Rule of Threes for SR4, Yet another adaption from ED Options

[Cheops]

In Earthdawn there is something called the Rule of Three's that limits how many different abilities can modify any one stat. It's an optional rule that literally reads that you can have one talent, one spell, and one item modify a step number. In my more liberal interpretation I just read that you can only have 3 modifiers that are not environmental affect a step in any combination (3 spells, 3 items, 2 spells and a talent, etc).

In SR4 I'm thinking of using this instead of the skill X 1.5 cap both to cut down on math for all the Arts students/slowpokes, and also to beef up body/magic mods. Although this probably helps the awakened more than anything. Basically you could have up to 3 of anything that would have counted against the old cap and count the full modifier. Any more than that doesn't help so just take the highest 3.

My questions is how unbalanced does Dumpshock think this will be and has anyone tried something like this?

[Moon-Hawk]

Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Total protonic reversal.
In other words, "it would be bad."

Actually, in all seriousness, it's probably fine, it just leads to those with more magic/cyber/drugs being even more uber relative to those who don't. Personally, I like a game where five punks with pistols can still kill Baron VonBadass, but you might want to widen that gap.

[ixombie]

Why just not delete the cap? I can only think of 2 different things that add to a skill - reflex recorder and improved ability.

Everything else, like specialization, kinesics and combat sense, synthacardium, and enhanced articulartion, adds bonus dice which ignore the skill cap anyway.

Only reflex recorder and improved ability give you an actual enhanced skill rating. This was the result of changes in the errata which were basically meant to nerf improved ability and not much else.

If you ignore the bonus dice and just say that only 3 non-situational modifiers of any kind apply to a skill test, then you're giving adepts a shot in the arm and nerfing everyone else. Adepts would, for instance, be able to have improved ability 6 dodge, combat sense 6, and specialization, for +14 dice. By comparison mundanes could at the very highest have sythacardium 3, reflex recorder, and specialization (for a skill that synthacardium applies to, no less) for a max of +6.

All that the RAW (including errata) does is limit adepts, more or less. It means that while mundanes don't equal them, they're close. Changing the RAW makes adepts beyond the horizon compared to mundanes in terms of dice pools, like they were before the errata came out.

[ruknabard]

Although not a bad idea, I think that the rule of 3 fits more in a DnD type ruleset, where there is rampant stat and ability inflation through spells, items, et alt.

The problem with the rule of 3, as proposed, is that it lifts restrictions that were put in place for balance...I mean just imagine if you could stack three bonuses with impunity...A street sam with wired reflexes and synaptic boosters (that being, if the GM very literally interpreted the rule of 3 and allowed it to supercede existing cap rules), he could have up to 6 initiative passes!

This might be alright for anime-insipred settings, but as far as SR goes, I think it kinda messes with the setting theme, by making characters possibly far too powerful.

I too prefer a setting where Baron Von Badass could be shanked by some gangers, it adds the very real possibility of death, whereas other RP systems remove some of the dramatic flair that mortality presents...lets pick on DnD again...did you know that a 9th level fighter with an average Con score, and rolling average hitpoints on level-ups could easily go skydiving with no parachute and live to tell the tale...I think that the threat of mortality both fits the SR setting and inspires more realistic role-playing.

[Garrowolf]

Well if you have too many things modifying the same thing then reduce it down by having things that do similar bonuses not overlap. Kind of like the laser and the smartlink, just take the higher of the two bonuses because they both point. If you have something that magically augments your aim as well as a smartlink then take the highest. Actually I would only take the magical one even if it was lower because it would probably not mix at all and would override the other.

Maybe it would help if we knew what combination was bothering you.

One thing you might want to consider is if you have a balence problem with one character type then ban them from the PCs. I've done that before with physads and hackers. I banned physads because I thought that they were too broken and they overshadowed another character type (sammies). I banned the hackers for being annoying little time drains on play. Hackers became contacts and physads became threats.

[Butterblume]

[Garrowolf]

That's kind of what I was pointing out :)

[Ranneko]

[Protagonist]

[eidolon]

Nah, no way the Baron is getting taken out by five punks wish pistols. Did you see the scar??

:D

[Moon-Hawk]

Well that's exactly why Baron VonBadass doesn't play Shadowrun. That was my point. The Baron plays d20. :-)

And, uh, yeah, I listed to FtB, if that wasn't painfully obvious by now.