A few magic hazards for your mage to keep on the lookout for.
Langolier- An astral being, a kind of spirit that exists only to feed and to destroy- the langolier seeks out any astrally percieving or projecting being and attacks it with a singleminded ferver. They cannot manifest, however they do have the perception ability that they can use. They roll their force opposed by the target's willpower. If successful they force the target to astrally percieve for a number of turns equal to the langolier's net successes. (Complex action). This does not work on things incapable of astral perception. They have no interest in the unawakened.
Disenchanter- An awakened creature similar to a camel with a face like an anteater, the disenchanter feeds off of magical auras. On an attack it can make a dispelling check, lowering the force of foci, active spells (including quickened ones!) or even the magic rating of mages (temporarily). It has ranks of dispelling and uses them automatically on a successful attack. Foci and active spells are permanently drained, mages gain their magic back at 1 point per day, and must check for magic loss if dropped to 0. They have little interest in the non-awakened, unless they are affected by spells.
Astral Flare- An astral "weather" event, that can sometimes happen in areas where large amounts of magic were thrown about. Most magic combats are not enough to trigger this, though extended battles with multiple magic users using magic could suffice. Typically it's seen in areas with high magical experimentation. This provides astral obscurement, giving anywhere from a +1 to a +5 visibility modifier to anyone percieving astrally. It typicaly fades a point every day or so, though cleansing can help hurry this up. In some ways it's similar to a background count, except that it doesn't directly interfere with spells or checks.
Astral Portal- A tear in space-time found only on the astral (though mundanes might feel a sense of deja-vu when they pass by). This happens due to intense magic, perhaps the death of a grand dragon, dimensional or temporal travel, or could happen naturally. This looks like a black hole or wormhole in the astral- people looking into it (Quickness TN 6 chance to avoid) risk taking willpower damage and going insane. Those astrally projecting individuals who get too close to it risk getting pulled in completely, severing the ties to their body and existing in some alternate dimension (where insanity will likely result), unable to return to their body in any way. These are rediculously rare.
Ejector- How these come about is a mystery- it's suspected that a special metamagic technique is used to create them- this astral phenomenon attempts to eject spirits and astral travellers back to their home(or body)- almost like an astral trap. Dual-Natured creatures just get nauseated near it, but possessing influences, astral projection, and spirits need watch out for these astral phenomon.
As my Magic and the Mundane posts shows, there's little reason to play a non-awakened character. Hopefully this will provide more reason.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Health and Personal Fitness Services
The concept was stolen from Paul's Health and Wellness page, but the overall treatments are mine.
There are certain spas, mechanics, doctors, and other professionals who can provide people temporary boosts or optimizations.
Renraku Rigger Realignment:
Renraku can update the latest software, provide special programming, and "tune-up" a rigger's VCR. This process involves the sedation of the rigger, opening the headware, and tinkering with it. Once completed, the rigger gains a bonus to his control pool equal to 2x his VCR's rating (from 1-3). This effect lasts until the rigger suffers a deadly stun or physical wound, or until 28 days have elapsed. Such a treatment costs $5000 per level of the VCR.
Decker Update:
This involves turning in your cyberware to a local "geek squad" to have it updated with the latest software, and protections against the latest malware. Each level of the treatment gives you +1 die to each of your hacking, digital perception, and digital stealth checks when splitting dice between them. The treatment is available in 3 levels. The cost is $5000, $10,000, or $20,000 respectively, and the treatment only lasts for 7 days (when the new programs are developed and the old ones are obsolete again).
Crash Study:
This involves finding a private tutor to instruct you in a specific skill. This is available in 8 levels, representing the skill level of the instructor, and takes 2 days of study. This is useless if you have the skill at rank 8+. Afterwards, make an intelligence check, TN 4+level. If you have the skill to be taught already, roll it as a suppliment. If successful, you gain the skill at the level (overlapping the skill if you already have it). However, the information doesn't stick in your mind as it is not formal training, and you only keep the skill for a number of days equal to your successes. Successful or not, the training costs $1000 per level. If you decide to learn the skill with good karma during this time, it costs you 1 less point of good karma per success you got, but you cannot use this benefit to improve the skill beyond 8.
Spa Treatment:
Avalon has perfected a spa treatment based on purifying the body and soul. It's a one day appointment that involves a special laxative and colonoscopy, meals of organically grown foods and specially purified water, and involves exercise routines, deep tissue massage, special grooming, and sleeping in a special container where you breathe purified air and absorb slight sunlight beams. This gives you a boost to your essence equal to 1/6 your current essence score(use no rounding just like when calculating cyberware loss)- which does not improve magic, but can provide better TNs for health spells, allow for a higher "safe" bio index, or improved mutant powers. It also provides a 1 point boost to all attributes (S,Q,B,I,W,Ch). This effect lasts for a number of days equal to your increased essence. The one-day treatment costs $20,000. Some wealthy people do this once or twice a week to keep the benefits at all times.
Cyberware Nanite Optomization
Developed independantly by Ares and by Nova Robotics, the Nanite Optomization involves the injection of special nanites that head for the cyberware and miniaturize it while it is already in the body. The user makes a test using the rating of the service against double the total essence lost from cyberware in the user(round up). (So if you have 3.5 cyberware loss the TN is 8). Each success on this test decreases the essence cost of your existing cyberware by 5%, with a maximum decrease of 50%. This does not decrease essence lost, but allows for the difference to be used on new cyberware, or for the user to benfit from some kind of essence restoration treatment. This has no effect on bioware. The cost for this is Level^2*$5000, so for a Level 10 treatment (which is the max), it will cost $500,000. Of course, it could potential cut your cyberware essence cost in half.
Cyberware cannot benefit from further treatments (once decreased it is decreased), but cyberware already optomized still affects the TN the nanites use to repair your system. Unused essence lost (such as the difference between the essence lost and the new cyberware cost) does not contribute to the TN. This effect does not fade.
So you have 3 points of essence taken by cyberware and get a R5 treatment. You roll 5 dice against a TN of 6. You get 4 successes, so you decrease the essence lost by 20%. You're still down 3 points of essence, but only 2.4 is taken up by cyberware. You can add .6 worth of cyberware without further essence loss. If you only add .4, you're at 2.8 lost from cyberware (still TN 6) even though you are still down 3 essence, and can only decrease the cost of that extra .4.
Brainwave Stimulation
By going into Aztechnology, you can get special experimental shocks done to your brain, altering your brainwaves. Each level boosts your intelligence score by 1 point and provides you a task pool of 1 die, as well as giving you +1 die to knowledge and language checks (but not when defaulting). It is available in 3 levels. This effect lasts for 1d6+4 days (the d6 can explode). The treatment costs $15000 per level.
Mental Training
Avalon corp (as well as Shinra) offers this magical service to people who are worried about pesky mages stealing their secrets. They bombard the user with mind reading and control spells, while trying to train the user to defeat them. Each level of the treatment adds +2 to your effective willpower score, which only affects the number of dice you have and the target number for resisting spells and other willpower targeting effects. It does not help you resist drug addiction or nonmagical acts of will. This is available in 3 ratings. Your willpower can not be increased to more than double it's beginning rating and this does not stack with magical enhancements (such as a quickend improve willpower spell). When this is complete, roll a willpower check against a TN of 4 using your increased willpower. Each success increases the duration of this treatment by 1 day, with a base time of 2 days. This takes 1 day to perform the treatment, and costs $5000 per level. Some runners are hesitant to use this service as the person performing the service gains access to their memories and actions during this time, though the people performing the service are usually quite professional. As such, it has a street index of 2 for those who also need to hide special secrets that might come out.
Patches O'Houllihan's Quickness Exercises
Developed by Patches O'Houllihan as training for the sport of dodgeball, this 1 week training program involves having wrenches thrown at you, dodging cars on the street, being shot at, and is an overall dangerous and reckless means for improving reflexes and reaction time. When the 1 week session is complete the person gains +1 iniative dice, +4 to reaction, +1 to quickness, and lowers his TN on dodge tests by 1, and can make dodge tests for attacks he is not aware of. If he has the combat paralysis flaw, he ignores it for the duration. However, he takes a penalty of (1d6/2, round up) to strength, body, and willpower due to the stress (and injuries) he suffers during the training. (Roll once and use the same number against all) The effect lasts for one month and costs $15000. It stacks with any magical, cyberware, bioware, perk, or edge boost to these stats. Strength, Body, or Willpower brought below 1 involves failure and injury, and the person must spend the month "healing up".
Mental Tune-Up
This use of brainwave altering chemicals and electroshock helps to "tune up" the brain and combat the mental effects of aging, including Alzhimer's disease and dementia. Any mental stat bonuses due to age are doubled. This process costs $30,o00 and lasts 1 year.
There are certain spas, mechanics, doctors, and other professionals who can provide people temporary boosts or optimizations.
Renraku Rigger Realignment:
Renraku can update the latest software, provide special programming, and "tune-up" a rigger's VCR. This process involves the sedation of the rigger, opening the headware, and tinkering with it. Once completed, the rigger gains a bonus to his control pool equal to 2x his VCR's rating (from 1-3). This effect lasts until the rigger suffers a deadly stun or physical wound, or until 28 days have elapsed. Such a treatment costs $5000 per level of the VCR.
Decker Update:
This involves turning in your cyberware to a local "geek squad" to have it updated with the latest software, and protections against the latest malware. Each level of the treatment gives you +1 die to each of your hacking, digital perception, and digital stealth checks when splitting dice between them. The treatment is available in 3 levels. The cost is $5000, $10,000, or $20,000 respectively, and the treatment only lasts for 7 days (when the new programs are developed and the old ones are obsolete again).
Crash Study:
This involves finding a private tutor to instruct you in a specific skill. This is available in 8 levels, representing the skill level of the instructor, and takes 2 days of study. This is useless if you have the skill at rank 8+. Afterwards, make an intelligence check, TN 4+level. If you have the skill to be taught already, roll it as a suppliment. If successful, you gain the skill at the level (overlapping the skill if you already have it). However, the information doesn't stick in your mind as it is not formal training, and you only keep the skill for a number of days equal to your successes. Successful or not, the training costs $1000 per level. If you decide to learn the skill with good karma during this time, it costs you 1 less point of good karma per success you got, but you cannot use this benefit to improve the skill beyond 8.
Spa Treatment:
Avalon has perfected a spa treatment based on purifying the body and soul. It's a one day appointment that involves a special laxative and colonoscopy, meals of organically grown foods and specially purified water, and involves exercise routines, deep tissue massage, special grooming, and sleeping in a special container where you breathe purified air and absorb slight sunlight beams. This gives you a boost to your essence equal to 1/6 your current essence score(use no rounding just like when calculating cyberware loss)- which does not improve magic, but can provide better TNs for health spells, allow for a higher "safe" bio index, or improved mutant powers. It also provides a 1 point boost to all attributes (S,Q,B,I,W,Ch). This effect lasts for a number of days equal to your increased essence. The one-day treatment costs $20,000. Some wealthy people do this once or twice a week to keep the benefits at all times.
Cyberware Nanite Optomization
Developed independantly by Ares and by Nova Robotics, the Nanite Optomization involves the injection of special nanites that head for the cyberware and miniaturize it while it is already in the body. The user makes a test using the rating of the service against double the total essence lost from cyberware in the user(round up). (So if you have 3.5 cyberware loss the TN is 8). Each success on this test decreases the essence cost of your existing cyberware by 5%, with a maximum decrease of 50%. This does not decrease essence lost, but allows for the difference to be used on new cyberware, or for the user to benfit from some kind of essence restoration treatment. This has no effect on bioware. The cost for this is Level^2*$5000, so for a Level 10 treatment (which is the max), it will cost $500,000. Of course, it could potential cut your cyberware essence cost in half.
Cyberware cannot benefit from further treatments (once decreased it is decreased), but cyberware already optomized still affects the TN the nanites use to repair your system. Unused essence lost (such as the difference between the essence lost and the new cyberware cost) does not contribute to the TN. This effect does not fade.
So you have 3 points of essence taken by cyberware and get a R5 treatment. You roll 5 dice against a TN of 6. You get 4 successes, so you decrease the essence lost by 20%. You're still down 3 points of essence, but only 2.4 is taken up by cyberware. You can add .6 worth of cyberware without further essence loss. If you only add .4, you're at 2.8 lost from cyberware (still TN 6) even though you are still down 3 essence, and can only decrease the cost of that extra .4.
Brainwave Stimulation
By going into Aztechnology, you can get special experimental shocks done to your brain, altering your brainwaves. Each level boosts your intelligence score by 1 point and provides you a task pool of 1 die, as well as giving you +1 die to knowledge and language checks (but not when defaulting). It is available in 3 levels. This effect lasts for 1d6+4 days (the d6 can explode). The treatment costs $15000 per level.
Mental Training
Avalon corp (as well as Shinra) offers this magical service to people who are worried about pesky mages stealing their secrets. They bombard the user with mind reading and control spells, while trying to train the user to defeat them. Each level of the treatment adds +2 to your effective willpower score, which only affects the number of dice you have and the target number for resisting spells and other willpower targeting effects. It does not help you resist drug addiction or nonmagical acts of will. This is available in 3 ratings. Your willpower can not be increased to more than double it's beginning rating and this does not stack with magical enhancements (such as a quickend improve willpower spell). When this is complete, roll a willpower check against a TN of 4 using your increased willpower. Each success increases the duration of this treatment by 1 day, with a base time of 2 days. This takes 1 day to perform the treatment, and costs $5000 per level. Some runners are hesitant to use this service as the person performing the service gains access to their memories and actions during this time, though the people performing the service are usually quite professional. As such, it has a street index of 2 for those who also need to hide special secrets that might come out.
Patches O'Houllihan's Quickness Exercises
Developed by Patches O'Houllihan as training for the sport of dodgeball, this 1 week training program involves having wrenches thrown at you, dodging cars on the street, being shot at, and is an overall dangerous and reckless means for improving reflexes and reaction time. When the 1 week session is complete the person gains +1 iniative dice, +4 to reaction, +1 to quickness, and lowers his TN on dodge tests by 1, and can make dodge tests for attacks he is not aware of. If he has the combat paralysis flaw, he ignores it for the duration. However, he takes a penalty of (1d6/2, round up) to strength, body, and willpower due to the stress (and injuries) he suffers during the training. (Roll once and use the same number against all) The effect lasts for one month and costs $15000. It stacks with any magical, cyberware, bioware, perk, or edge boost to these stats. Strength, Body, or Willpower brought below 1 involves failure and injury, and the person must spend the month "healing up".
Mental Tune-Up
This use of brainwave altering chemicals and electroshock helps to "tune up" the brain and combat the mental effects of aging, including Alzhimer's disease and dementia. Any mental stat bonuses due to age are doubled. This process costs $30,o00 and lasts 1 year.
Harmony Points (HP)
Not to be confused with Hit Points, HP is a system to encourage a bit of cooperation between the GM and the player.
When creating a character, a GM can award HP for providing certain things which assist in the campaign:
1) Providing a detailed backstory
2) Providing runner motivation.
3) Creating a character consistant with the campaign world.
4) Having the character be workable in the world.
5) Having the character be friends (or at least friendly) with other PCs.
6) Taking skills(instruction/leadership) or powers(like karma sharing) that can help foster teamwork between characters.
Some points might be awarded for good "character conduct" during games as well:
1) Accepting a GM ruling without argument.
2) Active participation in missions (which may not mean being the leader, but at least offering suggestions or telling other PCs what resources you have to offer).
3) "Playing along"- if the group is supposed to work for Aztechnology, you aren't playing an anti-aztech super-secretive character or avoiding missions because you're "part time".
4) Non-Metagaming- this isn't about killing other PCs so much as not actively seeking out info your character couldn't know or having characters suddenly get suspicious when the player knows something is going on. It also means not quibbling over wording when you're dominated and told to "fight them", by dropping all guns and trying to box them or something.
5) Don't do silly things like shoot major "good" NPCs or other players or police or whatever.
6) As a reward for GM fiat perhaps.
HP would be expendable, probably working as bonus Karma Pool points that don't refresh, or using 5+ at once might be the same as burning a karma point. This helps keep characters alive who advance the story. The GM might allow them to be cashed in to get higher availability for items or to discount the price of items (or just gain cash).
You might think this effectively "punishes" people who don't do these things.
Reward: Something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior.
Punishment: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution.
Emphasis is added: A reward is something given, a Punishment is a loss. We can argue relativistic terms, but just as Good Karma is a "reward" for completing missions, you can't say you are "punished" for not completing missions by not recieving good karma, any more than you are punished by every company you don't work for when you don't recieve a paycheck.
When creating a character, a GM can award HP for providing certain things which assist in the campaign:
1) Providing a detailed backstory
2) Providing runner motivation.
3) Creating a character consistant with the campaign world.
4) Having the character be workable in the world.
5) Having the character be friends (or at least friendly) with other PCs.
6) Taking skills(instruction/leadership) or powers(like karma sharing) that can help foster teamwork between characters.
Some points might be awarded for good "character conduct" during games as well:
1) Accepting a GM ruling without argument.
2) Active participation in missions (which may not mean being the leader, but at least offering suggestions or telling other PCs what resources you have to offer).
3) "Playing along"- if the group is supposed to work for Aztechnology, you aren't playing an anti-aztech super-secretive character or avoiding missions because you're "part time".
4) Non-Metagaming- this isn't about killing other PCs so much as not actively seeking out info your character couldn't know or having characters suddenly get suspicious when the player knows something is going on. It also means not quibbling over wording when you're dominated and told to "fight them", by dropping all guns and trying to box them or something.
5) Don't do silly things like shoot major "good" NPCs or other players or police or whatever.
6) As a reward for GM fiat perhaps.
HP would be expendable, probably working as bonus Karma Pool points that don't refresh, or using 5+ at once might be the same as burning a karma point. This helps keep characters alive who advance the story. The GM might allow them to be cashed in to get higher availability for items or to discount the price of items (or just gain cash).
You might think this effectively "punishes" people who don't do these things.
Reward: Something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior.
Punishment: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution.
Emphasis is added: A reward is something given, a Punishment is a loss. We can argue relativistic terms, but just as Good Karma is a "reward" for completing missions, you can't say you are "punished" for not completing missions by not recieving good karma, any more than you are punished by every company you don't work for when you don't recieve a paycheck.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
How to avoid being Traced
Well all the deckers out there, beware- for here is advise on how to avoid being traced by a decker!
First of all, you need to get rid of your cell phone, your comp, your car, and any equipment that might have a GPS attached, including anything that sends or recieves signals. You can carry a CB radio, but you may never transmit over it.
Next, you must never go outside (at least if you do you must always be in disguise). There are cameras everywhere and they can trace you from there.
Next, pay cash for everything, never buy anything expensive, and ditch your cred sticks, bank accounts, and lifestyles. Be a squatter.
This should destroy "direct" tracing. Next you need to worry about indirect tracing. (This is the NUMB3RS style tracing where they see where and when you were places and they figure out based on that where you most likely live or operate out of). So you must never go anywhere and do anything where you can be traced. If you must travel, travel on foot or in the back seat of friends' cars. (And mind wipe the friends!).
And NEVER meet with Johnsons!
For extra points, live in the woods and hunt your food.
If you follow these simple steps, you can never be traced, nor will you ever interact in any shadowrun missions.
First of all, you need to get rid of your cell phone, your comp, your car, and any equipment that might have a GPS attached, including anything that sends or recieves signals. You can carry a CB radio, but you may never transmit over it.
Next, you must never go outside (at least if you do you must always be in disguise). There are cameras everywhere and they can trace you from there.
Next, pay cash for everything, never buy anything expensive, and ditch your cred sticks, bank accounts, and lifestyles. Be a squatter.
This should destroy "direct" tracing. Next you need to worry about indirect tracing. (This is the NUMB3RS style tracing where they see where and when you were places and they figure out based on that where you most likely live or operate out of). So you must never go anywhere and do anything where you can be traced. If you must travel, travel on foot or in the back seat of friends' cars. (And mind wipe the friends!).
And NEVER meet with Johnsons!
For extra points, live in the woods and hunt your food.
If you follow these simple steps, you can never be traced, nor will you ever interact in any shadowrun missions.
Magic and the Mundane
Magic costs 18-30 build points (or less with one of my alternates.) That 30 build points could be used for 30 skill points, 15 attribute points, edges, etc. However, it soon becomes apparant during the course of the campaign that the mage trumps the mundane in every way.
Karma:
Yes, mages must spend a lot of karma initiating, learning spells, and bonding to foci. This may seem to give them a disadvantage. But remember that the quickening metamagic technique makes mages the cheapest characters to level up.
A mage basically pays 2 karma points per ability score increase. (1 to learn the spell, 1 to quicken it). They can go from 6 willpower to 12 willpower for 12 karma. Your standard human character (who cannot gain 12 willpower at all) must pay seperately for each stat increase a point at a time.
Because a mage can have higher stats cheaper, he can also have higher skills cheaper. Using a max skill rating of 12, a mage can ensure that any given stat is at least 12, causing him to pay a cheaper cost to raise a skill than a mundane would. This easily makes up for the karma costs.
Skills:
While a mage does spend a lot of karma initiating, he also finds that he needs less skills. (Sorcery and or Conjuration usually do it). A mage can lose stealth and cast invisibility. He can lose weapon skills and cast combat spels. He can forget vehicle skills and fly. And since the spell is far less expensive than the skill, the mage wins out against the mundane here also.
An adept can gain bonus dice to any skill via his powers, then also take the skill ranks. Checkmate, mundane!
Money:
Spells and foci are expensive. But then, while a mage is boosting his own willpower, he might as well sell the service to other party members and boost their stats as well. This can easily make up cost differences.
Cyberware:
While a mage is usually looked at as "non-cybered", a mage can easily take cyberware and take gaesa (which can be dropped during initiation if the wish). Some gaesa might be hardly noticable, allowing for a mage to have almost as much cyberware as someone else without trouble.
Bioware:
Finally, something that helps the mundane! There is no real way for a mage to get over his bio index except by increasing his magic (which still leaves him at a net loss). Of course, there's very little bioware can do that magic can't suppliment- the mnemonic enhancer comes to mind. Other than that... well, what bioware does the mage really need anyway?
Utility:
The ability to astrally percieve, assense, project, summon, spellcast, astrally track, use metamagic (such as divining and psychometry), banish and dispel magic and use spell defense dice are exclusive to mages. What's more, some spirits are immune to natural weapons. This means that in many cases it takes a mage to defeat a mage.
Equipment:
A mage need not carry guns (having attack spells), and might still have use of B&E equipment (which he can physically mask as something else), so a mage has no trouble walking past a security detail. (He might even look like their boss!). The mundane trying to pull his sniper rifle and 100 kilos of C12 however...
Rigging/Decking:
Well, a mage can use cyberware and can take skills. There's really nothing stopping the mage from being a decker or a rigger. Sure they load up on gaesa or something, but they can still do it with minimal problems.
Drugs:
Okay, you got me. Mages who abuse drugs must check for magic loss. (A check that becomes near impossible to fail at higher magic ratings) Of course, magic loss can also be offset by gaesa. What drugs are useful again? The stim patch? Totally not better than the healing spells.
Race:
While some races (elves, gnomes, dwarves) might seem better suited to mages due to their willpower or charisma bonuses, and some (trolls, orks) might seem ill suited, it really doesn't matter. They can boost up their stats very quickly, and still benefit from all their racial stuff. The charisma penalty means very little, and the willpower penalty doesn't really hurt them.
Astral Perception:
Oh yeah, only astrally percieving creatures risk being possessed or attacked on the astral plane! Good thing mages can just turn it off.
Defensive:
Who else can attack just fine using a mirror, or through an invisible wall? Not gunners! Who can counter ruthenium with well placed illusion spells? Who else can go unseen by cameras and ultrasound detectors?
Secrets:
What's more likely to work- the intimidation check or the mind reading? You can even read thoughts he's not aware he has! And detect spells? Come on!
So what's the benefit in playing a non caster? A few more skill ranks to start out with. That's pretty much it. The ability to take bioware without fear perhaps. That's why my campaigns tend to have special anti-magic security measures, to tip the scales back to balanced. Maybe you don't play your character to be powerful... but you probably do.
Karma:
Yes, mages must spend a lot of karma initiating, learning spells, and bonding to foci. This may seem to give them a disadvantage. But remember that the quickening metamagic technique makes mages the cheapest characters to level up.
A mage basically pays 2 karma points per ability score increase. (1 to learn the spell, 1 to quicken it). They can go from 6 willpower to 12 willpower for 12 karma. Your standard human character (who cannot gain 12 willpower at all) must pay seperately for each stat increase a point at a time.
Because a mage can have higher stats cheaper, he can also have higher skills cheaper. Using a max skill rating of 12, a mage can ensure that any given stat is at least 12, causing him to pay a cheaper cost to raise a skill than a mundane would. This easily makes up for the karma costs.
Skills:
While a mage does spend a lot of karma initiating, he also finds that he needs less skills. (Sorcery and or Conjuration usually do it). A mage can lose stealth and cast invisibility. He can lose weapon skills and cast combat spels. He can forget vehicle skills and fly. And since the spell is far less expensive than the skill, the mage wins out against the mundane here also.
An adept can gain bonus dice to any skill via his powers, then also take the skill ranks. Checkmate, mundane!
Money:
Spells and foci are expensive. But then, while a mage is boosting his own willpower, he might as well sell the service to other party members and boost their stats as well. This can easily make up cost differences.
Cyberware:
While a mage is usually looked at as "non-cybered", a mage can easily take cyberware and take gaesa (which can be dropped during initiation if the wish). Some gaesa might be hardly noticable, allowing for a mage to have almost as much cyberware as someone else without trouble.
Bioware:
Finally, something that helps the mundane! There is no real way for a mage to get over his bio index except by increasing his magic (which still leaves him at a net loss). Of course, there's very little bioware can do that magic can't suppliment- the mnemonic enhancer comes to mind. Other than that... well, what bioware does the mage really need anyway?
Utility:
The ability to astrally percieve, assense, project, summon, spellcast, astrally track, use metamagic (such as divining and psychometry), banish and dispel magic and use spell defense dice are exclusive to mages. What's more, some spirits are immune to natural weapons. This means that in many cases it takes a mage to defeat a mage.
Equipment:
A mage need not carry guns (having attack spells), and might still have use of B&E equipment (which he can physically mask as something else), so a mage has no trouble walking past a security detail. (He might even look like their boss!). The mundane trying to pull his sniper rifle and 100 kilos of C12 however...
Rigging/Decking:
Well, a mage can use cyberware and can take skills. There's really nothing stopping the mage from being a decker or a rigger. Sure they load up on gaesa or something, but they can still do it with minimal problems.
Drugs:
Okay, you got me. Mages who abuse drugs must check for magic loss. (A check that becomes near impossible to fail at higher magic ratings) Of course, magic loss can also be offset by gaesa. What drugs are useful again? The stim patch? Totally not better than the healing spells.
Race:
While some races (elves, gnomes, dwarves) might seem better suited to mages due to their willpower or charisma bonuses, and some (trolls, orks) might seem ill suited, it really doesn't matter. They can boost up their stats very quickly, and still benefit from all their racial stuff. The charisma penalty means very little, and the willpower penalty doesn't really hurt them.
Astral Perception:
Oh yeah, only astrally percieving creatures risk being possessed or attacked on the astral plane! Good thing mages can just turn it off.
Defensive:
Who else can attack just fine using a mirror, or through an invisible wall? Not gunners! Who can counter ruthenium with well placed illusion spells? Who else can go unseen by cameras and ultrasound detectors?
Secrets:
What's more likely to work- the intimidation check or the mind reading? You can even read thoughts he's not aware he has! And detect spells? Come on!
So what's the benefit in playing a non caster? A few more skill ranks to start out with. That's pretty much it. The ability to take bioware without fear perhaps. That's why my campaigns tend to have special anti-magic security measures, to tip the scales back to balanced. Maybe you don't play your character to be powerful... but you probably do.
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