| From: | "Paul J. Adam" <shadowrn@********.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: [SR3] Drain |
| Date: | Sat, 5 Jul 1997 01:28:49 +0100 |
<TalonMail@***.COM> writes
>OK, survey question #2 (following up on the Pet Peeves thread):
>
>Many people have suggested setting Spell Drain TNs back at Force instead of
>F/2. What do people think of this? Please remember, I need to know WHY you
>think the idea is good or bad.
While I'm somewhat anti-magic (SR1 made them too powerful), SR2 fixed
the balance in my opinion. Magiciains in SR2 are potent, but the spells
hurt to cast at high Force, low-force spells aren't too effective, and
generally the system works.
I wouldn't like to see magicians cut down the way physical adepts were
in SR2: yes, with autosucesses the powergamed SR1 physad was obscene,
but many balanced and playable PCs needed creative adaptation to bring
into SR2 without emasculation. The end result worked reasonably, but I
feel personally that FASA overcompensated somewhat on physical adepts
for SR2.
I'd personally suggest limiting magical initiative increases rather than
increasing Drain. They want to be fast, they get Wired Reflexes and the
corresponding Essence lost, or risk spell locks and quickenings (and
have those, or long-term Increase Reaction spells, have a painful cost).
Otherwise, they are slower than the samurai, but much more powerful and
especially much more flexible (the firepower of a samurai, the stealth
of a physad, the reconnaisance capability of a rigger...)
What troubles me is that a magician with magically enhanced reflexes and
Enhanced Aim can out-samurai a samurai, with Extended Range Clairvoyance
can out-reconnaisance a rigger, and still do many other things besides.
Call me old-fashioned, but given what cost Wired Reflexes or a VCR can
entail I prefer to make their benefits a little harder to attain by
magic than in SR2.
--
There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy...
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
