You know, not all Otaku are ordinary street kids. For example, most Trolls tend to be smashy-smashy types, but some people play a Troll with high charisma, simply because they're so rare(and the "broken teacup" situations are a hoot.). Adult Otaku also exist; ever read the module Brainscan?
I would put a few points into Charisma, and get a few points of Corporate Equette. Although a custom edge/flaw would apply ("Looks like an ordinary Salariman"+"Blandness" would most likely be appropriate) would have to come into play, the fact that Otaku tend to have flaws abound makes this a non-issue.
An example would be a 25-year-old ex-wageslave. After working for many years under the watchful eye of (insert megacorp here), he eventually had a datajack put in. On the urging of his buddies (who worked as system defense deckers), he made a few attempts at running the matrix using his datajack and programs stored in a chipjack. However, he eventually encountered the Deep Resonance, leading to the loss of his job, and Matrix powers allowing him to smoke his once-friends who tried to stop him from entering the computer systems to as to erase his information. Now, he looks like an ordinary corp paper-pusher, but with a crucial difference: This paper pusher can wipe the floor with most deckers behinds.

amd the second the cash for karma rules or amoral campaign rules come into play the otaku completely stomps the decker in all areas

Using the Karma for Cash rule with an Otaku is just asking for powergaming - which is fine. But that supports my point that games with Otaku should be designed from the ground up, not insert l33t k!|>z here.

Well after lots of reading I have determine comabt decker is the way to go, I also have slipped riggin equipment inot the mix to counter riggers, I figure why not? If I am goning to specilaize in computer/electronics I might as well cover both areas.

Equip I have choosen to start

Data compactor 4
Ecephalon rating 2
Math SPU 3
Cerebral booster 2
multisoft chipjack 4
Chipjack Expert driver


Vehicle Control rig
remote control deck
remote control eccm
remote control encryption
Rigger decryption Module
Protocol Emulation Module

Except for vehicle control rig everything is rating 6

I chose the chipjack so I could extend some skills that I sacrifice for the money in the point based system.

I utilized the point based system

1 mil nuyen
Gnome +1 b +2 Will
That allows me to start with 8 willpower 8 int, effective 10 intelligence in some cases with Ecephalon

Is there any other gear I should be aware of other than eventually buying higher rating gear. I haven't included the deck because I dont know if I am creating one or buying prefab

Any way the debate is good. I probably will try an otaku later, a decker seems a bit better to allow decking/rigging and running the shadows some what effectively.

I am not rigging to control vehicles or drones, I am riggin to combat other riggers. Points are as follows 130 allowed
30- 1 mil nuyen
10-gnome
30- 30 skills
60- 30 attributes

B +1
Q
S
C
I
W +2


B6 (7) 8
Q5 6
S1 2
C6
I6 8
W6 (


After equip is I add suprathyroid and enhanced articulation to above gear

Cost comes out around 975,000 or so

Skills choice

Computer 6
B/R 6
Elctronics 6
B/R 6
Ettiquette 6


then skill softs pistols stealth and demolitions all at rating 6

Like I said I want to combat riggers without penalties. If I am missing skills other than vehicle driving skills let me know. My main concern is active securtiy rigger, and taking over their systems. Again this is my first attempt at making a combat decker/rigger. I figure I can fit everything if my deck is outside my head, and not internal.

Total essence cost 5.6 bio index 2.8. it all fits ( barely)

I now this is completely munchy but gnomes bonus to willpower awesome.

The only thing I sacrifice is strength, as cheesy as it is I get 2 priority A's in this scenerio

Keep in mind I am creating this character piece by piece, no finals are in site, give it a few days

I'd let the rigger worry about Security Riggers. But that's me. I assume you also have two datajacks...

As opposed to putting 1.5 million or more into a cyberdeck for under half the effect?

~J

You could start at age 1 for that matter. SR doesn't make any distinction as to the abilities of a baby or that of an adult. 20 years till the first fading.

Thank you Dr. Halberstam.

Sorry, I just had a mental image based on the different views of otaku here:

A cybered-up street sam pushes a baby-buggy up to a street telecom. He bends down, and says,

Sam - "Okay Bobby - you crack the MCT host for us, and you can go to the zoo, okay? And If you fuss, you don't get Mr. Blankie back."

Bobby - "I say, good fellow. Just because I happen to be physically challenged at the moment, don't think you can patronize me. Touch Mr. Blankie and the NSA will crucify you. Oh, and I believe I am wet."

Specialize!!!

Lantzer, ROTFLOL

Ewww, specialization...

Or did you mean in terms of role as opposed to skill specializations?

~J

Role, of course. I have tried to do the rigger/decker thing, and I sucked at both. The only way I can think to do it is with BeCKS and a gajillion Karma.

If all you want to use Rigging for is to combat other Riggers, then drop the VCR and go for a RC deck and a very high Electronics (Electronic Warfare) skill.

It's possible to do the Riggerdecker thing quite well. On the other hand, it usually involves waiting on one of them (probably the Decking) until post-chargen; Computers 6 is useful for a Rigger.

~J

But they get some seriously awesome metamagic techniques, including several that cannot be duplicated. Besides, initiating with a group or ordeal has some distinct drawbacks.

~J

yeah, but it's still just a metamagic technique. for the price, mages get a whole lot more.

Astral pool I can't argue with, but the actual effects of raising magic seldom come into play unless the mage in question is getting cyber/bioware, which the Otaku can get without penalty anyway.

~J

eh? higher magic means higher spell pool, higher masking, more people you can protect with shielding, higher max force for summoned spirits, and lots of other stuff i can't think of straight off.

edit: misremembered one item.

True. I'll concede the point with the provisio that I may unconcede it in the future if I can find anything else.

I still say you get a fair amount for the karma.

~J

Edit: Isn't masking tied to initiate grade, not magic rating?

i'm 99% sure that conscious masking requires a roll of your magic score against the total force of what you're trying to mask, and i'm pretty sure that the TN to pierce regular masking is the character's magic score.

i guess what otaku get for submersion is within the vicinity of 'fair', for the price they pay. it just hurts, when you look at what mages get for a similar price.

The only reason I was looking into VCD was the improved initiave, or does that not factor while working against active security? If it doesn't great that's huge savings

Don't forget that rigging and decking don't mix. Having a VCR that can't turn off hampers your decking ability. Buy reflex trigger or suffer large.

Nope, the rule is in Matrix I believe under rigging. Having a VCR interefers with your ability to use the matrix.

p28 Matrix - Riggers and the Matrix.

I thought that only applied to trying to deck a rigged system or rigging in the matrix. If someone has both they do not have the negatives. I'm still looking if VCR actually happers ability no matter what. Haven't read that....in either books rigger 2,3 and matrix, SR3, or target matrix

ignore this effect with reflex triiger

While obvious to most, it is worth mentioning in the otaku/decker comparison that an otaku always has the option of using a deck.
They make the same amount of money and get the same set of cyberware; what else is the Otaku going to spend his money on?
The otaku will need a good deck eventually, anyway.

gah, forget it...

Again, the Otaku's time-to-fading is almost always much longer than expected lifespan as a Shadowrunner.

~J

Been so busy lately, I missed this thread.

There's no way I can answer the "which is more powerful?" question. They both can be, under the right conditions and depending on your game. Considerations like how much karma your group gives for a run and optional rules like "karma for cash" can completely skew the whole discussion.

I can say a few things though.

On Adult Otaku:

The adult otaku in SR are a pet peeve of mine; as an author of Brainscan definitely don't count me among those responsible for or in favor of them. Dave Hyatt didn't like them either. Don't know how Brian Schoner felt. The adult otaku were a product of the SR novels that did not follow the game rules (like many other things that sneak into the novels) but still end up as canon because they reach print. I know Dave and I tried desperately to minimize their participation in Brainscan but they were added in a lot more during editing. Also, technically, most of those adult otaku NPCs are AI-created otaku and should be limited in that regard (but they tend to ignore those limitations too).

On the difficulties of playing an otaku in a shadowrunner group:

That's intentional. Otaku aren't meant to fit nicely into the world of shadowrunning. They were originally an NPC-only concept adapted optionally to player-character play, but they were never designed to be part of the regular game of Shadowrun. They are freaks and oddities and most shadowrunners would not want one in their team. Like shapeshifters and ghouls, they exist in the Sixth World, but they are not a natural part of the shadowrunning community; they stand outside of it and therefore should face difficulty if you attempt to integrate them into a shadowrunner's world. They are not suave, they are not social (except with their own kind or people who spend enough time in the Matrix to almost understand them), and yeah, they likely will face real world prejudice (which is just another reason why they often choose to deal with the real world as little as possible). If you don't want to play these aspects of an otaku, you really don't want to play an otaku, because that's part of what they are.