From:	"Bruce H. Nagel" <NAGELBH@******.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU>
Subject:	Re: [SR3] Physical Adepts
Date:	Fri, 4 Jul 1997 04:01:14 -0500

You wrote:
> I would love for SR3 to address the Physad problem...
> It seems (to me anyways) that almost every ability a physad can get using
> his magic, the chromed to the hilt cyber-sammauri can get cheaper.
Personally, I kinda dislike physads nowadays... At first, in Grim1, I loved
'em, a neat new type of character for folks to play. But in recent years, I've
realized why I don't care for them, and have never played one: they were made
to be sammies without the big drawback of a sammie, namely Essence loss. My
groups have always taken Essence losses for char's rather seriously, prtraying
people with low Essence as less sane, more paranoid, and less humane and human
than everyone else. This is only hinted at in the rules, but it was our take
on things, and I liked it, it fit SR's gritty feel for me. Then along come
physads and, especially in 2st ed, they were the magical replacement for
sammies. It blurred the line between mages and other types of characters.
Physads didn't have the drain problems of mages, or the Essence-loss problems
of sammies... Not that I'm going to sit and advocate that PAs be dumped fromt
he rules, too many would mourn them now, but they could be more distinct from
sams.

> Compared to all the cyber/bio reflex enhancers, the increased reflexes
> ability is much too expensive... Killing hands is nice, but then, the sammie
> with hand razors, swords, etc is capable of matching this. Increased
> reaction and improved attributes are rediculously overpriced for physads...
> improved senses are nice, but again, the cyber-sammie can get most of these
> too.... Improved ability can be quite useful, but only in large
> amounts...Astral perception is one of the few advantages available to a
> physad that isnt available to sammies. An extremely useful advantage too...
> Some abilities in the Grimoire and Awakenings are rather interesting, but I
> really dont think it makes up for the power edge available to sammies and
> full magic users...
This was ovverraction from their 1st Ed abilites, which were too good for the
price. Things swung the other way in 2nd Ed.

> And of course initiation is a collossal rip-off for physads... They have to
> spend at least 20 karma to get to grade 1 at which time they get to spend
> another whole point! Wow, I can buy a general skill at level 4 or get a
> whole physad point!
This is a good candidate for revision in 2nd Ed.: Physad power purchasing,
perhaps not linking it to Magic Attribute so much. Perhaps letting that
attribute be a limit on how *high* a physad's powers can be bought, let them
purchase with experience or the like...


losthalo