[Dinendae]

Monday I played my first Shadowrun Missions mission (SRM 04-00 - Back in Business), and I have a few questions:

1. According to the SRM document, I get a skill raise automatically. This means that I can just go ahead and pay the karma for the skill now, and don't have to roll anything in front of my GM, correct?

2. Having recieved 7 Karma for completing the misssion successfully (well, mostly - I'll post a run down of what happened, in a hidden spoiler section, if anyone wants me to), and assuming that I can go ahead and raise my Negotiations (1) skill to Negotiations (2) for 4 Karma, that leaves me with three Karma. Three Karma is what it would cost, if I understand the costs table correctly, to take my skill Pistols (6) and add the automatic specialization to it. To do that I would need to hold off to make a skill + Logic roll in front of the GM (Pistols (6) + Logic (2)), since you only get one skill increase automatically, correct?

3. If I do go with #2 above, and make the roll successfully, that would actually take up the second week on my SRM calendar since gaining a skill takes a week, correct?

4. If I do not go with #2, and instead save that Karma to help pay for eventual initiation, can I go ahead and join a magical group (but not initiate) during that first week (i.e. just make the initial contact with them and pay the Nuyen cost), while still gaining the Negotiation skill?

Thanks!

[UmaroVI]

1) Yes
2) It's actually 2 karma, but yes. You can also just wait another mission for that.
3) No, it's automatic between missions, ie, you are assumed to do it during the downtime (since each mission eats a calendar week, even if it's only a few hours of work).
4) Yes, although note that joining a magical group is 5 karma and requires an Arcana check.

[Dr. Meatgrinder]

1.  Correct.  It does take a full calendar week to train (p. 6, Missions FAQ), so you need to track that for lifestyle purposes, and you can't do any of your own gear acquisition, legwork, etc., during that week (though your contacts can do their stuff normally).

2.  Adding a specialization costs 2 Karma.  The rule requiring a roll (and it's Intuition+Skill, p. 270, SR4A) is for learning or improving a skill or skill group.  There's no such rule listed for buying a specialization, which is called out as a separate advancement.

3.  Correct.  If you were to try to raise a second skill (or the same one twice), the roll for that is an Extended Test with an interval of 1 week (p. 270, SR4A).

4.  Note that you cannot default to Arcana, so to join a magical group you have to have the Arcana skill.  And it does cost 5 Karma to even make the Arcana+Logic Test to join; those 5 Karma are expended even if you fail (p. 69, Street Magic).

[UmaroVI]

Oops, Fringe is right about Specializations not taking a roll.

[Dinendae]

Oops! I have no idea why I put Logic instead of Intuition down, or thought it cost 3 Karma instead of 2 for the specialization!  I didn't know that about the Arcana skill though (I'm still working my way through the rules). Thanks for the clarifications! I'll go ahead and take Negotiations to the next level then, and grab the Pistol specialization as well. Lifestyle shouldn't be a worry, as I have enough cash on hand from this run to easily pay for the next month of lifestyle (when it comes due at the first week of the next month). I'll save up the rest of the Karma and then grab the Arcana skill as the free increase after the next mission. I'll see if my contact can get me some more Ex-ex ammo though, since I went through two clips of it.