I'm kinda new to Shadowrun.
I've played a little 4, but now I'm playing in a Shadowrun 3 group.
The GM wants to start a "high-level campaign", as he calls it and said I should use the high-level chargen from the Runner's Companion.
So I've decided to play a Combat Decker but need some help since I'm terrible when it comes to creating useful characters.

Here's a short summary of his background:
He started his decker career fairly early and everything came to him naturally.
He quickly gained a good reputation and was offered well-paid jobs. But all this made him become too sure of himself.
He double-crossed a Johnson and the reply wasn't exactly subtle.
It was luck he wasn't at home when his apartment in downtown blew up but less so that the hired killer saw him coming.
He was driven over by the killer several times and left for dead. If it wasn't for his doc wagon contract he would've died.
But he was revived, patched back together, stuffed with cybernetic implants and drained of all his money.
Now he lives in a one-room apartment in Puyallup that's run by a gang.
He can't really catch up with the current matrix, so he has to take every job he can get, be it to fill in as last minute replacement for a combat biker, errand boy for the mob or doing runs nobody else want's to. After some years he is quite knowledgable when it comes to the shadows and life on the lower sight of society. But having lost most of his tactile sense as well as his experience of pain made him search for new sensations, which led him from drugs, over hotsim to experimental BTLs even.

We don't really use most of matrix rules that much, so he doesn't need to be THE decker. Combat-wise I decided to shun the overused high initiative/reaction type and rather go with him beeing incredibly tough (bone lace, dermal armor, pain editor ...). I don't really like to be too focused on one ability, so I'm aiming for diversity.

What are your opinions on the concept?
Any ideas how to go about creating this character?
What gear, matrix equipment and cyberware would he need?

USE the NSRCG3 which you can find in my signature for download.
It HAS the low, med and high power character settings in there.

I'm using it ... that's not the problem.
It's just that I can't really evaluate what's good and what's bad.
And I have no Idea what I need, especially when it comes to matrix gear.

Bone lacing, just go with plastic so you don't set of metal detectors, but still +1 body and +2 to slugging people. Dermal Sheathing 1 for +2 to body, but it's less useful at higher levels. Pain editor is a very dangerous piece of bioware to install since you can be shot and not know it. Trauma dampener and enhanced articulation are your best friends, on the other hand. Since you'll probably end up being the general tech guy of the team, get an encephalon since it helps in all tech stuff, and of course as math SPU 3 for you hacking pool. I personally like having multiple jacks so I can hook up to like a deck and radio together, or knowledge softs or linguisofts or whatever, even without skillwires, but I'm a gadget freak.

For a deck, you using the Matrix 3rd Edition book, or just the corebook?

Pain-Editor and Bio-Monitor go hand in hand, so if you get one, get the other too.
You don't feel but you still know:"oh, there's a hole in my leg, losing blood, pressure at about 90%, mobility down to 80%, stability down to 70%"
Because at that point, even though it is bioware, you are more like a machine than a living being.
also: yes, kevlar or plastic bone lace.
if you want more ballistic armor and don't care about slugging people, go with kevlar.

We have both.

I don't really want Bioware since it doesn't fit the character concept. He's even using a cyberware variant of the Pain Editor.
At the moment I'm at body 8 (exeptional attribute) +4 to body for damage reduction and bal/imp armor of 4/6
Would this be enough for high-level standards? Keep in mind I'll probably have to go last in combat most of the time.

What's troubling me still is the matrix stuff, especially programs.

Use the combat decker archetype for programs and deck and stuff like that.

Optimize the cyberware and get a Cyberarm with gyromount (3RC).
The cyberarm is also good to cram a lot of cyberware in (but without the essence cost)

Take a little bioware (enhanded artwinkulation, clean metabolism, chloroplast skin, nephritic screen, synthacardium II).

Make sure he has a cool bike.

And above all, have fun.

Depending on resources, buy/build a deck with MPCP 6 if its kind of an aside, MPCP 8 if you'll be doing a lot of serious decking.

Operation Utilities:
Analyze, Browse, Deception, Decrypt, Purge, Read/Write, Scanner, Spoof, all at 6. These are bread-and-butter. If you see something else that looks interesting or useful to what you plan on doing, jack it up as well. Otherwise, even if you don't see an immediate use for it, still get it at 3 in case you run into that situation.

Special Utilities:
Sleaze 6. Everything else only as you need it, but they're pretty special-purpose.

Attack Utilities:
Attack 6 M or S. D is probably overkill since you'll be staging up anyways. Steamroller is interesting if very specific (but Tar Pits are SO annoying). Targeting and Stealth are good options to use, but jack up the costs significantly. The rest are so very specific and really Attack will cover you.

Defense utilities:
Cloak is the most useful of the bunch, since avoiding damage is more effective than soaking/repairing it. The rest of the family is 'meh' and degrade with use, but you can reload if needed.

Be a Dwarf.
Seriously.
It's perfect for the role of Combat-Decker.
You just have to live with the small jabs, little jives, short plays on words and tiny jokes . .
like those.
You get more STR, you get more BOD, you get more WILL <= Dwarves are the ONLY ones with this.
You get InfraDead Vision. NATURAL mind you. This is BETTER than Cyber, because you have a lower target number using natural
And if you then get natural low light too, and a light system and flare comp without cyber-eyes, you have perfect sight. Add in Magnification electronic level 3.
You now shoot at SHORT range, ALLWAYS. and using a Laser-Pointer, you get a -1 to the TN. Only on short range is the smartlink actually better than this.
Also: yes, for both artwinculation and synthacardium.
So you run slower. So what, running isn't your job anyway. You are easier to hide/carry by other team members too, because you are smaller.

So Dwarf. Mundane. High Power means you put 30 Points into Attributes and
25 or 30 into ressources so you end up with 45 or 50 skill points.
You should start with natural attributes like these:
Bod: 6(5+natural1)
Quick: 6
Str: 6(4+natural2)
Charisma: 3
Int: 6
Will: 7(6+natural1)
And THEN add Cyber/Bio to taste.
Probably want to grab suprathoid gland to get Bod, QCK and STR to 7.
Then Artwinculation to get +1 die on all physical and technical, build/repair and combat skills(yes, computers count too, even when jacked in, as does gunnery)
Then get Muscle Toner Level 2 to get to maxed out 9 Quickness(quickness is very important in SR3). And maybe Muscle Aug 3 to get to 11 STR. If you get plastic bones, your Body goes up to 8 against all kinds of damage aside from poison and virus, but being a dwarf takes care of THAT. And you Hit for 13M Stun Damage. Which should make even Trolls reconsider messing with you.
Cyberware: Boosted Reflexes are your friend. If you're playing HIGH POWER, then that probably means you are allowed Beta Grade Ware and cultured bio in char gen?
Is that the case? If so, Boosted Reflexes 3 and Synaptic accellerator level 2. Bam, 4 dice for initiative right out of char gen, nobody can get more . .
Furthermore, Cerebral Booster and Mnemonic Enhancement and Sleep Regulator. Those are perfect for hacker types.
And they don't draw much attention either. Basically, a Combat Hacker needs to be strong, tough, hit hard, run fast and be inconspious . . sadly, bioware is pretty much perfect for all of this . .

Eh, thanks but no.
It doesn't fit my character at all, except for the cool bike part.


thanks that really helps

Not really. I'm all set for human.
I wouldn't choose a race just because of the stats, anyhow.

*shrugs*
it'd not be solely for stats.
dwarves are supposed to be techies ^^
the stats are a nice bonus though.
and, srsly . . dwarf stats are there to make up for being the butt of so many jokes . .

@Stahlseele
I know bioware and reaction/initiative enhancements make everything easier,
but I really want to go without them for this character.

My augmentation list looks like this at the moment:
datajack, chipjack, biomonitor, pain editor, math spu II, knowsoft link, eyes w/ image link, light system, low-light and flare compensation
bone lace titanium, subdermal armor (bod+1 for damage reduction, bal+1, imp+2, -1.00 essence)

Dude. No.
Not the Titanium Bones . . SERIOUSLY . .
Too expensive in both essence and money cost.
And WHY do you want to play without the things that make high powered games fun?
Your GM told you to basically go nuts with telling you to use high powered o.O
Subdermal Armor?
Dermal Sheath or what do you mean? o.O

The subdermal armor is homebrew cyberware. I told the gm I don't want obvious stuff like plating or sheath so he told me to use this.
The titanium bones seemed ok ... should I take ceramic instead?

Ah, i thought i had missed such a nice piece of cyber somehow @.@
Cermic is less obvious, less essence intensive and less expensive.
Still gives MORE Impact-Armor than the Titan Bones and deals only 1 point less of stun damage and gives one point less of body.
Yes, take the Ceramic Variant. You can actually explain such bones away with a faked history of glass bones or something . .

right more, your character looks more like a normal decker that just wants to be a bit tougher but not much like a combat decker to me o.O

how so?
I don't want him to be (and look like) a cyborg, if that's what you mean ...

Also beeing underestimated because he just looks like a skinny dude and not the terminator has it's advantages, too.

nngg . . not much for the eyes, which helps with just about ANYTHING that does not happen while jacked in . .
no reflex work, which does, basically, the same . . nothing to boost attributes that still do the same . .
just a bit for body and built in armor and something to deal with pain . . and everything else is for the short(relatively) time your character will not be utilizing any of the afore mentioned stuff . .
he does not have to LOOK like a cyborg, but if you are intent on shunning bioware, then he needs to BECOME MORE OF ONE!
Shadowrun, where man meets magic and machine . . if you take the magic out, you have a man meeting machine, and there is, simply, not enough in his body, in my eyes, to make him a viable combat asset.
not a prime fighter, mind you, but not even viable like this . . aside from taking the odd pot shot maybe . .

I'd go for a multi-slot chipjack, even just a 2-port one. .05 more essence, twice as much data. And I'll second the Epic No on the titanium bone lacing. Its well past the point of diminishing returns, and it takes up 15 kg of your encumberence (which SR3 does keep track of), sucks up essence, costs a ton, and makes any sec guys detecting it incredibly paranoid. Is +1 body worth all those drawbacks? If it is, boost your natural body first. Ti bones are for Wolverine and NFL players.

Allright, here's how he looks like now:

human

body 8 (12*) | quickness 4 | strength 3 | charisma 2 | intelligence 6 | willpower 6
essence 0.5 | reaction 5 | initiative 1 | combatpool 8 | hackingpool 8 | taskpool 2
ballistic armor 6 | impact armor 8
*against damage

edges: bonus point body, spike resistance 2, toughness

flaws: incompetence (athletics), focused obliviousness, codeblock (decrypt), light matrix addiction, poverty 2

computer 8, electronics 6, electronics b/r 6
etiquette street 2/4, etiquette matrix 2/4, negotiation bargain 2/4, intimidate physical 2/4
throw grenades 2/4, unarmed combat fists 2/4, pistols 6
bike 4, car 4

datajack α, chipjack α, math spu 2 α, knowsoft link α, encephalon 2 α
cybereyes α + microsc. vis. + vis mag ele 3 + lights systems + low-light + flare comp
biomonitor, pain editor, bone lace ceramic, subdermal armor

CMT Avatar - B4 / E7 / M5 / S5 - reaction 7 - initiative 2 - hardening 4
analyze 6, browse 6, deception 6, decrypt 6, mirrors 6, purge 6, r/w 6, scanner 6, spoof 6, sleaze 6, attack s 6, armor 6, cloak 6

armor street clothes, light kevlar jacket
heavy pistol w/ laser sight, ammo, grenades
electronics kit, electronics shop

Lone Star Ford Americar

Arms Dealer, Barkeeper, Ganger, Decker, Nurse, Fixer

uh, how did you get 8(12)?
Humans have a MAXIMUM of 9 Body.
With exceptional Attribute it goes up to 11.
But that is it. No more.
And there is no Body only for Damage reduction.
You either have body, or you don't.
And it either applies to something, or it doesn't o.O

attributes in high level chargen go to 7
+ 1 from the body bonus point edge makes 8

the toughness edge and bone lace + dermal armor add 4 dice to damage reduction tests
since toughness is a bonus and doesn't raise the attribute it doesn't count for the maximum, I think
for bone lace and dermal armor to affect anything else than damage reduction doesn't make sense btw

...

...

...

Saying it 4 times does not make it better...

sorry, I had trouble with my internet =/
can someone delete the abundant posts?

aaah, i see now . .
yeah, i usually don't get to play with high power sadly ._.
well, i think my GM's(yes,plural) are afraid of what i could accomplish . .

I wish we wouldn't either, since I prefer gritty low-power.

Then you don't prefer SR3 i guess.
In SR3, player characters are professional criminals.
With some experience under their belt usually.

Not in my group, no matter how hard they try. ;)
I don't really like 3rd nor 4th that much and heard terrible things about 2nd. I'd like to try 1st some day though.

I still need feedback in my character btw ... =/

I'd say, flesh him out a bit, when you think you are about done, post it here and we'll go from the complete character to see if we can find inconsistencies and the such.
and make sure to explain any and all house rules your GM allowed you, especially in the cyber and other stuff department . .

I am done, I think. The only homebrew elements are the cyberware pain editor and the subdermal armor.

ok, so either update the first posting, or post complete character in a new posting in this thread here.
makes it a bit easier to look over and comment on stuff.

Metatype: human

Attributes (C = 28):
body 8 (12*) | quickness 4 | strength 3 | charisma 2 | intelligence 6 | willpower 6
essence 0.5 | reaction 5 | initiative 1 | combatpool 8 | hackingpool 8 | taskpool 2
ballistic armor 6 | impact armor 8
*against damage

Edges: bonus point body, spike resistance 2, toughness
Flaws: incompetence (athletics), focused obliviousness, codeblock (decrypt), light matrix addiction, poverty 2

Skills (A = 60):
computer 8, electronics 6, electronics b/r 6
etiquette street 2/4, etiquette matrix 2/4, negotiation bargain 2/4, intimidate physical 2/4
throw grenades 2/4, unarmed combat fists 2/4, pistols 6
bike 4, car 4

Ressources (B = 1.000.000)

Cyberware:
datajack α, chipjack α, math spu 2 α, knowsoft link α, encephalon 2 α
cybereyes α + microsc. vis. + vis mag ele 3 + lights systems + low-light + flare comp
biomonitor, pain editor, bone lace ceramic, subdermal armor

Matrix gear:
CMT Avatar - B4 / E7 / M5 / S5 - reaction 7 - initiative 2 - hardening 4
analyze 6, browse 6, deception 6, decrypt 6, mirrors 6, purge 6, r/w 6, scanner 6, spoof 6, sleaze 6, attack s 6, armor 6, cloak 6

Equipment:
armor street clothes, light kevlar jacket
heavy pistol w/ laser sight, ammo, grenades
electronics kit, electronics shop

Vehicles:
Lone Star Ford Americar

Contacts:
Arms Dealer, Barkeeper, Ganger, Decker, Nurse, Fixer

Hmm, looks good so far . .
Still, not what i would expect when hearing the Combat Decker, but else, only some minor things . .
You do realize, that with Armor being twice your quickness, you are going to be a sitting duck most of the time?
Also, the intimidation physical made me snicker and imagine the big(belly) computer geek guy trying to make himself look more dangerous to intimidate somebody ^^

Personnaly I would not take the Incompetence on the Athletics skill. Your physcial stats are not very high to begin with, nad this can quickly become a literal killer if you need to run, jump or climb for your life.

I don't think we're using the encumbrance rules, but anyway, he's meant to be tough, not fast.
Actually it's the skinny computer geek guy who uses his surprisingly hard knuckles until they talk.
Or at least ... that's the idea.

It's only TN +1, so not that big of a deal, really. And it fits the concept.

It's not about being fast, it's about being alive. As he is now your character is unable to perform some actions not uncommon for a shadowrunner like climbing over a chainlink fence or jumping down a roof, even to save his life - since you do not have the skill at least opened (say level 1), the Incompetence flaw prevents you from defaulting meaning you automatically fail at such tests.

Oh wait, regarding the armor.
Does cyber armor count towards encumbrance?
Without cyberware he would have bal 5 / imp 4.

Btw does anybody have an idea what stats an angle grinder would have?

I didn't see this part in the description. Are you maybe thinking about SR4?

YEs, probably. Sorry about the confusion. Still, with +5 to the target number (+1 for Incompetence, +4 for defaulting from skill to attribute) even 8 dices from Body won't help you much...

No problem. But you're probably right. Maybe I'll take a different flaw instead.

Incompetence in itself is not that bad a flaw. You can take it on another skill, maybe a B/R or weapon skill.

Why the two seperate etiquette skills though? You could just buy plain Etiquette, no specializations, up to 4, and get 2 more skill points besides. Also, find a way to get that math SPU up to 3. Extra die of hacking pool, and the 2 extra Math skill dice for various complimentary tests.

Also as for the armor/quickness/encumberance thing, maybe trade the armor clothes for form-fitting body armor 1? SR3 rules its your best piece of armor, plus half your second-best piece (rounded down), which makes FFBA 1 or 2 give the same bonus as your armor clothing, but without the encumberance. Means you can dive for cover that much more easily. Otherwise, looks good.

no, built in armor NEVER adds to encumbrance in any kind or way . . .
aside from titanium bonelace, which is why they are dumb and stupid.

what's an angle grinder? @.@

Eine Flex. ;)

Aaah . .
SR3 allready has Stats for a Chainsaw, so you could probably just use these.

I switched the second etiquette for exotic weapons (angle grinder). I'll get the second etiquette specialization ingame with karma later.

Form-fitting armor doesn't fit the character's style. There isn't any encumberance to worry about anyhow if cyberware armor doesn't count towards it.

I'm still not fully satisfied though. I think he could use a little more flavour.
When I made him in 4th ed he had a simrig to make sims of off runs, but in 3rd ed it's ridiculously expensive, in terms of money as well as essence. Same for the vehicle control rig.

Well, there are Rigger Control Emulation Protocolls for Cyberdecks, i think . .

I just looked into that.
It's only for remote control decks, not cyberdecks.

A System Control Emulator enables you to rig a security system with a cyberdeck.
But it doesn't work with vehicles and remote control networks.