From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Subject: Re: SR: Holes wanted
Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Organization: Visix Software Inc., Reston, VA
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 14:46:22 GMT

|> Okay, these are the problems that I percieve:
|> 1) Spelllocks must be *rigorously* controlled.  If a spelllock isn't blown
|> up every other adventure or so, you are being easy on the mage.

Another thing to do is to give spell locks a rating.  I make mine 15000 nuyen times 
rating.  To lock a spell, a spell lock must have a rating high enough to reduce the
spell's drain to nothing.  For example, a rating 3 spell lock can hold an armor spell
(drain L3) or some other spell with drain S1 because 3 successes is enough to reduce 
the drain to nothing.  No dice are actually rolled for the spell lock, it's rating is just
a guage determining how much magic it can contain.  They are still rating 1 for purposes
of astral combat though.

|> 2) Autosuccesses are very powerful.  Make sure they are used sparingly and
|> with good reason.

I just remove them from the game.  Physical adepts can buy a combat pool
bonus or a stealth/athletics pool bonus.  Armor just adds to body dice.

|> 3) Characters who are not wired and not mages often feel useless.

Depends on your campaign.  Make lots of locks to be picked.  Usually wire heads
and mages don't have the skills to do it.  If you use all the Shadow Tech equipment,
there is so much other stuff for deckers that they never get wired reflexes because
there is no room for it.  Also, make lots of disguise/social situations where guards or
whoever will be looking for cybered people or magically active ones.  A character
with a disguise kit and no cyberware would be best for this type of situation.
|> 
|> Here's what I do:
|> Wired 1 costs 115,000, Wired 2 costs 395,000, Wired 3 costs 990,000.  This
|> makes Wired 1 the standard sammi.  Wired 2 do exist, but don't have the same
|> options as the Wired 1 do in combat(Wired 2 sam being essentially Wired 2 and
|> a smartgun link, Wired 1 can afford all sorts of neat additions or has much
|> better characteristics)  Wired 1 cost is so a Tech 3 mage could just afford
|> Wired 1.
|> 

I don't like this, I think the front liners should have wired 2.  

|> A character has a starting number of contacts = Charisma - 1.  He may have a
|> maximum number of contacts = total etiquettes at start.  i.e. a detective has
|> a 5 charisma and a 4 corp etiquette and a 3 street etiquette.  He starts out
|> with 4 contacts and may purchase up to 3 more at the start.  This makes 
|> Charisma more useful(essentially a glamour stat right now).  Note that the
|> Rigger with her 4 Charisma and 1 corp etiquette can only have *1* contact at
|> start.  Buddies and Followers are seperate from this.
|> 

This is cool.  The 5000 nuyen charge for contacts screws low tech characters.

|> Health spells which are spelllocked/sustained for more than an hour, start to
|> have drastic effects on the user.  Addiction, burnout, mutation, heavy sleep
|> disorders, torn tissue, magic rating losses are all possible.  The more
|> powerful the spell, the more powerful the effects.  Increase Reaction 1 as
|> an example might make the user an insomniac.  Increase Reaction 4 would
|> cause irregular heart beat, complete inability to sleep, potential magic
|> rating losses, addiction to the spell, possible heart attacks, etc...
|> 

Interesting idea, I just made spell locks for powerful spells outrageously
expensive (120,000 to lock Increase Reaction 4).  I also allow mages to 
buy other things:

Trained Barghest		125,000 nuyen
dual nature makes them swell watchdogs and they can
obey an astrally projecting master.
Spell Rack			5,000 x rating nuyen
Like a spell lock for non-sustained spells.  The mage can rack a 
spell, suffer the drain and then use it later.  A rack works once
and must be recharged.  Rating like spell locks.

|> Autosuccesses are now autosixes.  Still useful, but no 'I have 2 autosuccess
|> in athletics, I jump across Seattle with 1 autosuccess and use the second to
|> land safely'

Yeah, I am thinking of adopting this rule.

|> 
|> Shamans should be enforced to play their personalities.  If a Rat Shaman gets
|> into a fight, he *must* kill his opponent or he risks losing bonuses.  Often
|> ignored, but it shouldn't.

This is very important.

--gray
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy