So I've played Shadowrun a while. Always like to play magic. But I don't want to start my umpteenth mage from scratch.

So how about it? What if you're playing a higher level campaign? The game suggests raising build points, skills/attribute caps, the nuyen cap and availability. But there's never been a rule, in any edition, for starting a character as an initiate. Or a character in a magic group. Or a character with an ally spirit. How much should these things cost?

Initiation increases the magic attribute maximum, similar to the Exceptional Attribute quality (20 BP). But the latter quality, as it's name suggests, is exceptional -- that wouldn't happen in ordinary game play. Whereas initiation is perfectly normal. But it offers other bonuses, too. Plus, you can get a metamagical power. (Yet early grades of initiation have karma costs only in the teens.) So, maybe 15 BP?

I'm thinking magic groups should cost an even 5 BP and ally spirits should cost maybe 2 or 3 times it's force, plus normal costs for additional skills and spells. But that's just a rough gut feeling.

Anyone violently disagree? Have some sort of amazing insight? Or, best yet, a house rule that they've playtested?

Off the top of my head...

The easiest thing to do is probably to give the players a number of Karma points to represent that they're not total rookies.

Otherwise, you might consider the precedent set by allowing characters to acquire or buy-off qualities after character creation, charging half the karma cost in BPs to start as an initiate or with an ally spirit.

-paws

On an optimized character, one Build Point is worth, I believe, ~1.5 Karma. So, I would recommend simply allowing a character to convert 2 BP to 3 Karma, and allow the Karma to be spent at character creation. Excess Karma is lost, and cannot be spent on anything that has a Build Point cost already assigned.

EDIT:
Karma gained this way does not count towards your total for determining Street Cred / Public Awareness

I really like this way of doing it. I might have to steal it for my next group at my table.

If I knew where they were, I'd say look at Trollman's character advancement rules (if someone could link them that'd be great). Since he hands out BP rather than karma, he has presumably managed to come up with a reasonable cost for initiation.

FrankTrollman's house rules.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...t=0&start=0

has an updated version of some elements, but you need Fortune's rules for completeness. You can very neatly generate experienced characters by just giving out 400 BP and letting people use his house rules.

Thanks! I like that 2 BP = 3 karma rule. Looks balanced and flexible.

I have a simple suggestion.

Positive quality: Initiate (20 BP's) This quality gives you 1 grade of initiation. No ordeal was used, no group joined.

With it being a 20 BP Quality, that would rule out its use by any Magician with a Mentor (not to mention any other Quality).

A 20 BP cost is enough (if not too much), without cutting into the limited amount of allowable Quality points.

I would never pay 20 Build Points for a single grade of initiation, especially when it cuts into the Quality limits.