I can be taught.
Edited character stats and background above. Feel free to critisize and critique. I'd hate to do something stupid like load up on guns without ammo...
First time playing on a board, so please bear with me and be patient. Haven't played Srun in ages (1st edition) but picked up the 20th edition book and a couple of other resources, and really like it.
Thanks Grinder. 'preciate the help.
Full Version: In Neptune's Realm - Chargen and Recruitment
QUOTE (Xahn Borealis @ Apr 28 2010, 10:34 PM) 
I thought I was navigation officer? What's your Navigation Skill toturi? I've got Nav 4.
Outdoors 3
BigPapa: It's my tradition as a GM never to critique a sheet or bio in public - I'll wait til we can link up by email. It lets both of us be candid, and lets us talk in detail about things that you (or I) may not want to discuss where anybody wandering by can see.
That being said: I encourage everybody else to go over his sheet and bio closely. Cuz you can.
That being said: I encourage everybody else to go over his sheet and bio closely. Cuz you can.
I'll critique Splash's charsheet: I find it unlikely that someone with that much 'ware (especially the muscle augmentation) would be able qualify for Blandness.
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 10:22 AM)
I'll critique Splash's charsheet: I find it unlikely that someone with that much 'ware (especially the muscle augmentation) would be able qualify for Blandness.
I believe that that is precisely the point of muscle augmentation as opposed to something like an obvious cyberarm. Sure, bioware may be better at evading scans but those ware should not make him stand out to normal metahuman senses.
QUOTE (toturi @ Apr 28 2010, 08:38 PM)
I believe that that is precisely the point of muscle augmentation as opposed to something like an obvious cyberarm. Sure, bioware may be better at evading scans but those ware should not make him stand out to normal metahuman senses.
Yeah, but won't it make him super ripped? That's not conspicuous, but it's also not "bland".
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 10:44 AM)
Yeah, but won't it make him super ripped? That's not conspicuous, but it's also not "bland".
I do not see it that way. Unless Penta limits the idea of Blandness to only those people who are really inconspicuous, he is bland compared to someone with the same set of stats.
QUOTE
This character blends into any crowd. He is average in height,
weight, and appearance, and has a distinct lack of distinguishing physical
characteristics or mannerisms. Anyone attempting to describe the
character cannot come up with anything more precise than “he was
kinda average.”
weight, and appearance, and has a distinct lack of distinguishing physical
characteristics or mannerisms. Anyone attempting to describe the
character cannot come up with anything more precise than “he was
kinda average.”
I think that the current augmentations lead to "Oh wait, officer, actually, I remember that the dude was super ripped! Plus, he moved in kinda this weird jerky way."
Now, I have nothing against being heavily cybered, and nothing against Blandness, I feel that someone heavily cybered isn't going to be particularly Bland, unless you're in certain parts of certain cities.
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 11:22 AM)
I think that the current augmentations lead to "Oh wait, officer, actually, I remember that the dude was super ripped! Plus, he moved in kinda this weird jerky way."
Now, I have nothing against being heavily cybered, and nothing against Blandness, I feel that someone heavily cybered isn't going to be particularly Bland, unless you're in certain parts of certain cities.
Now, I have nothing against being heavily cybered, and nothing against Blandness, I feel that someone heavily cybered isn't going to be particularly Bland, unless you're in certain parts of certain cities.
I think that despite his augmentations due to his Blandness, he would not be super ripped nor does he move in a strange way.
It would be more along the lines of, "Oh officer, I don't know, he might have some cyber but this guy was kinda average." It is up to Penta how he wants to implement or allow Blandness for Splash.
QUOTE (toturi @ Apr 28 2010, 08:31 PM)
I think that despite his augmentations due to his Blandness, he would not be super ripped nor does he move in a strange way.
It would be more along the lines of, "Oh officer, I don't know, he might have some cyber but this guy was kinda average." It is up to Penta how he wants to implement or allow Blandness for Splash.
It would be more along the lines of, "Oh officer, I don't know, he might have some cyber but this guy was kinda average." It is up to Penta how he wants to implement or allow Blandness for Splash.
It is, of course, always up to the GM to give final verdict; I just think that letting Blandness work that way makes it awfully powerful.
Incidentally, I invite any and all critiques of Cherry.
Malachi Sheet
[ Spoiler ]
Penta: I'll send my 20 questions to you in the next day or 4. 
An essay that is due Saturday for Composition 2 has me seeing cross-eyed. Hell, I'm squinting as I type this cause my eyes hurt. 
I just want to post that I'm still very interested in playing, and that I hope my n00bness at making SR4 characters isn't glaringly obvious when comparing my mage to the other one that'll be onboard.
An essay that is due Saturday for Composition 2 has me seeing cross-eyed. Hell, I'm squinting as I type this cause my eyes hurt. I just want to post that I'm still very interested in playing, and that I hope my n00bness at making SR4 characters isn't glaringly obvious when comparing my mage to the other one that'll be onboard.
@GrimWolf
Synaptic Boosters do not stack with reaction enhancers. The latter only stacks with Wired Reflexes and Move-by-Wire.
Synaptic Boosters do not stack with reaction enhancers. The latter only stacks with Wired Reflexes and Move-by-Wire.
QUOTE (RedFish @ Apr 29 2010, 01:11 AM)
@GrimWolf
Synaptic Boosters do not stack with reaction enhancers. The latter only stacks with Wired Reflexes and Move-by-Wire.
Synaptic Boosters do not stack with reaction enhancers. The latter only stacks with Wired Reflexes and Move-by-Wire.
Though why you would bother with Reaction Enhancers AND MBW is beyond me.
EDIT: @ Michandre. I like Cherry, overall, but I think the Encephalon II is a waste of your money and essence. Level I is worth it, so if you kept that, you'd have 45k and .75 essence to play with. Plenty of money to get better attack and defense programs, assuming you want to be a heavy hitter in the matrix. Even buying several level 6 programs would leave you with enough left for a trauma damper (for better damage soak in matrix battle) and reception enhancers (for a bonus on perception tests, matrix included). You could also use the Perception active skill (a skill people commonly don't pick up), especially considering your background.
All,
In the background, you'll notice that Splash has the blandness trait, but it worked against him. If you've ever read Steven Brust's Jhereg series, there is a character that people just tend to forget about. He had been an army officer, but was discharged when his men didn't notice he was there giving orders. I was thinking of it more as he doesn't have much of a personal presence about him - tends to fade in people's memory. Sort of the guy who sits in the room and you forget about. Hadn't thought much about how the extra 'ware would change his appearance. Good point, and thanks. My thought was that he is about average height, average build, just more muscular than average, but nothing that stands out. The sort of guy who when down at the docks, wears jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. When going to a formal, he's wearing a tux. Not the powder blue tux, and not the latest fashion, and not a cheap rental. Just a normal tux. Nothing special.
I used to live next to a guy who was a Special Forces Engineer. Great with Explosives and building bridges. Spent 18 months in Iraq during the 1st Gulf war and some time in Columbia just after. He was 5'3", weight around 150, had a baby face, and was the last person you'd think of as a SF sort. He could bench 300 lbs (Although I think his short arms gave him a huge advantage) and walk for miles carrying 75lbs on his back. If you saw him in civilian clothes, he looked a little like a geek. Not noticable. That was sort of what I was going for with the blandness.
No worries though. I'll take a look and either drop the blandness or the muscle aug. What about muscle toner? Would that fit?
In the background, you'll notice that Splash has the blandness trait, but it worked against him. If you've ever read Steven Brust's Jhereg series, there is a character that people just tend to forget about. He had been an army officer, but was discharged when his men didn't notice he was there giving orders. I was thinking of it more as he doesn't have much of a personal presence about him - tends to fade in people's memory. Sort of the guy who sits in the room and you forget about. Hadn't thought much about how the extra 'ware would change his appearance. Good point, and thanks. My thought was that he is about average height, average build, just more muscular than average, but nothing that stands out. The sort of guy who when down at the docks, wears jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. When going to a formal, he's wearing a tux. Not the powder blue tux, and not the latest fashion, and not a cheap rental. Just a normal tux. Nothing special.
I used to live next to a guy who was a Special Forces Engineer. Great with Explosives and building bridges. Spent 18 months in Iraq during the 1st Gulf war and some time in Columbia just after. He was 5'3", weight around 150, had a baby face, and was the last person you'd think of as a SF sort. He could bench 300 lbs (Although I think his short arms gave him a huge advantage) and walk for miles carrying 75lbs on his back. If you saw him in civilian clothes, he looked a little like a geek. Not noticable. That was sort of what I was going for with the blandness.
No worries though. I'll take a look and either drop the blandness or the muscle aug. What about muscle toner? Would that fit?
QUOTE (BigPapa @ Apr 29 2010, 04:13 AM)
All,
In the background, you'll notice that Splash has the blandness trait, but it worked against him. If you've ever read Steven Brust's Jhereg series, there is a character that people just tend to forget about. He had been an army officer, but was discharged when his men didn't notice he was there giving orders. I was thinking of it more as he doesn't have much of a personal presence about him - tends to fade in people's memory. Sort of the guy who sits in the room and you forget about. Hadn't thought much about how the extra 'ware would change his appearance. Good point, and thanks. My thought was that he is about average height, average build, just more muscular than average, but nothing that stands out. The sort of guy who when down at the docks, wears jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. When going to a formal, he's wearing a tux. Not the powder blue tux, and not the latest fashion, and not a cheap rental. Just a normal tux. Nothing special.
I used to live next to a guy who was a Special Forces Engineer. Great with Explosives and building bridges. Spent 18 months in Iraq during the 1st Gulf war and some time in Columbia just after. He was 5'3", weight around 150, had a baby face, and was the last person you'd think of as a SF sort. He could bench 300 lbs (Although I think his short arms gave him a huge advantage) and walk for miles carrying 75lbs on his back. If you saw him in civilian clothes, he looked a little like a geek. Not noticable. That was sort of what I was going for with the blandness.
No worries though. I'll take a look and either drop the blandness or the muscle aug. What about muscle toner? Would that fit?
In the background, you'll notice that Splash has the blandness trait, but it worked against him. If you've ever read Steven Brust's Jhereg series, there is a character that people just tend to forget about. He had been an army officer, but was discharged when his men didn't notice he was there giving orders. I was thinking of it more as he doesn't have much of a personal presence about him - tends to fade in people's memory. Sort of the guy who sits in the room and you forget about. Hadn't thought much about how the extra 'ware would change his appearance. Good point, and thanks. My thought was that he is about average height, average build, just more muscular than average, but nothing that stands out. The sort of guy who when down at the docks, wears jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. When going to a formal, he's wearing a tux. Not the powder blue tux, and not the latest fashion, and not a cheap rental. Just a normal tux. Nothing special.
I used to live next to a guy who was a Special Forces Engineer. Great with Explosives and building bridges. Spent 18 months in Iraq during the 1st Gulf war and some time in Columbia just after. He was 5'3", weight around 150, had a baby face, and was the last person you'd think of as a SF sort. He could bench 300 lbs (Although I think his short arms gave him a huge advantage) and walk for miles carrying 75lbs on his back. If you saw him in civilian clothes, he looked a little like a geek. Not noticable. That was sort of what I was going for with the blandness.
No worries though. I'll take a look and either drop the blandness or the muscle aug. What about muscle toner? Would that fit?
I like the fluff! Especially in light of that, and the fact that I guess someone super ripped can hide it if they dress right, I'm not saying that you have to drop the muscle aug or the Blandness, though you might want to consider Wired Reflexes (which is supposed to be incredibly distinctive, though IIRC you can turn it off).
Anyway, it's all up to Penta. I guess it's possible that Blandness here is acting like the anti-CHA. Just as an attractive person can have low CHA due to sheer personality, so can a physically remarkable person have low distinctiveness due to sheer lack of the same.
P.S. for those looking at my recent timestamps and scratching their heads, tonight was an all nighter! Whoo!
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 05:08 AM)
I like the fluff! Especially in light of that, and the fact that I guess someone super ripped can hide it if they dress right, I'm not saying that you have to drop the muscle aug or the Blandness, though you might want to consider Wired Reflexes (which is supposed to be incredibly distinctive, though IIRC you can turn it off).
Agreed. Also, Wired Reflexes don't have really any "notability" to them, from what I've read and CAN be turned off. Or, at least, being able to activate them kind of suggests being able to do the opposite.Also, in case you didn't see my edit of an earlier post:
QUOTE (Faraday @ Apr 29 2010, 01:32 AM)
EDIT: @ Michandre. I like Cherry, overall, but I think the Encephalon II is a waste of your money and essence. Level I is worth it, so if you kept that, you'd have 45k and .75 essence to play with. Plenty of money to get better attack and defense programs, assuming you want to be a heavy hitter in the matrix. Even buying several level 6 programs would leave you with enough left for a trauma damper (for better damage soak in matrix battle) and reception enhancers (for a bonus on perception tests, matrix included). You could also use the Perception active skill (a skill people commonly don't pick up), especially considering your background.
QUOTE (Faraday @ Apr 29 2010, 06:16 AM)
Also, in case you didn't see my edit of an earlier post:
I didn't. Unfortunately, I need that damn Encephalon II for fluff reasons: it boosts EW, and Cherry is all about being an EW girl who happens to hack.
Also note that I could optimize by gear a little (for example, saving 2.5k by getting the stock 4/4 commlink before upgrading it to 6/6, or not tricking out the rifle I'm never going to use, or not spending 6k on a piece of overpriced formalwear), but I wanted Cherry to have notable flaws as a hacker.
Also, where's the trauma damper? That's sounds handy.
Also also, I have 330
kicking around. I was thinking of using it to engrave Cherry's datajack, but I can't think of anything good. Maybe the Coding Theorem?
Since I've been asked for a ruling, I'll speak up.
My gut instinct, upon review, is precisely what's been mentioned. Blandness and muscle aug don't seem to mix. This, however, is not because of any quality with regard to blandness. It's because of the description of muscle aug, which SR4A states adds to the muscle mass. Leads me to think a person with muscle aug looks more ripped. Now, admittedly, your GM is a fat geek. It's been a long time since I was around football players.
That leads to something else I was thinking about. Splash, your character is a graduate of Annapolis. Even today, that's not an easy institution to get into - in part because those applying for a nomination are screened for leadership ability. After all, if they just need officers, they'd expand ROTC. If your character is that bland, how did he get accepted to Annapolis?
Finally, this is minor in comparison, in fact possibly sort of nitpicky, but going to go with it.
In the US Navy, and likely its UCAS successor (as well as CAS), officers are sorted into four communities. The Unresitricted Line, the Restricted Line, the Staff Corps, and Limited Duty Officers. Wikipedia gives a good description of it in their articles. Key thing here: Engineering officers and Gunnery types are two different categories. (Engineering is Restricted Line and not eligible for Command at Sea - Gunnery officers most frequently have their Surface Warfare Qualification, making them unrestricted line officers, and are eligible for Command at Sea.) Small Craft Warfare is another community altogether (Special Warfare, not Surface Warfare), though they are of the Unrestricted Line.
So in short, your character could not do all of what he is said to have done. You gotta focus.
My gut instinct, upon review, is precisely what's been mentioned. Blandness and muscle aug don't seem to mix. This, however, is not because of any quality with regard to blandness. It's because of the description of muscle aug, which SR4A states adds to the muscle mass. Leads me to think a person with muscle aug looks more ripped. Now, admittedly, your GM is a fat geek. It's been a long time since I was around football players.
That leads to something else I was thinking about. Splash, your character is a graduate of Annapolis. Even today, that's not an easy institution to get into - in part because those applying for a nomination are screened for leadership ability. After all, if they just need officers, they'd expand ROTC. If your character is that bland, how did he get accepted to Annapolis?
Finally, this is minor in comparison, in fact possibly sort of nitpicky, but going to go with it.
In the US Navy, and likely its UCAS successor (as well as CAS), officers are sorted into four communities. The Unresitricted Line, the Restricted Line, the Staff Corps, and Limited Duty Officers. Wikipedia gives a good description of it in their articles. Key thing here: Engineering officers and Gunnery types are two different categories. (Engineering is Restricted Line and not eligible for Command at Sea - Gunnery officers most frequently have their Surface Warfare Qualification, making them unrestricted line officers, and are eligible for Command at Sea.) Small Craft Warfare is another community altogether (Special Warfare, not Surface Warfare), though they are of the Unrestricted Line.
So in short, your character could not do all of what he is said to have done. You gotta focus.
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 01:52 PM)
Also also, I have 330 kicking around. I was thinking of using it to engrave Cherry's datajack, but I can't think of anything good. Maybe the Coding Theorem?
kicking around. I was thinking of using it to engrave Cherry's datajack, but I can't think of anything good. Maybe the Coding Theorem?Well, you could just spend the 300
to get you 1500 at the beginning of the game. Seeing as she has a high life style, I believe that's 3x 500 . The max you would be able to spend in that regard is 1200 I believe, which would net you 6000 , if you so choose.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
About 30 karma left for gear and such
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 05:52 AM)
I didn't. Unfortunately, I need that damn Encephalon II for fluff reasons: it boosts EW, and Cherry is all about being an EW girl who happens to hack.
Also note that I could optimize by gear a little (for example, saving 2.5k by getting the stock 4/4 commlink before upgrading it to 6/6, or not tricking out the rifle I'm never going to use, or not spending 6k on a piece of overpriced formalwear), but I wanted Cherry to have notable flaws as a hacker.
Also, where's the trauma damper? That's sounds handy.
Also note that I could optimize by gear a little (for example, saving 2.5k by getting the stock 4/4 commlink before upgrading it to 6/6, or not tricking out the rifle I'm never going to use, or not spending 6k on a piece of overpriced formalwear), but I wanted Cherry to have notable flaws as a hacker.
Also, where's the trauma damper? That's sounds handy.
Ah, yeah, saw that the 'ceph ads to skill groups. Still overpriced, but I can see the benefit.
As for the trauma damper and reception enhancers, both are cultured bioware in Augmentation and they have less than 12 availability. Yeah, the trauma damper is basically a poor-man's pain editor. Subtract 1 box from any stun damage you take (this can reduce to 0) and if you take physical, you push 1 box of it to your stun track. As a side benefit, you also get to resist torture more effectively.
Toturi: sheet looks good upon my quick review, but what the heck is covert ops protocols supposed to cover?
tutori, I know I've been getting in your hair a bit, but I'll come out and say that your character makes me feel... unfomfortable...
A covert ops specialist who has the absolute minimum str. and body for an orc. On top of that he has a quality that is never going to be an issue for him (sensitive system) and a harmless addiction.
I dunno... maybe it's just me.
A covert ops specialist who has the absolute minimum str. and body for an orc. On top of that he has a quality that is never going to be an issue for him (sensitive system) and a harmless addiction.
I dunno... maybe it's just me.
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 29 2010, 09:31 PM)
Toturi: sheet looks good upon my quick review, but what the heck is covert ops protocols supposed to cover?
I dunno. I thought it would be a good skill to have. It sounded cool to me. I've been wanting to use it since I read it in Ghost Cartels.
QUOTE (RedFish @ Apr 29 2010, 09:35 PM)
tutori, I know I've been getting in your hair a bit, but I'll come out and say that your character makes me feel... unfomfortable...
A covert ops specialist who has the absolute minimum str. and body for an orc. On top of that he has a quality that is never going to be an issue for him (sensitive system) and a harmless addiction.
I dunno... maybe it's just me.
A covert ops specialist who has the absolute minimum str. and body for an orc. On top of that he has a quality that is never going to be an issue for him (sensitive system) and a harmless addiction.
I dunno... maybe it's just me.
That quality that is never going to be an issue is giving me second thoughts about getting the Attention Coprocessor implant, the betel addiction fits the character's asian background, and I am not going to apologise for the Str and Bod nor am I going to change it unless the GM takes issue with it, I simply changed my character's race from elf to orc. If you guys didn't lobby the GM for that 2*BP race cost, it would have been an elf with that strength and body.
QUOTE (toturi @ Apr 29 2010, 10:42 AM)
I dunno. I thought it would be a good skill to have. It sounded cool to me. I've been wanting to use it since I read it in Ghost Cartels.
I'm AFB at the moment, but put that skill in with pencil, not pen (or the digital equivalent): I need to go through Ghost Cartels, but I think (at the moment) the skill may be too broad. (It fails a critical question: Covert Ops Protocols for whom?)
QUOTE (toturi @ Apr 29 2010, 03:42 PM)
That quality that is never going to be an issue is giving me second thoughts about getting the Attention Coprocessor implant, the betel addiction fits the character's asian background, and I am not going to apologise for the Str and Bod nor am I going to change it unless the GM takes issue with it, I simply changed my character's race from elf to orc. If you guys didn't lobby the GM for that 2*BP race cost, it would have been an elf with that strength and body.
So it might give you 2nd thoughts - considering it takes 1 point of magic off regardless of you having sensitive systems or not, I don't see how that changes things. You already throw around 20 dice for perception regardless, and had it been an elf you would have had the absolute minimum for charisma.
Considering that 1 on a human stat is considered more or less unacceptable in this game, I don't see why it should apply differently to metahumans. I'm also not going to apologize for asking for what I perceive as a balanced ruled. If you claim Orks are still the best race by the karma system, that only highlight further how broken free or 1x BP cost would have been in the first place.
In the end though, I'm not here to sour the game for everybody (despite what may seem like efforts to the contrary!), so I'll refrain from commenting on the subject any further.
Modded my character sheet above.
Took away Blandness (since I was thinking of it as a negative rather than a positive in the first place)
Raised Navigation to 4
Increased contact loyalty by 1 for the military types which fit a little better with how I thought of them.
Total Karma used 174 - and I'm okay with that. Don't need to min/max to squeeze every bit out. I like Splash. Not flashy, but servicable.
Took away Blandness (since I was thinking of it as a negative rather than a positive in the first place)
Raised Navigation to 4
Increased contact loyalty by 1 for the military types which fit a little better with how I thought of them.
Total Karma used 174 - and I'm okay with that. Don't need to min/max to squeeze every bit out. I like Splash. Not flashy, but servicable.
Penta,
Quick answer about the blandness and officers not standing out. The screening process today is not exactly thorough in regards to screening for leadership. Basically, they take the activities you participate in and see if you had leadership positions. So, someone who was president of the FFA in a small high school gets the same 'points' towards leadership in the evaluation as someone who was captain of the Texas State championship football game. The focus of the academies has tended to be getting the smart + physically fit with an interest into the schools. Leadership, to an extent, can be taught. I've known enough officers who do fade into the woodwork and are not outspoken - usually because they seem to afraid of making mistakes - that having one with the bland trait didn't seem off to me. Plus, I've seen people who are smart and can lead small units get passed over based on thier inability to be memorable.
For the jobs - I'll take your word for it. One of my roommates girlfriend's (is that like 2nd cousin's sister's brother in law's neighbor?) had almost the same track I described above. Went from the Academy into Engineering, then to the Comms room. Worked on the conn as the commo guy and got noticed and reclassed command track to a different ship and became a missile control officer. I just sorta figured that Splash would have been the opposite. Since postings are based upon GPAs as the academies, he could have chosen the command track and then as he failed to excel been moved into a non command track as part of the APA (Annapolis Protective Association).
No biggie. If you like, I can re-do his track and skills.
Regards,
PS
For odd careers,
I was a Tank Platoon leader in a Cavalry Troop (Armor - blowing things up and breaking things)
Executive Officer in a Armor Compay (Armor - getting beans and bullets to the field)
Mortar Platoon Leader in an Infantry Battalion. (Infantry - blowing things up from a distance while carrying really heavy stuff)
And Maintenance officer for a Cav Squadron. (Ordanance - fixing the stuff the 3 jobs above managed to gakk up)
So wierd things happen, especially when low staffing bumps up against needs.
Quick answer about the blandness and officers not standing out. The screening process today is not exactly thorough in regards to screening for leadership. Basically, they take the activities you participate in and see if you had leadership positions. So, someone who was president of the FFA in a small high school gets the same 'points' towards leadership in the evaluation as someone who was captain of the Texas State championship football game. The focus of the academies has tended to be getting the smart + physically fit with an interest into the schools. Leadership, to an extent, can be taught. I've known enough officers who do fade into the woodwork and are not outspoken - usually because they seem to afraid of making mistakes - that having one with the bland trait didn't seem off to me. Plus, I've seen people who are smart and can lead small units get passed over based on thier inability to be memorable.
For the jobs - I'll take your word for it. One of my roommates girlfriend's (is that like 2nd cousin's sister's brother in law's neighbor?) had almost the same track I described above. Went from the Academy into Engineering, then to the Comms room. Worked on the conn as the commo guy and got noticed and reclassed command track to a different ship and became a missile control officer. I just sorta figured that Splash would have been the opposite. Since postings are based upon GPAs as the academies, he could have chosen the command track and then as he failed to excel been moved into a non command track as part of the APA (Annapolis Protective Association).
No biggie. If you like, I can re-do his track and skills.
Regards,
PS
For odd careers,
I was a Tank Platoon leader in a Cavalry Troop (Armor - blowing things up and breaking things)
Executive Officer in a Armor Compay (Armor - getting beans and bullets to the field)
Mortar Platoon Leader in an Infantry Battalion. (Infantry - blowing things up from a distance while carrying really heavy stuff)
And Maintenance officer for a Cav Squadron. (Ordanance - fixing the stuff the 3 jobs above managed to gakk up)
So wierd things happen, especially when low staffing bumps up against needs.
I'll attack each issue in turn:
BigPapa: I can be wrong sometimes. You raise a good point.
RedFish/Toturi: Metahumans Make Things Odd. 1s in a human jump out at me in a way that 3s don't for other metatypes. I agree 3s in Body/Str is odd for an ork, but that can be argued various ways. It's a flaw of mine: I instinctively compare against the human baseline. I simply don't know what the heck the baseline *is* for the metatypes.
BigPapa: I can be wrong sometimes.
You raise a good point.RedFish/Toturi: Metahumans Make Things Odd. 1s in a human jump out at me in a way that 3s don't for other metatypes. I agree 3s in Body/Str is odd for an ork, but that can be argued various ways. It's a flaw of mine: I instinctively compare against the human baseline. I simply don't know what the heck the baseline *is* for the metatypes.
QUOTE (BigPapa @ Apr 29 2010, 04:40 PM)
Modded my character sheet above.
Took away Blandness (since I was thinking of it as a negative rather than a positive in the first place)
Raised Navigation to 4
Increased contact loyalty by 1 for the military types which fit a little better with how I thought of them.
Total Karma used 174 - and I'm okay with that. Don't need to min/max to squeeze every bit out. I like Splash. Not flashy, but servicable.
Took away Blandness (since I was thinking of it as a negative rather than a positive in the first place)
Raised Navigation to 4
Increased contact loyalty by 1 for the military types which fit a little better with how I thought of them.
Total Karma used 174 - and I'm okay with that. Don't need to min/max to squeeze every bit out. I like Splash. Not flashy, but servicable.
Surely you mean 774
You could always spend the spare karma on something like a hobby interest. You could grab 4 ranks in some random knowledge skill for 11 karma.@panta That does however arbitrarily penalize humans for no good reason. But C'est la vie, I wouldn't have taken base attributes on my character anyhow.
@toturi: are you going for Intelligence Officer?
It does...And to be honest, I'd be similar with metahumans, but there's not the same ease of comparison. Do I wish they'd thought to include a "What attributes mean" table in SR4(A)? Yes. Oh God, yes. But they didn't, and so when I judge attributes it's very much gut instinct.
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 29 2010, 12:19 PM)
It does...And to be honest, I'd be similar with metahumans, but there's not the same ease of comparison. Do I wish they'd thought to include a "What attributes mean" table in SR4(A)? Yes. Oh God, yes. But they didn't, and so when I judge attributes it's very much gut instinct.
God, they really needed that.
I would imagine the average of any of the races would be the base attribute +2 as it is with humans, but like so many of the Shadowrun-rules (Matrix rules, I'm looking at you!) it can get kind of blurry.
What are people spending on knowledge skills in general? I'm thinking I'll use around 50 give or take 10 karma, but kinda curious as to what everyone else thinks about it.
What are people spending on knowledge skills in general? I'm thinking I'll use around 50 give or take 10 karma, but kinda curious as to what everyone else thinks about it.
Here's Aquaman. Criticism accepted and encouraged.
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Quick reactions:
The cybertechnology shop: What's this for? It seems pretty unlikely, to me, that you'd be able to do implantation on a ship. ICly, even if the ship doesn't roll enough that you'd notice it, it still rolls and pitches, and that's...Yeah, generally bad when combined with touchy surgery like implants. (I should note that I see cyber/bio implantation surgery as being a fairly delicate procedure, no matter how routine it is. It still involves, for example, poking around in the brain to install a datajack or cybereyes. (It's a testament to how advanced the 2070s are by comparison that brain surgery like that could be called routine!) One slip could still be really bad, y'know? Plus, OOCly, I'm not sure I like the idea of the team being able to do everything by itself. Do rather more than the standard runner team, sure. But everything including cyber implantations? Uh...You're not Assets Inc.)
The Sylph: Almost certainly too big to be carried aboard another ship, at least of the size you're likely to be using. Going off it's description, from what I recall of it (I'm AFB at the moment), it sounds like it's as big as one of those boats you'd put on a trailer.
The addiction: I know we're not dealing with the most well-adjusted group of folks, comes with hiring shadowrunners, but someone with (IRL terms) a meth addiction or something is probably a bit...much. Weed is one thing. Meth is something different. I mean, c'mon. Think about it. Would you really want to be around a jumpy meth addict while he's high and *has a high-powered gun*? That'd just be asking for trouble. Not gonna say "No", but it still makes me scratch my head. It's certainly...comment-worthy. (When it was one character with a drug problem, I shrugged. It's the sixth world, one is not unusual. At two I raise a question. Three I'm just gonna go "Huh?")
That said, the sheet otherwise looks alright...Though I'm wondering what role you were planning? This sounds like a hacker...A role Minchandre seems to have down pretty well...But then you also have a lot of other skills I can't quite classify.
The cybertechnology shop: What's this for? It seems pretty unlikely, to me, that you'd be able to do implantation on a ship. ICly, even if the ship doesn't roll enough that you'd notice it, it still rolls and pitches, and that's...Yeah, generally bad when combined with touchy surgery like implants. (I should note that I see cyber/bio implantation surgery as being a fairly delicate procedure, no matter how routine it is. It still involves, for example, poking around in the brain to install a datajack or cybereyes. (It's a testament to how advanced the 2070s are by comparison that brain surgery like that could be called routine!) One slip could still be really bad, y'know? Plus, OOCly, I'm not sure I like the idea of the team being able to do everything by itself. Do rather more than the standard runner team, sure. But everything including cyber implantations? Uh...You're not Assets Inc.)
The Sylph: Almost certainly too big to be carried aboard another ship, at least of the size you're likely to be using. Going off it's description, from what I recall of it (I'm AFB at the moment), it sounds like it's as big as one of those boats you'd put on a trailer.
The addiction: I know we're not dealing with the most well-adjusted group of folks, comes with hiring shadowrunners, but someone with (IRL terms) a meth addiction or something is probably a bit...much. Weed is one thing. Meth is something different. I mean, c'mon. Think about it. Would you really want to be around a jumpy meth addict while he's high and *has a high-powered gun*? That'd just be asking for trouble. Not gonna say "No", but it still makes me scratch my head. It's certainly...comment-worthy. (When it was one character with a drug problem, I shrugged. It's the sixth world, one is not unusual. At two I raise a question. Three I'm just gonna go "Huh?")
That said, the sheet otherwise looks alright...Though I'm wondering what role you were planning? This sounds like a hacker...A role Minchandre seems to have down pretty well...But then you also have a lot of other skills I can't quite classify.
QUOTE (RedFish @ Apr 29 2010, 01:33 PM)
I would imagine the average of any of the races would be the base attribute +2 as it is with humans, but like so many of the Shadowrun-rules (Matrix rules, I'm looking at you!) it can get kind of blurry.
What are people spending on knowledge skills in general? I'm thinking I'll use around 50 give or take 10 karma, but kinda curious as to what everyone else thinks about it.
What are people spending on knowledge skills in general? I'm thinking I'll use around 50 give or take 10 karma, but kinda curious as to what everyone else thinks about it.
You might be right, but the problem is, as you've noted, it's hard to tell what the heck they intended.
Redfish
And I look at it as comparing against the standard. So even though a Troll with Str 5 is the weakest troll possible, he's still a pretty strong individual - compared to the rest of metahumanity. With 5-10 being the range of Troll Strength, it takes a lot of effort (65 karma worth) to raise a Troll's strength by 2 points. Compare that to a human raising his strength. I think that would give strength 5 with 65ish Karma. If you look at Karma as a combination of life experience and effort, it takes a Troll a lot of effort to raise his strength to minimum plus 2. It takes a human, much less effort. So trolls with Str 5 are still incredibly strong, they just haven't put much effort into raising that particular stat - instead concentrating on other activities. Honestly, how strong do you need to be?
And I look at it as comparing against the standard. So even though a Troll with Str 5 is the weakest troll possible, he's still a pretty strong individual - compared to the rest of metahumanity. With 5-10 being the range of Troll Strength, it takes a lot of effort (65 karma worth) to raise a Troll's strength by 2 points. Compare that to a human raising his strength. I think that would give strength 5 with 65ish Karma. If you look at Karma as a combination of life experience and effort, it takes a Troll a lot of effort to raise his strength to minimum plus 2. It takes a human, much less effort. So trolls with Str 5 are still incredibly strong, they just haven't put much effort into raising that particular stat - instead concentrating on other activities. Honestly, how strong do you need to be?
QUOTE (BigPapa @ Apr 29 2010, 09:06 PM)
Redfish
And I look at it as comparing against the standard. So even though a Troll with Str 5 is the weakest troll possible, he's still a pretty strong individual - compared to the rest of metahumanity. With 5-10 being the range of Troll Strength, it takes a lot of effort (65 karma worth) to raise a Troll's strength by 2 points. Compare that to a human raising his strength. I think that would give strength 5 with 65ish Karma. If you look at Karma as a combination of life experience and effort, it takes a Troll a lot of effort to raise his strength to minimum plus 2. It takes a human, much less effort. So trolls with Str 5 are still incredibly strong, they just haven't put much effort into raising that particular stat - instead concentrating on other activities. Honestly, how strong do you need to be?
And I look at it as comparing against the standard. So even though a Troll with Str 5 is the weakest troll possible, he's still a pretty strong individual - compared to the rest of metahumanity. With 5-10 being the range of Troll Strength, it takes a lot of effort (65 karma worth) to raise a Troll's strength by 2 points. Compare that to a human raising his strength. I think that would give strength 5 with 65ish Karma. If you look at Karma as a combination of life experience and effort, it takes a Troll a lot of effort to raise his strength to minimum plus 2. It takes a human, much less effort. So trolls with Str 5 are still incredibly strong, they just haven't put much effort into raising that particular stat - instead concentrating on other activities. Honestly, how strong do you need to be?
I don't see it as a conscious effort to increase your strength. However, doing stuff will make you stronger than not doing stuff. You repeatedly carry around big guns and lots of armour? Well, suddenly your muscles are working to not only support you but also all the gear you are carrying around. For a Troll to be str. 5 he would have to do little else but slouch around his apartment (or cardbox) all day long etc. That can happen, sure, but if you are constantly active you should not be hitting the lowest common denominator of your species. I mean, even very chubby guys will build up muscle strength carrying around extra fat even though they are not making a conscious effort to improve their strength.
GAH! See what you people are making me do! I keep debating it even though I said I wouldn't
Also - take elves. The way I see it their base charisma is merely given due to their physical appearance, so an elf with charisma of 3 would be a socially inept person equal to a human of charisma 1 or a really "ugly" elf with a strong personality.
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 29 2010, 01:51 PM)
That said, the sheet otherwise looks alright...Though I'm wondering what role you were planning? This sounds like a hacker...A role Minchandre seems to have down pretty well...But then you also have a lot of other skills I can't quite classify.
Aquaman seems to be a rigger, though every rigger can of course hack.
By the way, having lots of hackers isn't necessarily a bad thing - Cherry's actually spent the last few years commanding a team of hackers. There's a lot of fun stuff you can do with multiple hackers, like having one guy loudly attack the front door to distract spiders and ICE while sneakier guys go 'round back and exploit.
Hell, if we're awesome enough, we can establish a modus operandi of hacking the shit out of everyone's ship before boarding it, controlling internal security, communications, and actions.
I think I'm goign to re do my PC drop soem skills I spread out alot B&E stealth and combat I think I'll drop a lot of the B&E and also try and get a formula pact XD my char is sacred of dieing of old age I can really see him hunting one down or leaonisation every decade or two. I'll see hwo his Bio turns out. Also I'm think of adding a group contact but I'll hash things out with Penta more. Basicly my guy is a gun getter and border with armorer skills. Hench me takign the made by me role of quarter master. He's also not one to want to lead even if he could be capable of it.
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 29 2010, 08:51 PM)
Quick reactions:
The cybertechnology shop
The Sylph
The addiction
The cybertechnology shop
The Sylph
The addiction
Cybertechnology is for building/repairing implants, it has nothing to do with implanting them. Anyone with external cyberware will need a shop to repair it, and I have a modular cyberarm I may wanna tinker with.
Are you saying no to the Sylph? If yes, can I have a Bolt instead?
The addiction: Until you said that, I didn't even imagina that betameth had anything to do with meth! But if you look at Arsenal, it's also known as Rigger's Cocktail, and it gives +2 to Reaction. I thought that Aquaman would develop an addiction as he uses it when rigging. Again, if you say no, Penta, I'll change it.
Also, as to what role, he's a rigger, I would've thought the Pilot Watercraft 6 would've been a big clue
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 30 2010, 01:38 AM)
RedFish/Toturi: Metahumans Make Things Odd. 1s in a human jump out at me in a way that 3s don't for other metatypes. I agree 3s in Body/Str is odd for an ork, but that can be argued various ways. It's a flaw of mine: I instinctively compare against the human baseline. I simply don't know what the heck the baseline *is* for the metatypes.
You want me to change my character's attributes or no? I would rather not unless you tell me to do so because I think those are the attributes he should have.
QUOTE (Grinder @ Apr 30 2010, 02:17 AM)
@toturi: are you going for Intelligence Officer?
Not unless you want me to. If this was a low-tech ship, my character would be the lookout in the crow's nest.
was wondering, since you gave him the Stealth Group at Rating 4. We can split up the Intelligence Offcier part, as mentioned somewhere else in this mess of a thread one guy to collect the data, the other to analyse it.
one guy to collect the data, the other to analyse it.
QUOTE (toturi @ Apr 29 2010, 07:39 PM)
You want me to change my character's attributes or no? I would rather not unless you tell me to do so because I think those are the attributes he should have.
Don't have to. I'll just imagine him as scrawny (for an ork).
Hey Penta, how do you feel about allowing us access to a Rating >6 Retrans and/or >4 Jammers from our big loan? As I recall, we're allowed to bend the availability rules somewhat on those guys.
QUOTE (Xahn Borealis @ Apr 29 2010, 07:25 PM)
Cybertechnology is for building/repairing implants, it has nothing to do with implanting them. Anyone with external cyberware will need a shop to repair it, and I have a modular cyberarm I may wanna tinker with.
Are you saying no to the Sylph? If yes, can I have a Bolt instead?
The addiction: Until you said that, I didn't even imagina that betameth had anything to do with meth! But if you look at Arsenal, it's also known as Rigger's Cocktail, and it gives +2 to Reaction. I thought that Aquaman would develop an addiction as he uses it when rigging. Again, if you say no, Penta, I'll change it.
Also, as to what role, he's a rigger, I would've thought the Pilot Watercraft 6 would've been a big clue
Are you saying no to the Sylph? If yes, can I have a Bolt instead?
The addiction: Until you said that, I didn't even imagina that betameth had anything to do with meth! But if you look at Arsenal, it's also known as Rigger's Cocktail, and it gives +2 to Reaction. I thought that Aquaman would develop an addiction as he uses it when rigging. Again, if you say no, Penta, I'll change it.
Also, as to what role, he's a rigger, I would've thought the Pilot Watercraft 6 would've been a big clue
Cybertech: Okay, just checking.
Sylph: *looks up the bolt* Ummm....probably a smidge too big, since it's Body 5 and can't be disassembled. (The Sylph has a body of 8, for the record...And isn't intended to be disassembled either.)
Addiction: Not saying no, just wanted to raise the point.
QUOTE (Minchandre @ Apr 29 2010, 09:18 PM)
Hey Penta, how do you feel about allowing us access to a Rating >6 Retrans and/or >4 Jammers from our big loan? As I recall, we're allowed to bend the availability rules somewhat on those guys.
...I'd like you guys to earn the supertoys.
QUOTE (Penta @ Apr 29 2010, 06:43 PM)
Cybertech: Okay, just checking.
Sylph: *looks up the bolt* Ummm....probably a smidge too big, since it's Body 5 and can't be disassembled. (The Sylph has a body of 8, for the record...And isn't intended to be disassembled either.)
Addiction: Not saying no, just wanted to raise the point.
Sylph: *looks up the bolt* Ummm....probably a smidge too big, since it's Body 5 and can't be disassembled. (The Sylph has a body of 8, for the record...And isn't intended to be disassembled either.)
Addiction: Not saying no, just wanted to raise the point.
Many large yachts carry fairly sizeable watercraft - check the yacht catalog page posted way back. While a Sylph is probably too big (unless we get a large industrial ship, or tow it, or slave it and have it follow us on autopilot), I bet a Bolt could fit. I got the feeling that the Bolt is essentially a jetski.
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