so I wanted to make a martial arts master as a character, be very good at unarmed combat, while having things that would come with it. 750 karma. free knowledge skills. 2x cha contacts, 1 initiation. I wanted him to dislike implants so having much if any ware is most likely out. I also don't want to JUST be one trick pony, I have plenty of RP stuff to give him life outside of combat I just want him to be decent at something else, suggestions, builds, hell even characters are welcome!

Some general advice:

On martial arts: get three levels of it for +3 DV, the most bang for your buck advantage-wise (assuming a traditional punch/kick kind of guy - weapons or grappling are different). Good maneuvers include kick (+1 die to hit), finishing move (get to make an out-of-initiative-sequence extra attack if your first one hits), sweep (do damage on a knockdown attack), and herding (sometimes forcing someone to move in a certain direction can be very, very bad for them).

Other qualities: adept, obviously. One of the e-books has something called adept ways, which give you discounts for purchasing powers - if your GM allows them, you definitely want to get this.

Initiation: definitely do this. It's even better if your GM uses the rule that you can get a power point instead of a metamagic.

On 'ware: adepts typically eschew cyberware in favor of bioware. If you can bear to get one Essence point's worth of 'ware, get muscle toner: 4 (with the restricted gear quality) and two reflex recorders - one for unarmed combat and one for a ranged skill. If you can bear to get two Essence point's worth of 'ware, add a synaptic booster: 2 to it. The two areas where adepts are most disadvantaged are Attribute improvements and initiative enhancements, both of which are expensive if you try to get them with power points.

On adept powers:
Killing hands: the biggie, which lets you deal lethal damage - and more importantly, completely bypass immunity to normal weapons.
Critical strike: the other biggie, which you should have equal to your Magic rating. Penetrating strike is not bad, but is not nearly as good, and there are more effective things you can buy.
Combat sense: mystic armor is also good, but this is better, because it lets you avoid getting hit in the first place.
Improved ability/unarmed combat: good for defense as well as offence, since you will probably be using block to defend in melee combat. Close combat is an opposed test, so dice pool boosts are a key area to boost.
Counterstrike: I would recommend just one level - the main benefit is not the one die per level, but the counterstrike ability itself - letting you turn a successful block into bonuses on your attack. It works in wonderful synchronicity with combat sense and improved ability/unarmed combat.

If you don't take any augmentations:
Improved reflexes: at least level: 1, and level: 2 is better. In SR4, initiative passes matter in melee.
Attribute boost/Agility: get it (and keep it) at level: 1, because you want Drain you can reliably soak. You roll Magic plus the level of this power for the boost; extra levels give you a mere extra die, at the cost of an extra point of Drain - not a good exchange. It takes a simple action to activate, so plan your tactics accordingly.
Improved physical attribute/Agility: only worth it if you are getting Agility from the soft max to the hard max - definitely not worth it to go over the max, where it starts costing double. And don't bother using it for Strength, which is a surprisingly minor factor in determining unarmed damage.

On cheese:
I disagree on the notion of letting hardliner gloves being able to be enchanted as weapon foci, and disagree with the idea that you can then take the two-weapon fighting maneuver with them. If your GM allows this, though, then it is a no-brainer to take it, as the bonus to both offense and defense will increase dramatically.

I hate distance strike, because it has no minimum range - you use it at point blank range, and suddenly your opponent's skills are completely meaningless - all he can do is roll Reaction, unless he wants to waste an action on full defense. But there is no denying that it is effective.

I don't like elemental strike either - it and distance strike seem to turn adepts into street fighter/DBZ characters rather than people who have focused their magical abilities into physically improving themselves. But by most interpretations, elemental strike halves impact armor, making it very powerful even if it takes a simple action to activate for the first time.

On metatype: elves and trolls are most optimal for melee monsters, but I would go with human or ork, both of which are still good, because an ork or human is cheaper to do, letting you meet your goal of not being a one-trick pony.

On versatility: with 750 karma and no expeditures needed for knowledge skills or contacts, this shouldn't be a worry. Just be sure to have a ranged skill; melee combat is useful, but like sniping, still a niche role. Other than that, your main decision will be between dual role (melee/face, melee/infiltration), or making an expediter/muscle type who is good at melee, and well rounded otherwise (decent social skills, athletic skills, stealth, piloting vehicles, etc.).

Not true at all, if you're using the optional rules for buying metamagics at 15 karma and allowing an additional PP instead of a metamagic.

With a good adept's way, all of a sudden your reflexes are 3 PP out of 13. Also raising physical attributes over 4 for 25/30(/35) karma gets much less attractive, if you can do the same for .75*15 karma via the adept power once those PP's are a less tight resource (even 1.5 PP for true augmentation is somewhat acceptable under those conditions).

I think you meant to say 'with the riposte maneuver'. Because its seriously an amazing combo. Especially with Interception-baiting

what about a Nartaki Adept Weaponmaster ?
With ambidexerity taken twice he could use 3 Weapons at once (a Katana and 2 Wakizashi, an Assult Rifle and two SMGs
or combination thereof).
and for Roleplaying You could concentrate on his Indian Heritage or why he had to leave India
(so many possibilities for an interesting Char thats also Cool and knows how to Fight)

with an Indian Dance
Medicineman

Possible reasons for leaving:

1) Addicted to McHugh's Big Makkie (one of the few actual real meat patties left out there)

2) Cost of Underarm Deodorants was ruining him, forcing him into criminal/shadowrunning activities to make ends meet.

3) Trying to get cast for next Horizon project 'Shiva goes to Hollywood'.

4) The new 'Hand Tax' unfairly discriminates against the Nartaki.

Riposte is great in conjunction with counterstrike, but not necessary. You just need to attack with your next available action. Riposte only lets you do that right away, instead of having to wait for the next initiative pass.

The ultimate combo in conjunction with counterstrike is actually two-weapon fighting style. Get full defense for free, ensuring that you successfully block most attacks, then turn all of those extra hits into a bonus to your attack. It gives you an overwhelming advantage for attack and defense. Of course, distance strike completely negates it.

Does not need the Riposte Maneuver. Works just fine without it.

EDIT: Well, what Glyph said.

would anyone recommend throw? two weapon fighting, does it work with unarmed?

My Ninja Uses the Throw Maneuver quite effectively. I like it.
No, Two-weapon Fighting does not benefit unarmed combat.

Is there no errata that limits the boost you can get from attribute boost to the level? That is how everything else magical works, so it seems like attribute boost should work that way as well.

Attribute Boost is limited by Drain, and by Augmented Maximums.
Thoguh some tables play that Attribute Boost/Power Throw allow one to bypass augmented maximums.

OK. There's been plenty of time to errata it, so I must be the only one who thinks it might be broken. In that case, he attribute boos (agility) is a great one to take.
But really, if you're a fighter you need increased initiative. It not only gives you extra attacks and makes you go earlier, it also increases your defense. If you start with a reaction of 4, take 2 levels of increased initiative and 6 levels of combat sense, you would roll 12 dice to dodge ranged attacks, without giving up an action to dodge. Or that plus your melee skill to parry, again without giving up an action. That's nuts.

Still limited by Augmented Maximums. So it is not broken.
As for high levels of Combat Sense - That is what it is for, after all. *shrug*

Throw is good - it lets you effectively attack during full defense, although it eats up your next action (and you are already using an action for full defense). Still, any maneuver that lets you make an out-of-sequence offensive maneuver is good. Plus, like herding, forcing an opponent's movement in a certain direction can let you put them in a predicament (throwing someone off a fire escape, for example).

Off hand training specifically notes that it cannot be taken for unarmed combat - presumably because unarmed combat normally uses both hands. Two-weapon fighting style specifies a weapon in your off hand, so unarmed combat doesn't fit there, either. Again, normal unarmed combat uses both hands already. As I alluded to earlier under cheese, though, some GMs allow things like shock gloves or hardliner gloves to fulfill the requirement. I disagree with that, but if that's how it works, you should take it, or you will be pwned by anyone else who has it (until you get distance strike). Heck, might as well go for double cheddar and make it a weapon focus, too, in that case.

meh I don't find it cheesy, you can block VERY effectively with one hand and attack with the other, infact a lot of martial arts teach you just that so two-wep fighting doesn't seem silly to be allowed, eh oh well. I think unarmed should be allowed foci but that's me. (also think guns should be allowed to be foci, though a a .5 ratio to the focus rating (min 1))

A gun CAN be a focus, just only useable for clubbing people with it.

The bullet is my lynchpin to a combat spell. Could also be an arrow...

*sigh*... Shaka when the walls fell...