For a while now I've been adapting the SR4 rule-set to my homebrew campaign. It's a fantasy world and, as such, there is no such thing as cyberware. Taking this into consideration, I realized that magicians and adepts would have a major leg up in combat, being that they would be the only archetypes to receive extra IP by the new (SR4) initiative system.

My remedy to this has been to re-evaluate the initiative system. Working from other threads here on DS, I've come to a new system that is more akin the SR3 initiative system:

Initiative + raw hits = initiative score.
For every count of ten (10, 20, 30), the character receives + 1 IP (the old "counting backwards method" that is subject to wound penalties and such).

Using this logic (as posted in a previous thread) an "average" character with all 3's in attributes would rarely gain another initiative pass, while an "exceptional" character with all 6's would occasionally receive a second pass. While unlikely in a no-cyber campaign (merely a control group) a character with all 9's would routinely get a second pass and occasionally receive a third.

My major bone of contention is how to handle IP granting abilities from magical enhancements. With the system above, I feel it would be a logical loop-hole to merely grant an additional IP. As such, I am leaning towards those abilities granting +10 times the magnitude of the ability, or for said abilities to grant another +1d6 times the magnitude.

Since most of you have had more experience in playing SR4, or have a far better head for numbers than myself, I turn to you for consideration on a ruling.

Since that solution applies equally to adepts and magicians, it doesn't fix anything as far as your problems go.

That said, in typical fantasy settings "magic items" are the fantasy version of cyberware. Instead of Muscle Replacement 4 you have Gauntlets of Ogre Strength +4. Instead of Cybereyes with Low-Light Vision you have Spectacles of Elfsight. etc.

If your setting has a huge disparity between mundanes and magicians, where only the later has access to anything like magic, then... well, there's your problem. Mundanes are fucked. Only solutions are to remove all forms of initiative boosters (which doesn't change the fact that magic > non-magic in pretty much all other cases, too), introduce magical items, or have some kind of steampunk alternative to cyberware.

SR3's initiative system didn't provide any advantages to non-cybered characters that magic or cyberware didn't trump just like that <snap>, just like in SR4. So that's hardly a solution since it applies just as much to magicians as it does mundanes.

...while there are others better at the number crunching than myself, I did like the fact that in previous editions a better than average unaugmented grunt had the opportunity to get more than one action a combat turn if he rolled good on his initiative.

There was also an Edge available only to non augmented characters called Adrenaline Surge which allowed the rule of 6 to apply to initiative.

...all which paled next to the mage with Increased Reflexes 3. It wasn't even close.

The only alternative I could think of is creating a new Positive Quality. You could call it Natural Reflexes or something, make it available only to characters who doesn't have a magical abilities, make it incompatible with all other initiative boosters, and then give it the equivalence of +1/+2/+3 Initiative Passes (only) per level. 15/25/35 point-values.

It trivializes initiative boosters, however, and is something I'm not too keen on for a number of reasons. But it is an alternative.

Touche'

Perhaps a slight amount of info would be needed:

Magic is far more common in my little world than in SR4. Anyone could awaken, but frankly, some people have no talent for magic and others just can't wrap their heads around it.

Secondly, there is an equalization factor, but that would require a few paragraphs worth of explanation, lets just suffice to say that in place of Edge, there is a system that is quite similar, but more accessible to any character. Although it is still measured as an attribute, the effects are less significant, but more frequent. That said, boosting initiative dice is well within it's ability.

My third point of reasoning is averages. That was part of my borrowed reasoning for the statistics I received in doing the math. Assuming averages, I also assumed that most magicians would have (on a general whole) lower stat values than your average mundane (given the raw amount of BP one has to spend to become a functionally effective magician). That said, I recognize that re-evaluating whether or not initiative boosting magic should add +10xR or +d6xR and revamping the initiative system in general also affects magic users positively, my thoughts on average scoring across the board puts this change more firmly into the favor of mundanes who would, without a new init system, be damned forever to 1IP.

I am FIRMLY against "gauntles of ogre power" and such...I used to play the "other game" and I switched to this system because it is more realistic (10th level fighters by the "other system" with average stats can sky-dive with no parachute and survive) and the magic system only required minor syntactical tweaks to fit my paradigm. I am with Shadow Run on this...there should be no effective way to mass-manufacture magical items to the point that using mundane items, by contrast, is just foolish.

All this said, I hope this clarifies some of my thinking...
Also, my players are rather reasonable, the generally create rounded characters that are not over-specialized munchkins. The worst example would be the adept with unarmed skill to 5 with improved ability.

The standard SR4 alternative to Cyber or IP is drugs, or in your case could be called "Alchemy".

Other than that, spending edge allows users to get an extra IP. If you've developed a system that replaces edge, then implement an IP function in the edge replacement system.

If you're dead set on going back to SR3 style IP's, let each level of bonus add 2 to initiative. (so that they roll 2 more dice for initiative, and also get 2 more initiative, 2+2d6 averages 9, which means most of the time they'll still get an extra pass per level of IP enhancement but there is still a chance that they won't).

Err, by Raw hits do you mean the number of pips rolled? or just if it's a 5 or 6? if it's the latter, then totally ignore that previous paragraph.

You could remove +IP spells and abilities from the game and just allow +Initiative instead. Shifting back to pre-SR4 model for Initiative (as you mentioned) would extend the possibility of extra actions per Combat Turn.

More alternatively, you could create new abilites and creating a new Attribute called "Rank" or "Level" that function like Magic does for an Adept and lets them purchase abilities that are combat related.

Geek the mage first is always a good rule.

The extra actions rules (IPs), from whatever edition, were specifically designed to model wired reflexes. If you are going to a fantasy setting, I suggest dropping IP altogether, and simply having everyone go in initiative order, once per round. It's more suited to the genre.

If you're not opposed to 3rd ed style init, just go with the init attribute, +1d6 per pass. Chances a guy with 3's all round would have a 33% chance to get that second init pass. I would also increase the drain on increased reflexes, or maybe the thresholds for increasing the IP. Adepts pay through the nose with power points to get the extra IP's so they should be uber in physical combat. If we were to compare to the game that gives you cancer, adepts would cover all the fighter types, your mundanes would get into the thief or support classes and mages cover your magic classes. Yeah you can probably build a troll mundane that would be decent at fighting but thats like in that other game where you could pull off a thief that would be good at fighting.

Also if you have a bunch of magic items out there you don't really need to nerf the extra passes too much, just make the boots-o-speed available.

Rukna,

I also have adapted the SR4 system to run in a medieval fantasy world. I haven't really had any issues with multiple IPs because none of my PCs have taken an initiative enhancing powers. One suggestions would be to simply remove them from the game. Then everyone gets one pass. People with high or improved reaction go first. I replaced with cyberware with with a different system that fits my world better.