[Bull]

Ok kids.  At some point, the Missions FAQ should be updated, especially in light of the new books (and eBooks) getting released.

So what I'd like to see in this thread is for folks to post up anything they feel should be addressed, or questions that they have.  Not everything may make it in (Sometimes things are outside of Missions' job to define, and are things that need to be addressed by the main SR line and rules, even if they can be a problem), but there are things that were missed last time around, and things that need updated.

Lets keep discussion out of here.  Start up a new thread if you feel the need to debate, argue, or comment on someone else FAQ request.  For this thread simply post your FAQ requests as clearly and concisely as possible.  Include page references where possible.

Bull

[Wasabi]

How much nuyen and karma to expect from a Mission.
(Its been asked here before so might as well throw it in, ya know?)

[Tsuzua]

I must admit I wasn't playing too much Missions when the FAQ was first started so please excuse if some of these topics were discussed to death already. 

1.) Though mystic adepts must split their Magic between Magic-based skills and adept powers, it says that for all other purposes, including the limits of adept powers, the mystic adept uses his full Magic attribute. Does this mean that a mystic adept with Magic 6 who has allocated 2 points to Magic skills and 4 points to adept powers can cast Force 6 spells without flinching?

SR4A (p.195) and the official FAQ question stated above have conflicting answers.  The Missions FAQ as written doesn't make it clear which ruling prevails. 

2.)  How do I learn Complex Forms between adventures?

Much like spells and skills, learning complex forms (SR4A p.140) is quite hard when one has to buy hits.  Should complex forms have learning rules much like spells and skills (one free learning between missions)?

3.) How does a mundane use infiltration against astral observers? 

Is it an opposed infiltration versus assessing test?  Or is a mere success test for the astral observer?  The Official FAQ covers astral on astral perceiving stealth but not mundane on astral stealth.  I wish I had pages to reference, but this is a very not touched upon issue rulewise.

4.) Are the rules from "Incorporating Critters in Your Game" (Running Wild p.32-40) allowed?

I'm not sure if these are optional rules or not.  I thoguht they were, but I saw critters used as rewards in Season 3.   

5.) Are PDF Only books allowed?

While it's fairly clear that the SR Options line is optional and thus not allowed, what about books like This Old Drone, Digital Grimoire, and MilSpecTech?  It seems like these books will become more common as time goes on so making it clear would be nice.
 
I have some questions related to War!.  So here there are:

1.) What "Battlefield Skills" rules from War! (p.136-145) are allowed?

There's a lot of new rules in here and it'll be nice to know which if any are used in Missions. 

2.) Can I purchase Military Grade programs (War! p. 144, 162)?  And if so, do they degrade?

If they do exist for missions, do they degrade or are they covered by the Unwired SRM4 FAQ?

3.) What skill do you use for Battle Rifles (War! p. 154-155)?

Technically they use the Exotic Weapon (Battle Rifles) skill right now.  That seems like an error.  It's arguable that they should be used with either Automatics, Longarms, or Heavy Weapons.

4.) Can I use MRSI software (War! p. 162)?

This software is quite unusual.  Is it allowed in Missions play?

Edit-
I realized I had one more.

1.) I have a rules question that is not covered in the Official FAQ or SRM FAQ.  Where can I get an answer?

While I'm not sure you don't want to be "Rules Guy" for SRM, it'll be nice to have some sort of third party to settle rules debate especially when the GM himself is unsure how to rule.

[Bull]

The official Skill used for Battle Rifles is "Exotic Weapon: Munchkin Guns"

As for the rest, yeah...  The FAQ was done before most of the expansion books you mention were released.

[Critias]

I pushed for clarification in an appropriately themed upcoming book (which I wasn't even writing, I just hollered that we should finally clear the air), and I know the official answer for the Battle Rifle/skill question...but I want to make sure it's not an NDA violation for me to say so prior to this certain new product's release. 

ETA:  Battle Rifles use the Automatics skill.

[squee_nabob]

Here are some of the questions I have asked in the past. Many of them already have answers, but I feel like they should be stated in the FAQ for ease of reference. I know as a new player to Missions (I started a year ago now), I’ve had to reread through old forum posts to find the answers to some of these.

Missions Specific Questions

1. An explanation of how to resolve conflicting rules. For example, the SR4 FAQ and SR4A conflict on how to use the magic rating of mystic adepts (SR4A 195).

2. Better rules for Technomancers learning Complex Forms (getting past Rating 6 requires a Resonance + Intuition extended test of Rating x2 (i.e. 14)). It is very hard if not impossible to succeed, even if you hire a rating 6 trainer. Perhaps the rules for increasing skills (once per mission without fuss) can be adapted (SR4A 271 and SR4A 240).

3. Shared ownership rules. Can multiple characters work together to buy a tacnet or a vehicle?

4. Can you still play Season 2 and 3 Missions?

5. Can you replay the same mission again on a different character?

6. Can you play a mission you have GM’d?

7. You note that Table Rating changes between Season 2 and 3. Which Table Rating rules should be used? Should the season 3 rules (adding TR to all opposed non-damage resistance rolls?) be used for season 2 (SRM FAQ Season 4 page 5)

8. Can a character create programs (Unwired 118 - 120)?

9. The Missions FAQ states “contacts from outside Seattle area may not be as useful” (SRM FAQ Season 4 page 3). What does this mean? Does this mean characters lose contacts bought with BP (SR4A 88)? How about matrix contacts like the Exchange (RC 130) (SRM02-17)? Is it based on connection rating (SR4A 286)?

10. Let us know if any specific items are not allowed from books (e.g. Stick and Shock (SR4A 324), Emotitoy (Arsenal 57), MRSI software (WAR! 162), Iron Will (Attitude 171))

11. Please make player-initiated trips Metaplanes (Street Magic 130 - 133) and Resonance Realms (Unwired 172 - 175) optional and not allowed.

12. Please add thematic information. Are shadowrunners supposed to be moral or amoral people? I have noticed in the Season 2 missions karmic/reputation rewards seem to fluctuate wildly from “be a good person and stop an NPC from torturing” to “take wet work or don’t play” (SRM02-14)


Rules Questions

1. How do you resolve multiple grenades/ other non-bullet projectiles (do you apply the burst rules?) (SR4A 153-154)?

2. Do non-short narrow bursts add damage before or after armor for checking hardened armor penetration (SR4A 154)?

3. How does a character avoid detection by an astral entity? Can characters without Astral Perception hide from astrally perceiving people with Infiltration vs. Assensing, or are they automatically detected with an Assensing success test (SR4A FAQ)?

4. Do drones count tacnet sensors by sensor rating only? Or can drones count sensor channels individually like characters? If the first, can a drone ever provide more than 4 channels (Unwired 124-127)?

5. How does the Technomancer Echo “Swap” work (Unwired 147)?

[Tsuzua]

Another one:

How much time can I take between missions?

I suggest making it 4 weeks  (1 month) of downtime between missions.  Then you could allow the various downtime activities (programming, gear finding, enchanting, etc) without having to worry about hackers spending 5 years in basements or elven mage farmers or anything like that.  The only thing that might be affects is some of the less common geneware mods. 

[Dr. Meatgrinder]

I thought the time was supposed to be handled by the Missions calendar, with each Mission filling one week of that game-time calendar.  That is, if you want to take 11 months between your first mission and your second, you can, but you'd have to pay your lifestyle for that time and you wouldn't be able to fit in many more Missions during that season.

[Bull]

There actually isn't currently a limit to how much time you can spend, outside of what you can afford.  You just need extra Calendar sheets to track it.  So in theory, someone could spend 4 years between Missions if they wanted to, for whatever reason.

We've been tossing around ideas for ways to limit how much time can be spent in a single Season of Missions, but it's still in the "How would this work, and is this really necessary" stage.  The only thing extended time really does for you now that all the item creation stuff (Including programming) has been removed is allow you to take forever and a day to buy a piece of gear.  And yeah, sure, i suppose you can get cheesy and live the Coffin Motel Lifestyle while try to arrange to get ahold of a Suitcase Nuke or something, but that piece of gear is so limited in use anyway that it may not be worth messing with it just to prevent such a mile case of "abuse" (And I use the term loosely).

Bull

[Dr. Meatgrinder]

Ah, there's something I'd misunderstood.  I thought we could only use one calendar-year sheet for a given Season.

Should I have continued the same sheet I'd used for Season 3, instead of starting a new one for Season 4?

[Bull]

No, Season 4 starts a new "Year", both litrally and figuratively (We assume SRM 04-00 and 04-01 take place in January, and then each Mission roughly takes place a month apart in our internal timeline.  So 04-11, the election day adventure, will take place in NOvember.  Season 4 also officially bumped the Missions timeline into 2073.

Bull

[Wasabi]

The Compulsion power of invoked spirits of man should be disallowed for those without a conjuring skill predating the ban.

[squee_nabob]

There should be at least 1 free week per mission so people can increase skills (which takes a week if I read the FAQ correctly).

[KarmaInferno]

Honestly, even though it'll hit me hard, I don't like the idea of grandfathering in stuff.

If there's gonna be a rules re-vamp, it might as well be complete. Have everyone, not just new characters, re-build their characters so they're current with the new rules.

My worry is having resentment at tables between haves and have-nots over the grandfathered abilities.



-k

[Onion Man]

I'm sort of with K on this.

I love Baron Jolly, but more for the story than the stat block and I'd rather not be "that guy".  I might just have to come up with some fluffy story about a possession gone critical glitch and a vengeful spirit sticking around after being dismissed and forcing him to do something awful after going to sleep or something. Give him a good reason to go with possessing objects instead of himself.