| From: | Louis Barrera <lbarrera@****.NASA.GOV> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Bugs, PC Power, Speed of Light |
| Date: | Fri, 17 Mar 1995 11:04:20 -0700 |
> How do you get more than 4d6 for initiative. I understand the
> rules that 4d6 is the most dice you can throw. There is no
> increased cyber reaction anymore (are you using ED 1 rules?). I
> talked to Tom Dowd when 2nd ED came out and understood him to
> say that 4d6 is as many dice as you cam throw for initiative.
> He may have changed his mind since then.
> i have not had any info from FASA direct on this sort of thing, though i
>have not asked. I don't remember reading an overall limit anywhere on
>how many D6 you can roll for initative though that could be my memory,
>it would not be the first rule i have failed to find and remember but then i
>have never seen a PC try to get more than 4D6 anyway. As to how do i
>do it the worst case is the physical adept
>(note i know this takes piles of karma and money) he get 1D6 natural,
>(assuming we are talking PC metahumans here nothing exotic) and up
>to +3D6 for the physical adept power added dice. Your friendly
>neigbourhood mage can then lock a +3D6 initative spell on the guy and
>the lcoal clinic slap in synaptic 2, if you look at the description of this in
>Shadowtech it specifically states that you cannot stack it with boosted
>or wired reflexes but says nothing about magic. Thats
>9D6 (1 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 9), now boost the guy on the Shadowtech battle
>drug that give +1D6 and on the one out of lone star (+1D6) and one gets
>11D6 initative, not sane, probably advisable to ban but it technically
>don't break the rules given in the books. I don't know anything that says
>you cannot research a +4D6 or even +10D6 initative spell but expect
>'Not in my game you don't!!!' out of the GM.
>Yes all that lot would get called tooling which is why i don't use it in
>practice but it naver did the GM any harm to know what theroretically
>can be done.
>As to inceased cybered reac, its mentioned in the text of increase
>reaction spell main rule book though only to +4 reac and the drain is
>silly.
>Ok i hope (barring new FASA rulings i have not heard about) that clears
>the situation up - just don't take advantage of this lot to the expense of
>your enjoyment of the game. A tthe end of the day it's did you enjoy
>yourself not can you kill 500 bugs single handed that matters.
The 11D6 scenario appears to be breaking the speed of sound. What's
more, it is faster than perception/recognition can occur in the brain. I
have had the same conversation with Mr. Dowd, and he does strongly
advise against METAHUMANITY receiving more than 4D6 a turn. The
drugs that are mentioned KILL OFF the character in a short amount of
time, and if any of my players are that anxious to die, I readily oblige
them, without waiting for the drug to do it for them. The synap bonus
has a little penalty that Mark didn't mention, called a body stress test. It
occurs when you augment an attribute beyond double it's natural rating
(and yes, I consider reaction/initiative to be an attribute.) With the
physical adept scenario, when he gets his bioware installed, he will
loose essence (at least per SRII), with an accompanying lose of Magic,
which flows downhill and makes him lose some of his ability. I would
suppose if he elected to lose everthing except the initiative bonus that's a
possibility, but I generally go by the rule last on, first off. No choice,
except in special circumstances. The spell gimick on top of bioware
does work (I did check with FASA), but the spell is sustained with a high
drain. It can be locked. And spell locks are accidents waiting to happen.
Make my day. Lose karma, nuyen, become ground site ZERO, put a flare
in astral space, take up a foci count,etc. And again, we get back to the
matter of the brain processing information. And hardware being able to
fire a limited amount in a span of time. I don't decree that players can't do
it, I let them find out the repercussions of their actions. The hard way, if
they insist.
