NEWS

[FA] New options from Forbidden Arcana

  • 79 Replies
  • 31687 Views

Jack_Spade

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6516
« on: <05-05-17/0857:00> »
So, lot's of goodies in that book (and lot's of chaff, but that's to be expected)

I'm excited about a few (possibly unbalanced) options that have opened up.

1) The Burminator
You remember that underwhelming Quality "Elemental Focus" from Hard Targets (p.191, +2 dice to cast your chosen element but drain is turned into that element too and you suffer the side effects)?
That drawback turns out to be a feature if you combine it with Elemental Master (p.36 FA).
Not only is all damage from the chosen element halved, but you also are now immune to the side effects. The kicker is that the damage is halved before you soak.
Suddenly a F12 Fireball is now only a mild 6 drain. If you use a fetish and/or the Mentor's Mask it's only 4.

2) Punchomancer
The BAREHANDED ADEPT (p.33) gives adepts Mag/2 touch spells, which can be cast through the Unarmed Combat skill. The force is limited to Mag/3 and Drain is doubled.
You may notice that nowhere I mentioned that these have to be Combat touch spells.
So, just a small list of really useful touch spells that can be cast at low force with reagents for great effect:

- Analyse device: Hello says the impersonator, of course I know how to use a sonic screw driver
- Combat Sense: Self explaining...
- Actually almost all Detection spells are touch range. How fun is that.
- Again, many health spells are touch, most notable: Heal: Yeah, no more stupid emphatic healing, Detox: Ah, Drugs, the cause and solution for all life's problems, Increase Reflexes: Muaharharhar!, Resist Pain: Bring it!
- Physical Mask: It's me...
- Fashion: ...and my perfectly fine tuxedo (that may or may not have been a full body armor only a minute ago)
- Increase Gear Limits: Improvised Throwing Weapons just became a lot deadlier...

3) Illusionist
p.37 That quality is just so good - no more sustain penalties for one Illusion spell per level of the quality. Lot's of area debuffs and stealth spells that would have crippled you to sustain are now perfectly viable: Opium Den or Chaotic World, Invisibility, Swarm just for example

4) Elephant Man
Revenant Adept allows an Adept to gain Regeneration until all injuries are healed. Regeneration does not heal drain damage. The new Flesh Sculpter/Skinwalker quality allows you to increase the shapechance limits up to 6 points more than normally (if you take it three times). Adept Spell exists. An Elephant has a base body of 12.
Combine all that and you have a nearly unstoppable combat form (which you can armor quite cheaply at 50 Nuyen per point of armor), healing 12+ points of damage per round

5) Bioaware
Nothing world shattering, but at Priority D there is now the Aware, gaining Mag 3 and Assensing 4.
You'll notice that you don't actually need Magic to be good at assensing. Which means you are free to invest in 'ware to boost your abilities (preferably bioware so you can keep at least one point of magic).
You are also able to bind and use weapon foci. Also you can gain an Animal Familiar (p.31) if you want to be a beast master.




« Last Edit: <05-05-17/1032:39> by Jack_Spade »
talk think matrix

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex

odd

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 302
« Reply #1 on: <05-05-17/0929:11> »
How do familiar work?  Closest I've seen is Ally spirit

Jack_Spade

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6516
« Reply #2 on: <05-05-17/1020:51> »
Essentially like a watered down Attune Animal ritual, only without the hassle but you are out of 5 Karma if the animal dies.
talk think matrix

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex

FST_Gemstar

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 905
« Reply #3 on: <05-05-17/1046:28> »
I've always been a fan of Magic 1 aspected magicians  because of the benefits you get from going Mundane E to Magic D was so much greater than any other D slot. You get weapon foci, mentor spirits, assensning, some metamagics, etc. The aware subtype makes this even more accessible. (dare I say too accessible?) To a point that there is no reason to be mundane when you can get so many perks of magic so easily at D.

Hobbes

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Prime Runner
  • ***
  • Posts: 3078
« Reply #4 on: <05-05-17/1144:24> »

2) Punchomancer
The BAREHANDED ADEPT (p.33) gives adepts Mag/2 touch spells, which can be cast through the Unarmed Combat skill. The force is limited to Mag/3 and Drain is doubled.
You may notice that nowhere I mentioned that these have to be Combat touch spells.
So, just a small list of really useful touch spells that can be cast at low force with reagents for great effect:

- Analyse device: Hello says the impersonator, of course I know how to use a sonic screw driver
- Combat Sense: Self explaining...
- Actually almost all Detection spells are touch range. How fun is that.
- Again, many health spells are touch, most notable: Heal: Yeah, no more stupid emphatic healing, Detox: Ah, Drugs, the cause and solution for all life's problems, Increase Reflexes: Muaharharhar!, Resist Pain: Bring it!
- Physical Mask: It's me...
- Fashion: ...and my perfectly fine tuxedo (that may or may not have been a full body armor only a minute ago)
- Increase Gear Limits: Improvised Throwing Weapons just became a lot deadlier...


Detox lord yes.  Sustained buffs are meh unless you're going to Edge or throw Reagents to up the limit, otherwise the sustain penalty kinda makes them a wash.  Physical Mask and anything opposed suffers the same issue, two hits isn't that much to resist.  Heal with two hits, also a bit eh. 

But yeah, combine with a high Edge build on the Sustained buffs, you're golden.  Or Revels in Murder for the Combat touch spells.

Adept Centering and Focused Concentration also become more important for this build, but Background Count makes you very sad as Force 2 doesn't last long.  But Detox lets you run your favorite drug cocktail indefinitely, just that alone would justify the purchase price.

Jack_Spade

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6516
« Reply #5 on: <05-05-17/1219:39> »
Yeah, reagent use is pretty much a must (although going to magic 7 already has a very noticeable effect on your Force level)

But as I mentioned in other threads, there are other ways to increase your limit: A workshop gives +2, leadership/teamwork and of course being a Daredevil and regularly reminding the GM to refill Edge for your stunts.

Low level Sustaining Foci become also quite attractive and of course Focused Concern... and drugs, sweet, sweet drugs.
talk think matrix

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex

Hobbes

  • *
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Prime Runner
  • ***
  • Posts: 3078
« Reply #6 on: <05-05-17/1629:37> »
Really depends on the games Background count, and how quickly you can get the Force of the sustains over whatever "normal" Background count your GM throws around.

Detox, Makeover, and Healthy Glow.  No walk of Shame for you.

Tecumseh

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 3938
« Reply #7 on: <05-05-17/1714:32> »
Barehanded Adept immediately jumped out at me, especially since you're allowed to use Unarmed Combat (which has to be 6 to qualify for the quality) for Spellcasting.

I would be drawn toward the Detection spells. Most of them are going to be cast at F2 (with something to break the Limit), so even doubling the Drain will only put you at 4S or so. Give me the Extended versions of Detect Enemies, Detect Life, and Spatial Sense, all which will be effective out to 120 meters. That's a great way to proactively avoid (or find) trouble.

Right now I'm playing / experimenting with what I'll call a Detection adept (danger sense, combat sense, improved senses for hearing and scent, magic sense, motion sense). He doesn't have the Unarmed skill to qualify for this Quality, but if he did it would really take him to the next level.

Other qualities which jumped out at me were Dedicated Conjurer and Dedicated Spellcaster, which would go a long way toward making Aspected Magicians more viable.

Tarislar

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1820
  • Uzi's + Fireballs .... Why I love Shadowrun!
« Reply #8 on: <05-05-17/2044:29> »
Other qualities which jumped out at me were Dedicated Conjurer and Dedicated Spellcaster, which would go a long way toward making Aspected Magicians more viable.

I'm confused by these 2.

Is it saying Dedicated Spellcaster/Conjurer is allowed by Aspected Sorcerer/Conjurer?   
That seems broken as they already can't do the other one.
Or is this something to pump up the new Aspected options like Elementalist or the new version of Shamanic Adept. (I forget what its called)

Tecumseh

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 3938
« Reply #9 on: <05-06-17/0125:53> »
Yes, not only can the Dedicated ____ qualities be taken by Aspected Sorcerers and Conjurers, they are actually cheaper for them too!

In my opinion it doesn't make a lot of sense for a full magician to take these qualities. Certainly not if they have to pay karma, as the positive effect does not outweigh the negative effect by 10 karma.

To use a sports metaphor, I see these as a "make-up call" for Aspected magicians. 6-7 extra spells for dedicated casters and 3 extra spirit types for dedicated conjurers all go a long way to making these builds much more versatile and far more compelling.

Rooks

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 992
« Reply #10 on: <05-06-17/0153:55> »
The aware Burn out way cybernetics using a weapon foci.. with astral bouncer
« Last Edit: <05-06-17/0339:33> by Rooks »

Vaylara

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 1
« Reply #11 on: <05-06-17/0929:18> »
One question regarding Magic Mastery.

It says Mastery qualities that have a magical tradition listened next to them have all of their skill requirements lowered by 2 for individuals of this tradition.

Does this mean, all traditions can learn this quality and not only the ones in brackets?

2nd question: Elemental Master.

Regarding one of the characters in my group.
She has the quality Elemental Focus (Fire Magic) and therefore gets physical fire damage drain and 2nd effects when casting Fire Spells.

If she now takes Elemental Master, is the damage she would get from drain also reduced by 50% for Fire Spells? Or does it only apply for fire damage she gets from other sources?



Overall, some really nice stuff in this, I like the Magic Mastery, alternate Aspected rules and the new and reworked traditions. Hope they will rework the other traditions as well in the future. :)

Jack_Spade

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6516
« Reply #12 on: <05-06-17/0944:30> »
Yes, everyone with magic can learn these qualities if they fullfill the prerequisites

Yes, the text explicitly says all kinds of damage, that includes drain.
talk think matrix

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex

ZeldaBravo

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1067
« Reply #13 on: <05-07-17/1332:27> »

Yes, the text explicitly says all kinds of damage, that includes drain.

Is that really so? The wording is that the quality "reduces all incoming damage from their chosen element by half". I doubt that Fireball drain does fire damage...
*I have problems with clarifying my point in English, so sometimes I might sound stupid or rude.*

Jack_Spade

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6516
« Reply #14 on: <05-07-17/1355:07> »
Read the text of "ELEMENTAL FOCUS"

"Choose an elemental type when taking this quality. When casting spells of that type, you get a +2 dice pool modifier. Drain you may take from casting spells of that type is of the same type"
talk think matrix

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield
Revenant Kynos Isaint Rex