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Message no. 1
From: "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject: Physical Adept power cost
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1993 18:19:49 -0800
On the subject of Physical adept following totems, like I said yesterday,
role-play it, don't rule-play it. If the player does good the GM can reward him
for good role-playing by giving him extra karma.

>> I totally agree with you, for me phys adepts are more like the
>> hermetics that the shamans. The reason is that they try to
>> find their way on their own (meditation, martail arts etc.)
>> and dont expect some totem to help them out.

Actually PA's are alot closer to Shamans than hermetic mages. Mages follow
rules. For them magic doing magic is like a scientist doing physics. On the
other hand, shamans are artist. They visual magic. Physical adepts live their
magic.

Now on the much more interesting topic of physical adept power cost, I think
there is space for major improvement. I've been kicking around the idea of
doing a rewrite of those to make some of the more useless powers useful. Here
are a couple of examples of what I was thinking:

Combat Sense: Way too expensive and pales in comparason to the Magic Spell.
Make it something like 1 magic point per die (unlimited possibilities).

Improved Physical Attributes: These are way to expensive and undereffective.
There is not one characteristic that is not easier to raise with Karma than
with Magic. My suggestion is to scrap the cost relative to Racial Max and
allow it to raise attributes beyond even 1.5 times racial max.
Cost: 1 per level (Level 4 max)

Improved Reaction: Same as above.
Cost: 1.25 per level (Level 4 max)

Increased Reflexes: Let's have it emulate Wired Reflexes, but without the
reaction increase. Level 1 (2 Magic), Level 2 (3 Magic), Level 3 (5 Magic)

Astral Perception, Improved Ability, Improved Physical Senses, Killing Hands,
and Pain Resistance are just fine as they are.

>From the Grimoire

Attribute Boost: The duration should be extended, it's just to damn short for
people with high attributes to use. Maybe Willpower plus number of successes
in combat turns....

Body Control, Enhanced Centering, Missile Parry, Mystic Armor, and Suspended
State are fine as they are. In fact Enhanced Centering is still the best PA
power any PA can invest magic in.

===============================================================================
See Ya in Shadows, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Jason J Carter -- Deep Throat, The X-Files
The Nightstalker Carter@***.EDU
Message no. 2
From: The Powerhouse <P.C.Steele@*********.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Physical Adept power cost
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1993 15:15:34 GMT
> On the subject of Physical adept following totems, like I said yesterday,
> role-play it, don't rule-play it. If the player does good the GM can reward
him
> for good role-playing by giving him extra karma.

My sentiments exactly.

> Now on the much more interesting topic of physical adept power cost, I think
> there is space for major improvement. I've been kicking around the idea of
> doing a rewrite of those to make some of the more useless powers useful. Here
> are a couple of examples of what I was thinking:
>
> Combat Sense: Way too expensive and pales in comparason to the Magic Spell.
> Make it something like 1 magic point per die (unlimited possibilities).

This is much better as it stands at the moment the only reason a phys ad gets
the combat sense ability is to make sure that they cannot be suprised.

> Improved Physical Attributes: These are way to expensive and undereffective.
> There is not one characteristic that is not easier to raise with Karma than
> with Magic. My suggestion is to scrap the cost relative to Racial Max and
> allow it to raise attributes beyond even 1.5 times racial max.
> Cost: 1 per level (Level 4 max)

I'd agree with allowing atts to go beyond 1.5 times racial max but couldn't
they already do this ? As to scrap the cost relative to racial max I'm not
so sure. You'd get alot of phys ads suddenly appearing with strengths of 10.

> Improved Reaction: Same as above.
> Cost: 1.25 per level (Level 4 max)
>
> Increased Reflexes: Let's have it emulate Wired Reflexes, but without the
> reaction increase. Level 1 (2 Magic), Level 2 (3 Magic), Level 3 (5 Magic)

I think this may be going a little too far in line with SR2. I quite like my
method, in that I scrapped Improved reaction and changed increased reflexes
so that the phys ad still gets that +1 reaction when they buy increased
reflexes. Ie increase reflexes level 2 (4 magic points) you get +2 initiative
dice as well as +2 to reaction.

> Astral Perception, Improved Ability, Improved Physical Senses, Killing Hands,
> and Pain Resistance are just fine as they are.

Yep, but I'm still seriously thinking of having astral projection (4 points)
in my campaign. Among other things the phys ad gets his weapon focus or killing
hands, mystic armour (if he has it) and the astral pool (equal to grade).
Sort of a real astral adept. Putting in the increase reflex dice is probably
not a good idea, unless you want a phys ad with a +2 weapon focus to take out
dragons in astral :)

[Rest of stuff seems ok]

Phill.
--
Phillip Steele - Email address P.C.Steele@***.ac.uk | Let's get out there
Department Of Electrical & Electronic Engineering | and TWAT it !
University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England |
Land of the mad Geordies | The Powerhouse

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