Hola,

Just a few quick queries.

Build/Repair shenanigans.
Working from memory is +(5-INT)...so when the souped-up Decker's saying "I want a -2 TN due to my souped-up, pulsating lobes" I can be polite and say, "No, or the very souped up mage is going to be at a -5, STFU Noob" (Sustained Focus->Increased ability INT)

I doubt the intent of the publishers was to convey monsterous advantages on this from the more henious munchkinners, so I said, "no disadvantagous TN modifier" for those with INT 6+. Has this been errata'd?

Otherwise the trolls are going to get Ugly in and out of game.



Noticing Spellcasting Modifier Headaches:
Perception Test = 4 + Magic – Force of Spell being cast. (ignoring the awakend modifiers for the moment)

I can safely assume the Magic is for the caster of the spell?

So, say, if you've got a mage with an initiation addiction, and the TN's for perception would be 10+ (even at the higher end of spell force) the mooks on the ground are going to shrug if half their team suddenly fall flat on their faces and go about their business, or would they (more likely) realise that they're under attack, but are unable to pinpoint the source?
I've always ruled the latter but it was asked at the table so I'm bouncing it off of you all.

Otherwise the Pizza-Guy serial killer is going to be a long-standing thorn in the sides of my players
(Yes, I realise that for the awakened/astral projecting spellcasting isn't exactly subtle, but given areas of high/bad Background count and a drive-by killer approach to the whole thing, a potent evil might cruise about slaughtering people in order to feed darker desires. No white van, that's too cliche)

Thank you all,

Tir.

As far as I know you're correct on both counts. For #1, otherwise you make an Int 6 character, then cerebral booster 2, and watch things get REALLY unbalanced as all TNs drop by 3. For #2, they'll probably figure it out in a hurry that magic something is happening (corpsec do get at least a couple hours of 'how do recognize magical intruders' training, after all) even if they can't pinpoint it. Unless of course you also use not-so-obvious spells. Stunball is pretty obvious, Mob Mood less so. Also don't forget that shamans have their shamanic mask tell as well.

A different SR3 question I am dealing with at the moment that I'm not so cure on: the Mnemonic Enhancer. Adds its rating to memory tests, which makes sense. It lists that it gives a bonus die to language skills, but its badly written if that only applies once or per level? Otherwise an ME3 adds 3 dice to all language skills?
Similarly the karma cost reduction for skill improvement; that can't be right. Does it actually reduce the improvement cost for ALL skills, or just all knowledge or all intelligence or something? Is there any errata for the SR3 ME somewhere, because as-written it is extremely powerful.

The ME as written is extremely powerful. However, it has been errated (Errata for Men & Machine) in a way that you won't get -1 Karma / level. Instead you get a -1 Karma regardless of the level. And it is for ALL skills. But as far as I know it still adds all his level to language skills. In my group it has been fairly common to learn a language at skill 1 and then get an effective level of 4. (Although that might not be fully compliable with the errata.)

Ah, yes, the good old ME. That thing is a scary chunk of enhancement for the jack-of-all-faces.

The Errata'd version is more sensible and looks like it's not as game-rending.


Thanks on the clarity for the previous 2 questions though.
And yes, there was pouting from the more "I are smart!" characters but that quickly settled down.

I do remember the shamen's mask (something we rarely use, because we don't have many shamen playing) but I was sort of hinting at things like "Mind Control 5 with 6 successes" on the OT's heavy machine-gunner.

The players also hated it when I did it on their escorted target and had them running after their foaming mad, vashion-island heiress psychopath.


-Tir