Option 2

Garrett McAfee - "Fencer"

Fencer was born in Night City at the turn of the millennium.  One of the first generation of the city's street kids, he grew up in the shadow and firelight of corporate conflicts, running with a neighborhood gang whose power struggles replicated those of the high towers in microcosm.  In his late teens, he came to the attention of a corporate talent scout.  He signed on with a small security corporation, Taggart Precision Kinetics, just in time to become a footsoldier in the Fourth Corporate War.

Subcontracts and mutual aid agreements make for strange strategic maneuvers.  Fencer was in Europe, deployed on a covert executive protection op, on 20 August 2023.  TPK's headquarters vanished in the Nuke and the ripples of the DataKrash did for the company's offsite backups.  Operating under a false identity maintained by a TPK subsidiary, Fencer became homeless, jobless, and nationless overnight.

The chaos of the 4th Corp War's aftermath left plenty of opportunities, even for a guy who didn't exist.  Fencer rebuilt; clawed his way up from conscript-level cannon-fodder contracts; spent most of two decades as a deniable asset and ornamental smart meat weapon system for an endless succession of employers across Europe.  Last year, after the messy end of a messy affair, the Continent was no longer a hospitable place.  After bribing and shooting his way out, Fencer came home to Night City to see what was left of his old hometown.

Key skills: Handgun +15; Perception +14; Tactics +14

Cyber: Neural link; subdermal grip; enhanced antibodies; Sandevistan speedware; scratchers

Key equipment: Excellent heavy pistol w/ smartgun link
This message was last edited by the player at 19:34, Sun 20 Dec 2020.

I promise I'll have something done by tomorrow.

In reply to Dave (msg # 66):

No hurry Dave.  I’m at the farm this weekend and have a pretty long project list.

Teg: any word on the new blood?

Spartan, by any chance, can Lube Job install weapons attachments at a discount?

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I presume he can install weapon attachments, but in the rules as written, I couldn't find anything about discount.  Maybe Keys can provide some guidance?  The cost of the attachments probably include installation, so maybe there's some nominal discount for Lube Job to do it?

Having never played CP before, how important are weapon damage dice? Is it like D&D where more is almost always better, or T2k where the difference between an MP5 and a G3 doesn't have as much of an impact on whether the target is going down?

I'm trying to sort weapons. My PC has military experience so it makes sense for him to have the Shoulder Arms skill, but would a medic really lug around an AR in addition to all his other gear? Would a heavy SMG make more sense? Just trying to figure out skill and weapons budgets and I don't want to make a big mistake on way or the other.

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Damage dice are very important in punching through body armor.  However, because we may be operating in areas where law enforcement is still vigorously active, longarms should come along only when we're planning for a gunfight.  I'd say you should have options for covert and overt mission profiles.

GM's opinion may vary, of course.

My take is more usually equals better.  All hits ablate armor at the same rate as long as they penetrate, but more left over is helpful.  It’s more about balancing the different hit numbers at various ranges that you need to account for.  That 5d6 assault rifle isn’t going to do you much good in CQB compared to a low damage pistol or small AMG.

And to Teg’s point, carrying a long arm does project a certain something about your intentions...

Thanks, guys. So I'm thinking I will invest SP in pistols and shoulder arms, but probably start off the game with an SMG instead of an AR (and hope to acquire the latter later on). Does that sound about right? I just don't want to dump SP in SA if he'll never use it, know what I mean?

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I mean, that's why Cruz is packing a Mr. Studd...

Okay,

I’m back at home and back on shift.  Can we set a tentative goal of characters done by Sunday?

In the meantime I’ll work on some intro threads as characters come in and we’ll aim for a slow take off the week after?

I know we’ve got the holidays and perhaps more disruptive, Cyberpunk 2077 dropping so I’m not in a big hurry, but it would probably be good to start generating some momentum.  I know it would be for me.  Thoughts?

In reply to Data Source (msg # 76):

I think I can get Kentucky ready by Sunday. I pre-ordered CP2077 for XBox 1 back in March but I'm pretty sure I've got the willpower to hold off long enough to put the time in here.

Can I get an answer to the question I posted in #74?

@Teg: Would you like my opinion on which one of your PC concepts you should choose for Ch. 1? If not, it's cool. I don't want to be a busybody, that's why I'm asking first.

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This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Tue 08 Dec 2020.

Oh yeah, sorry!

Yes, balancing the two is probably wise.  There will come a day for the shoulder arms skill.

Yeah, I'll get something done by Sunday.

I think your proposed course of action is appropriate.  Start with an SMG, plus sidearm if you're so inclined, and pick up an assault rifle later when funding and need coincide.



Yes, please.  That's why I threw them out there.  I can go with either one, or come up with something else fairly quickly, depending on group opinions.  This is a familiar genre and setting for me and I'm comfortable with the base system, so I want to ensure everyone else has something they'll be happy with before I lock in on a team niche.

My two cents is that we've got a nomad (El-Lube-O'), so a Solo would give us more skill coverage/less overlap. I like the background too (they're both cool in that regard, so that's a push).

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El Lubricado is socially/culturally a Nomad but I think he's mechanically built in the Tech role.  Does that change your opinion?

Good point. It could. Do we know what role Dave's planning on going with?

The most important factor, IMHO, is that you play a PC that you really want to get to know and tell stories with.

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This message was last edited by the player at 04:17, Wed 09 Dec 2020.

Teg, if you’re still on the fence, my vote would be peace through superior firepower.  Or the Solo.

Teg, is your friend going to be joining us?

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Unfortunately, no.  He just joined a new Roll20/Discord campaign of something else and he's full up on commitments.

Great PC prologue's, Keys. Kentucky's already in quite a pickle but I can dig it. Giving his next move some thought.

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I’d say don’t overthink it.  View it as a chance to be cool.

Option 3

Martin Lowell - "Whisper"

Whisper, like many of his generation, grew up on Night City's streets, staring up not at the stars but at the lights of the megacorp towers.  Both were equally out of reach.  But the stars have to interface with the dirt to make business happen, and Whisper was a regular in the clubs where the informal deals were made.  He orbited their periphery, doing odd favors and hoping for his big break.

That break came one bad night in the Third Eye.  An exec decided to settle a problem kinetically and Whisper was in the right place at the right time to stop two bullets and make it look intentional afterward.  The suit he saved didn't feel particularly indebted.  The suit's assigned bodyguard, on the other hand, was very grateful - her boss had ditched her to go slumming, but that wouldn't have saved her job if he'd bled out under the drum set of Night City's third-best Samurai cover band.  So she got Whisper patched up, took him under her wing, and taught him a few things.

One of the more critical lessons was marketing.  Whisper needed a niche if he was going to be more than another disposable hero.  That niche, he decided, would be subtlety.  Razorboys with fuck-off-big guns and enough ostentatious chrome to shit out a motorcycle get noticed, but a lot of people need their problems solved in way that won't be noticed.  There's more money and cred to be made with a rep for discretion than one for putting hair on the walls.  And some of the best marketing is a satisfied customer who tells his friends - or his boss - about the guy who took care of an issue quietly...