So I started creating a build in 4th Ed with the philosophy of battlefield information superiority, a desert wars merc Tactician/comm specialist. most of my experience was from 3rd edition so I had to trawl through some books to find things that would improve my Perception to this end (I have a habit of liking to build ‘niche’ characters with strengths and weaknesses, and a warrior that relied about nous rather than a meat tank cyberware build appealed to me)
Doing a whole orientation system/AR Tactical software/radar/ultrasound sensor omniscence thing, and I’ve been looking into the commlink, somebody said it was cheaper to cobble together a commlink out of unwired and I’ve been pondering the things I would have to do and the programs I would have to have to intercept communications (either radio or nodewise) and decrypt them without being found out and node compromised as he isn’t a true hacker.
Sniffer and decrypt are obvious ones. and I’ll probably be running an processor 6…. as I think somebody told me running programs causes the responce to lower in rating which affects what level programs you can run? (hmmm, can you OPTIMIZE a tacsoft? you have to run three commlinks as slaves to my subscription list) Stealth ECM and ECCM also are big ones.
I still havent finished this, I will probably want to squeeze in the launch skill to utilise the underbarrel launcher on the Ares Alpha (Tactical smoke/flash grenades, yeah!) and probably shift some of the knowskills around to a bit of a broader range

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Metatype: Human Age: 25 Sex: Male Nuyen: 0 Karma: 0/ 0
Lifestyle: Low : Notoriety: Public Awareness:

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Body :5 Charisma: 1 Edge: 4
Agility :5 Intuition: 5 Essence:
Reaction: 4 Logic: 2 Initiative: 9
Strength: 3 Willpower: 3
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Stun Damage Track: 0/10 Physical Damage Track: 0/11

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Perception……………..5 Int Cryptography……………4 Log
Clubs…………………….3 Agi Politics……………………..1 Log
Automatics…………….5 Agi Psychology………………4 Log
Dodge………………..….4 Rea Sign Language…………..4
Computer………………3 Log Tactical Theory………….6 Log
Electronic Warfare…4 Log
Leadership………………1 Cha
Hacking………………….3 Log

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RC – Perceptive II 10 bp
RC – Analytical Mind 5 bp
RC – Restricted Gear 5 bp
RC – Day Job I -5 bp

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Generic (Fixer) Loyalty: 1 Conn: 1
Generic (Supply Sergeant) Loyalty: 1 Conn: 3

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ID Name Ess
16453 Commlink (Standard) 0 0.2
16455 Ultrasound Sensor 0.3
16456 Attention Coprocessor (Standard) rtg 3 0.3
16457 Orientation System 0.2
16458 Radar Sensor (Standard) rtg 4 0.3
16459 Commlink (Standard) 0 0.2
16467 Math SPU 0.15
16472 Wired Reflexes II 3
16870 Sim Module 0.2
16874 Cyberears rtg 3 0.4
16882 +Audio Enhancement rtg3 0.1
16875 +Sound Link 0.1
16885 +Spatial Recognizer 0.1
16884 +Select Sound Filter rtg4 0.1
16883 +Damper 0.1
16876 +Ear Recording Unit 0.1
16886 Increased Sensitivity 0.1
16887 Cybereyes rtg 4 0.5
16889 +Eye Recording Unit 0.1
16888 +Image Link 0.1
16890 +Flare Compensation 0.1
16896 +Vision Magnification 0.1
16895 +Vision Enhancement rtg3 0.1
16894 +Thermographic Vision 0.1
16892 +Protective Covers 0
16893 +Smartlink 0.1
16891 +Low-Light Vision 0.1

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ID Name Rtg Ess Note
16468 Reception Enhancer (Standard) 3 0.6
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Synch

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Ares Alpha Internal Smartlink, Airburst link, sound suppressor and shock pad
Armor Jacket 6 levels of thermal Dampening
Tacsoft rtg 4

Any tips or advice will be more than welcome!

An aerial drone with good endurance, and a low signature/profile, as an "overhead observer" might be nice. Especially sine you could then run a TacNet with it. Even better, it fits the whole "battlespace information superiority" schtick, too. Don't have to be a rigger, either - get a decent pilot, give it Clearsoft, and remote-control it via a Command program.

Regarding the Optimizing a TacSoft (which only has a max rating of 4 anyway), I'd say no as TacSofts are a program type unto themselves and are not a Common, Hacking, Autosoft, or Simsense program (the four that Optimization is allowed to be applied to). Then again, I'd also list TacSofts as a program that's not subject to to Response/System of commlinks and the sort. Others will say it is a factor, so I'd suggest checking with your GM on that part, and seeing if he/she would allow Optimization to be used if Response/System will impact the program's performance. If you need more programs running, Ergonomic is your friend (just note what types it's allowed for).

Stealth won't do you any good, as it's for hiding icons and not wireless devices (unless you're thinking of the Covert Ops autosoft). Encrypt and ECCM are two programs you'll want running on everything (and go great with Ergonomic, Crashguard, and Optimization).

Logic 2 seems rather weird for a character with a ton of Logic skills and the "Tactician" focus.

Also, if you want to be useful in combat, you need Reflex Enhancers (extra IPs, at least one more).

Bye
Thanee

Yeah, offset logic 2 with analytical mind, being as most of the programs I was using didnt use it.. I suppose I could swap a willpower point for it though.

You could also get a Cerebral Booster to improve your Logic.

Bye
Thanee

Here is how I'd see it (initial stat wise). I'd see him more as a matrix/drone specialist/rigger than a frontline street sam:

Body :2
Charisma: 4
Agility :3
Intuition: 4
Reaction: 5
Logic: 5
Strength: 2
Willpower: 3

Edge: 4
Initiative: 9
Essence:
(220BP)

Skills:
Influence skill Group:4
Pistols:3
Automatics: 3
Gunnery:4
Cracking:4
Computer:3

Also, picking up Synch makes sense for a character like this. +1 to all combat rolls on a target after the first turn just makes sense for someone who thinks his way through things.

Here's the bit which doesn't really make sense to me, you're trying to make a very logical tactician character... yet you dumpstated logic! When I think of the chessmaster moving the pieces... it doesn't mesh well.

Another thought is you really want 1 rank in the entire social group. Especially since you actually want leadership. Adding con, ETIQUETTE, and negotiate for only 6BP more is a real deal. If you're trying to be a tactician/leader you really can't get around having some social skills.


I noticed you had a lot of actual sensors embedded directly as cyberware.

A good way to pack some of that in a much more essense friendly matter is to just get a half cyber-limb. That'll get you 10 capacity for only .45 essence. Another route is to note put them inside you but to simply install them into a helmet or iball drone or the like.

There's also another way to make a very perceptive character if you add a little bit of magical adept. There's a power there which adds +1 to all perception tests (astral, normal, and matrix). And multi-tasking can't be beat as a general... yeah I'm watching everything on all my displays at once (no penalty for multitasking and can keep full attention on all your displays at once). If you wanted to make high logic... there's another power which allows you to use logic in place of agility (think like that ozymandius character in The Watchmen). Another power is one which allows you to use leadership to issue commands even to hostiles...

Another route to go would be to go down the technomancer route... this also adds some other sensing options that might be quite interesting to you such as e-sensing echoes. This also has the advantage of that if you slave your teams comms to your bionode... only another technomancer can hack your bionode! This makes for an exceptionally secure tacnet!!! (you can even learn tacnet as a complex form... as well as other nifty powers such as empathy software for bonus dice on those social tests).

This also has some other interesting possibilities... because you could start out as more a dedicated rigger techno with a focus on technical reconaissance... then through echoes slowly turn yourself into a street sam if you so desired (there's echos which give allow you to get up to 5IP matrix and 3 IP meat... and act simultaneously in meat and matrix).

Falconer - You are right, I need more logic apon this character. I had been talked out of a 3 (And the accompanying analytical mind quality) by a friend whom noted I had virtually no skills that relied apon logic (besides the knowskills) and shifted a point into willpower do avoid being brainfried... whereas Fleay as I made him would be running his PAN with cold asist (not to mention hidden) and not vunerable to that. The niche wireless signal communications bit used Decrypt/encrypt rating + Electronic warfare skill, and Sniffer was Electronic warfare + sniffer rating.

Thanee - I've also been told by my GM I now have 440 points to play around with, (since I will be joining an established game) so I might just grab a cerebral enhancer as well, solving some of the knowskill issues! Hmmm I've been told the Leadership skill also has options/actions in the WAR shadowrun sourcebook that also relies apon the logic attribute. (and a tacnet)

Warlord - I'm a bit weak on the whole hacking /drone environ (need to bone up on those rules, as they will prove to be important. Ignorance is not a defense!) so thats part of the reason I didn't go the technomancer or Rigger route, though I was aware of the technomancer bit. I've tried to make him as 'self contained' as possible (and whats why I added the ultrasound and radar to his headware) also, the game I'm joining will have a rigger. (I only partially kept that in mind when creating fleay, but I had thought about a single spotter drone when spending my resources)

I chose to have a low leadership (and charisma) so I could have Fleay grow INTO taking charge of a group of strong individualists like shadowrunners, as opposed to his previous organisation where he executed orders, in a defined hierarchy. Room to grow is great! that and I have the dichotomy of experiencing/seeing the world around him so completely as compared to ordinary mortals, yet since all but his senses of taste and touch are Artifical, being disconnected

Jaiisiin - Thanks! Thats exactly what I was going for with Synch,

You should definetely have a look at the advanced Leadership rules in WAR.