Okay, so you have your gun, your armor, your BPs burned out... what are your other MUST buys for every runner?

CommLink
OS for CommLink
Basic Programs
Lifestyle
Docwagon/Crashcart contract
Fake SIN
Fake Legal SIN (Linked to Lifestyle)

What else goes in the catagory of 'why didn't you buy this at chargen?'?

I wouldn't list the Docwagon/Crashcart contract as a "Must Buy" item.

In SR4, I would list the tag eraser, though.

MEDKIT!

The Stuff with which you interface the Commlink. Trodenets and stuff.

Also something to put your vision enhancements in is a must have in my eyes.

Smartgun. Always.
Ammunition.
Some kind of vision enhancement (Night Sight goggles, Cyber-Thermographic, something...)
Tags.
Fake license(s).

Well, thats about it...


And, what does "Basic Programs" include ? IMHO Browse, Edit, Analyse (the Triad ^^)

tag eraser Yes... Medkit Yes... Commlink interfaces Yes... Vision enhancement Yes...

I would add a pair of ear buds loaded with audio enhancements to the list.

Also, sensor RFID Tags and Micro Sensors are cheap and very handy. My players have bought them by the dozen and use them on missions, for home security/site security/personal security, spying, etc. I would suggest you buy them on non-standard freqs.

A survival kit (ration bars, flash light, water purification, etc) is a must have item. Stocking extra ration bars is always a good idea.

A second cheap Commlink that you don't connect to anything and leave in public mode (with your main or implanted one in hidden mode) is very useful. Plus it helps protect delay hacking.

I don't know about anyone else but I like to stash some cash, an extra gun with loaded clips, a fresh set of clothing, and a fake SIN with fake licenses in a bus station locker, safety deposit box, or just an appropriately sized rented mail box in case it really hits the fan. If I've got extra cash at Character Generation I'll usually add a survival kit, a small vehicle (usually just a bike), and medkit to the mix and store it in a small You-Store or other inexpensive yet reasonably secure storage rental place that uses locks that don't have physical keys (electronic keypad is nice- just remember the number!) so if things get really hairy I can split town.

Flashlight and knife. Just because, sometimes, you need to cut something, sending a signal, or light something up. You never know.

they are if you enjoy living.

-armor
-bio monitors
-r6 medkit
-medkit supplies
-Stimulant patches
-tranq patches
-trauma patch
-skin links for the bio monitor and the trauma patch or stimulant patch
-skin link for smartgun if you decide to use ranged weapons
-Neuro stun grenades
-WP grenades (if you use Arsenal)
-Survival kit
-some metal or plasteel restraints
-ear buds with audio enhancements and a spacial recognizer
-a r6 white noise generator
-a r6 laser mic
-a laser range finder
-a flashlight if you don't have a smartlink
-a few motion sensors
-goggles with vision enhancement r3, with image link, vision mag, low light and flare comp (or a built in smartlink if you chose to go with guns)
-a tool kit (because you will need it at one point)
-a fake SIN
-fake SIN licenses
-tag eraser
-a handful of different RFID tags (stealth, common, ect.)
-trodes
-subvocal mic
-sat link
-comlink w/ an OS
-AR gloves
-printer
-a latex face mask

Generally some form of transportation is also advised. Generally that list of gear is what you need to be an effective Shadowrunner for most any situation. A welder, and a cutting device I would also highly advise in the gear list as well.

Why a crashcart/docwaggon contract is not a good idea. It is very restricted in what it can do. Let me list the cons.

"that can be activated to call for help and then to serve as a homing beacon" - Boo which means when you drop you are broadcasting and people can crack the signal to know that your hurt

"Once a call from a contract-holder is confi rmed, most
DocWagon franchises guarantee arrival of an armed trauma
team in less than ten minutes, or else the immediate medical
care is free. Resuscitation service carries a high premium, as
does High Th reat Response (HTR) service. In the latter case,
the client (or her heir) is expected to pay medical bills up to
and including death compensation for DocWagon employees." - Boo 10 minutes? By then you are probably dead.

"DocWagon will not respond
to calls on extraterritorial government
or corporate property
without permission from the
controlling authority." - Extra amounts of boo. It means that generally when you really need it that is when they can't come and help you.

The contract is quite limited in what it can do, and that is why I don't like them. Having a medic, and a mage with heal on the team can generally do more then a doc wagon can ever do and faster.

Actually if you play them acording to the proper rules, they are not worth a lot to runners. In a Corps area? DocWagon won't come get cha without permission from the Corp. Lonestar just blast your ass? DocWagon won't get cha unless the Star leaves your body laying there and walks away.

So really it depends on what area your group normally operates in. If it is out in "no man's land" then fine. If it is mostly in Corp turf, it is mostly worthless.

Duct tape.
...
Seriously though, some basic tools, wirecutters, and some climbing gear.

A R6 emotitoy

I knew someone was going to say this...

On the subject of DocWagon, don't forget that even if they come and get you, Lone Star will likely just arrest you once you wake up if your ass was found at a crime scene.

-Body Cavity Escape Kit
-Operations Cleanup Kit
-The standard bevy of imaging equipment and vision enhancements, commlink,fake sins
-Survival Knife
-External Smartlink
-Medkit and medical supply refills
-Nanopaste disguise (large canister)
-Survival Kit
-Couple of ration pouches
-Glass cutter
-Carton of Laes Cigarettes (wonderful for a variety of uses)
-Glowand
-Magemask or three
-Keycard copier
-Autopicker/Passkey
-Plastic Restraints

Gecko Gloves

Fake Sin A (linked to your runs)

Fake Sin (for all your legal operating needs)

Commlink

Linguasofts if you lack language skills (if for nothing more than not being furstrated during certain parts of the game)

Form-fitting body armor

Survival Knife

There are certain things that obviously a more particularized character ought have, but every character should have these.

- A safe house
- A ditch kit (fake sin, money, clothes, etc in case you need to disappear)
- Some form of transportation (nothing annoys me more as a GM than "professional" runners showing up to a meet on a metro bus.)

hi hi

• Micro-transceiver (Commlink)

• Sub-vocal mic

These two items greatly reduce the stress on a GM when the party splits up.

A R6 Medkit IS the size of a briefcase, yes? How do you get away with everyone carrying a big white plastic case everywhere? You could stick it in a flap-back backpack, and just wear the monitor bracer all the time, but it DOES make the thing a bit visible, ne?

- Linguasoft in the local accent. If you're from out of town (well, if you sound like it), you stick out and that's bad in your line of work.
- Local Culture & History Knowsofts. See above.
- Gang Knowledge Knowsofts. Totally useful.
- Trid recordings. Gotta have something to watch whilst you're waiting.

Dear lord!

Some of you guys seem to require a hella lot of gear!

Certainly handy, but it's not necessarily all required.

At an absolute minimum, to reasonably take part in a run I'd say;
Commlink and means to use it
Fake SIN
Weapon (if it's your own hands, that's good enough too)
Armour

In all likelyhood there'll be enough cash leftover after buying a weapon and armour etc. for a half dozen small electronic pieces, and the first one I'd pick up would be a tag eraser.

I'm not suggesting that other stuff is not handy, but I certainly wouldn't consider a runner incomplete without a toolkit, first aid kit, disguise kit, b&e kit etc.

What I always get/suggest:

1 good fake ID and solid fake license, as high as you can afford.
Survival Knife(comes with GPS!)
Medkit/Refill
Stim Patch(in case you need to stay awake for a long haul)
Survival Kit
Commlink/OS/the basic programs(the latter of which i tended to forget, thinking only hackers needed them like back then.)
Weapon/Armor of choice
Nice Suit or something to wear to meets. Many forget this.

If I can afford it, I also make the ''just in case'' kit. This has a change of clothing, an armor jacket, a gun/couple clips(even for my martial arts/melee doods), a fake ID and license(average level), a survival kit/knife and a medkit.

The nice suit is very important if your going for a professional image. Of course, if you have high lifestyle (or high esentuals if using RC) then it can be covered by that. My guys bought up lots of pieces from the armored designer suits.

I don't know why a commlink doesn't have a true GPS unit built in. I mean it's just stupid that they get their "GPS data" from nodes.

Why waste sattelite resources when you can just ping three nodes that have their global location programmed in and get the same effect?

Rope, Charley Bronson always has it

You and your fraggin' rope!

Huh...I thought I had responded to this thread....I did not think my list was particularly offensive, and I do not have a PM, so....

OK, things that I think qualify as mustbuys:

Smartlink
Lowlight or Thermographic vision
Some method of boosting your Initiative Passes
A backup weapon(Seriously! Why do so many people think that just because they have one good main weapon, that it is not going to be taken away from them, or destroyed, or what have you)
A decent Commlink
A range of lethal and less-than-lethal options

Because it doesn't waste any satellite resources. Those GPS sats are continuously transmitting this data and to have a commlink not use it is just stupid. The Orientation System cyberware is mostly redundant, but does have the gyroscope. That could be useful. I remember that the 2nd edition allowed on the fly map creation (without the user doing anything) and THAT can be useful.

I've been using the 4th edition Orientation System that way, myself, ruling that it can also double as an inertial dead-recokoning device with lots of other 'bonus' features.

Vision and Audio Enhancement. If there's any roll a GM can legitimately spam you with, it's perception rolls. These toys are cheap ways of boosting your perception rolls.

Emotitoys. Way too good for the cost, and they can make even the most Uncouth character function in society.

Fake SINs. 'Nuff said.

A weapon you can use, preferably a pistol or other ranged weapon. Even if you don't intend to shoot anyone, having a weapon for intimidation is a huge edge. It also means you're not announcing yourself as a mage or melee adept.

Medkit. Don't always carry it with you, but always have one handy. Sooner or later, someone *will* get wounded, and the medkit is a huge help in patching them up.

Custom commlink. Don't buy an off-the-shelf one if you can avoid it, just build your own. The brand names do work for a cheap secondary commlink, though. Also, invest in a r6 Firewall; there's no reason to go any lower.

There are ways to act like a runner, and then there is being extremely prepared and prepped out.

Some tools are situational or cost a bundle. Most of my list can all be bought with 2-3 bps. A biomonitor attached to a skin link that is attached to a trauma patch can save a runners life for less then 1k. You start bleeding out and can automatically make a stabilization test. Extremely handy for what it does. Restraints cost next to nothing, but maybe you might want to bound that troll in something besides rope. You could probably do away with the sat link, but if your GM decides to stick you in the ass end of nowhere your boned. When I stat out my must have gear list it is the cheap things that might save my ass if the situation arises.

Maglock readers, and pass keys are situational to how the player plays. They are also costly. You can bash through the door or shoot through it, or get by it in many other ways besides using B&E equipment. They are also only good for the person with the skill and the stat to accompany it.

Survival skills and an unarmed combat skill.

After that...

Knife
Concealable pistol w/ gel rounds
Several of each kind of medical patch - stims, trauma patches, etc.
Cold hard cash, unused fake SIN, breath mints, deodorant
Linguasofts for: Japanese, Chinese, Orz'et (spelling?)
Mapsoft of the immediate geographical area
Really freaking good shoes and a warm jacket
Motorcycle or small, fast car

Favors done for others = favors I can call in when I'm in a bind.

Because it costs more to include it. Commlinks are sold to poor people, who are going to want models that don't add an extra 200 nuyen for the GPS module.

Because you can later sell GPS systems to people who have a commlink.

Because you don't want GPS data. You just need a position relative to some other node to establish your position for AR.


Knowing where you are is not actually necessary for everyday purposes, either. Nobody cares where they are unless they're using a map to figure out where they need to go.

After compiling a list base off everyone's suggestions... the answer appears to be:

"One of everything. More if you got the nuyen."

This remembers me of when my group used to play AD&D. We had this "basic adventurer kit" with things like backpack, rations, torches, rope, etc for when we were short on time for building characters or were just too lazy to buy item by item. In that spirit, I put together this basic 5BP cost items list for Shadowrun characters. Note that its not an optimal list, just something very generic to speed things up and for the sake of my groups laziness. Weapons and armor are not listed because it is very character specific.



Ideas, please?

Looks pretty good, except...

Unless you're ignoring the Available rules for starting characters, those contacts are completely through the roof (Availability 28!). You couldn't even buy them if you took the Restricted Gear quality.

Also, you left a digit off the Maglock Passkey. It should be 8000 nuyen, not 800.

-paws

That would be 10 BP, not 5 bro. The contact lenses are over 12 avalibility (you add up their avalibility with the avalibility of all the options in them) and you have to take the restricted gear quality.
*edit*
Damn paws, quick draw there. At work, no books, just knew it was over 12.
*edit edit*
Take contacts with some stuff and shades with some stuff. Nothing says you can't wear both of those.

Yeah.... I'm at work and haven't had a call (in or out) in a half hour. Idle hands, and all that.

As an alternative to the uber contact lenses of uberness , I suggest the following:

Contact Lenses with Image Link, Smartlink, Vision Magnification
Glasses with Flare Compensation, Image Link, Vision Enhancement, and either Thermographic or Low-Light (choose one)

EDIT
You beat me this time... heheh

ops... I never noticed those were modifiers to the availability.... now I have to review some characters.....

ops about the maglock passkey also.... maybe I should move the B&E stuff from the basic list to the character specific list...

Eh, stuff happens.

I really don't see everyone needing B&E gear. One, at least, should have that stuff. Maybe two or three if the group makes a habit of splitting up to get the job done. For 2 BP (an even 10,000 nuyen), you can get Autopicker (6), Maglock Passkey (4), and Sequencer (4). Pretty nice investment, really.

Tranq patches are highly underrated, IMO. They are excellent for when you need to extract an unwilling, downright hostile, or frightened/hysterical/traumatized target. Two at rating 5 is a mere 200 nuyen and will put down just about anyone who doesn't have Body 5 or higher.

I might include a matching pair of Shock Gloves or Hardliner Gloves too. Great for when you need to get the drop on someone. And they're dirt cheap. Buying them as a matched pair makes them a bit less obvious, though the shock gloves probably stand out a bit unless you cosmetically alter them.

-paws

The Stun track is 8 + Willpower/2 (round up) so it's Willpower that matters not Body.

Freeze foam, a thousand and one uses! Block a door! Sabotage machinery! Wrap the sensitive payload in a protective cocoon! Block the holes letting poisonous gas in! Pack it in splash grenades and create instant cover or immobilise your enemies! Spackle your car! Disable booby traps! Play jokes on your friends!

It's the 2070s equivalent of duct tape. It should be in every toolkit, and every Shadowrunner's pocket.

Am I going crazy, because I think there'd be a multitude of uses for double-sided Gecko Strips (side-selective attachment) yet I can't remember seeing anything of the sort in any book.

Ah, yes, I see what you're saying now. Good catch. As I understand it, Body still resists the damage because its a toxin though. Correct?

Either way, its still good for painlessly subduing a target, correct?

-paws
(Took me a while there. I guess I better go get some caffeine.)

It can't cost 200 because a survival knife only costs 50 and a GPS unit comes with each one.


Then make it a module that can be added to a commlink.

Wow, after throwing that price out off the top of my head it was actually right. GPS units are 200 nuyen. Page 328 of the BBB.

What's the point in making it a commlink module? You can get data from A to B easily, it's more convenient to be able to discard the additional weight/bulk of the GPS module easily. Even unslotting some kind of hot-swap module is more effort than just dropping your GPS unit. Plus you should totally be able to take a bunch of GPS units and use them to mark points of interest to people in the area. A module complicates that by not working outside a commlink.

I forgot to include the self-evident fact that a GPS unit sold separately will cost more than the price charged for integrating the unit into a commlink because you actually want the GPS unit then. Most people buying commlinks don't want a GPS unit.

Wow, after throwing that price out off the top of my head it was actually right. GPS units are 200 nuyen. Page 328 of the BBB.

What's the point in making it a commlink module? You can get data from A to B easily, it's more convenient to be able to discard the additional weight/bulk of the GPS module easily. Even unslotting some kind of hot-swap module is more effort than just dropping your GPS unit. Plus you should totally be able to take a bunch of GPS units and use them to mark points of interest to people in the area. A module complicates that by not working outside a commlink.

I forgot to include the self-evident fact that a GPS unit sold separately will cost more than the price charged for integrating the unit into a commlink because you actually want the GPS unit then. Most people buying commlinks don't want a GPS unit.