Sunday, January 23, 2022

2022 Character Creation Challenge - Day 23

Shadowrun.  The very word conjures up memories of a cool softback book, lots of dice, and a video game that I'm not sure I've ever played.

This makes you wanna grab a Crown Royal bag full of d6s, don't it, chummer?

My copy of the 1e rules went away in my second great games purge (the first claimed ALL the AD&D 2e softcover supplements - I am forever a dumbass), and there are times I regret that.  With time, I have acquired PDFs of it (and other books), so the memories are still accessible, but without the awkward, albeit impressive, storage of it all.

So yes, today's wizard is from Shadowrun 1e.  How different it is from Catalyst Games Lab 5e version, I could not tell you (but I bet the forums can).  So let's get started, chummer.


Archetypes are faster than page-flipping and finally working out a PC that looks an awful lot like an archetype, just without the associated artwork.  I'll be skipping that, because an archetype works out fine - after all, it's the background and roleplay that's important, not the mechanics, right?  I'll use the picture, as well, because it fits.

Cybereyes, a component pouch, and a big honkin' pistol.  Eat your heart out, Harry Dresden!


William 'Wild Bill' O'Rourke, Burned Out Mage

Attributes:
Body 3
Quickness 2 (3)
Strength 3 (4)
Charisma 1
Intelligence 4
Willpower 4
Essence 1.4
Magic 1
Reaction 3 (5)

Skills:
Conjuring 4
Etiquette (Corporate) 2
Etiquette (Street) 2
Firearms 2
Magical Theory 4
Sorcery 4
Stealth 2
Unarmed Combat 2

Cyberware:
Cybereyes with Thermographic Imaging
Wired Reflexes 1
Muscle Replacement 1
Skillwires 4
Smartgun Link
Skillsoft (Fichetti Pistol 4)

Contacts:
Bartender
Mr. Johnson
Street Doc
Talismonger

Gear:
Lined Coat
DocWagon Contract (gold)
Fichetti Pistol with Smartgun Adaptor
Two Specific Spell Focuses (1 point each)
1 Trauma Patch (5)

Spells:
Analyze Device 5
Analyze Truth 5
Armor 4
Clairvoyance 5
Heal Moderate Wounds 5
Hibernate 4
Invisibility 4
Mana Bolt 5
Mind Probe 5
Sleep 5
Telekinesis 5

History: William "Wild Bill" O'Rourke earned his sobriquet as a rising star of a street mage, taking chances and always pulling through.  After several sizable scores, Wild Bill began to believe the hype, and it damn near killed him.  His hubris did kill most of his team, and that haunts him - thankfully not literally (not often, at least).  Since that time, William has been trying to redeem himself, to the point of giving up (partially) on the magic that 'failed' him on that fateful mission.  He still runs the shadows, and is handy in a firefight, his magic providing a surprise that mostly pays off.

Goals: Sad William most desperately seeks redemption and forgiveness.  On the anniversary of that disastrous mission, William remembers his dead friends.  The alcohol combines with William's magical ability and memories to effectively bring back the ghosts of his team.  They have mostly forgiven him, but there are two holdouts, and until they forgive, the entire lot of them meet up annually.  

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FASA uses archetypes in this book, similar to what they did in Mechwarrior.  They also use the same priorities set up, A-D.  I guess if it (kinda) works, there is no need to fix it.  My distaste for long chargen makes these archetypes a handy addition to the game.  
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