An Adept Adjustment, A fix for the Sam/Adept debate? Options

[Thain]

For the record, I do not think there is anything "wrong" with the Adept as written in the BBB. That said, they are slightly weaker compared to a Samurai. The following tweakto existing rules should, if my thinking is correct, give them something the Samurai does not have any ability to replicate: variable special abilities.

Please examine and critique honestly. Supportive and helpful input welcomed, to avoid a flame war can we keep discusion about wheiter or not Do adepts suck right now? outside of in this thread. Add to that debate here.


An Awakened character who invests his power into physical abilities rather than Magic-linked skills is referred to as an adept. This is represented by the character's Power Points. These reflect the amount of magical energy tied into the character's physical abilities, such as enhanced reflexes, improved senses, or superior health. Characters who take the Adept quality during character creation get a number of Power Points equal to x1.5 times their Magic attribute. Additional Power Points can be gained by increasing the character's Magic attribute through the expenditure of Karma or by initiation.

Example
Karate Karl, a physical adept martial artist has Magic 5, Essence 6, and the Adept quality. This gives Karate Karl 7.5 Power Points.

His sensei, Kurosawa-sama, is a physical adept martial artist of greater wisdom and experince. He has Magic 6, Essence 6, and the Adept quality, `natch. Kurosawa-sama has 9 Power Points.

The Adept's Awakened self-image is tied directly to their Essence, which limits their ability to channel their Power into their bodies. An Adept may only have a number of active powers whos Power Point total is equal to their Essence or Magic attribute, whichever is lower.

The Adept may, typically with meditation and self-reflection, renew their own self-image and "reassign" their Power Points. Doing so takes one hour per Power Point that is "renewed," if the Adept is only renewing a fraction of a Power Point, it takes only a fraction the normal time. This self-reflection also requires a Magic + Assensing (2) test.

Example
Karate Karl, with his 7.5 Power Points knows the following powers:

Combat Sense II (1.0 PP)
Improved Infiltration II (0.5 PP)
Improved Dodge II (0.5 PP)
Improved Reflexes II (3.0 PP)
Improved Unarmed IV (2.0 PP)
Killing Hands (0.5 PP)

However, he may only have 5 Power Points active at anyone time.

[Kyrn]

While I approve of your example character's handle, I think that any sort of power reassigning outside of metaplanar quest scope trials is in and of itself far too powerful. It turns adepts into Victorinox style characters able to adapt to each and every task that comes up.
"For this run, I think I'll be a face. For next Tuesday, a gun-bunny. And finally, on the weekend, I'll turn into Sherlock Holmes to solve the grand puzzle."

It kind of destroys the point of having a team of runners. You know, those guys you have to deal with the other six days a week you're not roleplaying.

The boost to powerpoints is a little much. Not terribly so, but have you looked at the geasa rules revived in the options box of Street Magic? It gives adepts more points to play with, only not quite so many, and they have a counter-balancing force to deal with. Generally kata, chanting, breathing exercises, or talismans. At least in my experience.

[Kyoto Kid]

...uh oh, another adept named "KK"...

[Roni]

Oddly enough, my adept's name is Karl... nothing fancy though; just Karl.

Also, only having a max of 6 power points active at a time ruins the entire reason for initiation.

Reassigning points is ridiculous as well.

[edit] Also, why would Assensing help move the points?

[Kyrn]

Hey, there's some of us who happen to think Karl is a fine name.


A damned fine name.

[Roni]

IE: Karl Marx.

xD

[Glyph]

I don't think this house rule really resolves any percieved power discrepencies between adepts and sammies. It does make adepts more versatile - it's likely they will spend their normal allocation for a combat build, and reserve the "extra" points for non-combat powers.

However, this comes at the expense of seriously weakening them after they initiate. What's the point of raising your Magic Attribute if your active powers are still capped by Essense? This isn't making adepts stronger; it's gimping them.

[Roni]

It doesn't weaken them after they initiate, it just doesn't make them stronger (like it's supposed to do...)

It does weaken them if you try to get "the best of both worlds" though. (Cyber/Bio, and Adept Powers)

[hyzmarca]

It isn't like adepts don't already have enough incentive to hang around vampire dens with their necks thrust out.

[NightmareX]

So, with this adepts are now D&D wizards that choose their prepared...er...active powers per day? The net effect is that you've taken a boardline overpowerful "class", gimped it a bit with the Essence limitation, but made them uberversatile - all while blowing the cannonic way adept powers have worked for four editions off like so much dust.

Sorry, but this is ungood.

[Roni]

Any other suggestions?

[Sir_Psycho]

[Thain]

As I said in my OP, I do not think there are any problems with the Adept as written. In fact, they are probably my favorite archetype. However, there are many on this board who believe otherwise. Apparently, some also believe the Adept is "over-powerful," which is not a point of view I've heard this edition. Anyhow, this was a thought exercise / house rule to give the Adept something that bio- and cyberware can not do.

Now to address some specific critiques:

Assensing "is the skill of learning information from auras, astral forms, and astral signatures." (BBB, p. 113). As I see it, the Adepts power stems from their own self-image: be it some sort of Jungian ideal, a Dream-Self, or a Ancestor Spirit, depending on their personal tradition. Magicians channel their magic outward, and Adepts focus on their own bodies and talents.

If we accept my basic premise of "rewriting" their own power selection, then they need some sort of skill to do it with. As there exists no such thing as a 'meditation' active skill, I looked for the closest thing. The Adept is, in effect, reading their own aura and making changes to it.

The threshold is low, at two, and in a small oversight I forgot to mention that Adepts should be allowed to "default" on the Assensing skill for the purpose of this test. Thus, with a Magic of 5 or 6 and a modest Intuition score, any Adept should have a reasonable chance of success.

Initiation, okay, I flubbed this one. I've got it written downand [u]underlined[/i]in my notes, but it didn't make it to the typed page. Mea maxima culpa.

Make the following changes to my OP.