Okay, we all know that the sample characters in the book are carelessly done, poorly optimized, and tend to lack critical things. Like the mage without Assensing, or the Decker without Exploit, or any character lacking a Fake SIN or commlink. On RPG.net, people asked if we have any substitutes here. I got quite a few in the past, but I thought I'd post here again to see what Dumpshock as a whole can come up with.
So, here's the deal. I'm going to list off 16 archetypes. Anyone who wants to gets to call dibs on a character, then gets a few days to post it. You can only call dibs on one character at a time, so no one gets overloaded.
Anyone up for the challenge?
The archetypes are:
Bounty Hunter
Combat Mage
Covert Ops Specialist (Ninja)
Decker
Drone Rigger
Enforcer
Face
Gunslinger Adept
Occult Investigator
Otaku
Radical Eco-Shaman
Sixgun Samurai (Pistols expert)
Smuggler
Sprawl Ganger
Street Samurai
Street Shaman
Full Version: The Sample Characters
...I'll take the Gunslinger Adept. 
...wait...Decker? Otaku? What edition are we talking about?
...wait...Decker? Otaku? What edition are we talking about?
I'll take the Covert Ops Specialist.
Any preference on whether or not it's an adept? Also, are we looking at solid, likely to be playable with most any group sheets (my preference) or hardcore min-maxed check-out-my-e-penis sheets?
A link to the appropriate RPG.net thread (if it exists) might not hurt as well, since it'd be silly to put all the pressure on you as a go between if it turns out things aren't quite what people were looking for.
Any preference on whether or not it's an adept? Also, are we looking at solid, likely to be playable with most any group sheets (my preference) or hardcore min-maxed check-out-my-e-penis sheets?
A link to the appropriate RPG.net thread (if it exists) might not hurt as well, since it'd be silly to put all the pressure on you as a go between if it turns out things aren't quite what people were looking for.
KK: Sorry, I'm am atavism. I use the old terms. 
| QUOTE |
| Any preference on whether or not it's an adept? Also, are we looking at solid, likely to be playable with most any group sheets (my preference) or hardcore min-maxed check-out-my-e-penis sheets? |
Adept is fine, especially since the samples only have one. And I just want playable characters, the "Dumphosck exercises" can wait for another day.
Y'know, a few of the flaws you point out may only be flaws at your table. I mean, in all the years I've played, not one Runner has ever bought a fake SIN. Just wasn't important to us, y'know?
Now: Yes a mage SHOULD have assensing, yes a Hacker SHOULD have expoit.
Just be careful that your 'optimized' characters don't start to look like caracatures instead of characters.
Just Sayin'.
Now: Yes a mage SHOULD have assensing, yes a Hacker SHOULD have expoit.
Just be careful that your 'optimized' characters don't start to look like caracatures instead of characters.
Just Sayin'.
| QUOTE (Cain) |
| KK: Sorry, I'm am atavism. I use the old terms. . |
..that's cool.
I tend to ignore TMs and have adopted the term Matrix Specialist as I detest the term Hacker.
I know what you mean Spike, but I can't help but think that the sample characters are a wee bit heavy on the really, really bad flaws. I mean, if I remember correctly about a half dozen or so out of the 16 characters have Uncouth or Combat Paralysis.
I plan on making my covert ops guy very, very good at what he does, but I'm going to skip the synaptic boosters as well as anything that can trip cyberware scanners. I'm thinking a Ork Adept with a point or two of the athletics and attribute boosting bioware. What's really killing me is whether or not to take some throwing weapon skills and the Missile Mastery Adept power. Normally, I'd jump right in but unfortunately Gecko Hands and trying to throw things doesn't mix very well. Which is a shame, because improvised weaponry+built in assisted climbing= win.
I plan on making my covert ops guy very, very good at what he does, but I'm going to skip the synaptic boosters as well as anything that can trip cyberware scanners. I'm thinking a Ork Adept with a point or two of the athletics and attribute boosting bioware. What's really killing me is whether or not to take some throwing weapon skills and the Missile Mastery Adept power. Normally, I'd jump right in but unfortunately Gecko Hands and trying to throw things doesn't mix very well. Which is a shame, because improvised weaponry+built in assisted climbing= win.
...I agree. Why would anyone in their right mind take a quality/flaw that not only had her going last in the first initiative pass, but also lose 3 dice to her surprise test. That usually results in a very short career.
The only 20 pt NQ I ever took was Undeducated, which while still having some pretty bad effects was no where near as devastating as Uncouth or Combat Paralysis. Of course I also tended to stay away from "cheezy freebees" like Incompetence and Sensitive System for awakened characters.
BTW are Street Magic and Augmented fair game for this as well?
The only 20 pt NQ I ever took was Undeducated, which while still having some pretty bad effects was no where near as devastating as Uncouth or Combat Paralysis. Of course I also tended to stay away from "cheezy freebees" like Incompetence and Sensitive System for awakened characters.
BTW are Street Magic and Augmented fair game for this as well?
Well, I mean, really, Gecko Hands and attacking doesn't really go well unless you go with unarmed combat and kick a lot.
Chris
Chris
Bah! Sensitive system is perfectly valid for Awakened under the current rules. Attention Coprocessors, Reaction Enhancers, SkillWires and Cybereyes are all proof Dunkelzahn loves CyberMages and wants them to be happy.
Then again, I once made a Mage that took Sensitive System, Incompetent Spellcasting, Incompetent Counterspelling, Incompetent Ritual Magic and Incompetent Banishing (Take that Street Magic, you and your shitty Aspected Magician rules!), so perhaps I'm just the cheesiest of all cheesey bastards. I guess I just don't see how choosing to close off an entire path of character advancement isn't some kind of drawback, provided that the campaign goes beyond a single one shot adventure.
Actually, Gecko Hands rock for unarmed combat, and it has nothing to do with kicking. In all honesty, when it comes to attacking via Unarmed Combat, you generally have 4 options:
1. Get shot.
2. Get shock hands and pray for incapacitation so you don't get shot.
3. Become an Adept and pour stupid amounts of points into Improved Skill Unarmed Combat and Critical Strike. If your attack doesn't take them out in a single pass (which is likely), then please refer back to option 1.
4. Go for subdual so they can't fight back. Better than 2, slightly more effective than 3 and also is a helluva lot cheaper. This option also gets a plus 2 bonus from Gecko Hands.
Then again, I once made a Mage that took Sensitive System, Incompetent Spellcasting, Incompetent Counterspelling, Incompetent Ritual Magic and Incompetent Banishing (Take that Street Magic, you and your shitty Aspected Magician rules!), so perhaps I'm just the cheesiest of all cheesey bastards. I guess I just don't see how choosing to close off an entire path of character advancement isn't some kind of drawback, provided that the campaign goes beyond a single one shot adventure.
Actually, Gecko Hands rock for unarmed combat, and it has nothing to do with kicking. In all honesty, when it comes to attacking via Unarmed Combat, you generally have 4 options:
1. Get shot.
2. Get shock hands and pray for incapacitation so you don't get shot.
3. Become an Adept and pour stupid amounts of points into Improved Skill Unarmed Combat and Critical Strike. If your attack doesn't take them out in a single pass (which is likely), then please refer back to option 1.
4. Go for subdual so they can't fight back. Better than 2, slightly more effective than 3 and also is a helluva lot cheaper. This option also gets a plus 2 bonus from Gecko Hands.
That isn't that cheesy, taking Incompetent Throwing, Blades, Clubs, Bows, Lockpicking, and such like that is cheesy for a mage. I mean really, how often does Incompetent Heavy Weapons really penalize a mage, or like I just said Incompetent Lockpicking? Or Incompetent Software?
Chris
Chris
Should the metatype of the Sample Character stay the same? For instance, does the Face have to be a Dwarf like she is in the book, or can we change her into an elf?
| QUOTE (jklst14) |
| Should the metatype of the Sample Character stay the same? For instance, does the Face have to be a Dwarf like she is in the book, or can we change her into an elf? |
By all means, change the metatype! Make her an elf social adept, if you feel the urge. No pornomancers, though, please.
KK: Technically, anything's fair game; but bear in mind that these are meant to be sample characters. They need to be quick and easy for new players to pick up. SM and Aug aren't always more complicated than the BBB, and sometimes the BBB is worse. So sticking to the easiest parts of either is a definite bonus.
| QUOTE (Whipstitch @ Dec 13 2007, 08:05 PM) |
| I plan on making my covert ops guy very, very good at what he does, but I'm going to skip the synaptic boosters as well as anything that can trip cyberware scanners. |
I agree about the cyberware scanners, but skipping synaptic boosters? What the hell? I think everyone needs to have multiple initative passes - though by proxy is okay (ie a mage can do just fine with 1 IP if he can summon spirits.)
If nothing else they show a valuable lesson about magic and bioware and the merits there of.
Edit: The above is for sample characters, an experienced player is probably fine to 'play through' lacking that capability, but its good for a novice.
...I've found initiative passes in general to be overrated. They're really important, yes, but Synaptics are expensive and they don't always contribute to doing your job, plus there's always the potential to combine Edge and Jazz.
using jazz probably isn't a crash hot idea for a new player - that was my point about IP boosters in general, vets can power through without them with tricks but as a new guy safety net in general. Still, YMMV.
I just tossed together this rigger
He still has 45k and 1BP in the bank for some more drones and and a car/van
I'm also debating cutting logic and dumping the points into something useful, like charisma and intuition.
I am also ignoring my own advice, this needs to come with an explaintory note about using gymnastics and unarmed combat in place of dodge. He's reasonably well rounded, but his disadvantages are a bit cheesed out.
Dwarf
Body 3
Agility 5
Reaction 4
Strength 3
Charisma 2
Intuition 3
Logic 5
Willpower 4
Edge 2
Gunnery 6
Perception 4
Athletics (Group) 1
Unarmed Combat 1
Pilot Watercraft 1
Pilot Ground Craft 4
Pilot Aircraft 1
Influence (Group) 1
Cracking (Group) 4
Electronics (Group) 4
Automatics 1
Weak Immune System
Allergy (Uncommon, Moderate) gold
Incompetent Aerospace
Allergy (Uncommon, Moderate) Silver
Incompetent Fishing. Like. Whatever
Cyberware:
Control Rig
Datajack
Gear:
3 months Medium Lifestyle
Chamelon Suit
-Helmet
-Chemical Protection
-Fire Resistance
-Insulation
-Non conductivity
-Thermal Damping
Googles
- Lowlight
- Flarecomp
- Smartlink
Earbuds (Evo Audio Accuity Aids)
- Audio Enhancement 3
- Select Sound filter
Every program except reality filter at rating 6 and a 5/5/6/6 commlink
Rating 3 Agent
Ingram Smartgun
Two Spare clips
200 rounds
FNHAR
Two Spare Clips
200 rounds
Rating 6 Medkit
4 x Shinawse Kanimushi
3 x GM Nissan Doberman
With Ingram White Knights
600 Gel Rounds
Edit: Other gear I forgot
Rating 4 Fake Sin
1 x Rating 4 license for the SMG.
Aim to spend the rest of the money on ome more drones and a car - probably a blimp, some flyspies and one or two of the aerial recon drones.
I just tossed together this rigger
He still has 45k and 1BP in the bank for some more drones and and a car/van
I'm also debating cutting logic and dumping the points into something useful, like charisma and intuition.
I am also ignoring my own advice, this needs to come with an explaintory note about using gymnastics and unarmed combat in place of dodge. He's reasonably well rounded, but his disadvantages are a bit cheesed out.
Dwarf
Body 3
Agility 5
Reaction 4
Strength 3
Charisma 2
Intuition 3
Logic 5
Willpower 4
Edge 2
Gunnery 6
Perception 4
Athletics (Group) 1
Unarmed Combat 1
Pilot Watercraft 1
Pilot Ground Craft 4
Pilot Aircraft 1
Influence (Group) 1
Cracking (Group) 4
Electronics (Group) 4
Automatics 1
Weak Immune System
Allergy (Uncommon, Moderate) gold
Incompetent Aerospace
Allergy (Uncommon, Moderate) Silver
Incompetent Fishing. Like. Whatever
Cyberware:
Control Rig
Datajack
Gear:
3 months Medium Lifestyle
Chamelon Suit
-Helmet
-Chemical Protection
-Fire Resistance
-Insulation
-Non conductivity
-Thermal Damping
Googles
- Lowlight
- Flarecomp
- Smartlink
Earbuds (Evo Audio Accuity Aids)
- Audio Enhancement 3
- Select Sound filter
Every program except reality filter at rating 6 and a 5/5/6/6 commlink
Rating 3 Agent
Ingram Smartgun
Two Spare clips
200 rounds
FNHAR
Two Spare Clips
200 rounds
Rating 6 Medkit
4 x Shinawse Kanimushi
3 x GM Nissan Doberman
With Ingram White Knights
600 Gel Rounds
Edit: Other gear I forgot
Rating 4 Fake Sin
1 x Rating 4 license for the SMG.
Aim to spend the rest of the money on ome more drones and a car - probably a blimp, some flyspies and one or two of the aerial recon drones.
| QUOTE (DTFarstar) |
| That isn't that cheesy, taking Incompetent Throwing, Blades, Clubs, Bows, Lockpicking, and such like that is cheesy for a mage. I mean really, how often does Incompetent Heavy Weapons really penalize a mage, or like I just said Incompetent Lockpicking? Or Incompetent Software? |
I preferred incompetent parachuting and pilot exotic (hot air balloon) for the Mars game...
I'll do a street sam. I tend to be good at them. Since he's supposed to be a sample character I'll restrict myself to the BBB.
Arg, i was going to grab street sam.
well, i'll do my take on the street sam, then...and then see how it matches with yours.
EDIT: Honestly, Street Sam i wouldn't change much. This is what i did:
Ok, that's my take. Again, im pretty happy with him generally, but i think the skills needed the most tweaking.
Hmm...maybe since i didnt exactly rebuild this guy, ill do the Combat Mage instead. Oh yes. Here, Combat Mage....
EDIT: And imperalius, please still do your sammie; i'd like to see how the two compare, to see what others ideas of the Ideal Sammie are.
well, i'll do my take on the street sam, then...and then see how it matches with yours.
EDIT: Honestly, Street Sam i wouldn't change much. This is what i did:
[ Spoiler ]
Ok, that's my take. Again, im pretty happy with him generally, but i think the skills needed the most tweaking.
Hmm...maybe since i didnt exactly rebuild this guy, ill do the Combat Mage instead. Oh yes. Here, Combat Mage....
EDIT: And imperalius, please still do your sammie; i'd like to see how the two compare, to see what others ideas of the Ideal Sammie are.
In Memory of: Hatchetman. Dibs on the Sprawl Ganger. Hope that works out.
| QUOTE (Cain @ Dec 13 2007, 10:07 PM) | ||
By all means, change the metatype! Make her an elf social adept, if you feel the urge. No pornomancers, though, please. KK: Technically, anything's fair game; but bear in mind that these are meant to be sample characters. They need to be quick and easy for new players to pick up. SM and Aug aren't always more complicated than the BBB, and sometimes the BBB is worse. So sticking to the easiest parts of either is a definite bonus. |
...great, thanks. I'm pretty much through the character, will post tonight. Of course I have a good model with my namesake, just removing most of the melee related stuff & giving her a bit more in the IQ department. I am keeping her pretty basic, just a little more rounded. Also keeping her more to the traditional nature of a true "Wild West" styled gunslinger.
Oh, and good thing on the metatype. Admittedly I tend to play humans because I find having BPs for skills are way more important than a few attribute bonuses (unless you're doing the total combat monster, then by all means, 40 BPs for a troll is a worthy investment).
I call the Bounty Hunter.
-Frank
-Frank
| QUOTE (imperialus @ Dec 14 2007, 01:35 AM) |
| Since he's supposed to be a sample character I'll restrict myself to the BBB. |
Ya know, it drastically changes some of the initial choices I've sheeted up, but that's actually a pretty good idea. I'll go with that too. If nothing else it narrows my options and I'll get it done quicker.
| QUOTE (kzt) | ||
I preferred incompetent parachuting and pilot exotic (hot air balloon) for the Mars game... |
air balloons aren't exotic vehicles, they're aircraft. of the lighter-than-air variety, which you will note is a specialisation of pilot aircraft.
Not according to page 126. I don't write the silly rules, I just use them.
I´m all against teaching newbies to do such things. Optimisation was relegated to "other threads".
Am I "allowed" to buy armor mods? It is useful and the option should be introduced, but one can do without. Opinions?
Am I "allowed" to buy armor mods? It is useful and the option should be introduced, but one can do without. Opinions?
I'd say go for it, armor mods are great. The fact that the Covert Ops character in the book doesn't have thermal damping built into their chameleon suit always hit me as mildy upsetting. It's a chameleon suit for chrissake! Who cares if thermal damping is illegal? You shouldn't be wearing the silly thing anywhere you can afford to be seen at in the first place.
In fact, not being seen while wearing it is kind of the point, no?
Chris
Chris
| QUOTE (Ryu) |
| I´m all against teaching newbies to do such things. Optimisation was relegated to "other threads". Am I "allowed" to buy armor mods? It is useful and the option should be introduced, but one can do without. Opinions? |
Isn't the point of the sample characters a sampling of the type of PCs that can be created and what can be done to create them? In fact, I would encourage optimisation, because these will be the first PCs that the new players come into contact with, show them what is effective and then once they are more experienced, they can make their own PCs if they want.
..technical glitch. Left the converter brick to my notebook computer at a friend's house this weekend. Will post finished character tomorrow evening.
I was wondering about some of those characters, I figured the people who made some of them hadn't played the game yet
looking forward to seeing some of these results
looking forward to seeing some of these results
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| Isn't the point of the sample characters a sampling of the type of PCs that can be created and what can be done to create them? |
I look at it the other way, that the sample characters are representative of the "average" shadowrunners out there, in part because they're the goto pile for on-the-fly npcs and because they're the characters most likely to be picked up by players totally new to the system. They should be competant, but not amazing. I think that helps new players learn the system too, since once they start learning the rules they can see how to make that good character great, and then they can tackle the character creation system.
I was particularly disappointed with the Archetypes in SR3, not because they were bad characters, but because they were too specific. The Street Sam with his cyberarm was a good example. If I need a Str Sam on the fly, I want something like the SR2 (which was pretty much the SR1) Str Sam: Dermal, Muscle, Wired, and maybe a spur.
What would be more useful would be to have multiple versions of each, say like a speed-based sammie, a brick, and a generic one that's versatile. At that point we're not so much making archetypes as a database of characters (which isn't a bad idea either).
Thats the way I see it, Mercer. The archtypes should be working horses of their profession. The player can always specialise the archtype when building his char. But someone playing an archtype should never lack the skill to do anything plausible for his char.
Ex. Firearms group. One can make do with automatics alone, or with pistols. Easy to save points for some other skills. But one generally would want a char that can fire any firearm he might come across. Archtypes should favour the latter, more realistic approach.
Or close combat group. With some cyberware, Unarmed is sufficient. But my ganger will allow for basball-bats and axes as a weapon, so there will be the Close Combat Group.
--
Regardless of archtypes or not, my chars tend to have mostly groups as skills. Its more well rounded. Pistols/Rifles/Unarmed is an exception for combat-light chars.
Ex. Firearms group. One can make do with automatics alone, or with pistols. Easy to save points for some other skills. But one generally would want a char that can fire any firearm he might come across. Archtypes should favour the latter, more realistic approach.
Or close combat group. With some cyberware, Unarmed is sufficient. But my ganger will allow for basball-bats and axes as a weapon, so there will be the Close Combat Group.
--
Regardless of archtypes or not, my chars tend to have mostly groups as skills. Its more well rounded. Pistols/Rifles/Unarmed is an exception for combat-light chars.
The point of the archetypes, I believe, was to be relatively generic to allow for some customization.
The relative sophistication and experience of the character will factor into the concept, as well as the role focus - generalist? Specialist?
High speed, bleeding edge runners? Newbies out to make name? All of those decisions will affect the numbers of a character being played.
Just my two yen.
-Siege
The relative sophistication and experience of the character will factor into the concept, as well as the role focus - generalist? Specialist?
High speed, bleeding edge runners? Newbies out to make name? All of those decisions will affect the numbers of a character being played.
Just my two yen.
-Siege
| QUOTE (Mercer) | ||
I look at it the other way, that the sample characters are representative of the "average" shadowrunners out there, in part because they're the goto pile for on-the-fly npcs and because they're the characters most likely to be picked up by players totally new to the system. They should be competant, but not amazing. I think that helps new players learn the system too, since once they start learning the rules they can see how to make that good character great, and then they can tackle the character creation system. I was particularly disappointed with the Archetypes in SR3, not because they were bad characters, but because they were too specific. The Street Sam with his cyberarm was a good example. If I need a Str Sam on the fly, I want something like the SR2 (which was pretty much the SR1) Str Sam: Dermal, Muscle, Wired, and maybe a spur. What would be more useful would be to have multiple versions of each, say like a speed-based sammie, a brick, and a generic one that's versatile. At that point we're not so much making archetypes as a database of characters (which isn't a bad idea either). |
I see the sample PCs as a demo of what is allowed. If the rules allow Mr Lucky, make a PC with that in mind and fit him into whatever archetype you wish and when the new players see that, they will know that Mr Lucky is an intentional part of the game mechanic. If the rules allow Mr Pornomancer, then create one, it doesn't have to be too extreme. If Incompetence: Something Useless is part of the game, then showcase it in another archetype. Show the new players the nuances and quirks of the system, use the sample characters to answer the players questions.
Instead of -
Player: "Can I make such and such a PC, using X, Y, Z? Is it legal?"
GM: "I dunno..."
To
Player: "Can I make such and such a PC, using X, Y, Z? Is it legal?"
GM: "Yes. Sample PC X is an example."
Personally, I don't think the sample PCs should be optimized to the max. They are supposed to be an inspiration, or sampling of what's available to PCs, as well as being usable as NPCs. I don't think they fill both roles adequately while being totally pimped out.
I also think that the sample characters should be limited in gear and abilities to those listed in the Core Book. Some people may not have access to some of the other 'advanced' rule books, and would find the non-core items confusing or even irritating.
I also think that the sample characters should be limited in gear and abilities to those listed in the Core Book. Some people may not have access to some of the other 'advanced' rule books, and would find the non-core items confusing or even irritating.
| QUOTE (Fortune) |
| Personally, I don't think the sample PCs should be optimized to the max. They are supposed to be an inspiration, or sampling of what's available to PCs, as well as being usable as NPCs. I don't think they fill both roles adequately while being totally pimped out. |
Agreed. Which is why you do not put all the optimisation tricks into the same sample PC. You spread the love out. One PC gets Lucky, the other is a pornomancer, yet another is Incompetent, etc. You showcase some of the optimisation tricks like the mage getting Spellcasting(Combat Spells) and Counterspelling(Combat Spells) and Summoning.
You do not need to create a Lucky Pornomancer who cannot fly a hotair balloon to save his life.
I call the Weapons Specialist (I've had her a while, and had Squinky draw her.)
“Greenwich Gunner,� female Human Weapons Specialist
B 3 A 4 R 5 S 4 C 2 I 4 L 4 W 4 E 3 Phys. Track 10 Stun 10 IP 1 Initiative: 8 Essence 5.45 Synthetic Low-Light Vision
Natural Immunity 1, Sensitive Neural Structure, Mild Tobacco Addiction
Automatics 5 Pistols 4 Longarms 4 Perception 3 Armory 2 Close Combat Group 3 Dodge 2 Ground Craft 2 Watercraft 2 Ettiquette 2 Survival 2 Tracking 2 Infiltration 2 Heavy Weapons 2
Local Arms Dealers 4 Military Tactics 3 Journalism 2 Literature 2 (Sci-fi +2)
English: N Sioux: 3 Japanese: 2 French: 2
Bioware: Cat’s Eyes Cyberware: Obvious Left Leg (Rating 2 armor, Str. 4 Body 4 Agility 4)
Contacts: Fixer 3/2 Arms Dealer 2/2 Street Doc 2/2
6 Months Low Lifestyle, 1800 Cash on Hand
Colt Manhunter + 10 Clips, Silencer, Concealable Holster, Sound Suppressor, Smartlink + 1000 rounds regular ammunition
FN HAR + 6 Spare Clips + 700 rounds explosive ammunition
HK MP-5 TX + 5 Spare Clips + 720 rounds explosive ammunition
Survival Knife, Sword
Suzuki Mirage Motorcycle
Armor Jacket and Helmet with rating 3 Chemical protection, fire resistance nonconductivity and rating 2 insulation.
Rating 6 Fake SIN, Rating 4 Fake SIN, Rating 4 Fake Firearms License, Erika Elite Comm/w Iris Orb OS, Skinlink, Subvocal mike, 2 printers, Tag Eraser, Micro-Transceiver, 20 Datachips, Rating 6 White Noise Generator, Binoculars w/ Thermographic, Vision Magnify and Flare Compensation, Goggles with Smartlink, Flare Compensation, Thermographic and Vision Magnify, 4 Flashlights, Rating 6 Chemsuit, Rating 6 Medkit and 2 reloads, Survival Kit, Gas Mask, GPS.
This woman is a former soldier in the CAS; when the Crash of ’67 hit she ran off because military life disagreed with her. She made her way to the UCAS after spending some time in Sioux country.
“Greenwich Gunner,� female Human Weapons Specialist
B 3 A 4 R 5 S 4 C 2 I 4 L 4 W 4 E 3 Phys. Track 10 Stun 10 IP 1 Initiative: 8 Essence 5.45 Synthetic Low-Light Vision
Natural Immunity 1, Sensitive Neural Structure, Mild Tobacco Addiction
Automatics 5 Pistols 4 Longarms 4 Perception 3 Armory 2 Close Combat Group 3 Dodge 2 Ground Craft 2 Watercraft 2 Ettiquette 2 Survival 2 Tracking 2 Infiltration 2 Heavy Weapons 2
Local Arms Dealers 4 Military Tactics 3 Journalism 2 Literature 2 (Sci-fi +2)
English: N Sioux: 3 Japanese: 2 French: 2
Bioware: Cat’s Eyes Cyberware: Obvious Left Leg (Rating 2 armor, Str. 4 Body 4 Agility 4)
Contacts: Fixer 3/2 Arms Dealer 2/2 Street Doc 2/2
6 Months Low Lifestyle, 1800 Cash on Hand
Colt Manhunter + 10 Clips, Silencer, Concealable Holster, Sound Suppressor, Smartlink + 1000 rounds regular ammunition
FN HAR + 6 Spare Clips + 700 rounds explosive ammunition
HK MP-5 TX + 5 Spare Clips + 720 rounds explosive ammunition
Survival Knife, Sword
Suzuki Mirage Motorcycle
Armor Jacket and Helmet with rating 3 Chemical protection, fire resistance nonconductivity and rating 2 insulation.
Rating 6 Fake SIN, Rating 4 Fake SIN, Rating 4 Fake Firearms License, Erika Elite Comm/w Iris Orb OS, Skinlink, Subvocal mike, 2 printers, Tag Eraser, Micro-Transceiver, 20 Datachips, Rating 6 White Noise Generator, Binoculars w/ Thermographic, Vision Magnify and Flare Compensation, Goggles with Smartlink, Flare Compensation, Thermographic and Vision Magnify, 4 Flashlights, Rating 6 Chemsuit, Rating 6 Medkit and 2 reloads, Survival Kit, Gas Mask, GPS.
This woman is a former soldier in the CAS; when the Crash of ’67 hit she ran off because military life disagreed with her. She made her way to the UCAS after spending some time in Sioux country.
| QUOTE (Jame J @ Dec 18 2007, 11:50 AM) |
| ... Mild Tobacco Addiction ... |
Tobacco is specifically listed as not being a valid Addiction.
| QUOTE |
| ... Rating 6 Fake SIN ... |
Rating 4 is the highest you can get within the Availability rules.
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||||
Tobacco is specifically listed as not being a valid Addiction.
Rating 4 is the highest you can get within the Availability rules. |
I must not have seen those...
But this means I'd have to go back and rework the character!
| QUOTE (Fortune) |
| Personally, I don't think the sample PCs should be optimized to the max. They are supposed to be an inspiration, or sampling of what's available to PCs, as well as being usable as NPCs. I don't think they fill both roles adequately while being totally pimped out. I also think that the sample characters should be limited in gear and abilities to those listed in the Core Book. Some people may not have access to some of the other 'advanced' rule books, and would find the non-core items confusing or even irritating. |
I think the core only is important, which is why I haven't posted an otherwise great mage build that needs an intuition tradition.
I do agree with fortune as well on what is important in a sample character, but I'd rather like to make an additional point - a sample character should have good 'bones' and maybe a paragraph or two of advice on how to tailor the character to meet a players objections - something like 'You can swap your conjuration and assensing skills to take the characater from a utility mage to a more focused summoner' for example.
I'll take a swing at an alternate Street Samurai, built for toughness more than speed.
[ Spoiler ]
| QUOTE (Fortune @ Dec 17 2007, 06:29 PM) |
| Personally, I don't think the sample PCs should be optimized to the max. They are supposed to be an inspiration, or sampling of what's available to PCs, as well as being usable as NPCs. I don't think they fill both roles adequately while being totally pimped out. I also think that the sample characters should be limited in gear and abilities to those listed in the Core Book. Some people may not have access to some of the other 'advanced' rule books, and would find the non-core items confusing or even irritating. |
I agree with you on both counts. The whole point of a sample character is that it's a guildeine to what's possible. It's not a substitute for the hyper-optimized characters that really get the gold in SR4, it's to give people solid characters they can mess around with.
Still, on point 2, I do disagree inasmuch as I just want to keep things simple. If using SM or Aug is simpler (which doesn't ahppen a whole lot, but does happen) then feel free. Otherwise, stick to the simple stuff.
Covert Ops Specialist
I had a slightly different version with Sensitive System (as well as an EXTREMELY different Ork Adept built with SM & Aug, think ninja) but I decided that's a bit much to saddle a mundane with, since I don't really feel like cutting off an entire avenue of growth, even if I did purposely avoid taking cyberware in order to avoid setting off scanners. Generally speaking, there's two flavors of covert ops characters: stealthy commando death machines and mission impossible types where you get in, get out and nobody realizes that anything's wrong until they find a stripped guard unconscious in the janitor's closet and realize the prototype is missing. I went with the latter, and as such I went in hard on the character's main specialties: Athletics, stealth and impersonation. This character is nearly as good of a human athlete as you can get with just the mainbook plus she's quite stealthy, very observant and overall is very capable of breaking into a place, ambushing someone and wearing their clothes out of the building.
That said, the character is no combat monster, but then again, it wasn't intended to be (we're saving the twink olympics contenders for later, right?); she's all about B&E and hopefully only attacking when she's got the jump on the opposition, preferably using a combat drug and some Edge to ensure victory. Hope you guys like it.
[ Spoiler ]
I had a slightly different version with Sensitive System (as well as an EXTREMELY different Ork Adept built with SM & Aug, think ninja) but I decided that's a bit much to saddle a mundane with, since I don't really feel like cutting off an entire avenue of growth, even if I did purposely avoid taking cyberware in order to avoid setting off scanners. Generally speaking, there's two flavors of covert ops characters: stealthy commando death machines and mission impossible types where you get in, get out and nobody realizes that anything's wrong until they find a stripped guard unconscious in the janitor's closet and realize the prototype is missing. I went with the latter, and as such I went in hard on the character's main specialties: Athletics, stealth and impersonation. This character is nearly as good of a human athlete as you can get with just the mainbook plus she's quite stealthy, very observant and overall is very capable of breaking into a place, ambushing someone and wearing their clothes out of the building.
That said, the character is no combat monster, but then again, it wasn't intended to be (we're saving the twink olympics contenders for later, right?); she's all about B&E and hopefully only attacking when she's got the jump on the opposition, preferably using a combat drug and some Edge to ensure victory. Hope you guys like it.
In a throwback to SR2 (or maybe SR1, in the Sprawl Survival Guide), I present to you, the...
Ork Mercenary
Ork Mercenary
[ Spoiler ]
| QUOTE (Mercer) |
| In a throwback to SR2 (or maybe SR1, in the Sprawl Survival Guide), I present to you, the... Ork Mercenary [ Spoiler ] |
...I like his quote. I definitely old school SR.
I'm working up an Occult Investigator. I'll have him/her up shortly.
...Likewise, Gunslinger Adept coming tonight after I get off work now that I have the adapter from my notebook back.
The basic Bounty Hunter archetype description implies that he is supposed to be good at finding things. He's supposed to be a go-to man for tracking down escaped convicts, vicious paracritters, and missing persons. The presented archetype is none of these things. Rolling 5 dice when looking for clues, 6 dice when following a trail, only 2 dice when following a target, just 1 die for asking around, and literally zero dice for legwork on the Matrix, this character is essentially incapable of doing his job. So yeah, let's make one that works better.
Goal: Be halfway competent at a broad spectrum of non-magical legwork while still being able to stand up in a fight. Be able to run down anyone who isn't jacked up on the Movement power.
Secondary Goal: This character is supposed to be good at his job, but he is not supposed to overshadow a party face or hacker if there is a specialist in the group.
Bounty Hunter
“I'm gonna get you, sucka!�
So how did we do? Well, our Bounty Hunter rolls 14 dice to find clues, 8 dice to find things through the Matrix or face to face, and has an Intimidation pool which is probably bigger than anyone elses (8 dice base and he is a big scary Ork). In combat he has a rifle and a stun baton, both of which he handles with moderate skill (10 Dice). He gets three initiative passes, and rolls 12 dice dodging bullets when on full defense. He also has a built in abusive tactic, where he can drop nausea gas and switch to internal air while moving to full cover. Then he can wait opponents out.
Weaknesses: At just 7 dice for sneaking, he's no super all star on the stealth squad. His Tracking and Shadowing Dicepools are only 6 – no better than the original archetype.
-Frank
Goal: Be halfway competent at a broad spectrum of non-magical legwork while still being able to stand up in a fight. Be able to run down anyone who isn't jacked up on the Movement power.
Secondary Goal: This character is supposed to be good at his job, but he is not supposed to overshadow a party face or hacker if there is a specialist in the group.
Bounty Hunter
“I'm gonna get you, sucka!�
[ Spoiler ]
So how did we do? Well, our Bounty Hunter rolls 14 dice to find clues, 8 dice to find things through the Matrix or face to face, and has an Intimidation pool which is probably bigger than anyone elses (8 dice base and he is a big scary Ork). In combat he has a rifle and a stun baton, both of which he handles with moderate skill (10 Dice). He gets three initiative passes, and rolls 12 dice dodging bullets when on full defense. He also has a built in abusive tactic, where he can drop nausea gas and switch to internal air while moving to full cover. Then he can wait opponents out.
Weaknesses: At just 7 dice for sneaking, he's no super all star on the stealth squad. His Tracking and Shadowing Dicepools are only 6 – no better than the original archetype.
-Frank
| QUOTE (FrankTrollman) |
| In combat he has a rifle and a stun baton, both of which he handles with moderate skill (10 Dice). |
I get the impression my POV is quite a bit different from most on this board. 10 dice to me seems like a lot, not "moderate skill", when the average professional gets 6 dice in their field (3 + 3).
(I suppose I'm missing something, as well, but I only count 8 dice for combat - AG6 + 2 skill.)
DS
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