Seerow
2011-08-15, 08:53 PM
The other day while the group was playing shadowrun, it came up how cool it would be to have a gun adept that got more out of being an adept than just a few extra dice on his weapon skill. Adepts get all sorts of fun toys for unarmed combat, but other than that they're more or less just a dip in for characters to grab a few extra dice on their favorite skills. That, in my opinion, is a huge waste of the potential for a magically active character.
So I got to thinking back about a game I played in several years ago. The GM played more homebrew than by the books, and 95% of his homebrew was never written down, so mechanically speaking it was the worst game I'd ever been in, but he had a lot of really cool ideas both in terms of things characters could do and just storyline-wise. One of his things was basically a shadowrun equivalent of a prestige class, a separate adept path that was focused heavily on guns, that gained lots of special powers. While I don't remember even half of it, the concept seems to me like it bears converting into actual rules.
So here we are, some new adept powers and metamagics supporting the concept. If anyone has suggestions for other powers that would be fitting for this, or thinks anything is particularly out of line, let me know.
The Sharpshooter's Way
http://www.mp3innovations.com/files/2030751/uploaded/gunslinger.jpg
New Quality
The Sharpshooter's Way
Cost:10 BP
Adepts who follow the Sharpshooterb's Way are unrivaled in their capability with ranged weaponry. From bows, to throwing knives, to small guns to machine guns, they can typically use them all and use them well. Some seek glory, specializing in trick shots to impress the casual person, and there are some making their way on the matrix as trid stars, most impressive because of the lack of special effects employed. Others see their chosen path as a means to an end, there are lots of problems in the world, but there are few that a well wielded gun won't take make disappear as if by magic. There is another group that is slowly gaining momentum, with an almost religious take on it, who feel that in the void they find just before firing a shot, that they briefly touch the edge of life and death itself. The nature of this experience and whether it means anything or not is highly debated among those in the know.
Characters with this quality may purchase the following items at a 25% discount (rounding as normal), selecting one power per 2 magic points: Improved Physical Attribute, Improved Ability (Combat Skills) Blind Fighting, Combat Sense, Improved Reflexes, plus all powers listed below.
In addition, the character gains +1 initiate grade for Adept Centering, Item Attunement, and Attuned Focii Metamagics.
New Adept Powers
Sidebar: New Power Point Drain Mechanic
Many of these new powers include a new drain mechanic for Adept powers. This mechanic gives powerful new options to the adept, but causes the adept to incur drain, much like a Mage's spell. While these powers do not cost an action to use (unless otherwise stated), they are taxing on the body, and can cause trouble to the adept if they try to use too many too quickly. For every additional drain inducing power used in a single pass, the drain code increases by 1 per power used. So your first power used in the pass uses the drain listed, your second uses drain +1, third uses drain +2, and so on. The drain to be resisted will always be a minimum of one, even in the case of powers that have the drain reduced by successes on an attack test.
Sight Beyond Body
Cost: .5
The adept may project his vision beyond his physical body. As a simple action the adept may opt to see things as if he were standing at any point within 10 meters times his magic plus initiation grade (for example a grade 1 initiate with 4 magic would have a range of 50 meters).
This may bypass physical barriers such as walls, but magical wards will prevent this ability and waste the action. If a creature who can see astrally is viewing the area where the adept chooses to view from, they may notice the anomaly. This requires a perception test with a threshold equal to 1 plus the adept's initiation grade to notice.
As a part of this simple action, the adept may choose to take aim at a target he can see that is blocked to his normal sight, allowing him to negate the blindfire penalty. When using this ability, you suffer drain equal to the number of meters you project your view divided by 15 (round down) to be resisted by Willpower+Body.
Prodigious Shooter
Cost: .75 per level (max 3)
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Characters with this power are capable of tremendous feats of skill beyond even other adepts when wielding firearms. Every rank gives +1 dice pool to all Pistols, Automatics, and Longarms skill checks.
Ricochet Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
The adept when making a ranged attack may use a free action to opt to make a ricochet shot. A ricochet shot involves having the attack bounce off of something, and redirect to the intended target. The attack is treated as being initiated from the ricochet point, though range is still figured by the distance between you and the target. This allows for potentially bypassing cover, or shooting around corners (relevant penalties for blindfire or other vision modifiers still apply). This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 8 minus your hits on the attack test.
Phase Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
The adept when making a ranged attack may opt to make a phase shot. A phase shot can pass through a single physical barrier of the adept's choice. Relevant visibility modifiers still apply. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 10 minus your hits on the attack test.
Inertia Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Inertia Shot allows the adept to channel his power into his next shot. If the attack hits, he may add his net hits to the number of boxes of damage for knockdown purposes only. If the effective damage exceeds the target's body by more than 50% (for example if the target has 4 body, the effective damage must be at least 6), the target is knocked back 1 meter for every 2 boxes the effective damage exceeded the target's body. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 6 minus your hits on the attack test.
Incapacitating Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Incapacitating Shot allows the adept to channel his power into his next shot to incapacitate the target rather than kill him. Resolve the attack's damage as normal. After the total damage the target takes is figured, only deal half that damage (round down). The remaining damage is applied to the target's Agility, Strength, or Reaction (chosen by the adept). Lost Strength, Agility and Reaction are restored at a rate of 1 point per minute of rest. If a character's Strength, Agility, or Reaction are reduced to 0, the he is paralyzed and unable to move.
This is most effective against metahumans, against non-metahuman opponents, reduce the ability damage by half. Targets that lack a functional nervous system such as spirits, zombies, and drones are immune to this power . This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 8 minus your hits on the attack test.
Elemental Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Elemental Shot allows the adept to empower his next ranged attack an elemental effect chosen at the time you take this power. Elemental Effects are described on page 163 of SR4 and 164 of Street Magic. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 10 minus your hits on the attack test.
Deadeye Sniper
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
This power allows the adept to make a take aim action without spending the normal simple action. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 6 minus your hits on the attack test.
Dual Weapon Specialization
Cost: .25 per level
For every level invested in this power, you may retain one die for both of your attacks before splitting dice pools for attacking with two weapons at once. For example a character with 5 agility, and 5 pistols normally has 10 dice, which is split between 2 pistol shots, for 5 dice in each shot. If the character has 4 levels of dual shot, he would have 4 of those 10 set aside to be used in both shots, with the remaining 6 split up, resulting in 7 dice for each shot.
Quick Assembly
Prerequisite: Attunement (Weapon) Metamagic
Cost: .25
This power allows an adept to make adjustments to his weapon's modifications exceptionally fast. Any armorer test to modify a weapon attuned to you has its interval reduced to be measured in combat rounds. (For example if a test would normally require a Armorer+Logic(5, 1 hour) test, it would instead be treated as a Armorer+Logic(5, 1 combat turn) test. If the test is already measured in combat turns, then the adept is able to automatically succeed on the test and complete it with a single complex action.
Extreme Shot
Cost: .25 per level
This power allows an adept to make shots at ranges beyond the normal extreme for their weapon. For every level invested range of any ranged weapon used is multiplied by an additional 1. (ie at 1 level your range is multiplied by 2, at 2 levels it's x3, etc)
Precision Accuracy
Prerequisite: Adept Centering
Cost: .25 per level
Precision Accuracy allows the adept to add its level to the modifier you may ignore from centering when making a called shot. This bonus is increased by 50% when the called shot is intended to bypass armor rather than target vital areas.
Whirlwind of Bullets
Cost: .5
An adept with this power takes only a -1 penalty for switching targets, and when using suppressive fire the adept may add half his net hits to damage.
New Metamagic
Attuned Focii (Adept Only)
Prerequisite: Attunement (Any Weapon Style)
This metamagic allows you to take any attuned item you currently have, and treat it as a focus. All attuned items of the appropriate type are automatically considered a force 1 weapon focus. You may opt to pay further karma to improve the focus to a higher level, at a rate of 3 karma per force upgrade. This must be paid separately for each attuned item, and any given item may be increased to a maximum force focii equal to half your initiation grade.
This metamagic is an exception to the general rule that an attuned item may not be a focus. It is also an exception to no ranged weapon is capable to be made into a focus, allowing an adept with this metamagic to have a ranged weapon focus.
Superhuman Attributes (Adept Only)
The adept with this metamagic has the power point cost of Improved Physical Attribute reduced to .5 per level, and Improved Reflexes reduced to 1 per level. Additionally, improved physical attribute no longer incurs an increased cost for going above the racial maximum (though you may still not exceed your augmented maximum).
Edit: Some Notes:
Okay update time
-Perfect Attunement was removed due to just being annoying and not having much sense. Hawkeye was removed, and the mechanic for the powers with drain was streamlined to remove the need for it.
-Elemental shot was updated to fit the formatting for the other shots, rather than being an on/off ability like the unarmed elemental strike.
-Several other shots were modified for clarification, and to fit in with the new mechanic.
-All powers except the shots and Prodigious Shooter were made available to all adepts, and most have some utility to non-gun specialized adepts.
-A couple of powers were removed from the Way list.
So I got to thinking back about a game I played in several years ago. The GM played more homebrew than by the books, and 95% of his homebrew was never written down, so mechanically speaking it was the worst game I'd ever been in, but he had a lot of really cool ideas both in terms of things characters could do and just storyline-wise. One of his things was basically a shadowrun equivalent of a prestige class, a separate adept path that was focused heavily on guns, that gained lots of special powers. While I don't remember even half of it, the concept seems to me like it bears converting into actual rules.
So here we are, some new adept powers and metamagics supporting the concept. If anyone has suggestions for other powers that would be fitting for this, or thinks anything is particularly out of line, let me know.
The Sharpshooter's Way
http://www.mp3innovations.com/files/2030751/uploaded/gunslinger.jpg
New Quality
The Sharpshooter's Way
Cost:10 BP
Adepts who follow the Sharpshooterb's Way are unrivaled in their capability with ranged weaponry. From bows, to throwing knives, to small guns to machine guns, they can typically use them all and use them well. Some seek glory, specializing in trick shots to impress the casual person, and there are some making their way on the matrix as trid stars, most impressive because of the lack of special effects employed. Others see their chosen path as a means to an end, there are lots of problems in the world, but there are few that a well wielded gun won't take make disappear as if by magic. There is another group that is slowly gaining momentum, with an almost religious take on it, who feel that in the void they find just before firing a shot, that they briefly touch the edge of life and death itself. The nature of this experience and whether it means anything or not is highly debated among those in the know.
Characters with this quality may purchase the following items at a 25% discount (rounding as normal), selecting one power per 2 magic points: Improved Physical Attribute, Improved Ability (Combat Skills) Blind Fighting, Combat Sense, Improved Reflexes, plus all powers listed below.
In addition, the character gains +1 initiate grade for Adept Centering, Item Attunement, and Attuned Focii Metamagics.
New Adept Powers
Sidebar: New Power Point Drain Mechanic
Many of these new powers include a new drain mechanic for Adept powers. This mechanic gives powerful new options to the adept, but causes the adept to incur drain, much like a Mage's spell. While these powers do not cost an action to use (unless otherwise stated), they are taxing on the body, and can cause trouble to the adept if they try to use too many too quickly. For every additional drain inducing power used in a single pass, the drain code increases by 1 per power used. So your first power used in the pass uses the drain listed, your second uses drain +1, third uses drain +2, and so on. The drain to be resisted will always be a minimum of one, even in the case of powers that have the drain reduced by successes on an attack test.
Sight Beyond Body
Cost: .5
The adept may project his vision beyond his physical body. As a simple action the adept may opt to see things as if he were standing at any point within 10 meters times his magic plus initiation grade (for example a grade 1 initiate with 4 magic would have a range of 50 meters).
This may bypass physical barriers such as walls, but magical wards will prevent this ability and waste the action. If a creature who can see astrally is viewing the area where the adept chooses to view from, they may notice the anomaly. This requires a perception test with a threshold equal to 1 plus the adept's initiation grade to notice.
As a part of this simple action, the adept may choose to take aim at a target he can see that is blocked to his normal sight, allowing him to negate the blindfire penalty. When using this ability, you suffer drain equal to the number of meters you project your view divided by 15 (round down) to be resisted by Willpower+Body.
Prodigious Shooter
Cost: .75 per level (max 3)
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Characters with this power are capable of tremendous feats of skill beyond even other adepts when wielding firearms. Every rank gives +1 dice pool to all Pistols, Automatics, and Longarms skill checks.
Ricochet Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
The adept when making a ranged attack may use a free action to opt to make a ricochet shot. A ricochet shot involves having the attack bounce off of something, and redirect to the intended target. The attack is treated as being initiated from the ricochet point, though range is still figured by the distance between you and the target. This allows for potentially bypassing cover, or shooting around corners (relevant penalties for blindfire or other vision modifiers still apply). This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 8 minus your hits on the attack test.
Phase Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
The adept when making a ranged attack may opt to make a phase shot. A phase shot can pass through a single physical barrier of the adept's choice. Relevant visibility modifiers still apply. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 10 minus your hits on the attack test.
Inertia Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Inertia Shot allows the adept to channel his power into his next shot. If the attack hits, he may add his net hits to the number of boxes of damage for knockdown purposes only. If the effective damage exceeds the target's body by more than 50% (for example if the target has 4 body, the effective damage must be at least 6), the target is knocked back 1 meter for every 2 boxes the effective damage exceeded the target's body. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 6 minus your hits on the attack test.
Incapacitating Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Incapacitating Shot allows the adept to channel his power into his next shot to incapacitate the target rather than kill him. Resolve the attack's damage as normal. After the total damage the target takes is figured, only deal half that damage (round down). The remaining damage is applied to the target's Agility, Strength, or Reaction (chosen by the adept). Lost Strength, Agility and Reaction are restored at a rate of 1 point per minute of rest. If a character's Strength, Agility, or Reaction are reduced to 0, the he is paralyzed and unable to move.
This is most effective against metahumans, against non-metahuman opponents, reduce the ability damage by half. Targets that lack a functional nervous system such as spirits, zombies, and drones are immune to this power . This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 8 minus your hits on the attack test.
Elemental Shot
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
Elemental Shot allows the adept to empower his next ranged attack an elemental effect chosen at the time you take this power. Elemental Effects are described on page 163 of SR4 and 164 of Street Magic. This effect may only be used with a single shot, and may not be combined with a burst or full auto attack. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 10 minus your hits on the attack test.
Deadeye Sniper
Cost: .5
Sharpshooter's Way Adepts Only
This power allows the adept to make a take aim action without spending the normal simple action. When using this ability, you suffer drain to be resisted by Willpower+Body equal to 6 minus your hits on the attack test.
Dual Weapon Specialization
Cost: .25 per level
For every level invested in this power, you may retain one die for both of your attacks before splitting dice pools for attacking with two weapons at once. For example a character with 5 agility, and 5 pistols normally has 10 dice, which is split between 2 pistol shots, for 5 dice in each shot. If the character has 4 levels of dual shot, he would have 4 of those 10 set aside to be used in both shots, with the remaining 6 split up, resulting in 7 dice for each shot.
Quick Assembly
Prerequisite: Attunement (Weapon) Metamagic
Cost: .25
This power allows an adept to make adjustments to his weapon's modifications exceptionally fast. Any armorer test to modify a weapon attuned to you has its interval reduced to be measured in combat rounds. (For example if a test would normally require a Armorer+Logic(5, 1 hour) test, it would instead be treated as a Armorer+Logic(5, 1 combat turn) test. If the test is already measured in combat turns, then the adept is able to automatically succeed on the test and complete it with a single complex action.
Extreme Shot
Cost: .25 per level
This power allows an adept to make shots at ranges beyond the normal extreme for their weapon. For every level invested range of any ranged weapon used is multiplied by an additional 1. (ie at 1 level your range is multiplied by 2, at 2 levels it's x3, etc)
Precision Accuracy
Prerequisite: Adept Centering
Cost: .25 per level
Precision Accuracy allows the adept to add its level to the modifier you may ignore from centering when making a called shot. This bonus is increased by 50% when the called shot is intended to bypass armor rather than target vital areas.
Whirlwind of Bullets
Cost: .5
An adept with this power takes only a -1 penalty for switching targets, and when using suppressive fire the adept may add half his net hits to damage.
New Metamagic
Attuned Focii (Adept Only)
Prerequisite: Attunement (Any Weapon Style)
This metamagic allows you to take any attuned item you currently have, and treat it as a focus. All attuned items of the appropriate type are automatically considered a force 1 weapon focus. You may opt to pay further karma to improve the focus to a higher level, at a rate of 3 karma per force upgrade. This must be paid separately for each attuned item, and any given item may be increased to a maximum force focii equal to half your initiation grade.
This metamagic is an exception to the general rule that an attuned item may not be a focus. It is also an exception to no ranged weapon is capable to be made into a focus, allowing an adept with this metamagic to have a ranged weapon focus.
Superhuman Attributes (Adept Only)
The adept with this metamagic has the power point cost of Improved Physical Attribute reduced to .5 per level, and Improved Reflexes reduced to 1 per level. Additionally, improved physical attribute no longer incurs an increased cost for going above the racial maximum (though you may still not exceed your augmented maximum).
Edit: Some Notes:
Okay update time
-Perfect Attunement was removed due to just being annoying and not having much sense. Hawkeye was removed, and the mechanic for the powers with drain was streamlined to remove the need for it.
-Elemental shot was updated to fit the formatting for the other shots, rather than being an on/off ability like the unarmed elemental strike.
-Several other shots were modified for clarification, and to fit in with the new mechanic.
-All powers except the shots and Prodigious Shooter were made available to all adepts, and most have some utility to non-gun specialized adepts.
-A couple of powers were removed from the Way list.