Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Rules and such => Topic started by: FastJack on <08-30-19/0829:50>

Title: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: FastJack on <08-30-19/0829:50>
With the new edition up, here's a place to collect any house rules you develop/implement and would like to share.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: DigitalZombie on <08-30-19/1218:02>
Neat, I will try to update this post with peoples suggestions, as the SR5 thread ended up being somewhat difficult to search in.


Character creation
New priority chart, generally buffs lower attribute priorities and skills. Special column is slightly nerfed, but each choice is also a bit more impactful.
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rJrxd_AvH

Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MercilessMing on <08-30-19/1219:50>
Cool, I'll kick it off with one in high demand:

Armor.
How to make armor matter again.  The elimination of armor soak in 6e goes hand-in-hand with the damage reduction across the board.  You can't just add armor soak back in without unbalancing damage.  Here's some ideas to make armor matter:

1.  Replace Intuition with Armor on Defense Tests
This will create a delta between armored and unarmored folks. 
Also, if you really want your "street smart" Intuition specialists to Defend with Int:
1a.  Create a Quality that lets a character use Intuition instead of Reaction in Defense Tests.
Caveats: This rule will make "dodge" tanking even more effective on armor focused characters.  Augments that increase your armor rating can make this roll crazy, so I advise applying the "+4 augmented attribute max" rule to armor augments, or make only worn armor count in this roll.

Maybe you don't think armor soak is appropriate, but Edge doesn't matter enough.  Try one of these:

2. When comparing AR/DR - Instead of granting Edge, change the Soak Target Number
If the attacker has 4+ more AR, the defender soaks on 6's.  If the defender has 4+ more DR, the defender soaks on 4's. Caveat: Soaking on 6's is a bigger advantage to the attacker than soaking on 4's is to the defender.  Still may be ok on balance.

3. When comparing AR/DR - Instead of granting Edge, award dice.
This can be a static number when the 4+ threshold is reached, or one die per threshold of 2, etc.

4.  When comparing AR/DR - for every +-3 points, whoever has the lower number has to reroll one success, either on the attack roll or soak roll.
Up to some limit, like 3 or 4 dice.  This takes Armor out of the Edge granting business while retaining the most common use of edge: rerolls. With this rule, you never do more damage than you rolled. High AR makes the damage harder to resist, while high DR makes the attack possibly miss.
 
Edit: removed a surprise-related houserule that didn't use surprise correctly
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Xenon on <08-30-19/1833:24>
Imaging scope.
When you are using an imaging scope at Medium, Far and Extreme range, your target cannot gain Edge by having a higher Defense Rating.


Humans and Edge
...you can save Edge across multiple combat rounds to build up a maximum of 7 Edge points (or 8 for Humans) for that big play!


Humans and racial traits
You can’t select more than six total qualities at character creation, and the net bonus Karma cannot be more than 20.Humans receive 5 bonus karma to be spend on qualities to compensate that they don't have any racial traits, but the net bonus Karma limit of 20 still applies.


Gunnery and Manual operation
When using a weapon mounted on a vehicle, use Engineering + Logic (or Engineering + Agility for manual operation, like door guns on mounts)


Improved Ability
Cost: Athletics, Close Combat, Exotic Weapons, Firearms, Astral Combat Sorcery, Conjuring: 1.0 PP per level; other skills 0.5 PP per level


Amps
To prevent unlimited damage and area Amp up on spells are now limited to magic rating number of amps in each category (damage, area etc).


Max number of actions
Characters may never start a player turn with more than 6 Minor Actions. If they would have earned more through any circumstances, that number is reduced to 6


Range categories and Attack Rating
If a weapon does not have an Attack Rating in a certain range category, it cannot be used at that range. Also, if a weapon does not have an adjusted Attack Rating (after applying firing modes, accessories, statuses and ammunition etc) of 1 or more in a certain range category, it cannot be used with that combination at that range.


Cyberlimbs and condition monitor boxes
Each full cyberlimb adds one box to the character’s Physical Condition Monitor.


Cyberlimbs and armor
Full cyberlimbs can fit a maximum of 4 armor each, partial limbs a maximum of 3 armor each and hand/feet a maximum of 2 armor each.


Headware and cyberlimbs
Headware may also be installed in cyberlimbs, taking up capacity rather than essence.


Semi-Automatic:
In this firing mode you may either fire two rounds rapidly with two trigger pulls against a single target which will decrease the Attack Rating of your weapon by 2 and increase damage by 1. You may also fire just one round with one trigger pull, in which case there are no changes to a weapon's attributes.


Burst Firing:
You’ve got a fancy gun that pumps out multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. You can fire four rounds in an attack. The Attack Rating in this firing mode is decreased by 4. You can shoot a narrow burst against a single target which increase damage by 2, or make a wide burst against two targets, positioned no more than 2 meters apart and with no other targets (not friend nor foe) between them, by taking the multiple attacks minor action and splitting your dice pool. Wide burst increase damage of both attacks by 1.


Anticipation and full auto
Anticipation may not be used with Full Auto firing mode


Essence
All characters start the game with an Essence of 6. Characters can never have an Essence of 0 or less. If they do, they die.


Stacking of spells
The same spell being cast more than once on the same target will not stack. Instead only the instance with most net hits will count. This include spells such as Increase Attribute, Decrease Attribute and Elemental Armor, even if they affect different attributes or different elements.


Sim Modules
Sim modules, including the one build into control rigs, can be modified for hot-sim, which opens up the full range of VR experiences at the risk of frying your brain.


How to make armor matter again...
SR6 let your players wear the type of armor (and play the metatype or have the magical tradition or use the weapon etc etc) that fit their style.

I personally consider it a good thing that shadowrunners now can show off their tattoos or wear their open jackets rather than walking around with full battle armor with ballistic face masks like they are some sort of corporate HTR unit....
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Hephaestus on <08-30-19/2032:13>
Given the back-and-forth on the functionality of shotguns, I put together a quick fix that I think sets them apart from SMGs and ARs while not making them ungodly overpowered.

Shotguns

Shotguns using buckshot fire a single shot as an Semi-Automatic shot, incurring all standard bonuses and penalties for SA firing. (This could be reflected in the stats for the gun)

Shotguns using buckshot with Semi-Automatic mode can make a Burst Fire shot by using two rounds, incurring all standard bonuses and penalties for BF firing.

Double barrel shotguns using buckshot can make a Burst Fire shot by expending both barrels simultaneously. Doing so incurs the standard penalty and bonus, but the shot cannot be split between two targets.

Shotgun Ammo

Shotgun ammo costs 15Ĩ per 10 rounds, and has an availability of 2(L).
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <09-01-19/0852:39>
Little Preface: Iīm sometimes worried when posting houserules or homebrew stuff that this may lead to "blocking" a freelancer with a similar idea from using that in a supplement, especially when itīs a simple "no-brainer" solution that a lot of other people come up with as well. Cantīt really talk for the rest, but please, feel free to "steal" everything I post here  ;)

A lot of the stuff Xenon posted is quite neat, especially the human buffs. Thereīs two things that Iīd do slightly differently:   

Imaging scope: When you are using an imaging scope at Medium, Far and Extreme range, your target cannot gain Edge by having a higher Defense Rating., you recieve the bonus from the Image Magnification (+2 AR) and one Bonus die thatīs compatible with additional Take aim Actions. 

Improved Ability: At this point (I mean, isnīt Cracking also a Combat Skill as well?), Iīd rather renounce the distinction of combat and noncombat skills and go with 0.75 PP per rank for each skill. With skills being the equivalent of previous skill groups, 0.5 is too cheap for the boost, but 1.0 would be to strong since Attributes still have a bigger scope. 0.75 is the Sweet Spot here. Also, this Power can not be taken for Conjuring, Sorcery and Enchanting (If anything, this should need to be unlocked by something like an Adeptīs path in a future supplement)

OK, now for some Character Creation/Advancement stuff:

Adepts: Adepts get have Power Points equal to their Magic Attribute. They get one when they raise it (even when doing so with SAP during Character Creation), and they lose them when lowering it due to Essence loss. (This oneīs RAW now. Good.)  Mystic Adepts donīt get their Power Point right away, but get the option to "unlock" it for 5 Karma, and they canīt get additional Power Points through Initiaton. The amount of additional Power Points that Adepts and Mystic Adeps can get through Foci and Initiation is limited by their Magic rating.

Spells: The number of spells that Magicians (and Mystic Adepts, Aspected Magicians etc...) get for free is still based on their pick in the Magic/Resonance Column. However, they can learn additional Spells for Karma during Character Creation if they also buy the Spell Formular for Nuyen.

Impaired Attribute:This Quality has no ranks. If you take it for an Attribute, you cut the maximum Attribute value in half (round down)   

Specialisations: There is no limit on how many Specialisations you can take for an skill. However, the cost for additional Specialisations to increases by 5 for every Specialisation that a skill already has. At Character creation, you can use the Skill Points from the Priority table to buy a maximum of 1 Specialisation per Skill, the rest has to be bought using Karma. This true for the Exotic Weapons Skill as well.

Burning out: If you fully burn out (i.e. permanently reduce you Magic or Resonance to Zero), you lose your magical or resonance-based powers and canīt simply buy them back to 1 for 5 Karma (like Adepts and P.P., this really shouldnīt be "just a houserule" as well...). Completely burning out is usually permanent - itīs up to your GM if you can find a way to get your powers back and how much you have to sacrifice to do so. There is no proven way to achieve this, only rumors of a few rare individuals who managed to do so. You might even find out that all your efforts are for naught, in the end...

My most important houserules: Un-borking the Edge limitations:

Edge-Limits: Whenever a Character earns Edge on a test (including defending against attacks), only the Edge that is safed for later uses counts against the Limit of 2 Edge gained per round. Consume it right away, and you donīt risk losing it. The same is true for the limit of 7 (8 for humans with Xenonīs houserule) Edge that can be accumulated by a single character. 

Edge and Grunts: The rules above counts for grunt groups as well. However, there is no restriction on how often a group of grunts can spend Edge per round. In this regard, they count as individual characters that are just using the same pool of Edge. Grunts will usually spend every newly earned Edge right away, f.i. for rerolled dices.

Cover and Edge: Shooting from Cover doesnīt  prevent the Shooter from gaining or using Edge if the shooter gives up the Cover Status when performing the Attack. The shooter can then use a second Minor Action to re-enter Cover. (Note: One could argue that this is already kinda possible RAW by using the Move or Stand Up Action to exit cover...)

Armor/Defense Ratings/etc...
 
Edge-Boosts using Armor: Thereīs 3 additional Edge-Boosts that profit from high Armor. All of these are used on the Soak test:

Addition: Flechettes and Armor: Flechette Damage (i.e. the damage of Shotgun Flechettes, but also Needleguns and Fragmentation Grenades, often marked by a legacy (fl) tag in the rulebook) is less effective against highly armored targets. If the DR exceeds the AR of the Attack, add the difference as bonus dice to the Soak Test.

Attack and Defense ratings: To determine if the Attacker succeeds on a tie, compare the the AR and DR as well. If the DR is higher, the Attack misses; if the AR is higher, the Attack succeeds (dealing only the base damage if itīs an attack that deals damage). If these are tied as well, toss a coin. If the AR exceeds the DR by 8, the Defender canīt gain or use any Edge on the defense tests. The same is true in reverse if the DR exceeds the AR by 8. (So basically, a few more nuances to the AR-DR comparison. Note that these can apply to Hacking tests as well!).

Hardened Armor: Hardened Armor offers Bonus Dice to the Soak Test, not Auto Hits. It still adds its full Rating to the DR.

Fragmentation Grenades: While these have high damage potential on higher ranges, Armor and Cover offers better protection against them as well. You may choose to soak the Damage of Fragmentation grenades with the DR instead of just Body. See above.

Lastly (at least for today): Un-borking Melee and Strength

Strength and Melee Weapons:
This is true for all melee weapons with fixed damage codes, with a few exceptions: Shock Gloves, Shock Batons and other potential contact weapons, as well as Monowhips.


Updated Version:

Critical Strike (Adept Power): The Damage boost from this Power is limited by the Net Hits scored on each attack. You can take ranks in this power as often as you want, but you will want to score a really good hit (one might say: a Critical Strike 8)) to use its full potential.

 
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: penllawen on <09-01-19/1011:58>
Those are some great rules, Finsterstang!

If the Strength of the user is higher than the Damage Code, half of the difference (round up) is added to the Damage Code. (Seriously, do the math. It works surprisingly well, even in extreme cases  ;))
...hah, yeah, that’s pretty good! I could maybe lose a point or two off the top of the range, so it never exceeds the top end of ballistic weapons; but that’s my personal taste. Does it avoid all scenarios where a character does more damage with their fists than a weapon? I think it does but I’m just doing it in my head, I might have missed some scenarios.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Michael Chandra on <09-01-19/1046:56>
Should we discuss in this topic, or keep this topic solely for posting and keep debates in other topics?

Dynamic Edge:
- 2 edge max gained per Player Turn or Enemy Action, including temporary Edge. So a Jumped-In Rigger with Thermographic vision at night and a massive Attack Rating attacking twice still only gets 2 Edge, but you can earn 2 Edge per action you are attacked. (This to keep the hard cap on while giving you a bonus if you're attacked a lot.)
- 2 edge KEPT max per combat round, this means any Edge kept past the Action it was received in. If you spend it, it doesn't count against the limit (makes it more dynamic)
- During encounters, max Edge is 9, meaning high-Edge peeps don't have to spend it at once but actually can save up a bit

Grunt Edge:
- 1 Edge Boost allowed per 5 Grunts (rounded up), this to keep them more restricted while still supporting larger groups
- Per 5 grunts (rounded up), can earn 2 Edge max per turn, this to keep their Edge gain more restricted while still supporting larger groups
- If the grunts pass their composure test when members go down, count their original group size for these rules, to signal that for them more than just their own hide is on the line
- Routing grunts cannot gain Edge

Hardened Armor rank/2 autohits
APDS removes 2 autohits
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <09-01-19/1105:18>
Those are some great rules, Finsterstang!

If the Strength of the user is higher than the Damage Code, half of the difference (round up) is added to the Damage Code. (Seriously, do the math. It works surprisingly well, even in extreme cases  ;))
...hah, yeah, that’s pretty good! I could maybe lose a point or two off the top of the range, so it never exceeds the top end of ballistic weapons; but that’s my personal taste. Does it avoid all scenarios where a character does more damage with their fists than a weapon? I think it does but I’m just doing it in my head, I might have missed some scenarios.

Thanks :)

As long as there are no Bone Augmentations, Dermal Deposits etc. at work (in that case: fair enough, these are basically weapons in their own regard), you should always deal a bit more damage with a weapon than without - although there are still good reasons to go unarmed with superhuman strenght simply because of the AR. BTW, in the most extreme cases (Troll with 14 Strength with a Combat Axe), you could go up to 5+(14/5)/2 = 10 Damage (round up), compared to 7+1=8 with Unarmed + Dermal Deposits (and still an AR of 15+!).

Should we discuss in this topic, or keep this topic solely for posting and keep debates in other topics?

Erm... good point  ;D

Letīs stick to posting houserules (and occasional suggestions to improve other houserules)  ;)
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <09-02-19/1000:20>
Ok, a bit more about Ranged Combat and Ammo types:

Shotgun Flechettes apply the following Adjustments to the AR of a weapon: 0|+2|-2|-4|-6. They also deal +1 Damage on close all ranges. (Note: I know that Shotguns have only 3 Range bands, but it never hurts to have some more compatibility. Also, see below ;))
Edit: Since their Damage type is Flechette (fl), their Damage potential is affected more by Armor (see my post above). Thus, the increased damage over all ranges

APDS still reduce the DV of the by 1 because of of Overpenetration. They also deny any benefits from having a higher DR and let the shooter ignore up to 4 Bonus dice from either Cover, or from Hardened Armor, Bone Augmentations and other effects that add Soak dice.

Assault Cannon Ammo can be bought as APDS, ExMun and Flechette Shells.

Medium Range is 51 to 150 Meters, Long Range 151 to 500 Meters. (150 Meters as an effective range for a Pistol are hard enough to believe :P)
Have a better one now.

Range Thresholds: When performing any kind of Ranged Attack, there is also an additional range threshold to overcome to determine if the shot is lined up well enough to be able to hit the target in the first place. This threshold starts with 1 (already kinda implicated by the rules...) and increases by 1 for every full 250 Meters the target is away. on close and short ranges, but increases to 2 on medium ranges, 3 on long ranges and 4 on extreme Ranges.
If the Threshold is not met, the shot misses entirely and the target doesnīt have to take a Defense test. If the threshold is met, the target defends as usual. Note that in this case, the range threshold plays no more role for the rest of the calculation of the attack: F.i., The Net Hits are still determined by the difference between the hits of the shooter and the defender, even if the Threshold was higher than the hits of the defense roll.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Tecumseh on <09-05-19/1955:40>
I like Finstersang's rules and can imagine using most them.

This one isn't play-tested yet:

Anticipation: Doubles your dice pool. You may split up the dice pool evenly between two or more targets.

For example you could roll your full dice pool against two separate opponents, or half your dice pool against 4 opponents, etc.

The idea is to cap the number of dice by the user's abilities rather than their number of targets. It's also intended to keep the action an attack against multiple opponents rather than one super-attack against a single opponent.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: mortonstromgal on <09-06-19/0156:05>
These are the optional tweaks I’ve thought of so far.

More Fu! (Cinematic play) - Raise the max edge gain allowed in combat to 4, but may still only gain one for attacking. This does a couple things 1) it means you can burn 5 edge (and should) more than once before you run out. 2) makes armor matter more as high armor can earn you an edge all the time possibly multiple times.

Less Magicrun - All drain values are raised by 2

More Lethal - Double DV
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: LukeZ on <09-06-19/1146:14>
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.

Mystic Adepts get one less die when rolling Sorcery, Enchanting, Conjuring or Drain caused by Sorcery, Enchanting, Conjuring. They gain 1 PP per point of Magic after the first (PP = Magic-1) and 1 PP per Power Point Metamagic. They also lose PP whenever they lose Magic.

Adepts gain 1 PP per point of Magic and 1 PP per Power Point Metamagic. They also lose PP whenever they lose Magic.

With the Priority System, no character can increase his starting Magic/Resonance by more than 2 during creation.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Aria on <09-06-19/1227:19>
Contacts can start with Loyalty capped by Charisma but Connection Rating can go to Cha+2.  Max cap is still 6 on Connection and Loyalty...??
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Jimmy_Pvish on <09-06-19/1238:34>
Hardened Armor: add rating to soak test instead of reduce DV. (basically soak in 5E)

2 EDGE gain cap per combat turn: cap are only for storing EDGE, you still gain EDGE after that but must use it immediately.

Quickening Metamagic : Ban it for PC, make it dragon magic, immortal elf magic or anythings than PC can't get.

PC can't buy anything beyond Availability 9: Don't know it's already RAW or not (in the book, availability table cap at 9), anything beyond that must be given by DM.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Antique on <09-06-19/1344:52>
Ok, house rule tweak:
1.Grenades and explosives counts all armor as hardened.
2.Anti armor explosives ignore x points of armor, where x is their adjusted DV.

Effects:
-grenades are dangerous but not portable nukes anymore.
-armor is back to having a use
-anti vehicle rockets is actually usefull.
So 60ish% chance of not falling in a coma to a grenade if wearing a bomb squad suit.
Feels right. Toasty but alive if 5 m from a grenade with a military vest and helmet.
Chunky salsa if not wearing armor 3m from a grenade
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <09-18-19/1013:24>
Why are we still here? Only to suffer?

Ok, some miscellaneous houserules to let off some steam:

Medkits: Whoopsie, they still have a rating, but no effect tied to it ::) Why not kill two birds with one stone and use that to fix another common grievance?
Add the following Wireless Effect: When treating a patient that has has lost essence due to Augmentations, you may use the Medkitīs access to various Bodyware Databases to help with the complications. Ignore 0.5 * rating worth of Essence loss due to Augmentations to determine the effective Essence score for the healing test. (Hey, thatīs even something that makes sense for a wireless effect  ;D)

Spirit Formulars: Each type of summonable Spirit has its own Formular tied to it that has to be learned for 5 Karma or from the Magic Priority Selection, just like a regular Spell/Formular/Ritual. Of course, aspected summoners can get get up to their Magic Attribute (from the Priority Table) * 2 in "Spirit Formulars" as well.

Increase Attribute (Spell): Each character can only profit from one instance of the Increase Attribute spell.

Armor (Spell): For every 2 Net hits on the Spellcasting test,you get one additional die on tests to resist physical damage. Additional Amp effect: for +1 Drain each, you may convert 1 Point of bonus Armor from this Spell to Hardened Armor. (*Gasp* A buff for a Spell? Seriously, itīs a measured response. Right now, Armor is an almost strictly worse version of Combat Sense.)
Note: I also houseruled Hardened Armor to work as a simple Dice pool bonus on the Soak test.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MercilessMing on <09-19-19/1702:03>
If you think Strength doesn't matter enough in close combat, and unarmed combat damage gets crazy on the high end, try this:

Close Combat Skill
The primary linked attribute for Close Combat is Strength.  Agility is a secondary linked attribute

Unarmed Combat Test
Players may choose between either linked attribute when performing an Unarmed Combat test.

Unarmed Damage
The base DV of a unarmed attack is 2(s)
Only the highest augment applies when determining augmented unarmed DV.

Melee Weapons
Melee weapons are individually tagged as linked to Strength, Agility, or Either. Examples:

Strength
-Combat Axe
-Polearm
-Club
-Sap
-Hardening
-Cyberjaw

Agility
-Whips
-Shock Weapons
-Hand Razors

Either
-everything else

Title: 6E Used gear rule
Post by: Shadowhack on <09-20-19/1501:00>
I couldn't find a rule for used gear in the core book so this is my proposal unless I'm missing something...

The used rule for cyberware affects everything as far as cost goes. But there is a catch. Every time you use the gear to do something any glitch causes something bad to happen to the gear. What happens is up to the GM. This is on top of whatever consequence the glitch would normally have.

Example: Lunatoon has a commlink she bought used. It has a sattelite uplink. She tries to connect to the matrix out in the desert using the uplink. She wants to research the viper she has in her snake bag to see how toxic its venom is. Unfortunately she glitches on her roll and not only gets bad information about the venom but on top of that the commlink shorts out and she can't connect at all anymore. Now she has to bother a snake spirit that isn't very happy with her at the moment. Bad day for Lunatoon.

This rule would not affect cyberware purchased used because you are already paying extra essence for that on purchase.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: GuardDuty on <09-20-19/1614:55>
Good thing she didn't buy a used snake bag instead.   :o
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <09-20-19/1719:27>
Huh, while I already had my approach (which mainly focuses on bringing Melee Weapon damage on par with fists), I really like MercilessMings approach as well, but with a little twist:

Unarmed Damage
The base DV of a unarmed attack is Strength/4.

(and then all the other stuff as well. Good idea to give a choice on most weapons instead arbitrarily assigning them to Strength or Agility!)

My reasoning for Strength/4 here: 2S is still pretty high for a standard human with average to slightly above average strength, considering that saps and small pistols stick around these damage codes as well. And on the other hand, it feels a bit too low for a maxed out Troll. Making unarmed Damage still scale with  Strength, but at a much lower factor, works for both. True: In this case, a "supermaxed" troll with augmented Strength of 13-14 would still be able to compete with the damage of a Combat axe. But honestly, I can live with that. On that level, itīs "Hulk Smash" territory. 

Note: Iīm not currently using this one.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Shadowhack on <09-29-19/0241:55>
I don't know about you but I think a strong person should be able to handle the recoil on a firearm better than a little bitty person.

Recoil house rule: Compare your Strength to the DV of the weapon you are firing. For every three points your strength exceeds the DV of the weapon subtract 1 from any AR penalty imposed by a mode of fire. Yes this means you can virtually eliminate recoil penalties when using SA due to high strength. The reverse is in effect for low strength characters with a caveat that AR cannot go below 1. This adds importance to the Strength characteristic outside of melee combat.

Example: Lunatoon picks up a 6DV rifle that Biggie Blast dropped when he slipped on some grunt guts he cut out of a grunt. She tries to fire it at the scumbag ganger boy coming at her with a chainsaw. She has strength 2 and is firing a single shot. That is a four point difference so she's going to take a -1 penalty to AR. With RAW she would take no penalty at all.

Please tell me if this makes sense. I may be missing something. 
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: DigitalZombie on <10-01-19/1548:02>
I'll chip in with my close Combat house rules as well (non-tested beta houserules).

Change AR from Strength+ reaction to Strength +weapon
Reasoning: I actually like the Strength+reaction, but this houserule uses the same logic as DR (Body+armour).

Unarmed dmg is S/2 round Up
Armed dmg is S/2 round up +weapon dmg

Change all dmg2 weapons to +0 ( bonus would be a higher AR and/or physical dmg).
Change all dmg2 weapons to +1
Change all ... You get the point. Naturally some weapons would get tweaked a big afterwards. Mono whip should stat at a static dmg, as should some shock weapons etc.

AR of weapons should be somewhat reduced to take into account that Strength is now part of the equation. Again some weapons like monowhip would be excempt from this.


Examples:
Knife: dmg: S/2+0P  AR: S+ 3
Katana: dmg: S/2+2P   AR: S+7
Stock gloves: dmg 4S(e) AR: 5 (No chance from CRB)
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-08-19/0728:18>
Simple one for me, to add to the "Step 5: Bring The Pain" section on page 106;
If the final DV of a Physical attack exceeds the Armor Value of the target the damage inflicted is Physical, otherwise it is Stun.

Minor tweak to make armor a little more impactful. Right now, it seems most gunshots will do Physical damage, and I personally prefer that tough armor is able to absorb some of the energy of an attack. This is also because we used to play 4th Edition with a house rule that stun damage would scuff up your armor but leave your body mostly intact, but physical damage meant your body got hit and you now had to deal with blood potentially being left at the scene of the firefight.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <10-08-19/0947:38>
Simple one for me, to add to the "Step 5: Bring The Pain" section on page 106;
If the final DV of a Physical attack exceeds the Armor Value of the target the damage inflicted is Physical, otherwise it is Stun.

Bringing back that rule from 4th and 5th Edition to make armor more impactfull is a pretty good idea. However, in this form the Lethal-Stun-conversion also had the tendency to turn many battles into literal "snoozefests" where everyone only takes stun damage and passes out really quick because Stun monitors are often shorter than Physcial monitors. Instead, I suggest this:

If the final DV of a Physical attack doesnīt exceed the Armor Value of the target, the final damage that is inflicted (after the soak test) is split between the Stun Monitor and the Physical Monitor.

Not only keeps this some of the lethality and grittiness intact, it also adds another benefit for highly armored fighters because it takes longer to fill up one of these monitors or get wound penalties  ;)
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Shadowhack on <10-13-19/1231:13>
Here is another one from me. This comes from a complete dislike for how the cost structure of cyberlimbs is set up. Its pretty simple...

When you buy a cyberlimb the price listed is for a limb equal in strength and agility to whatever those attributes are after spending priority and racial points. Then you work it up from there using the normal rules.

Cyberlimbs are a staple in cyberpunk genre games and should not cost as much as they do in this system. As they stand right now they are extremely prohibitive. The current system may be more realistic but it takes away from the style of the game to much for my taste.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: DigitalZombie on <10-14-19/1650:49>
Houserules for vehicles. I found the current ones non-intuitive so I made a table with new a new Attribute and stats logic.
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/S15ez3kYB

Edit: say if I wanted to Edit  My First post in This thread, with links to All the houserules people have come Up with, what would be the best way to do it? I cant Seem to use [spoilers]. Is there any other way? I dont want This thread to end Up like the 5th edition houserules thread, a billion pages in Chaos.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-16-19/1737:12>
Matrix Hosts house rules:
Given the disparity between host ratings and general matrix rules, I would streamline hosts and IC as follows:

Host Attributes: Rating
Host and IC Attack and Defense Ratings: Host Rating x 2
Host and IC dice pools: Host Rating x 2
IC Condition Monitor: (Host Rating / 2, rounded up) + 8
IC Initiative: Host Rating + 3D6
IC Matrix DV: (Host Rating / 2, rounded up) + Net Hits on the attack roll

This makes hosts much easier to deal with for GMs as there are less variations to remember on the core rules. No need to worry about ASDF ratings, just double or halve the Host Rating for purposes of calculations as per the normal Matrix rules.

This idea came from the discussions in this thread: https://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=30413.msg529291
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: DigitalZombie on <10-18-19/1719:47>
Houserules for spirits and enchanting.
Low-medium force spirits are mostly the same, while higher force spirits are tougher to summon and costs more drain too...... Oh and that stuff about force? Its gone now, just like spells.

Enchanting now has higher Dice pools for effect, and No potency.... But with the ability to sustain a preparation for more than a second.

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/B1YJ4hmtH
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Ajax on <10-19-19/1425:30>
Our local group has adopted two House Rules, one is a fairly minor tweak and the other a bit more substantial:

1) Athletics and Close Combat are now Strength-based skills.

Strength is an otherwise undervalued Attribute and Agility was overly effective. This spreads out the love a bit.

2) Physical Adepts are now only selected via Magic Priority B, C, and D. Adepts chosen at these priorities start with Magic 6, 4, and 2 respectively.

I don’t think I need to elaborate on how awkward it is to build an Adept under the current rules as written. This House Rules is intended as a simple patch that’s easy to explain and easy to remember... We haven’t done any sophisticated maths to make it perfectly efficient. We wanted to K.I.S.S.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: CigarSmoker on <10-23-19/1442:43>
Add the following sentence to:

Add to 3-Edge Boost Heal one box of Stun damage
Add to 4-Edge Boost Heal 1 point of Physical damage

A character can use this Edge Boost only once for any single set of injuries.

Reason: Edge abuse gets a lot more "easy going".
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Predator1 on <10-29-19/0959:24>
Cyberlimbs add ons come in deltaware take half capacity
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Giabralter on <10-31-19/2217:39>
Amp Up - adds a net success to a successful casting of a spell. Then it's usable for any spell.

Touch Attack counts as a minor action when performing an unarmed test.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Xenon on <11-03-19/0810:36>
Grappling


Attacker initial Turn - Connect and establish grapple (Major action)

Opposed Close Combat + Agility vs Intuition + Reaction
Instead of dealing damage you grapple and restrain.



Defender Turn - Break Free (Major action)

Opposed Close Combat + Strength vs. Close Combat + Strength



Attacker turn (if subject is still grappled = 1 point of free edge):

Option 1 - Keep on restraining (Major action)
No test.

Option 2 - Keep on restraining and deal damage (Major action)
Opposed Close Combat + Strength vs. Strength + Reaction - 4
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Trim2060 on <12-22-19/0936:22>
Magic gained with karma

Mage: no new abilities just a change in power.

Mystic adept: (cost for magic increase is based off of total of mage and adept)
Choose will the magic point aid mage or adept abilities.
If adept gain a power point.

Adept: gain a power point for each magic increase.


Magic lost from essence loss

Mage: no loss of abilities unless magic reduced to 0 then all abilities are lost.

Mystic adept: loose 1 magic from highest of mage or adept, if equal choose 1. If adept loose a power point. If magic for mage or adept is 0 lose the abilities if that side.

Adept: each magic lost is a power point lost.


Initiation and mystic adepts.
Mystic adepts may take bonus power points, the maximum power points may not exceed twice the magic attribute assigned to the adept side.
Title: Melee Combat & Str. - Limit for Critical Strike Adept Ability
Post by: neonate111 on <12-25-19/1431:01>
Positive Quality: Brute Strength Style (0 Point Cost) Why rely on finesse and fancy footwork.  Just Bash, Bash, Bash away!  The character uses Strength as their primary attribute with their close combat skill.  AR with Close Combat Skills is now Strength or Weapon AR (whichever is higher).

Rationale: Sixthworld seems to place a higher importance on successes helping to determine the damage code this would then help carry this through with melee attacks.

Adept Power (Critical Strike): (only 1 Rank Allowable)  This gets CRAZY with unarmed combat damage codes get insane fast.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MercilessMing on <01-13-20/1118:52>
Power Point Loss
January 2020 errata made this redundant

The rules (currently) make no mention of power point loss.  It mentions Magic loss, but not power point loss.  If this isn't an oversight, it's a significant break from previous editions of Shadowrun.  In our home game, we rule that permanently losing a point of Magic also means losing a power point if the adept/mystic adept's new magic rating is less than their power point total. 

Examples:
A mystic adept with Magic 4 and 2 power points loses a point of magic: no PP loss.
An adept with Magic 3 , 2 power points, and 3 bonded Force 4 Qi foci: no PP loss.
An adept with Magic 5, 2 levels of initiation, and 7 PP: 1 PP loss.

In chargen, players who want to add augments to their adepts should raise their magic rating to protect their power points from the resulting magic loss.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <05-01-20/0920:14>
While I actually like the current Initiative System and Action Economy, I found a few additional tweaks which - in my experience - really helped to make the flow of combat even smoother. Depending on the Content of the Combat Supplement *cough cough*, some of these might become obsolete soon. But alas  ::)

Buying Minor Actions: For 3 points of Edge, you may buy an additional Minor Action (max. 1 per turn)
Saving Up Minor Actions: You may save up to unused 2 Minor Actions into your next combat turn.
Ambushes: In the case of a successfull ambush, the ambushing party begins the first Combat round with 2 additional Minor Actions (basically, as if they had saved 2 Minors from a previous Combat turn)
Minor Action Limit: The Minor Action Limit is 6, not 5. (Possible Errata item BTW. The Limit for Initiative Dice is 5, which adds up to 6 Minor Actions along with 1 free Minor Action.)

Note: These donīt seem like that big of a deal (or even more complicated) on a first glance, but they really help a lot with the Analysis Paralysis you will encounter with certain players: "Hmmmm, if I donīt use my second Attack and instead use a Dodge Action, I still have 3 minor Actions left - how do I spend these most efficiently? Let me think for a moment..."
With the option to save up Minor Actions, even unaugmented Characters have the option to make 3 Attacks over 2 Combat rounds, but only if they arenīt forced to waste Minor Actions on other stuff like Cover and Movement. Meanwhile, Initiative Enhancements are still super valuable (probably even a bit more) because you will rarely find yourself in danger of "wasting" your Minor Actions if you are just 1 short of your second Major Action - you can either safe some up for the next turn or buy the missing Minor Action with Edge.

Oh, and about the Minor Action Limit: Call me a Madman, but I actually ignore this completely at my table. Itīs kinda redundant with the Inititive Dice Limit anyways. Of course, itīs really not when you allow saving up Minor Actions: A character with the maximum 5 Initiative Dice (I know, very common...) could save 2 Minor Actions from a previous Combat Turn (or a successfull ambush) for 3 Attacks in a Combat turn. To which I say: So what? Yes, itīs super strong, but itīs also a massive investment to even get there. Haha Rating 4 Wired Reflexes go Brrrrrrr  8))

A few additional tweaks related to Initiative and Action Economy:

Defensive Actions: Each Defensive Action can only be used once per Combat turn. These are (for now): Avoid Incoming, Hit the Dirt, Block, Dodge, Full Defense.

Note: This are mostly meant to be break the dominance of the Dodge Action. A limit enforces some variety and makes combat against high-Initiative Dodge-Monsters less tiresome.

Avoid Incoming: Not usable against Combat Spells. Can be performed regardless of previous Move or Sprint Actions.

Note: Another source of Analysis Paralysis. I understand that the limitation was introduced to reduce movement cheese, but IMO thatīs already curbed by making the defender go prone after 2 Meters. Speaking of which: 

Stand Up: Requires a Minor Action only if you didnīt drop prone in a controlled and "gracefull" way (i.e. using the Drop Prone Action). Hit the Dirt, Avoid Incoming or getting sweeped of your feet by an opponent means that you have to use a Major Action.

Quick Assessment: A quicker, less accurate version of Observe in Detail, performed as a Minor Action. Yields a rough piece of information about a single character or factor in a Combat situation ("Is the guy next to me armed?", "Can I use these planters for Cover?"). As per GMīs discretion, a Perception Check may or may not be needed.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Michael Chandra on <05-01-20/1146:07>
Ambushers already get the benefit that the defenders cannot do any actions whatsoever. Can't move, can't take cover, can't use Dodge or Full Defense. Don't see why that should be made even worse.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <05-01-20/1251:43>
Thatīs a separate issue (but thanks for pointing it out  ;)):

What you mean is the disadvantage for the victims of an ambush that comes with failing a surprise test. Thatīs not what I by "successfull ambush". For that, it would be sufficient to set up the Ambush and donīt get spotted beforehand. Then, the GM may call for a surprise test to check... well, how surprised the individual Ambushees (is that a real word? I like it...  ;D) are. So, a successfull surprise test for the Ambushees would still enable defensive Actions and movement, but wonīt deny the 2 Minor Actions for the Attackers. These are just the logical consequence of allowing to save up 2 Minor Actions between combat rounds: You basically assume that there is one "silent" Combat turn before the Initial Attack from the Attackers saved up 2 Minor Actions.

TBH, I donīt think that the current ambush mechanics are really that drastic: First off, if the defenders pass their surprise tests, they suffer no drawbacks at all. And if they do, they still get their defense tests. Thatīs much tamer than in the previous Editions, where the defense test was omitted entirely (which made Sniping an absolute cakewalk...). Even with a failed surprise test, thereīs a good chance that you canīt even put down the average guardsman in the first combat turn. In 5th Edition, you would have just popped their heads.

Also, many other systems (and from what Iīve seen, some SR houserules/GM handwavings as well) simply count the Initial Attack of the Ambush as a free Action outside of the combat flow - at least for the PCs. Compared to that, 2 Minors for the Ambushers (or: 1/2 of an Attack) is quite tame as well. Sure, it enables two Attacks, but if the ambushers donīt have Initiative Enhancements, going for that second Attack would leave them without Defensive options as well if they donīt manage to incapacitate their targets.  BTW, Take Aim and Move Actions and other "Ambush necessities" are to be used as part of the initial Attack as well.

However: If you really feel that Ambushes are deadly enough, feel free to ignore that one. The main point here is to add some tactical flexibility, mostly by allowing characters to safe up Minor Actions.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <05-09-20/0950:35>
So, my latest rant (https://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=31328.0) about the unfitting imaging scope mechanic and  Michael Chandras (https://forums.shadowruntabletop.com/index.php?topic=31319.0) 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.

Most others are fine or tolerable IMO. From what Iīve seen, SMGs in real life usually cap out at about 200 Meters, but then again... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk7IDVzLiQo)

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:
 
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. 
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Materiam on <05-23-20/0336:10>
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!
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MedicWolf on <02-15-21/2048:55>
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.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Typhus on <04-16-21/2004:38>
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.

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.
Title: Nerfed Knockout Blow
Post by: MercilessMing on <11-17-21/1058:21>
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

Title: New Spell Amps that should have been in Street Wyrd
Post by: MercilessMing on <11-30-21/1025:47>

Spell Amps
That should have been in Street Wyrd

Subtle Casting    +1DV 
+1 Threshold to tests to notice casting.
Combine this with a reduced normal threshold to notice casting, because the CRB rule is crazy high

Reckless Casting   +1DV
+1 Wild Die to spellcasting tests.  Spells cast recklessly are always obvious.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <11-30-21/1719:37>

Spell Amps
That should have been in Street Wyrd

Subtle Casting    +1DV 
+1 Threshold to tests to notice casting.
Combine this with a reduced normal threshold to notice casting, because the CRB rule is crazy high

Reckless Casting   +1DV
+1 Wild Die to spellcasting tests.  Spells cast recklessly are always obvious.

Coincidentally, I had already implemented the exact same houserule for the Wild Die option, just with a different name ;D. An Amp to go stealthy didnīt occur to me, though.

Absolutely loving it and yes indeed: These should have been in Street Wyrd (along with an overhaul to the existing Amps for Combat spells...)
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MercilessMing on <06-02-22/0856:59>
Qualities

Negative
Essence Hole
At some point in the past, you had one or more pieces of ware removed.  Maybe it was defective, maybe you needed the cash, or maybe it was removed without your consent.  In any case, you're left with all the drawbacks of ware without the benefits.

Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: draxdeveloper on <10-11-22/2146:38>
Knowledge House Rule

This house rule take in consideration how much specialized a skill is and apply it in the Legwork table from Contacts (page 50)

I don't know if I can copy the table here so I will not. But level 0 and 1 don't represent someone with a real knowledge in the subject, so we will start with level 2. In the same way levels 9 and 10 are far above the expected info you would get with a knowledge skill, so we have 7 levels, most skills fall in level 2 or 3 (rating 3 and 4 in legwork results).
I can't add a table with examples now but it would be something like:
Level 1: Generalist level (Trideo)
Level 2/3: Regular level (most examples of knowledge skills)
level 4/5: Specific level (A specific genre of Trideo Series)
level 6: Really Specific level (A specific Trideo Series)
level 7: Obscure level (Characters of a specific Trideo Series)

Not the best examples but I hope I could make the concept clear, anyway...

You can get the quality of the info based on the specificity knowledge level, so if your knowledge is level 5 you would know "secrets and hidden information" , if it's level 1 you would know just "a few nuggets of information" and if it's level 7 "some deep secrets".

You can access information for a higher level making a memory roll, the threshold 2 + the difference of the levels. So if you have a knowledge level 3 and want something level 7 the threshold would be 6.

Language House Rule

This one is easier, the levels are almost the same but each level have some definitions, also the basic level now is named accented and you can buy a level above expert (master or something like that) that it's almost as native level.

Language (Accented): You can read and write with no issues, but you have a heavy accent. Add one to the threshold of a con test if you are trying to disguise as a native of the language. Roll if the target is speaking somewhat faster, in a low level or if there is a lot of noise. In other words anything that would force you to focus in what the target is speaking
Language (Specialist): You got ridden of the accent or can easily disguise it. Roll if the target is speaking really fast, whispering or using a lot of slangs.
Language (Expert): You just need to roll if worst conditions or if your mental status is really affect (confused or similar)
Language (Master): You almost work as a native. You need two extreme conditions to need to roll, also you have a bonus of 4 (all the bonus are the same as the book)
All the tests are to know if the player understand the language. If the player need to roll a perception test they it's must be a separated test and must be made before the language test (if you didn't hear anything there is no need to know if you would understand it)
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: MercilessMing on <12-15-22/1128:41>
Grenade resolution too complicated?  The 6e core book wants you to refer to three tables to resolve this.  Scatter direction, scatter distance, dodge penalty.  But you can get very similar results with a much simpler approach.

Simpler Grenade Resolution (6e)

An attack with grenade or similar area effect weapon, whether thrown (Athletics, sp. Throwing) or launched (Exotic Weapons, sp. Launchers) is a Simple test with a threshold determined by the gamemaster.  If the attack meets or exceeds the threshold, the object lands or arrives close enough to the target to be considered accurate.  If the attack misses the threshold, the object will land some distance away.  The more the roll misses, the farther away it lands.
One attack die will always be a Wild Die.  This adds the random element that the RAW models with the extra 2D6 roll.  A hit on the Wild Die increases the accuracy of the throw, while a 1 will make it less accurate.

Suggested Base Threshold for Thrown attacks:
1 for every 5 meters of distance (Distance / 5), plus more based on difficulty (CRB pg. 36 for guidelines)
Example: An average difficulty throw from about 30 meters away would have a threshold of 9.

Suggested Base Threshold for Launcher attacks:
Threshold based on Range category, plus more based on difficulty (CRB pg. 36 for guidelines)
Close: 7
Near: 5
Medium: 7
Far: 9
Extreme: 11

Scatter
The thrown or launched object will scatter by 1 meter per missed threshold hit.  The direction should be determined by the gamemaster, either determined randomly or decided by what's appropriate in the narrative.  The wild die result could be used as inspiration for this.

Avoid Incoming (A) Minor
Instead of rolling REA + Athletics - Dodge Penalty (determined by the Dodge Penalty Table):
Roll REA + INT and don't apply any dodge penalty.  For every hit, character may move 1 meter in the direction of their choosing.  If the move 2+ meters, they may also elect to drop Prone.

Justification: Easier to remember than REA + Athletics, eliminate penalty to streamline, makes minor somewhat useful since it provided almost no benefit before.
Title: Re: [SR6] House Rules
Post by: Finstersang on <12-20-22/0704:42>
Love it, lots of good stuff in there. And by god is it necessary, the current rules are just so clunky and wonky. Iīve been ruminating on the same issue for a while now as well. I think thereīs another grave issue besides complexity that could be adressed by Grenade Houserules: AR/DR. Thereīs a lot of weirdness in that system anyways, but when it comes to Grenades, this is where truly everything falls apart:

Iīm fine with the way AR/DR works now in single-attack cases, but itīs clear that the whole concept needs to be completely flipped on its head for Grenade Resolution. The DR should have a clear and impactful interaction with the actual Explosion, and the AR should reflect the "precision" of the Attack. Meanwhile, Edge maybe needs to take a bit of back seat in there. Also, thereīs a lot of other small things to adress here, like HE Grenades being strictly worse than Frag. So please allow me to pick up on your suggestions and modify them a bit  8)

Thresholds:
A little bit of cautious criticism: If you want to stick with "thrown or launched object will scatter by 1 meter per missed threshold hit", scatter becomes a bit too reliable, even with these relatively high thresholds. Even on a completely botched roll, it will never be more than just those 11 Meters on extreme Ranges. However, for my own modification, Iīd stick with roughly the same Thresholds you suggest. Maybe MINUS 1 or 2, since the penalty for missing the Threshould is more serious as well. The Wild Die isnīt needed for this solution to work. It could be used to further reflect the chaotic nature of these attacks, but I think the next part does this well enough  ;)

Scatter is 1W6 Meters per missed point of the Threshold. This is obviously a lot more unpredictable - However, you then also subtract the remaining AR from the rolled scatter, thus reflecting the "precision" of the weapon (Note that this also better fits stuff like the +2 AR of guided missiles). Regarding the direction of the scatter: As you probably also noticed, the scatter diagramm isnīt distributed evenly anymore. Instead itīs highly biased to "overshoot" the target instead of going too short. This may be fitting for close and near ranges, but for higher ranges, it makes sense to flip the diagramm on its head, especially for thrown grenades.

Armor, DR and Edge for the Defender: Now with AR covered, what about the Defense Rating? As I said above, it makes no sense to actually compare the DR to the AR in these cases, especially if the explosion doesnīt go off right away or if the grenade scatters so much that the victim isnīt even in reach anymore. Instead, I suggest the following: When the Grenade goes off (and if itīs an actual damage-dealing grenade  ::)), all victims in range simply compare their DR to the remaining Damage Score theyīd face for that range. If they have a higher value (no "+4" in this case), they get 1 Edge to be used for the the Damage Resistance Test only. Furthermore, against Frag Grenades (and Frag Rockets/Missiles), the victims also roll their Full Defense Value (i.e. Body + Armor) instead of just Body. This balances out the higher damage/kill radius of Frag explosives and helps distinguishing them from HE Grenades. They are still very scary against soft targets even with that houserule ;) (Note: At my tables, this is actually part of a broader houserule that aims to bring back the "Flechette" Damage type from 4th and 5th Edition)

Edge for the Attacker: ... Honestly, isnīt the devastation of well-placed explosive enough to reflect an Advantage for the attacking side?  ;) The goal here is to decouple AR and DR in the case of Grenade Attacks, and the AR has a lot more impact if its used to determine scatter anyways. So: No Edge for the Attacker, at least not from AR/DR. However, the GM should feel encouraged to grant situational Edge for clever placement of grenades and/or high attack rolls.

Avoid Incoming/Prone Status: Great idea to simplify the Avoid Incoming roll! I donīt mind keeping Athletics in there, but I just have no clue how the Dodge Penalty even made it in the Core Rules again when so many other more meaningfull modifiers have been scrapped. Seriously, what does it even reflect? Anyways: Avoid Incoming also mentions the Prone Status, and in your houserule it seems to be not mandatory anymore after 2 Meters. No objection to that modification, but what always irked me that the Prone status does nothing against grenades in on itself. In reality, dropping prone is  arguably the most important thing (https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2020/05/Grenade-Explosion-3G.jpg) if you want to survive a grenade blast. I suggest the following addition to the Status description on p. 53: "As long as you are not in Ground Zero range, being Prone also reduces the Damage Code of explosions by 2." (Edit: Apparently, this also an effect of the Hit the Dirt action, but itīs not mentioned straight away in the description of the action, and itīs unclear if and how it can be combined with Avoid Incoming ??? Anyways, sticking the -2 Explosion Damage to the Prone status seems like a good way to clean things up... )

Airburst Link: Simply reduces the Threshold for the Attack Test by 1. No effect on Hit the dirt or other defensive options. With an additional Minor Action and a DNI, Characters can use the same effect for thrown Grenades, as long as they are wireless-active (a totally great idea that will never backfire :P).

Last, but not least: For some reason, the description of Avoid Incoming explicitly tells us to let the Defender chose the direction before the scatter direction is rolled. To me, this is just the worst kind of randomness, because it will lead to a situation where a bad roll with higher scatter + a good Avoid Incoming roll ultimately goes against the defenders because they just so happened to run in the wrong direction. Not exactly fun to lose a character to that kind of bad luck IMO :P As long as the victim has a good view of the actual attack happening, they should be able to make out where the point of impact will be - and choose to run after scatter has been determined.