I have said before that I would post a full listing of my suggested changes to Adept Powers, but for whatever reason, never got around to it. Finally, it is now here.

Please note that very little of this has actually received playtesting at the moment, & is subject to change once I actually get a chance to try it out. For now, it is based on my review of the powers, & what I think is necessary to make them playable, or reduce their effectiveness, as appropriate.

The changes below should work well with no additional changes to the Rules as Written, but some are intended to work with additional house rules. The most prevalent of these are included below:

• Initiate Grade may not exceed 5, & Natural Magic may not exceed 7
• Hardened Armor instead provides automatic Hits on the appropriate Resistance test (AP applies as normal), & Immunity grants Hardened Armor equal to the creatures Magic attribute (opposed to RaW x2)
• The Heal spell can heal Stun damage
• Wired Reflexes cost 11,000 & 1 Essence per level

Input is welcome.


Shadowrun 4

p.187 Critical Strike

Change cost to “0.5 per level�
Add the following sentence to the end of the description:
“This powers level may not exceed half the character’s Magic attribute (round up).�

p.187 Enhanced Perception

Increase the cost to 0.5 per level
Remove the last sentence

p.187 Great Leap

Change the bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level to jump checks.

p.187 Improved Ability

Change cost to “0.25 per level�

p.187 Improved Physical Attribute

Change cost to “0.5 per level�
Change description to:
“With this power, you can increase a Physical attribute. Each level increases the attribute by one, up to the augmented maximum.�

p.188 Improved Reflexes

Change cost to “1 per level (maximum 3)�

p.188 Improved Sense

Change the description to:
“You have a sensory improvement not normally possessed by your metatype. Available Improved Senses are described here:

Direction Sense: Your sense of direction is so acute you know what direction you are facing, and whether you are above or below the local ground level, with a successful Perception Test.

Improved Scent: You can identify scents in the same way as a bloodhound. You can identify individuals by scent alone, and can tell if someone whose scent you know has been in an area recently with a successful Perception Test. This functions as an Olfactory Booster (p.331) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).

Improved Taste: You can recognize the ingredients of food or beverage by taste alone. This functions as a Taste Booster (p.331) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).

Flare Compensation: Your eyes adapt quickly to intense light, allowing you to avoid the effects of flash grenades and similar weapons. This power functions as the flare compensation enhancement (p. 323).

Low-Light Vision: You can see normally in low-light conditions. This functions as the low-light vision enhancement (p.323)

Thermographic Vision: You can see the infrared light spectrum. This functions as the thermographic vision enhancement (p.324)

Vision Enhancement: Your vision is more acute than normal. This functions as the vision enhancement (p.324) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).

Vision Magnification: You can see distant targets with ease. This functions as the Vision Magnification enhancement (p.324)

Audio Enhancement: Your hearing is more acute than normal. This functions as the audio enhancement (p.324) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).

Select Sound Filter: You are capable of filtering out sounds. This functions as the select sound filter enhancement (p.324) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).

Sound Dampening: Your ears are protected from loud noises and adjust quickly to sudden changes in noise level. The sound dampening power functions as the cybernetic damper enhancement (p. 333).

Spatial Recognizer: You can easily locate where sound is coming from. This functions as the spatial recognizer enhancement (p.325) at a rating equal to one-half your Magic attribute (round up).�

p.188 Kinesics

Add the following sentence to the end of the description:
“This powers level may not exceed half the character’s Magic attribute (round up).�

p.188 Missile Parry

Change the description to:
“You are skilled at deflecting slow-moving projectiles out of the air. You receive a +1 dice pool modifier per level to Defense Tests against bows, crossbows, & all thrown weapons. In addition, if your Hits equal or exceed the attackers, you may catch the arrow or weapon & make an immediate attack with it as an interrupt action.

p.188 Natural Immunity

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level

p.189 Pain Resistance

Change the first paragraph to read:
“You can easily ignore the effects of pain. Reduce your wound modifiers by your Pain Resistance level.

p.189 Rapid Healing

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level

Street Magic

p.174 Analytics

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level

p.175 Animal Empathy

Change the second sentence to read:
“You receive a +1 dice pool modifier to all Social Tests made to influence animals (any non-sapient creature).�

p.175 Berserk

Change the cost to 0.5

p.175 Blind Fighting

Change the second sentence to read:
“Reduce all visual penalties by 2.�

p.175 Cloak

Change the second sentence to read:
"The adept receives a +2 dice pool modifier per level to resist active Detection spells, and critters using the Search power to locate her receive a -2 dice pool modifier per level."

p.176 Commanding Voice

Remove Commanding Voice

p.176 Cool Resolve

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level

p.176 Counterstrike

Change the cost to 0.5
Remove the following from the third sentence:
“The characters level in Counterstrike plus�

p.176 Distance Strike

Change the cost to 1
Change the second sentence to read:
“The powers range is equal to the adept’s Magic attribute in meters, and inflicts damage as normal (including any augmentation or powers).�

p.176 Empathic Healing

Change the description to:
“The adept can heal another by transferring their wounds to himself. As a Complex Action, the adept may heal a touched living creature up to 1 point of Physical or Stun damage per hit on a Magic + Willpower Test (apply a -1 dice pool modifier per point of Essence Loss, rounded down). The adept takes Physical or Stun damage as appropriate equal to one-half the damage healed (round up).
Empathic Healing is subject to the normal restrictions on magical healing.

p.177 Gliding

Change cost to 0.25

p.177 Iron Gut

Remove Iron Gut

p.177 Iron Lungs

Change cost to 0.25
Change description to:
“Iron Lungs grants an adept a dramatically enhanced lung capacity. An adept with Iron Lungs is capable of holding their breath for Magic minutes. In addition, the adept receives a +2 dice pool modifier to resist Fatigue (p.154, SR4)."

p.177 Iron Will

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier

p.178 Living Focus

Change cost to 0.5
Change description to:
“Living Focus allows an adept to channel mana in order to sustain a spell affecting him. The adept may sustain any spell targeting solely him, subject to all the normal rules for sustaining spells. The spell’s Force may not exceed the adept’s Magic attribute, & the adept may sustain up to one-half Magic (round up) spells at a single time. While the adept is sustaining the spell, the spell’s caster is not subject to sustaining penalties, & the spell does not end if the caster looses concentration.

p.178 Multi-Tasking

Change the last sentence to read:
“Additionally, an adept with Multi-Tasking gains an additional Free Action per Combat Turn.

p.178 Nerve Strike

Change cost to 0.5

p.179 Pain Relief

Remove Pain Relief

p.179 Penetrating Strike

Change cost to 0.25 per level
Add the following sentence to the end of the description:
“This powers level may not exceed half the character’s Magic attribute (round up).�

p.179 Power Throw

Change cost to 0.5 per level
Add the following sentence to the end of the description:
“This powers level may not exceed half the character’s Magic attribute (round up).�

p.179 Quick Draw

Remove Quick Draw

p.179 Rooting

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier per level

p.179 Smashing Blow

Change cost to 0.5

p.179 Temperature Tolerance

Change the description to read:
“An adept with Temperature Tolerance gains a degree of resistance to extreme cold and heat. The adept receives a +2 dice pool modifier to Survival tests made to resist the effects of heat or cold.

p.180 Traceless Walk

Change cost to 0.5

p.180 Wall Running

Change cost to 0.5

Digital Grimoire

p.17 Elemental Resistance

Change name to [Element] Resistance
Change cost to 0.25 per level
Change description to:
“The adept is extraordinarily resistant to a single element. When the power is selected, choose a single element type (p.154-155, SR4 and p.164-165, Street Magic); the adept receives a +2 dice pool modifier per level to resist damage from the selected type.
This power may be selected more than once, choosing a different element type each time.�

p.18 Memory Displacement

Change cost to 0.5

p.18 Power Swim

Change cost to 0.25

p.18 Indomitable Will

Change bonus to +2 dice pool modifier

New Adept Powers

Pathogen/Toxin Immunity

Cost: 1
The adept gains Immunity (p.288, SR4) to Pathogens and Toxins.

[Element] Immunity

Cost: 1
When this power is taken, choose a single element type (p.154-155, SR4 and p.164-165, Street Magic). The adept gains Immunity (p.288, SR4) against the chosen element.
This power may be taken multiple times, choosing a new element each time.

Muspellheimr, what do you mean by "Natural Magic"? Is this the Magic Rating -before- additions from Initiation, or -including- gains from Initiation?

It is the Magic attribute before modifiers from Background Count, boosts from Essence Drain, or similar.

The limits on Initiation & Magic is a rule I have played with quite a bit, & (in my opinion) is vastly superior to the potentially limitless advancement allowed by the Rules as Written. A similar limit was also in place for Technomancers Submersion & Resonance.

Have you also re-jigged the Increase Reflexes spell to be +1 action per hit, Force of the Spell need only be 3, ever, and Drain Code a simple +1?

You've massively boosted initiative passes in this style, and that needs to be adressed. As it stands, people on the street can nearly afford to get two passes a round with cheap, easy cyberware. It's up to the point where you might want to consider putting it in the regular security package for every corp security outfit.

Several of those are exact matches to the changes I've made. My biggest change is that all Adept powers were limited to a rating of 1/2 Magic (Round up). I also make the change that Improved Reflexes does not increase Reaction (it provides extra IPs only) and that Improved Physical Attribute (Reaction) must be purchased to a level equal to or higher than Improved Reflexes (think of it as a corequisite).

I could dig about all of these changes. I'm not too keen on limiting magic/initiation so much; it does cost a lot of karma to do so. (If someone has a 6 magic and wants to buy up to 9 in game, this is 21+24+27 Karma for the magic alone, or 72, and then 13+16+19 for the Initations, or 48, for a grand total of 120 Karma. That's...a lot, and it's at the expense of EVERYTHING else for about an entire year of gameplay.)

I'd have to consider limiting the powers so much in terms of how many levels. I can see the point and I don't mind it necessarily, but I haven't had the need to do it in my games, since it's rare that I see 6 levels of a full power. Even stuff like Critical Strike is taken around level 4. (I also do like my .25/level Critical Strike costs, but again, I guess I can see the merit of it being .5)

I'd use most of these, I think, for sure. In fact, almost all of them. I really love the better Attribute improvements and the cheaper reflexes.

Increase Reflexes [Spell] is being changed, but I am not yet certain exactly how (although I do have a good idea). Regardless, it is not necessary for these changes.

Wired Reflexes is still far beyond what Average Joe can afford, & is a very common house rule. The 2 : 3 : 5 scale of Improved Reflexes makes it, while still usable, a very poor choice for Initiative Enhancement. By RaW, I typically cringe when I feel I need to take it, and never take a full 3 levels (with a single exception: a 1250 Karma game).

That change to Improved Reflexes does almost nothing to make it usable - you reduce the cost from 2 : 3 : 5 to 1.5 : 3 : 4.5 - this could be a good change if you reduce the Reflexes cost to 0.5 per level, but otherwise complicates matters without really changing anything.

104 Karma, actually (Group Initiation / Ordeals). Regardless, the issue comes up when a character eventually does reach that point; they rapidly become far more powerful than mundane counterparts, & can theoretically achieve Initiation/Karma in the high double-digits.

While I seriously doubt it would ever reach this point, compare a "unlimited" Karma Awakened character to a Mundane with identical resources - the Awakened is vastly more powerful, to the point of raw stupidity.

The 7/5 limit keeps the Awakened on roughly equal footing with the Mundane, even at ridiculously high Karma levels, and never actually hurts them. In addition, through various methods (including a house-ruled Infusion metamagic intended to keep "normals" equal to Infected), the Awakened can still achieve up to 10 Magic.

Why the heck did you remove Iron Gut? Did you have a problem with PCs constantly eating things? Did someone find a some way to abuse it? Did one of your players create a character based on Matter Eater Lad?

I felt it was redundant with Natural Immunity. I may reinstate it with effects on the Necessities aspect of Lifestyles, but at this point see no reason to.

I've never had anyone shy away from Improved Reflexes, but Improved Physical Attribute (Reaction) was never taken. I have no problem with requiring the latter to take the former and having the end cost be similar to the RAW. The adjusted values of other powers, particularly the Improved Physical Attribute and Improved Ability sets alone are sufficient IMO.

Interesting changes Muspellsheimr. I haven't played an Adept yet, but I was looking seriously into doing just that. One of the things that stopped me was the high cost for Improved Reflexes. (3 to 5 points of magic just didn't leave much room for other powers). So, with the advice of some Dumpshockers I found in a few other threads I started adding in a little Bioware. Then a little became a little more. And then I figured, why not just add in the cybereyes. Finally I reached the point where I just threw up my hands, said what the hell, this guy has so much Bio/Cyberware that he's more of a sammy than an adept anyways, so I just got rid of the adept entirely since it had been a toss up for me between the adept and the sammy in the beginning.

With Improved Reflexes only costing 1 per level I could see myself being more interested in an Adept again. I can't say much for the other changes, as I have no playing experience yet. Looking forward to it though.

hi hi

I think perhaps adepts could simply use a wider selection of abilities. The initiative pass power is far too expensive for what it gives you as many have already stated, but even without that problem, I haven't seen very many strong adept builds in general. It seems like, unless you're in melee or the face, improved skills are about your only options.

I would just like to clarify how I am judging the balance of these changes. Every power should be something you want to take, but no power should be something you must take.

Please note that the definition of must take does not take into account character archetypes or concepts; an unarmed combat character will generally fall into the "must" category for Critical Strike, but this is not a must for a face or hacker, & thus is not considered a "must have".

In regards to Increased Reflexes, this is dangerously close to the "must" category, but that is more due to the general requirement of initiative enhancement inherit in the system than the cost/benefits of the power itself.


Keeping this in mind, I would greatly appreciate feedback on your perceived balance of my changes:

• Are there any powers you would see yourself never not taking?
• Are there any that you still would not ever take, even for a character they are designed to work with?
• Are there any powers I have not changed that you feel should be, & why?

Edit: I also compared them to alternate options such as cyberware where applicable.

..why do you have characters who even achieve that level of strength? 134 karma to max out your magic, assuming that you even start at 5.

Characters with that grade of initiation aren't Shadowrunners - They're on the Moon, working for SK. Beyond that, they're people who come up with methods to cut other people off from magic, even if it's only temporary, or being worshipped as gods. Circumstances would conspire to remove them from the Shdaowrunning game.

-I'm sorta see-sawing on Critical Strike's cost increase. On one hand, I do see the point-it's a cheap way to get extra damage, and one of the culprits, if you will, behind the 1-strength damage machines(+5 Crit Strike, +2 Bone Lacing, +3 DV Martial Arts, Hardliners.) At the same time, upping its cost might lean folks to maybe at least think about not horribly dumping their strength stat(not overly likely, due to all of the other things, but it's a thought.), which I am all for, on the other hand. So I'm definitely torn on this one. I would still take this at .5, but I admit I'd actually be tempted to start sneaking in bone lacing if I did. On the other hand, I'd never have to get Synaptic Boosters again with your changes.

I think the other reason why I was surprised was that you upped this cost but left the cost of Kinesics, which, IMO, does a lot more-alone.

-Nerve Strike, on the other hand, I'm wondering if it's too good to drop from 1 to .5. I remember a few threads on that power, and it's a doozy. However, it offers a non-lethal way to take out enemies, which is always a plus.

-Again, I'm still not sure that I'm not as big on the ''half magic.'' We always played with the fact that if someone wants to play a one-trick pony and get X levels of something(up to Magic, which isn't always 6), then that's their thing; they surprisingly start to balance out on their own after they feel a bit bored sometimes. I think I know why this in effect, and it's due to Social Skills if I had to take a bet on things, since those seem to be the biggest adept power culprit in any given situation. (Keep in mind, if you took out the half-magic power thing, I'd probably up Kinesics' cost to 1, and THEN maybe I'd think .5 for Critical Strike is a bit better. I sort of like the ability, if one so wants, to play a super-specialized adept if possible, and take several points of a power(like, say, 6 levels of Rapid Healing or something.)

This again though is something I'm on the fence about, because I do see it's merits.

-While I do understand why you did it, I'm still not keen on limiting the magic stat/initiations as much. As another example, since I like to play by the same rules as my party as a GM, this kind of cuts out the Really Scary Mage NPCs that I like to put in now and again(rarely, but sometimes I like to put one in.) 5 Initiations is pretty scary, but the 7 magic mage just doesn't have the oomph that the 6 Initiation, 12 magic mage does. Again, I try to put things in that the PCs can have, too-even though they might not be able to have it for a long, long, long time, they CAN still get it. Again, though, I DO see the benefits; like you said, even if your cyber people get plugged full of all delta-ware and cultured stuff that's top of the line, they do have those limits that a mage doesn't under RAW.

What I might do instead of limiting them is have initiations simply cost a bit more per level after a certain point. I'd keep the first 3 the same; after that, I'd get it a bit more expensive to slow down the path to the very high levels. This way, yes, even though it might take a loong time, they can get there. But, because it will take a long time, it's unlikely to get out of hand.

-Oh, btw, I love how you lowered Smashing Blow, Improved Attribute and Berserk. I too thought they needed them. Normalizing Improved Ability is also nice.


Keep in mind I'm really not fully against those above changes; I simply have a few qualms about them. I have a feeling that on paper will be different than in practice; I think what it is with the Critical Strike cost is that I'm so used to many of those powers being so much more expensive, and my brain hasn't clicked fully yet with the fact that one won't need as many power points to get their ''must-haves'' anymore. Let's say I'd be perfectly willing to testplay them as is before changing them.

So, any more input on these changes?


Edit: No one has any more comments or suggestions? Somewhat surprising...
Another question then: how many expect to use these changes in their games?

I like that the first and second levels of increased reflexes are cheaper, but I would still make the third level a bit more expensive to stop people from pulling 4 IP's straight out of the gate. e.g. costs being 1/2/4 instead of 2/3/5.

Also if you're going to have a power reduce lifestyle costs, why not look at sustenance?

Powers I would probably never use: Great Leap, Freefall, Gliding and Rooting. They all just seems less useful than other powers I could take.

I like the idea of Improved Reflexes costing .5, only improving IP's and requiring (.5-costing) Improved Physical Attribute (Reaction)

But how is that any different from just making Improved Reflexes cost 1 and do what it has always done? It's just more complicated for no reason!

But Freefall is so awesome for those nice "exit the building via third floor window" and "drop directly to bottom, past the guard in the stairwell" Moments
That power has so many cool uses.

It has some merits, but I guess I see your point.


Agreed.


What do other people think? I'm not sure which cost to use (1/2/3, 1/2/4).