[Elizara Dane]

Do SINners really pay their taxes on their illegal Shadowrun money?  Something just seems off about that.

Our group always played it like the SINner was living "off the grid". As in you paid cert. cred for all your lifestyle and you keep all your purchases under your SIN strictly legal and mundane unless you feel like living dangerously. Of course, the characters would also have Fake SINs as well because buying a gun legally then using that gun in illegal activity might not be the best idea. Also, if runs got messy or we had close encounters with law enforcement the GM would take into make some discreet rolls to see is the SINning character would be identified. Depending on the severity of the infraction the offending character would have to spend a little cash moving across town in a hurry or "lying low" and be unplayable for a run or two.

[RHat]

Question about Cyberware and Bioware Essence costs.

Do you still half the value of the lower item? If I have 4 points of cyberware, and 3 points of bioware, do I still only pay 1.5 for the bioware, for a total 5.5 essence loss, or is that now a total of 7 points, and impossible to do?

I've looked and looked, and now I'm wondering if this is how they've nerfed cyber characters.   

That rule has indeed been removed, but it's important to note that Bioware essence costs have been reduced.

Actually, being new here, I'd hate to point out that you're wrong, but the essence cost of Bioware is all the same.

The monetary costs have changed on most items, some costing as much as 3 or 4 times as much as 4th edition. Very few items (bone density augmentation, orthoskin, platelet factories to name a few) have been reduced in cost, but generally everything is way more expensive.

Actually, I have to admit that on that one I hadn't taken the time to compare for myself, and was going off someone else's comments.  Still, it has to be noted that Delta grade has a MUCH smaller cost multiplier, so other than a sensible increase on the "must haves" (putting them into a more difficult to reach point for adepts and mages), most things became a lot cheaper to get in the better grades.

[Ricochet]

Do SINners really pay their taxes on their illegal Shadowrun money?  Something just seems off about that.

Our group always played it like the SINner was living "off the grid". As in you paid cert. cred for all your lifestyle and you keep all your purchases under your SIN strictly legal and mundane unless you feel like living dangerously. Of course, the characters would also have Fake SINs as well because buying a gun legally then using that gun in illegal activity might not be the best idea. Also, if runs got messy or we had close encounters with law enforcement the GM would take into make some discreet rolls to see is the SINning character would be identified. Depending on the severity of the infraction the offending character would have to spend a little cash moving across town in a hurry or "lying low" and be unplayable for a run or two.

As a game balance, we likely will use "taxes" as extra costs of covering up, laundering, etc.  Although then you have the issue of why it's 20% for a Limited Corp SINner and 10% for a born corp SINner.  The person in the system all their life would have the bigger trail to cover.  We'll still follow to keep the mechanics of the qualities as written, but it takes some glossing over the fluff to make sense of it.

[GiraffeShaman]

Am I reading movement right? I can take all my movement on my first Action Phase? So if I have 3 Agility and I'm running, I can cover 12 meters in the 3 second Combat Turn. I can do all that in my first Action Phase? Or are we back to the crazy dividing up movement over the Turn?

Also, I can purposely divide up movement? Perhaps I for some reason don't want to be qualified as sprinting or running yet, but I want to get my full movement out of the whole 3 Seconds, so I decide to only move 6 meters for now, then do 6 later in the Combat Turn. Is that legal?

[Dinendae]

I think I'm pretty sure of the answer, but just to clarify: Special Attribute Points (gained when assigning a higher priority level to metatype) cannot be used to increase power points for a Mystic Adept, correct?

[Ricochet]

I think I'm pretty sure of the answer, but just to clarify: Special Attribute Points (gained when assigning a higher priority level to metatype) cannot be used to increase power points for a Mystic Adept, correct?

No they can't.  The only stated uses are for magic rating, resonance, or edge.  And mystic adepts don't get power points for magic rating.

[khaine1969]

Ok here's another rigger related question (still waiting for the answer to the first one) on page 269 it says RCCs can utilize programs like a cyberdeck (altho they're not comparable with each other), but the gear chart for the RCCs does not say how many programs each model can run at a time.
Soooo. How many programs..not autosofts with sharing...can each model run?

[Carmody]

Thanks for your answer Aaron (well, it was on page 3 but I did not reconnect since  ).
It is appreciated, even if I do not buy your explanation about the limit on summoning/binding (at least I know this is intended).
Is there any chance to get answer for the other questions:

Interrupt actions
Quote from: SR5 p. 167
When a character uses an Interrupt Action, such as Full Defense, he takes an action out of turn, but only if he has enough Initiative Score left in the Combat Turn to pay the price for the action. Interrupt Actions occur outside the normal course of the Combat Turn and do not cost the character their Action Phase (unless they reduce their Initiative Score below 0 with their actions).
(emphasize mine)

From the first bolded text, I understand that it is only possible to use an interrupt action if the initiative score of the character is greater (or equal?) to the cost of the interrupt action.
However, the second bolded sentence assumes it is possible for the initiative to drop below 0.

what is the correct understanding?
   - only possible to use an interrupt action if current initiative > interrupt action cost
   - only possible to use an interrupt action if current initiative > 0
Long Burst: which weapons can perform Long Burst? I feel that this mode is available to BF weapons but I cannot find a where it is stated (or even if it is correct)

Bursts & Multiple attacks: It is stated for Semi-automatic burst, Burst Fire, Long Burst and Full-auto that one can take advantage of the Multiple Attacks Free Action to fire at multiple targets with the same burst. Can you please detail how it shall be done. Here is my understanding (and questions):
   - the dice pool is splitted
   - only 1 burst is fired (i.e. ammo consumption unchanged)
   - what is the defense modifier applied to the targets? (full modifier or the modifier is also splitted)
   - it is stated p. 196 that the total number of attacks you can make in a single Action Phase is limited to one-half the attacker's Combat skill. I assume in that case it is also limited by the number of bullets (obvious but not stated)

[Thufar_Hawat]

Also on pg196 it states that multiple attacks can only be used with two firearms, contradicting the SA/burst/full auto fire rules.

Thanks for your answer Aaron (well, it was on page 3 but I did not reconnect since  ).
It is appreciated, even if I do not buy your explanation about the limit on summoning/binding (at least I know this is intended).
Is there any chance to get answer for the other questions:

Interrupt actions
Quote from: SR5 p. 167
When a character uses an Interrupt Action, such as Full Defense, he takes an action out of turn, but only if he has enough Initiative Score left in the Combat Turn to pay the price for the action. Interrupt Actions occur outside the normal course of the Combat Turn and do not cost the character their Action Phase (unless they reduce their Initiative Score below 0 with their actions).
(emphasize mine)

From the first bolded text, I understand that it is only possible to use an interrupt action if the initiative score of the character is greater (or equal?) to the cost of the interrupt action.
However, the second bolded sentence assumes it is possible for the initiative to drop below 0.

what is the correct understanding?
   - only possible to use an interrupt action if current initiative > interrupt action cost
   - only possible to use an interrupt action if current initiative > 0
Long Burst: which weapons can perform Long Burst? I feel that this mode is available to BF weapons but I cannot find a where it is stated (or even if it is correct)

Bursts & Multiple attacks: It is stated for Semi-automatic burst, Burst Fire, Long Burst and Full-auto that one can take advantage of the Multiple Attacks Free Action to fire at multiple targets with the same burst. Can you please detail how it shall be done. Here is my understanding (and questions):
   - the dice pool is splitted
   - only 1 burst is fired (i.e. ammo consumption unchanged)
   - what is the defense modifier applied to the targets? (full modifier or the modifier is also splitted)
   - it is stated p. 196 that the total number of attacks you can make in a single Action Phase is limited to one-half the attacker's Combat skill. I assume in that case it is also limited by the number of bullets (obvious but not stated)

[quindraco]

Its really simple "You can only take one attack action in an action phase"

Just stick to that, and you got the rule right.

Have we worked out what an attack action is yet?

[Deverash]

How do you cast an touch spell, say, Death Touch?

It's a Complex (or Simple if cast recklessly) to cast the spell, then another  Complex for the unarmed attack to touch someone.  How does that work?

[Shinobi Killfist]

How do you cast an touch spell, say, Death Touch?

It's a Complex (or Simple if cast recklessly) to cast the spell, then another  Complex for the unarmed attack to touch someone.  How does that work?

Indirect touch is even more confusing. Do they get 2 dodge tests one for the unarmed and one for the spell discharge?  Can you punch? Can you punch as a split pool multi attack. How do you split 2 different pools? 

[Traumaron]

Surprise:
If a surprise test is failed, the character lose 10 initiative points and is considered surprised until his next action phase (p192).
If Bob (initiative 9) manages to suprise Bill (initiative 22), then Bill's initiative drops to 12 and Bill is considered surprised until his action phase at 12. Therefore, even if Bill is surprised, he can act before Bob.

Is it how surprise is intended to work, or shall the surprised character lose his next action phase (i.e. do nothing during his action phase and lose 10 initiative)?

In order to clarify my question, here is my understanding of how the rules work:
   - Beginning of fight: Bob (init 9) surprises Bill (init 22), Bill initiative is reduced to 12.
   - Action phase 1: Bill acts at 12, then Bob acts at 9
   - Action phase 2: Bill acts at 2, no more actions for poor Bob

Here is how I would have expected it to work:
   - Beginning of fight: Bob (init 9) surprises Bill (init 22)
   - Action phase 1: Bill does notihing at 22 because he is surprised, then Bob acts at 9
   - Action phase 2: Bill acts at 12, no more actions for poor Bob
   - Action phase 3: Bill acts at 2
--> Bill and Bob still get the same number of action phases, but Bob is able to take advantage of having surprised Bill

First off all of the participants in the surprise take a Surprise Test of Reaction + Intuition (3).  If they were alerted they get +3 dice pool.  Once you determine who passes and doesn't, those who don't pass  get a -10 initiative and are considered surprised until their next Action Phase.  A surprised character doesn't get their Defense Test when attacked.  Beyond that they go in initiative order.

So in you example: Bill and Bob meet in an alley.  Maybe Bob succeeds on his Perception roll and hears Bill  Bob gets +3 dice since he was aware Bill was coming.  Bob passes his Surprise Test and Bill Fails.  Bill gets -10 initiative and can't make his Defense Test until his next Action Phase.

Action Phase 1: Bill goes on 12 and attacks Bob  (clears the loss of Defense Test) then Bob goes on 9.
Action Phase 2: Bill goes on 2.  Bob is at -1 so cant act.

If Bob had a 13 initiative it would go like this:
Action Phase 1: Bob goes on 13 and attacks Bill.  Bill gets no Defense Test since he is surprised.  Bill Goes on 12
Action Phase 2: Bob goes on 3 and attacks Bill.  Bob gets his Defense Test since he is no longer surprised.  Bill goes on 2.

In an Ambush situation, if the Ambusher is aware of the movements of the Ambushed, he is never surprised.  If he is not aware of the movements he gets +6 dice.  There is a paragraph that sums this up:

pg. 193 - "Note that if an ambushed character manages to come through the Initiative roll with a higher score than those that set the ambush, they can get the drop on their ambushes and act first"

So, it pays to have high reaction/intuition.  Even if you are "surprised" or ambushed you the likelihood you will fail the Surprise Test is pretty low with the +3 or +6 dice.

I think this is correct

 

[Carmody]

Thanks Traumaron, this one has already been confirmed by Aaron 

[Traumaron]

Thanks Traumaron, this one has already been confirmed by Aaron 

Ahh I didn't see it.  No worries