Category Archives: Character Creation

Toon Tuesday: Zeke the Troll Enforcer (Shadowrun)

I decided to work up another Shadowrun character to really hammer out the character creation process in my head (also to add some better edits and groundwork into my blank template for future characters; the weapons and such now include descriptions where pertinent). This go around was much simpler, but I did go with an Enforcer rather than a decked out Hacker (which has received some big edits), which likely helped. I must say that I’m really enjoying the point buy system, I think it helps void a lot of the bad luck dice rolls and human error during creation (well, provided you have a calculator, anyway!) Trolls are where it’s at, friends!

Game: Shadowrun by Catalyst Games
Books Needed: Shadowrun Core Book (4E).
Recommended Setting: Any typical starting runner group, well suited to gang activity or as hired muscle, but does not do well in the matrix or virtual reality.

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'Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of your arm breaking. One more time, now, where did you stash the goods?' - Zeke

Metatype (40 BP)
Meta: Troll
Class: Enforcer
Nickname: Zeke
BP Used: 400

Attributes (200BP. Augmented score in parenthesis.)
BOD: 8
AGI: 5
REA: 3 (4)
STR: 9
CHA: 2
INT: 3
LOG: 2
WIL: 3
INI: 6 (7)

Edge: 2
Essence: 4
Condition Monitor: Stun: 10
Condition Monitor: Physical: 11
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Toon Tuesday: Skipjack the Dwarf Hacker (Shadowrun)

A Dwarf Hacker for my first Shadowrun character post! Keep in mind that I’ve never had the pleasure of playing it, though I flip through the book quite often and have written up a character for it before (a Troll Street Shaman called “Kodiak”). I love the grungy setting, it’s honestly a more realistic timeline and setting for me than other RPGs. Hopefully I will be able to convince my players to branch out some and give it a try.

I’ve read the Decker/Hacker got nerfed in some weird ways in 4E and basically rendered useless by the Technomancer. I’ve also heard they’re difficult to write and end up with a workable character, too; but I ran the basic concept by my Dad, who has DM’d Shadowrun before, and he loves it. Let me know of any mistakes and I will correct them, the point buy system is new to me, and some of my math may have been wrong, but I tried to keep track of BP and cost as I went along.

Note: His write up has received some major edits through layout/template changes and adding descriptions to his gear.

Game: Shadowrun by Catalyst Games.
Books Needed: Shadowrun Core Book (4E).
Recommended Setting: Any average starting runner group in need of a Hacker, or as a spy already in place at a corp and completely willing to divulge company secrets for the right price.

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'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Then infect their systems from within.' - Skipjack

Metatype (25BP)
Meta: Dwarf
Class: Hacker
Nickname: Jacob “Skipjack” Simms
BP Used: 400

Attributes (200BP. Augmented score in parenthesis.)
BOD: 2
AGI: 2
REA: 4
STR: 3
CHA: 4
INT: 5
LOG: 5
WIL: 4
INI: 9

Edge: 4
Essence: 5.6
Condition Monitor: Stun: 10
Condition Monitor: Physical: 9
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RPG a Day: A Whole Month’s Worth of Gaming!

A bit late to post, but a similar family emergency as detailed here has cropped up. While we are all shaken, we persevere and make the necessary changes to our life as needed. I will not be putting my weekly posts on hiatus as I dearly need this hobby of mine for stress relief, but I cannot cast aside any chance of troubles meeting my schedule in the future. Things happen, and while we are making every preventative effort we can, more may yet happen.

That being said, this was a delight to take part in and to share and relive my personal gaming stories. Much is copied from my personal posts on Google Plus, which you can still find on my profile, but there is much that was lost or not included that I stuffed in here! I hope you enjoy and find yourself reminiscing upon your own gaming (mis)adventures!

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One: First RPG Played
That would be Rifts by Palladium Books, and I was 17. My Dad was the DM, he had just gotten honorably discharged from the US Navy and he was looking to spend some time reconnecting with me, so he dug out his old copies and we spent about 4 hours going through character creation! My fiancé (now my Husband) was there, too, and while he had played Dungeons and Dragons throughout school, he’d never heard of Rifts and got sucked into it, too. I played a Freeborn Dog-Boy (played in the style of an Operator O.C.C. who specializes in mechanics), and my fiancé played a human Wilderness Scout.

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The campaign stretched on for a few weeks through nightly sessions, we’d gotten to level 14 or so, until finally Dad devised a player killer ending. We were up against an army of Coalition skelebots, tanks, towers, deathhead transports, SAMAS suits; it was very much meant to end the campaign. While my fiance and the rest of the party were taking down a good amount of baddies with some well timed explosions and great shots, I climbed up a tower with my gigantic wrench, taking pieces off as I went along, until I finally reached the point where I could hack into the terminals. Dad is the type of DM who operates on the belief that anything is possible, even if it’s incredibly unlikely (I got this DM style from him.) I had to succeed at two separate pencentile rolls (with a maxed out skill) and roll really well for both of them.

I somehow managed to do it. Then I used the tower to destroy the other defenses and take out droves of baddies, paving the way for a surprise success with my other powerful party members. Dad ended the campaign there because he was not only sick of the campaign itself, but also because he didn’t want to figure out experience. We went out and ordered a book from our local game store within the week and we’ve been playing ever since.
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