I've allowed mages in my game to learn one and only one extra tradition with a metamagic. This really only has fluff connotations, in broadening their base for magical knowledge and goods. They effectively have doubled their pool to pull spells and items from.

It hasn't proven to be game changing, and since it doesn't give concrete bonuses it might not be for everyone. But I'm interested in what other people think of the idea.


Disclaimer, I tend to end up with heavy magic games with heavy use of background fluff, so bear that in mind.

I'd allow it if one tradition was an extension or an offshoot of the first one, and even then, I'll see that more as either a transition from one to the other or a merge between two traditions.
If the two traditions are too different from one another, I'd see that more as a creation of a new tradition and a shift from the old one to that one.
And if it's borrowing stuff that works from another tradition, then you're in chaos magic or possibly black magic territory.

How does that work, exactly... does the practitioner's magic become a blended mix of the two traditions? Normally Tradition informs everything about the caster's magic. When you get a 2nd one, are you actually practicing TWO SEPARATE TRADITIONS? Or are you learning to Blend them into a Combined and cohesive blending of the two traditions?

As for broadening their pool of spells... no such thing exists in Shadowrun... all traditions have access to all spells. so I am a bit confused on that point. In addition, since magical goods (Foci and Fetish) are generally tied to the Tradition of the caster, you are actuially handicapping oneself. Keeping in mind that if the Tradition becomes blended, all your original foci are now useless and need to be replaced. If they the Traditions stay separate entities, then Foci/Fetishes for one tradition should not work for the other.

The biggest imbalance I can see is the gaining of additional spirit (potentially a whole new 5 types) options. That is completely unbalancing for the expenditure of a single Metamagic/Initiation expenditure...