physad path of the magician, hows it work if you screwed the pooch? Options

[northern lights]

ok, i had this grand idea in my head for a cool character. being somewhat niave, i didn't realize i would need hundreds of karma to make it work, but that's not the point.

i wanted a physad that had solid attributes and fair skills, but a wide variety of powers and abilities. i also wanted the eventually improve on all those things as well as be able to cast simple spells like armor. but at character creation i didn't spend the extra 5 build points for the path of the magician. i assumed that since you just had to buy a point of magical power.

so am i fragged? i used the point system, so the priority A comment got ignored and i knew i would be sacrificing the 6 spell points, but now i am wondering if i didn't just screw it all up.

[Tanka]

In MitS it says you cannot go Magician's Way except in Character Creation.

However, I'm sure you could attempt to convince your GM otherwise.

[evil_slammor]

You screwed the pooch. Either your char is a caster or he isn't that doesn't change, and you need to pay the cost for that at char creation not later. There are Mage Adepts that can split there magic between spells and phys ad powers ((if your GM even allows them)) but guess what they're priority A or you have to pay for a full magician as well. So yes you need to remake your char if you want to cast spells and still have nifty phys ad powers.

[Diesel]

Technically you'd be unable to garner the abilities, but I say let nothing stand in the way of character development. Tanka already pointed out you could probably convince your GM otherwise, and Magician's way is such a huge karma sink you wouldn't really present much of a game balance issue, as if you were to become say, a deltaware ninja adept or something. Good luck, and slammor, lighten up a little :D

[toturi]

Too true, Diesel. With the Bioware/Cyber rules now, it is much better to just buy the Synp Accel and Boost Reflx (and geas that away) than to use Impr Reflx 3.

Personally, unless there is a big shift in the PC's outlook, I wouldn't allow it, but you could jimmy up a way to justify gaining Magic Ability some other way.

Some ways:

Your adept picked up a secret martial arts manual that incorporated martial arts, physical adept abilities and magic (for the warrior way adepts).

Your totem told you to do it (if you were a totemic adept).

[Fortune]

Going strictly by canon, there isn't a mechanic in place to do what you want. That doesn't mean something like this can never happen though.

There is a precedent in Shadowrun for this type of thing to occur. Admittedly, it was Mr. Munchie Drake, Ryan Mercury, but it's still a precedent. It was explained that he always was capable of being both an Adept and Mage, but never realized it.

You could always try to work out some kind of arrangement with your GM whereby your character pays 'X' Karma in order to unlock that magical aspect. Alternately, you might create a special Metamagic to reflect this sort of Magical growth.

[FlakJacket]

Hell, maybe they just manifested some adept powers first, so it was automatically assumed they were an adept. IIRC Magicians Way adepts are fairly rare. Now a bit later they find out some way that they're Magicians Way after all.

If you can work out a way with the GM, I say go for it. You'll probably have to fork over a fair whack of karma and after that you'll never have enough again, so it shouldn't be that unbalancing. Plus, since they're just starting out they'll have to spend some karma/time to learn Sorcery at level one and then increase it from there as well. :)

[Zazen]

I agree with the general consensus that your GM will probably allow you to develop in this way, especially considering that it was your intention from the start. Your GM likely realizes that Shadowrun is complicated and that chargen mistakes happen.

My suggestion is that he let you pay 21 karma for it, the cost of a level 5 skill. Yes, there are other ways to gauge the karma cost of 5 build points but I think this is a pretty fair one.

Also note that initiation works differently for Magical Adepts. If you've already initiated, be prepared to get your character into compliance by giving up some metamagical abilities or powers (or initiating further to "pay" for them).

[Fortune]

[Tiralee]

Heh - did the same thing, and I'm the GM.

Since I hate retrospective decisions, I've not changed this, but if you paly it well, and manage to convince your DM, ok, I'd go with the 25 Karma cost.

-Maybe try to initiate, and found you your tried too hard, maybe :P

L:

[northern lights]

thanks, guys for all the support and help. i basically knew nothing of sr3 and could remember even less of sr2, so it totally slipped that i *had* to do this at character creation.

the adept is a very distinctive elven female, who has "constantly" been trying to find her way in life. she's 19, soon to turn 20 and totally lost on what it means for her to be elven. her group just got ripped apart a good deal because of her fighting the other characters because she felt the need to see things differently.

she's nearly obsessed with all things elven and has studied the culture and history thoroughly. she's going through a lot of change in her life right now and i think that this could be incorporated into the process of finding her "true identity".

so i might just have to print this thread out as support for my plea. :)