Full Version: B&E Character help
Could I get some suggestions for what sorts of cyber/bioware and gear to make a B&E character?
First things first:
Finger compartment with rating 6 lockpick gun
Cybereyes with all the toys
Cyberears with all the toys
Skillwires 3 with Expert Chip Driver 3 (for extra skills)
Orientation System
Multislot Chipjack
Clean Metabolism
Enhanced Articulation
WiredReflexes 1 with reflex trigger
Smartgun link (for your grapple gun)
Those would be my bare bones
Finger compartment with rating 6 lockpick gun
Cybereyes with all the toys
Cyberears with all the toys
Skillwires 3 with Expert Chip Driver 3 (for extra skills)
Orientation System
Multislot Chipjack
Clean Metabolism
Enhanced Articulation
WiredReflexes 1 with reflex trigger
Smartgun link (for your grapple gun)
Those would be my bare bones
| QUOTE (lorthazar) |
| Finger compartment with rating 6 lockpick gun |
How is this possible? Finger compartments are only .25 ECU and a lockpick gun is .5.
Sorry was thinking old Cybertechnology. Sometimes I wonder about them changing the rules so much
Just out of curiousity, could you explain the reasoning for all of the stuff? Ones I don't get are things like the ears, and skillwires.
One thing I do NOT get is the retinal duplicators. They are far, far too expensive, and your odds of succeeding even at the maximum level are less than 50/50. You have a better chance just relying on good, old electronics b/r.
I generally avoid wired reflexes, preferring boosted reflexes and/or synaptic accelerators. I'd also look at reflex recorders. And don't forget the datajack, just generally useful.
Usually, I try to maximize my quickness with these characters. Reaction and quickness linked skills are your friends. So I grab some muscle toners too.
I generally avoid wired reflexes, preferring boosted reflexes and/or synaptic accelerators. I'd also look at reflex recorders. And don't forget the datajack, just generally useful.
Usually, I try to maximize my quickness with these characters. Reaction and quickness linked skills are your friends. So I grab some muscle toners too.
Skill wires for most of your side skills, you want to spoend most of your skill ponts on Athletics, Stealth, Electronics and such.
The ears for amplified hearing, select filter, spatial recognizer,.... actually now that iIthink about it all the options are nice.
The clean metobolism is to reduce the chance of being tracked by animals and such
The ears for amplified hearing, select filter, spatial recognizer,.... actually now that iIthink about it all the options are nice.
The clean metobolism is to reduce the chance of being tracked by animals and such
What exactly is this B & E guy going to do? Is he going to steal physical things? Or is he doing datatheft?
I suggest learning your core skills rather than slotting them.
> Finger compartment with rating 6 lockpick gun
I'd say there's little need to have this implanted
> Cybereyes with all the toys
Good to be able to see in the dark, to see in the IR, flare compensation is a must because of flash grenades, muzzle flashes, or even the glare from streetlamps. Magnification is something nice to have but Microscopic vision is a MUST-HAVE piece of ware - can you say -2 to Electronics B/R tests?
> Cyberears with all the toys
You can hear a guard coming from behind the corner, you can hear ultrasound fields, you can hear ultrasound sights, you can filter out some noise so you hear something important better, dampener means you won't end up deaf for an hour if your buddy fires a shotgun near your ears...
> Skillwires 3 with Expert Chip Driver 3 (for extra skills)
With enough nuyen you can have all the skills your build points were not enough for burned onto a chip and throw 6 dice when you use them.
> Orientation System
It will be easier to navigate in difficult terrain (e.g. a large building, a sewers)
> Multislot Chipjack
For those skillsoft chips...
> Clean Metabolism
Guard dogs and other animals become less dangerous, and it has certain social advantages.
> Enhanced Articulation
Gives you +1 die for a lot of tests, Athletics and Unarmed Combat being good examples.
> WiredReflexes 1 with reflex trigger
Well, this is something I'm not sure about - I'd say too much Essence for too little bang, go with Boosted Reflexes instead.
> Smartgun link (for your grapple gun)
And for your *other* guns - DO carry one, even if you're a pacifist. You don't *have* to pull it out, you can load it with capsule rounds filled with DMSO+narcoject, ...
I'd say there's little need to have this implanted
> Cybereyes with all the toys
Good to be able to see in the dark, to see in the IR, flare compensation is a must because of flash grenades, muzzle flashes, or even the glare from streetlamps. Magnification is something nice to have but Microscopic vision is a MUST-HAVE piece of ware - can you say -2 to Electronics B/R tests?
> Cyberears with all the toys
You can hear a guard coming from behind the corner, you can hear ultrasound fields, you can hear ultrasound sights, you can filter out some noise so you hear something important better, dampener means you won't end up deaf for an hour if your buddy fires a shotgun near your ears...
> Skillwires 3 with Expert Chip Driver 3 (for extra skills)
With enough nuyen you can have all the skills your build points were not enough for burned onto a chip and throw 6 dice when you use them.
> Orientation System
It will be easier to navigate in difficult terrain (e.g. a large building, a sewers)
> Multislot Chipjack
For those skillsoft chips...
> Clean Metabolism
Guard dogs and other animals become less dangerous, and it has certain social advantages.
> Enhanced Articulation
Gives you +1 die for a lot of tests, Athletics and Unarmed Combat being good examples.
> WiredReflexes 1 with reflex trigger
Well, this is something I'm not sure about - I'd say too much Essence for too little bang, go with Boosted Reflexes instead.
> Smartgun link (for your grapple gun)
And for your *other* guns - DO carry one, even if you're a pacifist. You don't *have* to pull it out, you can load it with capsule rounds filled with DMSO+narcoject, ...
Well, now I can see the bonus of cybering your ears out as well, I'm still not seeing what skills in particular you need that you wouldn't be able to get without them.
Personally I use skillwires for all those skills you might need but can't afford to take. Biotech is a great example, as well as all the vehicle skills, many B/R's except Computer and Electronics, Diving, Parachuting, Extra little combat skills, as well.
IMHO Wired Reflexes with the trigger is far superior to any other relfex enhancing ware. They can be upgraded unlike Boosted Reflexes. They are also more common as many Special Forces units would use level 1's at the least. Since they can never be fully removed it gives you an excuse to own them. Since they can be shut off you don't to worry about blowing innocent people heads off.
IMHO Wired Reflexes with the trigger is far superior to any other relfex enhancing ware. They can be upgraded unlike Boosted Reflexes. They are also more common as many Special Forces units would use level 1's at the least. Since they can never be fully removed it gives you an excuse to own them. Since they can be shut off you don't to worry about blowing innocent people heads off.
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| What exactly is this B & E guy going to do? Is he going to steal physical things? Or is he doing datatheft? |
Datatheft would be a decker... so physical things.
If you don't want the full skillwire setup, a knowsoft link and datajack are still handy. They're cheap, but let you pick up linguasofts and knowsofts for interacting with guards and others in a less violent fashion.
From what I've read and seen there isn't much use for the old fashion physical locks much, it's all maglock driven (this will of corse be very dependant on your GM style).
Get things that help with B/R for technical skills...IIRC Enchephalon adds 1 or 2 Task pool dice for Technical Skills (good for Electronics), as does microscopic vision.
Might also want to consider an eye laser for cutting open things that a regular knife wont.
For more cyber-secure sites, maybe a cranial cyberdeck (or one impanted in a cyberlimb) for doing away with those pesky security systems and cameras.
For some reason Hydraulic Jacks add their rating for Altheletics (Stealth) tests, so an extra 5 dice to that might come in handy too.
Orientation system, spatial recognizer and Internal GPS would help alot with things too.
Last more elaborate option takes from above, but adds a cyberlimb mounted Remote-Control-Deck so you can use some mini recon-drones for checking the place out, keeping tabs on the guards, entrances, exits, etc. all fed to your Radio+Comlink.
Get things that help with B/R for technical skills...IIRC Enchephalon adds 1 or 2 Task pool dice for Technical Skills (good for Electronics), as does microscopic vision.
Might also want to consider an eye laser for cutting open things that a regular knife wont.
For more cyber-secure sites, maybe a cranial cyberdeck (or one impanted in a cyberlimb) for doing away with those pesky security systems and cameras.
For some reason Hydraulic Jacks add their rating for Altheletics (Stealth) tests, so an extra 5 dice to that might come in handy too.
Orientation system, spatial recognizer and Internal GPS would help alot with things too.
Last more elaborate option takes from above, but adds a cyberlimb mounted Remote-Control-Deck so you can use some mini recon-drones for checking the place out, keeping tabs on the guards, entrances, exits, etc. all fed to your Radio+Comlink.
Not everything has a maglock. one good oldfashioned tumbler lock can ruin a day pretty quick if you are not prepared. For the secuirity people who are thinking they add these to vaults and safes that are monitored via a Sonic Detectors. Then you set the mic pick up for the sound of the tumblers working. Anytime the safe is not opened without authorization alarms go off.
| QUOTE (lorthazar) |
| Not everything has a maglock. one good oldfashioned tumbler lock can ruin a day pretty quick if you are not prepared. For the secuirity people who are thinking they add these to vaults and safes that are monitored via a Sonic Detectors. Then you set the mic pick up for the sound of the tumblers working. Anytime the safe is not opened without authorization alarms go off. |
Hopefully as successful theif you'll spent your time learning about your mark ahead of time. It's far too risky to attempt B&E on a big payout site without doing some homework and hopong not to get caught. The hard part should be practice (casing the place, doing research, etc.) and game time should in theory, be easy as pie.
My groups have been less about caper type things since they can span alot of information, unknowns and situations that aren't easily done on-the-fly.
With rating 3/27Mp skillwires (fairly cheap even alpha, all things considered) and an ECD 3 you can pick up a Lockpick skill at rating 3 and throe 6 dice at all your lockpicking tests (7 with enhanced articulation and 8 or more with certain customization options). That ought to be good enough for the majority of locks you'll find. In general you should 'wire skills you'll have plenty of time to perform and only have to be performed one at a time, like Lockpicking and other technical skills, most B/R skills, and even some social ones. Odd as it sounds, Ettiquite and Negotiations aren't *that* horrible to slot, especially if you've got the cash to blow on cultured Tailored Pheromones. 
On the other hand, the encephalon is just too expensive Essence-wise and nuyen-wise to justify taking for anyone but a B&E person who's also a decker. That's one seriously worthless piece of 'ware, for the most part.
For avoiding detection, not only is ruthenium very very useful, but don't forget to wear something with Thermal Dampening to raise your Signature against vehicle sensors. Oh, and try to keep your total Essence above 3.0. Below that your Sig drops a point, which is very no good.
As a side note, one way I like to harass mages and ruthenium-happy people is to wire up important buildings with vehicle-style Sensors at decent ratings. The only thing that seperates that Invisible mage from the rest of the normals then is the lack of a -2 for direct line-of-sight.
On the other hand, the encephalon is just too expensive Essence-wise and nuyen-wise to justify taking for anyone but a B&E person who's also a decker. That's one seriously worthless piece of 'ware, for the most part.
For avoiding detection, not only is ruthenium very very useful, but don't forget to wear something with Thermal Dampening to raise your Signature against vehicle sensors. Oh, and try to keep your total Essence above 3.0. Below that your Sig drops a point, which is very no good.
As a side note, one way I like to harass mages and ruthenium-happy people is to wire up important buildings with vehicle-style Sensors at decent ratings. The only thing that seperates that Invisible mage from the rest of the normals then is the lack of a -2 for direct line-of-sight.
| QUOTE (lorthazar) |
| Then you set the mic pick up for the sound of the tumblers working |
Which is why the mage needs Silence, as pointed out in NAGRL. Its part of the thing that a B&E specialist is still going to need to be on a team, if only for magical support. Nothing worth stealing in 2064 isn't going to have astral defenses. A mage, on the other hand, is going to have to be pretty high in karma or money before he has the skill sets and gadgets to foil all the physical coutnermeasures.
When I made my second story man, it was right when SR3 came out so that was the only book we were using; as I recall he was a 90k sam, heavy on the technical things with probably 2 points of Essence left over; good stats and good skills (High stealth, atheltics, Electronics and lockpicking). Not the sort of character to make the gods quake in their boots, obviously. I still would have liked to play him, though.
| QUOTE (Mercer) |
| When I made my second story man, it was right when SR3 came out so that was the only book we were using; as I recall he was a 90k sam, heavy on the technical things with probably 2 points of Essence left over; good stats and good skills (High stealth, atheltics, Electronics and lockpicking). Not the sort of character to make the gods quake in their boots, obviously. I still would have liked to play him, though. |
Something i actually need for my game. I already have two Physads, a Combat mage, and a Samurai. With the Karma/Nuyen bonus for being in the first ten people to submit a character you could probably make him a decker as well or just about anything else you desired.
| QUOTE (GrinderTheTroll) |
| For some reason Hydraulic Jacks add their rating for Altheletics (Stealth) tests, so an extra 5 dice to that might come in handy too. |
I swear I just checked because I thought I had heard that in the past, and could not find it anywhere. Could you give me a book/page/paragraph please? Maybe they add their rating because it allows better control of how lightly you place your foot/feet down.
It doesn't exist, Tarantula. Hydraulic Jacks don't provide that advantage. Especially since there's no such thing as "Athletics (Stealth)."
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein @ Dec 7 2004, 03:28 PM) |
| It doesn't exist, Tarantula. Hydraulic Jacks don't provide that advantage. Especially since there's no such thing as "Athletics (Stealth)." |
Good, so I'm not crazy. They add their rating to Athletics (Jumping) and Athletics (Running) tests, and thats it, right? As well as reducing power of falls by their rating.
Just a few random questions along the falling line... Would balance tail/balance augmentation reduce the TN to the quickness test to land on your feet? Do level 4 or 5 jacks completely eliminate the damage from parachuting provided you land on your feet?
I suppose that's possible, and is indeed less ridiculous than many other things in SR. After all, IIRC it's in theory possible to fall out of a plane, hit a 5 or 6-ft snowdrift at terminal velocity, and get up and walk away.
| QUOTE (Eyeless Blond) |
| I suppose that's possible, and is indeed less ridiculous than many other things in SR. After all, IIRC it's in theory possible to fall out of a plane, hit a 5 or 6-ft snowdrift at terminal velocity, and get up and walk away. |
Well, it says parachute damage is 4M. But do you need to roll a quickness test to land on your feet? Or do you automatically? Does the balance tail and/or balance aug cyber help with that?
| QUOTE (Tarantula) | ||
Good, so I'm not crazy. They add their rating to Athletics (Jumping) and Athletics (Running) tests, and thats it, right? As well as reducing power of falls by their rating. Just a few random questions along the falling line... Would balance tail/balance augmentation reduce the TN to the quickness test to land on your feet? Do level 4 or 5 jacks completely eliminate the damage from parachuting provided you land on your feet? |
I mis-spoke on that. I am looking at a FASA-era M&M and in does indicate that you get the Rating in bonus dice for Athletics (Running) and Stealth. I'll have to double check the page, but will follow-up with a reference for you.
My picks for the character would be, augmentations-wise...
Bioware: Muscle Toner(Rating 2), Enhanced Articulation, Reflex Recorder(Stealth)
Cyberware: Move-By-Wire System(Rating 1), Chipjack Expert Driver(Rating 3), Cybereyes, Cyberears, Datajack, Headware Memory(30MP), Skillwire(Rating 4)(128MP), Multi-Slot Chipjack(4 Slots), Router, Smartlink-2, Voice Modulator
The muscle toner and move-by-wire make you quicker(higher linked attribute for raising stealth). Enhanced articulation, move-by-wire, and the reflex recorder all aid you further in the stealth category. With this package, you'll be adding 3 to your Quickness, 3 dice to all Stealth tests.
Chipjack/datajack allows you to interface with a wide variety of devices, as well as employ skillsofts for the varied skillset needs that might arise depending on the target. With the skillwires and expert drivers, you'll have at least seven dice to roll on a rating 4 skillsoft. That's sufficient to fake proficiency in almost any skill.
Cybereyes and cyberears, along with the router and headware memory, allow discrete recording of visual and auditory paydata, and having microscopic vision or magnification never hurt. Likewise, with the cyberears, high-frequency hearing should allow you to detect ultrasound fields, which will aid you in avoiding motion-sensors.
The voice modulator, as an afterthought, is a decent way of defeating voiceprint analysis, when combined with the aforementioned cyberear recorders.
However, one drawback of this option is that it costs almost all of your Essence, so future upgrades are more a matter of replacing with higher grade cyberware than actually purchasing an improved version of the existing implant. Good candidates for customization in-creation are the cybereyes, datajack, chipjack, and headware memory. Worst candidate for this is move-by-wire, as it's pretty pricey even at its lowest rating.
Bioware: Muscle Toner(Rating 2), Enhanced Articulation, Reflex Recorder(Stealth)
Cyberware: Move-By-Wire System(Rating 1), Chipjack Expert Driver(Rating 3), Cybereyes, Cyberears, Datajack, Headware Memory(30MP), Skillwire(Rating 4)(128MP), Multi-Slot Chipjack(4 Slots), Router, Smartlink-2, Voice Modulator
The muscle toner and move-by-wire make you quicker(higher linked attribute for raising stealth). Enhanced articulation, move-by-wire, and the reflex recorder all aid you further in the stealth category. With this package, you'll be adding 3 to your Quickness, 3 dice to all Stealth tests.
Chipjack/datajack allows you to interface with a wide variety of devices, as well as employ skillsofts for the varied skillset needs that might arise depending on the target. With the skillwires and expert drivers, you'll have at least seven dice to roll on a rating 4 skillsoft. That's sufficient to fake proficiency in almost any skill.
Cybereyes and cyberears, along with the router and headware memory, allow discrete recording of visual and auditory paydata, and having microscopic vision or magnification never hurt. Likewise, with the cyberears, high-frequency hearing should allow you to detect ultrasound fields, which will aid you in avoiding motion-sensors.
The voice modulator, as an afterthought, is a decent way of defeating voiceprint analysis, when combined with the aforementioned cyberear recorders.
However, one drawback of this option is that it costs almost all of your Essence, so future upgrades are more a matter of replacing with higher grade cyberware than actually purchasing an improved version of the existing implant. Good candidates for customization in-creation are the cybereyes, datajack, chipjack, and headware memory. Worst candidate for this is move-by-wire, as it's pretty pricey even at its lowest rating.
| QUOTE (lorthazar) |
| IMHO Wired Reflexes with the trigger is far superior to any other relfex enhancing ware. They can be upgraded unlike Boosted Reflexes. They are also more common as many Special Forces units would use level 1's at the least. Since they can never be fully removed it gives you an excuse to own them. Since they can be shut off you don't to worry about blowing innocent people heads off. |
I thought Boosted could be upgraded but not removed, and Wired could be removed or upgraded. (That may have been a houserule, but I could have sworn thats how it worked).
That is indeed how it works until 2063, when a special treatment is developed that will strip Boosted out of a system.
~J
~J
Its now canon that boosted reflexes can be upgraded? (I haven't bought new books in while. Kevyn = poor 
)
)
| QUOTE (kevyn668 @ Dec 8 2004, 10:57 AM) |
| Its now canon that boosted reflexes can be upgraded? |
In the sense that Genetech (?) can be used to strip them out of your body and you could then get new and improved ones implanted ... yes.
| QUOTE (Wireknight @ Dec 8 2004, 05:33 AM) |
| The muscle toner and move-by-wire make you quicker(higher linked attribute for raising stealth). Enhanced articulation, move-by-wire, and the reflex recorder all aid you further in the stealth category. With this package, you'll be adding 3 to your Quickness, 3 dice to all Stealth tests. |
The higher Quickness will only come from the Muscle Toner, not the MBW(cybernetic = not natural Attribute).
If you are expecting a fight, Boosted should do the job. I would recommend that you do not use the Skillwires. Unless you have a real library of them, they're not a good investment and sometimes you can't just predict what you need. A datajack with Knowsoft link or a chipjack would do. Invest in an Encephalon and a Math SPU(maybe not the SPU since you are not doing any decking, but it may help in your Matrix search for data on your target).
The reason I keep harping on Matrix and hacking is that some buildings still have their security systems linked to the Matrix.
Enhanced Artwinkulation and Clean Metabolism, cybereyes/ears are de rigeur for a B&E. Other cyber and bio are mainly a matter of preference.
| QUOTE |
| The reason I keep harping on Matrix and hacking is that some buildings still have their security systems linked to the Matrix. |
And many others have internal, non-connected hosts that have much lower security than they would otherwise.
What I meant to say the most buildings (even in Canon) have Matrix-based systems as opposed to a CCSS system.
Might be a fairly bit build point heavy, but youcould consider going the adept route with cyber and bio as well. They have some very useful powers that can't be replicated, and laying cyber over that makes them even more effective.
Like Traceless Walk and Magic Sense.
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| What I meant to say the most buildings (even in Canon) have Matrix-based systems as opposed to a CCSS system. |
It's a good point you are making about Matrix enabled security here.
Many building and even some homes, have computer controlled environments handling everything from cameras, lights, HVAC, door locks, you name it.
I would imagine this would be very pervasive in 2064 given the huge information age they have become.
Ultimatlely, it boils down to how your group plays, take to your players and GM's to be sure you are making choices that would be useful in your version of 2064.
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| The higher Quickness will only come from the Muscle Toner, not the MBW(cybernetic = not natural Attribute). |
i am not aware of anything in the books that says stat raises from cybernetics doesn't count, when raising skills linked to the raised attribute. as a matter of fact, except when it specifically says otherwise, the assumption is that the cybered attribute acts as a natural attribute in every way except the cost of raising the attribute itself.
| QUOTE (mfb) |
| i am not aware of anything in the books that says stat raises from cybernetics doesn't count, when raising skills linked to the raised attribute. as a matter of fact, except when it specifically says otherwise, the assumption is that the cybered attribute acts as a natural attribute in every way except the cost of raising the attribute itself. |
| QUOTE (p 245 SR3) |
| Since skills are linked to Attributes, costs to improve them are based not only on the skill rating but on the linked natural Attribute rating as well. |
Does that answer your question?
| QUOTE (FlakJacket) |
| Might be a fairly bit build point heavy, but youcould consider going the adept route with cyber and bio as well. They have some very useful powers that can't be replicated, and laying cyber over that makes them even more effective. |
Note how I said "not adept". Good. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
for Bioware, enhanced articulation is a must for the non-mages. muscle toner is nice as well, mostly because it improves reaction as well as running speed and how much armor you can wear. Also, theres a bit of gene-tech from 2063 that is a bioware bone lacing, +1 body, no encumberance, and undetectable.
essence-wise, i like to keep myself at 1.0+ so i can get that extra cultured bioware later (it makes sense to get bioware at under 2 or under 4, since those are where the breakpoints for the penalties are). the sig drop below 3 isnt that bad, just get thermal dampening (adds its rating to your sig). also under 1 gets aditional social penalties.
for the eyes, remember that you can only have 1.2 essence of stuff in each eye. Personaly, i go with about 1.12 of alphaware (.16 of that as a 'one eye only' image link). thermal, low light, ultrasound, flare compensation, image link, electronic magnification 3, microscopic, and the rangefinder (nothing specific about it in the sr3 books, but the old sr2 entry for it had it illustrated as an eye modification). If you want a time/date stamp, get a math SPU and link with router.
for ears, you need the dampner, amplified hearing, high frequency, spatial recognizer, and a select sound filter (the alpha lv 5 is expensive, but worth it with ultrasound).
1.24 essence and $207,600 of senseware. expensive, but worth it. you basicly need at least a B in resources, preferably an A.
orientation system, ultrasound vision, spatial recognizer, high-frequency hearing, and headware memory to store the maps you make. never forget the way back out of the cube farm maze.
a smartlink-2 is a must have for any non-mage runner.
audio/video recording is best done with seperate gear, its a lot cheaper. just hide the chips somewhere safe (like a storage tooth).
comunication is best done with a micro-tranceiver with eccm, encryption/decryption, and a subvocal mike. be alert to what channel the gaurds are on, and listen in if you can.
skillwires i think are a bad idea, mostly because their rating can be a penalty if you get a skilltwitcher shoved in there by someone. multislot chipjacks are good though (linguasofts are a must have).
if possible, get the necesary gear to rig or deck a security system. if the security rigger has you pinned down, jacking in and kicking him out may be your best bet.
what you need most, are high ratings in stealth, electronics, and electronics B/R, and the security procedures knowledge skill.
avoid anything obvious or distinctive looking. With B&E, you want to be as invisible as possible. your clothes should be either camoflague, or a disguise of some kind. your guns should be hidden. always have an electronics kit with you.
the trick here, is that if you ever try to get in place X in disguise, you have to go in through the archway, a disguised detecter (metal, cybernetics, and chemicals). if your loaded down with cyber, it will get a 6 on your alphaware eventualy.
essence-wise, i like to keep myself at 1.0+ so i can get that extra cultured bioware later (it makes sense to get bioware at under 2 or under 4, since those are where the breakpoints for the penalties are). the sig drop below 3 isnt that bad, just get thermal dampening (adds its rating to your sig). also under 1 gets aditional social penalties.
for the eyes, remember that you can only have 1.2 essence of stuff in each eye. Personaly, i go with about 1.12 of alphaware (.16 of that as a 'one eye only' image link). thermal, low light, ultrasound, flare compensation, image link, electronic magnification 3, microscopic, and the rangefinder (nothing specific about it in the sr3 books, but the old sr2 entry for it had it illustrated as an eye modification). If you want a time/date stamp, get a math SPU and link with router.
for ears, you need the dampner, amplified hearing, high frequency, spatial recognizer, and a select sound filter (the alpha lv 5 is expensive, but worth it with ultrasound).
1.24 essence and $207,600 of senseware. expensive, but worth it. you basicly need at least a B in resources, preferably an A.
orientation system, ultrasound vision, spatial recognizer, high-frequency hearing, and headware memory to store the maps you make. never forget the way back out of the cube farm maze.
a smartlink-2 is a must have for any non-mage runner.
audio/video recording is best done with seperate gear, its a lot cheaper. just hide the chips somewhere safe (like a storage tooth).
comunication is best done with a micro-tranceiver with eccm, encryption/decryption, and a subvocal mike. be alert to what channel the gaurds are on, and listen in if you can.
skillwires i think are a bad idea, mostly because their rating can be a penalty if you get a skilltwitcher shoved in there by someone. multislot chipjacks are good though (linguasofts are a must have).
if possible, get the necesary gear to rig or deck a security system. if the security rigger has you pinned down, jacking in and kicking him out may be your best bet.
what you need most, are high ratings in stealth, electronics, and electronics B/R, and the security procedures knowledge skill.
avoid anything obvious or distinctive looking. With B&E, you want to be as invisible as possible. your clothes should be either camoflague, or a disguise of some kind. your guns should be hidden. always have an electronics kit with you.
the trick here, is that if you ever try to get in place X in disguise, you have to go in through the archway, a disguised detecter (metal, cybernetics, and chemicals). if your loaded down with cyber, it will get a 6 on your alphaware eventualy.
| QUOTE (Teulisch) |
| comunication is best done with a micro-tranceiver with eccm, encryption/decryption, and a subvocal mike. be alert to what channel the gaurds are on, and listen in if you can. |
Personal Comm Unit at as high a rating as you can get, run through a Transducer (implanted or external).
| QUOTE (Teulisch) |
| essence-wise, i like to keep myself at 1.0+ so i can get that extra cultured bioware later (it makes sense to get bioware at under 2 or under 4, since those are where the breakpoints for the penalties are). the sig drop below 3 isnt that bad, just get thermal dampening (adds its rating to your sig). also under 1 gets aditional social penalties. |
We may differ in opinion on how much Essence to keep, but it is indeed in your best interests to stick to an odd number for remaining Essence, as it lets you hit those magic even numbers for bioware. I perfer the 3Essence/6Bio Index line for stealthy-types, but I can certainly see the case for a 1Essence/4Bio Index stealth sam too.
| QUOTE |
| skillwires i think are a bad idea, mostly because their rating can be a penalty if you get a skilltwitcher shoved in there by someone. multislot chipjacks are good though (linguasofts are a must have). |
I still disagree here. If you're ever in a position where skilltwitchers will be used on you and you can't remove them, then it's really not going to matter what kinds of TNs you're facing.
Skillwires are a great way to pick up skills you'd never bother with any other way, like Lockpicking or Vehicle B/R, and rating 3 chips are pretty cheap too: only 2700 
for up to seven dice to a lesser-used skill is pretty good I'd say.| QUOTE |
| if possible, get the necesary gear to rig or deck a security system. if the security rigger has you pinned down, jacking in and kicking him out may be your best bet. |
Heh, I really doubt you're ever going to be able to seriously challenge a security rigger or decker who's already in control of the system unless you've invested a majority of your char's resources into doing it. In this case you're better off running, and running fast.
| QUOTE |
| avoid anything obvious or distinctive looking. With B&E, you want to be as invisible as possible. your clothes should be either camoflague, or a disguise of some kind. your guns should be hidden. always have an electronics kit with you. |
One neat trick would be to collect a library of different styles and colors of dress, load 'em all onto a chip, and display them on your ruthenium suit (which you're no doubt buying anyway). Instant ability to change clothes, and with no extra baggage than a little Conceal 12 OMC. Of course you won't be able to copy a real suit or anything, but you can easily copy coveralls or other kinda of uniforms and add in different company logos and the like as needed, even add in things like false stains so people's attention will be drawn away from your face.
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||
Personal Comm Unit at as high a rating as you can get, run through a Transducer (implanted or external). |
Be careful here. Personal comm units are millitary hardware; walking around with one on the street could be a very bad thing if you get caught with it. No permits allowed, you know.
If you are gonna get one though a rating 4 is probably the most you'll ever need, and that's available at chargen. Maybe upping the encryption to rating 5 would be good if you're exceptionally paranoid.
while running through a transducer is good, unless you have multiple datajacks, it may not be the best use of your jack.
what we really need, is an external router that would let a datajack plug into several other devices at once. I/O speed could be a bit problematic with too many though.
where are the stats for the personal comm unit? im not familiar with it.
what we really need, is an external router that would let a datajack plug into several other devices at once. I/O speed could be a bit problematic with too many though.
where are the stats for the personal comm unit? im not familiar with it.
| QUOTE (Teulisch) |
| what we really need, is an external router that would let a datajack plug into several other devices at once. I/O speed could be a bit problematic with too many though. |
I just build a router into the Pocket Secretary, sort of like a mini patch bay. There's no reason for it not to work.
I don't think necessarily this is the best "second story man", but it's worked pretty well for me in play. So far. He's also light on Bioware, because of the design rules he was made under.
SKILLS
Active
Pistols: 6
Unarmed Combat/Karate: 3/5
Athletics: 6
Stealth: 6
Computer: 5
Electronics: 6
Electronics B/R: 6
Negotiation/Fast Talk: 3/5
Knowledge
Electronics: 5
Safehouse Locations: 5
Security Companies: 4
Security Design: 4
Security Procedures: 6
Security Systems: 6
Languages
English: 6
Japanese: 3
Skill Jukebox (Rating 5 / Task Pool 3)
Biotech
Car
Demolitions
Disguise
Etiquette
Launch Weapons
Lockpick
Negotiation
Rifles
Wilderness Survival
German
Japanese
Russian
Spanish
CYBERWARE
Eyes, Cyber Replacement (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Flare Comp (A) E:0.08
+ Eyes, Image Link (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Light Systems (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Low-Light (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Microscopic Vis. (A) E:0.08
+ Eye, Rangefinder (A) E:0.08
+ Eyes, Thermographic (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Vis Mag Ele[3] (A) E:0.08
Ears Cyber Repl (A) E:0.24
+ Balance Augmenter (A) E:0.32
+ Ear Dampener (A) E:0.08
+ Ear Hearing Amp (A) E:0.16
+ Spatial Recognizer (A) E:0.16
Boosted Reflexes [1] (A) E:0.40
Datajack(A) E:0.16
Encephalon [2] (A) E:1.20 (+2 Hacking Pool, +2 Task Pool, +2Int for learning new skills)
Expert Chipjack Dvr [3] (A) E:0.24
Knowsoft Link (A) E:0.08
Math SPU [2] (A) E:0.12 (+2 Hacking Pool, Complementary Math Skill (4), stopwatch, alarm clock, chronometer)
Retract. Climbing Claws (A) E:0.24
Skillwires [5] MP 75 E:1.00
Smartlink Processor II(A) E:0.16
+ Lim. Simsense Rig (A) E:0.08
+ Induction Pad (A) E:0.08
Transducer (A) E:0.08
+ Subdermal Speakers (A) E:0.08
BIOWARE
Extended Lung Volume II BI:0.30
Synthacardium I BI:0.20
SKILLS
Active
Pistols: 6
Unarmed Combat/Karate: 3/5
Athletics: 6
Stealth: 6
Computer: 5
Electronics: 6
Electronics B/R: 6
Negotiation/Fast Talk: 3/5
Knowledge
Electronics: 5
Safehouse Locations: 5
Security Companies: 4
Security Design: 4
Security Procedures: 6
Security Systems: 6
Languages
English: 6
Japanese: 3
Skill Jukebox (Rating 5 / Task Pool 3)
Biotech
Car
Demolitions
Disguise
Etiquette
Launch Weapons
Lockpick
Negotiation
Rifles
Wilderness Survival
German
Japanese
Russian
Spanish
CYBERWARE
Eyes, Cyber Replacement (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Flare Comp (A) E:0.08
+ Eyes, Image Link (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Light Systems (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Low-Light (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Microscopic Vis. (A) E:0.08
+ Eye, Rangefinder (A) E:0.08
+ Eyes, Thermographic (A) E:0.16
+ Eyes, Vis Mag Ele[3] (A) E:0.08
Ears Cyber Repl (A) E:0.24
+ Balance Augmenter (A) E:0.32
+ Ear Dampener (A) E:0.08
+ Ear Hearing Amp (A) E:0.16
+ Spatial Recognizer (A) E:0.16
Boosted Reflexes [1] (A) E:0.40
Datajack(A) E:0.16
Encephalon [2] (A) E:1.20 (+2 Hacking Pool, +2 Task Pool, +2Int for learning new skills)
Expert Chipjack Dvr [3] (A) E:0.24
Knowsoft Link (A) E:0.08
Math SPU [2] (A) E:0.12 (+2 Hacking Pool, Complementary Math Skill (4), stopwatch, alarm clock, chronometer)
Retract. Climbing Claws (A) E:0.24
Skillwires [5] MP 75 E:1.00
Smartlink Processor II(A) E:0.16
+ Lim. Simsense Rig (A) E:0.08
+ Induction Pad (A) E:0.08
Transducer (A) E:0.08
+ Subdermal Speakers (A) E:0.08
BIOWARE
Extended Lung Volume II BI:0.30
Synthacardium I BI:0.20
| QUOTE (mmu1 @ Dec 8 2004, 09:21 AM) |
| I don't think necessarily this is the best "second story man", but it's worked pretty well for me in play. So far. He's also light on Bioware, because of the design rules he was made under. |
I'll post my current attempt ATM, and so you all know, bioware is being restricted for this game at char-gen, so thats why it isn't in there.
Skills:
Active:
Muay Thai: 4
Maneuver Kick attack
Athletics: 6
Stealth: 6
Electronics: 5
Electronics B/R(Security Systems): 5/7
Pistols (Dart Pistol): 5/7
Parachuting(Low-altitude): 2/4
Knowledge:
Safehouse Locations: 6
Security Procedures: 6
Security Devices: 6
Security Systems: 6
Security Companies: 6
Cyber:
Kid stealth legs
+3 Quick each leg
Hydraulic Jacks: 5
Magnetic limb each leg
Balance tail
Retractable climbing claws
Body compartment: lockpick gun rating 6
Boosted Reflexes 2(a)
Ears Replacement(a)
Balance aug(a)
Dampener(a)
Hearing Amp(a)
High Freq(a)
Low Freq(a)
Sound Filter: 5(a)
Spatial Recognizer(a)
Orientation System(a)
Eyes Replacement
Thermo
Flare Comp
Microscopic
Mag 3
Ret Dup 5
Any feedback guys?
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| Does that answer your question? |
well, i meant except that.
| QUOTE (Tarantula) |
| Cyber: Kid stealth legs +3 Quick each leg Hydraulic Jacks: 5 Magnetic limb each leg Balance tail Retractable climbing claws |
Heh, not going for subtlety, are we?
Just keep in mind this guy's gonna look like a freak with all this obvious cyber, and will stick out in every crowd like a sore thumb.| QUOTE |
| Ret Dup 5 |
Drop this for ultrasound vision instead. Retinal duplication is extremely spotty; it's probably easier to just hack the security system instead. You get a nice discount on ultrasound with the high-freq hearing; use it.
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