From:	Mike & Linda Frankl mlfrankl@***.com
Subject:	Burnout or Realism? was Re: Decker Mage
Date:	Wed, 31 May 2000 17:41:39 -0400

Damain said:
> All told, SR3 encourages a mage to get a little cyberware. High Magic
> ratings accomplish very little, except making it easy to lose Magic
> Rating, so, after Initiating once or twice, or if you plan on doing it
> sometime, losing a point to implants doesn't sound too bad, as opposed to
> just losing a point, for nothing.

I tend to implement a house rule there for munchkin prevention. To me some
people tend to take the path numbers and say that they are happy as a magic
6 rating mage and begin to toss in cyberware by the point. I play it that
when a mage starts to get too much cyberware (more than a point or 2) they
start running the risk of losing magic whether they get more modifications
or not (auto-burnout). Otherwise you wind up with a Street Samurai/Mage that
can sling lead and fireballs with equal efficiency and then still go 3 - 4
times a turn. If you don't automatically see the problem with this then I
can't explain it to you.

The other reason I do this is that I just can't conceive that a person who
can work with the raw power of the universe would do anything to hinder it
above a minor level. In game terms it's easy to calculate, but if it were
really the case then it would be far more difficult a guess to see what
would happen when anything was installed. Essence is primarily a game
mechanic that would not exist as readily if this was for real.

If you like high powered characters then do what suits you, but I've met too
many munchkins in my time that are far more trouble than they are worth.
Plus if you show the character sheet to most people who don't know you
personally they think you are full of shit anyway (whether the character is
legit or not).

;)

Smilin' Jack
Franklin Isshinryu School of Karate
http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/RallyRd/mlfrankl/fiskhome.htm