2. I gave I gave you text above. In Step-7 it tells you what you are allowed to do with your remaining Karma.
Its even called ADDITIONAL PURCHASES & RESTRICTIONS & no where in there is Initiation/Sublimation listed.
The problem is that you're not reading these particular sections closely. Let's look again (emphasis mine):
Any remaining Karma can now be invested in smoothing out any rough edges, picking up or improving skills, buying additional spells, acquiring bound spirits, bonding foci to be used at the start of the game, purchasing contacts, etc.
Refer to the Additional Purchases and Restrictions table to note any special restrictions on purchasing items with Karma.
-Shadowrun Core Rulebook, page 98
The first sentence in the quote you are referring to here says that we are allowed to spend Karma on lots of things, and the "etc." bit means that the examples it provides are
not an exhaustive list. The second sentence mentions that there are certain Karma purchases that have restrictions at the time of character generation: not allowed to start with 50 billion bound spirits or the maximum amount of foci bonded (allowed x2 instead of x5), along with four other restrictions. And then the text moves on. It reminds you that the Availability 12 / Device Rating 6 max still applies when buying nuyen with Karma, and tells you to advance skills and attributes as normal with Karma.
So, the text is a permissive list and the table puts restrictions on its members. Since initiation is a form of advancing your character through Karma that does not appear on the table, it should be permitted.
You can make that argument for Attributes v/s Skills v/s Qualities...... But step 7 (spending karma) is called Finishing Touches & is implied to be done last.
Otherwise you can go spend karma buying Skills/Attributes to Level-1/2 & then add your Attribute Points after spending the Karma which is completely not how its intended to work.
The way they imply that Step 7 is last is the same way they imply that Qualities should be after Attributes, or choosing your Magic level shouldn't be first (hey, by the way, you have to spend your metatype special Attribute points before you have a Magic rating!). It's poorly written and contradicts itself.
You could make that argument, except that no system ever does that and I guess the editors thought it may have been obvious. But even so, I'm not trying to spend Karma and then points on Magic; I'm trying to spend points on Magic, spend Karma on raising the max, and then go back and spend points (not Karma). This works when spending Karma for a Quality - why not initiation?
I'm looking at the build you suggested - and you're the first one to post a build, so thank you very, very much for that. To make sure I understand the Contact portion, is your first number Connections? Are there rules on what kind/how many items a Fence can move with low Connections? Or do they just take anything you want off your hands?
Yes, Connection/Loyalty. Missions defaults to 5% x Loyalty for Fencing, so if using those rules it gets you 30% from recovered goods.
Thanks for the clarification. So just to be clear: in Missions, it doesn't matter if I want to fence a Mobius yacht (costing 84,985,000¥ as a reminder), my Connections 1 fence with "virtually no social influence; useful only for their Knowledge skills" (SR5, pg 387) is going to be able to move that for me (with no questions asked because they have Loyalty 6). Nice. Abusable as hell, but nice.
Wait, Melanin Control can change hair color? (*goes back to read it*) Oh hey, I misread Keratin Control. Awesome, thanks. One less power I need to have
Ah, the contact backstory was an intentional cut. I can dig it, but it rankles, man.
I don't share your penchant for normal elves, and Dryads can't take Blandness, so I'll have to find something else cool. (It's forbidden with Distinctive Style, which is stapled to Glamour. And that
makes sense over Faceless, as Blandness says you're trying to blend in through your own Glamour, while Faceless says that with a mask, you can be an alluring mysterious stranger.)