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Message no. 1
From: Mathew Schaffer <mschaffer@*****.magicbus.com>
Subject: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 19:09:26 -0700
Quick question:

>From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear
on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When a
mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills mmediately?
I just give my players level 1's in all of them, but I think it might be
unballancing the campaign.....

I will accept any comments on the matter.

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Message no. 2
From: "Gurth" <gurth@******.nl>
Subject: Re: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 10:58:27 +0100
Mathew Schaffer <shadowrn@********.itribe.net> said on 19:09/28 Apr 96...

> >From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear
> >on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When a
> >mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills mmediately?
> >I just give my players level 1's in all of them, but I think it might be
> >unballancing the campaign.....
>
> I will accept any comments on the matter.

There are no levels or ratings in initiate powers. You have the power or
you don't. The Grimoire ruling is that an initiate automatically gets all
six metamagical abilities from that book upon reaching 0th grade; the
dice rolled for each depend on the power in question: Masking rolls no dice
at all (except for deliberate masking), Centering rolls the dice belonging
to the skill you use for Centering, etc.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
but it meant everything to me
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
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Message no. 3
From: "A Halliwell" <u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 13:09:11 +0100 (BST)
|
|Quick question:
|
|From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear
|on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When a
|mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills mmediately?
|I just give my players level 1's in all of them, but I think it might be
|unballancing the campaign.....

Well, I've commented on this before, but that was to a reply to this,
because I got the reply before I got this. Another little trick played on us
by majordomo, I imagine.

Anyway, I think you'll find that some initiate powers are based on your
initiate grade.
I'll use quickening as the example.
I *think* it says that you can only quicken a spell of a force less-than or
equal to your initiate grade.

So, if you're grade zero, you can quicken 0 force spells.
(As zero force spells don't exist (no force), you can't quicken at grade
zero.

At grade 1, all those powers do become available however.
--
______________________________________________________________________________
| |What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in |
|u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk |the ground beneath a giant boulder, which you can't |
| |move, with no hope of rescue. |
|Andrew Halliwell |Consider how lucky you are that life has been good |
|Principal subjects in:-|to you so far... |
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|GCv3.1 GCS/FA>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ 5++ |
|X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can still say FUCK! Americans can't|
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Message no. 4
From: "Mark Steedman" <M.J.Steedman@***.rgu.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 14:02:03 GMT
Gurth writes

> > >From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear
> > >on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When a
> > >mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills mmediately?

> There are no levels or ratings in initiate powers. You have the power or
> you don't. The Grimoire ruling is that an initiate automatically gets all
> six metamagical abilities from that book upon reaching 0th grade; the
> dice rolled for each depend on the power in question: Masking rolls no dice
> at all (except for deliberate masking), Centering rolls the dice belonging
> to the skill you use for Centering, etc.
>
Yes, though folks might have a point in this not being stated as
clearly as it might be (cannot remember if it is actually there
simply in black and white but is correct).

Ok course however you have to learn a skill to use centering,
charging full general skill costs is advised even if they pick a
language (latin, ah = initiate! :) )

Dispelling does not actually work at grade zero as a limit
'restricted to rating zero items only ' in a game where foci cannot
have a rating of zero (spell locks count as 1) is kind of useless.

Mark
Message no. 5
From: "Mark Steedman" <M.J.Steedman@***.rgu.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 14:12:02 GMT
A Halliwel
>
> Anyway, I think you'll find that some initiate powers are based on your
> initiate grade.
Correct. - however you picked the wrong example, its dispelling thats
grade limited not quickening.

Dedicated masking is also not avaiable at grade zero 0*2 =0 and you
cannot buy kamra dice unless you already have some to roll.
>
> At grade 1, all those powers do become available however.

Yes and some such as masking and centering (vs penalties to target
numbers) benefit very nicely from a few grades. This really puts up
the cost of initation if you want all it can do.

Mark
Message no. 6
From: "Randy Nickel (General)" <a-randyn@*********.com>
Subject: RE: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 17:26:47 -0700
Quick question:

>From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear

on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When
a
mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills
mmediately?
I just give my players level 1's in all of them, but I think it might
be
unballancing the campaign.....

I will accept any comments on the matter.

Depends on the GM.

The Awakening book has some rules on this and some new Metamagic
abilities that makes mages rule. They did before and now I wouldn't
play anything else.

I give it to them all at once, but I also have a lot of down time
between runs. Months sometimes. So they have plenty of time to
study/build up.

What do you mean by level ones in the Metamagic stuff there are no
levels?

Randy Nickel
Message no. 7
From: Wratchet-RN@**.arizona.edu
Subject: RE: Initiate Powers & MetaMagic
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 08:30:48 -0700
>Quick question:
>From what I've read (or remember reading), the Grimoire isn't too clear
>on the powers that an initiate gets and or how he/she gets them. When
>a mage becomes initiated, do they get all the metamagic skills
>mmediately? I just give my players level 1's in all of them, but I think it
might
>be unballancing the campaign.....I will accept any comments on the matter.
----------------------------------------
As many others have already stated, the Grimythingy allows the players to
obtain all the metamagics at Grade 0. However, in my game we have altered
this rule. We utilize various other metamagics we have created + those
present in Awakenings, this gives Initiates way to many abilities all at one
time.

(Get to the rules already, noone cares about the whys and wherefores.) [I
agree wit it, frag it. I hate when wees agrees.] I was getting there
before you so kindly interrupted. Now shut the frag up. Okay.

When mages initiate to Grade 0, they technically gain the ability to utilize
any of the metamagics but not necessarily the knowledge of how to do it.
They must train (with a teacher the process is faster) spending 1 month per
ability - theory roll T#6(days)/T#3 with a teacher. They are able to learn
up to a number of metamagics = unaugmented MR/2(round up, being nice).
Every time they initiate, they are able to learn a new ability. Thus, using
just the Grim and Awake there are 8(i think) metamagics. With a MR6, a
grade 0 will have 3 of them (taking a max of 3 months to learn), and by
grade 5 they would have all 8. We have almost twice the number of
metamagics (some more designed for adepts), this creates more variation in
initiates, and helps to balance them out with other character groups.

[Let go now, me bored.] {You are continuously experiencing lugubrious
sensations in regards to nonaggressive activities.} [Trog, speak english!]
(It was, our slow and simple self. But I agree with it, again! Stop with
the flowery language.) That is enough from all of you. We are out of here.

Shalom.
n.w.


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