Shadowrun Play > Rules and such
[SR6] House Rules
Finstersang:
So, my latest rant about the unfitting imaging scope mechanic and Michael Chandras latest houserule post got me thinking about Snipers and Ranges general. While I donīt think that the current rules are too bad here (I mean, even that dumb Scope mechanic doesnīt really matter that much because itīs unlikely to apply for actual long-range Sharpshooting tests... ::)), Iīve found a few little tweaks to sand off some raw Edges:
Max Ranges (Part 1):This one is mostly for those gun nuts who correctly noticed that the simplified Medium range of up to 250 Meters is a bit long for a Heavy Pistol. Thereīs a bunch of other weapons where the current maximum range is just unrealistic, mostly those that go up to the medium range. Apart from realism, this is also a missed chance to set further differentiate some weapon categories that are otherwise too similar in their stats. So, hereīs an additional Maximum range to some of the current weapon categories that cuts their current maximum range Intervall down to a more realistic number.
* 80 Meters: Light Pistols, Machine Pistols, Flechette Pistols, Sawed-off/Pistol Shotguns
* 100 Meters: Heavy Pistols, Shotguns w. Flechettes
* 150 Meters: Shotguns w. SlugsMost others are fine or tolerable IMO. From what Iīve seen, SMGs in real life usually cap out at about 200 Meters, but then again...
Range Thresholds: Firing and hitting with a Gun or Rifle on longer ranges is hard - even if the target isnīt moving. To better reflect this, thereīs an additional Threshold to overcome if you want to hit a target in a certain Range category. No worries, they are easy to remember:
* Close: Zero Hits*
* Near: 1 Hit
* Medium: 2 Hits
* Long: 3 Hits
* Extreme: 4 Hits
If this Threshold isnīt met, the shot misses automatically, and the target isnīt even required to make a defense test (fewer dice rolls? Streamlining, baby! ;D)). If the Threshold is met, the target defends normally and the threshold playsno further role for the Attack: If you Score 5 Hits to beat the extreme range threshold of 4 and the target only scores 2 Net hits on the defense test, this counts as 5-2=3 net hits, not 5-4=1.
*Meaning: You will even hit with no Hits at all if if your target doesnīt score a Hit as well. Note that this is mostly for the sake of coherency here. This is nothing thatīs going to happen that often anyways.
Max Ranges (Part 2): Ok, now for the extreme Ranges. Sniper Rifles have a looooong range, Hunting Rifles as well. But is that range really indefinite? And for Assault Rifles as well? Of course not, and granted, I guess that this is supposed to a GMīs call if things get too cheesy. But if you donīt want argue about stuff like the earthīs curvature (letīs hope the sniper isnīt a flat-eather ::)), try this:
For every full 50 Meters above 500 Meters of Range, the AR is reduced by one.
If it reaches Zero, the shot is not doable. That effectively introduces a kind of flexible maximum Range for the different Longarm modals. It also adds an additional value to the different ways of increasing AR (Vision Magnification, Cruouching, Bipods) for extreme Ranges.
Imaging Scopes: Ok, letīs get this over quickly: Scrap that line about denying Edge for the Defender. Instead, the Scope just counts as mounted imaging device with a Vision Magnification whose perks are activated when using the Take Aim Action. The AR bonuses from the Vision Magnification possible (and the perks from other Enhancements in the Scope) are added to the +1 dice you would get normally get from using the Take Aim Action.
That was it for me so far, until I had an additional idea yesterday evening. Maybe the Scope could use some additional Perk over just having Cybereyes or goggles with a Vision Magnification. Also, Iīm still a bit dissatisfied with the current narrative "flow" of Sniping. Itīs just one "Quickscope"-style Minor Action (if the Sniper feels that iīs even necessary) and then a Major Action for the actual Shot - a shot which, due to the lowered damage levels is unlikely to incapacitate the target unless the GM handwaves it. In the movies, "Sniper Scenes" are tensefull situations, with the crosshair slowly circling around the target until the perfect moment for the killshot. Thereīs tension and decision-making: Is the situation really right for the shot? Maybe someone gets in the way, or the target gets lost or someone spots the reflection of the scope if the Sniper waits too long. And in reality, thereīs obviously a huge difference as well between just yanking the Scope up to you eyes and actually lining up a shot. So, how about this?
Snipe (Major Action): A more carefull version of the Take Aim Action that requires an actual top-mounted Imaging Scope. Make the standard opposed Firearms+Agility VS Intution + Reaction test, with all the usual modifiers due to cover, the prone status, smartguns, defensive Actions etc. still applying. As usual, if the target is unaware of the looming dange, it canīt use Edge or densive Actions on their defense test. However: No Edge is granted to either side, and - most importantly - no shot is fired. Instead, the Shooter adds the net hits to the dice pool and AR of the next Attack test against the target. This may be the actual Shot, or even another Snipe Action.
I obviously havenīt tested it yet, but I think that i fits the theme of Sniping quite well. Once the Sniper has locked down on the target, it becomes a bit of gamble to either use more Snipe Actions or finally taking the shot. It also bears some resemblance to other mechanics from various Editions like the Set-Up/Finishing Move mechanic, Active Sensor Targetting or this Editionīs Probe/Backdoor Access.
Finally, tīs also good opportunity to introduce some more teamwork options. Military Snipers often have a designated Spotter. In SR, that could be the teamīs Face with a Binocular just as the Rigger with a well-placed drone. So, feel free to add this as well:
Spotters: While the actual shot is still the Shooterīs responsibility, properly equipped Teammates can still act as Spotters aid the Snipe tests of the Shooter. This is resolved as a standard Teamwork test, with the Spotters using their Intuition+Perception.
Materiam:
So, I'm brand new to this board, I hope this is the right place for this post.
I'm in the middle of re-writing all of the bare bones mechanics into a word document to have a comprehensive quick-reference on SR6 rules (big task, gonna be probably 40+ pages in a word document, but I'm doing it so I really memorize the system well)
While I was doing this, I came across this sentence on pg. 240 under "Key Locks"
"... mechanical key locks are view as quaint by most people, and easy to shoot by others, Still..."
This got me thinking about specific mechanics to shoot out locks to bypass them. SO... without further ado... I present my homebrew for:
Shooting Out Locks!
Firstly: The Structure Rating (Sr.R.) of various lock types:
Mechanical Key Locks generally have a Sr.R. of 4. (think the light metal lock under the doorknob.) OR a Sr.R. of 8 (think a heavy padlock, like a "Master" brand lock).
Transponder-Embedded Key Locks generally have an Sr.R. of 6. (The basic electronics inside make it slightly more resilient than Mechanical Locks)
Maglocks (doesn't matter what kind, keypad, card reader, retinal scanner, ect.) generally have an Sr.R. of 8 (typical "Electronics" Structure Rating.)
Some high security doors have locks embedded into the armored structure of the door. In that case, the lock adopts the Sr.R. of the door.
1. In order to open a door by shooting out the lock, a character must put either a single 2-cm hole or two 1-cm holes into the lock. (see standard rules for putting holes in barriers on pg. 112). Shoot the lock by making a standard [agility + firearms skill](1) test. Threshold is 1, because it should be very easy to hit.
2. Any time a lock is shot out, the lock has a chance of jamming, either from bad luck or by manufacturer's design, the deadbolt or pins have twisted in such a way where the door cannot be opened by conventional means. The chance of this happening depends on which type of lock it is, from the three listed above, AND the lock's Device Rating (Dv.R.)
3. Derive the Jam Threshold (J.T.) by consulting the guidelines below. After finding the J.T., roll a single d6. If the result is equal to, or lower than the J.T., the lock is jammed, effectively perma-locking the door unless one has the proper mechanics tools to gut the locking mechanism (GM's decision how that would be handled, but if you are in hostile territory and have security breathing down your necks you probably don't have the minutes or hours required to gut a lock that's been warped and fused, so you should probably find a different way to progress... or prepare for that incoming security). If the result of the d6 roll is higher than the J.T., the lock is cleanly destroyed, and the door can be opened with a simple push, kick or slide.
Jam Threshold guidelines:
- Mechanical Key Lock
- Mathematical explanation: Device Rating of the lock divided by three, rounded up.
- Quick result list: Dv.R. of 1-3 = J.T. of 1
Dv.R. of 4-6 = J.T. of 2 (Even the best quality Mechanical locks only have a 33.33% chance to jam)
- Transponder-Embedded Key Lock
- Mathematical explanation: Device Rating of the lock divided by two, rounded up.
- Quick result list: Dv.R. of 1-2 = J.T. of 1
Dv.R. of 3-4 = J.T. of 2
Dv.R. of 5-6 = J.T. of 3 (At their most advanced, Transponder-Embedded Key Locks have a 50% chance to jam)
- Maglock
- Mathematical explanation: Just the flat Device Rating. Highest chance to jam, programmed as a fail-safe against such aggressive tactics.
- Quick result list: Dv.R. of 1 = J.T. of 1
Dv.R. of 2 = J.T. of 2
Dv.R. of 3 = J.T. of 3
Dv.R. of 4 = J.T. of 4
Dv.R. of 5 = J.T. of 5
Dv.R. of 6 = J.T. of 6 (guaranteed to jam, shooting out this ultra-grade lock is pointless)
My reason for this homebrew is simple. Unless the mission is inherently loud, shooting out a lock and alerting enemies of your presence and specific location is almost never the preferred method of entry. However, stealth missions do go south and the group needs to escape quickly, occasionally a target is escaping and the Street Sam needs to intercept them in a hurry, or perhaps runner who isn't a Breaking and Entering specialist will need to get into a server room to frag the servers. Whatever the reasons, sometimes a lock just needs to go away.
These rules make getting through low-to-mid security doors possible for most characters who are packing something heavier than a light pistol. Loudly blasting through a door isn't ideal, but it gives most everyone a little added utility... with an inherent risk.
Truth be told, I'm only ever GM'd Shadowrun twice, both in 5th edition. I'm up next in our group's rotation and we're moving onto Shadowrun 6e. I lean "pink mohawk". I'm very excited, but I also want to make sure I'm as inclusive as possible. One of the worst things you can do to a player (in my opinion) is to shut them down with a simple "no, your character cannot do that". It drains the enthusiasm from them. Ok, yes, only Deckers can deck, and only Awakened can play with magic, that's a given, but locks exist in meatspace, and you shouldn't NEED to be a lock specialist to have access to the only option in town. Besides, this really doesn't deter anyone from being a B&E specialist, picking/hacking a lock is almost ALWAYS preferred when compared to shooting it out. But when the drek hits the fan, I want to keep my options open to all players.
Last little side note: I know that the mechanical locks having an Sr.R. of 4 seems really low, but that example is the cheapo pressed metal locks built into a doorknob set you'd buy at Home Depot... something you'd only find in the slums on on crappy trailer homes (a 4 Sr.R. also lets Light Pistols do SOMETHING). You talking a reinforced Padlock? Yeah, bump that sucker up to an 8. Hell, make it a 10 if you want and take away the ability for it to jam if you're simply shooting off the shackle.
Also, remember that it requires either a single 2-cm hole, or two 1cm holes. meaning lower power SS guns may need to connect two hits, or a larger caliber gun may make a 2-cm hole in a single shot.
Anyways, that's all I got. I feel that it's a pretty quick and easy system for allowing panicked, desperate, or impatient characters to get through a door, with a risk involved.
I'm not sure if this is the correct place for feedback, but I'd welcome it if you have any to give!
MedicWolf:
Magic Priority and Mystic Adepts
Long-time player, first time poster, but one thing that always bothers me in games in a lack of equivalent choices. Old Mystic Adept was too powerful, current version is too weak / too powerful depending upon your min-maxing and how far along your campaign is. The Aspected mage is not really a choice at all (sacrificing either Conjuration or Sorcery in exchange for basically one adjustment point is a terrible trap). Thus, I've tweaked the priority table and in particular modified the Mystic Adept for my gaming group so that things stay relatively balanced both at character generation and while campaigning.
Priority System
A: Magic/Resonance 6, +1 Initiation
B: Magic/Resonance 5
C: Magic/Resonance 3
D: Magic/Resonance 1
E: Mundane
Full Magician: Receive 2 Spells or Rituals per starting Magic (based on Priority only, not increased with adjustment points).
Aspected: Choose Sorcery, Conjuration, or Enchanting, as RAW. Aspected Magicians that choose Sorcery receive 2 Spells or Rituals per starting Magic (based on Priority only). For all magical tests related to spellcasting/summoning/enchanting, the Drain Value is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1.
Adept: Receive 1 PP per Magic attribute, including with adjustment points. Any Magic gains or losses (such as with reduced Essence) raises or lowers PP by 1.0. Adepts cannot astrally project or perceive, unless they purchase the Adept power "Astral Projection." Adepts may increase PP by selecting Power Point as their chosen metamagic during Initiation. Adepts may bond Qi foci.
Mystic Adept: Receive 0.5 PP per Magic attribute, including with adjustment points. Any Magic gains or losses (such as with reduced Essence) raises or lowers PP by 0.5. Mystic adepts select Sorcery, Conjuration, OR Enchanting, much like an aspected Mage, but do not receive the Drain Value reduction. Mystic Adepts can not astrally project or perceive, unless they purchase the Adept power "Astral Projection." Mystic Adepts may increase PP by selecting Power Point as their chosen metamagic during Initiation. Mystics adepts may bond Qi foci.
Technomancer: Receive 2 complex forms per starting Magic (based on Priority only, not increased with adjustment points)
Note: A character that selects priority "A" and becomes Initiated may not improve Magic higher than 6 during character generation.
Comparisons
Updated priority table:
The choice of what to put into priority "A" should be hard. Going from B to A for attributes is +8 points, and that should be the benchmark. At this point, a character should already have maximized their primary role stats and skills, and so the +8 attributes are probably being put into secondary stats, likewise for the +8 skills by going from priority B to A. 175,000 nuyen (87 karma on the char gen market) allows a character to buy a couple of maxed out cyberware pieces, and either increase versatility or min-max the primary role.
In comparison, the old priority for magic gives you... +1 adjustment point, and MAYBE 2 spells, if you are a magician, sorcerer, or mystic adept. Even with the new errata, no Awakened would want to choose anything other than "D," excepting a one-shot game where the caster needs more than 2 spells (A mystic adept, post-errata, might think hard on it, but it is still drastically more cost efficient to just wait on Powers until after a few sessions when enough karma is saved to initiate). My homebrew table gives an Awakened character 2 adjustment points per rank, and 4 spells/forms per rank if applicable. This is still a bit weak karma-wise by comparison, and non-casters such as Conjurers or Adepts receive no big benefit, but it's a start.
Full vs. Aspected
- Loses two out of three options to select Conjuring / Enchanting / Sorcery
+ Gains a reduced Drain value within their chosen field.
New system, a character has a reason to go aspected. With the DV reduction, an Aspected magician sacrifices the potential to put skills points into Sorcery or Conjuring (no-one is going to seriously play an aspected enchanter except in a gimmick role) in exchange for a little bit more longevity within their field of casting, or maybe to push a spell a bit harder while still keeping the drain as stun.
Mystic Adept vs. Full
-Loses Astral Projection
-Loses Astral Perception (but with the ability to buy it for 1 PP)
-Only has access to Conjuring, Sorcery OR Enchanting
+ Gains the ability to bond Qi Foci
+ Gains the ability to improve Power Points during initiation (at the cost of selecting a new metamagic)
+ Gains 0.5 PP per rank of Magic
Comparison Example: At character generation, assuming a caster focus, The full magician has Sorcery 6, Conjuring 5, astral abilities, and the option to enchant later on, versus the mystic adept who has Sorcery 6, a secondary skill such as Biotech 5, 3.0 Power Points to utilize, and the option to bond Qi foci later on. Late game, after multiple initiations, the full magician has a greater range of metamagic and the very versatile Conjuring skill to contrast with 7-8 power points and a secondary skill. Both still have top notch sorcery, backed by foci.
Not perfect, but a hard choice nonetheless.
Mystic Adept vs. Aspected Magician
- Loses Astral Projection
- Loses Astral Perception
- Does not receive the reduced Drain Value
+ Gains the ability to bond Qi Foci
+ Gains the ability to improve Power Points during initiation
+ Gains 0.5 PP per Magic
Comparison Example: Even with the DV buff added in with this homebrew patch, Aspected Magicians are still a little weaker, but not so terrible compared to RAW. Early game, a conjurer vs a mystic adept will both begin with 6 Conjuring. The conjurer has astral projection, versus the mystic adept's 3.0 Power Points (with 1.0 spent on astral perception). Both will conjure 18 Force worth of spirits (magic x 3) before any given run, but the conjurer will either enter the run with a couple less stun boxes filled, or else they will stick with Force 5-6 spirits versus the Mystic Adepts Force 4-5 spirits. Late game the mystic adept might edge out, as having 6-8 Power Points is worth a bit more than having a couple more metamagic abilities and a few stun boxes from reduced drain.
Mystic Adept vs. Adept
- Half as many Power Points from Magic
+ Ability to spend skill points on Conjuring/Sorcery/Enchanting
Example: Early game, a mystic adept that chooses Sorcery will have Sorcery 5 and a couple of spells to cast (or conversely, Conjuring 5) compared to the Adept's additional 3.0 Power Points and a secondary skill such as Athletics 5. In late game, the mystical adept will devote resources into Spell/Spirit Foci compared to additional Qi foci, and several Initiations into caster metamagics rather than purely PP gains, so you might see something like...
Mystic Adept, Magic 8, Initiation 7, Sorcery 7 (with bonuses), 3 metamagics, and 8 Power Points
vs.
Adept, Magic 8, Initiation 7, Athletics 7 (with bonuses), 1 metamagic centering, and 14 Power Points.
The mystic adept will have a bit more versatility with their casting or summoning, but the adept will have substantially more Power Points as well as an extra mundane skill for a role.
Now, mystic adepts don't feel like they're nerfed in the wrong way, and they fit directly more into a hybrid role. They can never match the versatility of the full caster, nor the Power Point focus that is the Adept point for point, but can still fill several roles in a team.
As a last note, I did also adjust the Metatype priority column to bring it more in line with the Attribute column: Priority "B" grants the character 20 free Karma that may only be spent on Qualities, and Priority "A" grants the character 40 free Karma. Characters are still limited to 6 total Qualities, and are still limited to 20 karma added to their customizable 50.
Typhus:
Riffing off of the post by LukeZ:
--- Quote ---Sorcerers don't get one extra Magic point from the Priority System, they get one additional die when rolling Sorcery or Drain caused by Sorcery.
Enchanters don't get one extra Magic point from the Priority System, they get one additional die when rolling Enchanting or Drain caused by Enchanting.
Conjurers don't get one extra Magic point from the Priority System, they get one additional die when rolling Conjuring or Drain caused by Conjuring.
--- End quote ---
Perhaps not an additional die, but rather a Bonus Edge?
And/Or:
Sorcerer: Your spell AR goes up by 2. Your DR against spells that include you as a target goes up by 2.
Conjurer: Spirits you summon gain +2 AR and DR when in combat.
Enchanter: Attacks made by your concoctions have a +2 AR. If they provide a boost to the target's DR, that boost is increased by +2.
MercilessMing:
Knockout Blow Nerf
Problem: KO Blow, especially with the martial art technique Mean Right Hook, is too powerful for its cost. Instead of increasing the cost, this changes it into a situationally useful, inexpensive option that doesn't overshadow the plethora of other melee edge actions introduced in Firing Squad.
Knockout Blow (Melee Attack): You use your advantage to truly bring the hurt on an opponent. If you inflict stun damage, your attack also applies the Dazed status for a number of rounds equal to the damage done. If your natural unarmed attack normally does physical damage, you may choose to apply it as stun instead. Cost: 2 Edge
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