Violence is inevitable.
A street samurai is a shadowrunner that specializes in physical combat, typically developing their edge by replacing their meat with some combination of better meat (i.e., bioware) and metal (i.e., cyberware).
Set your Colt's firing mode to full-auto 6 (see: HELP MODE). Against easier targets, you can use the semi-auto or burst-fire modes to save on ammunition, or you can use your nightstick for quieter work. Because you have good armor ratings, your combat pool (see: HELP COMBAT POOL, HELP CPOOL) is better allocated to damage soak instead of ranged dodge. Switch combat pool dice over to offense as needed to defeat your opponents.
When facing off against spellcasters, try to shoot them down at a distance, as they can only cast spells at targets within their own room. If you need to enter their room, be sure to attack them as soon as you can to limit their ability to cast spells.
The assault rifle is arguably the best general purpose firearm type in the game. With the firing mode set to full-auto 6, you have good power, a damage level of Deadly, and inflict a 2 TN (see: HELP TN) penalty to your opponent's ability to dodge, all while being able to stay on your feet (i.e., not prone) for mobility and melee defense and not risking self-knockdown from firing heavy weapons. While you begin the game without being able to fully compensate for the recoil from full-auto 6, your smartlink 2 (cyberware paired with the firearm accessory) and natural low light vision help ensure that you hit what you aim at and increase the odds that you'll do damage through armor.
Your skill in clubs is meant for blocking melee opponents while wielding your assault rifle, though you also have a nightstick as a quiet and less-lethal option.
Your skill in biotech (see: HELP TREAT), along with your symbiotes bioware, reduce the time you need to recover from wounds.
Your pain editor (see: HELP PAIN EDITOR), when activated, lets you ignore penalties from stun damage (until it overflows into physical), keeping you conscious and fighting even if your mental track is fully depleted. This can be particularly useful when taking stunbolts from spellcasters or attempting to swim while half-drowned in rough waters. But injuries are not obvious when you feel no pain, so be careful to back off before you take too many hits.
If you do lose a fight, your platinum tier contract ensures that DocWagon will do their best to recover you and your gear, and your metabolic arrester maximizes the amount of time they have before you bleed out.
Find an instructor to help you develop your negotiation skill (see: HELP PRACTICE). This skill is used to negotiate higher pay from Johnsons (see: HELP AUTORUN) as well as better prices when buying/selling items at grey and black markets. Training up your charisma first will reduce the karma needed to increase negotiation and etiquette skills.
The improved gas vent IV and foregrip on your Colt M-23 are not quite enough to compensate for the recoil of firing full-auto 6. Consider upgrading to one of the assault rifles that have integral recoil compensation, or look into implanting a foot anchor. The first option has the benefit of simplicity, whereas the second option will reduce your mobility and cost essence, but also makes it more difficult to knock you down and is better suited if you prefer assault rifles with higher power instead of better recoil.
Survivability can be upgraded in a few different ways: finding better armor outfits, picking up a helmet, implanting cyberware/bioware. Note that the cyberarms that you already have are not compatible with a number of other implants, but cyberlimbs (including the torso and skull) are all quite efficient in terms of essence cost vs bonuses, especially if you can afford higher grades and ratings. A pair of cyberlegs would be similar to your cyberarms in providing a mix of body, armor, quickness, and strength, while a cybertorso (which is really more of a shell) provides more armor. A cyberskull can include a tactical computer, which adds its rating directly to your combat pool.
You can also obtain cyberware/bioware that will increase your reaction and/or initiative, allowing you to attack faster and more often. Consider picking up beta grade boosted reflexes I cyberware and synaptic acceleration II bioware.
The pre-built archetypes were designed using the standard custom character creation rules, with the intent of providing generalist builds that are fully functional immediately out of character generation. There is a trade off in that such builds are less efficient in the use of their chargen points and resources. For this reason, as well as to improve the new player experience, they have been permitted up to 20k additional nuyen in their build, plus a free electronics kit, pocket secretary, phone, subsidy card, ammunition, and 2 points of brawling skill (not listed below).
The Street Samurai archetype was built using the priority system:
A attributes (30) B resources (400k nuyen) C metatype (Elf) D skills (30) E magic (mundane)
Attributes:
Body 6(7) Quickness 7(9) Strength 6(8) Charisma 3 Intelligence 5(4 if pain editor active) Willpower 6(7 if pain editor active)
Skills:
Athletics 3 Clubs 6 Assault Rifles 6 Electronics 3 Biotech 5 Negotiation 3 Street Etiquette 3 Driving Motorcycles 1
Cyberware:
an armored pair of obvious mk. II cyberarms a smartlink-2 system
Bioware:
enhanced articulation a metabolic arrestor a pain editor - cultured symbiotes II
Worn:
Eyes: a pair of thermographic goggles Shoulder: a leather rifle strap About: a Secure jacket (5b/3i) Body: a plated armor vest (4b/3i) Underneath: form-fitting body armor III (4b/1i) Arms: a pair of forearm guards (+0b/+1i) Waist: a black leather duty belt Thigh: a sword sheath Legs: a pair of real leather pants (0b/2i) Feet: a pair of black combat boots
Weapons:
a Colt M-23 (assault rifle) top: a top-mounted smartlink-2 accessory barrel: an improved gas vent IV underside: a foregrip a black wooden nightstick
Other:
a DocWagon platinum modulator a medkit The Title to a Yamaha Rapier