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> Modified Magic Chargen, You know the drill, is this good, bad?
Moonstone Spider
post Jan 17 2004, 11:46 PM
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I've been playing with the notion of a slightly modified chargen system for awakened characters.

Under this system:

Full-magician
Each point of magic for a costs 5BP.
Each point of magic comes with 4 spell points.

Aspected/Adept:
Each point of magic costs 4BP
Each point of magic comes with 6 spell points.

You may purchase magic up to your essence rating. You may only start with magic skills equal to your magic rating at Chargen, though you may raise them later as normal even above your magic rating.

You may purchase additional spell points as normal.

How this would be different from the existing system:
Suppose I have the idea for a character who's a magician who ruined his talent with cyberware before he knew he was a magician. This character has only 2 essence left, and consequently 2 magic. Under the old system you'd be completely screwed making this character, unless your GM houseruled around it. You'd blow so many BP on magic you'll never actually have your character will be useless for most work.

Under this system you could create your Street Samurai/Adept with only a BP cost similar to the benefits of what you'll have. You'd spend 10BP to get 2 points of magic, and 2 power points to go with it, and otherwise be a normal adept with all the advantages and disadvantages that go along with it.

Similarly you could simulate a junky who's blasted from drugs or somebody who's lost a few points to D damge/Stim patches.

Shapeshifters could get back their 8-magic point power (I wouldn't allow them to also get sorcery 8 at chargen!) but would pay more for magic than a human would pay for his 6.

Full-Mages would have 1 less magic point at full power (24) while aspecteds would have 1 more (36). That's just a consequence of the mathematics, I don't feel that's too unbalancing. If anything I think aspected magicians are rather screwed under current rules and need a power-boost anyway.
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toturi
post Jan 18 2004, 01:09 AM
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I feel it is the other way around. Aspected are already too prone to munchkinning, your approach will only worsen the effect.
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Glyph
post Jan 18 2004, 02:05 AM
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It's nice for the sammie with 1 point of Essense, who can spend 5 points to get Magic: 1, Sorcery: 1, and 6 spellpoints - low levels of Magic are useful for a wide variety of things that are difficult or even impossible to duplicate with technology; the list of useful Force: 1 spells is extensive. Plus, he can improve the Sorcery skill after char-gen, and is practically immune to Magic loss tests. And let's not forget astral perception, which lets him suddenly kick a lot more butt when facing spirits. Or he could go the adept route for only 4 points, and get a point of adept powers to add to his street sammie cyber-goodness. Maybe Killing Hands to take care of spirits, or a point of Improved Ability in his two favorite combat skills, or maybe Blind-Fighting and Traceless Walk.

Under the current rules, heavily cybered awakened characters do get screwed over, but I personally think they should be. If you try to be a Jack of all trades, or try to mix incompatible things, then you shouldn't be as effective as characters who are more focused.
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Tanka
post Jan 18 2004, 02:10 AM
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Which is why Aspects get more Spell Points. Although I think we've argued that one already. :D
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moosegod
post Jan 18 2004, 02:41 AM
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Ah, heck.

Do it again for good luck.
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RedmondLarry
post Jan 18 2004, 04:24 AM
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No way am I going to let my riggers, deckers, and samurai get full astral projection, aura reading, Spell Defense, the ability to bond weapon foci, and a force 4 spell for 5 BP. As a GM I already struggle with shadowrun teams with 'too much' magic, even with the costs as they are. I don't want to modify rules to make it even more common.
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Sphynx
post Jan 19 2004, 10:25 AM
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Alternative Magic BP System. We've been using it for awhile, and it's worked greatly.

Sphynx
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TheScamp
post Jan 19 2004, 01:42 PM
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Personally, I would consider it, as I like the idea of making people with less than the standard amount of magic ability. I would, however, subtract essence loss directly from the purchased Magic rating. For example, if somone gets 2 points of cyber, then they're effectively at -2 Magic and must buy 3 points to even get a Magic rating of 1.
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Dashifen
post Jan 19 2004, 03:44 PM
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QUOTE (Sphynx)
Alternative Magic BP System. We've been using it for awhile, and it's worked greatly.

Sphynx: Seems like it might be too easy to initiate at char gen with the costs that low. Have you seen that effect with this system? Or, since you pay a lot for the other "parts" of the system, are people less inclined to initiate?

Thanks,
-- Dash --
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Shockwave_IIc
post Jan 19 2004, 04:03 PM
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Sphynx is that the final version of this? i ask cos it seems simliar yet different
[ Spoiler ]

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Sphynx
post Jan 19 2004, 04:09 PM
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Dash, I never let my guys Initiate at Char-Gen, so no, I've not tested that part.

Shockwave, this is indeed my Final Version.

Sphynx
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