Greetings all,

I am considering playing a social adept in an upcoming campaign and I was looking around for rules or previous threads on the topic, of which I am sur there are many, but when I tried to search, the web page kept giving me an sql error, so if anybody has a link to any previous threads or perhaps a netbook on the topic I would greatly appreciate it.

McSass

Officially, the only powers and metamagic you can aim for that will help out in Social Situations are the following:

• Centering: Social Skills - This is the only option that gives a definitive (and powerful) benefit while using Social Skills. You need to be a 2nd Grade Initiate before you can snag it, though, and coming up with a cool but subtle Centering Skill to use with it can be tricky. If its too obvious, people will know you're working mojo on 'em, and that never works out well. I also like to take it with Knowledge Skills, too, especially since I'm a fan of using Complimentary Skills in social situations, like Acting (Improvisational) or Psychology.
• Astral Perception - This allows you to keep an eye on other people's moods. On rare occasions your Astral Perception Test might work as a Complimentary Skill for Social Skill tests. Empathic Sense would work as well, but Astral Perception is more useful in the long run.
• Improved Senses - These can be used to gain more information on your opponents, and the more information you have, the more fuel you'll have in your dealings.
• Enhanced Perception - This can be used to augment the two above, but is largely a waste of points considering other options available.

Pretty sad list of abilities, huh? Your only other official avenue is to go with a Physical Mage who focuses on social interaction, and that kind of adept can truly be a nightmare Face. Selecting spells such as Influence, Mob Mood, Foreboding, and Trid Phantasm gives a creative player all kinds of potential in social situations. Fashion, Makeover, Healthy Glow, and Physical Mask will also be "must haves" for such a character.

Unofficially, you can always use the Knack power to gain access to one or more of the above spells (or any others you like). The problem with Knack is that you only gain a number of dice equal to the level you buy the power at, so contested spells are usually pretty easy to beat.

Your best bet is the Physical Mage, but they get rather cheated when it comes to initiations since you have to choose between a Metamagic Technique or a Power Point -- you don't get both like normal adepts.

Beyond that, picking up the standard Edges like Good Looking & Knows It, Good Reputation, and Friendly Face can give you an extra boost in certain situations... but any mundane can do that as well.

Oh, c'mon. There are others. THey just require a bit of imagination.

For instance, the Smashing Blow power makes a dandy helper to, say, Intimidation rolls.

Social Adept

I thnk that's the link you were looking for.

there's going to be stuff for social and other non-combat adepts in SOTA:64, according to the blurbs that've been released. granted, that's a ways out.

Check out the wReflexes site for more on Social Adepts and an artical in the Shadowrun Supplemental IIRC.

Cheers

QM

I guess I'm a bit dubious about the concept of social adepts. The problem, to me, is that a GM already walks a fine line, trying to have social skills actually matter in the game, but not hinder the actual roleplaying. And this goes for NPCs, too, if they are not generic encounters but actual fleshed-out personalities.

Social adepts blow that to hell, because not only do they have more dice to roll, but they also undermine an argument the GM could use, that social skills can only take you so far. Who's to say what a supernaturally enhanced adept could do?

I don't mind people using the powers that are out there now to make a decent adept face. But when you add improved mental Attributes and social skills, along with powers that duplicate spells or critter powers, it can get out of control.

In some respects, yes.

But a "Face" adept has the added burden of being able to survive the rigors of combat in addition being able to talk a good talk.

Given an adept's limited amount of power points initially and the variety of karma demands, a "social" adept is less likely to get out of control than, say, a combat specialist adept.

Can you make some really scary, one-dimensional NPC social adepts? Sure. But how long would a specialist social adept survive in any scenario that didn't involve their uniquely honed powers?

-Siege

Hey, at least there'd be a lot of people at their funeral.

Could anybody tell me which issue of TSS social adepts were in? Thanks.

Heh, I watched the anime DNA2, and I'd say the main character was a social adept whenever he was in the Superplayboy mode. Girls would drop to their knees and wet their pants even just by looking at him. Hell, he even got really good fighting abilities at the same time.

A Physical Mage could become a really nasty social guy, with spells, adept powers, and some bioware(Cultured Tailored Pheromones, anyone?).

Depending on your interpretation of "Social Adept", sure - the possibility is there.

One school of thought holds that physical and social adepts are two entirely different types of adepts with differing point costs for powers. Following that scheme, physical mages would have to choose either the "physical" or "social" tradition of the adept.

Although GMs might be a tad leery of allowing characters that can crank their Charisma/Intelligence/Willpower to absurd numbers as part of their inherent ability, thereby supplementing the "mage" side just as easily.

However, physical mages absolutely suck karma and it takes them even longer to become skilled, never mind masters of their various domains, moreso than physical or social adepts.

-Siege

Twin Customized burst fire Ares predators loaded with APDS are my socializing tools. And they've NEVER lost an argument....

Hey, what can I say? I'm a walking B-grade action movie.

Touche pussycat.

LOL

Heh, I have to admit, seeing the words "Social Adept" make me think "Prostitute". But maybe that's just me.