Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: Digital Grimoire Now Available!
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun
Pages: 1, 2
Adam
Digital Grimoire is our first PDF-only project for Shadowrun. It has some material that was originally cut from Street Magic, some new stuff, and some updated material from previous editions. It's the smallest PDF we've ever sold: 18 pages for just under 4 bucks. You can buy it tonight, read it all, and be using the material in your game this weekend! This isn't a magician's tome ... more like a notebook that he left unguarded and you practically pilfered for the low low price of $3.95.

Comments and reviews are super-appreciated on this experimental release, once you've bought and read it.

Nobody Knows All Magic

Digital Grimoire is the Master's Class of Magic—expanding on Street Magic, it details additional traditions, magical groups & threats, spirits, enchanting expansions, and a handful of new spells and adept powers.

Traditions: Egyptian, Rastafarian, Psionic
Magical Groups: Shrine of the Southern Winds, The Oxford Grand Lodge, Código 515
Magical Threats: Toxic Paths, Shadow Spirits, Insect Spirits

Digital Grimoire is 18 pages (including cover): a bite-sized expansion to Shadowrun, Fourth Edition and Street Magic.

* Digital Grimoire on BattleCorps.com - $3.95
* Digital Grimoire on DriveThruRPG.com - $3.95

Ancient History
[ Spoiler ]
knasser
Wow! Am I the first person to buy it?

Anyway, I didn't realise it was going to be so cheap or so ickle-wickle. But I like it for what it is - a cheap little packet of odds and ends. First thing I read when I opened it was a somewhat unlikely line from a Muslim character, but then an Egyptian tradition - cool, Infusion foci - great, unique enchantments, v. interesting and is that the first ever violation of the principle of mundanes not using magic (a foretaste in anyway of this Dawn of the Artifacts thing we're hearing about?), Attuned Watcher spirits - okay, weird but handy, clarifications on spirit's personal preference - excellent, blood fetishes - OUCH (in game terms as well as rp terms)! Elemental resistance - will be using that.

Okay - that's a summary of my impressions. I like it. You should definitely consider this Doggy Bag format a success. biggrin.gif Going to have to think about those Unique Enchantments and crunch some numbers...
knasser
I'll just add that I'm surprised by the Rastafarian tradition. I never realised there was enough in real world Rastafarianism for the basis of a magical paradigm. wink.gif Also seems to be written from an in-character perspective in that some articles of faith are taken as fact. Is Aunty Ancient a rastafarian in rl? smile.gif

Also, "Destroy [Free Spirit]" Heh! Were you worried that mages weren't enough of a karma sink that you have them spending it on killing one-off enemies, now? Or is the idea that a Free Spirit keeps reforming on their metaplane and coming back for vengeance? "Oh, it's Asadaman, The Hunter of the Night again. Quick, cast your "Destroy Asadaman, The Hunter of the Night" spell. biggrin.gif
Synner
The Traditions and Magical Groups would have been me and I wrote most of them (both in DG and SM) as if their paradigm was indeed fact. The Rastafarian faith has several million followers both in North Am/Carib and Africa, far more than say Zoroastrianism or even Sufi traditions in our day and age.
wusselpompf
i like it smile.gif


...except for the cover. the recycled bottled demon (IIRC) cover and the nasty type of the title... not the best I can imagine wink.gif
Blue eyes
Excellent pdf! Lots of interesting stuff in it!
Dr Funfrock
Bought!

Mmmm.... magical threats.

Me go read now. Bak son.
DWC
Well worth 4 bucks and half an hour of my life. I hope the trend of releasing these continues. Any chance of seeing something similar for Arsenal or Augmentation?
Prime Mover
Something to tide me over till my Ghost Cartels ships. wink.gif
Wesley Street
Awesome! Well done and good work. I look forward to seeing more of these ebooks down the road.
bofh
Thank you. Very nice little addition. I second the suggestion for Arsenal and Augmentation please smile.gif I like the additional information on Insect Spirits.

Carl
Arashi
Bought it last night, like it, good stuff in general.

Some questions about the new Adept powers:

1. Elemental Resistance. If someone has an Armor Jacket with 6 points of Impact Armor, and adds 6 points of Fire Resistance to it - they have in essence 9 points of armor against fire (half impact plus the armor mod). Is this how this power is intended to work? Because right now the wording is vague. The text says <<Elemental Resistance enhances the effects of Mystic Armor by granting the full rating of the Mystic Armor Power to the character’s armor value against one elemental attack type>>, which could be interpreted as just giving the full rating of Mystic Armor and that's it. i.e. someone invests 3.5 magic points in rating 6 Mystic Armor and Fire Resistance. To resist fire, do they have just 6 armor, or do they have the 9? Because for such a huge investment of points, I would say it's underpowered at only 6.

2. Power Swimming. 1 full point? Hmm. For something that has little combat or major game effect, it seems expensive. Sustenance = 0.25 point cost, and allows the Adept to reduce eating, drinking and sleeping by 2/3! (BTW, where is the lifestyle cost reduction for that or Iron Gut - cyber/bio seems to give bonuses for that...) A cyberguy can get modular cyberfeet and waterjets for TRIPLE speed for a song. My adept got alpha modular synthetic lower cyberlegs at chargen because with a little money you can get Raptor, Skimmer Disc, and Waterjet swappable add-ons to suit whatever mission - and get a TON of great movement options. I did that because for less than 1 essence (1 magic point), it was a great bargain. I see a lot of potential in movement powers like this, especially for adepts because it's great flavor. Almost like the Water Sprite positive quality from RC, Power Swimming could be balanced at 0.5 for instance - or add on the fact that it lowers penalties in water ops, so that the Adept is a true water operator. Running based version? 1 point for sure, you're going to use it a lot more often so it justifies the cost.

YMMV, I know. I think I'll search later and see if there is a thread that talks about the balance (or lack therof) of Adept power costs.
Muspellsheimr
I was under the impression this was going to be a free release...

$4 isn't bad though, so I'll be picking it up when I get the chance. Any chance someone can give me a spell example or two until then - preferably Health?
pbangarth
It's a cool piece, and I personally found the possession info especially useful, though in some places surprising.

I do think the $3.95 cost for 18 pages is a little steep. That's $.22 per page. At that rate, the 192 pages of Street Magic would be over $42.00, and the BBB at 352 pages would be over $74.00. I can see this kind of product drawing a handsome income for the producers, providing nice little infusions of cash in between major publications.

Would I buy another addendum to one of the other books? Cool new stuff the other players can have? Yeah, maybe. Probably. The publishers know us, don't they?

Peter
Dr Funfrock
QUOTE (Muspellsheimr @ Nov 15 2008, 01:35 PM) *
I was under the impression this was going to be a free release...

$4 isn't bad though, so I'll be picking it up when I get the chance. Any chance someone can give me a spell example or two until then - preferably Health?


You can make your opponents do the exorcist vomit. Good enough for ya?


As for my own thoughts: For $4 I'm happy with what I got (although I agree with pbangarth that the economics seem a bit steep, I'm also aware that even in digital publishing there are certain economies of scale that apply). Everything is useful. I agree with the point on Power Swimming. It needs to be cheaper, for balance purposes, and I feel that it should reduce penalties to underwater actions in general, for flavour purposes. I like the idea that cyber can give you good water speed cheap, but magic doesn't just make you fast, it makes you graceful.

Aside from that, I would like to have seen more on Unique Enchantments. What's here is good, but it still doesn't give any real sense of what sort of things Unique Enchantments might be capable of. I'd really love to see a simple set of rough guidelines, similar to the Limits of Sorcery sidebar on pg 159 of Street Magic. Something like that would go a long way towards helping GMs to use Unique Enchantments in their games without fear of opening a Dune sized can of worms. I mean just the fact that the weapon in the example can be used by mundanes blew my mind. Nothing previously had really suggested to me, in a concrete way, that this kind of thing was neccesarily possible.
For that matter, is there some rule that says Magical Compounds can only give critter powers? What about adept powers? What about metagenetic effects such as glamour?
I'd love to see an expanded clarification of this stuff.
Prime Mover
Alleviate Nausea, Nauseate (Negative) and Decontamination.
Dr Funfrock
Oh, one more thought: Memory Displacement is the single most awesome adept power ever, and my next character will be a social adept, just so I can build them around that power concept.

Hmm...

Kinesics
Memory Displacement
Cool Resolve
Eidetic Sense Memory
Facial Sculpt
Linguistics
Melanin Control

Perfect social infiltrator. Become someone else, and then forget who you really are until you're deep inside their cover. Your real memories return, once you've passed all of their lie detector tests and other screening, and you carry out the mission. OK, so maybe that one's a bit more of an NPC, but it's still awesome.
I swear the Dawkins Group must have a few people like this.
pbangarth
Yeah, by the looks of it, even Mind Probe would have trouble getting at the displaced memories.

Peter
Prime Mover
Hahaha surprised to this in possession section "dikoted monosword".
Vairdic
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Nov 15 2008, 01:09 PM) *
I do think the $3.95 cost for 18 pages is a little steep. That's $.22 per page. At that rate, the 192 pages of Street Magic would be over $42.00, and the BBB at 352 pages would be over $74.00. I can see this kind of product drawing a handsome income for the producers, providing nice little infusions of cash in between major publications.


Just remember that this will never see print publication in this form, and that the print products actually subsidize the PDF, not the other way around. We still sell 10 times the number of a book than we do of a PDF, but we pay almost exactly the same for content (which is by far the most expensive part of the book). We definitely tried to keep the price as low as possible though, and be able to pay our awesome writers who come up with ways to make your opponent do the exorcist vomit (too cool, I didn't know that was in there!).
TeaTime
Is the Digital Grimoire (and upcoming PDF projects) Missions legal?

'Cause I'd like to blow some minds.
Literally.
Adam
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Nov 15 2008, 02:09 PM) *
I do think the $3.95 cost for 18 pages is a little steep. That's $.22 per page. At that rate, the 192 pages of Street Magic would be over $42.00, and the BBB at 352 pages would be over $74.00.


You can break a book or PDF down to the "price per page", but you're using a metric to price the books that isn't the same as what a publisher uses. While the page count -- and thus the cost to *fill* that page count -- factors into things, it's obviously not some sort of linear process, as we sell SR4 for less than half of $74.00 ... the "price per page" of SR4 is incredibly cheap, *and* it's the book that is going to get used the most in any game. Since -- within the game line -- SR4 is not a "boutique" book, it gets a lower price. Digital Grimoire, however -- at this point, it's the most niche of niche SR projects -- has to command a higher per-page price, or else it simply wouldn't be worth doing.

QUOTE
I can see this kind of product drawing a handsome income for the producers, providing nice little infusions of cash in between major publications.


I think you're probably overestimating the quantity of PDFs that we sell, although it will be interesting to see how this one does, since it won't be available in print.
pbangarth
I see your point about the economy of scale. I didn't factor that into my thoughts.

Peter
Arashi
<<Oh, one more thought: Memory Displacement is the single most awesome adept power ever, and my next character will be a social adept, just so I can build them around that power concept.>>

Another example of mismatched power costs.

Human Adept wants to raise Strength or Agility from 6 to 7? 2 Full Power Points.
(or 0.2 essence from bioware, less detectable, and not subject to mana fluctuations)

Become an undetectable double agent, immune to discovery even by mind probe? 0.25 Power Point

I love the Memory Displacement power, and think the authors did a good job with it. It is creative, and consistent with Canon concepts Runner's Companion (Deep Cover, etc) and Unwired (PAB units). I think it's cost at 0.25 is fine because it will need other things along with it to complete the infiltrator 'package' so to speak.

But seriously - power swimming for a full 1 power point? To get a few extra meters of swimming?
Synthetic Cyberfeet are 0.5 essence 12k + 3k for the triple speed waterjet add-on (plus ability to add on skimmer discs to jet over land and water with ease at double speed). 3 BP cost, 0.5 essence and perfectly legit.

How about Eidetic Sense Memory? 0.5 Magic Power Point gets you both Photographic Memory (10 BP Positive Quality for only sight/sound, then add the rest of your senses) AND Speed Reading (5 BP Positive Quality).

All I'm looking for is cross-system balancing, making something insanely more expensive and less functional only looks like useless fluff rather than a well thought-out addition to the game.
Heath Robinson
Downloading at the speed of light!

Rules for duplicating the tricks tha Gaf pulls off are really nice to have. I have to admit not being much of a mage-appreciator, but additional information on Threats is always nice to have.
Dr Funfrock
QUOTE (Arashi @ Nov 15 2008, 03:39 PM) *
Another example of mismatched power costs.

Human Adept wants to raise Strength or Agility from 6 to 7? 2 Full Power Points.
(or 0.2 essence from bioware, less detectable, and not subject to mana fluctuations)

Become an undetectable double agent, immune to discovery even by mind probe? 0.25 Power Point

I love the Memory Displacement power, and think the authors did a good job with it. It is creative, and consistent with Canon concepts Runner's Companion (Deep Cover, etc) and Unwired (PAB units). I think it's cost at 0.25 is fine because it will need other things along with it to complete the infiltrator 'package' so to speak.

But seriously - power swimming for a full 1 power point? To get a few extra meters of swimming?
Synthetic Cyberfeet are 0.5 essence 12k + 3k for the triple speed waterjet add-on (plus ability to add on skimmer discs to jet over land and water with ease at double speed). 3 BP cost, 0.5 essence and perfectly legit.

How about Eidetic Sense Memory? 0.5 Magic Power Point gets you both Photographic Memory (10 BP Positive Quality for only sight/sound, then add the rest of your senses) AND Speed Reading (5 BP Positive Quality).

All I'm looking for is cross-system balancing, making something insanely more expensive and less functional only looks like useless fluff rather than a well thought-out addition to the game.


Now whilst I do somewhat agree with you here, as my previous post evinced, I'd argue that you're pushing things too far the other way. Adept powers and cyberware should not always match either other cost for cost, or else all you have is Adepts as a kind of magically flavoured Sammie. One of the things that SR4 did a great job of was making Adepts more interesting by giving them a very different flavour, and part of that flavour comes from some things (mundane stuff like being stronger) costing more, whilst other things (particularly the weird-ass magical spooginess) are much cheaper, if there is even a technological analogue at all.
Eidetic sense memory should be better than just picking up a few qualities. In order to get it a character has to invest the points in being a magical character, and severely limit their access to augmentation as a result.
Whilst I would argue for dropping the "double cost to exceed natural maximum" rule on improved attributes, I don't think they need to be any cheaper than that. Yes, cyber is more efficient, but cyber doesn't let you do the Bene Geserit voice, or punch spirits right in their ugly faces.

Anyways, library is closing, so no more posting from me today.
Muspellsheimr
Improved Physical Attribute needs to be dropped to 0.5 per level. This puts it on par with Basic grade Cyberware, & still a good deal behind Bioware. I do not know anyone that would take it at 1.0 per level, & it is still highly unlikely to be used at 0.5
kanislatrans
the price is fine with me...small enough to slip past the accounting department without the usual weeks of discussion. grinbig.gif


I like the idea of getting little bites between the big meals. It keeps things fresh for me.

I'm definitely in for more of these little morsels.

Adam
Meant to mention this earlier, but the price/size ratio is one of the reasons why the back cover copy for Digital Grimoire spells out exactly with traditions, magical groups, and threats you'll get in it -- I figure that if you use just *one* of those in your game, even if only a couple of times, it's probably going to be worth the four bucks. So by spelling out the prime contents, it should help people make a decision as to whether to buy or not. That's the same reason why the exact page count [and that the page count includes the cover] is mentioned.
Larsine
QUOTE (Adam @ Nov 16 2008, 12:33 AM) *
Meant to mention this earlier, but the price/size ratio is one of the reasons why the back cover copy for Digital Grimoire spells out exactly with traditions, magical groups, and threats you'll get in it


What back cover are you talking about?

I've bought, downloaded and printed my Digital Grimoire, but there was no sight of any back cover. The last page is 5 of the adept powers.

Lars
Adam
"Back Cover Copy" is the term used for the text that would go on the back of a book ... it's posted in this thread as the first post, on the blog, on the product pages on the download site, and will be on the Digital Grimoire page when I get that up shortly. Some other publishers may refer to it as the "sell text."

It's what you see before you buy a PDF or crack open a book, in other words.
the_dunner
QUOTE (Arashi @ Nov 15 2008, 01:32 PM) *
1. Elemental Resistance. If someone has an Armor Jacket with 6 points of Impact Armor, and adds 6 points of Fire Resistance to it - they have in essence 9 points of armor against fire (half impact plus the armor mod). Is this how this power is intended to work?

Yes, that's absolutely how it's intended. See SR4, p. 188 where it notes that "[Mystic Armor] is cumulative with any worn armor."
QUOTE (Dr Funfrock @ Nov 15 2008, 02:24 PM) *
Oh, one more thought: Memory Displacement is the single most awesome adept power ever, and my next character will be a social adept, just so I can build them around that power concept.

Glad you like it! I've certainly had fun with it.
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Nov 15 2008, 02:28 PM) *
Mind Probe would have trouble getting at the displaced memories.

That was certainly the intent.
QUOTE (TeaTime @ Nov 15 2008, 03:26 PM) *
Is the Digital Grimoire (and upcoming PDF projects) Missions legal?

This was the intent.
Heath Robinson
So, wait, we now have Adepts who get taser immunity? Good heavens, they really are the ultimate Jocks!
Zen Shooter01
Am I the first poster to have noticed the False Impression/Manascape spell, DG 17? Manascape is an area effect illusion spell that allows the caster to change the information gleaned in the target's assessing tests. For example, no, she's not a magician. No, that's a health focus, not a power focus.

In other words, assessing, previously the Finder Of All Truth, just became...unreliable.

That and the Rastas ("I and I be the Rastafarian navy. You believe it.") are worth the $4.

It' a fun little product, but are there going to be a lot more of them? I don't look forward to having to look through SR4, SM, and DG1, 2, and 3, trying to remember where one particular spell is.
Hagga
Supernatural toughness is gorgeous.

Even if I can see 20 physical box ork adepts runnning around.
PlatonicPimp
Feh, That's nothing. Looks like I need to rebuild worst case scenario the cyberzombie troll.
cryptoknight
QUOTE (Synner @ Nov 15 2008, 03:21 AM) *
The Rastafarian faith has several million followers


What about the Pastafarian faith?
Uli
Is there a way to buy a copy when you have neither a PayPal account nor a credit card?
BookWyrm
Got mine last night. Interesting read, though.
Adam
QUOTE (Uli @ Nov 18 2008, 12:40 PM) *
Is there a way to buy a copy when you have neither a PayPal account nor a credit card?

Not directly. What I'd suggest doing is having a friend/relative/someone buy you a gift certificate on DriveThruRPG -- you don't have to spend it all at once, and you'll be able to use it to buy our stuff and stuff from other companies. If you *only* want stuff from Catalyst, then a gift certificate on the BattleShop will do the same thing -- and you can use it on our printed books, too.
FlakJacket
QUOTE (Dr Funfrock @ Nov 15 2008, 06:24 PM) *
Oh, one more thought: Memory Displacement is the single most awesome adept power ever, and my next character will be a social adept, just so I can build them around that power concept.

Hhmm. Now I have to think up what would be so totally horrendous an act that someone would have all their SINs (both real and fake) deleted, secretly move as far away as possible from anyone they know whilst covering their tracks and then permanently displacing every last memory they have. smile.gif
Sticks
mmmm the precious is now mine, probably gonna have to re-write half my stuff now though rotfl.gif
Zen Shooter01
Uli: A debit card also works. Another strategy is to ask a friend who has a credit card to buy it for you, then you pay your friend in cash.
BlueMax
I am conflicted. The want is strong but I wonder how this sales channel will hit local game stores. Perhaps, I will buy this and then drive to the local game store and buy a brick of dice.

Ack, now that feels like a tithe. One to a gathering place of the local minded. ....

Looks like my issues are far larger than want vs. cash.

Dr Funfrock
QUOTE (BlueMax @ Nov 18 2008, 06:02 PM) *
I am conflicted. The want is strong but I wonder how this sales channel will hit local game stores.


It won't.

PDF sales have been around for ages. This is nothing new.
Digital Grimoire is the kind of supplement that you just couldn't do as a print sale. There'd be no profit in it. You aren't stealing sales from your local gaming store by buying it in electronic form because without electronic distribution the product simply would not exist. There was never going to be any money in it for a local store, and nothing changes that. If you want to support your local store, keep buying all of the print books there when they are released. Digital Grimoire is just a little extra that fills in the cracks.

QUOTE (FlakJacket @ Nov 18 2008, 01:01 PM) *
Hhmm. Now I have to think up what would be so totally horrendous an act that someone would have all their SINs (both real and fake) deleted, secretly move as far away as possible from anyone they know whilst covering their tracks and then permanently displacing every last memory they have. smile.gif


OK, that is totally awesome. Take the Amnesia NQ, possibly at the full level where you don't know your own stats (just agreeing with the GM that you'll be playing a Physad with Memory Displacement amongst their powers). Possibly take Erased as well, with the idea that the character brokered some deal with a hacker group to keep themselves off the grid before they did the mindwipe on themselves. Maybe said same group has a simsense recording stored away that has the character's real memories on it.

Of course a lot of these ideas might also work with some of the brainwashing stuff from Unwired. Hmm...
BlueMax
QUOTE (Dr Funfrock @ Nov 18 2008, 03:24 PM) *
It won't.

PDF sales have been around for ages. This is nothing new.
Digital Grimoire is the kind of supplement that you just couldn't do as a print sale. There'd be no profit in it. You aren't stealing sales from your local gaming store by buying it in electronic form because without electronic distribution the product simply would not exist. There was never going to be any money in it for a local store, and nothing changes that. If you want to support your local store, keep buying all of the print books there when they are released. Digital Grimoire is just a little extra that fills in the cracks.


There is truth in your post. PDF has been around, but I always buy print copies of the PDF material. I prefer print and at my age, its tough to break habits.
When you mentioned that it wouldn't exist without pdf, I wanted to challenge the statement. Remember that I am old. When I was a wee lad and wandered into a game store, I could find hundreds of little magazines and supplements. We also wore onions on our belts, as was the fashion at the time. However, your words coming to me filled with sense allowed me to think about what I see when I go into a gamestore today.
Its a tart to publish a book, booklet or anything really.

Hmm, perhaps the misses can be convinced to purchase Ghost Cartels at the same time...

I will be watching your posts, they have wisdom.
Adam
QUOTE (BlueMax @ Nov 18 2008, 07:46 PM) *
When you mentioned that it wouldn't exist without pdf, I wanted to challenge the statement. Remember that I am old. When I was a wee lad and wandered into a game store, I could find hundreds of little magazines and supplements.


And with an inkjet or laser printer, you can easily produce stuff in your own home of that same quality, now. wink.gif

Selling DG in print would be difficult: stores don't much like ordering really thin products [they get lost/damaged too easily], the sale price of a 18 page supplement would have to be low, and then you divide that sale price three ways [manufacturer, retailer, distributor] ... and in the end, even if it sells well, everyone is left holding just a few dollars.

I think the "d20 boom" was the last hurray for small supplements, and may have been the death knell for them too, with many retailers sitting on dozens if not hundreds of d20 books still, many of them "low cost" books that were "cheap to bring in and will sell quickly" ... yet six years later, they're still there.
nylanfs
BTW Adam, I submitted a news scoop to EnWorld on the release. smile.gif
Caine Hazen
QUOTE (Adam @ Nov 18 2008, 07:28 PM) *
I think the "d20 boom" was the last hurray for small supplements, and may have been the death knell for them too, with many retailers sitting on dozens if not hundreds of d20 books still, many of them "low cost" books that were "cheap to bring in and will sell quickly" ... yet six years later, they're still there.

As someone who was on the retailer side of things during the d20 boom, I'm going to concur with Adam here. The store I used to work for has thrown out 5 long comic boxes worth of"thin" d20 supplements that were still clogging up their basement recently. With the ease of printing now, and the cheap prices you can get a little 18 page booklet cloth bound for the cheap. I plan on heading down and getting this done sometime this week.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012