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TeOdio
Since this is the only spell where in the description it mentions Thresholds for certain levels of effect, I make my mages choose which Threshold they are trying to acheive, and then they cast the spell on a pass/fail basis. I believe if it were meant to be the other way the developers would have just set up a table where number of hits decided what effect would be achieved. Just curious what other people were doing with this one.
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Platzy
Since you also have to match the force depending on the number of hits you want to count, a player can set his upper limit by choosing a respective force.
If his hits aren't enough for, say, Increase +3 but would suffice for Increase +1 I'd let him have it.
He still has to cope with the higher drain anyway...
MaxHunter
I agree completely with the last post.

(Damn! I'm soo slow today)

Cheers,

Max, the decreased reflexes guy.

Edit: a coma
Feshy
Actually, this thought struck me too. The way its worded lead me to think pretty much the same thing you did, for the same reason. But really, I'm probably just sadistic.
blakkie
Them setting the Force is paying to have the chance for having the higher. If they don't get that many hits they still can have the lower (and as Feshy points out take the higher drain anyway).

It has nothing in there about guessing how many hits they're going to get, or prepicking the level they want. Would you to that with Assensing, they have say what they're trying to see and if they don't roll that many they don't get it at all? Would you do that with a combat spell, or shooting a firearm, they have to say how many extra dice DV they are going to add beyond hitting the target and if they don't get that they miss the target entirely?

*shrug*

EDIT: That said "divide by 2" wierdness rears it's ugly head here even moreso. Assuming your Magic is at least 3 so you don't flip to Physical, why ever cast at Force 2 when Force 3 is the same Drain? Drain DV: Force + 2 would be mucho better IMO.
BGMFH
Thatd make drain much more lethal.

Sounds like a good house rule for toning down magic though.
Azralon
QUOTE (p173)
Some spells simply require a Success Test, with hits determining the level of success (as noted in the spell description). The Magic + Spellcasting test must generate at least one net hit to succeed and may need more if the effect has a threshold for success. The spellcaster can always choose to use less than the total number of hits rolled in a Spellcasting Test.
Lilt
Force of spell determines max threshold. I don't think the players should need to set a single threshold they're going for beforehand. Spellcasters don't chooseto deal 6 damage or nothing with their force 4 mannaball, so why go this way with the initiative spell?

I'm personally considering the rammifications of increasing the thresholds from 2/3/4 to 2/4/6 respectively. This is because although I agree that magic should peak at being able to improve initiative at the same cap as cyber or any other boost, I don't think it should be easily doable for starting characters. 5 Magic + 5 Spellcasting + 2 Power Focus = 12 dice, enough to on-average get the +3 bonuses under the base system. The problem with this system is that it puts a middle-threshold (+2 bonus) sustaining focus unavailable at chargen (Availability=F*4).
blakkie
QUOTE (Azralon @ Nov 20 2005, 11:06 PM)
QUOTE (p173)
Some spells simply require a Success Test, with hits determining the level of success (as noted in the spell description). The Magic + Spellcasting test must generate at least one net hit to succeed and may need more if the effect has a threshold for success. The spellcaster can always choose to use less than the total number of hits rolled in a Spellcasting Test.

However many hits you roll determines the level....although you could use less than the total hits than you generated if you wanted to, but i'm not sure why you'd want to? Unless the target had already had enough IP naturally to hit your max of 4, although i don't think there is a problem with the total exceeding 4. For natural IP 2 the level 3 gives them the extra Initiative die over level 2, and the IP gets capped at 4.

QUOTE
I'm personally considering the rammifications of increasing the thresholds from 2/3/4 to 2/4/6 respectively. This is because although I agree that magic should peak at being able to improve initiative at the same cap as cyber or any other boost, I don't think it should be easily doable for starting characters. 5 Magic + 5 Spellcasting + 2 Power Focus = 12 dice, enough to on-average get the +3 bonuses under the base system. The problem with this system is that it puts a middle-threshold (+2 bonus) sustaining focus unavailable at chargen (Availability=F*4).


You could just use the same progression as the Adept power points, 2/3/5. So then the starting PC can buy a sustaining focus for a level 2. But not level 3. Of course that doesn't fix the Force 2 drain = Force 3 drain quirk, but at least they'd have to have the slightly more expensive Force 3 Sustaining Focus even if they only scored 2 hits.

EDIT: Text corrected BACK to the right way.
blakkie
Fixed my last post. Trying to avoid the perpetuation of my mistake to others.
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