Self-Actualization, Making Mudanes Better Options

[TheOOB]

Self-Actualization

The awakened initiate to deepen their connection with the magical world, technomancers submerge to deeper their connection with the digital, both have a theoretically infinite power level. There is no hard limit to the amount of power they can obtain, so long as they keep gaining karma, they can continue growing more powerful.

Mundanes, on the other hand, have a hard limit on the amount of power they can obtain. Once they have topped off all the skills and attributes relevant to their fields, and are equipped with the most wiz gear and cyberware on the market, there is not much more they can do to improve their power level.

I purpose that we allow mundanes to achieve “Self-Actualization”, and continue to advance their abilities much in the same way that the awakened and technomancers initiate and submerge. Rather then obtain a deeper connection with a parallel world from which they draw their power, then instead create a deeper connection with themselves, working to unify mind and body with the ultimate goal of reaching perfection.

Only characters who do not have the adept, magician, mystic adept, technomancer, or any other qualities that would allow them to initiate or submerge may self-actualize. Self-Actualization is a serious process in which the mundane deepens their connection with themselves and strives to improve both their mind and body. The exact process used to self-actualize varies greatly between person to person, but it is always a deeply personal experience where they strive to push their abilities beyond their normal limits. A street samurai may train extensively in a dojo for an extended period of time, a hacker may spend weeks logged into the matrix trying to find themselves, and an artist may create a great work in a new style.

Self-Actualization is measure in grades, beginning with Grade 1 and increasing. At the end of the characters first self-actualization they achieve self-actualization Grade 1, when they complete their second they achieve self-actualization Grade 2 and so on. The grades are for tracking self-actualization in game terms, every person refers to self-actualization in their own way. The cost to self-actualize is 15 + (Grade x 4) in Karma points. Characters who wish to self-actualize must pay that cost to advance to the next grade.

Self-Actualization Powers
Becoming self-actualized gives the character access to the following abilities.

Increased Attributes
Whenever a character achieves a new grade of self-actualization they may choose one physical or mental attribute and raise their natural maximum for that attribute by 1. They will still have to pay normally to increase that attribute.

Upon achieving self-actualization Grade 1 a character may choose either a mental or physical attribute to increase the natural maximum of, starting with Grade 2 and every grade thereafter they must choose a different type of attribute(physical or mental) to raise the maximum of then they did when they achieved their previous grade. For example is Joe the street samurai chooses to raise the maximum of a physical attribute when reaching self-actualization Grade 1, upon reaching Grade 2 he must choose a mental attribute to raise the maximum of, Grade 3 physical, Grade 4 mental, and so on.

Techniques
A self-actualized character may choose one of the following techniques at each self-actualizion grade (including the first). Unless otherwise noted no technique may be chosen more then once. Help in creating more techniques would be appriciated.

Haste: When the character spends Edge to increase their number of initiative passes the extra initiative passes last a number of combat rounds equal to their Edge attribute.

Lucky Bastard: The characters maximum for their Edge attribute increases by 1. They still must raise their edge via spending karma as normal. This technique may be taken up to 3 times.

Skill Focus: Upon taking this technique the character chooses any one active, knowledge, or language skill and increases the natural maximum for that skill by 1. They still must spend karma to increase the skill as normal. This technique stacks with the aptitude quality. This technique may be taken more then once, each time it applies to a different skill.

Spell Defense: The character gains a +1 dice pool modifier on all tests to resist spells and magical effects. This technique may be taken up to 3 times.

Strong Spirit: The characters essence increases by .25. This technique may be taken up to 3 times.

Thick Skinned: The character gains +1 natural impact and ballistic armor, this stacks with armor gained from all other sources. This technique may be taken up to 3 times.