Dumpshock Forums > Priority Character Creation [Runner's Companion]

paws2sky

Jun 13 2009, 02:53 AM

Street Samurai (v1)
Appearances: Shadowrun 1st Edition, Shadowrun 2nd Edition, Shadowrun 4th Edition.
Note: Though not entirely the same, these three versions of the Street Samurai are very similar. The SR3 and SR4A versions are quite different due to their implants and will warrant their own entry.

Description
Every jungle, from the steaming rainforests to the polluted 'plex, has predators. Naturally, some rise to dominate the food chain, earning teh respect and fear of lesser beasts. In the 'plex, the king predator is almost always a street samurai. With a body that is more artifical than not, skills that have been honed through years of practice, and a will that few dare match, the street samurai is a perfect killing machine. Strong. Fast. Deadly.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 13 2009, 05:15 AM

Combat Mage
Appearances: Sprawl Sites, Shadowrun 2nd Edition

Description
Combat magicians. Everyone seems to have one, or wishes they did. Lone Star, corp security teams, merc units, government black ops units, runner teams, even the syndicates employ mages whose sole purpose is blowing up the enemy. Perhaps fortunately, there aren't many to go around. That makes acting as a free agent a very attractive, very lucrative career move. You can expect results, but plan to pay top dollar for it.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 13 2009, 05:22 AM

Troll Combat Mage
Appearances: Shadowrun 3rd Edition

Description
Trolls are no less likely to be magically active than any other metatype, but thanks to the stereotype of trolls being big, dumb thugs, few people expect them to magicians, let alone skilled ones. The troll combat mage puts that stereotype to rest. He's large and in charge, with a variety of spells and spirits as his disposal. You'd be a fool to assume that, just because he's a spellcaster, that he's a weakling. After all, he is still a troll, and a combat trained one at that. He has spent time in his youth freelancing for the syndicates, but recently he decided to set his sights higher and try his hand at shadowrunning.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 13 2009, 05:46 AM

Bodyguard
Appearances: Sprawl Sites, Shadowrun 2nd Edition

Description
Being a professional bodyguard isn't an easy gig. You have to be constantly alert, ready for action, and willing to put yourself between your employer and bullets designed to explode on the inside. Add to that the pressure of knowing that if one assignment goes sour, you may never work again. Maybe it is no surprise then that some bodyguards moonlight as runners... the work is much less stressful.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 15 2009, 03:32 AM

Merc (AKA Mercenary)

Appearances: Shadowrun 1st Edition, Shadowrun 2nd Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 15 2009, 04:06 AM

Ork Mercenary
Appearances: Shadowrun 1st Edition, Contacts (SR2)

Description
He grew up in the barrens, dodging bullets and scrounging to survive. Later in life, he was recruited by a merc company. It was dangerous, but the money was good and he'd been shot at before. After his tour of duty, he started a family. His family went from small to very large and he needed money. Shadowrunning seemed to be a good fit. Better than wearing a security guard uniform, anyway. With nearly a dozen kids at home, the chaos and danger of a frontal assault on an isolated corporate research lab rarely seems too bad.

[ Spoiler ]

crash2029

Jun 15 2009, 06:51 PM

Shouldn't the Ork Merc's sword be "Big and nasty sword he calls a knife?"

paws2sky

Jun 15 2009, 07:20 PM

QUOTE (crash2029 @ Jun 15 2009, 02:51 PM)

Shouldn't the Ork Merc's sword be "Big and nasty sword he calls a knife?"

Indeed.

-paws

paws2sky

Jun 16 2009, 03:53 AM

Ork Street Samurai
Appearances: Street Samurai Catalog (all versions), Contacts (SR2)

Description
Don't let his slick looks and fake accent fool you, the ork Street Samurai is a tough veteran of the streets. Unlike many of his brothers, he's managed to elevate himself to what he sees as a higher station. Whether you need someone who can blend with high society or escort you through the underground, the ork Street Samurai is your man. He's not just a smooth talker though, he's tough as nails and always ready for a fight.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 16 2009, 04:24 AM

Rocker
Appearances: Shadowrun 1st Edition, Contacts (SR2)

Description
The rocker grew up near, but not quite on, the streets. Like many young people, she found comfort in music. She started programming music on her first commlink, a first generation Casio-KZ. Now she's all grown up and looking to be a star. She's trying to establish her street cred and get some inspiration from shadowrunning. If she doesn't get killed in the process, she might actually make it big some day.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 16 2009, 07:07 PM

Elf Covert Operations Specialist
Appearances: Shadowrun 3rd Edition

Description
There's no such thing as an unbreakable security system, just ones that haven't been broken. The elf covert operations specialist is an expert at cracking security, both physical and electronic. On the off chance she's caught in the act, she's capable of talking or fighting her way out. She's also a master of disguise, often backing up her covert activities with a carefully thought out false appearance and cover story.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 16 2009, 09:02 PM

Troll Sprawl Ganger

Appearances: Shadowrun 3rd Edition

[ Spoiler ]

ShadowPavement

Jun 17 2009, 01:22 PM

HA! I really dig the Rocker.

paws2sky

Jun 17 2009, 03:29 PM

Street Mage
Appearances: Shadowrun 1st Edition, Shadowrun 2nd Edition

Description
Not every magician is interested in the sterile, slave-like corporate life. Few are, really, but the paycheck often makes up for the inconveniences. Some feel a deep connection to the streets. Maybe she grew up there or fell in love with the chaotic pulse of urban life. Maybe she feels compelled to try and help people, to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. Whatever the reason, the Street Mage, with her combination of street smarts and mojo, is in high demand in the shadows.

[ Spoiler ]

Tymeaus Jalynsfein

Jun 17 2009, 04:51 PM

QUOTE (paws2sky @ Jun 15 2009, 10:24 PM)

Rocker

[ Spoiler ]

Hay Paws2Sky... on the Rocker, Knowledge SKills, you indicate 16 points free... but it should be 24 points free... (4+4*3=24) was this missed, or was there a reason to only give 16? otherwise I like him... not what I would have chosen, but he is good...

EDIT: Never Mind, you are using Priority System aren't you (doesn't it change the figures?)... Forgot about that...

paws2sky

Jun 17 2009, 05:19 PM

QUOTE (Tymeaus Jalynsfein @ Jun 17 2009, 12:51 PM)

EDIT: Never Mind, you are using Priority System aren't you (doesn't it change the figures?)... Forgot about that...

Yeah, annoyingly it drops your free Knowledge skills to (Int+Log)*2.

Heck if I know why.

-paws

PS I was considering adding blurbs about what I was trying to do with the characters, as well as suggestions for tweaking things. Once I started on this project I quickly realized what a huge undertaking that would be. Maybe I'll come back to it. Maybe.

Tymeaus Jalynsfein

Jun 17 2009, 05:29 PM

QUOTE (paws2sky @ Jun 17 2009, 11:19 AM)

Yeah, annoyingly it drops your free Knowledge skills to (Int+Log)*2.

Heck if I know why.

-paws

PS I was considering adding blurbs about what I was trying to do with the characters, as well as suggestions for tweaking things. Once I started on this project I quickly realized what a huge undertaking that would be. Maybe I'll come back to it. Maybe.

Yeah, it is a LOT of work... but it looks good... Congratulations on a job well done

Aaron

Jun 17 2009, 07:27 PM

QUOTE (paws2sky @ Jun 17 2009, 12:19 PM)

PS I was considering adding blurbs about what I was trying to do with the characters, as well as suggestions for tweaking things. Once I started on this project I quickly realized what a huge undertaking that would be. Maybe I'll come back to it. Maybe.

Have you considered crowdsourcing?

paws2sky

Jun 17 2009, 07:33 PM

QUOTE (Aaron @ Jun 17 2009, 03:27 PM)

Have you considered crowdsourcing?

Not until you mentioned it. What did you have in mind?

-paws

Aaron

Jun 18 2009, 12:41 PM

QUOTE (paws2sky @ Jun 17 2009, 02:33 PM)

Not until you mentioned it. What did you have in mind?

Just say something like, "Hey, if there's anybody else who wants to put up a Priority-System-created archetype character, go for it. Here's the list of the ones I haven't finished yet." In theory, people who want to support the project will ... er ... support the project.

paws2sky

Jun 19 2009, 05:00 PM

Dwarf Street Samurai

Appearances: Street Samurai Catalog (all versions), Contacts (SR2)

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 19 2009, 05:07 PM

QUOTE (Aaron @ Jun 18 2009, 08:41 AM)

Just say something like, "Hey, if there's anybody else who wants to put up a Priority-System-created archetype character, go for it. Here's the list of the ones I haven't finished yet." In theory, people who want to support the project will ... er ... support the project.

I'm well into the 1e/2e archetypes and I'd like to finish those up myself, at the very least.

Maybe when I crack open my 3e book...

-paws

paws2sky

Jun 24 2009, 03:16 PM

Elf Street Samurai
Appearances: Street Samurai Catalog (all versions), Contacts (SR2)

Description
In the shadows, some stereotypes linger far longer than they should. The idea that elves don't have the stuff to be street samurai, for instance, is a notion that this elf blatantly defies. He's no mindless thug or whimsical assassin, but he could play those roles if needed. He's wired for speed and has a natural grace that makes everything he does look good, assuming you can spot him doing what he's doing, that is.

[ Spoiler ]

crash2029

Jun 24 2009, 11:34 PM

Wired 2 plus cybereyes 4 is 3.5 essence, not 4.5.

Lovin' the builds, please keep up the good work!

paws2sky

Jun 25 2009, 12:51 PM

QUOTE (crash2029 @ Jun 24 2009, 07:34 PM)

Wired 2 plus cybereyes 4 is 3.5 essence, not 4.5.

Lovin' the builds, please keep up the good work!

Good eyes. Thank you.
(Hey! At least I had the correct essence in his stat line.

)

-paws

paws2sky

Jun 26 2009, 05:31 PM

Dwarf Mercenary

Appearances: Sprawl Sites, Shadowrun 2nd Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 26 2009, 07:14 PM

Former Tribal Warrior
Appearances: Sprawl Sites, Contacts (SR2)

Description
Forget the nature spirits and songs of power. The real backbone of modern tribal nations is its regular soldiers, coliquially referred to as tribal warriors. These are mean hombres, packing state-of-the-art firepower, from attack helicopters to artillery to cutting edge personal weapons. But while they're well treated and respected, it is a life not everyone is cut out for. The former tribal warrior is one such individual. He comes to the shadows with a wealth of practical experience and a need to do something... less structured with his life.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 28 2009, 05:32 AM

Elf Mage
Appearances: Sprawl Sites

Description
Even in the 2070's, the hallowed halls of academia are filled with hopeful young people with idealistic hopes and dreams. The elf mage was one such student. She wanted nothing more than an extraordinary life filled with magical learning and personal improvement. Perhaps later in life, she would teach others and share what she had learned. That was before things changed back home in the Tir. Now she is cut off from friends, family, and the funding needed to continue her education. In an effort to make ends meet, she ended up selling her magical skills to some shady individuals. Now they have their hooks in her, so she does what they need her too in the hopes that she can save up enough money shake free and return to her old life.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jun 28 2009, 03:17 PM

Former Mage Detective

Appearances: Sprawl Sites, Contacts (SR2)

[ Spoiler ]

Aaron

Jun 29 2009, 06:23 PM

At the risk of making you hate me, have you given any thought to putting a "Original Appearance:" line in the stats somewhere? For example, the Rocker might have "Original Appearance: SR1" or something (assuming I'm remembering the Rocker's first appearance correctly, of course).

paws2sky

Jun 29 2009, 08:09 PM

QUOTE (Aaron @ Jun 29 2009, 02:23 PM)

At the risk of making you hate me, have you given any thought to putting a "Original Appearance:" line in the stats somewhere? For example, the Rocker might have "Original Appearance: SR1" or something (assuming I'm remembering the Rocker's first appearance correctly, of course).

Odd that you should mention it. I was thinking about this Saturday night. (And yes, you are remembering correctly about the Rocker.)

-paws

EDIT: Now that I've changed them all... I'm thinking I should have made note of all their appearances. ~~Frack!~~ ~~I'll finish fixing that later.~~
EDIT 2: Up to date so far. If I missed an appearance of the archetype, please let me know.

paws2sky

Jun 29 2009, 08:31 PM

Troll Enforcer
Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

Description
Since the first cases of UGE, trolls have struggled to find acceptance in society. Many strive to defy the stereotype of trolls as big, dumb thugs. The troll enforcer isn't one of those people. He's perfectly happy using his size and strength to intimidate or injure others, so working for the syndicates as an enforcer seemed like a natural fit. Sometimes he does a shadowrun on the side to make some extra nuyen.

[ Spoiler ]

Aaron

Jun 30 2009, 12:09 AM

Wait a minute ...

QUOTE (paws2sky @ Jun 8 2009, 08:09 AM)

Okay, now that I have more than a couple done, I'm going to to start posting the archetype conversions.

This post act as an index - I will update it as I get archetypes worked out.

Priority System Character Index

[...]

Shadowrun 4th/Anniversary Edition

[...]

Street Mage (Runner's Companion Sample Character)

Since the sample character in Runner's Companion was made with the Priority system, isn't that sorta cheating? =i)

paws2sky

Jun 30 2009, 12:29 PM

QUOTE (Aaron @ Jun 29 2009, 08:09 PM)

Since the sample character in Runner's Companion was made with the Priority system, isn't that sorta cheating? =i)

Since its not presented in an "archetype" format, I didn't see the harm in including it as a service to those who didn't want to go through the character creation example and transcribe/consolidate the info there. I'll make a note that its not original when I get that far.

-paws

paws2sky

Jun 30 2009, 03:33 PM

Ork Combat Decker
Appearances: Shadowrun 3rd Edition

Description
In an ideal world, every system your hacker might want to access would be online and easy to access from any node in the world. But, this isn't a perfect world. Some people still believe in isolating systems from the matrix or making them accessible only through a wired connection. And usually, those measures are backed up by some serious physical security. That is where the ork combat decker comes in. He's a bad dude, packing wires and chrome, a SMG, and a high quality commlink loaded with programs, all for the purpose of kicking the opposition's hoop and scoring the paydata. Just don't call him a hacker, he prefers the old timey term, decker, instead. After all, hackers sit on their butts, miles away from the action, but deckers aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 1 2009, 02:29 PM

Dwarf Face

Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 1 2009, 04:53 PM

Technomancer

Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 1 2009, 09:09 PM

Elf Combat Mage

Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 2 2009, 08:03 PM

Elf Weapons Specialist
Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

Description
Whether your job calls for the anonymity of a sniper, the personal touch of a knife, or the resounding message that high quality explosives can send, the elf weapons specialist is your woman. If it is a weapon, she is familiar, if not proficient, with it. She even has the skills to fabricate and customize your team's weapons.

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 2 2009, 08:49 PM

Troll Street Shaman

Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Jul 6 2009, 01:51 PM

Ork Sprawl Ganger

Appearances: Shadowrun 4th Edition, Shadowrun Anniversary Edition

[ Spoiler ]

paws2sky

Nov 30 2010, 03:07 PM

Updating some of the priority archetypes with descriptions.

J. Packer

Nov 30 2010, 04:12 PM

As a relative Dumpshock newbie, let me just say I am glad you updated this thread today. I'd never have found it on my own, and I have a brief history with SR1 back in the day that this scratches just the right itch for.

Edited to add: I'd not used this system out of RC before, and find it to be a charming option to choose from. Unbalanced in the hands of a min/maxer or someone who just makes really odd choices and winds up with a suboptimal character.

paws2sky

Dec 3 2010, 05:09 PM

In my experience, you can still do a lot of the silly things with Priority that you can with BP and Karma Gen, but you usually need to work a bit harder. And min/maxers tend to scoff/chaff when presented with it.

Anyway, glad to see someone getting some use out of this.

I'm still working on descriptions for the existing conversions, but I'd like to add more if I can make the time.

Mäx

Dec 3 2010, 08:53 PM

QUOTE (paws2sky @ May 28 2009, 11:25 PM)

5a) Contact Points are a cool idea, but easily the most complex of the suggested optional rules (which isn't saying that much, I guess). It occurred to me that allowing players to burn CPs for things like bonding, binding, etc. would make for an interesting house rule.

I think this one while "complex" should really be part of the core priority system.
Personally use of this optional rule would be an iron clad condition for acepting to use priority system for a game.
Having a multiple contact who are all connection 3 loyalty 2 makes no sense to me, especially in a case of character with priority A in resources who has 8 of those.

Oh and thanks for the summary table, but you should really include this part in under the Heritage priority
"If you want your character to be one of the metavariants
introduced in Runner’s Companion, choose the base metatype for
that metavariant, but note the number of Special Attribute Points
given by the Priority one step lower than the one you assigned. For
example, if you choose an (elven) dryad with Heritage A, you
would get 2 Special Attribute Points (rather than 5)."

Just looking at your summary it was puzling me "Okey so Sapient critters are in the table and infected,free spirits and AI:s are mentioned as not available, but what if i want to play a metavariant character"

paws2sky

Dec 9 2010, 03:51 PM

It has been a year and a half since I put this together. I really don't recall what I was thinking with regard to metavariants, but here are a few different ways you could run them:

1) Metavariants cost as much as their base metatype, but with one less Heritage point. This cannot reduce the character's Heritage points below zero. If it would, the metavariant is unavailable at the desired Priority. This effectively means that you can only only select metavariants of Dwarfs, Orks, Elves, and Trolls at Priority A and B.
This rule also has the unfortunate side effect of making metavariants of Humans available at Priority D, which just doesn't seem right. If I recall the only Human metavariant is the weird four-armed people from India, which I would ban anyway, just on general principal.

2) Metavariants use the same Heritage as Sapients.
This would certainly discourage metavariants, perhaps too much so.

3) Metavariants cost as much as their base metatype with no changes.
This seems overly generous.

4) Metavariants cost as much as their base metatype, but their Distinctive feature should be played up to the max.
Again, this seems generous.

5) Metavariants were banned.
Two reasons I might have been thinking this:
1) I was working on pre-Comet (2050's) campaign around this time and SURGE/Metavariants were going to be a non-issue.
2) I really hate the rules wonkiness of metavariants and strongly discourage their use unless we're in an unusual setting.

6) I just forgot to include them.
Not likely.

7) Runner's Companion doesn't have any guidelines for metavariants.
Could be. I was trying to limit this to RAW and the suggested Optional Rules.

Of these, I think #1 and #2 are probably closest to my original intent. Whatever that was...

-paws

PS if I can dredge up the original file (I don't care to redo it from scratch or reformat plain text) AND have time to look at Runner's Companion to see what it says on the matter (if anything), then I'll probably update the chart.

Mäx

Dec 9 2010, 06:42 PM

Hey, man i quoted the part about metavariants in my post there. it's straight from RC.

paws2sky

Dec 10 2010, 02:28 PM

Ah, I see. As I said, it has been a year and a half since I worked on with this.

paws2sky

Dec 10 2010, 10:57 PM

New PDF available in my sig and the first post of this thread. And here.

Changes:

Added Metavariants.
Minor formatting cleanup.

paws2sky

Feb 13 2012, 05:08 AM

And a voice like a howling wolf cried out on the wind, "Rise! Rise from your grave!"

Don't mind the thread/project necromancy. I got a little for focus from Aaron and decided to follow up on a couple old requests that were still sitting in my inbox gathering dust. Thanks to the folks who's written me about this project. No promises, but maybe I'll see what I can do to finish it up. Then maybe get it hosted somewhere...?

Anyway... Next up!