So, apparently the pdf was released yesterday and there is no preview, so I really don't know if it will interest me or not. Did anyone buy it and could be a dolll and make a statement about it?

I just picked it up. It's only 15 pages (13 plus the cover and the Jackpoint splash page), but only $4.95.

It's really devoted to fleshing out the Way of each adept, in a manner similar to Traditions for magicians. There are more Ways listed (9 total, including the Athlete and Warrior from SR4A), and each Way has a Quality associated with it. The Quality is 10 BP, but it's optional and in addition to the 5 BP it costs to be a normal Adept. Each quality provides a 25% discount to point costs of associated adept powers and an added bonus for certain metamagics.

There are 8 new adept powers, each limited to a particular Way (the Burnout's Way doesn't get one except where the adept once followed another Way), including one that augments Logic and another that augments Intuition. That medic adept with Mind Over Body (from War!) is looking more attractive all the time, since the Way that gets access to the Logic-augmenting power also gets the discount on Improved Ability (first aid) and can use Adept Centering metamagic for it as well.

That's pretty much it. There's no new gear. I think the supplement is cool, and it's a good value for the price if you're playing an adept.

Nice, I'll buy it when I get home. It sounds really interesting.
No new metamagic?

Welcome to Adept Run.

The rules are optional and described as such. That being said my players have always claimed adepts are hamstrung when compared to their cybered(?) fellow runners and I think this could change their thinking.

Rather than start a new thread, I'll put what I would have put in an announcement thread here:

We have a new PDF-only product out, and if you like adepts of any flavor, this is for you! The Way of the Adept presents new rules for adept Ways, giving you the opportunity to design themed adepts who can become more powerful through their discipline. It's part of the new Shadowrun Options line, presenting optional rules to let you customize your game as you like. It's available at the Battleshop and at Drivethrurpg. Here's the basic info:

LEARN THE WAYS OF POWER

Something is happening to the adepts of the Sixth World. They’re becoming stronger, faster—some of them are even becoming more charming. Studies indicate that the improvements are fixing on the most disciplined of adepts, those who integrate their abilities into the greater whole known as a Way. By following these Ways, adepts are reaching new levels of power.

The Way of the Adept is the first in the Shadowrun Options line of products. This line offers optional rules that can add new levels of fun to your Shadowrun game. The Way of the Adept presents fiction and in-character information to set the context for these optional rules, along with the information you need to develop characters who use their discipline to realize new strength.

The Way of the Adept is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

Jason H.

I also have to ask: Metamagic?

Sounds like Player's Option: Skills and Powers book to me, just limited to adepts. I'm assuming more will be coming out for each 'class'.

It seems pretty simple to house rule adept powers to increase mental attributes, and I'm not sure I'd be in favor of a quarter discount on powers, unless it corresponded with an increase in 'opposed' powers.

Ugh. I can already guess what one one of the powers is:
Point at someone/something. You don't need to be able to see your target. The entity you are pointing at is destroyed next round. No opposed check.
Sounds like the next logical stage for magic.

We both know that only Mages would get that. Adepts would just punch it into orbit. Besides, right now most things adepts can do chrome can do better.

Huh? Cyber-users may get out of the box fast, but they run out of new stuff to implant quite rapidly (as well as essence, even with deltaware, unless one take a chance on zombification).

No new metamagic.

The discount only applies to (Magic/2) powers (which probably isn't a huge limitation), chosen from a specific list for each Way. The Way costs 10 BP (or 20 Karma, if your GM allows, as with most qualities). Yes, there's potential for a power creep, but I'm not sure it's a gigantic leap in power. There's a tradeoff for BP/Karma, of which adepts are chronically short...it's harder for an adept to increase in power than even a mage, since the adept has to actually increase his or her Magic score to get more powers (unless you're using the Initiation = power point house rule).

Fixed that for you...

Nooo, they stole my idea

Info text:

LEARN THE WAYS OF POWER


Something is happening to the adepts of the Sixth World. They’re becoming stronger, faster—some of them are even becoming more charming. Studies indicate that the improvements are fixing on the most disciplined of adepts, those who integrate their abilities into the greater whole known as a Way. By following these Ways, adepts are reaching new levels of power.

The Way of the Adept is the first in the Shadowrun Options line of products. This line offers optional rules that can add new levels of fun to your Shadowrun game. The Way of the Adept presents fiction and in-character information to set the context for these optional rules, along with the information you need to develop characters who use their discipline to realize new strength.

The Way of the Adept is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

Initiation = Power Point is one of the most retarded optional rules ever.

Just bought the PDF but drivethru won't let me download. Meh.

That optional rule is in Street Magic too, isn't it?

I think it was only shown in Street Magic.

Yeah, that's where it is from, it isn't in Way of the Adept. The second printing I think, it isn't in the version of Street Magic I have. I found it about it from somewhere on the forum complaining of adepts growing overpowered and then finally mentioning they were using this rule. Well duh, yeah adepts will grow overpowered if you use it.

Actually, you didn't. That optional rule only appears in the 2nd printing of Street Magic. It was removed from the 3rd printing for some reason, so it's tecnically no longer a valid optional rule.

There aren't new any Metamagics, but each Way does offer a bonus to existing ones. The power discount is the primary advantage of taking a Way Quality, but they also get a boost to a few Metamagics and access to a (new) Way-only power.

Does the invisible way adept power really give +1 bonus to the entire Stealth group per 0.5 power point?

The Favored Powers box in the Way pdf still refers to it as an optional rule, though. It even gives the page number where the optional rule is found. I'm confused by this.


Only up to a +3.

When in doubt, I include page numbers for anything I refer to. Some folks still have the book, some folks still use the rule, so I try to be inclusive and reference it (page number and all, to make life easier on anyone looking for it).

It's not that the optional rule is referenced and its page number cited that I'm confused about. What I'm confused about is why the optional rule is cited and included when it was apparently removed from the 3rd SM printing (though why it would have been removed I have no idea). It seems like contradictory editing.

It really did need to go. I know it was just optional, but sometimes you have to protect people from themselves.

Sorry 'Skin, missed this earlier.

Several of the new powers function basically like Kinesics for ____________ (Athletes, Invisible, what-have-you). So, yes. With a limit of 3 ranks, and unavailable as a discounted power (which is a small advantage Speaker's/Kinesics still has over them), you can get a couple extra dice to several skills at once.

If I remember correctly, all errata was removed from the 3rd printing.

Basically a major fuckup. Unless of course you liked the pre-errata blood spirits.


Edit:
As for that rule, it is absolutely necessary to make adepts playable outside a few niche roles. The supposedly unbalancing aspects of magic are from other sections of the system (read 'unlimited' advancement)

Excessive emphasis is mine.

No. No, you don't. Few things piss me off more than someone thinking they need to protect me from myself. It's not their responsibility; their responsibility, as writers and developers of the game I play, is to give me rules to emulate things in the game so that I can do what I want. That includes giving me optional rules. If I abuse them, it's my own damn fault, and the fault of my GM for allowing me to abuse them.

But don't dare to presume that I need protection from myself.

Wow, I threw the drek into the oscillator with that typo!

Way of the Adept, p. 14, Favored Powers callout:
"Remember, that favored powers are chosen based on Magic attribute, not Power Points (for those using the optional rule that allows adepts to gain a Power Point rather than a Metamagic upon Initiation)."

Apparently, the optional rule is now optional again--the new book says so...unless it's time for a release-day erratum!

Still in the Errata though... But that is funny.

Because, like I said, some folks still have it and use it. It comes up on Dumpshock and the SR forums pretty often, folks are aware that it exists, and -- in a book all about optional rules in the first place -- I was out to clarify (since it's possible folks are running adepts with that optional rule).

I see. That's reasonable. To be clear, I was not trying to sound accusatory about your editing or anything; my accusations were more based around the bizarre removal of the rule from 3rd printing of SM.

I do have another clarification question though:


What's a Full Action?

Alright, that one just slipped through.

I was kidding about the protection, it is a game not a carcinogen

But honestly, that one strikes me as too unhinged to be an optional rule.

I'm guessing it's a your entire pass. All simple and complex actions you would need to take. So maybe Exclusive action? Can't be doing anything else?

Nope, I'll cop up to it, this one's just a screw-up on my part. I got my Free/Simple/Complex actions wires crossed with Free/Half/Full actions, the terminology used in some other games. It's not some new SR term, it's just a mistake on my part, that made its way through editing and playtesting (likely because it's not an obvious typo or grammatical error), and for that I apologize.

Pretend it reads Complex.

Yeah, I know. Not entirely sure what happened there.

But, I gotta run with certain assumptions for Missions, including that the most recent rulebooks are the correct ones (And rely on errata, or lack thereof, of the most recent books... Errata referencing older books doesn't help too much).

In the end, being optional meant we could ignore it either way, but still...

Bull

Thanks... Just... Thanks.

Now my head hurts worse than usual. I'd go to the brain specialist, but he wears a napkin on his head and rubber boots.

If this is going to be a trend, I'd like to see a future "Way of the Samurai" supplement with lower-BP builds for pre-constructed cyberware packages - Cyber Runner, Spec Forces Trooper, Cyber Assassin, The Six Million Nuyen Street Samurai, Cyber Logician, etc. Otherwise we're going to see further proof of this game falling prey to the "magic trumps all" mentality that's already infecting it.

Magic does trump a lot. Hense the first rule: Geek the Mage First!

Yep, that just cannot be emphasized enough...

It's a major equalizer in combat and Shadowrun situations. It makes you target number one. With everyone and their cyberdog gunning after them at the first reveal.

...OK so does the optional Power Point/Initiation Grade rule apply or not.

Having played an adept for nearly a half year (bi-weekly sessions), and not being able to scrape enough Karma together (something like 31 for that first initiation + increase to MA) to get the first additional power point, I found it it rather discouraging. This was one of the reasons I dropped 4th ed. as progressing as an adept was just too bloody slow. Meanwhile spellcasters could learn new spells, acquire foci, fetishes, and learn new metamagics to enhance their abilities, all without necessarily having to improve MA.

For me, this optional rule (if it is indeed applicable) is a welcome improvement for it makes Adepts more attractive to play when one can actually see them progress in her prime abilities in a more reasonable amount of time.

Yep, same here.

31 karma points just for the first initiation grade? Seems to be a mistake on your part (don't have my books here, but I'm sure the karma costs for initiation are somethin like new iniation grade x 3 or something like that).

Initiation plus Magic Attribute increase is the complaint, not just the Initiation, unless I'm misreading KK's post.

Bump.

I see.