From:	"Wendy Wanders, Subject 117" <KGGEWEHR@******.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Force Points for Initiation (was: The Chromium Mage)
Date:	Wed, 30 Jul 1997 23:20:34 -0500

You wrote:
> Basically, the problem is that Magical Initiates are supposed to be VERY
> rare, and higher level initiates even more so... yet, it seems like quite
> rapidly every mage/shaman/physad in a game becomes a 4th or 5th level
> initiate, and it just skews the whole concept of rarity.

> By using gradual initiation, so that you only get one ability per level, or
> whatever, you encourage the mage/shaman to initiate to a higher level than
> he would normally force himself to go...

Okay, now I gotcha, but... this just means that Grade X means less than it did
before, only high grades are meaningful. From what I've heard, there are a lot
of Initiating PCs in games now, and that would seem to be because of all the
'neat stuff' you gain with just one grade of Initiation. However, if you
didn't *get* Anchoring, Centering, Dispelling, Masking, Quickening, and
Shielding, et drecking cetera at Grade 0, it might be so much more beneficial
to do other things with Karma, like raise Sorcery to gain Magic Pool, or learn
more and more spells... Initiation is 'kid in a candy shop' at grade 0, too
many new toys to know what to do with them all.

> I can see both sides of it, and while I like magic, I think that the power
> levels are screwed... It's the same with skill levels. Certain high
> numbers become the norm for Shadowrunners, but they're so much ridiculously
> higher than what is _SUPPOSED_ to be high levels... i mean, a grade 3 or 4
> Initiate should be considered VERY rare and VERY powerful, but is common as
> dirt as far as Shadowrunners go. <shrug>
Same thing happened with Alpha and Betaware, why do you think Delta came about?
So there would be a 'really, really rare' category of better cyber, since
everyone and their brother had at least Alpha. SR has been doing this over
time, just upping the power levels every year or so, and it's not a trend I
like. Just look at Cybermancy, was that idea even remotely necessary? It was
something to get Cybertechnology to sell better, imo, and a fairly interesting
but not really... good idea.

losthalo