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Message no. 1
From: Devotely Apathetic Apathy@******.com
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 23:25:37 -0400
I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current group wants
something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether. So being
flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a magic-centric
group I was looking for feedback on this.

I think I'm going to set it up as something like this:

Weapon Mastery (Anything better then this?)
Cost: 1 power point (More? Less?)

This power provides a -2 to all target numbers with weapons the character is
familiar with. To become familiar with a weapon a character must make a
magic(4) test with a base time of a week. A limit of (Magic) weapons can
be maintained as familiar at a time.

So comments? I think I'd limit the power to types of weapons (Firearms being
a group along with melee, projectile, thrown, and probably heavy, though I'd
discourage heavy weapons..) with the power being able to be bought multiple
times. I'd also considered putting a cost of some kind in (Either some
shamanic symbols and a cermony to link, some Hermetic sigils drawn in
expensive dyes or even just a huge amount of ammo for the athletes way adepts)

So does anybody see some thing that makes this more powerful then I intend
or other problems that might crop up?
Message no. 2
From: lomion lomion@*********.or
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 21:28:04 -0700
At 11:25 PM 10/21/99 -0400, you wrote:
>I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current group wants
>something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether. So
>being
>flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
>magic-centric
>group I was looking for feedback on this.
>
>I think I'm going to set it up as something like this:
>
>Weapon Mastery (Anything better then this?)
>Cost: 1 power point (More? Less?)

Id up the cost to at least 2 points.

>This power provides a -2 to all target numbers with weapons the character is
>familiar with. To become familiar with a weapon a character must make a
>magic(4) test with a base time of a week. A limit of (Magic) weapons can
>be maintained as familiar at a time.

I'd say they need to buy the power for each weapon group since it's a major
investment each time. Or even limit it to one group of weapons
period. Any more and you get into something a little much and possibly
unbalancing, of coure require they have the skill with the weapon on the
first placec to use this power in conjuction. Also how about having it
that the weapon needs to be custom for the character? That would mesh
nicely to limit abuses and mirror the cost of getting a smartlink added to
a gun.
Im not sure about firearms being possible though. The problem with
firearms is the whole will thing.

>So does anybody see some thing that makes this more powerful then I intend
>or other problems that might crop up?

too powerful no, but you need to make sure you throw in proepr balances, i
see magic as powerful but that power comes at a price and is never fully
what you expect. that's the nature of magic, it's like it has it's own
will. The mage doesn;t control the magic, the mage or adept to a lesser
degree cajoles, tweaks, bends and gerneally squeezes the magic into what he
wants. And if he isn;t careful it will bite back.

--lomion
Message no. 3
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 00:58:31 -0400
>I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current
group wants
>something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether.
So being
>flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
magic-centric
>group I was looking for feedback on this.
>
>So does anybody see some thing that makes this more powerful then I
intend
>or other problems that might crop up?


Well, the smartlink is an microtronically-based weapon so I'd say no,
but the biggest problem here would be someone combining the power with
a smartlink and an aptitude in a given weapon. I mean, let's
see...weapon mastery, smartlink II, aptitude equals a -5 to all TNs,
which means you'll get a TN of 2 most of the time (since no TN can be
lower than two). Even if you actively attempt to avoid cyberware, a
set of Essence-friendly smartgoggles'll make that a TN of -4.

In addition, there's a definite "now wait just a darned minute
here..." quality about this power. It's like the improved
reaction/improved initiative of SR2: in the end, it was so much more
efficient to take in Wired Reflexes. The Essence Loss-to-Point usage
has to be balanced. You're basically charging one point of Power for
a piece of cyber that takes up 0.5 Essence, and you're still not
getting all the whiz-bang features (auto-mode change, auto-clip eject,
auto-choke set, etc...). Then you have to buy another level to use
other weapon groups, when it'd just be more expedient to bite the
bullet (no pun intended) and install a smartlink. So to use all six
(seven?) weapons groups will cost you 7 Power Points, while getting a
smartlink will cost you one.

The point of a smartlink is that you HAVE to give up Essence for this
piece of cyber; it's one of the few pieces of ware that can't be
duplicated by magic or carried externally (unless you count
smartgoggles, but the numbers are different). For me, in any case,
the smartlink is a sign that your character is willing to take the
bite in order to be more efficient in combat. No pain, no gain. If
you look at all the advantages a smartlink (1 or 2) gives you, it's
*more* than worth the 0.5 Essence. I'd have the adept bite the bullet
and give up that point of Essence (and the subsequent point of Magic)
if he wants the advantages a smartlink'll give him. Want to make the
most from that one point of Essence? Alpha-grade smartlink II, flare
compensation, dampener, rangefinder, and retractable cyberspurs (or
alternately, a reaction enhancer). You duplicate 1.25 worth of adept
powers (0.75 for FC, RF, and SD which count as improved senses, and a
poor man's version of Killing Hands) and get a smartlink, all for 1
measly point of magic. I think that's worth the trade-off.

Funny how I can ramble when I have a headache...GEEZ!

AK404
http://freespeech.org/ak404/
Message no. 4
From: dghost@****.com dghost@****.com
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 02:07:07 -0700
On Thu, 21 Oct 1999 23:25:37 -0400 Devotely Apathetic <Apathy@******.com>
writes:
> I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current group
wants
> something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether.
So being
> flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
magic-centric
> group I was looking for feedback on this.
>
> I think I'm going to set it up as something like this:
>
> Weapon Mastery (Anything better then this?)
> Cost: 1 power point (More? Less?)
<SNIP>

Knack (from Steve K's site): .5 per Force of spell. Use it for Enhance
Aim force 6 3 points, talisman geas (perhaps a chosen gun or gun
accessory). costs 2.25 Power Points and can give up to -3 to target
numbers that CAN be combined with a laser sight (but imposes a +2 to
target numbers dues to sustaining a spell and any drain not soaked.)
and/or Image Magnification. To help with the drain you make this a
Caster only version. However, in order to get the -3 to target numbers,
you need to roll six successes against a target number of 6.

In other words, if you do allow the power as you described it, I would
make it a 2 to 4 point power. (I would even suggest requiring that the
specific gun be taken as a talisman geas.)

If you really want a good estimate of what the price should be, do a
probability analysis and see if you are rolling five dice against a
target number of 2, how many additional dice above 5 would you have to
roll against a target number of 4 so that 3 successes are equally
probably in both situations. Multiply the number of extra dice by .5
(The cost of Improved Ability - Pistols) and that is a good price to
charge for this power.

--
D. Ghost
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-Groucho Marx

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Message no. 5
From: abortion_engine abortion_engine@*******.com
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 08:15:22 -0400
> I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current group
wants
> something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether. So
being
> flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
magic-centric
> group I was looking for feedback on this.
>
> I think I'm going to set it up as something like this:
>
> Weapon Mastery (Anything better then this?)
> Cost: 1 power point (More? Less?)
>
> This power provides a -2 to all target numbers with weapons the character
is
> familiar with. To become familiar with a weapon a character must make a
> magic(4) test with a base time of a week. A limit of (Magic) weapons can
> be maintained as familiar at a time.
>
> So comments? I think I'd limit the power to types of weapons (Firearms
being
> a group along with melee, projectile, thrown, and probably heavy, though
I'd
> discourage heavy weapons..) with the power being able to be bought
multiple
> times. I'd also considered putting a cost of some kind in (Either some
> shamanic symbols and a cermony to link, some Hermetic sigils drawn in
> expensive dyes or even just a huge amount of ammo for the athletes way
adepts)
>
What about the Eye of Targeting, with the little worm that burrows into your
eye? Whoops. Wrong game.
Message no. 6
From: dbuehrer@****.org dbuehrer@****.org
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 07:29:02 -0600
Devotely Apathetic wrote:
\ I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current group wants
\ something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether. So
being
\ flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
magic-centric
\ group I was looking for feedback on this.

And I'd go along with it if there weren't already an option in the game:
smart goggles.

-Graht
--
"Warm nights, good food, kindred spirits....great life!"
Message no. 7
From: Devotely Apathetic Apathy@******.com
Subject: Smartlink for those adepts out there....
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 13:45:21 -0400
Angelkiller 404 wrote:
>
> >I'm sure this has been done before but a character in my current
> group wants
> >something 'smartgun'-ish but would rather avoid cyberware altogether.
> So being
> >flexible and not seeing too many problems with this since it is a
> magic-centric
> >group I was looking for feedback on this.
> >
> >So does anybody see some thing that makes this more powerful then I
> intend
> >or other problems that might crop up?
>
> Well, the smartlink is an microtronically-based weapon so I'd say no,
> but the biggest problem here would be someone combining the power with
> a smartlink and an aptitude in a given weapon. I mean, let's
> see...weapon mastery, smartlink II, aptitude equals a -5 to all TNs,
> which means you'll get a TN of 2 most of the time (since no TN can be
> lower than two). Even if you actively attempt to avoid cyberware, a
> set of Essence-friendly smartgoggles'll make that a TN of -4.

Very good point. I don't use the companion so there is no such
thing as aptitude but the point of smartlinks and laser sights is a
good one. I'll just need to come up with some internal logic (Or BS) that
sounds good and explains why they don't combine well.

> In addition, there's a definite "now wait just a darned minute
> here..." quality about this power. It's like the improved
> reaction/improved initiative of SR2: in the end, it was so much more
> efficient to take in Wired Reflexes. The Essence Loss-to-Point usage
> has to be balanced. You're basically charging one point of Power for
> a piece of cyber that takes up 0.5 Essence, and you're still not
> getting all the whiz-bang features (auto-mode change, auto-clip eject,
> auto-choke set, etc...). Then you have to buy another level to use
> other weapon groups, when it'd just be more expedient to bite the
> bullet (no pun intended) and install a smartlink. So to use all six
> (seven?) weapons groups will cost you 7 Power Points, while getting a
> smartlink will cost you one.

Actually I also rejoiced at the revised power costs in SR3. However this
power can possibly apply to more weapons then a smartlink (Melee and what not)
and I intentionally made this more expensive then the cyber because it is
an unusual power.

> The point of a smartlink is that you HAVE to give up Essence for this
> piece of cyber; it's one of the few pieces of ware that can't be
> duplicated by magic or carried externally (unless you count
> smartgoggles, but the numbers are different). For me, in any case,
> the smartlink is a sign that your character is willing to take the
> bite in order to be more efficient in combat. No pain, no gain. If
> you look at all the advantages a smartlink (1 or 2) gives you, it's
> *more* than worth the 0.5 Essence. I'd have the adept bite the bullet
> and give up that point of Essence (and the subsequent point of Magic)
> if he wants the advantages a smartlink'll give him. Want to make the
> most from that one point of Essence? Alpha-grade smartlink II, flare
> compensation, dampener, rangefinder, and retractable cyberspurs (or
> alternately, a reaction enhancer). You duplicate 1.25 worth of adept
> powers (0.75 for FC, RF, and SD which count as improved senses, and a
> poor man's version of Killing Hands) and get a smartlink, all for 1
> measly point of magic. I think that's worth the trade-off.

Of course, but I have other reasons for allowing this in the group I'm
running. So far there is not a single piece of cyberware in the group.
Now every one of them (All three, that is) are magically active. I'm
trying to preserve that bit of group integrity.

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Smartlink for those adepts out there...., you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!