stinks that an elementalist cannot have access to health spells, which have no hermetic element.

Remember, if a smartlink system is not completely cybernetic, you only get -1 TN instead of -2. I think you're getting too complicated. You would be better off simply getting (all alphaware): cybereyes with Low-Light, Flare Compensation, and Optical Magnification Level-3; Smartlink II; and Boosted Reflexes: 1. Nice and simple, for 0.96 Essense.

And once again, the datajack counts as an "implant substitution", so you get the full -2.

I wasn't sure that you were going aspected elementalist or Hermetic specialized elementalist; I assumed the second, my mistake.

Since we're kinda on the topic, our House Rule for Aspecteds gives Earth the Health spells, and each element is allowed to have manipulation spells of their own element. (seemed so odd that the Earth Elementalist got to walk around with a Flame Aura casting fireballs and a Fire Elementalist couldn't.)

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going with the datajack substitution for two reasons. One is that I have found in just about every game I've been in that a datajack is just too useful to go without, with the ability to access computer systems and knowsofts, add the thisplay link and he has instant access to his hermetic libraries. Another is that I wanted to have the cybereyes, for the character concept low light and thermo vision are a must, with the amount of time he spends in the wild. Add in the Boosted Reflexes, which also stack with Synaptic Acelerators if I ever have the yen, to give him just enough of an edge that he'll allmost allways go twice. And yes if I had access to Health spells I'd go that way.

The Eggman

Except when the target's willpower is like six. Then I'd rather use sorcery as a ranged combat skill, chuck some spell pool in, and let the dice fall where they may.

(Seriously, you'd be surprised how many people in my GM's world have a willpower of six...)

EDIT: This was in response to street wyze.

I am fairly sure you had to have a knowsoft link or an encephalon to use a knowsoft in a datajack. You do not need either of those to use a knowsoft in a chipjack, as it already has the knowsoft link build into it. Without a chipjack or a knowsoft link, plugging a knowsoft straight into a datajack gets you nothing.

Hence my earlier posting about adding a knowsoft link.

Absolute must and amazingly useful if you plan on using knowledge chips, lingua-chips and so on.

-Siege

I am a big fan of skillsofts as I have found they almost always come in handy sooner or latter. Have you thought about geting a Skillwire Plus? Add that with one of those nice multi-slot softlinks and you have a very nice set of tech.

Level 2 Softlink .2
Skillwire Plus Level 3 .3

Total .5 Essence.

I have found that to be as usefull or even more usefull then a smartgun. I am not sure you can get that in Alphaware though....