I don't remember, if I posted this already or not, so here it is.

Had this idea a while ago, to change the way Armor Encumbrance is based on Body and make it based on Strength instead.

The effect of this should be obvious. Strength is no longer a dump-stat, because it has a very important application in the game now.

It also makes sense (to me, anyways).

Of course, Muscle Augmentation makes it very easy to get high Strength values for those cyber-types. But I guess that's ok.

What do you think?

Bye
Thanee

I've seen a lot of people go halfway towards that and use STR+BOD instead of BODx2 for encumbrance. My group doesn't use this currently, but I really like the idea.

If you make it based on STR alone then Body loses a lot of its uses (yes it's still used to resisting certain magicks, and resisting toxins. Why not just make encumbrance based on Str + Bod like carrying capacity is? Both stats contribute straight to how much armor you can pack.



EDIT: ninja'd apparently

I agree I like using STR+BODY over BODYx2 or STRx2

Well, Body still adds to the dice pool for resisting damage, and it still determines how much damage (and overflow) you can take.

So it's hardly out of the picture.


Of course, just going half-way (i.e. use BOD+STR) might work too.

Bye
Thanee

It's the second most common house rule I've encountered; behind Automatics v. Longarms being determined by rate of fire.

i'd like to use it as well, but what do you suggest for milspec armor?
1)bod+bod+str
2)bod+str+str
3)(bod+str)*3/2 rounded (up/down)

the last one being the mathematically correct one, but too much math

Either

2)

or one of

4) BODx1.5{round down}+STRx1.5{round down} (ok, that's essentially the same as 3), I guess)
5) BOD+STR+MIN{BOD,STR}
6) BOD+STR+MAX{BOD,STR}

Bye
Thanee

Interesting.

With the Automatics/Longarms HR, you mean that when you shoot the Ares Alpha in SA mode, you use the Longarms skill?

I think the most common house rule (apart from some "logic stuff" like making Fake SINs actually work against ID scans) I have encountered so far is free BP for Contacts based on CHA.

Bye
Thanee

I don't know about Fortinbras, but that's how I do it.

I actually really like the contacts idea, consider it added. Actually I think free contacts was one of early SRs better ideas.

Anyway the strength armor thing is very common. It makes sense, and throws the poor sammies a bone. STR+BOD is quite popular and "fits" with how things are often done. But I really doubt body is every going to be a dump stat. It makes you not die. Also the bit where any little tap throws you on your butt can be a critical problem too potentially.





Wait, that isn't a sig? You actually type it out every time?

It usually is CHAx2 or CHAx3 in BP.



Yep.

Bye
Thanee

RE: free contacts house rule, I give free Contact points equal to natural Charisma * 2, but the free points can only be used for non-extraordinary Contacts whose Loyalty and Connection do not exceed 2. Good examples of "extraordinary" include free spirits, AI's, drakes, dragons, heads of state, and so on. Beat cops are fine; police chiefs are not. Some exceptions might be made at GM discretion.

Yeah, I dig that. Basically trying to capture a bit of the flavor of the free knowledge skills (which I also quite like as a game idea).

Knowledge skills are one of the most fun parts of building a character for me. I recently built my first character based in Hong Kong (still working on him, actually), and I've had to do a lot of research to learn what kinds of things he should know. It's a totally different paradigm.

He ended up speaking 6 languages (Cantonese, English, Japanese, Korean, Russian, & Mandarin, at varying levels of proficiency), and having cool knowledge skills like numerology (chinese +2), statistical probability (gun kata +2), economics (asian), and various specific criminal organizations. HK is an interesting place.

My group has been pondering the best way to handle this as well. I think I might propose the STR+BOD rule and see where that takes us. At the moment, we have a custom armor rule in place where they can pay double to have their armor custom tailored to them to ease encumbrance. I think I might have that custom armor or milspec offer a BOD+BOD+STR limit. Or at least give it a shot.

I would go with bod+str for unfitted armor, Bod+Bod+STR for milspec/custom tailored armor.

While we're on the subject of house rules, I've been limiting initiation grades of awakened PCs to the lesser of essence or magic. It provides an actual growth ceiling, which awakened should have.

Isn't that the same as just limiting the Grade to Essence (except for some extremely hypothetical cases; the only somewhat practical case of Grade > Magic I can see is an Adept when using the optional rule for PP as Metamagic replacement)?

I don't know about Essence limiting the Initiation Grade, though... maybe just make it a flat 6 instead?

Bye
Thanee

You could do that instead. Limiting initiation by essence gives PC mages all the more reason to "stay pure".

If that is the intention (i.e. Initiation or Augmentation), then sure, it will do that.

Bye
Thanee

I like essence limiting initiate grade.
Well, I like both really.
Initiate Grade is limited to: Current Essence or Magic Rating x 2, which ever is lower.

I admit, I like the idea of Limiting Metahuman initiation to 12.
Maybe there's a rare metamagic that lets you go to essence x 2.

I'd call it a quality similar to exceptional attribute. In the case of exceptional attribute, I have another house rule that applies ONLY to karmagen (BP can also be altered to fit this scheme): Exceptional attribute costs 10 karma, but can only be taken once. Same goes with aptitude.

In the case of magic, I'd have it be set to 20 karma, and allowing you to increase your magic to 7+initiation grade.

This is nearly what the Softweave armor modification from WAR does - Softweave reduces the highest armor rating by half your Strength rating for the purposes of calculating encumbrance. 10% higher cost and +3 Availability.




-k

I mentioned this a while ago.

I REALLY like it. If I start a new campaign I'll use it, but right now it would just be fucking all my PCs, most of which are using STR as a dump stat.

(STR + BOD is a good compromise)