[falar]

That being said, I do like the Burnout's way, but it says I have to be an Adept, so I'm afraid I'll have to cross it out, unless I can build a Mystic Adept in a way that it can substitute for a mage, to an extent. Tell me more about this Aztec Mystic Adept.

Mystic Adept is basically a mage who can also spend karma on power points for Adept powers and can't astrally project.

Build as mage, spend 30 karma on power points, boom, instant Mystic Adept covering most of your mage things. For astral scouting, just use spirits/watchers.

[adzling]

Hang on I don't think the burnouts way is restricted to adepts only, is it?!?
Doh!
Scratch that.
<beats head against wall>

[falar]

Hang on I don't think the burnouts way is restricted to adepts only, is it?!?

Ways are adept only.

NEW ADEPT QUALITIES: WAYS

[adzling]

So the only ways to ramp Charisma are:
1). be an Elf.
2). get the Tailored Pheromones ware (does not boost Cha directly).
3). take a Positive Quality such as First Impression
4). do Adept and take Cool Resolve and or Authoritative Tone.
5). Cast and sustain Increase Attribute spell.

As much as I *hate* mystic adepts for balance reasons (we ban them at our table) the suggestion to Mystic Adept would open up the Burnout's way for you AND even allow you access to the good adept face powers (like Commanding Voice and the ones I mention above as well as other).

Is there anything that boosts the charisma stat the same way cerebral booster boosts logic? If so, I can go all in to charisma instead of splitting between the two.

[Whiskeyjack]

Trying to be a hermetic face is already setting yourself up for a degree of failure, unfortunately. SR is a MAD game as it is with certain stats being easier to dump (due to fringe utility) or having little usefulness overlap. LOG and CHA are two of those. The result is spreading limited resources too think and risking being unable to perform even in your specialist niche(s).

[adzling]

Yeah you're better off taking Path of the Wheel or another Charisma based tradition (like Shaman).

[falar]

I wonder if Technomancer is the better model for Drain stats. It includes Resonance. So maybe instead of Willpower + Drain Attribute, we could do Magic + Drain Attribute and add Willpower-based traditions.

[the_konch]

Well, shifting over into mystic adept didn't change anything except give me access to fancy adept powers and ways, so I can totally get folks banning mystic adept. I've also shifted everything into charisma.

Regardless, now with burner's way and transhuman I have even more essence to burn, so lets get back to 'ware ideas. I'm tempted to keep all the logic boosting bioware if only because I have so much space left, maybe I can help our decker with stuff. Would the whole skillwire setup be worth it? Perhaps I should get all the niche bioware like toxin extractor?

Side question, should I  use my power points to max out the commanding tone and cool resolve powers, or are there some other vital powers that every mystic adapt should have, like heal on a mage?

[Whiskeyjack]

Commanding Voice is not ranked.

Honestly...my MysAd throws face dice pools of like 16-18+, with no Tailored Pheromones, and no adept powers related to facing. You can easily overcommit resources needlessly to that. I'd say Cool Resolve is unnecessary to start with, and too expensive compared to Authoritative Tone. You may as well also get Heightened Concern to help sustain spells. .

You have Improved Reflexes 2, yes? Pick up Commanding Voice, some Combat Sense (one is good; I have more and have never regretted it on top of Too Pretty To Hit), get Astral Perception in tattoo qi focus.

[Strange]

Hang on I don't think the burnouts way is restricted to adepts only, is it?!?

Ways are adept only.

NEW ADEPT QUALITIES: WAYS

What about the Magican's Way?  The wording on the first line also insinuates that Mystic Adepts can choose other ways as it is "one of the most popular Ways for mystic adepts" .  That means mystic adepts can choose other ways, yea?  Was there an offical errata that prohibits this?

Burnout's way can be used effectively after char gen, but only if you have lost 2 points of magic and only if it is standard 'ware.  2 points of magic could mean you have only lost 1.2 essence, so if you have magic 4 before hand it would essentially bring you back to magic 5.  It does not work on any 'ware installed after you get the quality, and after char gen it would cost 30 karma.

Nice thing about biocompatibility is that it stacks with grade.

[falar]

A Mystic Adept is an Adept. It says Adept in the name.

Technically speaking, I'm pretty sure the Magician's Way is the only way that a Mystic Adept can do non-Adept Metamagics:

Unlike their physical counterparts, mystic adepts following this Way have access to all non-adept metamagic abilities for which they meet the prerequisites. And because they do not specialize as much as other adepts (and do not receive a bonus besides the discount on Power Point cost), followers of this Way are able to choose any power they want for the discount, with the exception of Improved Reflexes.

Mystic Adepts are more accurately spellcasting/summoning/enchanting Adepts than they are Mages with Adept powers. As such, they have to invest 20 karma in the Magician's Way to even get access to Quickening and all the fun Mage metamagics.

I'm pretty sure no one plays it this way, but I'm fairly certain it's the RAW way to do it.

[Whiskeyjack]

I'm pretty sure no one plays it this way, but I'm fairly certain it's the RAW way to do it.

Nobody plays it this way because it's a great example of how NOT to do errata you think needs to be done (i.e., buried in the worst sourcebook in the line by far, and also monstrously unclear).

[adzling]

FYI the discount from Way of the Burnout applies to ware installed AFTER you took the way, not before....

Also there are two ways to get the Way of the Burnout post chargen:
1). lose 2 points of essence from installing augmentations (no karma cost for way)
2). Pay 20 karma (normal cost for a Way, FYI ways DO NOT cost double post chargen. They are not "true" qualities per se in a similar manner to Martial Arts are not true qualities and do not cost double post chargen).

It does not work on any 'ware installed after you get the quality, and after char gen it would cost 30 karma.

[falar]

(i.e., buried in the worst sourcebook in the line by far).

I think Street Grimoire wins in a head to head with Data Trails. Data Trails has almost nothing in it that's a real game changer or brings meaningful choices to the table. At least Street Grimoire has some swank new metamagics.

[Whiskeyjack]

(i.e., buried in the worst sourcebook in the line by far).

I think Street Grimoire wins in a head to head with Data Trails. Data Trails has almost nothing in it that's a real game changer or brings meaningful choices to the table. At least Street Grimoire has some swank new metamagics.

The book with alchemy, which was already just "meh," then actively made alchemy worse, I'm comfortable saying it's the worst book in the line.

Thank you for reminding me that Data Trails brought us the steaming pile that is dongles though.