[Kot]

Let me know how that works. I've been a believer of 1 skill/1 specialization, but if this works, I may change my mind.

Nobody took any second specialties yet, but I'll be sure to report how it goes. The cost-effective side of it should be enough to balance it out, since on lower levels it would be cheaper karma-wise to raise the skill, than to buy a specialization.

DEFAULTING TO A RELATED SKILL

Not really a good idea. Especially since Defaulting means you don't have any knowledge or training in the area.
Also, weapon use and maintenance tends to differ greatly. Yes, a person who trained with assault rifles can shoot pretty well from normal rifles, and should handle sniper rifles quite well, but pistols? Different position, aiming method, range, and such. It wouldn't do any good. For example: I did some archery training, but when it comes to crossbows, I couldn't hit a thing from just a dozen meters. The same is with guns - someone who uses them on daily basis probably had a good, broad training - like policemen, for example. That's what the Firearms skill group is for.
As for game-balance issues, that would mean taking one skill at higher levels from a group is enough. So, no more specialists, only specialists who can do pretty much anything if it's even marginally related. So, you take one skill from the group at rank 4, and receive the others at rank 1 for free. Gamebreaking.

P.S. Oh, and writing things up with huge letters doesn't help much.

[VileTerror]

Not quite a house rule, but I figured it would be more appropriate to post this here than in its own thread.  Apologies if this isn't the correct forum etiquette.
An additional Martial Arts Style, expressed such as those shown in Arsenal page 156.


Ku-Leha
Approximately translated to "Sacrificial Killing" from the Dagbani language in Ghana, which is the area the ghouls settled in the Sixth World to create Asamando.
Ku-Leha is a martial art designed to rapidly kill a living foe, so that they may be devoured.  It can be practised as an artist ritual, but the brutal effectiveness of the style has made it popular amongst ghouls the world over, and even other metahumans which possess claws sharp enough to puncture flesh (whether those be natural or augmented 'wares).

Outside of Asamando, this form of martial arts is considered entirely illegal due to the clear intent of being lethal, and only Black Market trainers are available outside of Asamando.  Areas with very high population of non-brain-damaged ghouls are likely to have a trainer or two, but they are otherwise exceptionally rare.  Non-Infected are strongly warned not to get involved with such trainers, as they are universally Infected, and infecting students with HMHVV III (or sometimes other strains) is exceptionally common (either accidentally or intentionally).

Advantages:  +AP1-per-Hit and +3 DV on Unarmed Combat attacks only after performing a successful Set-Up and while making full use of claws as a hybrid Full Offense + Finishing Move (all three Maneuvers must be trained seperately before learning this Advantage); +1 to Parry Tests made to Disarm (may be taken twice for a cumulative +2 dice, but Disarm Maneuver must be trained seperately before learning this Advantage); +1 to Set-Up Maneuver (Set-Up Maneuver must be trained seperately before learning this Advantage)



Edit:  Increased the requirements of the Primary Advantage, which also increased the potential downfall it may cause the attacker.  Changing Subdue Advantage to Disarm Advantage.

[Crash_00]

The defaulting rule pretty much comes directly from SR3's defaulting to a skill.

While defaulting does mean you have no knowledge or training of the skill, it doesn't mean that none of your other skills are similar. Example from Longarms to pistols or vice versa would be lining up sights, squeezing the trigger instead of pulling it, leading the target, ect.

So far, I haven't found it groundbreaking at all, but I enforce the maximum skill caps also. So if you don't have the skill and are defaulting to another, your max dice pool is twice the attribute in question. For an average runner with 5 Agility this would cap the dice pool for a default at 10.

I just have a hard time logically with being able to fire a Semi-Auto only battle rifle with an Automatics of 6, but you have to default to zero to fire a Remington sporting rifle.

Again though, house rule. Don't like it, don't use it.

[StarManta]

I'm a full week into the current SR campaigns I'm running, so I haven't had time to develop any solid house rules. Some I'm considering:
Commanding Voice only works as described on friendly or neutral characters. Using it against actively hostile NPCs results only in a -3 dice pool modifier. (Otherwise, it's just Mob Mind without drain, and nearly every combat can be ended by the adept yelling "Stand down, everyone.")

I'm considering making contacts cost Loyalty x Connection, rather than Loyalty+Connection. This would go along with offering (Charisma+Etiquette)*2 free BP for contacts.
I'm also considering splitting Connection into (Attribute+Connection), with the sum being a maximum of 8 or so, and the Attribute being the most important Attribute for the kind of character they are (LOG for a mechanic or hacker, CHA for a fixer, etc). This prevent skill-centric contacts like hackers or mechanics from being bought at Connection 1 with their usefulness being unaffected.

If players discuss strategy with each other after combat starts (outside of experienced players coaching newbies on generic combat tactics), I'll give them a time limit of only a few seconds to decide on an action or that IP is lost. In other words, they are allowed to speak to each other about as long as their characters would be able to in a Combat Turn.

I offer 2 Karma/run to a good notetaker.

After the first adventure, I use the SRM policy of allowing Karma earned on the adventure to transfer to a new character (or a rebuild of their character).

One thought for nerfing SnS rounds could be to have their DV diminish over time. First turn they do damage as normal; the second turn, the modified DV from the first turn is used as the dice pool for the DV (without adding base DV to it the second turn); and so on until it dissipates naturally. Alternately (or in addition), you can just make nonconductivity more common among your NPCs. And why wouldn't it be, in-universe, if SnS rounds are so popular?

[Kylen]

Well, as a general house rule at my friend's place, we replaced the Initiative BS in 4e with a general pass system. Kept the cyber and powers useful, but didn't cause aneurisms when we tried to use it.

Anyone else throw out the 4e Init system?

[PH_dungeon]

I'm currently trying to develop some Quickplay rules for resolving some of the cumbersome aspects of the game. For example here's what I have in mind for quickplay hacking. The intent is for fast, balanced resolution with the potential for non binary results (ie more than just success for failure).

One Roll Hacking Quickplay Rules:

Hacker makes a single Hacking Test for each objective the Hacker wishes to accomplish (Threshold equals the rating of the system).

Dice Pool Modifiers: Operating Hotsim +2, Operating Augmented Reality –2, Majority of programs and commlink attributes rating 5-6- +2, majority of programs rating 1-2 –2.

Success Levels:

Threshold +3 or higher: Achieved primary and a secondary objective with no complications.
Threshold +2: achieved primary goal with no complications.
Threshold +1: achieved primary goal with a minor complication (possibly a trace, dumpshock or damage from IC*)
Threshold: achieved objective with a significant complication (likely a damage from IC and dumpshock or trace)
- 1 Threshold: Did not achieve objective and suffered a complication
-2 Threshold or lower (or Critical Glitch: Did not achieve objective and suffered a significant complication.

* Hackers only suffer IC damage when running hotsim and when they are hacking a system that is loaded with Black IC or Spiders. In other systems traces and dumpshock are the more likely consequences. If a hacker incurs IC damage as a result of a complication, he will need to make a standard matrix damage resistance test (Will+Biofeedback Filter) vrs damage equal to the rating of the system.

[Jackleg Rooster]

Oh man I have a bunch of these. mainly geared toward a heavy mohawk game.

1. Restricted Gear Quality - Some characters have backgrounds that require things that don't jive with RAW limits. To suit this I have removed the RG quality from the game. Characters may take as much restricted gear as they can afford, however each piece lands them a distinctive style quality with no BP bonus. The Availability 20 cap is still enforced.

2. Over Modding Gear - Over modding is also allowed up to double the normal capacity of the object. Each object that is over modded is also subject to the Distinctive Style penalty. This stacks with the Restricted Gear rule, so an Availability 16F assault rifle that is over modded receives a level 2 Distinctive Style penalty.

3. Gyro Rigs (Two Gun Mod) - A gyro rig may be modified to have a second arm on it (double the cost and availability). This can be taken a character creation or built using a Logic + Armorer (8, 1 Hour) Extended Test. This allows two weapons to be mounted on the same rig. These weapons split the recoil compensation regardless of weapon type.

4. Gyro Rigs (One Hander) - Since the arm of the rig attaches under the barrel it is considered to be a suitable replacement for a second hand. This means that weapons requiring two hands (assault rifles, machine guns) may be fired one handed, if mounted in the rig, with no penalty. This can be combined with the Two Gun Mod up top for crazy gun bunny hijinks.

5. Twin-Link Program - Twin-Link is a software mod for smartlinks allows users to link their smartguns together and fire them in tandem. This program even allows two weapons, that normally take a complex action to fire, to be used together in the same action phase. When firing, make one roll, add the base DV/AP of both weapons plus net hits. Any other DV mods (Ammo, Full burst, high velocity) apply only once. If mixing guns, both must be set to the same firing mode and the lower weapon range is used, as well as the lower DV/AP if ammo is mixed. Both guns must be smartguns and a smartlink is required. Turning on or off Twin-Link is a free action. Availability 20F, 12,000 Nuyen

A few more, but I'll put 'em up later...

[Lacynth40]

Quick question, about people nerfing the SnS rounds... You ever been hit by a taser? There is a reason SnS does that much. Because electricity WORKS. And it SHOULD drop a troll in a couple shots. Don't like it, don't get hit by it. See some security goon trying to take people down with stickies, and you gang up on him.

I like to leave it as is because the only people that even look at the SnS rounds at my table are the ones that want to get in, get out, and all is quite. Covert types, or the ones that don't want to leave trails of dead security grunts. Nice little bonus for them to make their jobs easier. And they still pack EX rounds for wetwork jobs if they have to.

So what if stickies can be fired from hold-outs and do assault rifle damages. They aren't going to be burst-firing those SnS's like assault rifles can do. And the range still sucks. So, you gotta be close, and you ony have a limited amount of shots. Frankly, if someone pulled out a hold-out on my chars, the trigger gets pulled, and my body arches in electric spasms, I'm going to be thanking the great Ghosts that it wasn't a bullet to this pretty face as I pass out.

[Crash_00]

Can't agree more, I've had the misfortune of getting tasered during my college time and it floored me before I could even think about what was happening. Word of wisdom, beware of paranoid freshmen.

That said, all I do with stick and shock is I don't modify it for autofire. I find that that alone has fixed it in my game.

[kirk]

-1 to dice pool for weapon with silencer or sound suppressor.

[Charybdis]

Quick question, about people nerfing the SnS rounds... You ever been hit by a taser? There is a reason SnS does that much. Because electricity WORKS. And it SHOULD drop a troll in a couple shots. Don't like it, don't get hit by it. See some security goon trying to take people down with stickies, and you gang up on him.

I have no problem with SnS except when it comes to Added DV for bursts.
Combined with the 1/2 Impact armour

So, our houserule is that SnS do not get added DV for bursts. It breaks the sanity test a little, but leaves them mechanically balanced for use in the game.

Thematically, they can't be as good as everyone says, or the creator of SnS would (in-Game) have received a large sum of money from the Big-D's will for an accurate, non-lethal weapon over 100 yards...

And for reference, I also have been shocked by a taser. It sucks.
I've seen footage of a US Army soldier infamous for continuing his mission after being hit by a GRENADE, get floored by a taser. These things suck....

[Crash_00]

Well when I got tased, the second dart didn't really increase the pain anymore (then again I was already on the ground struggling to avoid emptying my bladder) so I don't feel that having bursts not add SnS damage is too unrealistic. (It's my only problem with them too).

All I've ever fired with a silencer is a .45 (gotta love those friends with a class III license) , but I can honestly say it didn't decrease the accuracy at all (given we were only shooting at fifty feet). I could understand, from theory at least, dropping the range of a silenced weapon or requiring subsonic ammo for it to be used silent though.

Other things I've had the chance to test out:
Flamethrowers (Not actually illegal or even regulated in Arkansas, they're considered farm equipment but it will take five hours in lockup for the cops to realize that.)
Tannerite (Legal explosive as long as you buy the two parts separately.)
Thermite (That teacher learned quickly to double check whether we were being sarcastic about science fair projects.)

[kirk]

Crash, I agree about what a silencer really does. It slows the bullet to subsonic. That reduces range - or rather, it reduces effective range (the bullets travel a lot further than 'range'). It reduces the damage potential at the target. It has a small effect on accuracy, depending on how well designed the mating between weapon and silencer is.

But all that is just simpler for me to model with -1 to the pool.

[Lacynth40]

Quick question, about people nerfing the SnS rounds... You ever been hit by a taser? There is a reason SnS does that much. Because electricity WORKS. And it SHOULD drop a troll in a couple shots. Don't like it, don't get hit by it. See some security goon trying to take people down with stickies, and you gang up on him.

I have no problem with SnS except when it comes to Added DV for bursts.
Combined with the 1/2 Impact armour

So, our houserule is that SnS do not get added DV for bursts. It breaks the sanity test a little, but leaves them mechanically balanced for use in the game.

Thematically, they can't be as good as everyone says, or the creator of SnS would (in-Game) have received a large sum of money from the Big-D's will for an accurate, non-lethal weapon over 100 yards...

And for reference, I also have been shocked by a taser. It sucks.
I've seen footage of a US Army soldier infamous for continuing his mission after being hit by a GRENADE, get floored by a taser. These things suck....

Accurate NON-LETHAL weapon... Problem is, with SnS, especially in burst fire, that stun track goes into the physical track after a bit of overflow, doesn't it? Too easy for it to kill someone accidentally in something like a light machine gun... Of course, if yer loading an LMG with SnS, yer a bit touched in the head....

[Onion Man]

Are you calling me touched in the head?