Spike Babies, What Do You think about this new Quality Options

[Medicineman]

They're definitely not immortal. I don't even think they're ageless. They're just elves and dwarves (yes?) born pre-6th World.

Correctamundo
I only know of Spike Elves
the only Spike Dwarf appeeared in on of the early Novels so he is not canon

I gave the Spike Babies the School of hard knocks and College Education to give them a little boost(it's a mere +1 Dice) to their knowlede Skills because they've seen & experienced more than any other Person in the 6th World(except for Dragons and IEs)
all known Spike Babies are born in the 20th century (I'm deliberately ignoring the One who became Nosferatu !).
Why do they have to be linked to the Halley Comet ?
The Comet is a plausible explanation for a Manaspike but not the only one.
I would limit a Spike baby to be born in the 20th century or else it gets quite difficult to explain his lack of Skills( I mean if he's >200 Years old he would need 100 Karma just for reasonable Knowledge Skills and the same amount for active Skills )
a 20th Century Spike Baby is also in Canon with the other official Ones

HokaHey
Medicineman

[Yerameyahu]

Yeah, I like the basic idea, it just seems excessive. They could just take the qualities this quality is made of. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Medicineman]

I seems that I like to "dance" at the Border of excessive (for some GMS I crossed these borders and for some its still OK)
especially in Shadowrun (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)
(but ,to be Honest ,what I've seen and read here in Dumpschock ...some of You are permanent residents of ....wahay beyond the Border )
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/twirl.gif)

with a Dance at the Border
Medicineman

[Sengir]

and as a sidenote, are Spike Babies truly Immortal, or are the just ageless.

Neither. Spike babies are simply elves and (very few) dwarfs born before UGE, when "mana spikes" temporarily brought the mana level high enough for their metagenes to express. Of course a spike baby could in theory be an immortal elf (who are immune to age, pathogens, and toxins), but given the rarity of both events by themselves, what's the chance of them occurring together?

[EKBT81]

(...) or else it gets quite difficult to explain his lack of Skills( I mean if he's >200 Years old he would need 100 Karma just for reasonable Knowledge Skills and the same amount for active Skills )

No, it doesn't. Because people forget stuff they don't practice regularly. And spike babies have the same amount of time per day that the rest of the world has. Of course Shadowrun has no rules for skill degradation (the only game that has such rules that I'm aware of is GURPS). But IMHO that just means skill degradation isn't worth bothering with for the average Shadowrun campaign. It doesn't mean that people in the setting's "reality" actually accumulate skills ad infinitum.

Not to mention that even if they remember stuff, much of the knowledge a spike baby from, let's say, 1800 had learned during their lifetime would be seriously outdated by the time of the game.

[VykosDarkSoul]

Neither. Spike babies are simply elves and (very few) dwarfs born before UGE, when "mana spikes" temporarily brought the mana level high enough for their metagenes to express.

Thanks for the clarification,

In that case, well i can see arguments for both sides of +'s and -'s. Anyone who was transformed before UGE is bound to have been the target of idiocy...oh, sorry, i meant "social ostracism" simply due to the fact that they were that different, I mean look at the way we treat people now, simply because of their skin color or accent (and i use "we" very loosely). People as a whole are dumb panicky animals (Thank you Agent K). So i can see a case for social -'s simply due to that.

Then again I can see a case for several +'s as well, no one can live for that long without learning SOMETHING about the way people think, what makes them tick. Thats one of the main reasons why so many succesful politicians are older, because, cliche as it may seem, Age and Treachery will always win over Youth and Skill.

[Paul]

I would not allow the Quality as initially written in the original post in my game. However I'd entertain the concept, and if presented strongly enough I'd acquiesce.

[EKBT81]

Then again I can see a case for several +'s as well, no one can live for that long without learning SOMETHING about the way people think, what makes them tick. Thats one of the main reasons why so many succesful politicians are older, because, cliche as it may seem, Age and Treachery will always win over Youth and Skill.

Which can IMHO be adequately expressed by an appropriate choice of skills and existing qualities without need for a new "special snowflake" quality.

[VykosDarkSoul]

Which can IMHO be adequately expressed by an appropriate choice of skills and existing qualities without need for a new "special snowflake" quality.

True enough (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Paul]

And of course, an Immortal can learn a great number of things. But as a GM I'd ask for background to justify that knowledge, otherwise you'd be a hundred some old waste of time. (Yeah I was there in the sixties, frying my brains.)

[CanRay]

And of course, an Immortal can learn a great number of things. But as a GM I'd ask for background to justify that knowledge, otherwise you'd be a hundred some old waste of time. (Yeah I was there in the sixties, frying my brains.)

"So, what did you do in the 1970s?" "Dungeons and Dragons." "1980s?" "D&D and watching A-Team and MacGyver." "1990s?" "I don't talk about the '90s."

[ShadowDragon8685]

"So, what did you do in the 1970s?" "Dungeons and Dragons." "1980s?" "D&D and watching A-Team and MacGyver." "1990s?" "I don't talk about the '90s."

Now I'm really curious about the 1990s...

[bibliophile20]

He was probably a Vampire: The Masquerade LARPer. Y'know, the creepy kind, that tries to use the game as a vehicle to hit on women. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

[CanRay]

He was probably a Vampire: The Masquerade LARPer. Y'know, the creepy kind, that tries to use the game as a vehicle to hit on women. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

Oh please, I've done far worse wenching in the golden age of piracy!

No, I refuse to talk about the '90s. Period. Fragging. Dot.

Move on.

[Paul]

I'd also, looking over this once more, make sure the rest of the group was okay with this. This could be a pretty serious edge, or conversely a cast iron albatross to deal with. I'd make sure they were cool with it.

[snowRaven]

He was probably a Vampire: The Masquerade LARPer. Y'know, the creepy kind, that tries to use the game as a vehicle to hit on women. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

Pah. That's for amateurs!

[Halinn]

Oh please, I've done far worse wenching in the golden age of piracy!

No, I refuse to talk about the '90s. Period. Fragging. Dot.

Move on.

Can you show me on this calendar where the '90s touched you?

[Medicineman]

Can you show me on this calendar where the '90s touched you?

points (shakingly and with Tears of Fear & Loathing in his Eyes) with his Finger to February/March 1998
this was the reunion of Modern Talking

with a nightmarish Dance
Medicineman

[VykosDarkSoul]

Can you show me on this calendar where the '90s touched you?

April 26 1992....there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Warlordtheft]

Correctamundo
I only know of Spike Elves
the only Spike Dwarf appeeared in on of the early Novels so he is not canon

IIRC he was mentioned in the German Source book. So I think he's cannon (born in 1996 or something, family sued because they thought it was caused by a chemical spill/exposure and got enough money that he was able to buy land for his kingdom.