So, I was looking at the sell-sheet for the Runner's Toolkit here: http://catalystgamelabs.com/pdfs/CAT26100_RunnersToolkit.pdf

One line kind of stuck out, the "Also includes 7 new sample characters" thing. I have to ask, is one of these planned to
be a Mystic Adept, or are Mystic Adepts going to continue to be unsupported sample/npc wise?

Uh...can't talk about Figh...Runner's Toolkit, but we've had mystic adept NPCs before. Did you have something specific you were looking for?

Really? Which sourcebook for SR4? I have all of them...

Basic problem is: I have several players who are newer to the game, and it is easier to show new players a sample
character to get an idea how things can work together. Without sample starting level characters, there is nothing to
show as an example of how to build one. Which is why I am hoping there is at least one sample character in the
Runner's Toolkit that is a Mystic Adept.

Okay, sample characters-wise no, haven't had any. Been a couple reasons for that. Ghost Cartels does have a mystic adept NPC or two, I'm fairly certain. I remember statting at least one out.

Tse Ye Mu mystic adept and head of Los Angeles Koshari. Stated out on pg 121 Ghost Cartels.

Sage the heavily scarred mystic adept who leads the Angels is mentioned as a mystic adept but dont think he was statted out.

Let me guess, the reasons why have boiled down to "New players are not likely to be able to figure them out, so let's
not include sample starting characters for them"? Or is it "We do not want to confuse new players with something in
the core book"? Now, admittedly, before SR4, while they existed, no-one ever allowed them at their tables. But, then
again, no-one allowed Otaku, and yet you have a Technomancer. Personally, I always felt the Arcane Investigator
was a great opening for a Mystic Adept, but you guys made him a full-one magician. Unfortunately, without a
solid example, my experience is that players new to the universe have no example they can use. To me, it makes no
sense to have an actual archetype-level character option in the core book, but then exclude it from the sample characters
everywhere. It is almost like saying that it is not meant for a PC....

It has to do more with mystic adepts being introduced late to Shadowrun (in Awakenings) and never having a clearly-defined role...aside from a brief, ill-advised stint as ninjas. How many mystic adepts profiles do you recall in SR2 and SR3?

They were also not part of the corebook in SR2 or SR3. Otaku were also introduced late, as well, and look! Technomancers(aka Otaku 2.0) are represented.
So, it makes no sense why there would NOT be a Mystic Adept Sample in either SR4A or the Runner's Toolkits seven new samples.

I agree with Cardul. It would be nice to have some guidance on building a mystic adept. As a GM astral does bug me a bit so ignoring magicians and instead focusing on mystic adepts is a bit better. I tend to use them where I don't feel like running games in astral space.

Eh, I would strongly caution against playing a Mystic Adept until you've already played a spellcaster.

Why? There are less things to actually worry about with a Mystic Adept, assuming he does not take Astral Perception as a Power for the Adept Side... No Wards, No cleansing of Signatures, and no Astral Space at all being three of the biggest, which results in less rules for the character's player to memorize or referrence...

Keep the Faith

I played a Mystic Adept for a while that I was quite fond of. He was a retired UCAS Army Special Forces operator. I modeled him after the Green Berets. Basically, he's a guy who was trained to infiltrate behind enemy lines, gather intel, network with local insurgents, manage HUMINT assets, and perform long range recon. I liked the versatility of several adept powers as "always on" (such as sustainence and three dimensional memory), along with detection spells like clairvoyance.

If I can find the sheet, I'll post it here.

probably because balancing the mystic and adept sides can make your life pretty hard.

possibly also because you're going to want to know what kinds of spells are still useful at a lower force.

I noticed on the catalyst site that it is going to be released in the 1st quarter of 2010. Adam---is that still the plan?

That is a solid argument, I can see that...

Keep the Faith

Probably won't quite make it to stores in the 1st quarter, but it should be at the printers before the quarter ends.

Jason H.

Would it be bad to ask how CGL defines each quarter? I've seen different companies use different calendars - some starting 1Q on Jan 1, some on April 1, some in weirder places.

Make a note to ask, and I'll clue you in on the joke when Corp Guide comes out.

That's never a good thing to hear.

If you want the bearer of good tidings, send cookies to Adam.

For our release schedule, the quarters fit with the calendar year. So 1Q is January-March.

Jason H.

Thanks.

Ignoring astral doesn't make it go away... it still affects spirits you summon, your foci, and your mana lodge (and you will NEED all of these and more to play a mysAd.)

The biggest use for MysAds I have found it for casting force 1 spells (2 when overcasting), summoning watcher spirits, and buying counterspelling to 6, then improved abiliting it to hell and back (same for Banshiing). MysAds are like a gaint finger to my runner's mages anymore.

Improved Ability does not work on Magical Skills... See the Description of the Power... Physical, Social, Technical, or Vehicle Skills only...

Page 196 of SR4A

Keep the Faith

Just a quick question about this, I was on Amazon and found the Runner's Toolkit being offered. Is this the real deal and if so should I buy it?

Grexul

It has not been released yet--we're certainly not done with it. So what you may have found is a real pre-order, but not the chance to get something currently available.

Jason H.

This looks like an invaluable game master tool. Hope it gets out there soon.

Thanks for clearing this up, I will be pre-ordering it when it is available.



Indeed

Grexul

Well, with my finances in flux right now, I think I'll wait for someone to get it first and post their review.

Honestly they should have just gotten rid of Adepts and Magicians and made all magicians Mystic Adepts. Well, rules wise anyway. Choosing to split your Magic between the two fields of magic should be the default, with qualities allowing for "specialists" between the two. For example, the "Adept" specialist could be permitted to take geasa for their adept powers to lower their cost, whereas "Hermetic Mages" might have gotten a bonus when casting spells, and "Shamans" could have gotten a bonus with spirits. Or any of the myriad other possibilities you could chose to approach it with while remembering that this is a rebirth of the magic system rather than a hackneyed attempt to shoehorn in Mystic Adepts.

In the long run it would have been more balanced (or more correctly, would have allowed you to adjust everything properly) and it would have allowed for more options and builds based on real world/fictional characters. As it stands, Mystic Adepts really are the red-headed stepchildren of the game. Have been since the day they were introduced. And, frankly, they don't add a whole lot to the game beyond headaches as they currently stand. Even their default concept -- the mystic ninja -- can be handled through the basic adept rules and slight adjustments to certain powers (such as allowing Elemental Strike to work with Distant Strike). It would have also allowed you to finally get rid of some of the dumber spells, like Increase Reflexes, that don't really fit in with the way other spells work.

Frankly, I don't really understand the hype about sample characters including or not including this or that, minding that they are as gimped as a SR character gets.

I currently says "out of stock... order now and we will ship it when it is available"