[martinchaen]

Can you clarify the rules for progressive recoil, please? Specifically, the part where you get a free point...

Page 175:
You get 1 free point anytime you start firing

Q: Does this free point apply until you stop firing? Is it just for that first round (or burst) that is being fired?

Which of the below is right, assuming a character with STR 8 firing a Single Auto weapon with 1 Recoil Compensation:
Start firing on IP 1, total recoil comp is 1 for start of fire, plus (8/3 rounded up = 3), plus 1, for a total RC of 5.
IP 2, total recoil comp is still 5.
Alternatively, IP 2 and for all subsequent passes recoil comp is 4 (no longer +1 for start firing).

[Michael Chandra]

(((Max: It doesn't say it does, so I'd say no. Critical Strike merely boosts your own damage, it doesn't make your attack magical, and magical attacks is what makes Killing Hands bypass Immunity.)))
(((Martin: Isn't that simply Str/3+1 = physical RC, where the free point is from where in SR4a the first bullet didn't give recoil?)))

[Xabulba]

Sorry if this has been covered, i couldn't find a reference, but why do Alchemists (enchanters) get screwed over on free spells? Spellcasters get free spells when picking A-D at character creation but enchanters get nothing. It would make the same amount of sense for a enchanter to get the same amount of points to spend on alchemical formula as spellcasters get in spell formula.

[Michael Chandra]

(((Xabulba: I cannot find an explicit statement right now but I recall that these free 'spells' can be divied up over Spell Slots, Ritual Slots and Alchemical Preparations Slots. So you could e.g. take those 10 free 'spells' and use them for 5 spells, 2 rituals and 3 preparations, or put all 10 in preparations assuming your Magic is 5+.)))

[Crunch]

Sorry if this has been covered, i couldn't find a reference, but why do Alchemists (enchanters) get screwed over on free spells? Spellcasters get free spells when picking A-D at character creation but enchanters get nothing. It would make the same amount of sense for a enchanter to get the same amount of points to spend on alchemical formula as spellcasters get in spell formula.

If you're talking about an aspected enchanter the reasoning (and it's certainly been questioned) is that one of the aspected magicians types (summoners) doesn't have a "spell" equivalent. To avoid having to write a conditional rule for summoners they simply removed the free spells and replaced them with something that all aspected magicians could use. 

[Xabulba]

(((Xabulba: I cannot find an explicit statement right now but I recall that these free 'spells' can be divied up over Spell Slots, Ritual Slots and Alchemical Preparations Slots. So you could e.g. take those 10 free 'spells' and use them for 5 spells, 2 rituals and 3 preparations, or put all 10 in preparations assuming your Magic is 5+.)))

That was what I was thinking but a literal reading of character creation says an asspected magician get free spells not formula. I'll re-read the rules again to look for the statement you mentioned but if you come across where you found it let me know.

[Michael Chandra]

(((Aspected Magicians do not get any free spells/rituals/preparations at all. Magicians and Aspected Magicians can max know Magicx2 Spells, Magicx2 Rituals and Magicx2 Preparations at chargen, from a combination of free and bought ones. Yes, this means that an Augmented Magician, with 4 Essence and Magic A, who only knows Spellcasting would lose 2 of the 10 free spells.)))

[RHat]

(((Xabulba: I cannot find an explicit statement right now but I recall that these free 'spells' can be divied up over Spell Slots, Ritual Slots and Alchemical Preparations Slots. So you could e.g. take those 10 free 'spells' and use them for 5 spells, 2 rituals and 3 preparations, or put all 10 in preparations assuming your Magic is 5+.)))

That was what I was thinking but a literal reading of character creation says an asspected magician get free spells not formula. I'll re-read the rules again to look for the statement you mentioned but if you come across where you found it let me know.

Could you point me to the line that makes you think that?

[Kincaid]

Partial Cover gives you +2 dice to your defense test, but you forgo the standard "ties go to the defender" rule.  This makes taking partial cover riskier than standing out in the open in some situations.  Is this the intent of the rule?  Are so many Shadowrunners taking cover behind the landscaping that this rule was added? 

[Michael Chandra]

Q: What counts as overdosing, if any, for Foci-usage?

[Moonshine Fox]

Question about AR. If I have a comlink hooked up via direct plug in, do I still need the image and sound cyberware/peripherals to experience augmented reality, or is just the direct interface enough?

[Michael Chandra]

Copy-editing Movement from SR3 resulted in a possible error: In SR3, Speed was at meters per Combat Turn, so Movement on a Vehicle would boost its Speed with hits*acceleration rate meters. That'd could boost for example a Rapier with hits*10 meters, which means that rolling 5 hits would make it move 25% faster.

In SR5, Speed is not a straight number anymore. As such, applying the same boost to Speed results in insane numbers. The copy-editing also results in confusion on "terrain that the critter controls" and the way it talks about Acceleration/Deceleration, but let's leave those aside for a moment.

Q: Should Movement read "add the result to (or subtract it from) the vehicle's Movement Rate in the next Combat Turn", meaning 5 hits vs a vehicle with 3 Acceleration would result in it going 15 meters faster/slower?

Perhaps a rebalancing is required since Acceleration is now also exponential so the numbers are lower, resulting in far lower results of the multiplication. I'd understand, for example, if it was done x5 or so, so that scoring 5 hits vs a Scorpion would result in a speed difference of 50 meters.

[Unahim]

How much damage do Shock Frill deal, and in what situations do they deal their damage? I'm assuming only on an unarmed attack action, as they could elsewise trigger multiple times in an IP and do not mention triggering when being attacked, the way Energy Aura does.

Also, do touch-only attacks give a bonus to damage due to net hits? If so, how does function for touch spells?

[bull30548]

Okay I was listening to a podcast and they spoke about flash bangs.  Now here is my question.  In Flash-pak and flare compensation it is very clearly defined what they do in regards to what happens as far as penalties.  However, there is not one at all for a flash bang and if a character has for example a datajack running in wireless mode earbuds with select sound filter and goggles with flare compensation.  Or for that matter if such things would have an impact on the damage code of such an item.

[Michael Chandra]

I think only Dampers can reduce that damage.