ALL THE BRICKS - OOC

[TillForPie]

[MENTION=40413]GlassEye[/MENTION],

Not a problem, take all the time you need. I'm not sure what level of assistance you'd appreciate. I don't mind doing a full step-by-step walkthrough of creating your character with you, I just didn't want to overstep if you preferred greater autonomy. Like Shayuri mentioned, Riggers are known for controlling swarms of drones. And drones can be anything from flying turrets to insect-sized spies. Positives include the ability to keep your meat body very safe: Your flesh sack can cool off in the van while your drones get work done on the run. There are downsides: Drones cost money. And if you're losing drones each run you might struggle to make a profit. So be good at what you do! Another downside to the cool-off-in-the-van approach is that if the cyber security working for your target discovers your meat location (which is really more a matter of /when/) you'll be vulnerable. It's possible to make a decker-rigger hybrid. You wouldn't be as good a hacker as someone who went pure decker but you'd be more than good enough to work as backup for Death Otter.

I can come up with a list of other possible concepts/builds and provide them to you over PM if you'd like. Otherwise just let it keep percolating and let me know if and when you'd like assistance putting the character together. I know Shayuri and I don't mind at all helping and I'm sure Mosier would be fine with helping as well. What's most important to me is that we find something you can be enthusiastic about playing. The time it takes is a non-issue.

[MENTION=6792106]Sezarious[/MENTION],

I'd love to have non-players following along and you can feel free to commentate on the game in this thread but I don't think I'll include an NPC designed by a third party. I do appreciate the interest!

As for helpful videos, I've heard great things about the Shadowrun Beginner's Guide series by Boardgame Banter on Youtube.

 

[Sezarious]

Hmm, yeah. Looking through the complexity of the rules, now that i think about it, I might prefer to watch and learn for now.

 

[TillForPie]

I'm going to start the process of checking those characters who have been finished. Shayuri, is the character sheet in post #9 your official submission?

Mosier, have you finished your character?

 

[Shayuri]

I'm actually giving it a final pass even as I post now. In particular, I've been mulling taking a couple more negative qualities, and using the proceeds to buy one or two more Complex Forms. I shall update anon.

In fact, I shall repost for convenience's sake:

[sblock=Death Otter]Priorities
Attributes: A, Skills B, Resonance C, Metatype D, Resources E

BOD 3
AGI 4
REA 4
STR 2
CHA 3
INT 5
LOG 6
WIL 5
EDG 2
RES 6

Initiative 9+1d6

Limits
Physical 4
Mental 8
Social 6

Living Persona
Rating 6
Attack 3
Sleaze 5
Data Processing 6
Firewall 5

Qualities:
Codeslinger (Hack on the Fly) 10
Natural Hardening 10
Analytic Mind 5
SINner (UCAS national) -5 (Name: Dolores Zane)
Distinctive Style -5 (outlandish behavior)
Allergy -5 (Mild, Uncommon - Animal Fur)

Group skills
Tasking 5 (11)
- Compiling
- Decompiling
- Registering

Active skills
Computer 6 (12)
Cybercombat 4 (10)
Electronic Warfare 5 (11)
Hacking 6 (specialized in Hosts) (12/14)
Perception 2 (7)
Pistols 3 (specialized in semi-automatics) (7/9)
Sneaking 1 (specialized in Urban) (5/7)
Software 6 (12)

Knowledge skills
Area Knowledge (Campaign City) 4 (9)
Matrix Games 3 (8)
Data Havens (Matrix) 3 (8/10)
Security Companies (Knight Errant) 2 (8/10)
Underworld (Matrix Crime) 2 (7/9)

English (Native)
Japanese 5 (10)

Complex Forms (resist Fading: 11)
Diffusion of Firewall (FV L+1)
Transcendent Grid (FV L-3)
Resonance Spike (FV L)

Lifestyle
1 month of Low Lifestyle, 2000
Rating 3 fake SIN, 7500 (Name: Deezy Klatta)
Rating 1 fake SIN, (free) (Name: Beth Cotter)

Cash
801 ny

Armor
- Chameleon suit (with chem protection, nonconductivity and thermal damping all at rating 2), AR 9, 3700
- Armor vest, AR 9, 500

Weapon
- Browning Ultra Power, ACC6/7, DMG 8P, AP -1, ammo 10(c), mode SA, RC 1, int. laser sight, 670
** Silencer, 500
** Concealable Holster, 150
Ammo (7 extra clips), 35
- 30 regular, 60
- 20 APDS, 240
- 20 stick and shock, 120

- Streetline Special, ACC4, DMG 6P, ammo 6(c), mode SA, RC 1, -2 to MAD scans to detect, 120
** Concealable Holster, 150
Ammo (1 extra clip), 5
- 12 APDS, 144

Gear
MetaLink commlink, 100 (loaded with fake SIN)
Rating 2 Contact lenses with Flare Compensation and Low Light Vision, 1150
Subvocal microphone, 50
Trodes, 70
Electronic paper (6), 30
Stealth tags (8), 8
Sensor tags
- camera (4), 16
- mic (4), 16
Low light flashlight, 25
Slap Patch (Stim) 3, 75
Tag Eraser, 450

Contacts
Mac (Fixer) Con 6 / Loy 1
Reggie "The Snake" Conner (Street Doc) Con 2 / Loy 1
Tyler Horst (Knight Errant Officer) Con 3 / Loy 3

Karma expenditures
Current 0

Complex Forms
- Resonance Spike, 4kr
- Transcendent Grid, 4kr

Registered Sprites
- FUTBOL (Fault Sprite) Rating 6, 1 service, 1kr

Bonus starting funds - 6kr (18000ny total start funds)[/sblock]

Okay, a quick little analysis...partly so you can catch me out in any mistakes. Death Otter's a Sleaze Hacker all the way. Her Attack attribute is lackluster, and while she has some skill at Cybercombat she's no great shakes at it. In contrast, if she's using Hack on the Fly, on a Host, in full VR, she rolls 18 dice. This means she, on straight mathematical averages, actually blows past her Sleaze Limit. Which I will need to fix asap. In Matrix combat she relies on Resonance actions...either using Resonance Spikes for direct attacks, or conjuring up burly sprites to keep IC and spiders busy. In general she likes to have a Fault sprite registered at any given time to call in for backup. She's also fond of compiling Crack sprites on an as-needs basis to help distract systems and Suppress IC activation. This does make Fading an issue...she has a good resistance to it, but it only takes one or two blown rolls before things get hairy.

I'm a little unclear on Natural Hardening...it says that the bonus stacks with a Technomancer's Firewall. Does that apply to ALL Firewall dice pools, or only those relating to biofeedback damage (which for a technomancer is any kind of Matrix damage)?

One big giant gaping problem I detect immediately is that her dice roll to remove marks is kind of crummy. I mean, the POOL isn't terrible, but it's Limited by Attack, and that could be bad. Fortunately she throws an inordinate crapton of dice to Hack on the Fly, but even one blown roll gives someone a mark that she may not be able to get rid of without rebooting. Or, you know, sending a Rating 6 Fault sprite to go disintegrate the persona of. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

Otter's distinctive style refers to her personality and behavior. She lacks subtlety. My general guide in deciding what she does or says is to imagine someone who acts IRL the way most people only act when buffered by being safely, anonymously online. No filters. If she acts with restraint or tact, it's probably just to set you up for a punchline. She's in the biz more for the thrills and entertainment value than the money...she could probably get a decent wage doing something quasi legit if she really wanted that. Death Otter lives for those moments of perfect trolldom, when she not only gets what she wants, but gets it by really really embarrassing whoever was in her way. Or standing nearby.

 

[Shayuri]

Blah. Cash roll didn't work. Trying again. [roll0]

 

[TillForPie]

Natural Hardening provides +1 when rolling to resist biofeedback damage (Firewall [Willpower] + Device Rating [Resonance]). It doesn't modify any other rolls.

Your description of D0's Distinctive Style is good. Remember that what you're paying in exchange for Distinctive Style's karma bonus is the ease of locating your character. If D0's style is such that it can be easily suppressed or hidden, regardless of narrative concerns, you'll be asked to purchase the removal of the quality. Just something to keep in mind!

Everything looks great based on a quick once-over, I'll go over it in detail tomorrow.

 

[Mosier]

Wil's character sheet has been finished for awhile. He's an elf Black Magic aspected magician (with conjuring skills, so sadly no fireball zaps).

[sblock=Wil "Herald" Hearth]
Attributes (A), Skills (B), Metatype - Elf (C), Magic - Aspected Magician (D), Resources (E)

BOD 2
AGI 5
REA 5
STR 2
CHA 8
INT 5
LOG 5
WIL 3
EDG 2
MAG 4

Initiative 10 + 1d6
Astral Initiative 10 + 2d6

LIMITS
Physical (4)
Mental (6)
Social (9) - note: Trustworthy Quality increases this to 11 under certain conditions
Astral (9)

TRADITION - Black Magic
Resist Drain attribute: CHA
Combat: Fire
Detection: Water
Health: Earth
Illusion: Air
Manipulation: Man

QUALITIES
Aspected Magician (free)
Low-Light Vision (free)
Sensei (Liara Magdelina - "Influence" skill group)
Trustworthy

SKILL GROUPS
Conjuring (5)
-Banishing
-Binding
-Summoning

ACTIVE SKILLS
Assensing 3
Con 6 (fast talk)
Disguise 2
Escape Artist 2
Etiquette 4
Intimidation 3
Negotiation 6
Perception 2
Pistols 3 (holdouts)
Sneaking 3

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
Bars and Clubs 3
French (language) 4
Korean (language) 3
Religion (academic) 6
Sperethiel (language) 4

LIFESTYLE & GEAR
1 month Low
70 nuyen

ARMOR
Amor Jacket (1,250 nuyen)
Armor: 12
-fire resistance (rating 1)

WEAPONS
Streetline Special (390 nuyen)
-damage 6P, RC 2, AP 0, Mode SA, Ammo 6(c), Conceal -4
-Concealable holster
-Smartgun system, internal
-30 rounds regular ammo
-2 spare clips

GEAR
Commlink - Meta Link (100 nuyen)
Fake License (rating 2 - weapon license) (400 nuyen)
Fake SIN (rating 1 - Shepard Wilson) (free)
3 doses of Bliss (45 nuyen)
Glasses (rating 4) (3,175 nuyen)
-Image Link
-Vision Magnification
-Thermographic Vision
-Smartlink

VEHICLE
Suzuki Mirage (8,500 nuyen)

CONTACTS
Liara Magdelina - Omen Cult Member - CON 3 LOY 4
"Ivy" - Stripper at "Lasses" night club - CON 2 LOY 3
Victor Lansing - NYS Taxi Driver - CON 1 LOY 2
Thadeus "Thudd" Elmore - "Big Greens" Gang leader - CON 3 LOY 2
Zack Meer - Beat Cop - CON 2 LOY 2[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Hm! Interesting! I have a few questions/comments.

1) Where'd the karma go? You have a couple of positive qualities, but I don't think they add up to 25, do they? Even if so, I'm sure there's several negative qualities that could fit the bill for this guy.

2) What spells do you start with? I see your magic skills there, but a mage needs some spellz.

3) Smartlink without an implant only gives +1 to your attack pool, which isn't any better than the much cheaper laser sight. You could save yourself a ton of cred by switching to Gei...er...one of those. That'd not only make the gun cheaper, but the goggles as well.

 

[GlassEye]

I'm leaving this morning to travel to attend a funeral tomorrow morning and I'll be traveling again on Saturday. I'll be out of touch until Saturday evening at the earliest.

Yesterday I scoured the internet for inspiration and I've found a few things that have me thinking. I won't have a chance to work on them until Sat or Sun but know that I'm one step closer. Sorry for the delay, again.

 

[Mosier]

Hm! Interesting! I have a few questions/comments.

1) Where'd the karma go? You have a couple of positive qualities, but I don't think they add up to 25, do they? Even if so, I'm sure there's several negative qualities that could fit the bill for this guy.

2) What spells do you start with? I see your magic skills there, but a mage needs some spellz.

3) Smartlink without an implant only gives +1 to your attack pool, which isn't any better than the much cheaper laser sight. You could save yourself a ton of cred by switching to Gei...er...one of those. That'd not only make the gun cheaper, but the goggles as well.

The Karma adds up to 20 for qualities, and 5 for additional nuyen at character creation (I need that motorcycle!)

Wil won't ever be able to cast magic spells, as he's an aspected magician with conjuration instead of spellcasting. His magic priority was D.

The smartgun system is meant to work with Wil's glasses, which upon review I have neglected to include a smartlink on. The smartgun would have provided plenty of bonuses (accuracy +2, shooting around corners, and the +1 die bonus), but sadly I can't actually afford it after accounting for the cost of the smartlink. The laser sight is a good compromise. Thanks for helping me catch that!

TillforPie, please adjust my starting nuyen to 135, and replace the smartgun system on my pea shooter with a laser sight. Thanks!