I've been working on an adept with NSRCG and was just wondering if I'm on the right track as far as selecting powers goes.
I usually start out with taking Improved Reflexes 2 (3 PP's). After that, I try to max out my physical abilities up to their racial modified limits. That way I can use more attribute points in Int and Will. This usually takes 1.5-2 PP's (3-4 points at 0.5 PP each).
That leaves around 1-1.5 PP's left, give or take. I was also thinking of being an archer so I took Quick Draw as well (0.5 PP).
Does this look ok? Are there other powers that I would be better to spend my points on? Bear in mind I don't have MItS yet but I hope to get it soon. Thanks!!
I'd wait for MitS and SOTA:'64 before that. Though SOTA:'64 isn't in NSRCG that I know of, though some are working on it.
oh no....no no no....
let's see...um...underworld93.com might help you out
What is does State of The art have more magic stuff?
The thing is, not all adepts are the same. What's best for a melee-oriented adept isn't the best for a gunbunny-adept. What's best for an athletic adept isn't the best for a stealth adept. etc.
And on top of that, SOTA:'64 gives you The Artistic Adept and the Social Adept as well
One thing I've seen though is that the attribute bonus powers are kind of a waste most of the time. Usually it's far better to get 'ware and geas it (or even *don't* geas it) for stat boosts, and spend your power points on more interesting powers.
One thing I find incredibly useful are Improved Sense powers. I usually spend at least 1 full point on senses; being natural they're always better than the sammie's, which is really cool.
And you take the grade you want, select sound filter power at lvl 1 is .25 same as level 5
How would you describe the 'natural' functioning of a select sound filter? It would seem like it would require a great deal of concentration.
no more than the cyberware version does.
I didn't write the rules. Thinkof it this way, some folks can filter out the background noise in a bar when talking to someone, others can't. There's no real concentration involved, just a general knack for filtering out the stuff you don't need at the moment.
Actually, everybody is normally filtering sounds all the time. It's very uncomfortable for people with hearing loss, since that filtering capacity have been damaged, hearing aid restore a normal level for all sounds.
So is the general consensus to get MItS? I plan to get it but is an adept grossly inferior if you just use SR3?
| QUOTE |
| One thing I've seen though is that the attribute bonus powers are kind of a waste most of the time. Usually it's far better to get 'ware and geas it (or even *don't* geas it) for stat boosts, and spend your power points on more interesting powers |
You can make capable adepts with just SR3, but MitS givel a nice list of options and apparently SOTA64 adds a lot of options as well. Saying that they are "better" is not really sensible, but they can better match the desired character idea when selecting from the complete list.
Drop the Improved Attributes like an infected hooker. Quickdraw goes really well with Missle Mastery allowing one to throw four ball-point bic pens in one pass (one in each hand) each with a starting damage level of Light. I also suggest Traceless Walk (.5 PP) and Improved Combat Skill (if you go for Missle Mastery put the dice to Throwing) along with Counter Strike (.25 PP per die) which is better than Mystic Armor or the like. Pain Resistance at 3 boxes really comes in handy.
Actually, "Quick Draw" might not be bad since he's aiming to be an archer.
I'll second the "Lose the improved attributes" comments - invest in some sense enhancements like Image Mag. Otherwise those range penalties will kill you, not them.
You might keep the Improved Strength, since you will be a combat spec.
Think about killing hands at L since you want to be a martial artist - it's too useful not to have if you plan to enter really close quarters.
Blindfire might not be a bad choice either, if you want to play up the Zen Archer angle - echolocation and high frequency hearing are your friends.
Books
MitS is nice, but not essential. Sota64 is nice, but not essential. Your adept isn't breaking new ground and isn't going to be exploring uncharted territories, so stick with the basics until or unless you feel like spending the cash.
-Siege
There are no "best" powers generally, though some are very useful for specific characters. Quickdraw is very good for bow adepts. I made an orc bow adept. He had maxed out strength and quickness (as well as int for higher reaction), with bonus attribute point: strength and his adept powers were:
Quickdraw
Improved Sense: Directional Sense
Improved Sense: Vision Magnification 3
Improved Ability: Projectile Weapons 5
Improved Reflexes 1
Improved Sense: Improved Scent
Improved Sense: Sound Filter 5
I wanted to give him a tracker like feel, hence all the improved senses, and he had Projectile Weapons 5/Bows 7. He's strength 9, so with a Ranger X Bow he does 13M base damage, throwing 12 dice, with a Base TN of 4 at any range out to his maximum (which with his strength is REALLY long range) and he's hitting against impact armour. Woot.
JaronK
| QUOTE |
| I'll second the "Lose the improved attributes" comments |
| QUOTE |
| invest in some sense enhancements like Image Mag |
| QUOTE |
| Think about killing hands at L since you want to be a martial artist |
| QUOTE (GlassJaw) |
| Ok, this seems to be a recurring theme but I'm not exactly sure why. I would figure getting your stats maxed out would be a priority, but then again, what do I know? So what's the main reason? Is it because your stats are easier to improve or just not as important? Well what about just a scope on your bow? How is that useful when it's lower than your normal unarmed damage (albeit Stun)? |
| QUOTE |
| So what's the main reason? Is it because your stats are easier to improve or just not as important? |
| QUOTE |
| How is that useful when it's lower than your normal unarmed damage (albeit Stun)? |
| QUOTE (Kanada Ten) | ||
The cost of attribute improvment by adept powers is not an efficent transfer compaired to the cost of Power Points verus raising the attributes naturally. You are better off using the chargen points more effectivly. |
That's exactly what I mean, your wasting adept power points when attribute points are more plentyfull (you can never get more than 6 PP to start).
Not if you maxed out your Quota of 30 Attribute point and your GM is being anal about the Attribute "cap".
| QUOTE (toturi) |
| I wouldn't advise losing the Improved Attributes for Strength or Quickness. But Body is iffy. Strength because you need it for your Damage. Quickness becuase you might want to Quickdraw and it requires a Quickness Test. |
Mea Culpa... Reaction test it is. But you do need that Quickness.
With a Willpower 6 and a Charisma 5, I think the character has points to spare.
What is this guy, a Face? If so, then you should change pretty much everything. Enhanced Perception, Iron Will, Spell Shroud, and Empathic Sense with a possible Magic Sense (or Astral Perception if you're the only magic user).
| QUOTE |
| What is this guy, a Face? |
| QUOTE |
| http://www.shadowrunrpg.com/resources/faq.shtml#4 If an adept with the Improved Sense power chooses a sense that normally has levels (select sound filter, vision magnification), do they have to spend .25 power points per level? No. The adept simply pays .25 power points and receives the sense at the highest level (select sound filter 5, vision magnification 3). |
The Spatial Recognizer seems to be a typo. M&M page 18.
Unfortunately, some sensory implants don't have a maximum level. Olfactory Boosters, for instance. 0.25 Build Points gives you Olfactory Boosters (Rating Infinity), mean you effectively always win your Perception Tests for scent- and taste-based Perception Tests regardless of how ridiculous the TN is, and you have an infinite number of successes. No rolling required.
What I house rule is that the solo level of any sensory power (or other similar phenomenon now or in the future) is limited by your Magic Rating. So if you have Magic 4, even Select Sound Filter is limited to rating 4.
| QUOTE |
| What I house rule is that the solo level of any sensory power (or other similar phenomenon now or in the future) is limited by your Magic Rating. So if you have Magic 4, even Select Sound Filter is limited to rating 4. |
It pretty much matches the canon rule that Adept Power ratings cannot exceed Magic Rating (SR3 under CharGen, IIRC).
But Improved Sense itself doesn't have a rating.
It's a minor house rule to clarify the potential problem, not a brilliant and innovating new addition to the game.
And [a house rule] that I totally agree with and think matches how canon deals with adept powers.
So now everyone's happy. ![]()
As for the main reason not to up your Attributes, especially this early in the game: it's boring!
Really, there are so many neat powers available out there that it's a shame to "waste" your points on something you can get bioware for. Instead pick up Natural thermovision, maybe Killing Hands, any of the insanely neat other powers that are unique to adepts. Upping your Bod and the like is cool, but there's just so many more interesting things out there, especially in MitS and SotA 2064 that by the time you get around to them it *will* be cheaper to just use Karma to up them rather than Initiating for 1-2 points of Bod.
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein) |
| Unfortunately, some sensory implants don't have a maximum level. Olfactory Boosters, for instance. 0.25 Build Points gives you Olfactory Boosters (Rating Infinity), |
| QUOTE |
| What I house rule is that the solo level of any sensory power (or other similar phenomenon now or in the future) is limited by your Magic Rating. So if you have Magic 4, even Select Sound Filter is limited to rating 4. |
I agree.
let's see if starting at Bod 3 raising it to 5 (1 power point normally)
Through Karma:
3 to 4: 4 Karma
4 to 5: 5 Karma
Total: 9 Karma
Initiation, Alone, no Ordeals:
0 to 1: 18 Karma (nets 1 power POint)
Puchase Power Point:
20 Karma
If you're below the normal racial limit (not the post char-gen limit)
it's cheaper to raise in game through karma
Bod 6 to 8:
Karma:
6 to 7:21 Karma
7 to 8: 24 Karma
Total: 45 Karma
Initiation, as above:
18 Karma for 1 power point
Power Point:
20 Karma
There fore, if youre starting with a normal metahuman stat, it's cheaper to just pay it up in karma, however the price goes much higher when your start into the upper part.
I realise this is old hat, but sometimes you gotta look at the numbers.
| QUOTE |
| Through Karma: 3 to 4: 4 Karma 4 to 5: 5 Karma Total: 9 Karma |
One just gives you 1 more power point of powers (but doesn't allow you to more active) the other gives you a Magic point as well (which allows you to have more active) Though as long as your magic stays around the 6+ mark then this is effect is close to negilable
Imho, the best adept power are the ones that are unduplicatable by anything else:
Improved skills, quick draw, quick strike
The next tier are the adept power that are more useful that their duplications:
Imrpoved Senses, traceless walk, magic/emotion sense, blind fighting
Notice that the top tier cyber ware (smartlink, datajack, etc tend to be picked up by most everyone, not just the borgs).
How's this:
B 6 (3+3)
Q 6
S 8 (6+2)
C 5 (6-1)
I 4 (4-1)
W 4
Athletics 4
Etiquette 4
Interrogation/Verbal 3/5
Negotiation 5
Projectile Weapons/Bows 5/7
Stealth 5
Unarmed Combat 6
Imp Reflexes 2 (3.00)
Quick Draw (0.5)
Traceless Walk (0.5)
Imp Scent (0.25)
Vison Mag 3 (0.25)
Sound Filter 5 (0.25)
Thermo Vision (0.25)
Proj Weapons/Bows 2 (1.0)
A minor min max nitpick.
Drop one point from Cha and drop one point from Negotiation. Put those 3 BPs in Athletics and Stealth. Personally, I'm not fond of using Improve Ability in anything other than Stealth and Athletics. So I'd put that 1 PP in either Stealth or Athletics, but that is up to you. If you wanted a Face, then perhaps you might be better served by some of the powers from SOTA 2064 instead.
You'll probably want to change out thermo for flare compensation, as natural low light is better that or equal to natural thermo in almost all circumstances. But flare comp will get rid of modifiers for glare, flash bang grenades, etc.
Sams have the power to get all the vission,and sound powers for like 1 esance. They may not be as good, but they are cheeper in terms of resources that matter. As any good street sam has more money than adepts have magic points... I really would say giving your Adept cyber eyes,ears, smart gun links,hand razors, data links, and other small cyberware gear is a good idea. You do not have to have them alll, but most adepts gain way more than they losse for having a point or even two worth of cyberware.
For that, it's a matter of opinion and what effect you're trying to achieve - smartlinks are unnecessary if you're not a dedicated gun bunny or don't plan on mixing it up in close quarters.
The cybereyes - eh. One of the major selling points of an adept is his ability to go unnoticed to anything short of an Awakened audience.
I have yet to make an adept and add cyberware at CG - but that's just me.
-Siege
I doubt anyone is going to get all hot and bothered about some guy having cybereyes- and it's a lot harder to tell what if any extras they have in them compared to retinal mods. Maybe they had bad eyesight and decided to get them replaced? IIRC one of the books said that between that and bioware (and probably still laser treatment) glasses were pretty much non-existant.
If you're going for a half-point of cyber to round out your smartlink or .8 to fill in where the datajack left off, I'd suggest twinked cyberears. There is no extra set of modifiers for cybered hearing vs. adept power hearing.
If I didn't care about the concept and was just min/maxing, I'd look to abilities that adept powers don't grant, but which would compliment those that do.
Eye-Light Systems combined with natural Low-Light Vision is fantastic, for instance. Coupled with natural Thermo and cybernetic Ultrasound Vision (to round out the cybereye's freebie and to keep Dumpshockers from whining), and the only visual penalty you'll have is +0 in most situations other than full darkness (+2) and against thermal smoke (+2) and glare (+1). All for 0.16 Essence and 0.5 Power Points.
EDIT: Actually, I don't even think Eye-Lights are necessary for that. But my point still stands. Compliment your abilities by taking advantage of both sides of the fence, don't just figure out which one is cheaper.
Well for sake of argument, let's assume no cyberware for this character. I've never played an adept before and I want to keep it simple.
Besides, when you replace your eyes you lose natural vision. This includes the racial low-light from orks, and can be interpreted as including the thermo from adept powers as well. I know *I'd* rule that way.
Which is why you take them as vision mods and don't lose a thing.
I was more referring to:
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein) |
| Coupled with natural Thermo and cybernetic Ultrasound Vision (to round out the cybereye's freebie and to keep Dumpshockers from whining) |
Yeah, I'm not quite sure how one would go about combining Eye Lights with natural Low Light vision, since Eye Lights cannot be installed in natural eyes, IIRC.
Feel free to read over Improved Sense and point out where it states that it's incompatible with cyberware. Ditto for the cyberware. It's a magical improvement of your senses, not necessarily a magical improvement of your sensory organs though, as with most adept powers, it can be explained as such.
That's a bit of a stretch. Canon states that a person replacing their eyes loses all his natural vision augmentations, and an Adept's visual Powers are described as being natural.
Interesting munch though, if it does work as you say.
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein @ Oct 31 2004, 12:04 AM) |
| Feel free to read over Improved Sense and point out where it states that it's incompatible with cyberware. Ditto for the cyberware. |
| QUOTE |
| That's a bit of a stretch. Canon states that a person replacing their eyes loses all his natural vision augmentations, and an Adept's visual Powers are described as being natural. |
That's your interpretation, but that doesn't necessarily make it canon.
According to canon, Eye lights cannot be installed in natural eyes. A troll who installs cybereyes loses his natural Thermographic Vision, just as an elf loses his natural Low Light when doing the same. As an Adept's Powers are described as being natural, a case can be made either way.
Once again, you need to re-read the canon material sometime. Especially based upon your last completely ignorant sentence... which I corrected you on with the very first thing in the last message.
Either way, he'll still lose the ork's natural low-light vision, unless you use Doc's interpretation *and* the ork buys his low-light as an Improved Sense. In the end I suppose it's worth it. It even makes a kind of sense, as much as magic ever makes. After all, you don't restrict the adept from channeling his Killing Hands through a cyberlimb, do you? Or from taking Dermal Sheathing and combining it with Mystic Armor?
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein @ Oct 31 2004, 04:42 PM) |
| Once again, you need to re-read the canon material sometime. Especially based upon your last completely ignorant sentence... which I corrected you on with the very first thing in the last message. |
Good riddance.
| QUOTE (Fortune) |
| According to canon, Eye lights cannot be installed in natural eyes. |
There is no such ruling. I suggested he re-read the material since he was making multiple mistakes, but apparently that was a grevious insult.
The only implant that I can remember that specifically mentions it can only be installed in a cybereye is the Basic Eye Laser System. There may be one or two others, but that's the only one I can remember at the moment.
Eye datajacks as well, although neither are really relevant here. Again, my only real point was that you can't get cybereyes (for the Essence savings) and retain your natural low-light vision. Though it has no real basis in the rules, I still don't think adepts should be allowed to get cybereyes without losing their magical improved vision, but that's mostly because I don't like adepts, and has nothing to do with the rules.
Anyway, back to the character:
"I 4 (4-1)"
I think you meant "I 4 (5-1)" here.
"Proj Weapons/Bows 2 (1.0)"
I agree with the people who said this isn't all that useful right now. Seven dice for shooting bows is fine until you hit around 50 Karma or so. I suggest 2 levels of Improved Stealth and either a couple more Improved Senses, Magic Sense, or Empathic Sense. Flare Comp is nice, as is Microscopic Vision if you ever plan on learning B&E, which you should considering you are the stealth man.
I'd also listen to toturi's advice about shifting around your attritutes and skills a little. Honestly your skill in stealth is almost certainly going to be more important than your skill at negotiations; only rarely will you be able to negotiate better than a Johnson, who's usually highly specialized for just such a purpose, and Stealth'll actually keep you alive.
| QUOTE |
| Again, my only real point was that you can't get cybereyes (for the Essence savings) and retain your natural low-light vision. |
I could be way off, and I'm half awake here, but;
Thermo and low light naturally occur in metahumans as a fact of biology right? Magically active or not, an elf can have lowlight, and a dwarf can have thermo, right? Physiological science. If the sense organ is removed, then so are it's inherant benefits...
If I remember right, can't cyberwear be taken with you into the astral plane because it's paid for with essence? Which means your cyberlimb or your spurs or whatever aren't left behind when you go astral.
Physad's abilities are explicitly unnatural They are supernatural or magic, aren't they?
That do anything for anybody?
I dunno... some random disjointed thoughts.
Adept Vision/hearing etc. enhancements are considered natural. This according to the FAQ. I would rule that Cybereyes/Ears would replace the "natural" benefit that an adept receives from adept powers.
I know many people feel that an adept should stay mostly magical, or only accept some "light" cyber mods. But what about the full on Cyber Adept. Seems to me the rules were pretty explicitly written that awakened types can accept all except that last point of cyber/bioware and geasa themselves to maintain an equivalent full magic rating.
An adept with 8 power points(geasa), 2 bioindex, and 4 pts in cyberware (essence 2) has a real magic attribute of 1 and with geasa functions like he has a magic of 6. Take a single, or even a few, talisman geasa (earings, necklace, or some more personal body piercings in areas that we all know and love). Make sure the adept powers are useful but not critical to overall character function, so that even if you lose the talismans you are still as functional as any other character with 4pts of cyberware and 2pts bioware.
That would be a pretty trick character to play. With all those options you could fill mutliple roles in a team, especially if you take Skillwires 3, 16mp, CED3 and Custom Activsofts with the cluster option - add EA and you get to roll up to 8 dice for those skill tests.
What about magic loss you say? Well on a magic check 2d6 you would have to roll a 2 to lose that last point of magic - a 1 in 36 chance. I would hedge my bets by jacking body with Bonelacing Plastic, Dermal Sheath 1, and Suprathyroid - that should get a human to body 10. Wear good armor, and suffering a deadly wound should be pretty rare.
Min maxing? Well we all do that to one degree or another in our own lives so I wont get into that discussion. ![]()
Well rounded, heck yeah. A character like that could be a face, first or second rate sammy, B/E expert, etc. The trick is all the cool abilities and the skillwires.
Character story. She hung with the gangs as a youth and started selecting the cyberware/bioware for its obvious benefits. Turns out she was a late bloomer on the magical charts and and when her almost defunct magical ability kicked in she embraced it. Turns out she always had this affinity for some old jewelry her grandmother left her and she never left home without it. It just didnt *feel* right not having all her jewelry in its appropriatly pierced areas, they had become something of a good luck charm to her. Low and behold she discovers that she had bonded the jewelry like a fetish in order to keep from losing all those magic points.
You get the idea. Go ahead and tear it apart.
| QUOTE |
| Adept Vision/hearing etc. enhancements are considered natural. This according to the FAQ. I would rule that Cybereyes/Ears would replace the "natural" benefit that an adept receives from adept powers. |
Combining adept abilities and cyberware can actually produce a tough combination, but there are two problems with a full-bore cybered adept:
First, when adepts accept a geas for magic loss, the game master is the one who selects it. The good news is that many GMs feel this is a silly rule and let adepts pick their geasa like any other awakened character. But most good GMs will still look carefully at geasa, since they are supposed to be an actual limitation on the character.
Secondly, adepts and sammies are already the toughest two types of characters to create, point-wise. They need high physical Attributes but still need moderately good mental Attributes, and they also need a wide range of combat and other skills. When you are spending 25 points on being an adept, and 20-30 points on resources on top of that, you really spread yourself thin. The benefits are counteracted by your inferior skills and Attributes. It depends on the point allocation. For a 150-point game, that kind of character would actually be the smart choice. Trying to do it with 120 points would be pretty painful, though.
M&M page 15:
| QUOTE |
| Eye Light System This light system mounts high-powered, low heat lights in the cybereye ... |
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||
|
But isn't flavour text as Canon as game mechanics?
Not when it comes to the rules of the game. Read over Vision Magnification or the fluff vs. rules for Ruthenium Polymers sometime.
the inability to mount a sensory system in a natural organ is a pretty important distinction. if the eyelight system was not intended to be mounted in a natural eye, the text should be errata'd to reflect that; the vague reference to cybereye mounting is not strong enough to be convincing. or, well, it's not strongly-worded enough to convince me; obviously, though, i'm more resistant to M&M's jedi mind tricks than Fortune is!
| QUOTE |
| I'd also listen to toturi's advice about shifting around your attritutes and skills a little. Honestly your skill in stealth is almost certainly going to be more important than your skill at negotiations; only rarely will you be able to negotiate better than a Johnson, who's usually highly specialized for just such a purpose, and Stealth'll actually keep you alive. |
Depends on what the rest of the party is capable of.
Personally, I don't like designing characters that way. Having weak spots in your group makes for a more fun experience in my opinion, though it could lead up to the standard question that gets ignored in Shadowrun; "why would a Johnson hire a team not suitable to the job?"
Definitely secondary skills - three people for a team is pretty light and the talent will be spread thin.
-Siege
| QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein) |
| Depends on what the rest of the party is capable of. Personally, I don't like designing characters that way. Having weak spots in your group makes for a more fun experience in my opinion, though it could lead up to the standard question that gets ignored in Shadowrun; "why would a Johnson hire a team not suitable to the job?" |
Glad the Eye light debate is virtually over, thats some thing i do with so many of my characters wether it be Magic, Racial or Edge based.
| QUOTE (Glassjaw) |
| So how would you go about making an adept for a small (let's say 3 players) group? Would you just go for stealth or give him some secondary skills as well? |
Eh, even without SOTA:2064, pulling off a warrior adept-face is pretty easy to do, and that covers three areas well enough.
Priorities: Attributes > Magic > Resources > Skills > Race.
Attributes: All of them are important, though Quickness and Charisma are the two I'd focus on.
Skills: Melee/Martial Art Skill, Firearm Skill, Etiquette, Negotiation.
Powers (Geased): Improved Ability: Melee Skill 4, Improved Ability: Firearm Skill 3, Improved Reflexes 2, Improved Senses 4, Quick Draw.
Edges: Ambidexterity 4, Friendly Face, Good Looking & Knows It, Good Reputation 2; Bad Karma, Dark Secret, Police Record (or any other flaws equally -13 points)
Resources: Twin firearms (at least one with a Laser Sight for when you need accuracy over lots of lead), twin melee weapons, Vashon Island Actioneer Line suit, form fitting body armor, pocket secretary, and a handful of diverse contacts.
...and bam, you have someone who's pretty gosh-darn effective across all three categories. You're throwing 10 (Specialization 7 + IA 3) dice up to four times a phase with a +0/+0 modifier on your firearms rolls, you have 16 dice available for all of your melee tests, and you're more than capable of dealing with established contacts or people you run into on the street as well as any dedicated mundane face can.
With SOTA:2064, you could even choose to go into munchkin territory as the face role if you like (Kinesics 3 alone is ungodly; -3 TN [-5 with Good Reputation 2, meaning -5 on all Availability checks amongst other things] *and* +3 dice on *all* social Charisma Tests... plus more; they need some real frelling playtesters), or you could focus on one of your other areas, too.
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)