Message no. 1

From:	Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@****.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject:	Deckers under fire
Date:	Thu, 13 May 1993 13:25:59 EDT

Let me dispell a misconception. Deckers are not necessarily combat illiterate.
It is easy enough to design a decker who can be good at one combat skill and
have a decent combat pool. This can be done by playing around with concentrati
ons and specializations in most skill areas. This will allow you to create a
good decker that can hold his own in a fight. For instance, take the starting
version of Dark Elf. I managed to give him a Firarms(Pistol) skill of 6, and
a combat pool of 6 without compromising much decking skill. My rationale was t
hat if he has the tools to survive, he'll get the karma to upgrade to matrix
god status later. A great decker who gets killed in the first fight is
useless. Still, it pays to play smart. A character like this has to be carefu
l about allocating combat pool dice, and should be ready to run if it gets too
hairy. DE proved quite successful in combat, and in several cases was still up
and going strong when the group's physad was lying on the floor bleeding to
death, and was only slightly wounded when it was time to jack in...

...with a little number juggling at character creation and some wise playing,
(hell, even role-playing too, I have DE act in a way that the enemy won't
consider him a combat threat until it's too late)

With this character, I've managed to prove that a predator II heavy pistol can
be very dangerous in the right hands...

DE