The CRB suggests teh following steps:
- Define your role and background
- Pick your priorities
- Pick your positive and negative qualities
- Spend the starting kamra
- Polish the character
While those steps are a good guideline they're missing a few things so lets go into some of that and add detail. And over the outcome a section should have (rule wise).
This is a helpful first step. I personally like to start here as it guides me through the rest of the process. I use the characters history as a guideline if I'm unsure how do spend points. Knowing where a character comes from and how they arrived there can be very helpful.
It also will make playhing them easier since it shapes how the caracter reacts to certain situations. Last but not least it is a useful tool for the GM to tie characters into the story and make the story feel more personal.
- Role:
- Metatype:
- Magic/Adept/Technomancer:
I like to think about the priorites as "What did the character focus their efforts on up to this point." and use this as a guiding principle on how to assign them. Others prefer a more number based aproach to see how to optimise the spending. Both work, neither is wrong, it's down to personal preference - and you can find your own. That said since I'm writing this I'll explain my aporachg - contributions welcome!
Before we go into picking priorties a word on "Metatype" and adjustment points. You can spend adjustment points (the number in
() in the metatype column) for Edge, Magic, Resonance and the metatype specific attributes (p. 64):
- Human: -
- Elf: Agility, Charisma
- Ork: Body, Strength
- Troll: Body, Strength
- Dwarf: Body, Strength, Willpower
From the last section we have a few things that are easy.
- If you decided not to play An adept, mage or technomacner you pick "Magic or resonance" E, no arguing about this.
- If you play a Human you pick "Metatype" E-C (C only if you wish need Magic or resonance)
For the rest my approach is the following:
- A character that focused on strenghtening themselfs: High "Attributes"
- A character that focused on learning and training certain skills: High "Skills"
- A Character that focused on maing $$$: high "Resources"
- A Character that focused on learning their connection with magic or resonance: high "Magic or resonance"
Or do the math to what works out for the stats you want - there is nothing wrong with going back and changing things.
- Adjustment points:
- Attribute points:
- Skill points:
- Resources:
- Number of initial spells, adept powers or echos (initial "Magic or resonance" * 2):
NOTE: You can buy additional attribute levels with Karma at the end of character generation. NOTE: Some skills can be attribute by qualities.
Wtih two exceptions, all attributes start at 1. The exceptions are:
- Essence, this starts at 6
- Magic/resonance, this starts at the value noted in the "Magic or Resonance" column
Start with an empty sheet, the first number you write down is the initial magic or resonance (0 if you picked E for this).
Next I reocmmand spending your adjustment points since they're limited to a few attributes and not generally applicable.
Write them down behind the relevant attribute, if you already have a value in magic and want to increas it note it down
as + X.
Next start spending attribute points, again if you already spend adjustment points on an attribute note down the points you spend
as a + Y to keep track what points are from attribute points and what are from adjustment points.
Keep in mind that you can only ever have a single attribute at the metatype maximum so a human can have 1 attribute at 6 (or edge at 7) all oterhs can be not higher then 5 for now.
- Filled out: Body, Agility, Reaction, Strength, Willpower, Logic, Intuition, Charisma, Edge, Magic, Resonance
If you decide to pick an attribute of 1 make sure to explain why and it having impact on your day to day life and work as a shadowrunner.
NOTE: You can buy additional skill levels with Karma at the end of character generation. NOTE: Some skills can be affected by qualities.
Skills specify what your character has learnt, one skill point equals one skill level or an specialisation (a specialisation adds +2 to that expertise vs. +1 normally gained when leveling up a skill). Specialisations can only be taken once per skill.
The maximul level for skills is 6, (unless qualties are used). As a result a specialisation can reach a maximum of 8.
Do not forget to get knowledge- and languageskills p. 67 & p. 97, they can come in very handly. You get one native language for free and a number of free knowledge and language skills (levels) equal to the characters Logic.
- Active Skills and specialisations
- Knowledge Skills
- Language Skills
If you pick excoting weapons make sure to explain how you got to this point and it to have an effect on your life as a runner.
If you are a magic user or technomancer you get a number of spells, powers or complex forms equal to the inital magic attribute times two (the number in the priority "Magic or resonance" not the value you raised the attribute to). Mystic adepts are more complicated - read p. 66 for that.
- Adept powers can be found at p. 156 (and following)
- Spells can be found at p. 130 (and following)
- Complex forms can be found at p. 187 (and following)
- Starting spells, for mages or mystical adepts
- Adept powers, for adepts
- Complex forms, for technomancers
Adepts only.
- Attributes: Some adept powers affect atributes
- Skills: Some adept powers affect skills
See p. 69.
Qualities are character quirsk and weaknesses (negative qualities) or special strength (positive qualities) that affect the character both from the stats, capabilities as well as how he plays.
Some metatypes come with 'built in' qualties such as low light vision for example.
You can get up to 6 additioanl qualities during character generation.
- Positive Qualities
- Negative Qualties
- Skills: Some qualities affect skills, if you picked one of them adjust the skills section acordingly
- Attributes: Some qualites affect attributes, if you picked one of them revisit the attributes section
Expect negative qualties to have an effect on your character and have an explenation how the character ended up there. They are not free karma and have long lasting consequences.
You can spend the remaining karma as to the table on p. 68. This does not lift the limitation of maximum levels for attributes or skills.
- Skills: if you raise skills adjust the skills section acordingly
- Attributes: if you raise attributes revisit the attributes section
In some of the steps you might have written x + y for attributes or skills, now is a good time to sum them up.
Depending on what your character needs go over the gear section on p. 244 and following and buy stuff. Some bio and cyberware will affect stats, those should be noted in the attributes (or skills) as a + x after summing up numbers in the prior step to indicate they are not part of the character but rather boni gained by modifications (that might change).
Be ware that a very low essence attribute will make your character hard to heal and lead to mental issues as the mind and sole can not deal with loosing so much of what makes the character metahuman.
- Skills: Some cyberware or bioware affects skills note those modifications as
+ x - Attributes: Some cyberware or bioware affects attributes note those modifications as
+ x
Very low essence leads to mental issues, it should be visible in the characters behaviour.
There are some calculations that have to be made at the end to fill out the rest of the attribute section we mentiond earlier. You can find the remaining steps here on p. 67.
It is very helpful to write down skillpools for common skills (attribute + skill), normal attack and defense values and skillpools for weapons / combat actions.