Shadowrun 3rd Edition

[ReluctantDragon]

Just checking for any recommendations for building an adept. Are there any ways to increase the magic limit that allows you to get your adept powers?

Also, concerning cyberware, is there a way to increase your Essence index in order to have a higher volume of cyberware?

Concerning mage's, when you create your mage, say for a higher level campaign, is it possible to create foci that can soak for you, maybe up to a certain level?


Just some random things I've run into. Thanks for any assistance.

[comicshorse]

Just checking for any recommendations for building an adept. Are there any ways to increase the magic limit that allows you to get your adept powers?


Initiate


Also, concerning cyberware, is there a way to increase your Essence index in order to have a higher volume of cyberware?


Nope but there are different grades of cyberware that cost less Essence ( but are correspondingly more expensive).
Well there is Cyberzombies but I've never seen a G.m. allow that


Concerning mage's, when you create your mage, say for a higher level campaign, is it possible to create foci that can soak for you, maybe up to a certain level?


Not sure what you mean by that.
You can get sustaning spell Foci for the incresed Body spell that will put your Body stat up so you can take more damage. Or similairly lock an Armour spell on yourself. Is that what you meant ?

[Tyrrell]

Just checking for any recommendations for building an adept. Are there any ways to increase the magic limit that allows you to get your adept powers?
Initiation, the best way to do it, Perhaps the only way. (Can Adepts take geasa? Are geisa still in thid edition?)


Also, concerning cyberware, is there a way to increase your Essence index in order to have a higher volume of cyberware?I don't think so, but there are (at least) three ways to load more on.

Higher grade cyberware takes less essence
You can put in Bioware which is like cyberware but is limited by your "body index" rather than your essence
You can get cyberware put in by doctors who re preposterously skillful and blow lots of Karma and thereby get your cyberware for a lower essence cost.
(You can also become a cyberzombie)




Concerning mage's, when you create your mage, say for a higher level campaign, is it possible to create foci that can soak for you, maybe up to a certain level?

You can quicken/spell lock an armor spell or a spell to boost your body score, but I'm not aware of any soaking focus (are you talking about soaking damage? A power focus or spell focus could help you with resisting drain)

I'm no third edition expert. It's entirely likely that I'm missing some important points or I've gotten something completely wrong.

[Raum]

Just checking for any recommendations for building an adept. Are there any ways to increase the magic limit that allows you to get your adept powers?As others have said, you can become an initiate. This isn't usually something a beginning character can do though...


Also, concerning cyberware, is there a way to increase your Essence index in order to have a higher volume of cyberware?No, just get better cyberware to use less essence...but I'd recommend against using cyberware on an adept or any other magic user.


Concerning mage's, when you create your mage, say for a higher level campaign, is it possible to create foci that can soak for you, maybe up to a certain level?Are you talking about soaking damage? If so, I don't believe so (though it has been a while) but you can use a spell (in a focus) to increase either armor or body.

[balistafreak]

I'm hardly a D&D expert, much less a Shadowrun one, but I've played a couple games.

That couple of games is enough to tell me that Cyberware and Magic go together like a knife and your eyeball. You can do it and survive, but it hurts. So much.

Either you hulk out on Cyberware or you remain pure and blast Magic. There is no middle ground - every point you spend on one side cripples the other. I once spent relatively equal amounts on both sides, ran it in a game, and threw it in the trash an hour later. Seriously, it was that bad.

You can reduce Essence costs of Cyberware by increasing its grade (and expoentially increasing the cost). This is not to facilitate combining this and magic, but to simply cram even more Cyberware onto someone.

Have I made it clear yet that Cyberware and Magic cannot hope to be on the same character yet? :smalltongue:

[Craenor]

If I remember correctly a Physical Adept can take 1.0 essence or less of Cyberware without screwing themselves. That, along with some Bioware, and just tricked out Physical Adept abilities, and you're usually golden.

My last guy was a physical adept and I want to say that's what I did, but it's been so long ago.

[comicshorse]

If I remember correctly a Physical Adept can take 1.0 essence or less of Cyberware without screwing themselves.

Well that will still lose them a point of Magic but you can live with that. Last magical type I took I did lose a point of Essence to cyberware, I find Enhanced Articulation and a Smartgunlink a good combo for your point of Essence

[Ilhares]

Well that will still lose them a point of Magic but you can live with that. Last magical type I took I did lose a point of Essence to cyberware, I find Enhanced Articulation and a Smartgunlink a good combo for your point of EssenceThose are generally excellent options, but a commonly overlooked one is a simple datajack as well. Drive, shoot (if your gun connects this way, it's a forgotten practice over the years), slot a chip to read the data within, etc.

Though there is that certain game power-twink factor that demands purist action for some, a point, and on occasion two, spent on base level enhancements isn't too crippling to a magically active character. Anything over two and it becomes a question of why you played an Awakened to begin with.

[John Campbell]

There are, of course, RP reasons that a magic-user might want to avoid cyberware, but from a practical, effectiveness standpoint, a point or two of carefully selected cyberware can be worth a lot more than the point or two of Essence and Magic that it costs. You don't want to be getting into the big-Essence investments like VCRs and initiative boosters (especially since the latter prevent you from using magic to do it), but there are plenty of relatively cheap, high-utility bits of ware like cybereyes (especially if your Eyeball 1.0 doesn't give you natural therm) and smartlinks that can be well worth it.

And that's even assuming that you're not using geasa, from Magic in the Shadows, which can, among other things, be used to offset Magic loss (though not the actual Essence loss) from cyberware.

Geasa can also be used to make adept powers cheaper.

MitS also includes initiation, which lets you raise your Magic rating, and, for the adepts, pick up additional Power Points. If you don't have MitS, the core book makes allowances for adepts to just straight-up buy Power Points... 20 Karma a pop, IIRC.

[JaronK]

Just checking for any recommendations for building an adept. Are there any ways to increase the magic limit that allows you to get your adept powers?

Initiation is the way to do this.


Also, concerning cyberware, is there a way to increase your Essence index in order to have a higher volume of cyberware?

You can't increase Index, but you can take Gaesa so as to not lose adept powers. Also, increasing the grade of your gear (Alphaware, Betaware, Deltaware) reduces essence cost, as does a good medic in a good facility or shop doing the installs of your Cyberware via the Man and Machine rules for surgery. Having a solid medic on your team is thus amazingly good... we've got one with a Rating 6 Alphaware Clinic, Biotech 6, Medicine 6, and Aptitude Biotech, and as such can lower essence costs by up to 30%. It's amazing.


Concerning mage's, when you create your mage, say for a higher level campaign, is it possible to create foci that can soak for you, maybe up to a certain level?

Familiars can soak drain for you, but it's not a good idea (they'll get angry). A better way to do this is to boost Willpower via a Quickened Increase Willpower spell, and to get a Trauma Dampener. Other great pieces of mage bioware include Cerebral Enhancement 2 (for boosted spell pool) and Mnuemonic Enhancer 1 (reduced skill learning costs so you can boost your Sorcery and Conjuration Skills, but note the errata limited this to 1 karma off regardless of rating).

JaronK

[comicshorse]

Posted by Jaronk

Familiars can soak drain for you

Familiars ? Do you mean Ally spirits or just burning spirits you summoned to give you extra dice ?

[Telok]

On the magic/cyber thing:

I once ran an elf summoner with skillwires 6 and a datajack because I had to cover everything but combat skills and stealth. A couple of bonded foci helped me start with the ability to summon 7 die spirits right off the bat.

[Ormagoden]

I'm hardly a D&D expert, much less a Shadowrun one, but I've played a couple games.

That couple of games is enough to tell me that Cyberware and Magic go together like a knife and your eyeball. You can do it and survive, but it hurts. So much.

Either you hulk out on Cyberware or you remain pure and blast Magic. There is no middle ground - every point you spend on one side cripples the other. I once spent relatively equal amounts on both sides, ran it in a game, and threw it in the trash an hour later. Seriously, it was that bad.

You can reduce Essence costs of Cyberware by increasing its grade (and expoentially increasing the cost). This is not to facilitate combining this and magic, but to simply cram even more Cyberware onto someone.

Have I made it clear yet that Cyberware and Magic cannot hope to be on the same character yet? :smalltongue:

That's not exactly true. Sure at first you're not the best Street samurai or the best spell slinger. Karma however, is a river and can be used to offset any penalties to magic by initiating. I've played very effective "mages" with cyberware.

With the release of the book man and machine cyberware "cargo space" was introduced allowing you to as an example. Purchase a high end low essence cost cyber arm and cram additional ware into it without effecting your overall essence. Cyber eye(s) were really popular in my home group for this reason. You can cram alot of cool features into a single cyber eye.