Okay, I was just looking at Basher, when I realized that I messed up on his bioware - I had synaptic booster: 2 instead of 3, and didn't have his bone density augmentation listed. So here's the corrected version:
Description -
Basher is a tall ork, wide-shouldered with lean, whip-cord muscle. His black hair is cropped in a buzzcut that reveals the bullet-like shape of his head, an affect which is not flattering, but which does make him seem more imposing. He has a lean, angular face with a thin, cruel smile. He also has a long, jagged scar along the left side of his face, which he has not had fixed because it adds to his presense. He claims that he got it in a brutal steetfight that he won, but actually it happened when a stair railing gave way and he took a nasty spill. He has worn fancy dress enough to be comfortable in it, but prefers plain, black utilitarian clothing (grungy goth all the way!). He has that almost preternatural calm that some big guys have. Since getting his suprathyroid gland, though, he will start pacing like a caged tiger if he is stuck somewhere too long.
Background -
Basher started out on the streets, and despite the polish that his skills have attained since then, at the core his fighting style is one of brutal, ruthless pragmatism. He doesn't fight to show off, or to bully other people, or to blow off steam (although he does like a good spar). He fights when he needs to, and he fights to win as quickly and decisively as he can.
Bull's 50+ Questions -
1. What is your character's sex?
Male.
2. What is your character's physical size?
Very tall, big-boned, leanly muscled.
3. What is the color of the character's hair, eyes, and skin?
Black hair in an unflattering buzzcut, cold grey eyes, skin that has been roughened and bronzed by the elements.
4. What is the character's general appearance (i.e., How does he dress, etc.)?
Basher dresses in an understated grungy goth, with a few military-surplus items of apparel, such as camo sleeveless tees or combat boots, for variety. His magic and augmentations make him disdain tattoos, body piercings, and other, lesser bodily modifications. He has a relaxed, easygoing manner, but with a crackling, underlying energy, and he can seem terrifying when he looms over someone with that cruel grin twitching his face.
5. Where was the character born (City, State, Hospital Name)?
Basher was born in the Seattle sprawl, in the East Redmond General Med Center, a wretched public facility where dispirited medical personnel treated BTL burnouts, druggies, and smelly squatters.
6. What is the character's date of birth?
August 14th, 2048.
7. What was the character's family life like?
Basher's dad was a ganger with a big mouth who usually couldn't back it up, and his mom was a BTL whore who spent most of her time in a daze. He and his older brother, Silo, grew up as wild street kids, and were soon recruited into a gang, which became their REAL family.
8. Has the character begun his own family?
No. He doesn't want to have a kid until he is damn sure he actually wants to have one. He can't see himself as a father yet, but if he ever becomes one, he'll do a damn sight better than HIS parents did. He sure hopes so, anyway.
9. Where or how was the character educated?
Basher learned most of his lessons on the unforgiving streets, and as a member of the gang. One of the senior gang members, a troll named Bloodhorn (for his pair of horns, which he was vain about and had painted red), was an adept, so he helped guide Basher through the process when he began awakening himself.
10. Has the character ever done anything else for a living?
No. It was a very straight progression from street kid to ganger, to a variety of small-time solo criminal activities, eventually culminating in reaching the top rungs of shadowrunning.
11. What are the character's political and religious beliefs?
Basher sneers at the laws that the sheep of the barrens still follow, even though it is obvious that the powers that be have completely written off their very existences. He sees Lone Star and the Corporations as nothing but bigger, more entrenched gangs - they just aren't as open about it. He is too cynical and self-centered to be much of an activist, although he will be quick to use his poverty or orkishness to manipulate any bleeding hearts that he meets.
Basher is agnostic, although he has picked up a bit of (atrociously misunderstood) Budhist philosophy in his martial arts studies.
12. Describe the character's Moral code. Include how mercenary he is, whether or not he'll kill innocents, etc.
Basher is amoral, looking out mainly for himself. He has few qualms about criminal activity or violence, although he shies away from the really "sick" stuff. He stays away from drugs, worried that they could mess up his magic, but doesn't despise drug addicts the way he despises BTL users.
13. Does the character have any goals?
Not really. Just the usual desire for wealth and success.
14. Why does the character run the shadows? (Why does he run the shadows still, rather than getting a "real" job?)
He wouldn't want a "real" job if it was offered to him. Why work, when he can take what he wants? And he doesn't see anything wrong with that, either - it's a dog-eat-dog world.
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 color or add mood to the history.
Basher is a laconic pro who may have a few scruples, but admits that the main reason he's in it is for the (relatively) easy money. He tends to be easygoing unless provoked, but when he does decide that violence is called for, he can unleash it with startling suddenness.
16. What special qualities does the character possess? This does not refer to skills, but rather to other things, such as how he gets along with people, does he plan ahead, etc.
Basher is good at dealing with things on a personal level. He eventually left his gang, and tends to disdain other institutions, because they can too easily become a way for people to cop out of their capacity to make their own decisions.
17. Are their certain things the character can't or won't do? Why?
Basher, despite his amorality, would never hit a child (unless it was something like a feral street kid trying to kill him).
18. What things, people, or ideas does the character hate?
He hates BTL users. Surprisingly, this doesn't translate into a hatred of the BTL dealers. After all, they're only catering to the demand. Nothing wrong with hustling stupid people. But BTL users are the lowest, most pathetic slugs imaginable. Hell, normal sim is bad enough - they have to have someone ELSE get their kicks for them? But BTL users have just given up, period. He will violently deny that his contempt of BTL dealers has anything to do with his BTL-head mom.
19. What things people, or ideas does the character love?
Basher loves the ladies. He will get into fights over women, run headlong into situations that are none of his business when a woman is in trouble, and a woman can get away with saying things to him that he would brutally pummel a guy for saying.
20. What is the character's name? Give both full birth name, as well as nicknames, street names, etc.
His real name (rarely used now) is Jerod James, and his street handle is Basher.
21. Determine what your character used to do, before becoming a shadowrunner (very important).
Basher was a street kid, before the gang snatched him up. He eventually left them to pursue a solo career.
22. Decide why your character left his or her old job, if he had one (also important).
The gang didn't exactly have to twist his arm to get him to join - he saw the benefits immediately. Sure, his initiation was painful and humiliating, but afterwards he was part of a group that was feared and respected, who watched each other's backs. But eventually, it felt like the gang was holding him back, and internal squabbles were getting worse, so he moved on, starting out as cheap muscle and eventually becoming top-tier muscle.
23. Come up with a reason for why the character became a shadowrunner. (This very often will tie in with #22. This is not the same as #14, but rather why he started running the shadows originally. What led him to it?)
Growing up with crime, vice, and lawlessness, he welcomed a chance to move up the food chain.
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.
Molly Finn (Fixer) is a short elven woman with close-cropped black hair and designer violet cybereyes. She talks a mile a minute and seems scatter-brained, although Basher has known her long enough to know that it's an act. She has decent connections and knows lots of gossip about the business. Just be careful what you tell her, because she can't keep a secret. He was recruited by her for his first job, when a team's sammie got hospitalized and they needed some replacement muscle, quick. Since then, he has used her as his regular fixer.
Billie James (Hacker), a skinny, chain-smoking youth with long blonde hair, perpetual 5-O'clock shadow, and several tattoos. A freelance news snoop and blogger, Billie is always looking for some dirt, and has a good handle on the Seattle rumormill, corporate shennanigans, and latest shakeups among the movers and shakers.
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 character's previous employment.
Basher has never had a SIN.
26. Is the character a full-time shadowrunner? Or does the character lead a Batman-like double existence?
Basher is a shadowrunner, mainly muscle.
27. Which person(s) or group(s) do you love the most?
Basher disdains most groups by default. He generally only likes or dislikes people when he knows them personally, since he doesn't trust the media that much.
28. Which person(s) or group(s) do you hate the most?
Basher despises the NAN, who are a bunch of hypocritical scumbags, all frolicing about in their fruity little woodsy paradise, never mind all of the starving people packed like sardines in the barrens. And people romanticize these bastards! The Tir, he's more understanding of, since he figures racism probably played a big role in their decision to band together, just like the Ork Underground.
29. Which person(s) or group(s) do you respect the most?
He respects the big boys who know how to party. He has less respect for corporate or Yakuza types who try to have a veneer of respectability.
30. Which person(s) or group(s) do you fear the most?
The big boys (major corps, Mafia, etc.) are not people to annoy, but they don't take it personally, like gangs do. Except for some of them - the Triads, the Azzies, and Tamanous are all bad news, because if you frag with them, they will go way out of their way to mess you up in the sickest way they can. Still, he doesn't fear them - fear is for lesser men. He prefers to think he is... cautious... about crossing them.
31. What is your favorite color?
Red. But only in moderation. A red bandana is cool, while a red shirt is not.
32. What is your favorite food and/or drink?
He has a shameful addiction to Saigon Tim's barbecue meat skewers, even though he knows that the smiling street vendor gets his meat by killing rats. He likes the food at the Big Rhino (okay, and the strippers, too). He is mostly a beer man, but he likes cheap wine coolers too.
33. What place would you most like to visit?
He likes going into bars that are Humanis hangouts, ordering something like a glass of milk or one of those drinks with the umbrella in it, and then kicking all of their asses in the ensuing brawl.
34. Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to?
He looks out mainly for himself, although he looks out for his friends and contacts, and is a sucker for a damsel in distress.
35. What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the most enjoyment? (Warning: Answering Sex for this question can and will result in penalties to your character!)
He likes freeloading, especially when it's someone he doesn't like who is too intimidated to do anything about it. He likes flirting, and he likes hanging out in the seedier parts of Seattle.
36. What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the least enjoyment?
He normally likes fighting, but sometimes defending his near-top-dog position against the umpteenth cocky challenger can get wearisome.
37. What annoys you the most?
People who disrespect him, especially if it's to his face.
38. What (if any) is your favorite form of art?
Basher likes popular culture - things like strippers, daytime talk trids, and so on. If they call it "art", it's usually just B.S.
39. What is your greatest goal?
Basher wants to become a legend, to take on something like a cyberzombie or a great dragon. He punches out nearly any mime that he sees, but so far, none of them have been Harlequin.
40. What do you think is your characters best quality?
His laid-back confidence.
41. What do you think is your characters worst quality?
His general amorality and selfishness, ameliorated only slightly be a few tattered scruples.
42. What is the most important thing you have ever done?
He once saved a group of meta rights activists being attacked by the Night Hunters. He waded in and more or less attacked the whole group of gangers, sending them all running (those that still could, anyways).
43. Which religion (if any) do you follow?
Agnostic, with a bit of mangled Budhist philosophy thrown in.
44. What is your most treasured possession (and why)?
A Brittany Sparkle poster. It is his secret shame.
45. What are your three most common dreams?
> He's about to fight this huge sumo wrestler, when suddenly he shrinks down to kid size! So he still kicks the guy's ass - he's that damn badass!
> A sleazy honeymoom hotel (heart-shaped waterbed, etc.) with Brittany Sparkle. With some of her songs playing in the background, even!
> Floating on a pond, with a voice softly saying "Loogie is your bud. You wanna buy Loogie some beer." Since finding the audio player under his bed and beating the hell out of Loogie, he hasn't had this dream as much.
46. What is the Characters current relationship with his family?
Contemptuous of his dad. He will give him a bottle of booze or a few cred, but usually with a gruff "Here, old man," not even acknowledging him as his dad. To be honest, Bloodhorn was the closest thing he had to a real father figure.
47. If the characters family is still alive, what do they do, and where do they live?
His mom died a few years ago, and he didn't shed a tear. His dad is a pathetic figure now, halfway between a thug and a squatter, and is usually bumming cred or booze when he sees his son. Basher will usually give it to him, but he holds his dad mostly in contempt. His brother, Silo, who never got out of the gang, died in a recent gang war, and it hit Basher hard - he was the only family member that he really cared about. Bloodhorn got hurt bad in the fighting, and is somewhere recuperating. Basher visits him occasionally, but the big troll is not even coherent at this point in time, and they say he might have permanent brain damage.
48. Where did the character learn his Skills?
He learned most things on the streets or the school of hard knocks, although he got some informal and eclectic, but still extensive, schooling in the art of fighting. Both from underworld instructors, and from sparring with other hardcases like him. His other skills come from a similar mix of informal instruction and brutal experience.
49. Does the character have a good luck charm? What is it, and why?
No. He had a few pieces of junk (an old thrash band poster, etc.) that held memories for him, but they got lost when one of his old squats got torched.
50. What type of music does the character like?
He likes hardcore thrash and punk, like any good street thug should. He also secretly likes Brittany Sparkle's songs, even though she is a mainstream, bubble-gum pop singer (and last year's bubble-gum pop singer, at that). He has one of her posters, which he keeps hidden.
51. List any past serious relationships that your character has had, and give a brief overview of the relationship.
He has dated, but no serious relationships. He likes picking up wide-eyed slumming corp girls.
52. Where does your character live? Why does he live there?
Right now, he is in a fancy condoplex in Ballard, definitely a step up from his previous haunts.
53. Remember, your Gamemaster likes detail, so if you can think of any other little details, quirks, or whatever that you think might please the almighty GM, then add them in as well. Oh, and your GM won't use any of these details against you at a later date. trust me...
Basher is straightforward muscle, specializing in close combat. I tried to lighten up his personality a bit, so he wouldn't be nothing but a grim combat machine.
And now he has it. His Jumping Pool(Gymnastics) is very high, and his jump distance is increased by 20%. (I think his jumping die pool in the armor is 23 dice.) His unarmed attacks also do one more point of damage in the armor(14P punches, 15P kicks), and his claw damage is likewise increased(9P hands, 10P feet, though his gloves do cover his hands, and they are made large enough so they are comfortable.) 
