I hear a lot of people saying they would never use stim patches on their awakened characters because they're "bad". However, if used with a little restraint stim patches can be a great way to offset drain.

Using a rating 2 stim patch with a magic rating of 6 gives you a 0.002% chance of failing to roll at least one 2. Should you somehow manage to do that, you still have a only a 27.778% chance of rolling below a 6 on the magic loss test.

Using a rating 3 stim patch you have only a 1.0877% chance of not rolling any 3s.

As your magic rating increases through initiation stim patches become even less scary. At magic rating 9 you have close to a 0% chance of not rolling any 2s. You have a 0.463% chance of not rolling any 3s. At magic 12 you can use a rating 3 stim patch and only have a 17.83% chance of failing.

And of course, as your magic rating grows your karma pool also grows, giving you a reroll or 2 to ensure you don't get screwed.

I thought you had to roll your Magic rating as a TN, thereby starting off with a TN of 6 and only going higher as you initiate.

Bigity: magic is the target number for the magic loss test, not the stim patch check test, IIRC.

James: You're absolutely right, using one rating 2 or 3 patch is no big deal. But again, IIRC, the ratings of the stim patches are cumulative for purposes of that test, so using four rating 2 patches over the course of a run means that you're checking for loss as though you'd used a rating 2, then a rating 4, then a 6, then an 8.
The other reason they're scary is more psychological. If you start using them and decide that it's okay, you're likely to get used to having them, and WAY more likely to try to use "just one more" and frag yourself.

Ah, yes that's correct. Knew I was forgetting something in there.

I'd like to add I don't allow KP on rolls like this, including attribute/limb loss from wounds, permanent effects of Black IC, etc.

Stimpatches are still a helluva lot less scary than in previous editions where the awakened really had something to fear. Not that I want to get known as someone who points out that magic-users get it better in each successive iteration of the rules

I think the key is, everything in moderation. Using the odd one or two when necessary is fine - using them regularly isn't. Besides, aren't there drugs available that have the same effect, but without the magic loss (but with addiction potential) as an alternative.

Don't get me started on SR addiction rules.

Bigity: why don't you allow karma pool on attribute / limb loss? I could see not allowing it on stim patch rolls, because its something the character is doing to himself. But why not allow it on the others?

Xirces: I don't want to get into a debate about it n this thread, but my group has seen major toning down of the power level of spellcasters. Just adding cover and movement modifiers to spell target numbers has made the mage much less of a nuke bot.

Mostly because it gives more of a negative side to serious injuries, and makes players (sometimes) more active in avoiding violence for the sake of violence. ( I have mostly ex-AD&D players who are of the hack and slash variety)

My problem with addiction rules are their effect turns them into an after school special. Anyone who has any drug with any addiction code in any frequency will eventually become a hopeless addict.
This means that anyone who's had alcohol is doomed to become an alcoholic, and even if you have the lowest reasonable addiction code, 1L, (what's that, like, tylenol?) eventually everyone will be hopelessly addicted to it.
The addiction power goes up after a given number of uses, but there's no time period for that power to decay. It's inevitable.