From:	Twist0059@***.com Twist0059@***.com
Subject:	Translating Initiates
Date:	Sun, 29 Aug 1999 10:49:00 EDT

In a message dated 8/29/99 5:26:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
griffinhq@****.com writes:

> Is is just me or do all initiate mages actually gain a grade when
> translating from 2nd to 3rd edition?
>


Technically, yes. There is no Grade 0 anymore, so any magicians who started
out at it back in SR2 are probably being screwed over for their Grade 0
Karma, considering they also lose all but their Grade rank in metamagics.
What I had my older players do is pay 5 GK (or the difference between their
Grade 0 cost and the Grade 1 cost, if they initiated originally with a group
or with an ordeal), go up a Grade automatically, and choose a number of
metamagics, geasa sheddings and magic point increases per Grade. Just go
through each Grade they have and make them choose one at a time.
Now, for conversions, I had them keep their pre-MitS geasa and not go
back and figure out each magic point lost and take a geasa for it, then go
through the Grade choices. This might mean they are at a slight advantage,
especially if they are high grade initates with only a couple geasa (since
pre-MitS had geasa every 2 Magic Points instead of 1) but before the Geasa
didn't off-set magic loss either, so I think it balances out. Geasa
currently are more frequent but they actually help you out. Encourage your
coversion character's players to shed all their geasa, as it might balance
them out in mechanics.
If this seems too powerful for you, you could always give them a Geasa
for each lost magic point or make them stay at current Grade. But Grade 0
magicians should be either automatically upped to Grade 1 or given the Pay 5
GK option.
Maybe Kenson could write an article about coverting initiates from SR2 to
SR3.




-Twist