From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: Shadowrun FAQ: Mechanics
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 14 Sep 1992 08:42:21 -0400
Organization: UUNET Communications
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

                   ****************************************
                   *              SHADOWRUN               *
                   *      Frequently Asked Questions      *
                   *              Mechanics               *
                   ****************************************

Post Name: Shadowrun: FAQ Mechanics
As of: July 1, 1992
Version: 0.4
Compiled by: Wordman (ward1@husc.harvard.edu)

This post contains FAQ (frequently asked questions) and standard house 
rules about the general Mechanics of the Shadowrun gaming system.  
Posted simultaneously with this post is a post titled 'Shadowrun: FAQ 
General' which contains more information on what the point of this list 
is, where it came from et cetera.

Outline
I.  dice
   A.  6 vs. 7
   B.  High rolls = extra success
II.  priorities
III.  Metahumanity construction
IV.  Skillwires and cumulative ratings
V.  Concentrations/Specializations

*******
Q1A: Are a six and seven (or 12 and 13, etc.) Target number the same?
*******
VANILA:  For the most part, yes; howvever, if someone has, say a +2 
modifier to do something, six and seven become 8 and 9, which is quite a 
differece.  This works both ways -- with target number of 4, a +2 
modifer is effectively the same as a +3 modifier.  Six and seven are can 
be different in opposed success tests, as well (rating 7 IC is different 
from Rating 6 IC).

HOUSE 1:  The rule of six is altered.  When 'rerolling' sixes, the avlue 
added is the face value minus one.  A six on the reroll adds 5 + a new 
die under the same rules.  Thus (with one die) rolling a 6 then 4 yeilds 
6 + (4-1) = 9.  Rolling a 6 then 6 then 4 yields 6 + (6-1) + (4-1) = 14.

*******
Q1B: When your target number is 4, but you roll an 18, do you get any 
bonuses?
*******
VANILLA: No.  Only the number of successes matters, not the highest 
number rolled.

HOUSE 1:  You gain an extra success for every multiple of six over the 
target numer.  Thus T# + 6 is two successes, T# + 12 is three successes.

HOUSE 2:  Multiples of the target number are extra successes.  With a T# 
of 4, an 8 gives two successes, a 12 would give three total.
   VARIANT: Only applies to target numbers 5 or greater.

*******
Q2: How does the Priority system work?
*******
VANILLA:  An archetype must be composed by assigning each priority value 
(0,1,2,3,4) to a category; NO category OR value can be used more than 
once.  This is the system from the Third printing of the SR rules.

HOUSE 1:  Use the system from the First printing of the rules; each 
category must be chosen only once, but the only restriction on which 
values may be used is that they must add to ten (for example, using 0-3-
3-3-1).
   VARIANT: As HOUSE 1, but only one category may be taken at 0.

*******
Q3: The way the Priority system is, Metahumans end up very weak.
*******
HOUSE 1: Metahumanity takes Race priority 3, not 4.  Metahuman mages 
take magic at 4, Race at 3.  Methuman adepts can take Magic at three and 
Race at 2.  Optionally, make Trolls use the vanilla system (Race 4).

HOUSE 2: Metahumanity takes Race priority 2, not 4.  They get NO special 
discounts for magic.

HOUSE 3:  Eiliminate the Race priority and choose only priorities 1 
through 4 (that is, eliminate 0).
   VARIANT 1: Make metahumans subtract 3 from attributes.

*******
Q4: If I have level 3 skillwires with a rating 3 firearms skillsoft as 
well as a firearms skill of 5, when I slot the chip is my firearms skill 
5 (normal skill level) or 8 (the sum of the chip and normal level)? 
*******
VANILLA:  Neither.  Your skill is 3, the level of the skillsoft.  
Skillwires override existing skills.  The normal Shadowrun guideline is 
when two skills/systems are operating at once, use the highest of the 
two, do not sum the ratings.  For example, a samurai with Wired Reflexes 
2 and a Increase Reaction +1 spell on him only gets 2 extra dice (from 
the higher of the two systems), not three.  Note that Skillwires are an 
exception to this rule as they always use the skillsoft rating.

*******
Q5: How do concentrations and specializations work?
*******
VANILLA:  The mechanics of concentrations and specializations (c/s) 
differ widely depending on when in a characters life they are used, 
either during character creation or after character creation.
   During character creation one concentration can be chosen per skill 
(if desired).  This gives the character what amounts to two skills.  For 
example, Bob spends 6 skill points to buy Firearms 6.  He then decides 
to concentrate in Pistols.  Bob now has a Firearms 5 skill and a Pistols 
7 skill.  A character can also take one specialization per 
concentration.  Bob chooses to specialize in the Preditor II, giving him 
Firearms 4, Pistols 6 and Preditor II 8.  Note the no extra skill points 
were spent.
   After character generation, the only difference between normal skills 
and c/s (apart from the narrowness of focus, of course) is karma cost to 
improve them .  Treat the normal skill, the concentration and the 
specialization as different skills.  Bob has some karma points.  He 
could increase any and/or all of his normal or c/s skills.  To increase 
his Firearms to 5, he'd have to spend 8 karma (current rating (5) x 2 
(normal skill)).  Bumping his Pistol skill to 7 would cost 9 points 
(current rating (6) x 1.5 (concentration)).  Moving Preditor II to 9 
would take 8 points (current rating (8) X 1 (specialization)).  Note the 
increasing any one of these skills has _no_ effect on the other two.