I've just picked up SR after a long (decade?s?) break from "Fasa" games (I think the last time I played SR was under 2nd edition), and I've been having trouble finding the time to get up to speed on all the new rules. I'm trying to make a sort of outrider for a shadowrun game I'm currently playing in. The original concept was a character who was a veteran motorcycle courier in New York who signed a contract out of high school indebting him to so many years of service (we said 7) in return for company sponsorship of the necessary implants for his job. One of the other player's criminal partners twinned his SiN, however, causing him to get drawn into the shadowlife and branded a criminal at which point he fled with the other player's character to Chicago (where their SiN can't be easily tracked, at least in our GM's world).

The trouble I've run into is that my character doesn't really work. I didn't know the rules very well when I made him, so he has some obvious flaws (for instance his firewall on his comlink is higher then his system soft). But he also has some really fundamental flaws, like he has no extra IPs in the meat, but his Vehicle skill, Intuition and Reaction (which are all very high) are basically useless when VR rigging his bike. He can't take in the meat actions (like fire a pistol, drop a grenade, etc.) while driving his bike in VR, and our GM's interpretation of the vehicle rules says basically he has to spend his meat action every combat round to make regular driving tests or lose control of bike, making VR a prerequisite to drive and do anything. Add to this that I can't take advantage of my high Intuition to make Perception tests on my Sensor 1 bike, and you have a pretty badly designed Motorcycle Outrider/Scout.

Having read over the SR4A changes, I thought a Vehicle Adept (with Improved Reflexes, Enh Perception and Improved Ability Pilot Ground) might make for a more playable character. The idea was to make (magic or tech based) someone who was both an excellent trick riding motorcyclist and someone who was very perceptive. Someone for whom his motorcycle was sort of an extension of himself. In game he's just started out in the shadowlife, so I'm not looking to have monsterous combat totals for things like pistols, dodging, etc. Just the sorts of abilities one would expect from a slick, best in class/high-end motorcycle courier from the MDC/NY area.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to build such a character?

A physical driver is fine, in fact the ability to use Agility/Reaction for driving and Combat makes it work out nicely. Still make sure to use AR while driving for the bonuses.

Look over the Common Rigger/Drone test on P. 247 SR4A to get a good idea of what attributes and skills you can use. Though looking at it, it's obviously missing the physically drive column. Most of the time for those skills you'll use agility or reaction

It's worth noting that you don't HAVE to use an action to keep control of the bike, as long as you're confident you can make the Crash test you'll then have to make.

The important thing is to pick VR driving or meat driving, and focus on the stats required for the right one. I'd say VR (sadly) has better driving abilities, but meat is less reliant on your hardware and easier to do other things while driving (although meat IPs are more expensive than VR ones).

Avoid the faggio.... I mean, the Dodge Scoot.

If you want to mod the poo out of your bike, go for a Thundercloud Contrail, otherwise grab the Dodge Guardian (both from Arsenal).

Even an adept can use the Matrix to good effect, especially if he pops Hot-Sim VR with a trode net (no datajack required!) to get 3 IPs, and if you get a Simsense Accelerator (or Booster, I get them confused) from Unwired, that goes up to 4 IP in Hot-Sim with no Essence loss.

It should be noted that you have to spend one Complex Action per turn, not the first Complex Action in the turn that you get. So get 4 IPs and spend your last turn maintaining control of the vehicle to maximize your effectiveness during the rest of the turn.

HEY! Don't diss the Dodge Scoot!!! One of the longest running characters in the old SR2 campaign I was in back in highschool road a Dodge Scoot on every mission (well sometimes he'd strap it to the top of whatever vehicle we're driving in just so the dwarf had it for latter).

That character, one Clarence Twain, eventually became President of the UCAS (when the player retired the character). And when he was running away from an assassination attempt and had to ditch the presidency (cheap plot device to bring back said character without all the power) you know what he was riding that was kept in the back of his limo?

Yup! A Dodge Scoot! BUY AMERICAN!!!!

Sign--

Wacky

Response and especially Sensors seemed a lot more limited then my own statistics, which was why I was leaning towards meat driving. Also doing silly Ultraviolet like bike tricks . Although this character is male, not that that makes any difference. Here is what I have drafted so far...

Human/Adept
B A R S C I L W E M In Ess
3 4 5 3 2 6 3 2 2 5 11 6.0

Perceptive, Gearhead, Ambidextrous, Exc. Attribute (Int), Adept
SINner Criminal, Wanted, Evil Twin

1 Firearms Group
1 Close Combat Group
2 Athletics
1 Outdoors
5 Pilot Ground Craft (Bike)
4 Perception (Visual)
4 Shadowing (Tail Evasion)
3 Dodge
2 Electronic Warfare
2 Exotic Weapon (Bike)

Some Knowledge and Language skills

R2 Imp. Reflexes
R2 Combat Sense
R4 Imp. Ability (Pilot Ground)
R2 Enh. Perception

And some gear, pistols, ammo, urban explorer suit, etc....
Commlink: Novatech Airware
Signal Upgrade (5)
System R3
Firewall R6
Goggles
+Flare Compensation
+Image Link
+Smart Link
+Thermographics
Helmet
+Vis Enh 3
+Vis Magnification
Suzuki Mirage
+Acceleration
+Off-road Suspension
+Smuggler's Compartment
+One other thing I've forgotten (the bike is on my electronic sheet :/)


One of the other players is a more classic drone/mechanic rigger with a shop, so we're going to try to overmod my bike later. The base accel and handling of the Suzuki made it seem better then the Contrail, although that might have been when we were looking at doing both Engine: Speed and Engine: Accel. I know that I need to upgrade my system (or downgrade my firewall) on my commlink. I read somewhere about Nano adds to rigging in another thread as well as Hermetic mages using Gene Therapy to improve their Logic cap (which should work for Intuition as well?). Also something to do with Surge II traits, which I assume is the Meta-genetic traits from the Companion, but I haven't read those rules, really :/. My old version had some implants--Control Rig, Data Lock, Datajack, Ultrasound--Vanilla stuff as I basically used only the Core book and some skimmed Arsenal to build the character the first time. The Hot-Sim VR with a trode net/Simsense Accelerator (or Booster) sound interesting, do you have page numbers on them? I am still not sure I see why I would want to rig the bike at this point, though, given the meat limitations (and the bike isn't armed, I have no gunnery, etc.) Of course I could tweak such things . I do see the cheap IPs, but that seems to be the limit. Given how little I can do on the bike while rigged, however, I don't know that the rigged IPs get me anything :/. Maybe have a drone ride on my shoulder to shoot at people like some sort of weird urban pirate. Get an eyepatch... Yeah... or Yar.

Remember you get +1 for using AR while driving - which should be always, because I can't think of a reason not to do so.

What you could do is drop into VR on your third pass in order to make the vehicle test (Going to VR from AR is a free action) in order to take advantage of the + 2 dice for Hot Sim and -1 to vehicle threshold tests for using VR. That's a 5 die swing right there. Then at the beginning of the next turn switch back out into AR and shoot stuff or what have you. Though your character really needs some combat skills. Firearms and Close Combat group at 1 is pretty worthless - I'd drop it and pick pistols or automatics and then get unarmed instead.

Also, what on earth is Exotic Weapon (bike)? If you mean to use your bike to ram people with, that's a vehicle test - you use pilot groundcraft.

Remember, you can add up to + 2 to the ratings on your commlink - so you can get that commlink up to system 5 and response 5 pretty quick.

You can't have more than 1/2 the base skill worth of skill modifiers. So your R4 imp ability pilot groundcraft should be at r3.

Don't you take a -6 dice pool modifier when you switch from VR to Meat?

The Exotic Weapon (Bike) thing is something specific to this GM. We had a game where I asked him what I would roll to accelerate towards someone and then turn brake to send my back wheel into some NPC (and also how much damage my bike would take, etc.). He said something like you'd roll Pilot Vehicle + Exotic Weapon (Bike). I was all.. ???? But, it's his game, so I'm contemplating picking some of it up. In my mind I translate it into "Extreme Silly Trick Riding Skill".

As for the Commlink rating upgrades I had no idea there was a limit. We actually asked out GM explicitly about the idea that it's cheaper to get the 1/1 commlink and upgrade the hardware to 5/5 then go any other way, and he said something like "Yeah, that's the advantage of building your own system". I actually don't recall what the Novatech cap is. Also only recently realized the limits between Response and Program Rating and System and Firewall Ratings, so all of those numbers need to be tweaked.

I totally spaced (but did know about) the augmented skill caps (1.5x max). Is there anyway to raise your regular max other then Aptitude for 10 pnts.? Also, how does Specializations play into that? Do they add to the base or the augmented value? I.e. is my Pilot (Bike) cap a 6(9), which with the specialization means I'm already at 7 and so only want at most 2 Ranks of Improved Ability? Or is the Pilot (Bike) cap an 8(12), which would mean that 4 Ranks is good?

Finally, vis a vis AR, I'm pretty foggy about the new Decker stuff. It seems pretty different from what I remember and from CP2020. What do I need to do AR properly? Just a Commlink? What do I need to do VR exactly? Are there only two degrees of VR, Hot and Cold Sim? And what is the story with Trodenet which I gather is from Augmentation? Isn't there also a Nano improvement that deals with going VR? One of the things that is pretty cool about SR4 these days is that there is a lot of details to get involved in. Trouble is, coming to grips with everything takes a while. That's why I'm soliciting help here . I figure a great many people here have already read and assimilated everything, so to them it's a simple delineation of available options.

No, that's for trying to act physically while still jacked into VR. If you actually switch your interface mode back to AR first, you're fine.


For AR as a non-cybered adept, you'll want either of the following:

1. An image link and probably a set of AR gloves, both connected to your commlink. Without these, you'll have to constantly pull your 'link out of your pocket to actually use it, which is probably death on a speeding bike.

2. A trodenet and a sim module. These are in the corebook, on page 318 of SR4 or page 328 of SR4A. Trodes are a form of DNI (direct neural interface). They're basically electrical sensors that sit on your head and read your brain activity through your skull - it's like a datajack without the surgery and Essence loss. The sim module is a signal converter that handles the data flow between the trodes and your commlink. You could build them right into your helmet if you wanted. In any case, trodes let you control your commlink (and thus your bike; see below) mentally and receive data from it (sensors, smartlink, navigation, etc.) the same way, so you don't need the image link or gloves - it's all done through brainwaves.

To use VR, you need a DNI connection. So in your case, trodes and the sim module. You'll also need rigger adaptation for your bike if you want to actually jump into it like a full-fledged rigger would. The most current rules for rigger adaptation are on page 142 of Arsenal or page 338 of SR4A.

You're right that VR only comes in two flavours - hot and cold sim. Well, technically you can view the VR interface while operating in AR, but there's no real advantage to doing so. I dunno about any VR-specific nanotech, but there are nanopaste trodes, which come in a squirt tube and are rather temporary but otherwise work just like regular trodes.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in the 2070s, everything has some computational capacity and wireless connectivity in it, even your bike. So you technically don't even need to be on the thing to drive it. If you install the Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization from Arsenal (page 140), your bike's built-in Pilot program can drive it as well (as explained on page 103 of Arsenal), which is handy if you stashed your ride somewhere and need it to come get you while you're busy doing other stuff, or if you want it to go ripping around as a distraction or whatever.

Hope that helped a bit.

It's a new errata.



Specializations don't count as a skill; they count as a dice pool bonus, so you ignore them completely. The only way to raise your cap is aptitude quality.



Hacking is a little confusing, tbh. Trodenets are in the core, check out the gear section. If you have glasses/contacts/goggles with an image link, you can get everything sent to your lenses. One neat trick is that with the Command Program you can remotely pilot your bike about and take advantage of your stupid high skill pool as opposed to the bike's dog brain.

The downside to using the Command program is that issuing an order takes a complex action, even if what you're asking it to do is free or simple. Bummed me out when that was pointed out to me.

Ok, so I should pick up some AR Gloves, some trodes and a Sim Module modified for BTL/Hot Sim. Drop Firearms and Close combat group in favor of a few ranks of Pistol and Unarmed combat. Buy a Command ... Rating 3 program? Because that's good enough to do things like call the bike to meet me by the door? Then lower my Improved Ability (Pilot Ground) to 3. Get rid of the System 3/Firewall 6 illegal combo and pick up... OS: Novatech Navi? Because it's basically System 4/Firewall 3 for cheap? I don't have a good feel for how much firewall is good enough, not being familiar with the matrix rules. Then maybe ECCM Rank 3 so my commlink can't be easily jammed (ECCM 3 + Signal 5 = 8?).

Then in game, I take actions in the meat, IP 1 and IP 2, then as my free action after IP 2 I switch from AR on my bike to VR, and take my last action on IP 3 with VR dice pools and modifiers (to control the vehicle). Then with my free action after IP 3 Vehicle Test (Complex Action), I switch back to AR so as to be in the Meat again at the start of the next round?

Ok, then a few more questions, assuming the above is all correct (I hope . For my bike itself, is the Suzuki a fair choice? I believe I have Engine: Accleration, Off-Road Suspension, Smuggler's Compartment and... something that cost 2 on it. Can't remember what. Possibly Gyro-Stabilization. I gather if I don't have Gyro-Stabilization I should get it. Any other must haves for modding the bike? Is there some sort of Nano-paint that will let me change the paint job on the fly? I already have the plate and VIN scrambler options, iir.

Also, do I need Electronic Warfare? It seems like it isn't used on the defensive? Either your Signal + ECCM is high enough or you're stuffed?

Should I consider taking the essence hits for things like Genetic Optimization or Skill wires? If I lose a point of essence lowering my max to 5, do I pay then have to pay 65 BP to get a 5 magic? Limbic Neural Amplifiers? Or something else I haven't even heard of?

What about street drugs? I was a New York/MDC motorcycle courier. Are there any enhancement drugs which might have been common on that scene?

Drop the gloves - you want EITHER (AR gloves AND image link) OR (trodes AND sim module). The latter works for both AR and VR and is thus the superior option in your case. I'm not even sure you need the image link, really.


Yes.


Yes, although you'll have to control the whole process through a virtual control interface like a video game or whatnot. If you get the gyro stabilizer mod from Arsenal installed on the bike, you can just tell it to meet you somewhere and let the built-in Pilot software handle the details, no Command program required. Having both can't hurt.


Firewall 3 is kinda low, but in terms of starting gear it's not too bad for a non-hacker. ECCM is a good idea.


Yes.


Well, there's Chameleon Coating, which lets you change your paint job, show ads, apply camouflage, etc., but it takes two slots and has availability 12R. Cost is Body x 1000 .


Yeah, it's not really that useful for you.


This is past the edge of my knowledge base, sorry.

Too bad you just bought the book. The revised updated core book hits shelves this week. (the errata they just mentioned).

In any case, there's nothing wrong with an adept going with AR gloves/glasses-goggles-contacts. Don't listen to toolbox, he's new.
There are adept powers which only work if you're PHYSICALLY interacting w/ the device... such as item attunement. You can attune yourself to your gloves and replace the hotsim bonus w/ an adept bonus. (think of the main guy in minority report and how he interacted w/ the computer displays, gesticulating wildly). Also there's no rule saying you can't have both, or use AR gloves while viewing AR through simsense. (simsense has clear benefits though while your hands are busy driving & shooting at the same time).


Actually firewall is a device rating, and isn't capped by system. I do not believe SR4a has changed this.


Also you're wrong on one score... while your agility/reaction won't help much in VR... your driving skill will!
If you are in full VR driving your vehicle, you need to spend one action per turn (not pass, multiple passes in a turn) just driving to control the vehicle. So you really want multiple passes, (cold sim gives 2, hot 3... but as an adept you can get 2 or 3 pretty easily w/ magic, though synaptic boosters also work but are VERY costly in $$$$ and essence as bioware).

On your bike upgrades... some bikes come w/ some of those built in (EG: yamaha growler). While others like the contrail offer tons of space for your own mods. The biggest use for a bike gyro is so you can order your autopilot to drive the bike to you w/o a rider. Though the handling bonus also is really nice.


In your case, I'd say, go with the increase reflexes adept power for extra IP's (and to boost your reaction for drive tests). Pick up a good one handed weapon (pistols or SMG/Machinepistol).

After that, you probably want to look at skill enhancements. Also if you're in AR... get the adept Eidetic memory and Multi-tasking powers... one is great for speed reading (and instant memorization and perfect recall of anything) and the other means that people can't eliminate your AR spam. After that, you can use technical adept skills to enhance your vehicle skills (pilot, dodge, gunnery). Some adept powers like combat sense should also help you if you're driving your bike in meat.

For character, other stuff like disguise, adept facial sculpt & melanin control can help a lot. You're on a bike, you don't want them to see your real face now do you? Though you can also do this w/ things like nano-paste.


Also, another thing to keep in mind, you can avoid a lot of the hacking and AR stuff altogether if you stick with bikes w/ manual control override. (no pesky deckers/riggers to steal control from you in VR).

Firewall isn't capped by System rating? Ok. Seems, given price and availability, little reason not to buy a Firewall 6. What do you need to do (if anything) to install a manual override on a vehicle? I.e. How much does it cost, etc. Also, is it worth while to get skinlinks? They seemed good for a character like this who has only a few items to subscribe to (Bike, 2 pistols, helmet (Urban Explorer has a bio monitor and ipod , and... that's it?).

Now for Simsense, that's with a Sim Module and trodes, yeah? And with those I could forgo the AR gloves. I have Improved Ability Pilot Ground on my draft sheet here, I'm not sure what other skill he'd be using with the AR gloves such that he'd need that "direct" interaction. I would think given he'll be on the bike physically, and how much physicality there is in motorcycle riding, that either via "VR" or AR he'd be considered to be directly interacting with the bike enough for Item Attunement (that book I've actually read!) or Improved Ability Pilot Ground. But maybe I'm wrong?

I think given he rides with a helmet on, the facial sculpting powers are less useful. Personality wise (which I suppose I skipped), I've been playing this character as insecure and unassertive particularly around non-team mates, so a lot of the cool Adept social powers seem inappropriate for him at this time (maybe after he initiates .

I read somewhere that everyone should buy a GPS, but I read somewhere else that every Commlink was a GPS. What's the story with that?

I've been using Daegann's Character Generator for my book keeping and it seems to think that I buy Magic normally, then subtract lost essence from it, so if I burn a point of Essence in implants, I have 50 BP in Magic to get a Magic rating of 4. Which makes sense, I suppose, even if it's not cheesetastic.

Still would love to get some feedback on things like Neural Amplifiers, Muscle Toner, and Genetic Optimizations. Seems like for one Essence point and maybe 10 BP worth of Nu-yen I can dramatically improve the relevant stats on this Biker. Do Limbic Neural Amplifiers actually improve initiative as well, or just Intuition skills? I'm sure they don't effect Initiative, but maybe I should probably check.

Last aspect of the character I'm trying to work out is his gunplay skills. I was thinking to try out the rules for doing John Woo style two pistol fun. Pistols are small enough to be stored and even potentially used easily from a motorcycle. Seemed like one could have some fun with that. I bought some Hidden Gun Arm Slides which I'm hoping to convince my GM to let me mount into the Bike so I can pop my guns out. And so on and so forth. But from a rules standpoint, what should I be looking at for "dual-wielding" two pistols or two machine pistols? I know there are a lot of gun modifications one can get, and, tbh, the burst fire rules don't quite make sense to me. I recall the basics for firing two weapons at once is basically split your dice pool. I assume that's firing two weapons at once as a standard action, since you could already fire sequentially as two standard actions with a -1 on the second shot. I recall reading somewhere that the dice pool split occurs after things like Smartlinks are taken into account, so basically it's (agility + pistols + 2) / 2, or maybe split up however one likes, and then -2 with the offhand. Is that right? Are there any ways to do this more effectively? Can you fire at different targets? Which pistols or machines pistols would folks recommend for trying to dual fire? Or should I consider (particularly early on in his career), having him fire one pistol with one standard action and the other pistol with his second action in order to avoid the -1 and the dice pool splitting (at the cost of only firing each pistol once per pass instead of twice)? Advice?