A question on Initiation, Limits to magical initiation |
A question on Initiation, Limits to magical initiation |
Jan 27 2013, 11:23 PM
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#1
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Target Group: Members Posts: 92 Joined: 13-July 05 Member No.: 7,497 |
OK, dumb question, but what is the limit on initiation? How many levels can you theoretically get? Equal to your magic rating or is the sky the limit?
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Jan 27 2013, 11:29 PM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 875 Joined: 16-November 03 Member No.: 5,827 |
Over 9000!!!
No, really, it´s unlimited. Only time, karma and the GM can stop you. SYL |
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Jan 27 2013, 11:35 PM
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#3
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Neophyte Runner Group: Validating Posts: 2,492 Joined: 19-April 12 Member No.: 51,818 |
Actually.
In SR4, you cannot have more grades of Initiation, than you have Magic Rating. That is to say, if your Magic is still only 6, you can't initiate that 7th time. You'll have to raise your Magic rating a point, first. Of course, each Initiation also raises yoru Maximum Magic by +1, so effectively it's unlimited. But only if you're spending Karma to keep your Magic Rating up, too. |
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Jan 27 2013, 11:35 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 651 Joined: 20-July 12 From: Arizona Member No.: 53,066 |
this is accurate, there is no predetermined limit on initiation which means that Magic is the only stat not limited by a hard cap unlike the others since since Magic is limited by your Max Essence Value + Initiation Grade.
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Jan 27 2013, 11:43 PM
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#5
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
As a comparison, the highest Initiation level of a non-dragon cannon character I've seen is Harlequin, at 24. Not accounting for any discounts for group and/or ordeals for any initiation levels, that's a sum of 1,140 karma at the most. Raising his Magic to the maximum of 30, roughly twice as much more.
Oh, by the way, for technomancers, their Resonance attribute is similarly unlimited with their equivalent Submersions. Added: For clarification, this is using SR4a rules exclusively. |
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Jan 28 2013, 05:54 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 825 Joined: 21-October 08 Member No.: 16,538 |
The only real way to stop it is having a sub-1 essence with grades of initiation. Then you've got magic, sure, but you can't raise your magic enough to initiate again. A power foci, depending on how lenient your GM is feeling with the wording, might let you get away with an initiation, but if you take it off before you manage to raise your magic, poof goes the karma!
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Jan 28 2013, 07:31 AM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,373 Joined: 14-January 10 From: Stuttgart, Germany Member No.: 18,036 |
our group also limited initiation to once every fracture of 100 karma.
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Jan 28 2013, 07:33 AM
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#8
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Running Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,003 Joined: 3-May 11 From: Brisbane Australia Member No.: 29,391 |
24+ for Harlequin it could be up to 30.
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Jan 28 2013, 09:28 AM
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#9
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
And his Magic is 30 in all prints I've seen him statted out in.
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Jan 28 2013, 03:40 PM
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#10
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
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Jan 28 2013, 08:29 PM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,245 Joined: 27-April 07 From: Running the streets of Southeast Virginia Member No.: 11,548 |
The key limits given the rules as written...
Max Magic = Essence (round down to nearest whole number) + # of Initiations Max # Initiations = Current Magic score If your Essence never drops below 1, then you can keep raising Magic and Initiating so long as you have the Karma to do so. Examples: Essence 4 & Initiation 4 = 8 Max Magic Under that same example, you have to have at least a 4 in Magic because you cannot have more Initiations than you have Magic. Have fun! |
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Jan 28 2013, 09:39 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585 |
As a dinosaur, I'm curious.
In SR3, you had to roll to achieve the next rating (2 x successes, I think) to achieve your next godlike magic hit - I take it in 4th you can simply whack in the necessary karma and bamm? Getting those successes tended to limit our mega-ultra-power gaming:) -Tir |
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Jan 28 2013, 10:39 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 651 Joined: 20-July 12 From: Arizona Member No.: 53,066 |
theoretically yes, although you can lower the Karma needed by doing an initiation ordeal some of which can be rolls to complete the task such as meditation or crafting an item.
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Jan 28 2013, 10:42 PM
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#14
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
theoretically yes, although you can lower the Karma needed by doing an initiation ordeal some of which can be rolls to complete the task such as meditation or crafting an item. Or cutting off your own hand. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) |
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Jan 28 2013, 10:43 PM
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#15
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
And don't forget that in SR4, an Initiation doesn't automatically increase your Magic. IIRC that was the case for an older edition.
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Jan 28 2013, 10:59 PM
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#16
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Neophyte Runner Group: Validating Posts: 2,492 Joined: 19-April 12 Member No.: 51,818 |
Spellbinder raises a good point.
In SR3 and earlier, Initiation immediately raised your Magic rating. In SR4, Initiation only gives you permission to raise it - by spending yet more Karma. So, let's say you have Magic 6, and initiate twice, winding up with Magic 8.
If a little die-rolling gamble could save me 75 Karma (the difference between SR3 and SR4) ...? SIGN ME THE F&#K UP. Seriously, that is some mad, PHAT mojo there. If all die rolls succeed, an SR3 character could initiate three more times, and still have 7 Karma left over, compared to the SR4 character's two initiations and 2 magic points. The SR3 character would be Initiate Grade 5, and Magic 11, at that point. |
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Jan 28 2013, 11:04 PM
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#17
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 10,289 Joined: 2-October 08 Member No.: 16,392 |
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Jan 28 2013, 11:31 PM
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#18
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,351 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Behind the shadows of the Resonance Member No.: 17,653 |
Dug up a copy from SR3 for Initiation. The base cost of initiation was your new grade +5, modified as follows (rounding down):
Self Initiation: ×3 Self Initiation with Ordeal: ×2.5 Group Initiation: ×2 Group Initiation with Ordeal: ×1.5 Puts your first Initiation at a karma cost of 18, second at 21, etc., and all with an automatic increase of your Magic attribute to boot. Note I didn't dive into looking for the dice rolls for ordeals and such. |
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Jan 28 2013, 11:47 PM
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#19
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Neophyte Runner Group: Validating Posts: 2,492 Joined: 19-April 12 Member No.: 51,818 |
Okay. So for a solo, no-ordeal initiation and concurrent increase to magic, starting from Magic 6:
1st ... SR3, 18 Karma and dice; SR4, (13+35) 48 karma 2nd ... SR3, 21 Karma and dice; SR4, (16+40) 56 karma 3rd ... SR3, 24 Karma and dice; SR4, (19+45) 64 karma As you can see, SR4 may be a "just pay karma and you're done" setup, but it's also hugely more expensive: 10, plus 3x grade, to initiate; then 5x new rating, to increase Magic. The three initiations above, all pretty likely to succeed even with the dicing of SR3, would come to 63 Karma for SR3, and 168 Karma for SR4. Just over 2.5x as much for SR4, due to the 5xnew cost of raising Magic. |
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Jan 29 2013, 12:17 AM
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#20
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,018 Joined: 3-July 10 Member No.: 18,786 |
Okay. So for a solo, no-ordeal initiation and concurrent increase to magic, starting from Magic 6: 1st ... SR3, 18 Karma and dice; SR4, (13+35) 48 karma 2nd ... SR3, 21 Karma and dice; SR4, (16+40) 56 karma 3rd ... SR3, 24 Karma and dice; SR4, (19+45) 64 karma As you can see, SR4 may be a "just pay karma and you're done" setup, but it's also hugely more expensive: 10, plus 3x grade, to initiate; then 5x new rating, to increase Magic. The three initiations above, all pretty likely to succeed even with the dicing of SR3, would come to 63 Karma for SR3, and 168 Karma for SR4. Just over 2.5x as much for SR4, due to the 5xnew cost of raising Magic. Assuming that group initiations are as easy to get in SR3 as they are in SR4, it becomes even more lopsided. 2/3rd price, vs. still paying full for magic (42 vs 160). Ordeal on top of that, and it's even *worse* (32 vs 150) |
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Jan 29 2013, 02:04 AM
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#21
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,116 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,449 |
The only real way to stop it is having a sub-1 essence with grades of initiation. Then you've got magic, sure, but you can't raise your magic enough to initiate again. A power foci, depending on how lenient your GM is feeling with the wording, might let you get away with an initiation, but if you take it off before you manage to raise your magic, poof goes the karma! Power foci don't add to the Magic Attribute in SR4. Initiation may be more expensive in SR4, but on the other hand, awakened characters and technomancers are the only ones who have that theoretically uncapped advancement. Everyone else has comparatively low hard caps, which can often be reached during character creation. |
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Jan 29 2013, 02:14 AM
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#22
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Douche Group: Banned Posts: 1,584 Joined: 2-March 11 Member No.: 23,135 |
Magic is much more useful an attribute in SR4, since you don't buy your spells at a Force rating. In SR3 you might have 12 Magic and 6 Initiation grades (and a nice Spell Pool to boot) but your Stunbolt 5 is still Stunbolt 5.
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Jan 29 2013, 05:20 AM
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#23
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,116 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,449 |
Yeah - you got the point of Magic free with initiation, but it usually didn't do much of anything, unlike SR4 where it adds directly to your dice pools (including Drain, since I imagine most initiates take centering).
On the flip side, Magic loss was less of a drawback in SR3. Spells could be taken with fetish or exclusive limitations to lower their effective Force for purposes of calculating Drain, Magic loss could be offset with a geas, and power foci added directly to the Magic Attribute. |
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Jan 29 2013, 03:02 PM
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#24
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,373 Joined: 14-January 10 From: Stuttgart, Germany Member No.: 18,036 |
quick question: do you let your awakened PCs off with just paying the karma or do you expect them to undergo some tradition-related ritual which will take a considerable amount of time? if the latter is the case, what time?
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Jan 29 2013, 03:19 PM
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#25
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Grand Master of Run-Fu Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,840 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Tir Tairngire Member No.: 178 |
quick question: do you let your awakened PCs off with just paying the karma or do you expect them to undergo some tradition-related ritual which will take a considerable amount of time? if the latter is the case, what time? In SR4.5? Usually that ritual is covered under an ordeal of some sort, roleplayed out in accordance with their tradition/way. |
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