Hi all. I just started playing Shadowrun 4e (and am very new to the setting as well). I've read through most of the rule books and read through guides on here and other sites. I created a technomancer as my first character and am having fun playing it currently, but I'm working on a backup character just in case. I found this character online and used that as a starting point for the concept. I want to build a cybered adept orc rigger that specializes in gunnery for drone weapons.

The main question that I'm encountering is what options exist to get bonuses to the gunnery skill. The following is a list of things that I have found that I think should, but I wanted to check to make sure these were correct or if there are things that I've overlooked in the rules that would also assist. I searched for something like this but was unable to find anything. Thanks in advance!

Gunnery Skill
6 ranks in gunnery
6 command (matrix program)
1 aptitude (gunnery)
2 codeslinger (control device)
2 improved ability (gunnery)
1 reflex recorder (skill) (gunnery)
2 specialization (ballistic)
possible 2 from control rig?

Not sure I'd bother with Aptitude since it costs so much karma/BP for just a single bonus point. The rest looks fine and for our games at least, we allow the control rig to aid in gunnery. You need to be jumped into the vehicle first of course.

hot sim +2

(you can also potentially get better than rating 6 matrix programs, though of course you need the hardware to run it).

Jaid, are you suggesting he gets WAR!? Why would you do that?
But yeah Hot Sim is good for another +2. With a liberal GM you could also argue for smartlinks to work too. Just put it on the camera on the drone as well as the weapon it is firing.

You're on the right track here. Impressive setup there.
So, here's my input. It is strictly a mathematical example how far one can go, not gameplay advice.
I've been doing this a while

Gunnery is a Vehicle skill. That means the control rig applies, but the reflex recorder does not (only feasible for Combat and Physical skills) - so bump that improved ability up another level
You can even turn improved ability up to rating 4 if you have Aptitude - the maximum is 7 * 1.5 (rounded down) for the augmented skill, meaning 11, so rating 4 improved ability.

Keep in mind that you actually use the sensor rating of the vehicle (or at least the rating of the camera you're aiming with) in your pool - it's easy getting that to rating 6.
I got my GM to let me use Smartlink for another +2. The gun has to be a smartgun to work on a vehicle anyway, so those dice came in cheap.
There's also active targeting with sensors (p. 171, SR4A) - roughly, make a sensor check to lock onto the target, then receive extra dice. I think the Vehicle Combat rules are somewhat wonky, though.
The vehicle's handling adds to the pool, but depends on the vehicle/drone used.

The two niche tricks that add on top of that are a high-level Machine sprite using the Diagnostics power on you or a mage casting a high-rating Analyze spell on your vehicle. Those bonuses vary depending on hits and need some GM fiat.
Tacnet software adds a bonus to shooting, but is also depending on the situation and GM fiat.

Keep in mind, there are two ways to go:
1.) The "real" rigger:
* jumps into vehicles with a control rig
* uses Sensor + Gunnery for shooting, Response + Skill for pretty much everything else
+ control rig bonus applies here
- Codeslinger does not apply

2.) The Command "rigger"
* uses a Command program to remote control vehicles
* uses Sensor + Gunnery for shooting, Command + Skill for pretty much everything else, every action becomes a complex action
+ Codeslinger applies
- control rig does not ally

So, good shooting

Thank you all very much for your replies and insight. This definitely seems like a doable concept and I will need to select which of the available options I want to go with. It's likely I'm going to go with the options for both jumping in and the ones for AR just so I have the bases covered depending on the situation. I think at this point the only thing I have left that I haven't been able to find are any cyberware/bioware options that would assist with this process. I looked at the Encephalon and PuSHeD augmentations, and they would both assist me with other tasks the character would likely encounter, but I haven't found cyberware/bioware that might be able to give bonuses to gunnery. Are there any that I've overlooked or is this just something that doesn't exist?

edit: disregard previous edit. figured out my math error for skill rating/aptitude/improved ability.

Direct bonus to gunnery?
I sadly can't think of any (besides the control rig).
There's some 'ware that will help with matrix initiative passes (and thus make a faster rigger) and with perception rolls (including those using sensors).

Why wouldn't it? Granted, I may be a little rusty after a few years off the market, but I couldn't be that rusty, eh?

Lessee... Jack, my 4E rigger adept, had a Remote Control Gunnery dice pool of 20 with ballistic weapons.

Command Program 6 + Optimization (Command) 1 + Codeslinger (Control Device) 2 + Gunnery Skill (Ballistic) 6 ( 8 ) + Improved Ability (Gunnery) 3

Unfortunately she wasn't able to use Augmentations. Considered Aptitude but at that time it was too costly.

It was *not* her highest die pool.

4E dice pools were ridiculous.



-k

Fixed that for you...
Just because something COULD be ridiculous, does not mean that they HAD to be Ridiculous.