This got me thinking. If someone gave me the reins, I think I'd do something like the following.

1) A sudden negative spike in ambient mana. Over the course of a week, magic all across the globe starts dropping off significantly, then over the course of the next week it just plummets. The Awakened community is panicking, because no one knows what's going on and everyone's magic is failing. The Corporations are scrambling to protect themselves, because everyone at least dabbles in magical goods and most certainly relies upon magical defenses to protect a lot of their resources. The natural world is in violent upheaval with critters running wild, ley lines shifting, natural disasters rolling in one after another, and an inexplicable surge in plant growth resulting a creeping tide of green causing untold damage to human infrastructure. The Infected community is reeling and desperate from a sudden mass weakening of their powers, prompting record numbers of attacks on the ordinary population. All in all, things are crazy.

Another week rolls by and mana levels are still dropping, but the rate has mercifully slowed. Everyone holds their breath during a tense fourth, and final, week in which mana levels just sit unmoving, and then everything just snaps. The whole ordeal culminates in a massive rubber banding effect, with the ambient mana figuratively (and in a few places where the ley lines cross, literally) exploding, ushering in a couple months of record high mana levels, which slowly drop off again, but which still level out higher than they originally started.

Magic just had a growth spurt, and it shook some things up in the process. The door is opened for all sorts of interesting (and largely unpleasant) changes for the Sixth World, some at nearly fundamental levels.

The net effect? There's more magic in the world. Critters and the natural world are nastier than ever, as are the Infected. Awakened metahumans are finding that despite greater mana levels, they're having a harder time "using" mana. Hermetic schools theorize that a fundmental shift in mana has pushed it to a different "frequency" which metahumanity has a harder time "resonating" with. Shamanic communities intead argue that Nature is merely angry, and that the Earth and its powers are fighting back against the abuses of humanity. Whatever the case, overall, people are less able to control magic as they wish, despite it being stronger than ever.

Et cetera.

2) Technology gets a boost, but it comes at a price. Maybe some new material is designed which has revolutionary benefits, a la Plasteel, and it starts sweeping the tech field. Or maybe the recent shifts in the nature of magic have also resulted in unforseen consequences for technology, like new alchemical processes allowing for new factoring methods. Or maybe physics itself has been slightly altered along with magic, if that sort of thing would fly lorewise, I dunno.

Whatever the case, cyberware is now cheaper and has more benefits and options than ever before. The downside is that it also rots your soul more than ever before. Chrome can make you faster and fiercer than anything else out there - even magic - but it flies in the face of all that is natural. People might be readily accepting of lopping off limbs and replacing them with machines, but Nature isn't. This produces some interesting physical results, ranging from cyber-invoked "Critter Spooking", to magical resistance and spell backfiring, to bizarre medical developments wherein cybered patients respond normally to synthetic food and drugs, but allergically to natural ones.

There are also some less tangible effects floating around as well. Certain types of spirits have begun acting differently towards the cybered. Large numbers of Beast Spirits, Plant Spirits, and other "natural" spirits have begun reacting negatively, and even violently, toward those sporting 'ware, while substantial numbers of Spirits of Man, Task Spirits, and other spirits tied to "humanity" seem to be of the opposite persuasion, appreciating the boundless ingenuity and craftsmanship of humanity that they see cyberware as representing. And perhaps most unsettlingly, amongst the rest of the chaos that unfolded during the brief dip in mana levels, a strange breed of unknown spirits appeared and began attacking heavily cybered individuals. Cases ranged from simple harassment and astral "hallucinations", to full blown possession and even eventual madness. Attacks stopped suddenly when global mana levels recovered, but in many cases the effects lingered.

(Also, while I'm at it, maybe we could also have some advances in jarhead cybernetics, opening up the extreme end of the tech/magic dichotomy. Once you start down the unnatural road, where exactly do you expect to stop? Just how far are you willing to go, and just what price are you willing to pay for power? You can do such much more with a fully robotic body if you're willing to take that step, and it would offer some very interesting roleplay and gameplay challenges to make that option more readily available alongside traditional cyber.)

~Umi

Cheaper than muscle aug and toners. You can get alpha Muscle replacements for less.

It sure seems like it!

I made a mistake, Betaware is now x 0.7 essence reduction and 1.5 cost multiplier.

Magic/decker-run it is.

Which, sadly, kinda fits the background of the setting. Those with real power, the movers and shakers, have always been from the Fantasy part of Shadowrun, not the Cyberpunk one. Immortal Elfs, Dragons and their like are all spellcasters and take a big dump on those relying on Chrome.

There are a lot more mundanes at the top of megacorps then not.

Not denying that. But at the very top of the food chain in Shadowrun are Immortal Elves and Dragons, both of which I could gladly do without, since they really detract from any Cyberpunk feeling in the game.

True. AI should at least be on par.

I'm not seeing the magic run/decker run thing, except of course the CyberHack!NERPS! Which is looking harder to achieve now we've had more details (and will still be getting hose ruled at my table. Idea nice, implementation weak etc). But otherwise I'm really not seeing it.

Maybe that's because I'm going from 3 to 5 having skipped 4.

But from my perspective in doing so this is how it looks.
The Resources A is half of what it was (475k vs 1m) but a lot of the Cyberware we've now seen costs for are something like 30-40% of what it cost in SR3 and sounds more essence friendly out the bag (or is around the same). Some of the Bio seems to cost more (muscle toner and aug) but is half it's base index cost (which, sure is essence now but hey). Also the improved grades cost ALOT less making the alpha ware something like 25% what it used to.

Magic on the other hand isn't doing anything New this Edition apart from the Limit (system wide) and bringing back(slowly) the division of the traditions thematically and systemically. Initiation sounds like its going to be a bit quicker and cheaper Karma wise, on the other hand you have to buy up magic seperately instead of just getting a new point when you initiate so that bit's more expensive overall. Background count has become a standard magic rule it sounds like instead of an optional additional and sustaining spells without a sustaining Foci carries a decent penalty. Pure combat magicians are now harder to achieve success with. (although I will be looking at the initiative boosting spell...)

Adepts still seem to be adepts and have always been the real challenge to Cybered characters in SR3 and I don't see it changing much in SR5. I liked the Way guidelines back in my BBB and MitS (and SotA) and they helped my players balance their characters thematically so to know Critias had a hand in there allays my worries entirely.

Mystic Adepts? Okay, as written these are kinda silly. I know they are bring erratta'd but I can see me breaking out MitS to Houserule these little buggers. That or I just won't allow Mysads (and no one has ever played on at my table anyway).

So between 3 vs 5 the actual differences are that Chrome has gotten easier to do (although with potentially more vulnerability raw) And magic is much the same (with cheaper Foci).

Ultimately I think it comes down to which ever someone thinks is the "cooler" or more fun concept for that particular campaign or stand alone session. I've been GMing Shadowrun for 12 years now. In that time I have run it for five (regular) player groups each with six regular players and the occasional extra or stand in here and there. There have been three long campaigns and five short campaigns and two single mission games. In that time I have seen: 3 Adepts, 3 Riggers, 1 Shaman, 3 Mages, 2 Cybered Snipers, 1 cyber ninja, 3 Deckers, 4 Skillwire multifunction multi SIN running "face" covert types, 1 Aspected Magician and 18 Street Samurai. Almost everyone knew the rules, had access to all the major splat books and knew the setting.

I do not want a SR without IEs and dragons - it wouldnt´be SR anymore. But, yes, some "mundane" boosts would not be wrong.

SYL

If such is your desire Elfenlied have you tried Cyberpunk 2020/2050(I think the reboot/newer version is)? Because there is no magic or dragons or elves in the game or setting. Trying to do away with them in Shadowrun is counter intuitive since they've been part of it all (Lofwyr certainly) since the first book and are what makes the setting unique in its genre.

You can't have the one with the other.
The point is, with every generation there is a new generation of mundane but the elfs and dragons are still there...

Its definedly that your coming from SR3, for those making the jump from SR4 its a lot different:
Resources A is less then double what the max was in SR4*(250kvs450k), but in general ware prices where about tripled(in some cases less and in some more). Also lower of cyber/bio essence used to only count for 50%.
*And thats with out taking account qualities that can affect this, my SR4 combat face build used up 320K in chargen.

I have taken a look at the 2020, but the system seemed really clunky to me, and fax as state-of-the-art data transfer medium seems even more wrong for me than decking. Also, it is a bit too lethal for my taste.

Personally, I've started to treat SR less like a Cyberpunk game and more like a Sci-Fi+Magic game. Helps me keep my sanity. Also, MagicRun is really fun if no one in the group wants to play cybered characters anyway.

The Azzies and a few others are working on that last one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Ares is blending and bending magic & spirits to try and bring it to heel, granted I expect that to bite them in the arse, but that's another tale.

The Tech is always growing, bioware and nanite is still relatively in its infancy, but they both have the potential to grow into some mean mofo's.

Magic means either you are born to it or have to spend a ton of time developing those powers. Tech is the great equalizer because you do not have to devote the same level of training/resources to obtain comparable results and it can be mass produced, following the adage of quanity over quality, while again mages are born in a sporadic manner. Hell just because you are a mage does not guarantee any offspring will be and same for clones.

And you may want to look at he Cyperpunk 203X stuff for ideas on new technologies ranging from genetic engineering to crazy nanite stuff that you may want to introduce into your own game.

I sure can have drongs and IEs in my game ... put perhaps not that all-powerful. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

SYL

Also disliking how alpha wired reflexes: 2 is now out of reach at character gen, the +availability for getting alpha puts it at avail 16.

Which will be fixed by the splatbook with the Restricted Gear Quality, I hope.

I also hope that the 5th Ed Quality Mechanic is transparent enough to "reverse engineer" some of the 4th Edition Options that are already out there.
Looking at the german sr4a book at 405 pages and having read that the english 5th basic book is about 480 pages they must have run out of space to figure all that "splatbook goodness" in.

Now that DOES sting Chance359. I can see me allowing some wiggle room there.

where'd you get the availability from?

CEO of Horizon?

*sigh*

Wired reflexes starts at 12R, +4 from making it alpha puts you at avail 16R.

Ah, so straight SR4 Numbers then?
And just the restricted gear edge is missing from the core book?