Does each point of bio index remove one "power point"? If so, how is this less deleterous than cyberware? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Your Magic attribute is not actually being lowered, and your Magic attribute is what you use for such things as determing how many levels of a power you may purchase or for magical "Scorching" duels.

Example: If I have a Magic Attribute of 6 and I get a datajack, I lose one magic/power point and the associated powers that go with it, and I can no longer have any power greater than 5. So even if I retain my Improved Ability[Stealth (6)] power, I only receive a bonus of 5 to my Stealth skill.

If I had a Muscle Toner installed instead, I'd still lose a power-point's worth of abilities, but I'd still get a bonus of 6 to my stealth skill.

I was under the impression, possibly erroneous, that bioware's virtual magic reduction didn't actually cause you to loose a power point worth of adept powers. It simply made it so you couldn't use more than your current magic rating in power points (ie, Improved Reflexes 2 and +6 pistol dice, add 1 point of bioware and you could only use improved reflexes 2 with +4 pistol dice or vice versa) at a time.

Tinkergnome is correct.

"In game terms, this reduction is represented as a virtual reduction in Magic Rating (but not essence)...This modified Magic Rating is used in place of the base Magic Rating for all effective game purposes. For example, it is used when calculating...the maximum levels allowed for an adept power...An adept whose Magic is reduced in this way cannot simultaneously use more Power Points worth of powers then his effective Magic rating.

It is important to note that Magic Rating is not actually reduced; it is only impeded." (M&M,p. 78)

So to make sure i understand correctly, once you have initated a few of times (say 3)have a point or 2 of bio has no real downsides in realtion to your magic (as a physad)??

You can only have a number of powers active at one time as your effective Magic attribute.

Say you have a magic of 8 thanks to initiation and you have eight 12power point powers, A B C and D and you decide to get a cerebal booster (or whatever it's called, don't have the books in front of me) at level two, thus lowering your magic by two points effectively. You still have powers A B C and D, but you can only use 3 of the 4 at one time. So you could use A B and C, B C and D, A C and D, or whatever, but you could never use A B C and D all at the same time.

The Abstruse One

Although that view is the consensus on these boards, it is contradicted by the books. MITS says the vistual magic attribute is used (paraphrased) "in all places the magic attrinube is used". It does *not* make a specific exception in the book for the number of power points a physad uses, neither has anyone ever been able here to provide me with a quote to that effect. If anyone can provide a quote that goes against the "and all other instances" listed, feel free to do so. "All" is not an ambiguous phrase...

It's late and i'm cranky

Are you still going on about that? If the virtual Magic reduction was the same as an actual Magic reduction, then they wouldn't have to bother with it being a virtual Magic reduction - they could just make it a straightforward Magic reduction. Use some logic. If it took away power points, then you wouldn't need to say "An adept whose Magic is reduced in this way cannot simultaneously use more Power Points worth of powers then his effective Magic rating." And no, it's not refering to points bought with 20 karma, since the FAQ clearly states: "Any extra power points purchased with Karma do not count against the character's limit of (Magic attribute) number of power points."



The virtual Magic decrease from bioware affects an adept in two ways. One, while the adept retains all of his abilities, he can only use up to his modified Magic rating in points at a time. Two, the virtual Magic rating also determines the maximum level that an adept can have in an ability. An adept with a Magic of 6 who took a point of bioware could only use up to 5 points worth of abilities at once, and only up to level 5.

Obviously, this can be abused. Say, you are a level 2 initiate with Improved Ability/Pistols: 6, Improved Ability/Kung Fu: 6, and Killing Hands S. If you get two points of bioware, it doesn't really affect you. So you can only use up to 6 points of adept abilities at once. Big deal - you'll never use the Improved Pistols and Improved Kung Fu at the same time. And you are limited to a level of 6. Well guess what, you don't have any higher than 6. So you are getting it for "free". But only because you have not taken certain options (such as Improved Ability: 8 ), and you will also be weaker against an adept who has taken a set of powers that can be used simultaneously. So even with abusive min-maxing, it still balances out to some extent.

Has there every been an official (or semi official) comment from a designer or authority on M&M/Mits on this subject?


Curugul

hiding this thread from all my physads...

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

I'm sure my GM will love my new muscle toner.