Before everyone starts bashing me with specifics and whatnot, I'll explain in my first paragraph I did before I posted this. Okay, first thing I did was search for a forum that contained gear and equipment. over 1000+ pages to search through, so I tried to take off a little edge and went through 12 on each search before I decided not to pull my hair out anymore. If there is a post already, show me please.

Pretty much this is for the items that EVERY shadowrunner should have. This is regardless of build, type, profession, etc. So for the sake of time and arguing, rate is utterly worthless for this topic. I'll try to break everything down for easy reading so this might actually help create a list that everyone has found out about gear that they found useful. Also, it's kind of a cheat-sheet for newbies that are just joining in. This is also a list you can use yourself to create a list of gear for a new character also.

For the sake of my sanity, I won't alphabetize this list either.

What I have thus far.

Gear:
Fake License
Fake Sin
Subvocal mic
Holo-projector
Tag eraser
Data Chip
Medical Kit
Restraints of all kinds (kinky )
Biomonitor
Chisel
Wire Cutters
Tools

Armor is kind of given at this point. Suggestion would be a Chemically sealed full suit because it makes things easier if you become something you didn't plan on. (Loupe-Gurou)

Weapons:
Defiance Ex Shocker
Survival knife
Tomahawk
Illegal weapons of your choosing

Ammo:
Ex-ex
Stick and shock

Weapon Mods:
Easy Breakdown (manual)

Comm Programs:
Analyze
Browse
Firewall
Encrypt (especially if your gm is picky and loves to use the matrix against you)
Armor
ECCM
Medic
Track
Agent (unrestricted)
Mapsoft of Seattle or wherever your going to live (for the best escape routes and not eat up a knowledge points)

That's all I have now, please add if you think of something I forgot to add.

Love and peace,
SG

Gloves.

Screwdriver
Duct tape
Crowbar

Narcojet+DMSO capsule rounds loaded into a ceramic holdout pistol. [or Ringu...]

HERE is a fairly good one from not to long ago.
ANOTHER thread you might find useful.

night vision goggles or a FLASHLIGHT!!!! most overlooked piece of equipment.

Just walking around the plex, I like to have the following...

Reversible jacket/coat

Funky hat w/ wig
[Johnny Mnemonic, not a very good movie but the bit where Keanu Reeves needs to get out of the building was cool.]

Zapper Certified Credstick w/ remote radio trigger
[Let me explain. This looks like a regular certified credstick however it has been gutted and a taser dart/capacitor placed inside with radio receiver, the outer case has been coated with a clear metalicized plastic. The readout displays a couple thousand . Get mugged hand off the stick and then trigger it, just have the trigger run through your commlink/head radio/etc..]

Little Black Book
[From Blackjack, this is simply a little note book using a bs code filled with fake contacts and assorted bits to lead off Mr. Star or anyone else on a host of red herrings. Might buy a person enough time to get themselves of the drek.]

Sap Gloves & Mini-mag flashlight
[I actually got laidout in RL by a guy sporting this combo. The lead filled gloves gives the punch plenty of weight and the mini-mag acts like a roll of quarters. Talk to your GM...in my games it adds +2 Strength.]

Multi-Tool
[Pliers, knife, wire clippers, bottle opener, screw drivers, file, etc..]

Cigarette Case
[Again Blackjack but with a twist, two of the cigarettes have been modified. One is filled with plastic explosive the other with a micro detonator. Enough C-12 to blow a lock or make a gas tank go boom.]

Bus Terminal Locker Key
[Another time buyer.]

Browning Ultra Power Pistola [2 spare clips of ammo]
[Concealable pistol with a decent punch.]

Radio Signal Scanner (use it with Tag Eraser)
White Noise Generator
Silencer for your sidearm

This. Only this.

Screwdrivers? Are there screws anymore in 2070?^^

Not sure, but there are LOTS in my campaigns from now on.
You can do almost everything with a screwdriver, a crowbar and duct tape (more so if you're a troll)

Maglock Passkey and a Autopicker (or normal Lockpicks if you know what you are doing).

Also a grenade. Great for intimidations, standoffs or just blowing away whatever stands in your way.

Alkahest in a splash grenade.

Mirrorshades, Form-Fitting Body Amrour, a Secure Longcoat and a heavy pistol of your choice with all the snackies. That'll make you look like a real shadowrunner y'know.

I'd also advocate getting a Flashpak and the hoped-never-to-be-used Trauma Patch. Oh, and don't forget the lighter come bottle-opener either.

Rather than a traditional crowbar, I recommend either a flat pry bar or a fubar.

Zip ties! So many uses: Construction work. Impromptu restraints. String a couple together for a nasty garrote. Repair hanging car bumpers. And so on.

Also, plastic sheeting. You can collect dew with it to drink, suffocate someone with it, keep blood from getting on the carpet, and more. Maybe not a hundred and one uses, but still handy and very portable.

-paws

Some form of low-light/thermo vision and flare compensation.

Build it into eyewear, get it in your cybereyes, buy it as an adept power, grab it naturally from your Metatype, just get it. You must be able to trust your optics under most conditions, and sometimes the flashlight isn't enough.

Pack the flashlight as well, of course, but prepare for the worst.

And, seeing as this is a list for newbies, this may need to be stated explicitly..


A commlink, get one. Yes, even if you're a technomancer, even if you're a neo-luddite, even if you spent the last thirty years possessed by an Insect Spirit - there is no excuse for not having a commlink.

Speaking of commlinks, disposable ones are available and cheap. Use these for any less-than-legal conversations with shady sorts, and promptly chuck them somewhere improbable when you're done.

Rope. You never know when you will need to use some.

...or better yet, a Lone Star iBall with Gecko Tips!

A catalist stick for Stealth grapple line. Even and perhaps especially if you don't have a stealth grapple line.

It's only come up once but few things have ever made me laugh harder and they are very cheap.

Slightly more seriously: at least one set of clothes you can wear to a good resturant. Not nessasarily Black Tie Affair but a decent off the rack buisness suit at least.
On the same note for the other end of the social specturm: if you life style doesn't cover it - a case of decent beer.

Actioneer Business Suit(tres chic-suit,favored by fixers,and Excutives)

OK, now THAT's kinky. *grin*

What do I favor, day to day?

Well, I have a built-in comlink, but I carry an extra one apropriate to the persona/Fake SiN I'm broadcasting. If you have a built-in comlink, remember SkinLink and a SimModule; The SimModule takes care of the image link and audio link without extra 'ware, besides the role-playing benefits. If it's not built in and you don't have a data jack: 'trodes.

Glasses with whatever options work best for you - if you don't have an image link internally, consider it for your glasses so you can use your Comlink for active AR on the 'run. As was mentioned earlier: lowlight, thermal, image magnification and flare compensation come in serious handy.

Earbuds if you don't have cyberears or other enhancements - sound dampening is a key feature. Think about select sound filters and audio enhancement. A spatial recognizer tied into your comlink running the right program can act as a shot spotter - know exactly where that first round came from.

Another advantage of a cyber comlink is no need to subvocalize, but the subvocal mic is crucial for covert communications if you don't have one built in.

Gloves with chemical protection.

Some kind of unobtrusive armor with chemical protection. This could be anything from armored clothing to SecondSkin^TM to a Bewick Line^TM longcoat. If the outfit will allow it, and your BOD will let you get away with it without encumbrance, shirt or half-body Form Fitting Body Armor.

Unless I'm on a run I try to stick to legal weapons, but consider investing in concealable holsters (preferably as built-in accessories on the armor for the extra die against their perceptionpool). My favorites are a ceramic knife (cheap, disposable and non-magnetic) and an Ares Light Fire 70 light pistol with the custom silencer (which shares the weapon's "3R" availabilty code, as opposed to a normal silencer's "8F" rating) which gives an extra die against their listening perception test. If you can afford it (and make use of it) a SmartLink and SkinLink are both excellent choices to add to the pistol because they're legal and subtle. Make sure whatever ammunition you're carrying you is either legal or you have a (good fake) license for it: DMSO/Narcojet requires a license.

That's my around-town gear. I tailor my 'running gear for the precise 'run I'm on.

A couple spare clips of ammo with alternate loads works. If you have a silencer, invest in subsonic ammunition. The cops like seeing the top/chambered round being Gel - you're not displaying immediate lethal intent.

In my purse I have a few items no matter where I go: Food. It's trivial to carry a day's worth of calories in a compact (edible, if not tasty) format. A packet of clean water (they sell them these days for emergency use) - call it 8 fl oz / 235 ml as a minimum. A multitool (think high-end Leatherman^TM). A stylus (pen) capable of all-angle/all-weather writing (www.spacepen.com), a pencil, and a notebook of all-weather paper (www.riteintherain.com). A mylarized "space blanket", takes up less space than a pack of cards. A certified credstick with a small amount of funds. A blank data chip. Unmentionables and RP-stuff (Even with the Makeover spell, there are occasions where stopping to re-apply lipstick is just keeping in-character). Fire (read: lighter). Nasal filter plugs. If I have space in the purse, a titanium spork and collapsible chopsticks (inside joke). Paper versions of whatever ID and Licenses I have (the paper ones are useless without the electronic trail, but they work just fine for a quick glance) for that persona. A small but powerful flashlight (or if you have a visible meta-type that is known for low-light vision, a small low-light flashlight) and spare batteries. A small handfull of foil-wrapped patches: Long Haul, Antidote-Alcohol, Stim. (I was just re-skimming the chemistry section of Arsenal; Anybody take note of "Slab"? I finally get my Hiberzine!!!) Condoms (another inside joke).

MedicBot 9000© (1 per team): Evo Orderly w/ Valkyrie Module and Medicine and First Aid autosofts (consider raising Pilot as well). Strap dying individuals in to automatically stabilize, and it can then use first aid and medicine to assist in their recovery (even with just the standard pilot and rating 3 autosofts, it's still managing 12 dice for either roll). Replacing the Valkyrie Module with an Enhanced Rigger Cocoon helps protect the person strapped to the drone, but it then takes longer to strap them in - possibly more time than you can afford if the situation is still hot and one of your team is bleeding out.

I was going to make a huge post with ratings for software and programs and varied stuff. Decided against it, and went for the simple, and even obvious. My list is as follows:

1) Vehicle, bike or car. Preferably car, a Jackrabbit works wonders, usualy rented.
2) Swiss army knife -high end leatherman from Kerenshara's post works as well-
3) Certified cred, or cash if your world has it- with 300. In case you get mugged you give them this money and don't start a fight. Avoid violence whenever possible means you live healthy another day.
4) A legal taser that doesn't need any license. This is the main weapon. Deffinitely. Legal and no license needed.
5) Commlinks, basically just as Kerenshara described. If awakened and unwilling to get an internal, a second model. Get the best firewall, two agents with programs to analyze, spoof and fight any hackers in your system if that happens. The "hackeable" model has normal files,magazine subscriptions and lots of useless" data in lots of folders and subfolders. Useless, but fluff-wise its supposed to keep hackers busy searching spam files and keeps them eaway form your real link. This also handles your music -who doesn't have at least 180 gigapulses of music these days?-, movies and stuff, you know to spend your time during those recon missions. Also datachips with huge libraries, again reading is good for you. Mapsofts, and linguasofts and knowsofts: You always demand at least one soft of these from Johnsons: only need a SimModule to use and add a lot of useable information to your character.
6) Micro-Transeiver, this handles on-mission communications and is linked to your PAN. Because Micro-transeiver is usually oversighted to being hacked and if it is it offers less chances than you commlink controling all of your PAN.
7)Sub-vocal mic: phone calls, business calls.
8)Pistol. Not a machine pistol. A Pistol, preferably a light one. This raises less eyebrows from police officers. And two clips, one regular one gel, you have the gel clip on.
9) SIN and licenses for restricted gear.
10) Sensors: According to your tastes, but certainly some sensor suites separate from your perception skill and linked to software that analyses independently from you data. Its task is to have a seocnd pair of eyes and ears around.
11) Stylish and nice clothes, if female makeup and stuff. These are used for partying, going out and having style over substance, or else you wouldn't be cyberpunk.
12) Actioneer business clothes: Good clothes, wita bit of armour for meeting Mr. Johnson. Formal attire, generic and basically no distinctive style for you.
13) Runner gear according to the mission.
14) NO GRENADES OR WEAPONS OF A HIGHER CALIBER THAN A LIGHT PISTOL, AND CERTAINLY NO AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. /MAYBE/ A HEAVY PISTOL. *

*Use of caps is not to scream but to really, really emphasize the importance of avoiding troubles with the law. This reduces ammount of SIN and license verification, thus less rolls to get you in jail because of forged documents.
**Edit: Oh, and a crowbar, a tire iron, duct tape and some rope.

Speaking of Commlinks:

A non-hacker/rigger/technomancer's commlink should be designed to be protected againts the average white-hat hacker or building spider.

Get a base 2 commlink and upgrade it to a Response 4. Get System 4 and Firewall 6. Get the following Programs:
1) Encrypt 6 (Optimize 2, Ergonomic)
2) Databomb 6 (Optimize 2, Ergonomic, Pavlov)
3) Agent 4 loaded with: Analyze 6 (Ergonomic, Optimize 2) & Agent Autosoft [Home Ground] 4.

Congratulations, you're Commlink now has effectively 2 open slots to run what ever software you want (such as Sensor Soft [empathy] 4 if you're the party Face, or Tacnet 4, etc).

It's also got Firewall 6, it's Encrypted at 6, and has a Databomb at 6 (remains even if set-off), protecting it's node. If someone does get in without setting off an alert, there is an IC throwing 14 dice on Analyze waiting in there.

Just because it's in hidden mode and slaved to the team hacker doesn't mean it won't be spotted. It's only takes 4 hits to find a comm in hidden mode unless it has the Non-standard wireless adapters, but that's only helpful if everyone has one.

NOTE: Edited for a BIG mistake about Stealth programs.

Nice 'link.

Why didn't you put Optimized on the Analyse?

The idea is the Analyze is being run by the Agent, and isn't any software being loaded into an agent capped at the agent's rank?

If you expect to be doing any Analyze work yourself, by all means splurge on a Rank 6 Optimized 2.

Programs run by an Agent are, like all programs, capped by it's System. It's System is defined by it's Pilot.

Optimized allows a Program to run at a higher Rating than System up to a limit of 2 x System.

Optimized Programs work just fine in Agents.

Nice! Looks like I will be updating some of my software. (My Hacker's main 'link is Response 6, but the Tacnet and Cyberware Clusters run slower.)

New and updated list thus far.

Gear:
Autopicker
Backpack
Biomonitor
Chisel
Climbing gear
Crowbar
Data Chip
DocWagon contract (Unless you have a mobile medic)
Duct tape
Earbuds - audio enhancement, spatial recognizer
Electronic paper
Fake License Rating 4
Fake Sin Rating 4
FFBA (pure cheese)
Flashpak
Gloves with chemical protection
GPS
Holo-projector
Maglock Passkey
Medical Kit
Microwelder
Monofilament Chainsaw
Night vision goggles
Pocket flashlight
Public & Private Commlink (keep them totally seperate)
Radio Signal Scanner (use it with Tag Eraser)
Respirator
Restraints of all kinds (kinky)
Rope
Screwdriver
Skinlink
Subvocal mic
Tag eraser
Tools
Trauma Patch
White Noise Generator
Wire Cutters

Tools of the Trade: If you have specialized skills, such as mechanical skills, you should consider investing in the tools to use your skills. Sounds silly, but I've seen more than a few folks needing to bum tools to do their work.

Zapper Certified Credstick w/ remote radio trigger
[Let me explain. This looks like a regular certified credstick however it has been gutted and a taser dart/capacitor placed inside with radio receiver, the outer case has been coated with a clear metalicized plastic. The readout displays a couple thousand . Get mugged hand off the stick and then trigger it, just have the trigger run through your commlink/head radio/etc..]

Sap Gloves & Mini-mag flashlight
[I actually got laidout in RL by a guy sporting this combo. The lead filled gloves gives the punch plenty of weight and the mini-mag acts like a roll of quarters. Talk to your GM...in my games it adds +2 Strength.]

Armor is kind of given at this point. Suggestion would be a Chemically sealed full suit because it makes things easier if you become something you didn't plan on. (Loupe-Gurou)
A red shirt also if you don’t plan for him/her to live long.

Weapons:
Defiance Ex Shocker
Illegal weapons of your choosing
Narcojet+DMSO capsule rounds loaded into a ceramic holdout pistol
Survival knife
Tomahawk

Ammo:
Spare clips, a MUST!
Ex-ex
Stick and shock

Weapon Mods:
Personalised grip
Easy Breakdown (manual)

Comm Programs:
Agent (unrestricted)
Analyze
Armor
Browse
ECCM
Encrypt (especially if your gm is picky and loves to use the matrix against you)
Firewall
Mapsoft of Seattle or wherever your going to live (for the best escape routes and not eat up a knowledge points)
Medic
Track
Actioneer Business Suit for meetings and outings
Extra Cyberware/Bioware
Cyber eyes/ears (get Display/Audiolink, an Recorders for free. Also you can't get dampener unless you get cyber or adept ability)
Skillwires
Auto-injector if I have a cyberlimb
some muscle upgrades
Synaptic Booster or MBW

Oh Shit Kit:
Fake SIN: Clean and never used.
Commlink and Accessories: Clean and never used. Load it up with legal programs. Skip the hacker stuff unless you have the licenses to back them up.
Legal Weapons: Taser and knife or extending baton are good choices. You may have to check them at the door of some establishments, but no one should give you too much heat for them.
Nuyen: Ideally, you'll have a mix of online account (associated with your clean SIN) and certified credsticks.
Disguise Kit: Latex Facemask or Nanopaste Disguise, take your pick.
Plane Ticket and Passport: Either an "open" flight reservation, arrangements for a charter service, or an agent ready to book the first available flight out of town. Get a passport (legit, if possible) to help smooth your exit.
Medical Supplies: Medkit (6), Biomonitor, and assorted slap patches. When you're on the run, you definitely need to have medical supplies on hand, especially if you might have taken a bullet.

Love and peace,
SG

Er, if you may allow my newb observation, but wouldn't that list of must haves be pretty expensive for a starting character? If that is the case, would the list be better served as must haves to start a shadow career with second half of the other stuff being what could be acquired as soon as reasonably possible given the availability ratings.

a briefcase rocket launcher...awesome roleplaying value. and comes in handy if u need to get rid of a group of enemies fast, concealability +

"sir what do you have in the briefcase?"

"just a sec ill show you... 'click' BAM take that meat bag"

I haven't seen this mentioned, and it has been overlooked in all but one SR game I've been in:

A Mask.

I don't care if it's a cheap ski mask that pulls down over your face, a latex one that looks like Richard Nixon, or a cloth one that has a constantly changing ink blot, WEAR A MASK. If things go bad on a run you do not want whoever you just pissed off to have good pictures / memories of your face.

Most of the items are kind of must have's. The others are something to consider when it comes to adding them onto your list. You never know when you'll need it.

One thing I do highly suggest is getting the Oh Shit Kit at beginning. Trust me, it's a lot easier to get into trouble than it is to get out of it.

Love and peace,
SG

Ski masks work well.

Respirators, the kind that cover you mouth and nose, combined with goggles and glasses obscure almost all of your face.

Hats, even simple baseball caps, are amazingly useful for obscuring your face from cameras. See also: Hooded sweatshirts and jackets.

Gloves. Wear freaking gloves, people. Or have your prints removed.

-paws

I once had a dwarf that always wore a red baseball cap and grew a full beard. He never bothered hiding his face, relying instead on the inherent racism in Seattle. "So you say the dwarf was short, had a full beard and was wearing a red baseball cap? Must have been one of those Red Hot Nukes gang members"

Shave your beard and get a different hat. Boom. You not longer look like you.

-paws

Except that modern facial recognition (especially tied to thermal cameras) completely ignores facial hair.

That goes back to the idea that if the GM wants to screw you over, s/he will and there's nothing you can do about it. Really. That's a rant for another time though.

-paws

*shakes head*

That wasn't my point. I was just saying that facial hair isn't a big deal in the 6^th World. Now, physical prosthesis? Nanopaste disguise materials? Physical Mask spell? Facial Sculpt power? False Front? All play with the actual "apparent structure" of the face and that jacks up the facial recognition so the GM can't just mess with you. Even a ski mask reveals contours that might help them narrow you down. A SOLID mask would be another matter... think the opening of Batman: The Dark Knight where the Joker's thugs all wear solid masks. THAT will do it too, for a LOT less nuyen... but it MIGHT make for a "distinctive style". *grin*

Don't give up, chummer. There are always ways, and I don't think most GM's will "just decide to screw you over" so long as you make a point of trying to cover all your bases.

Actually, I played off of the fact that most people (and cameras for that matter) are a bit higher up than my dwarf was so all most of them could see was the brim of his hat and a full beard sticking out of it.

OK, now THAT's got some serious merrit to it... and if you took levels in the stealth skills to reflect your attention to KEEPING that brim interposed, I'd say that worked JUST fine for you. THAT's the kind of thinking I like. It's creative and effective.

An idea I had a while back was a basically a ski mask with gel insert packs on the inside that would conform to your face, while the outside of the mask forms a blank shell. It masks your face as well as leaving no references for facial recognition software; the elevated points of your face are covered over by a solid object.

Also, you look cool.

And ditto on the hand grenade; it's just too much fun to have standoffs because one guy has high explosives.

If there anything like today, I'd make people use proprietary screws in damn near everything.

"Its screwed down"
"I have a screwdriver!"
"Do you have a Mitsuhama 3-point proprietary screwdriver or the UCAS standard 4point one?"
"uh?"

Day in the life of a technician...

Is that not already included in your SIN? Or are there more detailed rules for travelling somewhere?

..Street: Baseball hat and Respirator + Goggles
On the Run: Helmet and Gas mask
and Nanopaste Disguise (small container) in use if needed.

Technology today can track people based on gait. How is that for scary?

My gear list is on par with Kerenshara's. I am a big fan of the autopicker, maglock passkey and Doc Wagon contracts. Out of curiosity - does anyone consider how they deck out the home pad to the same degree or is that a separate thread?

- J.

What's scarier is the machine that can detect "suspicious intent" based on gait and a few other video based things.

Skinlink for youre fovorite pistola, nothing sucks (much) worse than the opposition hackin' youre gun at that bad moment

hi hi

There is also this thread: MUSTbuys
(I've found the search feature to be largely unusable, so I doubt it hurts to make a repeat thread so long as the old ones are not near enough to find by hand.)

Back when I started playing, the only GM mandated items were:

• Micro-transceiver
• Sub-vocal Mic

The reason being that it prevents the party from being split up, even if they split up.

I'd put a jammer on your list. Yeah, they're illegal as hell... but the disposable ones aren't super expensive, and jammers aren't all that large (same concealability as a flash pak or a light pistol), so disguise it within something else (part of the battery pack in a stereo, maybe?) and just accept that you may have to throw a decent chunk of nuyen into the trash can. Leaving a jammer stashed somewhere nearby can make a royal hash out of whatever security response is starting to get rolling when your run goes FUBAR.

The "Oh Shit Kit" needs some more stuff in it. Make sure that medkit has antibiotics, antivirals, and some of that other hard-to-come-by-in-a-pinch-which-is-when-you-actually-need-it stuff stocked away. Money would also be good... nuyen is portable, but you could also keep a small stash of drugs, gold, diamonds, stamps... whatever you could keep in a small container and still get enough walking-around money from fencing at a serious loss to work with.

It could also use a serious boost in terms of flexibility and firepower. Maybe you want to keep the kit in two parts... part one is the briefcase or school backpack with your medkit, new ID, disguise and plane tickets, and part 2 is the duffel bag hidden somewhere, holding your armored load vest, survival kit, sidearm, assault or hunting rifle, scope, sound suppressor, a dozen or so spare magazines, some hand grenades, and some C-12 if you aren't likely to kill yourself playing around with it. Leave it behind if you can't take that kind of kit wherever you're going... but a light pistol isn't really useful if your bailout leaves you on the side of a mountain somewhere with a half-dozen guys following your trail (or, hell, squatting in some half-buried house in Puyallup), and you don't always get to choose where you run to.