How can I include a shaman as a bad guy for a run that the players need to deal with. Where can I read about Shamanism and their role in the setting?
My Shadowrun experience is mostly 1st and 2nd edition but I don't think the fundamental idea of a shaman is that different in any edition of SR.
In Shadowrun a shaman is, traditionally, defined by their totem. The totem heavily influences the personality and drives of most shaman. Some would say the totem shapes the shaman and others contend that the shaman is drawn to the totem that fits their "true self" best. There are countless origin stories of shaman that support one camp or the other. The end result is the same, shaman and totem spirit are of like mind. So pick the totem accordingly.
If you want to use a shaman as a foe pick a totem that fits. It doesn't have to be that this NPC is "evil", it could just be their goals are mutually exclusive with the goals of the party. This can even work out to be more dramatic as, from a certain point of view, the goals of the NPC can be understood. So, for an urban shaman I'll go with a Dog, Raccoon, Rat or Raven. All of them will do well in a city and make excellent foes but not necessarily evil foes. Dog is very loyal and a true defender, imagine being on the wrong side of a Dog shaman. They don't give up and will not stop coming for you. Raven would be fun too. The motives of a Raven shaman could be very mysterious. In some cases they have none, it was all just done for the fun of the game or as misdirection as Raven strikes in another direction. And if you really want evil it is hard to beat the Spider totem, such a shaman is a mastermind, plans within plans having counter plans with backup plans. Also, if there is an SR4 variant of the toxic shaman that will really cause the PC's trouble. The toxic spirits of the cities are twisted creations full of all the foulness better living through chemistry can create. They are brutal and brimming with rage.
As to how the Shaman fits in with the world, think about it like this. The clash between old and new, magic and tech, the rational and the spiritual are heavy influences in the world of Shadowrun. That was kind of the point with having a world in which magic and tech stand side by side. While Shadowrun looks like a high tech, future world setting it is much more. It is a world that embodies the duality of the human experience. The comfort of what is old and has always been next to the trill of new creation. That is magic and tech. Friction.
That said it should be noted that not all Shaman are Luddites. Shaman will use tech, some more than others. That seems to be influenced by the person's life before hearing the call of their totem. And some totems have less problem with it in general. Take Raven for instance, the spirit is a classic trickster and may well find some forms of tech to be fascinating and rife with possibilities for entertainment (tricks). Fox may use tech at a critical moment just because the opponent would not expect it. On the other hand a shaman of Eagle will be one of the least likely to ever use tech of any type.
While Shadowrun:Denver is mostly 3rd edition it is the most expansive Shadowrun repository I have found. It has a section for fiction that has some stuff you may want to read. The log section may be entertaining as well. There is a section for...everything. Go and check it out, you may spend days reading.
If you have the time to read some of the Shadowrun novels do so. They can do wonders when it comes to helping you get a feel for the world.
could this work?
No. All weapons with the "heavy" property have the two-handed property as well. Here's exactly what each property does (PHB 147):
Heavy. Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.
Two-Handed. This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.
The heavy property itself isn't a problem here, but the two-handed is. Since all heavy weapons are also two-handed, you must use two hands to wield them. The enlarge spell doesn't give you the ability to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand, even if that weapon wasn't enlarged with you. Your DM might allow it, but it's certainly not part of the Rules As Written.
So what can you dual wield, then? Here's the rules on two-weapon fighting (PHB 195):
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.
Based on this, you can only dual wield light melee weapons. You don't even need the two-weapon fighting style, since all the fighting style does is allow you to add your ability modifier to the bonus action attack. There is a way to get around the "light" limitation, namely the Dual Wielder feat (PHB 165, emphasis mine):
You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand
- You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons aren't light
- You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally only be able to draw or stow only one.
This feat allows you (among other things) to use any one-handed melee weapons for two-weapon fighting.
In conclusion, you're not going to be two-weapon fighting using greatswords, even if you're enlarged. The closest you're going to get would be two longswords with the Dual Wielder feat
Side note: If you want to do two-weapon fighting purely from an optimisation perspective, you may want to reconsider. It is generally accepted as one of the weaker playstyles, as it uses your bonus action to be effective (needed to cast smite spells on a paladin, for example), and still can't quite compete with great weapon fighting, especially if you factor in the Great Weapon Master feat. It doesn't fall completely behind other playstyles, so if you want to do it because of a character concept, go ahead. But if it's exclusively for optimisation, it might be better to just use a single greatsword.
Best Answer
If you have a Gyroscopic Stabilizer attachment and Gas Vent III modification/attachment, you can get -9 recoil (alternatively, Tripods do the same thing as Gyroscopic Stabilizers but don't help reduce movement mods), you can add a Shock Pad for -10 recoil, which should be plenty, and add Electronic Firing modifications (-11 in total), and you can still put on a Smartgun System. It's also pretty easy to build the final die pool up to 12 just from Agility and Heavy Weapons if you're willing to drop everything else for it, plus the Smartgun means 14 dice if you're totally specialized.
If I correctly understand that you're firing "Full Bursts", you should wind up with 9 recoil, which means you'll completely compensate for it, and the Smartgun System will compensate for one additional target or give a +2 die pool for your shooter.
Alternatively, I think that I read somewhere that you can also get strength/body based recoil reduction (Arsenal or 20th Anniversary Edition, but searching isn't turning it up).
For an adept, put six points in Agility, six points in Heavy Weapons, and max Improved Ability (Heavy Weapons); this should give you 15 dice (consider Natural Aptitude [Heavy Weapons] for the ability to put a seventh point in reaction), add Smartgun System's dice plus headwear (not head*ware*) that adds Smartlink capability, and you're at 17 dice, plus use the modified Vindicator above to get no recoil. If you use Enhanced Attribute [Agility] and Natural Aptitude [Heavy Weapons] you're throwing 19 dice and have 115 BP left out of 400 (and a few thousand Nuyen to spend in addition to what you needed for smartlinked glasses and the Vindicator with modifications). For enhanced lethality, include AV/APDS rounds (or explosive/hollow point ones if you're more open) and fire away. You can also add Attribute Boost or Improved Attribute; if you go the Improved Attribute path you can get an additional point (raising Agility to 8 and giving you 20 dice), though Boosted Attribute is cheaper (but the drain could hurt you). If you were willing to put three more points in Magic you would wind up with Agility 10 after Improved Attribute 3 (Agility), and your final dice should be 22; this would leave you with a mere 70 BP for other things, though, and some money.