Message no. 1

From:	Patrick Goodman remo@***.net
Subject:	Learning New Adept Abilities (was RE: Can ya see it?)
Date:	Sat, 8 Jul 2000 12:49:47 -0500

More old stuff....

From: Phil Smith
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 12:26 PM

> An all but unrelated thought that just struck me; how do GMs out
> there display the learning (if learning is the right word) of new
> adept powers; does the adept just find themselves more able to do
> something or is there some consious effort to improve themselfes?

Here's how I do it (it depends on the situation, as almost all things
magical do).

If it's an extension/improvement on an existing ability, it might just
"happen." I don't tend to think that you need to train an improvement on an
adept abiity, though the mundane skill (say, Improved Stealth) would need to
be improved by training if *it* needs to go up. In the case of the guy
going from Improved Stealth 3 to Improved Stealth 4, it just happens. The
guy with

If it's a power that's similar to or related to an existing power, then they
might or might not have to "learn" it, whether through training or finding a
teacher or whatever. Here, it really depends on the player and the
situation. For instance, a character with Killing Hands might logically
also develop Smashing Blow. If the player just came out and said, "I want
to get Smashing Blow," I'd probably make him seek out a teacher who could
show him how to channel his ability properly, blah blah blah. If the player
came to me and said, "I've got this idea about maybe getting Smashing Blow;
how do you want to work it in?" I'd probably just give it to him, with the
caveat that while it was on his sheet, he wouldn't really have it until
something came up to trigger it. (In this case, something like, "If I don't
break a hole in this wall *right now*, we're all going to die!" and letting
the ability "bloom" under stress.)

Gosh, that was a messed-up looking paragraph....

Anyway, if it's something just out of the blue (a guy with Improved Stealth
and a host of subtlety increases suddenly deciding he wants Smashing Blow),
he has to go find an instructor.

--
Patrick E. Goodman
remo@***.net
"I'm going to tell you something cool." -- Gene Wolfe
http://communities.msn.com/ShadowrunDataHaven/