Character Discussion / Creation

Ah! Thank you both. That makes sense. I can work out a total BP cost from that.

One more question: is it even worth starting with a gun skill if I'm only rolling 5 or 6 dice? Would it be better to put those points into spellcasting stuff instead?

Your call. In my opinion, it's a good idea to have something to do if you can't risk Draining yourself anymore, because you're gonna get Drain, and you're gonna get shot, and those two things combined will at some point prevent you from wanting to cast more, lest you drop yourself.

But that something doesn't necessarily have to be shooting (it could be running or hiding or begging :P). It's pretty easy to increase skills in-play though (way cheaper than it is at character creation), so I wouldn't worry too much what your pool is now, it just depends on how you envision playing your character.

Heh, running/begging/hiding it is. I'll buy in to shotguns asap, perhaps.. I switched up some negative qualities, and with simsense vertigo giving a negative with smart guns, it seems a waste of points to use guns (and I'm envisioning a Luddite anti-VR anti-ware curmudgeon). I increased willpower to soak some more drain, just need a fetish or two for those bigger spells. Added summoning, added a power focus.

Somewhat final build below! I guess I need a name now...


----------------------------------
(400bp)
Dwarf - 25
(375 remain)
bod 2>4 (20)
agi 1>3 (20)
str 3
rea 1>3 (20)
cha 1>3 (20)
int 1>3 (20)
log 1>5 (40)
wil 2>6 (40)
(180 normal attributes - 195remain)
40 Magic
10 edge
(50 other attributes- 145 remain)
Pacifist +5
Gremlins +5
Simsense Vertigo +10
Sensitive System +15
Magician 15 (hermetic)
(+35 NQ, -15 PQ - 165 remain)
Dodge 2
Arcana 2
Assensing 3
Astral Combat 2
Banishing 1
Counterspelling 2
Spellcasting 6
Summoning 4
Perception 2
Con 1 (fast talk)
(102 skills - 63 remain)

Spells (3bp/spell) 8 spells, (24bp - 39 remain)
Heal
Improved Invis
Improved Reflexes
Stunbolt
Stunball
Levitate
Magic Fingers
Influence

Sustaining Focus - Healing 3 (15)
Sustaining Focus - Healing 1 (3)
Sustaining Focus - Manip 2 (6)
Power Focus 2 (12BP)
Foci - 36BP

Gear (3BP) 15,000ny

Smartlink is nice for its +2 dice to shooting, but you can always still get +1 from a laser-sight which is still something, but yea you can always pick up a Firearm later if you find yourself needing it.

Where are we from? Our characters, I mean.

You can be from anywhere. You're all in the same city sprawl at the start of the adventure. Part of the adventure is traveling to Lagos, so you can't be starting there.

I think the default setting assumes Seattle? That's as good a place as any.

Decided my guy is from Prague, and that he has been in Lagos before, revenging his father's death and fighting in the Seven King War. This was before I just now saw that part of the adventure is traveling to Lagos. Will that not work? (You can see what I have written of his backstory so far on page 1 of this thread.)

Having been in Lagos before is not a problem.

I just reviewed the start of the mission and it starts in Seattle. So, that's where we start! Everyone is in Seattle for whatever reason you decide.

Also, do any of you want your characters to have relationships with another PC before starting? Being brought together for the job is fun, but if a couple of you wanted to have some kind of relationship already, that's cool, too.

Do you all think we can shoot to have runner creation done by this coming Tuesday, 12-05-17? I'd like to kick it off before too long.

Submitted!

Approved!

I can be ready by then, most likely even before.

Don't forget Knowledge Skills everyone! You get a certain amount for free, so don't forget to spend those. I almost did...

Right! A lingering question... I can just make up knowledge categories, right? I know languages are important, so I took a few of those. I want to know stuff about magic, and have some background-developing knowledge, but maybe it's better as a new player to have generally not-so-useful knowledge skills (nothing about gangs, security, tech...), so my character and I can learn about the world together. That sounds pretty fun actually. But is it too limiting?

The 'newbie runner' concept actually works pretty well with not having any firearms training and being a pacifist too. Maybe Jericho lost his job and he just needs to make ends meet, and has no idea what he's about to get himself into. Could be spun as 'yeah the last mage got geeked last week outside of Portland. New guy came with a halfhearted recommendation but hey, catch as catch can'.

Knowledge skills are one of the few good places to add personality to PCs, IMO.

I mean like just about all of your character creation choices are very much "where the rubber meets the road"-type things in Shadowrun. Every PC needs just about every stat, your PQs and Active Skills are expensive so you need to choose those wisely, Gear is an important place to pick up dice to augment pools, and so on. But Negative Qualities, Contacts, and Knowledge Skills present opportunities to make mechanical choices that also can really make your character feel different than one with an otherwise similar build.

I wouldn't recommend taking completely frivolous Knowledges, but like three of my PCs main Knows are Business, Politics, and Sports. I mean he's a Face so those are somewhat driven by a desire to "Always have something to talk about", but also they inform his personality and background. So I wouldn't shrink away from choosing Knows that aren't "Runner-like", but also they are potentially a useful tool, so try and tie it into utility somehow.

What emsquared said. I don't have anything else to add other than to say, if you bring in a Knowledge skill to a scene, I'm sure it'll affect the outcome, in some way.

I'm looking forward to seeing how these characters mesh.

I've got three characters, at this point. Is everyone else thinking they'll be on track to have your character done by Tuesday?

Tuesday has caught up with me quicker than expected and I am quite exhausted, but I will try my best to get Goldie finished within the next couple of hours! Hope all is well.

If GM doesn't mind, maybe we could all coordinate Contacts to some degree, before we begin play?

Basically just so that we don't all end up with Street Docs, or Fixers, or something.