My gamemaster swears he saw in a book that a metamagic ability from initiation can be traded for a point of magic. He also said it was mentioned on the boards. Right now he can't find either reference. Is this a real rule or just a common house rule? and where is it?

Its an optional Rule for Adepts to change the Metamagic Feat for an additional Power Point .
it's not possible to change it for a raise in MAG

with an optional Dance
Medicineman

Thanks, but do you know where was the optional rule listed?

Either in an up to date Street Magic (p. 31) or in the Errata for this book.

Thanks, it explains alot, we've got a first printing with no errata to go by.

I would point out that the optional rule only effect adepts and mystic adepts not mages at all.

It also has little to do with the magic stat.


Its a good optional rule in my opinion but dont let it get out of hand

Also keep in mind that the maximum number of times you can initiate is your Magic.
Free Power Points != Magic.

In addition the maximum level for Adept Powers is MAG. Extra power points can't be used to go beyond that.

I personally like the optional rule a lot, I think adepts take entirely too long to start getting good without the rules, and honestly there are not a great deal of really good adept metamagic techniques(and most of those depends heavily on initiate grade, so it's better to take them after you have a few initiations under your belt.

In Magic in the Shadows, you would initiate to gain a point of Magic and a metamagic (and access to metaplanes if you didn't already have it, etc.) so it may well have been in a 3rd ed thread.

Though it was available in 3rd Edition, it is a valid Optional Rule in 4th Edition.

For a given value of "valid." You really think letting magicians raise their current Magic for the low, low cost of an initiation is kosher?

That is not what the 4th Edition rule allows though. It allows the trading of a Metamagic Technique for acquisition of a Power Point. In 3rd Edition, it allowed the same thing (IIRC, it has been a while, admittedly, and all my books were stolen at one point), but because you got a Magic Point automatically with initiation, you netted 2 PP in the process.

The "Valid" I was referring to was to point out that the Rule Did Exist in 4th Edition as an Optional Rule.

Except that's not what Bodak said. He said,


Note "a point of Magic," not "a Power Point." The rule described is not now nor ever has been a rule, optional or otherwise, in SR4/4A.

He was replying to Kesendeja's post, which is relevant. The point was that you could then trade your Metamagic Technique (that you automatically received as part of your initiation) for a Power Point.

At least, that is what I was thinking anyways....