| From: | Jani Fikouras <feanor@**********.UNI-BREMEN.DE> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Mage bias |
| Date: | Wed, 26 Apr 1995 20:12:13 +0200 |
> > impossible for mages to become that good.
>
> You're right. There will _always_ be a gap (it's built into the character
> creation system, and unless the sammy spends all his karma on something very
> non-sammy like, then the magician can _never_ quite catch up). But, the gap
> can be closed considerably, for eg +4 Strength can be got by a magician for
> only 1 karma, while it'll cost the sammy quite a lot more. (It'll probably
> be about even by the time one compares due to the number of spell
> locks/Quickenings the magician has had to replace though <evil GM grin>.)
I agree this is probably GMing style, but I would never allow
for someone to run around with incr. attributes locked all over him.
I might be lenient with a detect enemies or even a invisibility spell,
but incr. attribute is out of the question. So (in my game) no mage can
have that kind of stats.
> > I do not mean to say that magic is not powerfull, but the point is
> > that no player should get the kind of karma that would allow him to
> > fully exploit that power to his advantage.
>
> It is possible to close the gap very closesly, however. The magician in my
> game had superior Attributes to the samurai at one stage, and these guys
> have only earned ~100 karma. Since then he's worked out Quickenings are
> pretty poor since they get destroyed so often...so his stats are back to the
> lower end once again (but they're still way above average). But obviously,
> he can't quite shoot as well as the cyber-nut, even though he often beats
> him in initiative. I do not feel that it would take "extreme" amounts of
> karma to get a magician into the range of ability of a mundane specialist,
> obviously they'll never be quite as good, but they can get very close indeed.
Dont get me wrong, but I think that a character designed to be a
munchkin can go a *very* long way with 100 karma. As a matter of fact I
think that a character should (generally) get required between 100-200
karma. But once again this is IMHO.
> > Your question was whether my players go for the mage first and the answer
> > is no.
>
> All I can say to that is that your teams magician must be a pacifist or
> something. Even the sammies in my teams realise that if their buddy Mr Mage
> can get in a turn with no magical opposition then the battle is very close
> to won.
To tell you the truth I am the teams mage (when I do not GM, when I do
our shaman is the other GM) and I must admit that even though I am no
pacifist (nor do I play one) I always go for a defencive startegy when one
is called for. Thats when the opposition has magical support, if they
dont, well then its a totally different can'o worms.
> > No to mention that being "different" is a two way street too, that
means
> > that a dedicated mage is as vulnerable to mundane attacks as mundanes are
> > to magical attacks.
>
> But a magician who is a Combat Magician will have enough tactical brains to
> ensure he is adequately protected from mundane threats as well. And it can
> easily be done. Mundanes can also make themselves less vulnerable to
> magical attacks if they so desire (like increase their Willpower). But, on
> the whole, only PCs do this (the PC mundanes usually place a high emphasis
> on Willpower, to avoid getting their heads exploded from Manabolts, and the
> PC magicians are usually well aware of just how vulnerable all those
> wage-mages the sammies regularily blow away are, so they ensure they are
> better protected from mundane threats). NPCs are generally not as well
> protected from their opposite threats (ie NPC grunts usually have low
> Willpowers [the security guard in SRII has a Willpower of 2], and NPC
> magicians tend to have poor Body stats, and wear shitty armour [like the
> magicians in DNA/DOA when compared to the mundanes]).
I agree on the whole, but I believe that even if one can make oneself
"less vulnerable" as you accurately pointed out, its still very hard
to battle an opponet that uses "different" means. This goes both for
magicians and sammies. I guess we'll get to see whos right now that
Phil joined us. Just for the record, I have my reservations as to
the outcome of our contecst as Phil's magician will be optimised to the
point where he'd no longer be feasible if he were a runner.
--
"Believe in Angels." -- The Crow
GCS d H s+: !g p1 !au a- w+ v-(?) C++++ UA++S++L+$>++++ L+>+++ E--- N+ W(+)(---)
M-- !V(--) -po+(---) Y+ t++ 5++ R+++ tv b++ e+ u++(-) h*(+) f+ r- n!(-) y?
