For discussing how to generate a character for this game.

We will be using Shadowrun 5th Edition. I'm open to any sourcebooks. Please provide references for unusual things.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:31, Fri 02 Dec 2022.

Please use the Shadowrun 5th edition character sheet from Heaven : link to a message in another game

Reposting my questions for the GM here:

1. Mystic adepts (assuming I go with this) have a bit of a problem in that they need to buy their power points at 5 karma for 1 point. That works fine for a normal game, but in a street level game there may not be enough karma to buy all available points at character creation. How would you handle this? Would it be possible to buy more power points (up to my starting magic) at a later point in the game, for 5 (or 10, if going with the way qualities work) karma for a point? Or would I be stuck with what I can buy at character creation?

2. At street level there's also a limit of 13 extra karma points for negative qualities. Kinda hard to select exactly 13 points worth. Can I take more of them? I am perfectly fine with only getting 13 karma points for them, even if they are worth more.

3. What are your thoughts on point buy build method? I am a big fan of it, as it's far more flexible compared to priority build, even if priority build allows for more powerful characters (at least going by karma worth). It allows me to round up my character and put a point or two in some flavor skill without feeling like I am wasting my points. Any chance of point buy being available? Should be easy enough to adjust it for a street level game.

1. Yes, Karma will be reduced, just like nuyen for the techheads. You will not start out powerful. However, given the slower pace of PbP games, I expect to bump the rewards a bit.

2. You may not spend more than 13. 10, sure, 12 ok.

3. To be clear, we're talking about the Point Buy system of page 64 of Run Faster. In systems that have them, I prefer them. I'm uncertain how this system would adjust to "Street Level". How about you try 500 Karma and see if that gets you close to the rest of the PCs.

Thank you. To test the point buy build method I first used Chummer to make my character using street-level priority build. Then I quickly tried to remake it with the point buy method. And it easily came over 800 karma worth, probably about 850. So, I think I am far better off just using priority build.

I think I've heard that all of you are winding up character creation. Great.

Now, how do y'all want to know each other?

There are lots of options for this question. I can set up a meet by with a Fixer. Y'all can already know each other. Fate handles this by asking each player to define an Aspect of their character that has a connection to another character. It's described here : https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/phase-trio under Crossing Paths. I can stage a scenario that has y'all stumble across each other. I just don't want the PhysAd to kill off the Technomancer straight out of the gate.

So Brannigan is Irish American and I made up a small part of Puyallup that is called Little Ireland that is mostly Irish folk. His fixer lives in that area as well though she has connections farther reaching than that.

He is a former ganger. I'm happy to have met someone on a job. Or a current or failed dating relationship (cause then you start working together and it's awkward). lol

Nah, Chop Chop doesn't have a prejudice against Technmancers.  Being an Ork from the Puyallup Barrens, he'd have had his share of them hiding out thanks to idiots like Brackhaven, (and plus being in 2075, the whole CFD mess still hasn't broken out).

But I'd be willing to have had him have a working history with people like Brannigan who are settled in the Barrens and surrounding environs.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:16, Wed 07 Dec 2022.

I think it could work out such that Reyna ran tech support for one of Brannigan's jobs. It would also work out well that Reyna had to hide in the Puyallup barrens and met Chop Chop there after her initial encounter with people hunting her for the technomancer bounty. It wouldn't be too out there for her to have met Winter while doing matrix work or hardware repairs.

Winter might be the most difficult one as an Awakened character.

Easy to have been brought together with Winter on a job before by a Fixer, for at least one of us probably. Different jobs needs variety of peeps for them, right?

That could work. Maybe similarly to Reyna a magical support of some kind was needed for a job before? Magical recon maybe? Or mind probing someone?

Also, I'll have her work part time at a local pawn shop / fence, so if any of you guys ever had to sell or assess some exotic or possibly magical item, you could have met her there.

Having had interactions related to fencing would also work well for Reyna. She has the skillset necessary to illegally transfer device ownership, so she could have met Winter while doing that for whoever Winter is employed by.

Also could work. Plus, even a perfectly by-the-book pawn shop would sometimes need someone to transfer device ownership of some piece of pawned gear, all completely legal.

I imagined the shop in question to be owned by an elderly chinese expat (and Winter's contact) who is running it as a (mostly) legitimate business. Though sometimes he does serve as a fence for the locals, as long as the goods are not too hot.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Wed 07 Dec 2022.

Ooh that could work.  I don't have the Sensei quality, but Chop Chop could be taking some pointers from the onwer.

I liked the idea I put him in as a Contact Fixer of Connection 3/Loyalty 2 as a Fixer if people are thnking of that.  (Loyalty rating would probably different for Winter)

...I would have to nix one of my contacts to take another. Or drop one down to C1/L1 to get another one at C1/L1 I suppose.

I DO have an ID manufacturer as a contact that people could have used to get Fake SINs from, though I'm not sure how that would tie us together since that's the LEAST likely contact to put people in touch with others, lol.

From Winter's description, the pawn shop owner is not a fixer unless coerced into it. To me that sounds like Connection 2 / Loyalty 1.

Or did y'all think this guy is actually a mover and shaker?

2/1 is fine, it gives me a bit more to work with.

I spent all of Reyna’s contacts on being friends with other technomancers since submersion groups were a thing. Maybe she’ll be able to trade favors in exchange for extra machine sprite support during runs?

Pretty much how I imagined this guy. I have him as Connection 2 (so he's not really a mover and shaker) and Loyalty 4 (because he is Winter's friend and someone she listens to, in case GM needs Winter to do something).

If someone else is interested in making him their contact, I've put his name down as Jiang Wen, and the pawn shop as Wen's Antiques. His shop is located in a relatively safe area (compared to Puyallup at least), somewhere close to but not actually in the barrens, and was there for a long time. It may have even started out as an antique shop before the neighborhood went to hell. The old geezer likes to complain a lot, but is actually someone who puts his customers (or at least the locals) before profit.