We need more adept powers. The book has a selection of powers, but viewing these as suggestions and not an exhaustive list, I want more.
I also plan on using a string of adept NPCs at my table with the desire to have new, unique, or unusual powers on display.

I got some interesting suggestions from AH's site, which will cover at least one NPC.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: linking fixed

For some reason your link isn't working for me. I use Daegan's character generator to make guys; it seems to have a large amount of adept powers beyond the core book (probably mostly from street magic). I think it would be useful to think of two new types of adept powers;
1) Powers that replace cyberware
2) Powers that only adepts can do

Which ones are you more interested in? Because thinking up powers to replace cyberware that aren't already listed shouldn't be too tough.

-DrZaius

I've always felt that adept powers should progressively be able to mimic cyberware. It was one of the reasons, I guess, that I loved mystic armor in SR2... that stuff was powerful!

I would like something that increases the adept's running speed, maybe based off the movement spirity power (but self only).

To be honest, I would like Adept Paths to do something, and possibly have some mentor spirits geared towards adepts - or rules for quick-converting existing mentor spirit bonuses to someone who can't cast.

Rather than new Adept powers, I'd like to see ways to reduce costs on existing powers, or to otherwise enhance them (such as Adept Paths, already mentioned).

I can't think of too much that I'd like an Adept to be able to do, that he can't do. I really can't. The problem is just that having the points to do it all is often impossible. The abilities are there -- skill bonuses, stat bonuses, sense bonuses, combat bonuses, new senses, new combat tricks, new athletic tricks, you name it -- for everything I can realistically want a character to be able to do...you just can't cram it all into Magic 6.

Increased running speed? There's an AP (Adept Power) for that already. It's not as over-the-top as the Movement power, but it's there. I had an Adept beat a Yamaha Rapier on a footrace, once, and he wasn't even the guy of mine that was specialized in athletics.

Powers that replace cyberware? There's an AP for most of that. Increased Reflexes, raw stat increases, sensory enhancements, increased skill pools, leaping enhancements...sure, not every piece of cyberware is here, but which ones are missing, really? Most of the bonuses given by cyberwear, you can already either mimic by purchasing Adept Powers (sadly often at more cost, which I think is the REAL issue), or by wearing some goggles or something.

I agree with the sentiment. The SR4A has done a bit to reign in costs, but many of the powers are still prohibitively expensive. I'm curious if anyone has done a BP analysis of what each adept power costs.
i.e. Improved Reflexes 1 (1.5 PP) = 15 BP, or 75,000 'yen. Synaptic booster 1 is 80,000 yen, and 0.5 essence (or the equivalent of 0.5 PP).

That would be easy.

Bonus to Combat spells -> bonus to Firearms and Melee group rolls
Health spells -> Medicine group, soak and healing powers
Illusion -> Stealth and Influence groups
Manipulation -> Athletics group and technical skills
Detection -> Perception and Piloting

If you find it's too much, try to replace the ands with ors.

While more and differing powers is a good thing, this here is what I think we really need. Adjustments to mentor spirits to allow for adepts to benefit more, or advantages/disadvantages of the Adept Paths similar to the Magical Traditions.

If any dev/freelancer happens by this, I'd pose this question: Why were the paths included with no mechanical in-game impact? I like the fluff, but it's pointless in game.
"I'm a Warrior Way Adept"
"Cool. So you're better at combat than that other adept over there?"
"Uh, no. It just means I like to fight sometimes."
"So you don't get special training or anything?"
"Nope. Just a cool title."


Please please please don't let that catch on.

Thanks for the heads up.
I think that #1 is covered fairly well already.
In cases where it isn't covered (tails, nano-tattoos, transhuman things mainly), surge or classic body mods are more suitable.

I am looking more for #2. Things like wall run, combat sense, elemental strike, or other powers that are interesting and unique to adepts.

While I like the idea, I'm not sure it wouldn't upset the balance of the game (magic is already widely considered overpowered). If you want more than 6 power points, initiate. Sure you can't do it at character creation, but for that first run you're not supposed to be the penultimate badass who can go toe-to-toe with a Great Old One and win. The guy who's played a character through more than a few campaigns and earned 300+ Karma? Yeah, I'd expect him to be able to open a can of whup ass on most things, but not the character who's just starting out.

What about a series of Adept powers tied to specific mentor spirits? I think "Berserk" is in street magic already, but more like that could be interesting...

The tough part is coming up with adept powers that aren't already: Critter powers, Spirit powers, or Spells. Being creative is hard.

Not that I'm against using any of these AS adept powers.

Which power is this?

Not a new power, but an adaptation of paths and existing powers, based loosely off of something from SOTA64; I had an adept that was loosely based off of the Beast Master idea, adopted into an adept Path. Went with Killing Hands+Elemental Strike (metal) to get some claws that did serious damage along with tearing up armor. There's easier ways to do it (penetrating strike) but it ended up being more versatile.

Body Sculpt You can do it with bioware. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to modify the body the same way you can with facial sculpt. .5 PP - Same as Facial Sculpt, and requires having Facial Sculpt.

Face Anonymous .5 - The adept tends to not get noticed. -2 to perception tests to spot/pick them out when moving in the open. Cameras don't pick up their face, even if the rest of themis sighted normally. Think Blandness with an adept boost. I know I've seen a version of this somewhere.

There's no reason that Traceless Walk should cost a full power point. It gives a +4 to checks against hearing the adept. You can see them just fine. It works great in conjuction with a chameleon suit, preferrably with thermal dampening. You can buy those, and they are a ton cheaper than in previous editions. So why is this power still so damn expensive? It has the added bonus of not leaving foot prints or setting off pressure pads. Cool, so you're Legolas. It's, in my experience at least, extremely rare to actually see pressure pads used (honestly, I'm the only GM I have ever seen use them. YMMV). This is a niche power and very much inflated price wise.

With this in mind, there's really no reason that you shouldn't be able to have some sort of chameleon power. There's the changeling quality, which basically requires you to be naked. Not so useful. Allowing that Distance Strike, at great expense, lets you do something beyond your body, you could allow that a higher point cost (1 point) should allow you to use a chameleon ability covering your equipment. Mages can do full invisibilty, the chameleon suit can give you a +4 by making you near invisible. One requires drain, one requires batteries and gear. The adept power would require neither, so there is a definite edge there, which is mitigated by a higher point cost.

Just some thoughts on ways to take powers and abilities with precedence and convert to adept abilities or advance existing ones.

In SR3 there is a power called "Sprint" which increases your quickness for the purposes of running only by 1 per 0.5 magic.


Other powers for someone who likes to change identity; In conjunction with Malnine Control (change skin tone), Facial Scupt, add to it "Hair Growth" for 0.5 magic.

Advance upon distance strike - spend more points on it and develop it through roleplay to allow it bypass armour - then walls. Go so far as being able to reach INTO your target and you can do a called shot on their heart!... Yep, thats gonna hurt! Force grip kinda stuff.

Advance wall running to wall walking then standing. Likewise with water running.

Ultrasound sight is always nice.

Advance increased reflexes to a level above the max in the book for a hideous points cost.

When I get home, I'll pull out some more ideas from the woodwork......

Here is an idea for a power:
Speak with Animals - .5 PP
Requires at least 1 level of Kinesics and Animal Empathy.
An adept with this power is able to communicate with animals in a rudimentary fashion.
For complex communication or delicate topics, the GM may call for a Magic + Animal Empathy test to determine the efficacy of communication.
This power does not grant the ability to communicate with spirits, sprites or other entities.

Also, I was checking my books for what powers are available and found this:



So finding powers that aren't already critter powers isn't an issue,
I'll just take critter powers!

Improved Ability - Running .25 - SR4
Not perfect, but it helps.

Phasing
Cost: 1
Adepts with the Phasing power have the ability to physically
pass through solid materials. They can penetrate (Magic) points
of non-living structure per combat turn. They can't take
anything with them unless Essence was paid for it, this includes
clothing.

Missed that one. Page reference?

Another good reason to have wards.

What about actually increasing your movement rate, similar to Celerity or raptor legs? That would at least mimic cyberware.

Page 204. It is quite randomly placed in there.

Yeah just found it. Reference back to Street Magic page 140 for the original (3 boxes physical damage inflicted for one Critter Power). Not something you're going to want to do to a pet.


Makes sense. I'd say .5 since the quailty requires a 5BP cost plus the cost of a changeling, and the cyber requires cyber legs.

Right, but the problem with mimicking cyberware is that how do you handle it when someone takes this wiz new Adept power and Sprint and Improved Athletics and a set of Raptor Legs and Celerity[/i] and on and on and on?

Part of balancing a game has to be...well...being concerned with game balance. Someone can already get several Adept powers to increase jumping, and then stack it with cyberlimbs and their attached goodies. Do we need the same for running speed, so folks can outright go supersonic on foot?

It makes sense that it is a twisted adept metamagic, but I was giddy for a moment having discovered the Sylar technique. Oddly appropriate.

How about a version of the critter power Regeneration? In fact, a lot of critter powers from the BBB could probably be turned into Adept Powers. Paralysing Howl, Engulf (touch range only).

Why not? It makes sense, if there's a power that makes you stronger, tougher, and now faster.

Holy moly fistandantilus4.0!!! Is that a Drop Bear from Australia in your pic? They DO look dangerous!

EEEK...

Sorry totally off topic but I couldn't help myself


Anyway more powers:

Neumonic Enhancer? If not reduce karma cost for everything like it used to be, instead a power which reduces considerably learning and training time of skills & spells.

Mix that with a Sleep Regulator.

Idetic memory.

Ambidexterity.

There already IS a power that makes you faster. It makes you faster to the same scale that the powers make you stronger and tougher, in fact. Like I said, I've had a character beat a tricked out streetbike in a footrace, using it, and that's already pretty absurdly fast.

It just doesn't make you as fast as YOU seem to want.

Well, I want to be as fast as the Flash, so I guess not. And besides, I'm only talking about a power which increases your walking and moving rates, not actually makes you able to sprint faster or further.

Im actually trying to do this in SR3. Actually going Supersonic is rather difficult.
See my topic http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=31680


Don't try to turn!

Does anyone know of any existing aquatic adept powers?
Increase Ability (Athletics) should cover swimming.
Iron Lungs increases breath capacity.

Namor demands more abilities!

Attribue boost - Strength wold come in handy for Swim tests.

Elemental Attack could do some interesting things.

Infusion and animal bonding metamagics would come in handy, as would Sense adept powers (Thermosense). Animal empathy, maybe blind fighting.

Attunement: Trident

there's a really good one in Digital Grimoire

Thermosense will probably not be very useful underwater, as water does a really fine job of absorbing not only heat but also and shorter wavelengths - like thermal infrareds.

Electrosense or Lateral Line (vibration) would be a more sensible choice - many fishes have one or the other.

Thanks, Electrosense was what I was trying to say.

And it's called...?




What about Sonar? I'd have thought that's be an underwater adept's first choice.

Electrosense and Lateral line have one advantage over sonar : they are passive senses.

Power Swimming
Cost: 1
The adept character with this power moves at home in water
and swims with the ease and speed of a marine mammal. This
power doubles an adept’s natural swimming rate (p. 118, SR4)
and each hit on a Swimming Test adds 2 meters instead of 1 to
the swimming rate.

a bit expensive, but they all are

Namor approves!

To add on to what seems missing:

Marine Fighter - 0.5pp
Requires the Power Swimming power.
The adept does not suffer from underwater melee penalties
and may freely employ their melee maneuvers underwater.

I'd start by opening several of the powers up by removing their limitations. I don't see why so many of them are limited solely to Unarmed Combat, especially since adepts have always been intended to represent all the classic fantasy warrior tropes... few of which actually rely on unarmed combat. I mean, just think of a scene like in Equilibrium where the Cleric slices off the guy's face (Pink Mohawk as it may be). That's a great example of using Delay Damage with the Blades skill. (Actually, is Delay Damage even in 4th Edition?)

After that, I'd probably stay focused on the combat side of things. That really should be their strong point. When they opened adepts up to social abilities, they just become stupid powerful and completely outclassed any and all other options. At least in a combat role, there's plenty of options out there to keep things relatively balanced, especially if you maintain the "adept = specialist vs. samurai = generalist" mindset. Infiltration powers would be another area I'd focus on since the mystical ninja is a classic example of an adept. Non-rigging piloting abilities would be cool, too, as that's a sorely undeveloped area of the game.

To do that, I'd crack open some of my old Earthdawn books and just start cherry-picking abilities that I think would be cool in Shadowrun. There's quite a few to be found, too, especially amongst disciplines like Warriors and Swordmasters. Heartening Laugh, Taunt, Winning Smile, and Acrobatic Strike being some of my favorites.

You could also adapt a lot of the Psi Sleights from Eclipse Phase into adept powers.

Soul of the Samurai - .5 pp
An adept may apply all unarmed adept powers known toward blades.
The bladed weapon in question should be attuned to prevent loss of face.

You are correct. Delay Damage is notably absent!

One of the first things I noticed when I looked at adept powers was the number that were based on martial arts movies. Running up walls, not leaving footprints, running across water, neat combat tricks, etc. I will have to see if the movie rental place here has any research materials.

I think it would be really good to de-couple Magic Rating vs Power Points. It sucks having to buy a magic at rating 6 to get 6 power points, when you don't really want any powers at a rating higher than 3. A mage can buy any number of spells without needing to max out magic rating, so why are adepts effectively stuck doing that?

So, how about adepts still get a free power point for each point of magic, but can also buy power points for the cost of 8 BP / 16 karma a piece? You could even let them buy PP in .25 PP (2 BP / 4 karma) chunks. Sr4 had this (20 karma for a PP), but it was presented as a "placeholder" alternate to initiation (and doesn't make much sense when you do have initiation rules) not part of the character build system (where it makes a lot of sense).

I could see a lot of adepts going this way with a magic rating of only 3 or 4 (5 if they wanted an essence point or two of cyber) and then buying enough PP that they can get 9 or so PP worth of powers, all at lower rating than their Magic.

The current system not only hits adepts with the 25 point cost for that rating 6 Magic attribute if they want more than 5PP, but it also encourages a very narrow focus, by making it so that any adept who starts with a decent number of PP has (and pays for) the ability to have very high rating powers.


Adept paths could maybe be handled as a special type of Geas; follow the path precepts, and you obey the geas. Break the path precepts and you need to atone somehow. Obviously the "path geas" should only apply to path appropriate powers; I might go so far as to say using certain powers would automatically break the path geas for certain paths.

I've converted some Earthdawn character disciplines over to SR for diffferent games. Most of them transition over pretty well (Killing Hands for Claw Shape, Mystic Armor for Durability, etc)

Things like Dominate Beast, Plant Shelter, Elemental Tongues, Incite Mob, and Flame Arrow all open up interesting possibilities.

Yeah. Older editions had a lot of better/more interesting options. I really dislike how 4th Edition dumbed everything down (yet, miraculously, managed to keep hacking overly complicated -- the mind boggles!).

The problem with the 20 Karma/point thing is that initiation is a far better option up until you get to the higher grades. I mean, I think it was only up until Grade 7 that you broke the 21 Karma barrier (assuming group and ordeals). And since you could just take a power point in place of a metamagic, and still just buy metamagic techniques with straight Karma, it's... well, it's just kind of pointless to have the 20/point rule in play. Even initiation without a group is pretty cheap for the first several grades.

But yeah, I do like the idea of adepts having more powers than they can actually activate. Makes them far more interesting from a tactical point of view. Just giving them all 6 Power Points with their Adept quality, and allowing them to reduce the costs by 25% by taking a geas with them, would go a long way to making that happen, too. You'd just have to adjust several of the powers so that they were limited or affected by their Magic rating. It's pretty self-balancing, too. I mean, if you don't invest in your Magic attribute at all, that would mean you could only ever have 1 power point worth of powers activated at any given time.

as for Adept Paths, i just had the idea to categorize all adept powers into the different paths. adepts can then buy powers from their path at a cost reduction and foreign powers at higher cost.
a warrior adept may buy Mystic Armor 2 for .75 PP, but must pay 1.25 for Traceless Walk since it belongs to the Invisible Path.

I like this. I'm a fan of the ED stuff as well obviously, and this sounds a lot like a Talent Crisis. Basically, you have to have a view point or thesis for how you see your discipline, and how that affects your world view or interaction with that. Violate that, and your adept powers don't work. That's a real good conversion idea to SR through Geas. Good stuff man.