QUOTE (nathanross @ May 2 2008, 02:51 AM)
Yes, Leadership is now rolled into Intimidation (as I feel it should be). I dont see why getting people to do something through force of will should be a different skill depending on how they view their social position relative to you. I consider that a DP modifier depending on the situation. As for Influence group, after I cut down Social skills to only 4 (Con into Negotiation, Leadership into Intimidation, Etiquette, and Instruction), I felt no reason to make them cheaper.
Hmm...I can see where you're coming from, but Leadership can be very subtle, too. I mean, don't get me wrong-so can Intimidation(Mental intimidation. Where the person might not even be threatening someone, yet threatening them all at the same time), but Im still wondering how they are the same skill. Now, Con and Negotiation I can buy being one skill. I can see one skill being used to bargain, fast-talk, sense motive...yeah.
QUOTE (nathanross @ May 2 2008, 02:51 AM)
I understand everyone's issue with shouldered arms. It does lump most of the prized guns in one group. I actually group SMGs into Handguns purely for balance reasons. My primary reason for grouping Firearms thus, is the same as my grouping of melee weapons. I would much rather have one skill for one weapon at all times than multiple skills depending on how I am firing it. I do not like the idea of having to use Longarms or Pistols to fire something SA, but Automatics to fire it in Burst or FA. That just seems stupid to me (from a balance perspective).
I can see your reasoning here. It DOES clean things up a bit. And if more people end up taking Shouldered Arms, well...i guess it won't be much more different than most people taking Automatics these days.
I admit there is a nice cleanliness to not having to switch skills every time you want to fire your gun differently.
QUOTE (nathanross @ May 2 2008, 02:51 AM)
No, actually. I have separated Unarmed from Close Combat entirely (I also renamed it Melee Weapons group)
Yeah, i picked up on that after re-reading it. I can see it. Right now, you take Close Combat at 3 and you're automatically proficient in everything from swords to knives to axes to clubs to staves to any kind of fighting or martial art. Well, ok, with the new Melee group you still will be, but sans the unarmed combat(which well could be seperate.) I guess Cyber-Implants are in the Small Blades section, unless its a shock hand?
QUOTE (nathanross @ May 2 2008, 02:51 AM)
As an automotive mechanic, I found the mechanic group quite silly. I would allow someone to default to another mechanic skill (at a -4DP mod), but I really dont see an environment where you are trained in all of them at the same time. As for the groups, I cut down where I could. Biotech group always annoyed me, as I feel medicine encompasses a TON of knowledge skills, and Cybertechnology had more to do with electronics than anything. Now we once again have a stand alone Biotech group (Surgery, First Aid, most shit a Shadowrunner needs to do). It also feels good to separate Computers and Electronics again. Influence was explained above.
Again, i can see your point here. It IS a bit odd in the regular group that you can know how to fix everything from cars to boats to toasters. The Computers and the Electronics change is pretty cool, as I said. And honestly, we raarely used any Biotech-like skill but First Aid in our games(i had a tech-wiz with a couple points in Cybertech in SR3, and he used it to help tweak out his cyberleg, but his street doc still did the bulk of it, naturally. That was about it.)
QUOTE (nathanross @ May 2 2008, 02:51 AM)
YES! Thank you for pointing out one of the greatest problems with SR4: Spell Resistance. Higher Willpower or Body really meant something in SR3, since it was the TN to hit. I hate Counterspelling in its current version because it has to be there; you have to have a mage to just survive. It also does not act like any other skill (except Dodge, and at least that is properly used with its linked attribute), as it is added as a DP mod to Spell Resistance tests, not as a skill test. I have considered an inate spell resistance, where the hits must surpass Bod/2 or Wil/2 (round down) + Hits on the test. This would greatly ease the casters load and at least give mundanes a hope in hell when alone.
You know, i was always trying to think about this myself. Should Magic be dangerous? Yes. Should magic automatically hose everyone who doesn't use it if they don't have their own mage? NO. And this goes for both sides-Ive seen groups of mooks mowed down with a PC cast spell as well as PCs nearly killed/flat out knocked out. And yes, the target number has to do with it. The typical shadowrunner(non magical), it seems, judging by the lots of sample characters Ive seen on this board and in the book, usually has a Willpower around 3(4 for dwarves). This sometimes goes down to 2/3. It occationaly goes up to 4/5 for a non-magical character, but it's rare.
I almost considered one day trying out a Threshold method. Basically, you have to beat the Body/Willpower threshold. Yeah, this makes guys like Orks a little less vulnerable to the powerball-but it worked out fine in SR3 and down, IMO. That's what the Manaball was for. (Naturally, Indirect/Elemental maniupulations don't follow this, so you can Lightning Bolt to you're hearts content.) But as for the 'Direct Combat Spells', I might try out a session using thresholds. This I feel can sort of ''recreate'' the old target number. A good mage can still mess someone up-5 spellcasting and 5 magic gets 10 dice, and can more than likely nail that 3 willpower(and almost definately nail the 2), with a base damage equal to the target's Force(with net hits adding, naturally). Now, this does make Willpower a bit more important(Body most people don't skimp on anyway. In fact, this is sort of my fear. Im afraid it will make the Powerbolt/Powerball spell basically useless.) But yeah, at least it makes it matter, and an opposing mage against a team without one doesn't mean automatic death(or more likely, knockout. Due to shorter stun tracks, those stun spells are really good.) Then again, this could severely cut down even the Will spells, since a mage needs...4 hits to start net hitting a Will 3-but perhaps if they hit get hits equal to the Stat the spell will go off-just at it's base power(this way all they need is 3 hits to hit the 'typical runner'.) It still might be a bit too harsh on the mages, though. I wish there were an easy fix for this.
Even if I made the Threshold Stat -1, Power-based spells would bascially be delegated to not that useful-then again, in SR3 and down-not many people I know used the powerbolt/powerball spells as much. They had their uses; but Mana Bolt was by far the more used single-target attacker, with Stunball being the chosen group-hitter.