Archetypes[]
Although the skill system in Shadowrun is freeform, certain combinations of skills and equipment work well together. This combination of specialization in skill and equipment is known as an archetype.
The most notable archetypes are Street Samurai, characters who have heavily augmented their bodies with cyberware and bioware and focus on physical combat; Adepts, characters who have magical abilities that increase their physical combat abilities; Deckers or Hackers who are experts at manipulating computer networks; Riggers who augment their brains to achieve fine control over vehicles and drones; Magicians who cast spells and can view emotions and call spirits from astral space; and charismatic confidence tricksters and negotiators known as Faces.
However, the archetypes are not character classes: the player is allowed to cross boundaries. Restrictions are not imposed by the system itself, but by the player's specializations. Because character-building resources are limited, the player has to weigh which game resource he or she wants to specialize in and which to neglect. This allows high character customization while still ensuring that characters are viable in the setting.
