Irritating fact that society as a whole has determined that a pimp is a thing to look up to, I'm tossing out my Hacker stats here to see if I can get you guys to help me refine it to a lean, mean, deck...er...comlink punching machine. I used the Cyber/Bio/Gear from the Hacker Archetype because it's quick. My math might be off, but I think that's 350 of 400. Essentially what I am going for is the 4th edition version of a Combat Decker. I can go on site and be able to handle a gunfight if I need to.

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Name: Rizzo
Race: Dwarf (25)
B: 3 (10)
A: 3 (20)
R: 4 (30)
S: 3 (0)
C: 3 (20)
I: 5 (40)
L: 5 (40)
Will: 4 (20)
Essence: 1.15

Active Skills:
Cybercombat: 4 (16)
Electronics Skill Group: 3 (30)
Electronic Warfare: 5 (20)
Hacking: 5 (20)
Pistol: 2 (8)

Knowledge Skills: (30 BP to be spent)
I'll do these later as they're basically fluff.

Qualities:
Allergy (Sunlight/Mild) (-10)
Incompetent (Navigation) (-5)
Photographic Memory (10)
Human-Looking (5)

Cybernetics:
Commlink (Sony Emperor modified for BTL/Hot Sim,
w/Response 5, Signal 5, System 5, Firewall 5)
Control Rig
Cybereyes (Rating 3, w/Flare Compensation,
Low-Light Vision, Smartlink, Thermographic
Vision, and Protective Covers)
Datajack
Data Lock (Encryption 5)
Wired Reflexes: 2
Bioware
Enhanced Articulation
Skin Pocket
Sleep Regulator

Gear & Lifestyle (215,000 [43BP])
AR Gloves; Armor Vest; Biometric Reader;
Subvocal Microphone; 4 Fake SINs (Rating 4);
Low Lifestyle (2 Months)

Programs
Analyze 5; Armor 4; Attack 5; Biofeedback Filters
4; Black Hammer 4; Browse 5; Command 5;
Data Bomb 3; Decrypt 3; Edit 5; Encrypt 5; Scan
5; Spoof 4; Stealth 5; Track 4

Contacts: (8)
Fixer (Con: 2/ Loyal: 2)
Street Doc (Con: 2/Loyal: 2)
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Personally I don't like implanted commlinks. I would never put anything that can be triangulated inside my head. Also it's a lot of essence, when you get the same effect from plugging one into your head (and you can disguise them as anything).

To really pimp the hacker. Drop the cybercommlink. Buy a metalink with the shittest OS you can get, which will cost you 300. Then go find the upgrade tables and crank the Response and Signal to 5 and Firewall and System to 6.

I assume you're playing hacking as program + skill, right? Buy everything important at 6. It will run at R5 until you upgrade that response chip, but it's an investment.

Drop the subvocal mike, as you can communicate via your datajack. Same with the AR gloves, really.

Why bother with Photographic Memory when you have cyber-eyes (that come with a recorder and image link for free, by the way), and unlimited memory? Waste of points.


What's going on here? Buy the Cracking skill group. It's cheaper. And get it at 5.

Get a specialisation in semi-automatics for that pistol skill, as it gives you two more dice at using the most common pistols in the game.

If you want to hit anyone in combat, get yourself 2 levels of muscle toner bioware. It will give you a cheap boost to your agility.

Also, you haven't listed your Reaction attribute. You should do that. And then you should get a dodge skill with a specialisation in ranged combat, or you will find yourself dead fairly quickly.

And don't be afraid to spend a more on skills.

That's all I can think of for now.

ignore the advice about getting the cracking group at 5; you can't. you could get the cracking group at 4 i suppose.

otherwise what he said doesn't sound too bad.

I didn't know that, cool. I thought those two were kind of silly. Heck VR gloves haven't caught on now.


Hadn't thought of that, I'll take Codeslinger and try to figure out a good one to apply it to.


Groups are limited to rating 4, I figured taking them individually I could get higher ranks. Think its worth the trimming? I think (I'm not sure) that I still have 50 BP I can burn.


Okay, good deal on that. I'll take that.


Sure thing, that'll take the place of the implanted comlink.


Will do!

I like implanted comlinks personally, and if you are a dedicated hacker, you shouldn't have any issues with them. If you are all that worried, you can always have a spare comlink to use as well.

That said, the way to go is to purchase a cyber hand or lower arm and just put it in there, then you can put other goodies in the left over 2 capacity or get a point of stackable cyber armor (2 points if you purchase extended capacity in that hand) never a bad deal. Go ahead and upgrade the comlink like he said up top as well.

You can also put that skinpocket (as a storage compartment) Datalock and datajack you have listed in the limbs capacity as well. Although, in my games, if you have an implanted comlink, you basically have a datajack already so that is redundant.

For only .25 essence you can't go wrong, and you get the cool "cyber-hand" look to go with as well

If you are worried about agility, just go for a full arm. Up its stats to 9 on agility (pretty easy with augmentation rules) and you are set. If you don't have augmentation, its still no biggy to up to 6, which is pretty sweet regardless.

Also, Enhanced articulation doesn't add into combat skills like it did in previous editions. Just physical skills, they are the ones on page 113. I only mention this because I see none of those in your build.

Edit-------------------

Also, I notice a control rig. Unless I am mistaken (always possible) that doesn't benefit a person much unless they have vehicle skills to augment. And if you are wanting to go the vehicle/drone route, you will probably want the gunnery skill as well, and you may come into some troubles with the incompetence in navigation

If you do have augmentation, get yourself an encephalon 2.

- Agility 2, Charisma 2 would be sufficient. I would buy the Influence Group, and the Athletics Group if you must have the physical aspect, too.
- The Cracking Group was mentioned already. You could disband the group at chargen, and upgrade to Hacking/EW 5. Don´t do that for EW, as EW does not do much.

- A pimp with an allergy to sunlight? Aren´t you supposed to have a tan?

- You can keep the control rig, but you should then at least have Perception, one Vehicle Skill, Dodge and Gunnery at 1.
- Wired Reflexes 2 for what? Go hotSIM, or be the laughing stock of your colleagues.
- Enhanced Articulation, again for what? It gives you a +1 dp for skills you do not exactly have.
- If you have augmentation, consider the Trauma Damper.

- Get better software and a cracker network connection

The wired reflexes are because he's supposed to be a combat hacker.

If you want to be more versatile, invest in a Skillwire system and get some pilot skills, along with gunnery, and possibly dodge - but you'll probably want that as a proper skill, so you can throw edge at it in dire situations. Perception is also a must. Drop Intuition by 1 and buy 2 points of Perception, and you have 2 points to spend on a specialisation or 10k in resources.

I imagine the WR is for fighting in the meat.

Having a 2nd or 3rd IP does not make you a combat hacker. Body 3, no Dodge, lowish attack pool...

Then re-read the OP and take it up with his Body, Dodge and attack pool - Not the wired reflexes.

Ok. Don´t buy wired reflexes unless you also buy a method to make good use of additional physical IPs.

True combat deckers should IMO look way different:

Race: Dwarf (25)
B: 5 (30)
A: 5 (40)
R: 2 (10) - get soak dice that always work, even while you are away
S: 3 (0)
C: 2 (10)
I: 5 (40)
L: 2 (10) - assuming you don´t use attribute+skill
Will: 3 (10)

[175] BP for attributes and race

Active Skills:
Cracking Group 4
Electronics Skill Group 2
Pistols 2 (semi-auto +2)
Automatics 4
Stealth Group 3
Athletics Group 1
Dodge 5
Perception 1

[150] BP for skills

Qualities: none of the above, at least no allergy to sunlight - then you would be a nerdy hacker, not a combat hacker.


[75] BP for gear and contacts, among them the following:
Cybernetics:
Commlink (Hot Sim, Rating 5)
Cybereyes (Rating 3, needs: Flare Comp, Vision Mag, Smartlink)
Datajack

Bioware - Do you have Augmentation?
Trauma Damper
Sleep Regulator
Muscle Aug&Toner 2

Your choice of either MBW or Synaptic Booster.

Programs
All you might ever want at 5. Do you have Unwired?

Contacts
Cracker Network for getting stuff. Do you have Runners Companion?

Okay I am at work and giving a reply via cellphone, so I don't have all my stats/equipment notes on hand.

Here is my skill update:
Cybercombat: 5
Hacking: 5
Dodge: 4
Firearms Group: 4
Perception: 2

Planning on adding a Reflex Recorder for the Firearms Group.

w
Whaddya think sirs?

I would either maybe pick up some Skillwires, or maybe get ahold of some BP to pick up even a bit of Infiltration or some social skills...unless your guy is REALLY the king of not being social at all and doesn't deal at all with the others or go onsite. The lack of stealth or social skills is an Achilles' heel here, IMO. Even scratching up enough for a 1(+2) Infiltration(Urban), and a 1(+1) Etiquette(Something) would help(12 BPs total.)

This would be so much more simple making a street sam or a mage. Our team needs Matrix support though, so that's me.

Second the encephalon and the skillwires.
Great investments.

The eyes aren't that necessary, you can get the same results with skinlinked glasses.

If you want to go combat hacker, get youself a customized cyberarm with AGI (9) (3 standard, +3 customization, +3 improvement) and STR (11) (3 standard, +5 customization, +3 improvement), gyromount, a nanohive (those rigger nanites will come in handy), a couple of combat drug autoinjectors and the remaining capacity in one point of cyberlimb armor and any piece of 'ware with capacity [1], like a fingertip compartment, snake fingers, BOD +1 or whatever.
Along with that, get an Automatics skillsoft and a nicely modded SMG.
My suggestion would be an FN P93 Praetor with built-in low light searchlight and electronic firing, modded for HV, additional clip and improved range finder, with gas vent III and smart as external accessoires- tons of ammo, good range, high velocity firing and 5 points of recoil compensation even without the folding stock, which in combination with the gyro and maxed-out STR allows you to go without any recoil at all.

And as SMGs count as one-handed weapons, you get to use the absurdly high AGI of the arm alone.

9 AGI + smartlink + 3 skill + no recoil with a custom HVSMG = viable secondary combatant.

Of course, you could also get Automatics (SMGs) 2 (+2) for one die more, but somehow, i like the idea of basing a hacker's combat ability entirely on 'ware.


If you don't get the arm, get an SMG anyway, suppressive fire is fun.