I'm running a campaign set during the Year of the Comet using SR4 rules. I'm starting to look at how to convert the SURGE test to SR4 rules. Here's what I was thinking so far:

Roll Essence (rounded up) x 2 against Threshold 4.
Modifiers:
Awakened -2 (used to be -Magic Rating)
Metahuman -1
Metavariant -2
Albino -3
Otaku/TM -3
Infected -4
Shapeshifter -5

If they hit Threshold 4 then SURGE affects the character. From there the character would get 1D6 Positive and 1D6 Negative Qualities +2 on each for each hit above 4 on the SURGE test.

Has anyone else done something similar?

EDIT: I wrote up a quick computer sim to compare results between the SR3 and SR4 systems. The comparison showed that the modifier for Awakened in SR4 was far too dramatic.

You could also ask for volunteers. That's all I did for YotC and I got one person who thought the idea was cool and, thus, he became the group changeling.

That is one way to do it. I do think it would enhance the plotline much more if at least one of players were to become a Changeling. Maybe I will ask for a volunteer, but I will still assign the qualities randomly.

I wouldn't, considering the rather obtrusive nature of SURGE, that stands a very good chance of leaving a player with a character they wont enjoy.

I would say ask for a volunteer, but work with the player to make sure he wants to continue playing the character.

For instance I made a Chaos Mage (named Compass) who SURGEd (level 2) and I gave him the following:

Positive: Balance Tail (1.2 m fox tail), Vomeronasal Organ, and Magnetosense
Negative: Impaired Strength, Impaired Body

I also took the Moderate Allergy to silver. It fit the concept I was thinking about.

Concept: During the 4th age, one of Compass' ancestors was a little too friendly with a Fox shifter and well... anyways, those genetics were passed down for a long time and they FINALLY manifested in Compass... much to his chagrin and annoyance to his bosses. He has both a fox tail and fox ears on his head.

With the above I made a concept and followed it through. If you allow the player to do the same thing then you can make a better story. If you force it then you'll most likely piss off the player in question.

OH, BTW, to those who say that there's no way for a child to be made between a shifter and metahuman, you have to remember this happened in the FOURTH Age, maybe fantasy genetics worked back then...

Note that there is a random SURGE test in SR4.
To still SURGE ingame in SR4, by RAW you need the Dormant Metagenetics quality, which lets you roll an Edge test to determin the SURGE level.
The player then picks an appropriate number of positive SURGE qualities, while the GM determins the negative ones.

Actually on page 73, it states the following:



Nothing says that the GM HAS to choose the negatives. I would say that if a player makes reasonable choices about the negative qualities then he should have the right to choose them. Now if he gets stupid then the GM should give a warning, but if it's not heeded then stomp him.

As for the Dormant Metagenics... that is a stupid positive quality. Dump that and make a SURGE test like the OP was trying to come up with.

Surge should always be voluntarily
I don't like the idea of "forcing" the Playerchars to become st. they don't want to
Asking for a volunteer is the best Idea

Hough !
Medicineman

I was specifically referring to Dormant Metagenetics on p.74.
For those, the GM picks the negative qualities.

You are of course free to dump that quality and houserule it, i was just stating how RAW handles this.