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Message no. 1
From: G'Koth of the Narn Empire <esj@***.UUG.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Reaver the Munchkin
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 10:41:38 -0700
All right, time for me to cleara few things up.

Scott/Reaver has something of an attitude that he is invincible, but
that's nohting new for shadowrunners. Fact of the matter is, even with
all his extra-"rulesraping"-munchkin-tactically advantageous
enhancements, the stupid fragger nearly dies every other run. Something
about charging headfirst into a fight, when even the sams hold back...

Why is it munchkinous for a mage to have cyber? I see very little wrong
with it. If they want to squander and risk losing their magically
talents, then fine, let them. THat's the price they pay. And if they
only want some "minor" enhancements, then that is prolly actually the
best thing any combat oriented could do. I've got on the Whistler vision
mods, and enchephalon (I'm pretty sure it helps; otherwise I wouldn't have
gotten it), and a Smartgun II. And yes, they are all beta, which if a
mage is going to risk getting cybered, is the only way to go. But before
you run off and start calling me a munchkin, I hasten to add that for
several years and lots of karma and nuyen he only had cybereyes. It
wasn't until last spring that an opportunity to get some beta ware came
up that I went for it. It took damn near forever for ANY of us
(including the sams) to find any beta cyber.

As for his amount of karma earned, I think Nightfox can testify that we
run a VERY high powered game, one that started out normal but has become
increasingly nasty. For crying out loud, I think the majority of our
recent runs with our main PCs over the last ffew months have been some
variety or other on astral quests (including HB). You don't get to do
that until you accumulate LOTS (read: over 500) of karma.

Say what you will, but we enjoy the game and we are always looking to
push the envelope. In some games we might be munchkins (despite the fact
we do follow ALL the rules), but we have run into others that were true
munchkins (we ran into some other guys [at Imaginary Worlds of Gaming]
that were running with Delta Grade and better cyber...two years ago. We
also have met people who run wiht variable essence and stupid skills like
Astral Stealth).

Erik, a.k.a. the Whistler
list.member.grumpy
Message no. 2
From: Robert Watkins <bob@**.NTU.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Reaver the Munchkin
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 12:13:12 +0930
Once upon a time, G'Koth of the Narn Empire wrote:
>
> All right, time for me to cleara few things up.
>
> Why is it munchkinous for a mage to have cyber? I see very little wrong
> with it.

It seems to me that trying to cyber up and go gung-ho on magic is a
contradiction in terms for the roleplaying side of the game. If he had some
excuse (like he used to be corporate muscle or something then, after some
severe trauma, he discovered his magical talents and now deeply regretted
the cyberware), then that would be fine. But from the literature,
cyberware, especially extensive cyberware, is anathema to mages. The most
you see in the literature, even for _combat mages_ is mild cyber, like eyes
and a smartgun link.

> If they want to squander and risk losing their magically
> talents, then fine, let them. THat's the price they pay. And if they
> only want some "minor" enhancements, then that is prolly actually the
> best thing any combat oriented could do. I've got on the Whistler vision
> mods, and enchephalon (I'm pretty sure it helps; otherwise I wouldn't have
> gotten it), and a Smartgun II. And yes, they are all beta, which if a
> mage is going to risk getting cybered, is the only way to go. But before
> you run off and start calling me a munchkin, I hasten to add that for
> several years and lots of karma and nuyen he only had cybereyes. It
> wasn't until last spring that an opportunity to get some beta ware came
> up that I went for it. It took damn near forever for ANY of us
> (including the sams) to find any beta cyber.
>
Fine. But the enchephalon doesn't help for magical tasks. Go back and read
the descs.

--
Robert Watkins bob@**.ntu.edu.au
Real Programmers never work 9 to 5. If any real programmers
are around at 9 am, it's because they were up all night.
Message no. 3
From: Sean Sheridan <sean@**.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Reaver the Munchkin
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 01:36:42 -0600
About encephelons, I have to say that they do help magical abilities
I quote"The encephelon does boost magical ability".
The task pool obviusly doesn't apply to skills like Sorcery, but it does
increase a Mages Intelligence, therefore his Astral Quickness, Astral Reaction
and Astral Pool. Other ware that would work would be Cerebral Boost, Trauma
Damper, Damage Comps, Pain Editor.
Things that wouldnt work are everything else(in shadowtech and SRII)
By the way, did you(
I mean Robert Warkins) ever read the Tir source book? How about the section
on Path Magic. Was that in the Ireland book? It gave certain mages a bonus
of halving the essence cost of all combat cyberware. About mages motivation
They didn't choose to be magicly active. They were born with it. And if they
live in the shadow they might just need all that ware to stay alive
I know I'd rather have a synaptic accelerator that will never break
instead of a increase reaction lock that I need to turn on or can have
taken away or burned through or lots of other nasty stuff. The entire
concept of cyberpunk adventure is that metal beats meat. PERIOD.
Mages already have it tough with Body Index com9ng out of essence so matter
what they do their gonna have to tone it down and leave the Wired Three to
the samms, but tell me who better to have a cerebral booster than a mage or
a decker?
Sean
Message no. 4
From: MR DELIVAN S HARDERS <YUBM21A@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Reaver the Munchkin
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 03:52:46 EST
Once upon a time, Robert Watkins wrote;

>It seems to me that trying to cyber up and go gung-ho on magic is a con-
>tradiction in terms for the roleplaying side of the game.

Only if you let it be. Frankly I think I've handled the character change
from full essence to low essence quite well.

>From the literature, extensive cyberware is anathema to mages.

Where in the rules does it say that all mages have to be the same? Each
character has different outlooks on life and what motivates him/her.

>Fine, but the Encephalon doesn't help for magical tasks. Go back and read
>the descs.

If you're gonna go back and read the descs? make sure you read the last
sentence of the Encephalon where it says, "The Encephalon does boost
magical ability." If the Encephalon does, then theres no reason why the
cerebral booster shouldn't either, especially when the quotes state so at
the bottom.

-Reaver

Further Reading

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