krishcane - not sure if you allow geas on Magic Power like that; if not I have another version of this character as a Sorcerer.

krishcane - there is an african version of this totem in Cyberpirates - only difference is that instead of +2 dice for Illusion spells, it gets +1 die for both Illusion and Manipulation, and it has a slightly different description. If you have access to that book and think it is okay, I would prefer that version of the totem.

If you feel that Inform Lvl5 is too unbalancing, replace it with Bad Karma (Web suffers from what he was subjected to during his youth, as well as from causing the death of his mentor and killing Terri's father

1. What is your characters Sex?
Male
2. What is your characters physical size?
1.8 meters tall with an unhealthily thin, gaunt build and sinewy wiry muscles.
3. What is the color of the characters Hair, eyes, and skin?
Long white mangy hair, pale blue eyes, white almost translucent skin with blotches and rashes.
4. What is the character's general appearance (i.e., How does he dress, etc.)?
He wears a worn and stained black synthleather coat over black jeans and shirts/sweaters. He has mismatched shoes - one black synthleather boot and one brown hiking boot, causing a slight limp.
5. Where was the character born (City, State, Hospital Name)?
He has no idea, but thinks it might be somewhere on the Ivory Coast
6. What is the characters date of birth?
He doesn’t know, but his appearance suggests he is at least 30 years old.
7. What was the character's family life like?
He can’t remember his family. First he was sent from foster home to foster home, and then from orphanage to orphanage, until an unfriendly man bought him and took him to sea, eventually dumping him in Seattle.
8. Has the character begun his own family?
No
9. Where or how was the charcter educated?
Mostly, he learned to fend for himself, although some rudimentary teaching was done at the orphanage - along with hard work which toughened him somewhat. In Seattle he met and teamed up with an elderly shaman who helped him develop his magical potential. This mentor and teacher died when Web summoned up a storm spirit that escaped his control. Since then he is very wary of all spirits of the air.
10. Has the character ever done anything else for a living?
He has lived as a squatter and hobo, using his magic skills to steal and help in begging.
11. What are the characters political and religious beliefs?
He worships Spider, and strongly dislikes all government organisations due to his severe experiences at the hands of orphanages, social services and law enforcement.
12. Describe the characters Moral code. Include how mercenary he is, whether or not he'll kill innocents, etc.
Web dislikes killing - he prefers rendering his opponents unconscious or disabled in some other way. He would never actually fire a gun unless his life depended on it, but he has seen alot of death on the streets and has gotten used to death.
13. What are the character have any goals?
More than anything, he wants to join The Spiders gang. Other than that his goals are simply to survive and develop his connection with Spider.
14. Why does the character run the shadows?
He doesn’t really. At least he doesn’t see it that way. He simply does things for money.
15. What kind of personality does your character have? This should not necessarily be obviously stated in the background, as it is more important for actually playing the character, but it may colour or add mood to the history.
He hates his own appearance and his weak, fragile body. He has learned to live with it, but doesn’t do much to make his situation better. He can be grumpy and he is always plotting and thinking - muttering to himself a lot. He is jumpy and a bit paranoid, but slow to react due to his introspective, thinker nature.
16. What special qualities does the character posess? This does not refer to skills, but rather at other things, such as How he gets along with people, does he plan ahead, etc.
Web always plans for the future and always checks for exits and ways to escape whenever he enters a new area.
17. Are their certain things the character can't or won't do? Why?
He won’t summon a spirit of the air because of the accident that killed his mentor, and he cannot stand idle if he sees a child being physically abused in any way. He has experienced far too much in that area himself...
18. What things, people, or ideas does the character hate?
He hates those who abuse children, and the fact that people don’t do more against those people. He also hates his own appearance, and avoids mirrors if he can.
19. What things people, or ideas does the character love?
Spider, and the Spiders gang - he believes they are in close contact with Spider.
20. What is the character's name? Give both full birth name, as well as nicknames, street names, etc.
He goes mostly by the name of Web, but some call him Thread, or Gossamer.
21. Determine what your character used to do, before becoming a shadowrunner.
Due to his physical shortcomings, he hasn’t done much hard labour since he left the orphanage and his slave-driving ‘master’ behind. He has done thievery and street performing and cheap tricks to get by, mostly.
22. Decide why your character left his or her old job, if he had one.
N/A
23. Come up with a reason for why the character became a shadowrunner.
Web has spend most of his life on the streets and in the shadows - it was simply a matter of time and opportunity before he was drawn into more ‘professional’ work, although the 'jobs' he has so far taken cannot be called shadowruns at all.
24. How did your character come to know his or her contacts? Contacts are an important part of Shadowrun, decide how and why you know them.
Terri is the child Web ‘rescued’ from her abusive father. After having killed the man in a fit of rage, Web felt guilty and has tried with mixed success to provide for Terri.
Web met Howie while rummaging through the trash behind the place where Howie works. Howie came out and took pity on the old bum, and gave him a cup of coffee and a sandwhich. Web has been ever thankful since that day, and summons occasional city spirits (as well as use spells) to scare away rats and others wanting to live in that alley, in exchange for a cup of coffee now and then.
25. Does the character have a SIN? Does the character actually use it? Or is the character one of the SINless masses? This may be affected by the characters previous employment.
Web has no SIN apart from being listed in some records in orphanages and social services in south africa. He is probably listed as deceased there, since he has been ‘missing’ for so long.
26. Is the character a full-time shadowrunner? Or does the character lead a Batman-like double existence?
He lives his entire life on the streets.
27. Which person(s) or group(s) do you love the most?
Any street kids or similarily suffering children.
28. Which person(s) or group(s) do you hate the most?
Social services and orphanages, and anyone who take his caring for children for perversity.
29. Which person(s) or group(s) do you respect the most?
The Spiders Gang - they are his heroes.
30. Which person(s) or group(s) do you fear the most?
Government and law enforcement. In his mind, they can send him back to the orphanages in south africa.
31. What is your favourite colour?
His favorite color is shiny black.
32. What is your favourite food and/or drink?
Web loves hot, strong soycaf, and fresh seafood (though he rarely gets the chance to have it).
33. What place would you most like to visit?
Spider’s home metaplane.
34. Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to?
Street kids, squatters and other ‘innocents’ on the streets. And of course spiders.
35. What pastime (that you particiapate in regularly) gives you the most enjoyment?
Undisturbed, comfortable sleep is something he treasures above most other things - it is a rarity, and a luxury he can seldom afford to indulge in.
36. What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the least enjoyment?
Scrounging for food, and begging.
37. What annoys you the most?
Unkindness and disdain from those better off - especially if they represent any authorative organisation.
38. What (if any) is your favourite form of art?
Any artwork involving spiderwebs and spiders can captivate him for hours, but he thinks nothing beats watching a spider spin it’s web - to him, that is the greatest Art in the universe.
39. What is your greatest goal?
His biggest dream is to get healthy and fit, but he cannot connect that goal with any path he can take, and so it lies beyond his understanding of the future.
40. What do you think is your characters best quality?
Although chagrined and cynical, he has a genuine will to help people who suffer at the hands of oppressors, as well as those who are kind to him.
41. What do you think is your characters worst quality?
His worst quality is undoubtadly his lack of hygiene, and his disinterest in it.
42. What is the most important thing you have ever done?
In his own opinion, it was saving a child from an abusive adult. The child has mixed feelings of being separated from it’s parents and put on the streets, however - but feels responsible for the death of it’s father, and has a certain loyalty to Web for having been rescued.
43. Which religion (if any) do you follow?
Remnants of old african teachings about Spider mixed with totemic worship, with a certain level of catholic religion thrown in. He has created a vague notion of Christ as the Spider in the net of saints and churches.
44. What is your most treasured possession (and why)?
The amulet of his teacher - which he views as the source of his magic. He has come to depend on it so much that he cannot cast spells or summon spirits without it!
45. What are your three most common dreams?
Two themes are frequently reoccuring in Web’s dreams - Spider (and spiders in general), and dreaming of being healthy and well-built. Occasionally his experiences at the orphanages haunt his dreams, often combined with the image of being caught in a giant spiderweb so he cannot escape his tormentors.
46. What is the Characters current relationship with his family?
He has no family.
47. If the characters family is still alive, what do they do, and where do they live?
See above.
48. Where did the character learn his Skills?
An elderly street shaman who discovered his Talent set about teaching Web, but died prematurely due to a fluke conjuring accident.
49. Does the character have a good luck charm? What is it, and why?
Again, the amulet of his teacher, and specifically the spider encased in the amber set in the tip of the staff. Web actually talks to the spider, both as a representative of his totem, and as a sort of link to his old teacher.
50. What type of music does the character like?
Some of his fondest memories from childhood involve classical music (Mahler to be specific), and listening to that makes him feel safe and happy.
51. List any past serious relationships that your character has had, and give a brief overview of the relationship.
His only real notion of romantic relationships come from the abuse he suffered as a child and teenager, and so he has great difficulties in getting emotionally attached to people. Also, most people are put off by his appearance and filth.
52. Where does your character live? Why does he live there?
Web lives on the streets and has a private little hideout in a secluded part of the basement in a condemned building. He also keeps track of secluded and private little areas and nooks in the vicinity, so he will always have a safe haven close by, just in case.

IRL, Wu-Shu is a form of Kung-Fu. In SR, I think they are alternate names for the same stats. I'll look it up, but it's not too important -- I understand you're looking for a Crouching Tiger kind of movement, and we kind accomodate that, scaled down for the 40 BP mundane character. As for defensive maneuvers, Whirling adds +1 to all your TNs but negates your enemies' friend-in-combat bonuses. Therefore, it's useful against 2 or more opponents, and really shines against 3 or 4 opponents. Another possible defensive maneuver is Full Defense, which lets you dodge melee attacks with no counterstrike with TN of only 3. You also can't attack on your next action after Full Defense. I feel the no-counterstrike and no-attack-next-action things make this a weak choice, so I recommend Whirling as you've chosen.

As for Acupuncture as First Aid, we can work with that. By taking it as a First Aid discipline, however, he can't use that same specialty for long-term care. So I'm thinking of it like Acupuncture (First Aid) 3(5), which has the same effects as Biotech (First Aid). I'll let you use Pressure Points as a Complementary skill, but not Chi Manipulation. I think active energy-moving is Sorcery, so Chi Manipulation as a Knowledge skill will be understanding the theories behind Feng Shui and Sorcery from a Chinese perspective. Useful for interpreting and theorizing about magic, but not for actively doing anything.