So I finally reached the point where I decided to stop dithering over my houserules and campaign prep and get the ball rolling. I was going to try and mess with a bunch of stuff in SR5 but decided int he end to stick to SR4A and just change a few relatively minor things. Talking to one of my potential players I've also scaled back some changes I was goign to make.

Here are the houserules. Most of it is just trying to get rid of "idiot test" gear.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V2-Prv0...dit?usp=sharing

Also and addendum if anyone is interested in an online game I'm looking to start running on Sunday nights. Info is in the document.

Looks pretty similar to what I usually use for houserules. I definitely prefer the older style of initiative, and for SR20A, I think the melee as a simple action is a good buff.

However, why kill FFBA? Just to avoid it being essentially a mandatory piece of gear for everyone?

Exactly

And yet you allow two pieces of armor to defend against a single attack.

So what's to stop a person from wearing armored clothing and an armored jacket? Your banned books does not include Attitude and the crap you can pull from that is just as bad as FFBA.

I can't speak for LurkerOutThere, but I don't think his problem is armor stacking per se, but rules which first prohibit armor stacking, then create special armor that breaks that first rule. So everyone gets one other piece of armor, and adds FFBA to it. With more general stacking rules instead, you can have more variety. Maybe someone wears a Synergist business suit with an armored vest under it, or a long coat over biker armor, or an armored jacket over a camo suit.

Pretty much I hate that FFBA just becomes a default because of the way it breaks the normal rules.

My favorite rule so far:

Yeah, that's pretty much my simplified standard set out houserules.

No Stick and Shock
No Ghoul/Shifter characters
Old-style initiative
No Emotitoys
No Mind Control
No Possession traditions
No forcing spirits to spend Edge

That's about 90% of the major exploitable cheese in SR4 handled.

I believe the typical acronym for Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition is SR4A.


Anyways...

Empathy Software (Emotitoys are obviously silly and stupid) is fine, as long as you use it as Teamwork instead of a straight bonus (i.e. roll Rating and hits generated give you extra dice up to your Skill Rating).

Medkits - since they are always Rating 6 (do they even produce them in lesser versions?), you essentially remove the value of having a high First Aid skill. Why not have the Medkit add half its Rating to your Skill Rating to see how many boxes can be healed?

Totally agree with Possession Traditions being banned for players.

Spirits - I prefer my much simpler house rule. You cannot summon or bind a spirit with a Force Rating higher than your Magic Rating. Keeps them quite well in check.

Edge and Spellcasting - I can see why you do this. Seems a bit weird, but yeah, Edge breaking the limit on Spellcasting is kinda broken.


What I am missing is some rule "against" Overcasting, especially for combat spells. Force 9+ Stunbolt / Sleep is just way too powerful.

You can find my own house rule about Overcasting here: http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?s=&a...t&p=1321784

Bye
Thanee

I've always chosen Materialization traditions, but what's the issue with Possession traditions? It would seem to make more sense for Voodoo, for example, to be Possession instead of Materialization.

The big problem with first aid is that it is a Threshold (2) test, meaning that the two (on average) successes you get from that rating: 6 medkit only means that the rest of your successes count now. If you want medkits to be useful but less of a factor in total dice pools, implement that half rating rule, but also make first aid a Threshold (0) test, so people will still be able to heal a decent amount of damage.


I think the twin issues were 1) Possession making the mage's already-OP adept or sammie friend even more OP, and 2) Since possession is so hard to resist, it is a cheesy way to turn an enemy guard into a sudden ally.

If possession were restricted to, say, either self (the mage) only, or prepared vessels, it might be easier for some GMs to balance.

Like some other things, such as Essence-draining vampire mages and mages built for overcasting-as-standard, the problem is probably less how most people play it, and more how it can potentially be abused by a powergamer.

That sounds like a reasonable solution. We've just never really used them, now that I think about it.

Even restricted to self it's a huge pain. Greater Loa can basically give a full mage equivalent physical stats to an augmented sam, as well as other perks like immunity to normal weapons.

Ok, but the tradeoff is that mage can't conjure up multiple spirits and then send them off on errands while she sits home safe and sound. Personal buffs in exchange for losing that ability? Not a trade I'd make.

If you are a troll adding ITNW and force to your stats and are not safe safe isn't an option.

I will have to consider the no over summoning thing that's really elegant actually.

I don't want to screw with overcasting because I don't want my players to get the impression I'm anti-Mage, I am, but I don't want them to know that.

Well, you wouldn't last long at our table - we have no mundanes. Everyone is either Awakened or Emerged.

Like my signature says, I have a term for mundanes - NPCs.

Shouldn't that be amended to

If you're not Awakened, you're just another NPC.
If you're Infected, we have a shot to clear that right up for you- a headshot.

LOL! I like the way you think!

Meh my sig has this covered, funny old world.

Just for the record, I meant that in addition not instead of the dice pool bonus provided by the medkit.

Bye
Thanee

The Awakened are quite popular here as well.

However, you can make some really great characters with cyber-/bioware in SR4A. Especially characters that can do tons of different things really well.

Bye
Thanee

My Most versatile character in SR4A was the Cyberlogician (87 Skills), followed by the Mystic Adept Archano-Archeologist (Mid Magic Split 3/2 with 300 Karma sunk into Spell selection).
In SR5, the most versatile is the Technomancer (who is the ONLY Hacker in the group). I am still not on board with the theory of the Technomancer being a Pet Class. I have seen exceptional results with the Technomancer with minimal Sprite usage (think there have been 4 of them in game, since the inception of SR5, with none of them higher than L4). There are definite challenges, to be sure, but the Technomancer has shined. Now, can it stand toe to toe with the two murder machines (one a Sam and the other an Adept with 6 grades of Initiation), or the Magic 7 Magician with 9 (yes, 9 - no, he ain't subtle) spells quickened at high force? Depends upon the situation.

I have tried to address the medkit issue. The biggest thing I've tried to do is change it from "it replaces your skill" to a bonus dice situation with your healing capped out at skill or medkit value whichever is higher. I've played a combat medic character before and skill (and specialization) can be a great boon, by the rules as written it's a go big or go home situation.

I also tend to enforce a thought process on medkits that the higher the rating the bigger the kit. By rating 6 you are hauling around a paramedics duffelbag where as a rating 1 you can fit in your wallet or purse.

The spirit rule is actually really elegant I'll have to run that by the table.

It is, right?

As a side effect, it also makes increasing Magic Rating a bit more useful for summoners (and as such is fair competition for that Power Focus).

Bye
Thanee