The Way of the Adept released, PDF only; 15 pages, $4.95 Options

[Grinder]

Back to topic, please. You've bashed boskop-albatros enough for his crappy posing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Back to topic, please. You've bashed boskop-albatros enough for his crappy posing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

He was Posing? Huh, Imagine That. Never knew that Striking a Pose was so easy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

As to the Topic... I Like Way of the Adept. Can't wait for more of the Same. Get on it Critias. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CanRay]

Actually, I can't wait for more of the different. We've already seen what you can do with Adepts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Get on it Critias! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Actually, I can't wait for more of the different. We've already seen what you can do with Adepts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Get on it Critias! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Always up for Different as well... Hey Critias, Why are we still waiting? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Grinder]

He was Posing? Huh, Imagine That. Never knew that Striking a Pose was so easy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Ah, fuck it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

I just have one thing to say, if Way of the Adept had been released last year, my last character would have been WAAAAAAAY scarier. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[boskop-albatros]

:wavey:Basicly I have every kind of Shamanic adept question you can think of, so I guess the question is should there be a separate Thread for Shamanic Adept Questions? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wavey.gif) Thank you all for your Time

[Grinder]

Yes, there should be.

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

I just played around with the Paths in DKs sheet a bit, yesterday, and I have to say, the warrior's way adept (with geas-learning) is now a real powerhouse. 2 points for reflexes, improved combat abilities at 0.25, you positively run out of good powers before your points are gone (not, but still. The adept is now almost a bit cheesy.)

[Xenefungus]

Yes, if you let ways combine with geas for a saving of 50%, it gets creepy.

Critias, was it supposed to stack?

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Yes, if you let ways combine with geas for a saving of 50%, it gets creepy.

Critias, was it supposed to stack?

Critias has already commented on previous Pages that they CAN stack. Personally, If the Geas is acceptable, I have no problems with letting them stack.

[Critias]

It ain't up to me, it's up to your GM. If he's cool with stacking optional rules (geas) on top of optional rules (Ways), and you guys think adepts need the boost -- sling some dice an' have fun with it, as far as I'm concerned.

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

Critias has already commented on previous Pages that they CAN stack. Personally, If the Geas is acceptable, I have no problems with letting them stack.

Geasa are far from created equal, some are basically free (condition, talisman), and others are ridiculous (asceticism, wasn't it?). Fact is breaking your Geasa is a GM tool to take you out of your element, and as such will hopefully improve the story. If it's just used to fuck you over, then you might have to think things over, and not take Geasa for your path powers, at least not for those most important ones.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Geasa are far from created equal, some are basically free (condition, talisman), and others are ridiculous (asceticism, wasn't it?). Fact is breaking your Geasa is a GM tool to take you out of your element, and as such will hopefully improve the story. If it's just used to fuck you over, then you might have to think things over, and not take Geasa for your path powers, at least not for those most important ones.

Hell, I have a character that breaks his Geas often due to scheduling issues. The GM rarely has to enforece the Geas upon my character, as I already do so anyways.

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

Hell, I have a character that breaks his Geas often due to scheduling issues. The GM rarely has to enforece the Geas upon my character, as I already do so anyways.

Yes, but some of them are very easy to never break. For instance, it makes perfect sense to take the talisman geas and simply never take off your talisman. I mean why would you? Of course if you get captured, then you have a problem.

The condition geas is somewhat more breakable. I had a mage in SR3 (in the Age of the Geas™) who could initially only cast at night, had to wear black, and carry a talisman. And I might even be forgetting something (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) . I quickly got rid of the night casting requirement, but the others stayed. He always carried a can of black spray-paint, so that he could always make sure his clothes were completely black.

Some geasa are a lot more restrictive, though. Which was my initial claim - some geasa are much worse for the character than others.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Yes, but some of them are very easy to never break. For instance, it makes perfect sense to take the talisman geas and simply never take off your talisman. I mean why would you? Of course if you get captured, then you have a problem.

The condition geas is somewhat more breakable. I had a mage in SR3 (in the Age of the Geas™) who could initially only cast at night, had to wear black, and carry a talisman. And I might even be forgetting something (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) . I quickly got rid of the night casting requirement, but the others stayed. He always carried a can of black spray-paint, so that he could always make sure his clothes were completely black.

Some geasa are a lot more restrictive, though. Which was my initial claim - some geasa are much worse for the character than others.

True, Not all Geasa are created Equally.

The (Ninja) character I play has a Geas that he must Daily pay homage to the Dark Oni of his religion, by preforming a standardized Ritual at the cusp of Dusk. This is a Very Time dependant Ritual, which takes 20 minutes to perform properly, requires a specific space (An Altar), uses a fair amount of "Ritual" materials (these are more in the manner of Incenses and Candles), and culminates at the exact time of Dusk (Per Astrological/Stellar Timings). I miss it about 40% of the time (about half of which are because I am on a Run at the time) due to situations that occur that keep me from performing the ritual. Sucks, but it has a great deal of RP potential, whether I make the ritual or not.

Not sure if it is TOO restrictive (Specific Place, Time (which changes slightly), and Materials), but I would not change it for the World. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Brainpiercing7.6...]

Well, as long as you're having fun, I guess that's the most important thing. You knew what you were doing when you designed that geas. It's not something I would have fun playing, because it's a lot of hassle for basically a bit of solo-character-stuff, OR a lot of times where you character can't use half his powers.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Well, as long as you're having fun, I guess that's the most important thing. You knew what you were doing when you designed that geas. It's not something I would have fun playing, because it's a lot of hassle for basically a bit of solo-character-stuff, OR a lot of times where you character can't use half his powers.

Indeed...
The character was originally crafted for a 2 player game. When it blossomed into a 6 player game, I started missing the Geas more often. It also applies to ALL my powers (After all, they are granted by the Dark Oni, and they want their veneration).

But the character is a LOT of fun (Even when he fails his Geas), so no worries. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Udoshi]

I'm going to raise this topic from the dead because my group has an unanswered question regarding it, and would like a more 'semi-official' answer.

Some people think that you're 'locked' into one adept way after you pick one. The book doesn't say you can only take one.
Others notice that an adept way is just a quality, like any other, and because they are all different, you can take different ones. Someone wanted to play a sneaky AND talky type robin hood adept, and, well, we hit this problem.

We kind of think that with Walking the Ways, it was INTENDED for adepts to kind of pick and choose their own ways to build what they want. You can either use an established Way, walk between em to pick out a small number of specific things you want, OR have the broader but fixed list of another adept way.

And, well, we would like a more semi-official answer. Critias has been a huge bro answering questions and putting up unofficial errata for the book, so we thought we would just ask: can adept have two ways?

[Stahlseele]

Far as i understand, you can only pick one way, but nobody is stopping you from taking powers that don't work with the way.
You'll just not be getting any discounts on these powers . . I think there was even something like this back in SR3, but not sure.

[Critias]

The intent is for Adepts to only take one Way, yes. The intention -- originally, with Walking the Ways in there -- was also for that Way to be exactly the Way any given Adept wanted to take, though. Playtesters and line developers and editors and other boogeymen got ahold of that idea and thought it was too powerful, because it was basically just giving discounted powers to every player that talked to their GM and hammered out a philosophy (which was, well, kind of my whole point, but they disagreed). So as far as writer intent goes, I'm all for characters that don't necessarily fit one of the stereotypes, but still have their own personal Way.

As far as the rules as written goes? Even without Walking the Ways in there as the pressure release valve, they're right that, as written, there's nothing stopping you from taking more than one Way. I would, personally, prefer that people don't (because it opens up a can of worms in regards to multiple metamagical bonuses, it makes it possible for a character to pick two Ways that discount the same power, it opens up multiple Way-only powers which could stack in nasty ways). I'd rather that someone talk to their GM and maybe tweak their given Way a little (like by swapping out some Invisible Way powers for Speaker's Way powers, to end up with a Robin Hood type), or that sort of thing...

But if their GM isn't cool with that, there's nothing RAW keeping them from selecting a second Way, instead.

[Adarael]

Playtesters and line developers and editors and other boogeymen got ahold of that idea and thought it was too powerful, because it was basically just giving discounted powers to every player that talked to their GM and hammered out a philosophy (which was, well, kind of my whole point, but they disagreed).

Well, that's pretty much exactly how I've been doing it, so it's not an abandoned concept.
(For the record, I also have every player come up with whatever the hell tradition they want, if nothing fits in the books. The system is modular enough to make stuff like that easy.)

[Udoshi]

Yeah, that's about what I thought it should be. Thanks for your prompt reply, critias!

Walking the ways should really be a 5bp quality that expands your list of discounted powers, but doesn't give you twice as many discounts, like it does now.
That would actually be really reasonable. Some flexibility in breaking the steriotypes of the ways would be excellent - but without breaking balance in two.

Would two ways be balanced if you couldn't double-discount a power?

[Samoth]

Quick question --

Say a mystic adept starts off with 6 magic
-takes Warrior Way
-takes Improved Reflexes 3 (-25% = 3PP)
-takes Magic Power 4 w/Gaesa (-25% = 3PP)

Sound balanced to anyone?? I'm sure this has been brought up but its hard to search this site.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Quick question --

Say a mystic adept starts off with 6 magic
-takes Warrior Way
-takes Improved Reflexes 3 (-25% = 3PP)
-takes Magic Power 4 w/Gaesa (-25% = 3PP)

Sound balanced to anyone?? I'm sure this has been brought up but its hard to search this site.

Ummmm... Magic Power of 4?

Do you mean a Split of Magic at 3/3 for Adept/Sorcery?