I am fascinated by this idea. I think a slight discount for your path would serve better than a price increase for leaving the path.
So breaking up the powers would go something like this?

Speaking of over priced powers, wtf is up with 'Berserk'? Attribute Boost can do the same thing, but better. It also doesn't have the crappy drawbacks. While the idea of it is fantastic, the actual application is very weak sauce. Hell the quality does the same thing, and is a negative quality, because you can't control it. A full point to take a controlled negative quality. It either needs to get stronger, or brought down in cost.

I'd be inclined to hand out a modified Death Aura to twisted NPC's. Maybe Shadowcloak to Invisible Way adepts.

I don't think that Berserk is the only offender.
Rooting, for example, gives a marginal bonus while inflicting a penalty for actually using it.
Trading defensive ability for knockdown resistance...
I can't see myself paying anything for it. Ever.

The problem with adept paths is that they're too narrowly defined, even being as broad as they are. They tend represent groups of abilities rather than actual player concepts. What's more, adepts tend to be specialized anyway. You're not really limiting them by doing something like this, only penalizing them for actually broadening their depth later in the game.

A better idea would be to simply give powers prerequisites, effectively turning them into chains of abilities. For example, you have to take Kinesics before you can take Linguistics or Voice Control, and you have to take Voice Control before you can take Commanding Voice. You end up with the same net effect (not allowing adepts to cherry pick the best powers all the time) while simultaneously insuring that some diversity shows up even in the long run. Specialization is still encouraged, but broadening yourself isn't directly penalized either.

I think you're looking at it backwards. Build the concept and pick out the powers that work with it. Think more like the ED disciplines. Or cyber-suites.

That is a conversion I'd love to see. I'm (trying to) running parallel ED and SR games and considered using SR adepts, mystic adepts, and magicians back in ED rather than a separate system.

What ever happened to that awesome Delayed Strike adept power from SR3? It wasn't exactly called that... can't remember the exact name off the top of my head....

But it was very sweet, and cost a good bit as well. There were two versions.... 1 PP allowed you to just hit someone, then delay the damage until a later time. The 2 PP version just required you merely touch someone... and you could then 'attack' them and delay the damage until a later time.

I always thought it was balanced (cost a lot of PPs) and very unique, and allowed for some interesting concepts.

Was this ever officially converted? I can't find it, but would LOVE to use it again in 4e.

Ooh, I did love that one. A friend of mine is still enamored of 'Mr. Gregarious', an assassin who shakes hands.

If you went all out with Distance Strike, you were even worst.


I'm a big fan of Earthdawn, and ran one cross over game. The basic plot line was an astral rift in the Australian Outback that was rent by an ED nethermancer and wizard working together to find an alternate way to avoid the Scourge.

I took SR characters back to ED and converted them to ED system, but without disciplines, and had a setup to send ED characters forward, converting them. Sadly it never made it that far. It was a PbP that died *moment of silence*. Anyway, its really not that hard. Just be a little flexible, and patient. Using the Initiation for Magic Points makes it pretty smooth.

The big advantage SR characters had in ED is ease of healing abilities. As long as they have Filtering, they work out pretty well. And ED characters in SR have some shit ain't nodby seen.

I really have to agree with you on the Rooting power...and my opinion is based on my own training of 10+ years in Matsumura-Seito Karate as well as Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu Karate. With karate (and I am not speaking for all martial arts) there are two basic methods of fighting: Rooting and Body Change. The wise student will practice both, however students tend to graviate toward one or the other.

When you root, you not only enable yourself to resist being knocked down or moved, but it also increases the amount of power you generate at the moment of your strike combined with rooting at that same moment. Also, rooting enables you to absorb blows that would normally cause damage. For example (and I love this one because it brings back good memories of sparring with a dear friend), my sparring partner once threw a textbook sidekick straight at my abdomen. It was beautiful and I was not in a position to dodge or parry the strike--in essence all I could do was take it. Well, I am the student who gravitates toward rooting and I did so reflexively. My sparring partner's sidekick landed solidly, but because I was rooted he literally bounced off me and damn near fell to the ground. The power of his strike was recoiled back into himself.

Because of this, I strongly disagree with the "suffers a –3 dice pool modifer to combat parries and blocks," part of the rule (although I agree that when rooting attacks may not be dodged). As an addendum to the rule, perhaps to replace the part I dislike, I'd say that a rooting character should suffer a -3 his/her initiative, but adds to the character's Body for each level of the power for purposes of resisting Stun damage.

Not even bothering with real-world experience in rooting while in melee combat...I just dislike it on principle, because it's an ability you're paying precious points for (from a very limited pool, at least at chargen). That shouldn't come with as ridiculously heavy a built-in disad as it does.

Ditto, Berserk. If something is quite literally a disadvantage that other characters earn points for taking, it shouldn't cost a budding Adept 1/6 of their magical power to gain it. I'll admit that the one Adept I ever bought Berserk for had fun with it, but that was mostly because the GM doubled the stat bonuses it doled out and I had my Boost Attribute (Strength) Geased to my being Berserk and because the GM threw out the stat cap (only for being Berserk). We had to work pretty hard to make it worth taking, and that tells me something's wrong.

Here is one for the Books!

Chi disruption strike - 1pp
An adept with this power has the capability of disrupting the flow of magical energy with concise strikes of their own energy to interrupt the flow of energy in their target. The adept declares he is using the power and makes a normal unarmed melee attack. Instead of inflicting damage, each net hit reduces his opponent’s Magic rating or force (whichever is appropriate) by 1. Lost Magic or Force returns at
a rate of 1 point per minute of rest. If a character’s Magic or Force is reduced to 0, they are disrupted and incapable of using magic. Chi disruption strike is only effective against awakened opponents, magical constructs or spirits; when used against magical constructs (such as barriers, wards or foci, reduce Magic or Force by 1 for every 2 net hits instead. Targets that lack a magic or force rating are immune to this power.



I know it is not in line with the intent of the power,
but rooting would be good for recoil compensation.
I could see that being worth the points.

I like it.
I don't have my books on me, but isn't there a critter power for permanent essence drain? I forget how the mechanics on it work, but I like the idea of a sort of similar adept power.


That said, it's easy to come up with neat/random/strange martial arts strikes all day. Most of them don't add a whole lot to the game. They're just wonky things to spend points on when really, your martial arts adept is probably throwing 16 die and will likely get a 1 hit knockout on his target anyway.

What about Flight? I've always seen Adept Powers as a magical equivalent to superpowers. Begin.

I really don't think adept powers should be like 3-color comics superpowers. Adepts are martial arts movies types, not Superman types. Flight is right out, although there is the "Gliding" ability. If you got your magic rating high enough and really focused on it, you could do limited flight with Great Leap and Gliding. You see that all the time in martial arts movies.

Crouching Tiger-style jumping should definitely be in the adepts' arsenal.

What about "Thermal Coloring"? The ability to change/mask your thermal signature. Basically nullifies the benefits of thermographic vision against you.

Martial Arts is still just one flavor of the adept though. One of my favorites that I've seen was an alternate rigger character. No vehicle control rig, Improved Ability - Pilot Ground , Imp Abil - Auto Mechanic, Attunement Metamagic to Multi-Tool , Analytics, Multitasking , and Three - Dimensional Memory. This was a PC adept mechanic. Very cool. The adept powers very rarely had a direct affect on the game, especially combat, but the PCs vehicles were top of the line and ahead of the pack whenever there was a car chase/combat.

That is a cool idea!
I wonder though, is this a cost effective power compared to the relatively inexpensive thermal dampening?
Thermal dampening = [rating]x 500 but is 10F.
I can see that this would have benefit greater than the gear though, if not just because it is full body and not illegal.
1 BP could buy rating 10 thermal dampening, .25pp is 2.5 BP though.


That sounds like an interesting character.
Are there any interesting non-combat oriented powers you would suggest?
I think the adept is rooted in martial arts movies and ninjas, but doesn't have to be limited there.

Adapting a few spells can yield some... I came up with two. Obviously great for a social adept.

Hear No Evil
Cost - 1pp
Functions just like the spell Analyze Truth. Only detects falsehoods and does not detect lies by omission or half-truths. Only senses if the speaker knows he/she is lying. See spell description for full details.

Speak No Evil
Cost - .5pp
For a reduced cost the adapt can take this version of the previous power. This allows the adept to sense lies and falsehoods so long as the adept has not spoken a lie himself/herself within the past 24 hours. At GM discretion half-truths, intentional misleading, etc, can prompt the adept to make a Will + Logic(2) test to continue detecting lies.


The first one seems only a matter of course as it isn't much different then just casting an analyze truth spell ahead of time, just being on all the time. The second I like much more though. I think it has great roleplay potential. I love the idea of a face that has a constant compelling reason not to lie but doesn't force the character in any way. The Will + Logic(2) test is meant to be sort of a "convincing yourself it wasn't dishonest" sort of thing. What do you think?

That's an interesting dynamic, a built in gaesa. I think you would have to clarify that white lies get a test and blatant lies break the geas.
Not too many paladins running around in SR, so some might get the full 1 pp ability.

I'll admit to not having read the whole of this thread recently so this may be covered:

Thermal Masking 0.25 / lvl
Reduces the adept's thermal signature (similar & stackable with the armour mod thermal damping) by 1 / lvl to a max of -6

Seem reasonable?

EDIT: Doh, just spotted something like this above

that's the category "mimicking gear", therefore perfectly legit. I think, making it 2/lvl would still be fair and for sure not unbalanced.

Also, perhaves git Paths a discount towards certain kinds of powers. Like Gaes.

A Way of the Warrior guy gets a (25%) discount on Combat Sense, Mystic Armor, Improved Reflexes, Improved Sta, Str, Agility.. etc..

Way of the Sneaky Bastard: Improved Ability Stealth, etc..
Way of the Machines: improved technical abilities, improved logic, etc.

Hahah, wow. It's weird to read my own thoughts on this from almost a year ago. Hurry up, e-book. Hurry up.