I'm in the process of creating two characters for an upcoming campaign, one of which I'll play ... the concepts are still being fleshed out.. but stats will bea s follows most likely:

The first is a decker:

Human
Bod 2
Agi 5
Rea 5
Str 2
Cha 2
Int 5
Log 5
Wil 2
Edge 5

Skills:
Cracking/Electronics Groups 4 each
Firearms Group 2
Perception 4
Insert two more individual skills ~3 each

Qualities:
Unknown, debating on -30k in debt for extra cash and BP for skills or positive qualities

Cyber:
Internal Air tank, Alpha grade
Cybereyes R3, Alpha grade w/ Low light, smart link, thermographic, Vision enh 3 and Vision mag
Cyber-ears R2, Alpha grade w/ Audio Enh 3, Select sound 4, Datajack

Deck/Programs:
Customized Commlink, Response and Signal 5
Customized OS, Firewall and System 5
(may upgrade to 6 funds willing, and GM willing too)
Program ranks all 4 presently, may upgrade funds willing
TacNet software R4

Deck Accessories:
Biometric Lock
Customized Interface
Nonstandard Wireless Link R6

Gear:
Mortimer Greatcoat as civilian wear
Riot Control armor/helm when trouble expected or worn under greatcoat
AR Gloves
Subvocal Mic
Directional Jammer R6
RF Tag Eraser
15x10 Standard Ammo

Weapons:
Savalette Guardian w/ Internal Laser sight
HK 227x w/ Internal Laser sight and personalized grip

Knowledge Skills TBD
Native Language: English

The biggest problem I seem to be having with this character, is finding a way to squeeze in a second or even third initiative pass in meatspace combat, while keeping my gear costs down... I know I can bring down my deck, gear, and programs a notch or two, but I'd rather have those right off the bat instead of an extra initiative pass that I could use a contact to install into me down the road.

The other is a Gun-Fu type, the basics of with I'm still not sure of what to get ... I'd talked about one briefly a few months back, and gotten some ideas, but dropped the planning on him, and now I'm re-thinking him trying to mesh some of the suggestions that were given in another thread here... http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...c=24706&hl=

In the thread people were making reference to a "Gun Fu" way of the adept, and why I wouldn't have taken that as opposed to the Invisible way i took... but I never could find any reference to a Gun Fu path?

So far this is what I'm going with:

Human
Bod 3
Agi 5
Rea 4
Str 3
Cha 2
Int 4
Log 4
Wil 3
Edge 3
Mag 5

Skills:
Stealth and Firearms Group 4
Forgery 3
Perception 3
Locksmith 3
Armorer (Firearms Specialty) 3
Dodge 3

Qualities:
Undecided, will likely have to take a negative to offset having used a few too many BP

Adept Powers:
Improved Ability Combat x2 (Longarms and Auto's, R2 each) <- is this allowable? Or can i only take it once?
Improved Reflexes 2

Cyber/Bio:
None, but willing to entertain using some cyber or bio to augment something if that works better than an adept power solution

Gear:
Mortimer Greatcoat as civilian wear
Riot Control armor/helm when trouble expected or worn under greatcoat
Subvocal Mic
15x10 Standard Ammo

Weapons:
Savalette Guardian w/ Internal Laser sight
Colt TZ-110 w/ Top mount Laser sight and Personalized grip
Colt M22A3 w/ Ceramic Components 1, Internal Laser sight, and personalized grip
Ares Desert Strike w/ Ceramic 1, Powered breakdown and personalized grip

I'm definitely keeping the Ares, but not sure if I should drop the pistol for the SMG, or drop the SMG for the pistol ... it seems like it would be a good idea to have one easily concealable weapon with 2 other difficult ones, instead of having 3 difficult ones to conceal.

Any thoughts? suggestions? These guys are going to be run in 400pt BP games, and I don't need he-man characters, just ones that can do their job well.

Gun Fu is also known as Firefight, but Krav Maga is probably better (Aim as a free action and Ready Weapon as free action). Firefight's big thing is being able to reduce the -3 DP penalty on shooting for being in melee (to a -1), Krav Maga also has that, allows you to reduce it to a -2. So...

Uh, those are the Martial Arts styles found in More Ways to Die in Arsenal.

Get both for zero penalty.

Free advice on your decker: buy every program you can at rating 6. Even if you can't use it that high yet, it'll be a substantial savings for when you can. Since you're discussing BBB only, you don't have to worry about Program Degredation (and shouldn't, anyway, since these programs were bought legally).

I'm unsure if they stack, really, but yes. You can (15 BP to get a -0, plus another 10 BP for the free actions).
I plan on doing that at some point, I just haven't gotten into melee yet. But that'll change soon enough.

Your Initiative problem is a lot easier to deal with than you think, First you have an edge of 5 which means a couple of times a session you can pull an extra initiative pass out your ass just when you need it. For more general use id go with Cram or jazz (or both)
Cram has a long lifespan with your deckers bod it should be about 10 hours, so if you take it before the run then you will have an extra init pass for the run. 10 nuyen a dose
Jazz has an instant vector but doesnt last anywhere near as long but is good for when your caught out and need that litle extra - 40 nuyen a dose, I think
Or you could speedball them both for extra fun but im not sure of the rules or additction modifiers for that

You can easily be addicted to both of these drugs but consider how often your group actually works, 1 job a week 2?3? 1 job a fortnight? a month?if its more than 1 a week regularly then drugs may not be the answer.

Oh i think that there is a positive quality that lets an unaugmented- no init/pass boosted character get an additional pass not sure since im not near the books can someoneconfirm?

A personal choice for me would be to drop the Firearms group and the Savalette Guardian - realistically your only going to get 9 dice for that. If however you change that to Automatics5 you can carry a Machine pistol as well as your SMG and be rocking out 12 dice for that with a few tweaks and nuyen from the Savalette you could drop the recoil mods right down. Meaning youl be more combat effective if you get cornered yourself.

EDIT: Oh and your Decker cant wear that armour - bods wayyyyyy too low

Sorry For double post

Id get the extra point of magic and spend it on Astral perception or attribute boosts all four at level 1 for a bit extra punch when needed- allowing for those supergraceful gun moves. Im not sure how your campaign generally goes but that Ares desert Strike is a really long sniper rifle, iv never found a sniper rifle to be all that necassery in most games- with the ranges most combat is dealt with an assault rifle will do (or spas/antioch combo) id reconsider that particular weapon for any urban game, as a starting char anyway

Well, he can wear the armor-but he's at a -2 for all Agility and Reaction based tests(for the greatcoat.) The Riot control armor? He won't be moving(can stats be reduced past 1 with this? If that's the case maybe he can't.) I'd try to get a third point of Body. One, it's going to give him one extra Physical box. 2, he'll be able to wear the longcoat without a problem and won't have as big of a hit with the Riot Gear. I'd actually move a point of Agility to Body. If he's not too combatant, he won't need that super-high Agility(5+ is usually reserved for combat-type characters, or at least athletics experts.) Since, at any time in his longcoat with a 2 body, he'll be running at the equivalent of a 3 agility AND reaction, it will actually be a net gain, in the end.

Skills are just fine. Perception, a gun skill, all the hacking skills. I also vote for, if possible, getting the programs at rating 6.

Second guy: Yeah, pick up Firefight and Krav Maga(and yes, martial arts bonuses do stack.) Take Aim/Ready Weapon as free actions are wonderful, and if you can spare anymore BPs, the reducing the firing in melee modifier is quite good. His stats look fine, and as for guns-pistols do come in quite handy(if I had taken improved ability, I'd probably have done Pistols/Automatics for SMGs, though Shotguns are a very good weapon indeed, so it's not a bad thing to have Longarms at all.)

One thing I noticed-neither character has any Social skills. Now, if you have a face in the group they aren't a 110% necessity(I mean, you don't have Uncouth or anything), but if you're stuck without your Face you're defaulting with one die. Perhaps with the first guy, since you have extra skills, you could pick up Etiquette(Something) at 1(+2) or 2(+2), and with more points left after that, you could get a Negotiations of 2 or something. Second guy seems a bit tied up, but you could always do Locksmith/Forgery and 2 each and pick up Etiquette of 2.