Initiation House Rule, An idea..... Options

[Sphynx]

Thinking about a House Rule to curtail a bit of min-maxxing. A smart "munchkin" mage-type will actually do his/her best to keep her Magic Rating at 6 (or lower) to avoid possible Magic Loss. Best way to do that is the 'best of both worlds' by filling the body with Cyberware as you Initiate. For 150 karma, no group, no ordeals, any mage can get Initiate Grade 6 (125 w/ ordeals, 100 with group, 75 with ordeals and group). In games that exceed the 200 karma mark, It'd be fairly easy to see Mages able to do that, and having a Magic of 12 is a no-roll-needed to lose Magic.

Anyhows, I'm thinking of starting a House Rule that says you double the Karma Cost of Initiation for every Grade higher than your Essence rounded-down. Seeing a Grade 12 is still probable amongst players who play Mage types w/out Cyber enhancements, but less probable amongst people with some amount of internal-adjustments. And, in the process, seeing Mages higher than Grade 6 becomes an improbablity since even with a Group and Ordeal (not that there are any Ordeals left after 6) would cost 36 karma, and 48 without an Ordeal.

Anyhows, for those of you who exceed the 50 karma type games... do you think this sounds like a reasonable House Rule? We've just got our first Grade 6 Initiate in our game today and he agrees that any higher should be double, so I feel a little more confident in suggesting it to the group. More importantly though, characters who start out with alot of Geasa'd Cyberware (a true munchkin sign), would be alot less likely if they have any plans to be a high-grade initiate some day, something a bit more powerful I think than a few Essence points of Cyberware.

Sphynx