SR Regel Ac2065

Adept
Adept
Compendium
Compendium
2065
2065
Shadowrun is a registered Trademark of WizKids Inc.
Original Shadowrun material Copyright !!" #$%%" &y WizKids Inc. 'll (ights (eser)ed.
*sed without permission.
'ny use of WizKids Inc+s copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not &e )iewed as a
challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.
'dept Compendium $%,-
This pu&lication is copyright $%%- &y 'chim 'hlers.
.ased upon /The 'dept 0andy&ook .%/ !!! &y .rett .rown.
1ermission is gi)en to distri&ute freely and without cost.
This pu&lication is not to &e sold for profit.
aj.great@gmx.net
3
Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................... 5
*sing this &ook............................................... -
Sources............................................................-
Credits................................................................ 6
1owers and 2etamagics................................. ,
Thanks............................................................ ,
Powers................................................................ 7
'dhesion......................................................... 3
'ggra)ated 4amage....................................... 3
'id Spell......................................................... 3
'nimal 5mpathy............................................. 3
'stral Cloak.................................................... 6
'stral 1erception............................................ 6
'ttri&ute .oost............................................... 6
.lend in7Stand out.......................................... 6
.lind 8ighting.................................................!
.lur................................................................. !
.ody Control.................................................. !
.one (azors....................................................!
.reaking .low.............................................. %
Called Shot................................................... %
Camouflage...................................................%
Charge O&9ect............................................... %
Chitin............................................................
Claws............................................................
Com&at Sense...............................................
Commanding :oice...................................... $
Confusing 0it............................................... $
Cool (esol)e................................................ $
Counterstrike................................................ $
4elay 4amage...............................................;
4eep (ooting................................................ ;
4isarm.......................................................... ;
4istance Strike..............................................;
5dged 'rm...................................................."
5idetic Sense 2emory.................................. "
5lemental Strike........................................... "
5mpathic 0ealing......................................... -
5mpathic (eading.........................................-
5mpathic Sense.............................................-
5nergy Charge.............................................. -
5nhanced .alance.........................................-
5nhanced Coordination................................ ,
5nhanced 0ealing......................................... ,
5nhanced 1erception.................................... ,
5nthralling 1erformance............................... ,
8ace 'nonymous.......................................... 3
8acial Sculpt................................................. 3
8le<i&ility......................................................3
8luid 2o)ement........................................... 3
8orce Shield.................................................. 6
8reefall.......................................................... 6
=entle Strike................................................. 6
=ills.............................................................. 6
=liding.......................................................... 6
=reat >eap.................................................... !
0armless 8orm............................................. !
0yper#Kick................................................... !
0ypnotic Influence....................................... !
Ignore 1ain.................................................... !
Impro)ed '&ility...........................................$%
Impro)ed '&ility ?5<panded@....................... $%
Impro)ed 1hysical 'ttri&ute......................... $%
Impro)ed (efle<es........................................$%
Impro)ed Sense............................................ $%
Impro)ed Sense ?5<panded (ules@...............$
Inertia Strike................................................. $
In)isi&ility..................................................... $$
Iron =ut.........................................................$$
Iron >ungs.....................................................$$
Iron Will....................................................... $$
Killing 0ands................................................$$
Kinesics........................................................ $;
>inguistics.....................................................$;
>ittle 4eath................................................... $;
>i)ing 8ocus................................................. $;
>uck.............................................................. $"
2agical 1ower.............................................. $"
2agic (esistance.......................................... $"
2agic Sense..................................................$"
2elanin Control............................................$-
2eld..............................................................$-
2elee Sense.................................................. $-
2issile 2astery............................................ $-
2issile 2astery ?5<tended@..........................$,
2issile 1arry................................................. $,
2issile 1arry ?5<tended@.............................. $,
2olecular 'gitation......................................$,
2otion Sense................................................ $3
2o)ement 5fficiency................................... $3
2ulti#Tasking............................................... $3
2ystic 'rmor................................................$6
Adept Compendium 2065 3
4
2ystical (each............................................. $6
Aegamage..................................................... $6
Aer)e Strike.................................................. $6
Aim&le 8ingers............................................. $6
Aormalcy...................................................... $!
1ain (elief.................................................... $!
1ain (esistance............................................. $!
1enetrating Strike......................................... ;%
1heromone Control.......................................;%
1oison 0it..................................................... ;%
1ower .low.................................................. ;%
1ro9ection......................................................;
Buick 4raw...................................................;
Buick Strike.................................................. ;
(apid 0ealing............................................... ;
(egeneration................................................. ;$
(esilience......................................................;$
(e)italization................................................;$
(ooting......................................................... ;$
Shockwa)e....................................................;;
Side Step....................................................... ;;
Si<th Sense................................................... ;;
Sliding...........................................................;;
Smashing .low.............................................;"
Sonar............................................................. ;"
Sonic Scream................................................ ;"
Spell Shroud................................................. ;-
Spider Walk.................................................. ;-
Sprint............................................................ ;-
Steel 8ingers................................................. ;-
Stone .reathing............................................ ;-
Stretch 'ttack............................................... ;,
Surround Sense............................................. ;,
Suspended State............................................ ;,
Sustenance.................................................... ;,
Temperature Tolerance................................. ;,
Thermal Cloak.............................................. ;,
Thermal 2asking..........................................;3
Three#4imensional 2emory........................ ;3
Toughness..................................................... ;3
Tough Skin................................................... ;6
Traceless Walk............................................. ;6
Trauma Compensator................................... ;6
True Sight..................................................... ;6
:oice Control............................................... ;6
:olatile 'ura................................................ ;!
Wall (unning................................................;!
Will to >i)e...................................................;!
Initiation........................................................... 40
=rades of Initiation....................................... "%
'd)antages of Initiation............................... "%
'stral '&ilities.............................................."%
Shedding =easa............................................ "%
'ltering 'stral Signature.............................. "%
Cost of Initiation........................................... "
Initiation Ordeals.......................................... "
'stral Buest.................................................. "
'sceticism.................................................... "
4eed.............................................................. "$
=eas.............................................................. "$
2asterpiece..................................................."$
2editation....................................................."$
Oath.............................................................. ";
Thesis............................................................";
Way Ordeal................................................... ";
Metamagics...................................................... 44
'ttunement ?'nimalC Item@.......................... ""
Centering...................................................... "-
Cognition...................................................... ",
4i)ining........................................................ "3
5mpower 'nimal Companion...................... "6
Infusion......................................................... "6
2asking........................................................ "!
1sychometry..................................................-%
Se)ering........................................................ -$
Somatic Control............................................ -;
:irtuoso........................................................ -;
Foci....................................................................55
.uying 8oci...................................................--
Creating 8oci................................................ --
'dept 8ocus.................................................. --
Centering 8ocus............................................ --
Infusion 8ocus.............................................. --
Weapon 8ocus.............................................. -,
Articles..............................................................57
'dept 5nchanting......................................... -3
0istory of sword smithing............................ -3
2agician 'depts........................................... -6
4 Adept Compendium 2065
5
Introduction
This is a compendium containing rules for adepts D it is the &ook. The complete canon of powers
and metamagic for playing adept s in Shadowrun ;.% plus parts from the Shadowrun $.% canon and
third party stuff from a &unch of other people. Ao more searching through more than two &ooks to
find the description of an adeptic a&ility D 9ust look here to find the most important information.
.ut this is no replacement for the original &ooks D this is 9ust a Euick reference. 1lease consult the
reffered source&ooks when uncertain a&out a specific entry.
Using this book
The canonic rules of Shadowrun are in a continuing process of change and e<pansion. 5)entually
ideas from the community are somehow integrated into the canonC and this &ook gi)es first priority
to the canon.
On some entries you may find a Notes section. These contain suggestions for &alanced gameplayC
not criticismC and they are not necessarily my own thoughts.
5)ery description &egins with the title of the powerC metamagic or focus. This is followed &y the
reEuired amount of power points ?powers only@C the source or author andC sometimesC a cryptic
sym&ol on the right margin indicating that the item is canonic ?/C/@ or was once canonic and now
deprecated ?/D/@. 4eprecated stuff shouldn+t &e newly learned &y characters.
Sometimes the te<t refers to sections of certain canonic source &ooks using the following
a&&re)iationsF
Source Abbreviation
Shadowrun $.%
Shadowrun ;.%
Cannon Companion
2agic in the Shadows
2an and 2achine
Shadowrun Companion ;.%
State of the 'rt $%,;
State of the 'rt $%,"
S($
S(;
CC
2itS
2G2
S(Comp
Sot',;
Sot',"
Sources
This &ook &ases upon the 'dept 0andy&ook .% ?created &y .rett .rown@C which has literally
fallen &ehind the state of the artC when State of the 'rt $%," came out. The 'dept Compendium
$%,- is not only an update to the 'dept 0andy&ookC it also integrates adept related metamagic and
and 8oci from 2agic in the ShadowsC State of the 'rt $%,; and State of the 'rt $%,".
This &ook is no challenge to copyright. seeing that the greater part of this &ook is copied from
&ooks pu&lished &y 8'S' and 8an1roC I would drop this material when they call me to do it.
's long as I had a li)ing email addressC I ha)e at least tried to contact any author of anything
inside this for permission to feature his7her writing D with the definite e<ception of 8an1ro. If I ha)e
included something that you are the author of and you would like to remo)edC please let me know as
soon as possi&le.
6
Credits
Powers and Metamagics
FASA
FanPro
Stephen !enson
Paul ". #ume
$lissa Care%
&oshua #owell
&ames Nugent
Peter 'a%lor
#er(ert ). #el*er II
+a,id Perr%
Captain M&- ?2ichael .est@
.urth HgurthI<s"all.comJ
httpF77www.<s"all.nl7Kgurth7inde<.html
Mar/ Mohan
Shadowdancer
'# Anderson
Arthur S. HhankerIgeocities.comJ
-rian !ing
)ad% &est%r
Al0redo Al,es
-leach Hs"-3%;;Ifrodo.student.gu.edu.auJ
&um(ler H9um&lerIgm<.netJ
.eorg .re,e Hgre)eIfuse&o<.hanse.deJ
+a,id ". Anderson
&. $ric Seaton HericI)ictoria.tc.caJ
httpF77www.geocities.com7TimesSEuare7'lley7$!,"7S(.html
&ens1Arthur )eir(a// Hleir&akkIp)).ntnu.noJ
httpF77www.p)).org7Kleir&akk7rpgLe.html
'hanatos HryokleyIearthlink.netJ
Ale2 3Sal3 )uer/en Hs.a.l.Iusa.netJ
Thanks
4i*!ids for hopefully not killing me.
FASA for putting out such a successful role#playing game.
FanPro for keeping Shadowrun ali)e.
'll those people around playing Shadowrun and ha)ing fun.
M% .aming .roup for not kicking me out whene)er I try to o)erpower my adept character.
7
Poers
To all other things notedC the le)el of any power is limited to the adept+s 2agic attri&ute.
Adhesion
Cost: 1 Author: Georg Greve (greve@fusebox.hanse.de)
The 'dhesion power gi)es the 1' the a&ility to make parts of his7her &ody adhesi)e to o&9ects ?it
works more like magnetism than glue &ut it works on all material@. The adhesion power has a )ery
limited range ?only up to the outer &order of the 1'+s aura@ and can &e controlled in a way that
allows the 1' to say /I make my left palm and my right foot adhesi)e/ and can &e turned on7off
instantly. The ma<imum weight that can &e supported &y the 'dhesion power is eEual to the
ma<imum lifting weight ?Strength M $%@ plus the characterNs own weight. When com&ined with the
/Traceless Walk/ power the 'dept doesn+t apply pressure7force to the o&9ect he is adhesi)e to.
1ressure sensors will not recognize him and so on.
Aggravated Damage
Cost: 1 Author: Gurth (gurth@xs4all.nl)
*se of this a&ility allows the adept to do more damage than normal on a successful *narmed
Com&at hit. The adept must make a normal attack test. If all skill dice ?including Impro)ed '&ility
diceC &ut not including Com&at 1ool dice@ come up as successesC and the adept hits the targetC the
4amage >e)el is increased &y step automatically. This cannot &e used with an armed attackC or
with 5dged 'rm or other damage enhancing a&ilities ?though it may &e used with power enhancing
a&ilitiesC such as 1ower .low@.
$2ample5 8inn hits a security guard. 8inn rolls his *narmed Com&at test ?, diceC plus ; Com&at
1ool dice@C and the guard does the same ?; dice@. 'll of 8innNs skill dice are successesC and he also
gets success on his Com&at 1ool diceC for a total of 3. The guard gets $ successesC to 8inn has -
left in his ad)antage. 0is attack hitsC and all skill dice were successes. AormallyC 8inn would do
?ST(@2 Stun damageC &ut now he does ?ST(@S StunC and has - successes leftC against which the
guard is now to roll a .ody test.
Aid Spell
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: State of the rt !064" #. 64 ($an%ro) C
'id Spell allows an adept to channel his7her or her inner magic so that a magician may tap into it
to aid his7her spellcasting. 1hysical contact &etween the adept and spellcaster is necessary. The
adept must take an e<clusi)e Comple< 'ction and concentrate on acting as a conduit for mana. This
power allows the adept to pro)ide one die per le)el to a magician that is casting a spell in the same
Initiati)e 1hase. 5ach use of 'id Spell reEuires the adept to make a 4rain Test using Willpower
?mana spells@ or .ody ?physical spells@ against ?8orce 7 $@2 Stun.
Animal Empathy
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: State of the rt !064" #. 64 ($an%ro) C
'n adept with 'nimal 5mpathy has a natural affinity for handling animals. 5ach le)el adds O
die for any skill tests in)ol)ing the non#threatening handling of animals or attempts to threaten or
frighten animals.
Note5 This canonic power replaces the 'nimal Control power originally created &y 0er&ert >.
0elzer II for White Wolf P;6.
& Poers
Astral Cloak
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er ** (+h,te +olf -3&)
This a&ility partially shields an adept against 4etection spells. The Cloak acts as a passi)e 2ana
.arrierC adding the num&er of points purchased to the Target Aum&er of of any hypersense or
general detection spell targeted against the adept ?gamemaster+s discretion@. If the Cloak rating
negates ?reduces to zero@ the successes of a hypersense spell ?Clair)oyance or Clairaudience@C the
adept is in)isi&le7inaudi&le to the spell ?otherwise the spell works normally@. This a&ility only works
for the adeptQ he or she cannot e<tend the Cloak around others. In astral space the Cloak can &e
attacked like a 2ana .arrier. If the Cloak fallsC it is re&uilt at a rate of one point7si< hours. *nless
the player states otherwiseC the Cloak is always considered to &e /up/.
Astral Perception
Cost: ! Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16& ($S) C
Rou ha)e the a&ility to see and reach into the astral plane )ia astral perception. Rou cannot use
astral pro9ection. 'depts with this power follow all the normal rules for astral perception.
Attribute oost
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16& ($S) C
Rou can call upon your inner strength to perform amazing feats &eyond your normal a&ilities.
'ttri&ute .oost can &e purchased for any 1hysical 'ttri&uteF StrengthC .odyC or Buickness. It cannot
&e purchased for a 2ental or Special 'ttri&ute. It must &e purchased separately for each of the
1hysical 'ttri&utes. To gain the &oostC make a 2agic Test against a target num&er eEual to one half
the &ase ?unaugmented@ rating of the 'ttri&ute &eing &oosted ?round up@. If there are no successesC
the 'ttri&ute is not &oosted. OtherwiseC the 'ttri&ute is &oosted &y the le)el of the power. The &oost
lasts for a num&er of Com&at Turns eEual to the num&er of successes. Ao 'ttri&ute can &e &oosted
to greater than twice its (acial modified >imit.
When the &oost runs outC you must make a 4rain (esistance Test. The target num&er is eEual to
one#half the &oosted 'ttri&ute )alue ?round up@. The 4rain >e)el is &ased on the le)el of the
&oosted 'ttri&ute rating compared to your characterNs
(acial 2a<imum or >imit for that 'ttri&ute.
Consult the 'ttri&ute .oost 4rain Ta&le &elow.
'ttri&ute .oost is not compati&ly with any artificial
?cy&erware@ enhancementsC nor spell#&ased increases. It is
compati&ly with the Impro)ed 1hysical 'ttri&ute power.
lend in!Stand out
Cost: 0.75 Author: Gurth (gurth@xs4all.nl)
' power with two distinct sidesC that are nonetheless similarC the adept can use it to either &lend
into a crowdC or stand out from it. The power is not normally acti)eC &ut once acti)ated ?costing a
Simple 'ction@C the adept may choose whether he wants to &e part of the crowdC or &e noticed.
The adept must concentrate on the use of the powerC which counts as sustaining a spellC and
incurs a O$ to all other magical target num&ers for the adept ?including spellcastingC if the adept is a
physical magician@. The use of the power is not e)ident from astral spaceC thoughC unlike a sustained
spell.
When &lending inC the adept is easily o)erlooked &y people searching for him ?whether they
search him specificallyC someone fitting his7her descriptionC or 9ust want a generic person@Q on the
& Adept Compendium 2065
Boosted Attribute
Racial Modified Limit
Drain Level
S .% >
S .- 2
S $.% S
Poers /
other handC when the adept chooses to stand outC he will &e noticed sooner than others. 8or e<ampleC
&y choosing to stand out the adept can increase his7her chances of &eing picked from the audience in
a Euiz showC while &y &lending in he can a)oid &eing )olunteered for a hazardous mission. The
e<act reaction of other characters ?player and non#player@ to use of the power is 9udged &y the
gamemasterC keeping in mind other acti)ities the adept engages inC since these may gi)e him or her
away anyway. 8or this a&ility to workC the adept must &e in a crowdC or at least a small group of
people. Ao tests or target num&ers are normally in)ol)edC though the gamemaster may choose to
gi)e characters trying to spot the adept a O$ or #$ to their 1erception test target num&ersC depending
on whether the adept wants to &lend in or stand out.
lind "ighting
Cost: 0.5 Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 14/ ($S) C
'depts with the &lind fighting power possess a mystical /si<th sense/ that allows them to
function more effecti)ely darkness or under other conditions in which the adept is una&le to see
?such as &eing &lindfolded@. The &lind fighting power reduces the )isi&ility penalty ?&lind fireC full
darkness@ to O". Targets attacked &y an adept using this power still gain the normal &onuses from
co)er.
lur
Cost: 1.5 Author: Shado.dan1er (br,ddle@2arsh.v,nu.edu)
This power makes the physical adeptNs &ody rapidly )i&rateC making him &lurry and hard to see. It
causes ma9or eyestrain to the opponentC e)en those with cy&ereyes or cameras.
' simple action is reEuired to acti)ate it. It lasts - com&at turnsC during which it increases all
opponentsN Target Aum&er &y ; in attempting to do something relating to the adept ?i.e. firing at
himC swiping at himC etc.@. This modifier does not apply to casting spells against the adeptC howe)erC
as his7her aura does not &lur.
Notes5 There is no clear indication as to what happens after the - turnsQ there seems to &e nothing
pre)enting the adept from simple reacti)ating the power with a simple action and letting it go
another - turns. This may sound a &it disconcerting to some =2NsC and they may wish to restrict
.lur in some way. 1ossi&ilities include making some sort of drain test at the end of the durationC
allowing only one use e)ery ?some num&er@ minutesC etc.
ody Control
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($an%ro) C
Rour power of mind#o)er#&ody allows you to resist the effects of to<ins and diseases. 5ach le)el
of .ody Control pro)ides additional die for (esistance Tests against such effects.
Notes5 This replaces the 1athogen Control powerC originally listed in White Wolf.
one #a$ors
Similar to spursC e<cept made of &one. 4amage code is ?Str#@2 Can &e e<tended and retractedC
&ut each time they are e<tended from &eneath the skinC the adept suffers a >ight 2ental wound.
Notes5 It might &e ad)isa&le to allow the adept to resist the damage from e<tending the razors.
'lsoC I donNt know a&out how strong &one would &e compared to the metals used in spursC &ut the
=2 may wish to put some checks on 9ust what you can slice at with these razors.
Adept Compendium 2065 /
10 Poers
reaking low
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: 0ar3 0ohan (456%S Shado.lore" #. 13)
This power allows the adept to &reak and destroy &arriers with his7her &are hands ?a )ariation of
Shattering .low.@ 8or each point purchasedC the adept adds O to the power of the attack and
su&tracts from the opposing .arrier (ating. This can &e used in con9unction with 1ower .lowC &ut
only in attacking o&9ects with .arrier (atings ?such as cars.@ This power may also &e used in
con9unction with Smashing .low.
Called Shot
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: Gurth (gurth@xs4all.nl)
This a&ility reduces the modifier for called shots ?S(;C p. "@. AormallyC this is a O" modifier to
the target num&erC &ut e)ery point &ought in Called Shot a&ility reduces this modifier &y point T
that isC an adept with le)el ; Called Shot would only get a O modifier for an aimed shot. Called
Shot cannot reduce the modifier &elow O%C so an adept with le)el 3 Called Shot only gets a O%
modifierC not #;. The adept must &uy this a&ility for each skill he intends to use it with separately.
'n adept with Called Shot ?1istols@ le)el $ would get only a O$ modifier when attempting aimed
shots with a pistolC &ut would ha)e the full O" when firing a &ow.
Notes5 This power was originally listed as /'imed Shot/ D this was changed due to the fact that
this is a&out called shots. The =2 may wish to increase the cost of this power to pre)ent adepts
from &ecoming o)erly trigger#happy. Increasing cost to .3- or per point is useful. What I would
recommend is to up the cost for firearms and gunnery while keeping it at .- for pro9ectile and
throwing weapons.
Camou%lage
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: Shado.dan1er (br,ddle@2arsh.v,nu.edu)
This power gi)es close to the same effect as the critter power /'dapti)e Coloration/. 5ach le)el
adds die to the stealth skill and adds O modifier to opponent perception tests.
Notes5 's it isC the power is clearly open to min#ma< a&useC and so the =2 may wish to place a
cap on the power ?no more than ?2agic@ points of CamouflageC no more than three le)els of
CamouflageC and so on@. 'lsoC although it is not e<plicitly statedC it can pro&a&ly &e assumed that
the perception test modifier is strictly for )isual tests.
Charge &b'ect
Cost: s#e1,al Author: 7hanatos (r8o3le8@earthl,n3.net)
The adept channels mana through his7her hands and into a held o&9ect of no greater size than
his7her ?2agic@
;
in cu&ic centimeters and at least ?2agic@
$
cu&ic centimeters. Charging takes one
Simple 'ction for each damage le)el ?> takes Simple 'ctionC 4 takes $ Comple< 'ctions@ and
must &e done without pausing or the charge is lost. 4epending on the le)el of the powerC upon
physical contact with the o&9ect with any significant amount of force ?i.e. greater than air pressure or
dust falling@C the o&9ect e<plodes in a )iolent physical e<plosionC causing damage to the o&9ect
struck. Treat the e<plosion as a defensi)e grenade &last ?# 1ower per half#meter@ with a 1ower
eEual to the adeptNs magic rating and the damage &ase as listed &elow. Once the o&9ect is remo)ed
from contact with the adeptNs aura ?i.e. the adept releases the o&9ect@C any pressure on the o&9ect
including the same adept touching it will set off the charge.
To hurl the o&9ectC the adept must ha)e an appropriate skill for throwing the o&9ectC like Throwing
Weapons. Charging o&9ects with e<plosi)e properties is not possi&leC as charging an o&9ect such as
Poers 11
this causes the materials to &ecome )olatile and e<plode prematurely.
O&9ects such as kni)es or &laded o&9ects can &e chargedC &ut a charged item e<plodes on
immediate pressure contactC so no proprietary damage will &e caused &y the sharp edge &efore the
&lade e<plodes. 'ttempts to charge an o&9ect unsta&le in its en)ironment ?i.e. an ice cu&e in room
temperature@ simply results in the o&9ect disintegrating ?meltingC in the aforementioned case@. The
charge is mana#&asedC &ut the e<plosion is purely physical and deals
no damage on the astral plane.
8urtherC the mana charge on an o&9ect will slowly dissipate once
it is released from the adeptNs grasp. The 1ower of the potential
e<plosion reduces &y for e)ery % minutes the o&9ect is free from
the adept. Once the 1ower is reduced to %C the charge fully
dissipates and the o&9ectC while warm to the touchC may &e safely
handled.
Chitin
Cost: 0.!5 / level Author: 7' nderson (r8u28o@,1.2an3ato.2n.us)
'n /a&normal/ channeling of magical energies that results in the manifestation of chitin around
the adept+s &ody. This hardening and densification of the &ody does result in added armor co)erC &ut
rarely impro)es oneNs lifestyle. 5ach le)el pro)ides point of Impact armor. 5ach ; le)els pro)ides
point of .allistic armor. 8or e)ery num&er of le)els eEual to the adept+s natural &odyC he loses
point of Initiati)e. >ife sucks chummer. Social penalties are up to the =2C &ut I would not ad)ise
ha)ing this one in ChicagoU
Notes5 Considering the cost of the canon power 2ystic 'rmorC it might &e ad)isa&le to check this
one in a few waysQ disallow the purchase of a le)el higher than 2agic rating and7or raise the cost
to .- or .3- per le)el.
Claws
Cost: 1 Author: 7' nderson (r8u28o@,1.2an3ato.2n.us)
Similar to how Chitin de)elopsC this is a highly localized )ersion. It results in the adept+s finger
and toenails &ecoming )ery hard and sharp. 4amage is ?Str7$@> and the nails ha)e a .ody eEual to
the adeptNs 2agic rating for the purposes of possi&ly &reaking. This power is particularly common
among shamanic adepts.
Notes: Some ha)e said that this power is too e<pensi)e for the damage it doesC and so lowering
the cost ?i.e. .3-@ is certainly understanda&le.
Combat Sense
Cost: 1 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($S) C
Com&at sense pro)ides an instincti)e sense
a&out an area and any potential threats near&y.
5ach le)el gi)es you a num&er of e<tra Com&at
1ool diceC as well as the a&ility to spend a
percentage of your Com&at 1ool dice on your
(eaction Test in surprise situations.
Level Cost Combat Pool for Reaction Test
O $-V
$ $ O$ -%V
; ; O; %%V
Base Damage Level Cost
?2agic@>
?2agic@2 .-
?2agic@S $
?2agic@4 "
1! Poers
Commanding (oice
Cost: 0.5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 64 ($an%ro) C
This power channels magic into the modulation of the adept+s )oice. 's a resultC the weight and
importance of the adept+s words su&liminally influence target listeners. 'n adept with Commanding
:oice may take a Comple< 'ction and issue a forceful &ut simple order ?three words or less@ to
another character. The adept pits his7her Charisma against the target+s Willpower in an Opposed
Test. 8or each additional indi)idual past the firstC the adept suffers a O target num&er modifier. If
the adept winsC the target character takes his7her ne<t a)aila&le 8ree or Simple 'ction to either o&ey
the adept or pause in indecision ?gamemaster+s call@. The order does not carry any weight &eyond
that immediate impetusC howe)erC and determined characters will immediately go a&out doing what
they originally meant to do. This power is useful for temporarily distracting or flustering opponents.
Commanding :oice may only &e used on metahumans who can directly hear and understand the
adept. It does not work when the )oice is amplified or transmitted )ia technological means
?&ullhornC loudspeakersC etc.@. It is less effecti)e on su&seEuent usesQ apply a cumulati)e O$
modifier each additional time an adept tries to use Commanding :oice on the same character in a
$"#hour period.
Con%using )it
Cost: s#e1,al Author: 9a#t. 0:; (0,1hael ;est)
When the adept hits a li)ing opponent ?spirits and
elementals count@ with a &are handed strike and hits
e<posed flesh ?scalesC &oneC whate)er@ the opponent
must make a Willpower success test with a target
num&er eEual to the adeptNs 2agic attri&ute. If no
successes are rolledC the )ictim suffers the penalty
&elow to all his7her target num&ers. The distraction
)aries per le)el of the powerC as does the time it lasts.
The effect &egins the )ictimNs ne<t action.
'dditional hits &y the same adept are not cumulati)eC &ut hits &y other adepts are.
Cool #esolve
'n adept with Cool (esol)e has a confident and unflappa&le presence in social situations. This
power protects the adept from &eing manipulatedC fooled or intimidated &y others. The adept
recei)es one die per le)el for resisting the use of Charisma#linked social skills against him. This
power does nor protect against spells or critter powersC &ut it does function against other adept
powers.
Counterstrike
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 14/ ($S) C
The counterstrike power gi)es the adept a particularly strong a&ility to strike &ack at attackers.
8or each le)el of the powerC the adept rolls and additional die for Counterattack Tests in melee
com&atC either armed or unarmed. These dice can only &e used for counterattacksC not for damage
resistance or any other type of attack.
1! Adept Compendium 2065
Level Penalty Duration (Turns) Cost
O
$ O$ $ $
; O; 4, O ;.-
" O" $4, O $ -
Poers 13
Delay Damage
Cost: 1 (<bv,ous)" ! (S,lent) Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 14/ ($S) C
The delay damage power allows an adept to inflict damage in unarmed melee com&at that does
not take immediate effect. .efore making his7her attackC the adept declares the use of the delay
damage power and then makes a normal 'ttack Test against the target. The target makes a 4amage
(esistance Test as normal.
If the attack is successful and the target does not completely resist the damageC the delay damage
power con)erts the attack into a WchargeX of astral force that lingers in the targetNs aura for up to $"
hours. 'fter a predetermined periodC defined &y the adept when the attack is madeC the damage from
the attack ?Stun or 1hysicalC per the standard rules for the attack@ takes effect against the target as if
the attack had occurred that instant.
Once the delayed damage attack has &een set in motionC it reEuires no further attention or effort
from the adept. ' target can only &e under the effects of one delay damage attack at any gi)en time.
'nyone who o&ser)es the target of a delay damage attack in astral space will see the magical charge
in the targetNs aura. The charge can &e remo)ed &efore it takes effect &y making a 4ispelling Test
against a target num&er eEual to the 1ower of the attackC with a 4rain eEual to the attackNs damage
code. 'dept assassins with the delay damage and killing hands powers are capa&le of striking a
)ictim with the confidence that the target will die hours laterC when the adept has secured an ali&i
hundreds of miles away.
Deep #ooting
4eep (ooting is an ad)anced )ersion of the (ooting power ?p. ;$@. It has the same effects as one
le)el of (ooting and additionally allows the adept to root himself in place so thoroughly that he acts
as a highly sta&le firing platform. 4eep (ooting reduces all recoil penalties &y half ?round down@.
The adept has a firing arc of !% degrees to the front and may only turn up to !% degrees per action.
?Aote that the (ooting power is not a prereEuisite for 4eep (ooting.@
Disarm
*sing this a&ilityC the adept can Euickly and efficiently remo)e a weapon ?or any other o&9ectC for
that matter@ from an opponentNs hands. The adept rolls a num&er of dice eEual to his7her *narmed
Com&at skill plus the le)el of the a&ility against a target num&er eEual to the opponentNs Buickness
and applying all applica&le modifiers for melee com&at. 4isarm is considered to &e an unarmed
attackC so the opponent may defend against it in the normal way. If the adept has any net successesC
anything the opponent was holding in his7her hands is remo)ed and flies away for a num&er of
meters eEual to the adeptNs net successesC in the direction desired &y the adept. 4isarm does not
cause damage to the targetC &ut the targetNs counterattack may damage the adept. The adept must
ha)e &oth hands free in order to disarm an opponent.
Distance Strike
Cost: ! Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 14/ ($S) C
The distance strike power allows an adept to use the medium of astral space to make an unarmed
attack o)er a short distance and strike a target without physically touching the target. The power has
a range in meters eEual to the adeptNs 2agic 'ttri&ute and inflicts the standard damage for an
unarmed attack. To use the distance strike powerC the adept makes an *narmed Com&at Test as
normalC ignoring (each modifiers. The target uses Com&at 1ool dice and .ody to resist the attack as
14 Poers
a ranged attackQ in other wordsC the target cannot counterattackC and if the target rolls more
successes on his7her Com&at 1ool or Threat (ating dice than the attackerNs successesC the attack is a
complete miss. If an adept possesses either the killing hands power or the distance strike power and
wishes to purchase the otherC dou&le the cost of the second power purchased.
Notes5 'lfredo 'l)es ?dghostI9uno.com@ recommends an optional rule for distance strikeQ the
distance strike power may &e purchased along with killing hands without an increased cost to either
power as long as the powers are not used in con9unction.
'l)es also suggests that other powersTnot 9ust killing handsT&e made a)aila&le to &e used with
distance strike. 8urtherC although it is not e<plicitly statedC it may &e assumed that 4istance Strike
cannot attack manaless targets ?rocksC etc.@.
Edged Arm
Cost: s#e1,al Author: Gurth (gurth@xs4all.nl)
The adept can transform one of his7her arms into a )iciousC &laded weapon. The e<act
transformation depends on the le)el of a&ility purchasedQ for instanceC le)el changes a finger into a
knifeC while le)el 3 transforms the whole lower arm into a &roadsword. The transformed lim& gets
the properties of steelC hardened into a sharp edgeC so it can &e used as a sword or knife. The
transformation reEuires one Comple< 'ction to take placeC and a 8ree 'ction to return to the normal
state of the lim&. It cannot &e used with a cy&erarmC or with
adept a&ilities that directly enhance damageC such as Killing
0ands. It can &e used with Impro)ed 1hysical 'ttri&utesC if
that has increased the adeptNs Strength.
Notes5 's the lower le)els may &e a &it costlyC alternati)e
figures are listed in parentheses. 'lsoC it isnNt specified what
skill is used with this powerC although 5dged Weapons may
&e assumedQ a specialization in a knife might &e applica&le
for the first couple le)els of the powerC and so on. I would
also ad)ise against allowing this power to &e used with
4istance Strike.
Eidetic Sense Memory
'n adept with 5idetic Sense 2emory has a photographic sight memory in addition to a )ery keen
memory for noisesC smellsC the way te<tures feelC the way foods taste and so on. The adept can
always remem&er these senses and recall what or who they are in future encounters. 'depts with
this power can also photo#readC greatly increasing the rate at which te<t can &e read.
Elemental Strike
5lemental Strike can only &e purchased &y adepts who already know the Killing 0ands power.
5lemental Strike allows an adept to channel his7her power into creating a secondary elemental
effect ?2itSC p. -@ when he strikes a target with Killing 0ands. The specific elemental effect is
chosen when this power is purchased. When the power is acti)eC it appears as a )isi&le effect around
the adept+s hands or feet. Creating the elemental effect reEuires a Simple 'ctionC and it remains in
effect for ?2agic 'ttri&ute@ Com&at Turns or until the adept uses a 8ree 'ction to e<tinguish it.
5lemental Strike may not &e used with 4istance Strike or 4elay 4amage.
Level Damage Reach Cost
?Str@> % ?.-@
$ ?StrO@> % .$- ?.3-@
; ?StrO$@> % .- ?.$-@
" ?Str@2 .3- ?.-@
- ?StrO@2 $
, ?StrO$@2 $.$-
3 ?StrO;@2 $.-
Poers 15
Empathic )ealing
Cost: 1 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 65 ($an%ro) C
'n adept may heal another person &y transferring some or all of that person+s wounds to himself.
The adept makes a 2agic?% D the target+s 5ssence ?round down@@ Test. The num&er of successes
determines the ma<imum num&er of damage &o<es that can &e transferred. The &ase time for this
process depends upon the wound le)el transferred ?use the 1ermanent Spell .ase Time ta&leC S(;C
p. $6@. 5<tra successes may &e used to reduce the &ase time.
The adept must maintain physical contact with the wounded character during this entire process.
Only 1hysical damage can &e transferred in this manner.
Empathic #eading
'n adept with 5mpathic (eading has a greater a&ility to determine if a target is telling the truth or
imparting factual information. The adept is sensiti)e to the unconscious physical &ody language and
&iological signs a person e<hi&its while trying to lie. The adept recei)es a # target num&er modifier
per le)el to determine if a character is lying. To determine if a character is lyingC the adept makes an
Intelligence Test against the lying character+s Aegotiation Open Test D 5mpathic (eading reduces
the result of the Open Test &y per le)el for the adept.
Empathic Sense
Cost: 0.5 Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 150 ($S) C
The empathic sense a&ility gi)es an adept a limited form of astral awareness that allows him to
sense the feelings of those around himC to a range of the adeptNs unaided line of sight. The adept
makes a 1erception ?"@ Test to gain a general impression of a su&9ectNs current emotions ?lo)eC
angerC fearC and so on@. The greater the num&er of successesC the more detailed the information the
adept learns. 2etamagical masking can defeat this powerC &ut if the adept using the empathic sense
power is also an initiateC resol)e an attempt to penetrate the masking normally.
Energy Charge
This allows the adept to charge a &ody part for increased damage.
It takes one simple action to acti)ate. The opponent suffers a &ase $> Stun shock in addition to
the normal damage. 5ach le)el adds O$ 1ower and O 4amage to the &ase ?i.e. le)el ; would cost
".- magic and do ,S Stun@. 4rain is ?>e)elO$@4amage Code ?i.e.C same power has drain of -S@.
Notes5 While it does not specifyC =2Ns may assume that this power affects &oth 'rmed and
*narmed attacks or either one. .ecause the adept must resist drainC the =2 may wish to lower the
cost to per le)el.
Enhanced alance
5nhanced .alance increases an adept+s &alance for athletic maneu)ers such as clim&ingC tight#
rope walkingC gymnastics and so on. 5ach le)el of 5nhanced .alance reduces the target num&er for
any 1hysical Skill Tests in)ol)ing &alance or Knockdown tests &y . 2a<imum le)el is $.
16 Poers
Enhanced Coordination
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: .a3en,ngs" #. 116) D
'n adept with the enhanced coordination power may use &oth hands eEually well. 5ach le)el of
this power counts as le)el in the 'm&ide<terity Special Skill ?see Off#0and TrainingC p. 6C
Fields of Fire@. The adept must ha)e at least le)el in the 'm&ide<terity Skill in order to &uy this
powerC and may not ha)e more le)els in the enhanced coordination power than he has le)els in the
'm&ide<terity Skill.
Note5 The 'm&ide<terity Skill has &een replaced &y the 'm&ide<terity 5dge ?CCC p. !,@. The
gamemaster should decide whether he allows further use of this power or change the character ha)e
to &ought the 'm&ide<terity 5dge.
Enhanced )ealing
Cost: ! Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er (+h,te +olf -3&)
This power allows an adept to heal stun and physical damage more Euickly &y entering a state of
dormancy. When the adept is reco)ering from stun damage he makes the same roll for reco)eringC
&ut dou&le the num&er of successes made.
The adept heals physical damage at a rate of one e<tra &o< a day. When the adept is healing &y
this power he is also considered to &e asleep tooC so is o&li)ious to his7her surroundings. If the adept
doesnNt get the reEuired amount of sleep ?which is eight hours@C then the time spent in the dormancy
is wasted.
Notes5 If one e<tra &o< a day seems a &it much ?and it does to many =2Ns@C please tweak it to fit
your needs. 1ersonallyC I would simply throw out the /e<tra &o</ aspect and make the /dou&le
successes/ aspect work for stun and physical. 5)en allowing this power to affect stun damage is
de&ata&leC as magic is ?canonically@ not supposed to modify stun damage. 's suchC the cost could &e
reduced and applied only only to physical damage. 'lsoC it is pro&a&ly ad)isa&le to disallow
com&ining this power with (apid 0ealing.
Enhanced Perception
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($S) C
This power sharpens your senses. 5ach le)el pro)ides an additional die for all 1erception TestsC
including astral perceptionC if you also ha)e that power. Rou cannot ha)e more 5nhanced
1erception dice than your Intelligence or 2agic 'ttri&uteC whiche)er is less.
Enthralling Per%ormance
'n adept must ha)e an artistic performance Knowledge Skill ?4ancingC OperatingC SingingC etc.@
to purchase this power. The power only applies to that select performance skill ?5nthralling
1erformance must &e purchased separately if the adept would like to use it for more than one
Knowledge Skill@.
This power channels magic into the adept+s performanceC mesmerizing the audience with the flow
of his7her mo)ements or the cadence of his7her words and putting the audience at ease. 5nthralling
1erformance includes a mild hypnotic state in the audience. The adept makes an Open Test using
the appropriate performance skill. 'ny audience mem&ers who fail to &eat the Open Test with a
Willpower Test gi)e the adept their fullC unwa)ering attention. While mesmerizedC such characters
suffer a O" distraction modifier to 1erception Tests ?rather than the usual O$ for distraction@.
5ntranced audience mem&ers who are su&9ect to an act of stress ?such as &eing knocked o)er or
Poers 17
threatened@ or o&trusi)e en)ironmental distractions ?like a gunshot@ will automatically &reak out of
trance. The ma<imum period the adept can keep others entranced id eEual to his7her Charisma < %
minutes.
"ace Anonymous
Cost: 0.5 Author: =av,d %err8 (+h,te +olf -3&)
The power allows the adept to make people una&le to remem&er anything a&out what the adept
looked like. This power only effects the conscious mindC &ut has no effect on the su&conscious mind
?i.e.C a physical description can &e retrie)ed from someoneNs su&conscious mind through a techniEue
such as hypnosis@.
"acial Sculpt
'n adept can change his7her facial features through slight shifts in musculatureC &oneC cartilage
and skin angels for a num&er of hours eEual to his7her 2agic 'ttri&ute. *se of 8acial Sculpt
reEuires ?% D Willpower@ minutes of concentration. The adept makes an Open 2agic Test to
determine the target num&er that o&ser)ers use on 1erception Tests to recognize her. 5<amples of
changes include raising or lowering the cheek &onesC thickening or hardening of the lipsC stretching
the eyelidsC altering the angle or height of the earsC sEuaring or rounding the chin or drawing up or
fattening of the nose. It can alter the character+s percei)ed metatype ?at least in the face@C though
depending on the character+s &ody mass this may look odd. 8acial Sculpt can create the facial
structure necessary to speak Or+zet ?Sot'$%,"C p. ,3@ without penalty. If used in con9unction the
4isguise skill ?Sot'$%,;C p. %"@ to intimate the appearance of a specific personC the target num&er
of the 4isguise Test is reduced &y $.
Note5 This canonic 8acial Sculpt and 2elanin Control powers replace 2askC originally created &y
=urth.
"le*ibility
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 150 ($S) C
The fle<i&ility power makes an adeptNs lim&s unusually lim&erC a&le to twist and &end more than
a normal personNs.
8or each le)el of this powerC the adept may add die to tests made to slip out of ropesC handcuffs
and other such &indings as well as tests made to escape from a hold in unarmed com&at.
The adept can also make 8le<i&ility Tests to sEueeze through small openings and passages that
would &e difficult for a normal person of the characterNs size to fit throughC such as transomsC
)entilation ductsC and other close Euarters. The gamemaster may determine appropriate target
num&ers for such tests. 8le<i&ility can only &e purchased up to le)el $ ? point@.
"luid Movement
Cost: 0.5 #er level Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
This power makes all the adept+s ma9or muscles mo)e much more fluidly. This has the effect of
negating mo)ement modifiers from the adept+s mo)ement up to the power+s le)el.
8or e<ampleC an adept with le)el " 8luid 2o)ements would suffer no modifiers from running on
open ground ?which is normally a O" modifier@.
Notes5 The =2 may wish to lower the cost to %.$- 7 le)el.
1& Poers
"orce Shield
Cost: 3 Author: Shado.dan1er (br,ddle@2arsh.v,nu.edu)
This power erects a permanent shield to help lessen damage.
The &arrier has a rating eEual to the adeptNs 2agic rating for physical and melee com&atC 7$
rating for spells and mystical damageC 7" rating for firearms and e<plosi)es. 5ach time the shield is
hitC the adept suffers drain eEual to ?7$ modified power of the attack@2. It is possi&le to take
multiple drains during the com&at turn.
Notes5 4epending upon whom you askC this power is either well#&alancedC weighted against the
adeptC or weighted against his7her opponent?s@. 1owers that cost this much should always &e gi)en
close scrutinyC in my opinion. =2s are encouraged to look at this power carefully and consider how
it may affect their gameC particularly if they are dealing with adept initiates ?with a high#le)el
initiate adeptC you may get a guy who laughs too much at the group of angryC a<e#wielding Trolls
cy&erzom&ies@.
"ree%all
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 150 ($S) C
8or each le)el of the freefall powerC the adept can fall a distance of $ meters without suffering
in9ury or making a 4amage (esistance TestC pro)ided that the surface the adept falls onto is not in
itself dangerous. If the adept falls a distance greater than the allowance of the freefall powerC
su&tract the ma<imum distance cushioned &y the power from the distance fallen &efore calculated
damage. If the adept falls onto a dangerous surface D an alley co)ered with shards of glass or a
&urning floorC for e<ample D he can still use the freefall power to a)oid falling damageC &ut will take
damage dependent on the surface and the gamemasterNs discretion.
+entle Strike
Cost: s#e1,al Author: un3no.n
This power allows an adept to take a person out without physically harming
the person. When the adept uses this power on someone7somethingC it will
ne)er do physical damage e)en if there stun o)erflow.
+ills
Cost: 0.5 Author: lfredo lves (dghost@>uno.1o2)
This power allows the adept to &reathe underwater. This a&ility must &e purchased separately for
salt and fresh water.
Notes5 IN)e had a couple people say the cost should &e increased to .3- or ?particularly
considering the cost of 4eep .reathing and 5nhanced .reathing@.
+liding
=liding allows an adept to run up to ?2agic attri&ute@ meters across tangi&le surfaces that would
not normally support his7her weightC such as waterC thin ice or a fragile tree lim&. 'ny attempt to run
longer distances reEuires &reak points or landings and multiple uses of =liding. 'ny attempt to use
this power with acro&atics ?such as 9umping from the surface@ will reEuire an 'thletics Test against
1& Adept Compendium 2065
Damage Cost
?Str@> Stun %.-
?Str@2 Stun
?Str@S Stun $
?Str@4 Stun ;.-
Poers 1/
a target num&er esta&lished &y the gamemaster and is considered a difficult maneu)er. The
secondary effects of the adept+s motion still occurC such as sound or )i&rations ?lea)es shake and
water ripples@C unless it is com&ined with Traceless Walk ?p. ;6@.
Note5 The olderC non#canonic =liding power is now listed as Sliding ?p. ;;@.
+reat ,eap
'depts with great leap are a&le to make incredi&le 9umps into the air and o)er long distances.
5ach le)el of great leap adds a die for Yumping Tests ?see YumpingC S(CompC p. "3@.
5ach le)el is also added to the characterNs Buickness for determining the ma<imum distance a
character can 9ump.
Note5 This canon power replaces the 5<tended Yump power originally created &y 2ark 2ohan for
A5(1S Shadowlore.
)armless "orm
Cost: 0.!5 / level Author: rthur S. (han3er@geo1,t,es.1o2)
This power ena&les the adept to look like an a)erage mem&er of his7her race and gender. The
power must &e purchased separately for e)ery physical attri&ute. This means that a human with
natural Strength at , and 0armless 8orm?Strength@ at le)el ; looks like a human with Strength at ;.
This power is a real transformation of the adept+s &odyC which means purchasing 0armless 8orm
?.ody@ will cause a weight reduction. ' successful 'ssensing Test ?after penetrating 2asking@ will
re)eal the true attri&utes. This power cannot WhideX any positi)e modifications to physical attri&utes
through cy&er# or &ioware.
Notes5 If this power is purchased during gameplayC the adept needs new clothing and armorC fitting
to his7her new &ody. 'nd this power is not switcha&le.
8or &etter compati&ility with S(;C I changed this power to a more modular style and raised th cost.
)yper-.ick
This allows the adept to kick repeatedly in the same area. >eg does not recoil. >ooks similar to
:an 4amme mo)ies. 5ither O$ damage code or 7$ power?S@ physicalC chosen when power is
acEuired. .oth may &e ownedC &ut not com&ined.
)ypnotic /n%luence
Cost: ! Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er (+h,te +olf -3&)
This power allows an adept to mesmerize people like the Influence power of certain paranormal
animals. With a )oluntary su&9ect the adept can access deep memoriesC plant minor posthypnotic
suggestionsC release inhi&itions while in the trance stateC etc. *nwilling )ictims reEuire a opposed
test matching the adeptNs 2agic rating )ersus the )ictimNs willpower. The adeptNs net successes
determine the le)el of effect.
/gnore Pain
Cost: 1 Author: lex ?Sal? (uer3en (Shado.run ;la13 %ages -3)
The effects of Ignore 1ain are similar to the 1ain 5ditor ?2G2C p. 3;@. 's long as the adept uses
Ignore 1ainC he7she ignores all damage modifiers. The character will not &e rendered unconscious
from Stun damageC though he7she might fall unconscious when reaching or passing 4eadly 1hysical
Adept Compendium 2065 1/
!0 Poers
damage ?see ConsciousnessC 2G2C p. 3;@. The character can sustain this power for ?2agic
attri&ute@ Com&at Turns. If the Character got damage when ignoring painC he7she suffers due to the
intense strain ?2agic attri&ute7$@2 4rainC which must &e resisted with Willpower. 'dditionallyC
Ignore 1ain can+t &e used for the ne<t ?2agic attri&ute@ hours.
/mproved Ability
Cost: s#e1,al Sources Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($S) C
This power gi)es you additional dice for use with a specific 'cti)e Skill. 4ice purchased for the
'cti)e Skill carry o)er eEually to any specializations of the skill you know. If you are defaulting to
the impro)ed skillC only 7$ ?round down@ of the Impro)ed '&ility dice may &e used. Rou cannot
ha)e more additional dice than your &ase skill rating or your 2agic 'ttri&uteC whiche)er is less. 8or
e<ampleC an adept with 1istols " and 2agic
- cannot ha)e more than " Impro)ed
'&ility ?1istols@ dice. (emem&er that
Impro)ed '&ility does not actually impro)e
a skillNs ratingC it only pro)ides additional
dice for tests in)ol)ing the skill.
/mproved Ability 0E*panded1
Cost: s#e1,al Source: State of the rt !064" #. 66 ($an%ro) C
Increasing num&er of adeptsC howe)erC ha)e learned to e<pand the limits of this a&ility through
trainingC practice and natural talent &eyond its original scopeC so that it is now applica&le to other
skills. The e<panded skills are listed &elow with their associated costs.
/mproved Physical Attribute
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($S) C
With this powerC you can impro)e a 1hysical 'ttri&ute ?.odyC StrengthC Buickness@. 5ach le)el of
this power increases the 'ttri&ute &y . If you later want to increase the 'ttri&ute using KarmaC the
cost is &ased on the total 'ttri&uteC including the magical impro)ements. Impro)ing Buickness
impro)es (eaction and Com&at 1ool normally. This power allows you to e<ceed your racial
ma<imumsC &ut each le)el o)er the ma<imum costs dou&le ? point per le)el@.
/mproved #e%le*es
Cost: s#e1,al Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 16/ ($S) C
This power increases the speed at which you reactC 9ust like Wired (efle<es. 8or
each le)elC you recei)e O$ to (eaction and an additional Initiati)e die. The ma<imum
le)el of Impro)ed (efle<es is ;C and the increase cannot &e com&ined with
technological or other magical increases to (eaction or Initiati)e.
Note5 This power renders Impro)ed (eactionC originally in S($C nullC and replaces
Increased (efle<es.
/mproved Sense
Cost: 0.!5 / ,2#rove2ent Source: Shado.run" #. 16/ ($S) C
Rou ha)e a sensory impro)ement not normally possessed &y your race. Impro)ements include
>ow#>ight or Thermographic :isionC 0igh# or >ow#8reEuency 0earingC and so on. *nless an
impro)ement in)ol)es radio or similar technological phenomenaC any sense pro)ided &y cy&erware
!0 Adept Compendium 2065
Level Cost
$
$ ;
; -
Skills Cost er !ie
'thleticsC 4i)ingC Stealth %.$-
Com&at Skills %.-
'rtistic71erformance Knowledge Skills %.$-
.7(C Social and :ehicle Skills %.-
Poers !1
can also &e pro)ided &y this power. *nlike cy&erwareC there are no package deals on cost.
'dditional Impro)ed Senses are descri&ed here.
+irection SenseF Rour sense of direction is so acute you know what direction you are facingC and
whether you are a&o)e or &elow the local ground le)elC with a successful 1erception ?"@ Test. This
a&ility is especially useful for tri&al huntersC guidesC spies and runners who pursue similar
occupations.
Impro,ed ScentF Rou can identify scents in the same way as a &loodhound. .y making a
successful 1erception TestC you can identify indi)iduals &y scent aloneC and can tell if someone
whose scent you know has &een in an area recently. The strong smells of most sprawls may impose
1erception 2odifiers on the use of this sense.
Impro,ed 'asteF Rou can recognize the ingredients of food or &e)erage &y taste alone. '
successful 1erception Test allows adepts with Chemistry or a similar Knowledge Skill to identify
ingesti)e poisons and drugs concealed in food or drink. ' successful 1erception ?"@ Test allows
adepts to determine if a sample of water is pure enough to drink.
Flare CompensationF Rour eyes adapt Euickly to intense lightC allowing you to a)oid the effects
of flash grenades and similar weapons. This power function e<actly like the cy&ernetic )ersion of
flare compensation.
Sound +ampeningF Rour ears are protected from loud noises and ad9ust Euickly to sudden
changes in noise le)el. The sound dampening power functions e<actly like the cy&ernetic dampener
enhancement.
Impro,ed -alance6F In many waysC a magical inner ear. It pro)ides a #$ to Target Aum&ers
in)ol)ing the recognition of &alanceC &e it walking a tightropeC dealing with freefall or coping with a
car spinning wildly out of control. It isC of courseC the =2Ns discretion as to when it does or does not
apply.
+istance Sense6F The adept has a sort of /magical range finder/ sense. This power is not digitally
accurateC &ut the adept can gain a good sense ?=2Ns discretion@ of most distances.
68rom T0 'nderson ?ryumyoIic.mankato.mn.us@
/mproved Sense 0E*panded #ules1
Cost: 0.!5 / ,2#rove2ent Source: .a3en,ngs" #. 116 ($S) C
The following information offers specific )ariations of this power. *se the 1erception and
Success ta&les as guidelines for 1erception Test target num&ers gained per success in using the
impro)ed physical senses power.
Con!ition T" Successes Result
Su&9ect in >ine#of#Sight " =eneral informationC no details
Su&9ect &eyond )isi&le7sensor range , $ 2inor details with some inaccuracies
Su&9ect present only in astral space % ; 'll details accurateC some minor details
o&scure
" CompleteC detailed information
/nertia Strike
'n adept with this power performs a powerful melee or unarmed attack channeling energy into
knocking the opponent off his7her feet. The &ase 4amage >e)el of the attack is reduced &y oneC &ut
the opponent must make a Knockdown Test ?e)en if no damage is caused@ as if the 4amage >e)el
Adept Compendium 2065 !1
!! Poers
was one le)el higher than the &ase. ' character who suffers a Serious Wound or worse is
automatically knocked down.
/nvisibility
Cost: ! Author: un3no.n
The adept using this power concentrates so that )isi&le light &ends around him. This will fool the
naked eye as well as cameras and low#light )isionC &ut will not fool non#)isual sensors
?thermographicC ultrasoundC scentC etc.@. The power allows the adept to &ecome in)isi&le for a
num&er of turns eEual to his7her 2agic ratingC after which the adept must resist 4rain of ?2agic7$@
2.
Notes5 .eing that I donNt know who the author of this power isC I took the li&erty of adding the
4rain &it at the end. 5)en with thatC howe)erC 4rain may &e a &it lightQ the =2 can certainly raise it
to ?2agic7$@O2 or O$2 ?and so on@.
/ron +ut
'n adept with Iron =ut can eat nearly anything and his7her &ody will digest and pass it without
harm. 5ach le)el of Iron =ut reduces the 1ower of ingested to<ins &y $.
Note5 The canonic Iron =ut and Sustance powers replace Iron StomachC created &y 'rthur S.
/ron ,ungs
'n adept with Iron >ungs has a dramatically e<panded lung capacity. 5ach le)el of Iron >ungs
increases the amount of time an adept can hold his7her &reath &y "- seconds ?S(CompC p. "3@.
Note5 This power replaces the 4eep .reathing power originally listed in A5(1S Shadowlore and
the 5nhanced (espiration power originally designed &y 2ark 2ohan.
/ron 2ill
The iron will power makes an adeptNs will e<ceptionally resistant to outside influence. 8or each
le)el of this powerC the adept rolls an additional die when resisting any attempt to controlC affect or
alter his7her mind. This power does not defend against illusion or mana#&ased com&at spells.
.illing )ands
Cost: s#e1,al Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 170 ($S) C
Aormal unarmed attacks do ?Strength@2 Stun 4amage. This power uses magic
to turn unarmed attacks into lethalC physical damage. When using *narmed
Com&at and Killing 0ands you may do normal stun damageC or physical damage
as purchased. The use of Killing 0ands must &e declared with the *narmed
Com&at attack.
' Killing 0ands attack is effecti)e against creatures with Immunity to Aormal
Weapons. Their defensi)e &onuses do not count against Killing 0ands. Killing
0ands can also &e used in astral com&at if you ha)e the 'stral 1erception power
and are using it to see into the astral plane.
!! Adept Compendium 2065
Damage Cost
?Str@> %.-
?Str@2
?Str@S $
?Str@4 "
Poers !3
.inesics
Cost: 1 / (evel Source: State of the rt !064" #. 66 ($an%ro) C
'n adept with Kinesics has complete control o)er his7her &ody+s non)er&al and su&conscious
communications and social cuesC e)en when engaged in stressful scenarios. This control includes
facial e<pressionsC &ody mo)ementsC postureC eye mo)ements and internal &iological stress
functions such as heart&eatC &lood pressure and sweet glands. The adept is also gifted at reading
others+ &ody language and cultural#specific affectations and mimicking their cues to his7her
ad)antage. 's a resultC this power &oosts the character+s natural presence and social charms.
5ach le)el reduces the target num&er for 5tiEuette and Aegotiation Tests &y a minimum target
num&er of $. The adept also adds die per le)el to any social situation Charisma Success Test the
character makes. 'dditionallyC apply a O$ modifier per le)el to any test to disco)er whether the
adept is lying or not ?including magic and technological tests@. 2a<imum le)el is ;.
Two adepts with Kinesics and within sight of each other can use a Comple< 'ction to
non)er&ally communicate simple notions to each otherC using &ody language alone. Only &asic
messages and emotional states can &e con)eyedC yesC noC I don+t want toC I+m angryC look out &ehind
you and so on.
,inguistics
Cost: 0.!5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 66 ($an%ro) C
>inguistics allow an adept to a&sor& a new language in a )ery short time &y e<posure to it. Only
?% D 2agic attri&ute@ hours of e<posure to the language are reEuired to learn it. 't the end of this
timeC the adept makes an Intelligence Test
against an appropriate target num&er ?see
&elow@. If successfulCthe adept gets the
>anguage skill at (ating at no Karma cost.
Increasing the skill costs the standard amount
&ut reduce the &ase learning time for the adept
&y half.
,ittle Death
This power allows the adept to enter a trance. In this dormant stateC the adeptNs meta&olic rate
decreases to such an e<tent that e)en modern medicine cannot detect that he is ali)e.
The only pro&lem with this power is that the adept must decide &efore he enters the trance how
long the trance is to last. Once this decision is made the adept will not wake from the trance until
this time has passedC regardless of any outside stimuli.
It is possi&le for an adept to remain in trance too long and wake up in pieces in the mortuaryC
ha)ing 9ust had an autopsy performed on him.
Notes5 Considering this power costs less than the canonical Suspended State powerC further
restrictions may &e desiredC such as &umping up the cost slightly.
,iving "ocus
>i)ing 8ocus allows an adept to channel mana into his7her own &ody in order to sustain a spell
cast on him7her ?an effect similar to a sustaining focus@. ThereafterC the magician that cast the spell
does not need to sustain the spell. The adeptC howe)erC suffers the usual O$ modifier for sustaining
Language is# T"
Common ?'ra&icC 'ztlaner SpanishC =erman@ "
*ncommon ?SperethielC SwahiliC *krainian@ ,
O&scure ?>atinC Or+zetC Sami@ 6
!4 Poers
the spell. The 8orce of the sustained spell cannot e<ceed the adept+s 2agic attri&ute. Only one spell
may &e sustained at a time in this fashion.
,uck
Cost: !.5 / level Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er ** (+h,te +olf -3&)
*nlike other a&ilities co)ered hereC a so#called /luck/ a&ility continues to defy scientific analysis.
0owe)erC anecdotal e)idence suggests that some folks are 9ust plain lucky.
In factC noted shadow 9ournalist 4omingo 0iguera de)oted his7her $%- prize#winning simsense
documentaryC .orn >uckyF The /Teela .rown/ 8actor In ShadowrunningC to the e<ploits of a runner
for whom things always fell into place.
The most useful ?and perhaps most dangerous@ skill an adept can possessC >uck directly increases
the adeptNs Karma 1ool ?S(;C p. $",@ &y one point per $.- 2agic points spent.
This is good for any situation where the Karma 1ool can &e usedC &ut luck points are not
permanently e<hausted &y &uying successes ?for this reasonC >uck points should &e recorded
separately from the earned Karma 1ool@. >uck points can ne)er &e contri&uted to Team KarmaC nor
may they &e used as WgoodX Karma. In other wordsC an adept with this a&ility cannot use >uck to
increase 'ttri&utes or SkillsC &ond magic itemsC &ecome an InitiateC or do anything else that reEuires
actual Karma points.
N7'$5 >uck can un&alance a campaignC and should &e introduced with caution.
Magical Power
Cost: 1 / level Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. !! ($S) C
This power allows you to use the 2agical Skills of Sercery and Con9uring with an effecti)e
2agic 'ttri&ute eEual to your le)el in 2agical 1ower. 8ollow the standard rules for using 2agical
Skills and choose a traditionC either shamanic or hermetic.
4uring character creation onlyC each le)el of this power also gi)es the character , Spell 1oints to
spend on spellsC spirits and so on ?see S(;C p. -"@.
Note5 See either 2itSC p. $$C or p. -6 on the creation of magical adepts and the use of 2agical
1ower.
Magic #esistance
Cost: 1 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 170 ($S) C
Rou possess an inherent resistance to sorcery. 'dd die per le)el of this power to all your Spell
(esistance Tests. Rour magic resistance does not interfere with spells that you choose not to resist.
The only critter power this protects you from is the Innate Spell power ?and critters using SorceryC
of course@.
Magic Sense
The magic sense power allows an adept to sense magical energies and effects within a radius
eEual to the adeptNs 2agic 'ttri&ute < - in meters. *se the 4etection Spell Ta&le ?S(;C p. !$@ to
determine the target num&er for the adeptNs 1erception Test and the information gained. *se of this
power does not make adept astrally acti)e.
Poers !5
Melanin Control
Cost: 0.!5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 67 ($an%ro) C
'n adept with 2elanin Control has the a&ility to alter his7her hair or skin color within the limits
of natural skin tone for the character+s metatype for ?2agic attri&ute@ hours. *se of 2elanin Control
reEuires a Comple< 'ction to shift either hair or skin color one grade. There are four standard
grades of hair colorF white7grayC &londeC red7&rownC &lack. ThereforeC to shift al&ino skin to &lack
reEuires three Comple< 'ctions
Note5 This canonic 8acial Sculpt and 2elanin Control powers replace 2askC originally created &y
=urth.
Meld
Cost: 3 Author: ;r,an @,ng (no1turnal@#r,2ar8.net)
This a&ility allows a physical adept to Za&sor&N o&9ects into their &odies. These o&9ects can &e no
larger than the adept himself thoughTthey include pistolsC kni)esC clothesC sil)erware from
nightclu&sC etc. The adept can only take in his7her .ody (ating < $ in kilograms.
2elding7unmelding is a fairly instantaneous process. :ery small o&9ects ?keysC &ulletsC etc.@
reEuire a 8ree 'ction to meld7unmeld. O&9ects around the size of the adeptNs hand ?walletsC small
kni)esC shurikenC etc.@ reEuire a Simple 'ction. >arger o&9ects ?pistolsC clothingC small computers@
reEuire a Comple< 'ction. 't the time of a&sorptionC the adept must &e holding the o&9ect. .ullets
or pro9ectiles cannot &e a&sor&ed unless they are pro9ectiles the adept has caught with the missile
parry power.
The adept cannot ZloseN anything in his7her &ody. If he melds somethingC it will unmeld in his7her
hand. O&9ects that are melded do not e<ist inside the adept in the same state that they outside of the
adeptQ they thus do not show up on scannersC e<cept as an increased amount of the o&9ectsN
constituent elements inside the adept.
The adept may meld fociC &ut any melded foci must &e &onded to the adept. 'depts may not meld
any li)ingC macroscopic creaturesQ dust mites may &e present on clothing that is meldedC &ut
cockroaches arenNt going to come along for the ride.
Notes5 Some indi)iduals concerned a&out potential a&uses of this power may limit it &y
restricting the le)el of comple<ity of o&9ects that are melded. Such a restriction would rule out
micronukesC for e<ampleC &ut not kni)es or keys. O&9ects of intermediate comple<ity ?i.e. pistols@
would &e up to the =2Ns discretion.
Melee Sense
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
5ach le)el of this a&ility negates one target num&er modifier from facing multiple opponents. 8or
e<ampleC if the character is fighting three opponentsC and he has 2elee Sense le)el oneC he will only
suffer a penalty of O. 'lsoC his7her opponents only take a &onus of # to their rolls.
Notes5 It is worth noting that this power only negates target num&er modifiersQ it cannot reduce
the target num&er &eyond what it would &e without multiple opponent penalties.
Missile Mastery
Cost: 1 Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 150 ($S) C
'n adept with the missile mastery power possesses such a highly de)eloped talent for for
throwing weapons thatC in his7her handsC normally harmless items such as pensC credsticks and I4
cards &ecome deadly weapons. 'depts make attacks with such items using Throwing Skill.
!6 Poers
*northodo< missiles such as pens ha)e a &ase 4amage Code of ?7$ adeptNs StrengthC rounded
down@>. Impact armor resists damage from such missiles. Items with an edge or point inflict
1hysical damageC while &lunt o&9ects do Stun damage. 'depts using the missile mastery power to
throw standard missile weaponsC such as shuriken and throwing kni)esC add O$ to the weaponNs
1ower >e)el.
Missile Mastery 0E*tended1
Cost: 1.5 Author: un3no.n
This e<tends 2issile 2astery allowing the adept to throw up to ?Buickness7$@ throwing weapons
as .urst 8ire ?S(;C p.-@.The adept can only throw prepared throwing weapons. ?The Simple
'ction (eady Throwing Weapon prepares up to the ?Buickness7$@ Throwing Weapons of similar
types.@ 'll pro9ectiles must &e thrown on the same target. The gamemaster has to decide whether
standard .urst 8ire rules are applied or damage is calculated for e)ery single throwing weapon.
Note5 The gamemaster might allow an adept who possesses 2issile 2astery ?5<tended@ as well as
2issile 1arry to catch a 2issile Sal)o out of the air. This is then limited to ?Buickness7$@ missiles
per 8ree 'ction. This increases the Target Aum&er for e)ery missile &eyond the first &y .
Missile Parry
Cost: 1 Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 170 ($S) C
Rou can catch slow#mo)ing missile weapons such as arrowsC thrown kni)esC or shuriken out of
the air. 2ake a (eaction Test ?plus any Com&at 1ool dice you choose to allocate to the test@ against
a Target Aum&er of %C minus the &ase target num&er for the range of the incoming attack. 8or
e<ampleC against an arrow coming from long rangeC the target num&er is " ?% D ,C the &ase Target
Aum&er for long range@. If the attack were from short rangeC the Target Aum&er would &e , ?%#"C
the &ase Target Aum&er for short range@.
To successfully gra& the missile weapon out of the airC you must generate more successes with
your (eaction Test than the attacker achie)ed on the 'ttack Test. Ties go to the attacker. *sing
2issile 1arry is a 8ree 'ction.
Note5 This power replaces the 'rrow Cutting power originally listed in White Wolf P;6.
Missile Parry 0E*tended1
Cost: 1.5 Author: :ensArthur (e,rba33 (le,rba33@#vv.ntnu.no)
Similar to the 2issile 1arry powerC 5<tended 2issile 1arry allows the physical adept to e<tend
that power to an indi)idual he or she is protectingC up to ; meters away from the physical adept.
Molecular Agitation
Cost: s#e1,al Author: un3no.n D
This power allows the adept to agitate the
molecules of certain things as to set them a&laze.
This power has a range of ?2agic attri&ute@ metersC
>OS.
Notes5 The =2 may wish to change the range to
&e eEual to the adeptNs 2agic ratingC or perhaps
?2agic rating < $@. 'dditionallyC the =2 may wish
to lower the costs.
Level Cost Agitate
$ 1aper and light materials
$ " Thicker materials such as cloth
; , Organic materials such as skin
and li)ing wood
" 6 Set fire on an area of ?2agic
attri&ute7"@ sEuare meters
Poers !7
Motion Sense
'n adeptC through magical sensory perception of minute distur&ances in the surrounding manaC
can unconsciously detect the presence of o&9ectsC people or animals that mo)e within ?2agic
attri&ute@ metersC e)en when sightC sound or smell detect nothing. 'n adept makes a 1erception Test
against the appropriate target num&er gi)en &elow or against the result of the target+s Open Stealth
Test ?if stealthing@Q apply a target num&er modifier eEual to any .ackground Count present. Only
one success is needed to detect the
mo)ement. If a target is detectedC the adept
recei)es a #$ reduction to any )isi&ility
modifiers to strike at it ?so an in)isi&le
targetC normally O6 to strikeC would only &e
at O, to hit for the adept@. This sense
cannot detect mo)ement on the other side
of astral &arriers.
Movement E%%iciency
Cost: s#e1,al Author: =av,d 6 nderson (danders3@ga1.edu)
8or as long as Shadowrun+s &een around people ha)e wanted to &e faster.
This has always &een accomplished &y adding points to (eaction or adding
dice to Initiati)e. I meanC look at a 2.W ". Buite a &it of increase there.
0owe)erC to my knowledge no one has dealt with the theory of efficiency in
mo)ement. This approach of additional actions does not add to a character+s
(eaction or Initiati)e. Instead it decreases the delay &etween the characters
actions.
' normal character must su&tract % from his7her initiati)e after e)ery
initiati)e pass. 'n efficient character may reduce his7her total &y less. The
first appearance of such efficiency was in a 1hysical 'dept. Thought the cost
of higher le)els is su&stantialC it makes it more difficult to a&use. Characters
with le)el 6 gain nearly twice as many actions as a normal character with the
same initiati)e score. =2+s should &e wary of munchkinism. 2o)ement
Conser)ation is incompati&le with any cy&erware or &ioware which directly
raises Initiati)e or (eaction. Cy&er or .io that indirectly raises reaction ?through Euickness or
intelligence@ are compati&le.
'll magical increases to reaction or initiati)e function normally with this a&ility.
Notes5 's mentioned a&o)eC =2s should &e wary of munchkin a&use. The fact that this power
modifies the initiati)e turn itself may &e a red flag to some =2s. The =2 may wish to cap le)els atC
say "C reser)ing higher le)els for A1Cs. 'lsoC cost may &e increased at =2Ns discretion.
Multi-Tasking
2ulti#Tasking grants the adept the a&ility to gather information from multiple senses
simultaneously and also to concentrate on two separate actions7thoughts at the same time. The adept
may use two 8ree 'ctions per Initiati)e 1hase. 8or e<ampleC an adept can read data off a )id#screen
and simultaneously listen to the commlink pro)iding full attention and focus to each.
AoteF This allows an adept with Centering to center two times in a com&at phaseC &ut the
gamemaster shouldn+t allow the center two times for e<actly the same action.
$oving thing is# T"
Smaller than the a)erage cat 6
Smaller than a)erage mid#sized metahuman ,
')erage mid#sized metahuman ?humanC elfC ork@ "
>arger than a)erage mid#sized metahuman $
Level Cost Delay
.- !.-
$ !
; .- 6.-
" $ 6
- $.3- 3.-
, ;.- 3
3 ".$- ,.-
6 - ,
!& Poers
Mystic Armor
Cost: 0.5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 170 ($S) C
This power magically toughens your skin to resist the effects of damage. 5ach le)el pro)ides you
with point of Impact 'rmorC cumulati)e with any worn Impact 'rmor. 2ystic 'rmor does not
pro)ide .allistic 'rmor. 2ystic 'rmor also protects against damage done in astral com&at.
Mystical #each
Cost: s#e1,al Author: :ensArthur (e,rba33 (le,rba33@#vv.ntnu.no)
' sort of )ariant o)er the 4istance Strike powerC some physical adepts de)elop that which may
only &e descri&ed as /2ystical (each/. Their punches reach farther and their kicks co)er more
ground. 2ystical (each often manifests as a ?&riefly glowing@ ghostly image of the lim& of the
physical adeptC when the physical adept employs this power.
2ystical (each only applies to unarmed strikesC and not holdsC throwsC or
armed com&at. (aces with e<tended reach ?such as Trolls@ must &uy this
power at le)el $ or a&o)e to gain any &onus # only the highest &onus to reach
is usedC no matter the source of the reach &onus.
3egamage
Cost: ! Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er ** (+h,te +olf -3&)
This power gi)es the adept an spell defense pool. This pool is eEual to the adeptNs willpower or
sorcery skillC the higher of the two. 'n adept with astral perception gains $ e<tra die while astrally
percei)ing.
Notes5 's the new S(; Spell 1ool is calculated differentlyC you may wish to use it
?IATOWI>O2'=7;@ to get the )alue for the adeptNs spell defense pool. =2s who feel this power
may un&alance their campaign are encouraged to increase the cost to ;O or e<clude the power.
3erve Strike
Aer)e strike allows an adept to inflict damage that affects a targetNs ner)ous system. The adept
makes a standard unarmed attack against a &ase Target Aum&er of " plus the targetNs Impact 'rmor
(ating. (ather than inflicting damageC e)ery $ net successes reduce the targetNs Buickness &y . If
Buickness is reduced to %C the target is paralyzed. >ost Buickness is reco)ered at a rate of point
per minute. Aer)e strike is most effecti)e against human and metahuman opponents. When used
against crittersC the &ase Target Aum&er is , ?or higherC if the critter has an unusual anatomy@.
Targets that lack a functional ner)ous systemC such as machinesC spirits and zom&iesC are immune to
this power.
3imble "ingers
Aim&le 8ingers allow the adept to perform simple refle< and timing tricks more efficiently and
effecti)ely. It grants the adept O die to Stealth or Buickness Tests that in)ol)e sleight#of#hand
actions. 'dditionallyC Insert ClipC 1ick *p71ut 4own O&9ectC (emo)e Clip and *se Simple O&9ect
are 8ree 'ctions for the adept.
!& Adept Compendium 2065
Level Reach Cost
O
$ O$ ;
; O; -
Poers !/
3ormalcy
Cost: 0.5 #er level Author: (ad8 :est8r (>est8r@farada8.d,al,x.1o2.au)
This power is somewhat like the magical spell /4isregard/C with elements of /Chaos/ or /Chaotic
World/. The adept possessing the power of normalcy &ecomes a nonentity in the mind of his7her
enemies # they are inclined not to notice him. The adept 9ust looks like an ordinary YoeC and
e)eryone+s minds are encouraged to &elie)e this. To acti)ely notice an adept with normalcy acti)eC
you must make a Willpower testC with a target num&er dependent on the le)el of the power the adept
has purchased. Ao action may &e taken regarding the adept+s presence until this test has succeededQ
one test may &e made per round.
The Target Aum&er to acti)ely notice someone using the normalcy power is " O [$ < >e)el of
normalcy power\. This power does not function on the astral planeC and use of normalcy negates any
attempts at acti)e 2asking &y the adept while the power is acti)e. The normalcy power is only
acti)e for a limited durationQ this is eEual to [7$ 2agic (ating\ O [le)el of Aormalcy power\ in
turns. The adept using this power suffers drain when the power e<pires. The 4rain (esistance Test
is against [$ < >e)el\2.
The Willpower test to act may &e granted &onuses if a normal person should not &e where the
adept is. In other wordsC this power makes the adept W&lend inX like a guy on the street. If a guy on
the street would &e out of placeC so is the adept. The 2a<imum >e)el is ".
Pain #elie%
1ain (elief allows an adept to channel energy into his7her hands and apply it to chakra points on
another target ?the adept cannot use 1ain (elief on himself@. *sed in many 'sian techniEues like
(eikiC acupuncture and Shiatsu massageC this techniEue allows the adept to dissipate fatigueC stressC
muscle tension and pain. To represent this energy manipulationC the adept makes a 2agic ?% D
Target+s 5ssence ?round down@@ Test. Success reduces the target+s Stun damage &y one le)el ?i.e.C
from Serious to 2oderate@. The techniEue reEuires a &ase time of ;% minutes of uninterrupted
concentration ?di)ided &y the num&er of successes@ and reEuires the adept to maintain skin contact
with the target. 1ain (elief can &e used to alle)iate 4rain.
Pain #esistance
1ain (esistance allows you to ignore the effects of in9ury. It does not reduce actual damageC only
its effect on you. Su&tract your le)el of 1ain (esistance from your current damage &efore
determining your in9ury modifiers. 8or e<ampleC and adept with ; le)els of 1ain (esistance does not
suffer any modifiers for &eing >ightly or 2oderately wounded. 't " &o<es of damageC the adept has
only a O modifier ?" D ; ] C or >ight damage@. 1ain (esistance works eEually on &oth the 1hysical
and Stun Condition 2onitors.
1ain (esistance also allows you to resist pain from tortureC magicC illness and so on. The le)el is
su&tracted from your target num&ers to resist painC such as a .ody or Willpower Test against the
symptoms of a painful diseaseC interrogationC tortureC and so on.
Adept Compendium 2065 !/
30 Poers
Penetrating Strike
'n adept with this power channels great force a short distance forward while making an unarmed
melee attackC there&y &ypassing a target+s Impact armor. 5ach le)el of 1enetrating Strike allows an
adept to reduce the target+s Impact armor &y for the purposes of determining damage only. This
power may &e com&ined with Killing 0andsC &ut not 4istant Strike. 2a<imum le)el is three.
Pheromone Control
Cost: 0.5 #er level Author: Gurth (gurth@xs4all.nl)
.y consciously controlling his7her pheromone glandsC the adept can affect the reaction people
ha)e toward him or herC much like the tailored pheromones &ioware.
5ach le)el adds die to the adept+s Charisma and Social Skill rolls. This power is effecti)e out to
twice the adept+s 2agic (ating in metersC in a wind still situationC and the power+s le)el is hal)ed
?rounded down@ when applied to a person of another metatype than the physical adept.
The ma<imum le)el that may &e purchased is eEual to the adept+s natural Charisma 'ttri&ute
(ating.
The adept may choose to specialize his7her 1heromone Control power to a specific genderC in
which case the num&er of dice rolled for tests made against mem&ers of that gender are increased &y
-%V ?round up@ &ut for tests against the opposite genderC they are hal)ed. This is in addition to the
normal hal)ing for using the power against persons of another metatype.
Specializing must &e chosen when the power is &oughtQ if an adept wants to specialize later onC he
or she must &e the 1heromone Control power a second time.
Poison )it
Cost: s#e1,al Author: 9a#t. 0:; (0,1hael ;est)
When a physical adept makes a &are#handed strike on a li)ing opponent ?spirits and elementals
count@ and hit entirely flesh ?or scalesC etc.@C meaning his7her entire contact surface hits fleshC the
opponent must make a .ody success test with the &elow target num&er or take the &elow damage
for the &elow num&er of turns. 0e only makes one test. If he failsC he takes full damage for the full
num&er of turns. 5)ery turnC &eginning at the ne<t turn. Buite a lethal power. It also grants the user
immunity to other adepts similar hits of a eEual
or lesser le)el ?i.e. ' adept with le)el two
poison hit is immune to le)el and $ poison
hitsC &ut not le)el ;C "C or -.@.
Notes5 The =2 may wish to allow the )ictim
to resist the damage each TurnC particularly
considering the 4amage codes gi)en include
1ower. The Target Aum&er may also &e
standardized to something ?i.e. the adeptNs
2agic attri&ute@.
Power low
This skill does not need a &arehanded attack. It focuses magical energy into the point of attackC so
the character adds the influence of the 1ower .low to any melee attacks. (anged com&at cannot &e
impro)edC &ecause of the high speed of the pro9ectileC and the fact that the adept cannot &e in direct
Level T" Damage Duration (Turns) Cost
$ ;> $ .-
$ ; $2 $ $.-
; - -2 ; "
" , ;S " -.$-
- 6 ;4 " ,
Poers 31
contact with the pro9ectile to channel the magical energy. 5ach .- adds O to the power of the attack.
Aote that this a&ility cannot &e used with de)ices such as stun glo)esC stun &atonsC etc.C as their
effects are solely technologicalC and the magic cannot affect the power of the attack. Rou canNt focus
magical energy like this into a non#impact weaponC and stun &atons and the like manipulate
electricity to achie)e their effect.
Notes5 This is one of those powers =2Ns may wish to put a cap on. Troll min#ma<er adepts
running around with ?ST(O$O;@2 katanas is not a pleasant thing for A1CNs with families. The
=2 can cap this power in a )ariety of waysF increase the cost to .3- or per pointQ no &onus greater
than magic ratingQ no &onus greater than skill le)elQ no &onus greater than 7$ of magic rating7skill
le)elQ etc.
Pro'ection
Cost: ! Author: Shado.dan1er (br,ddle@2arsh.v,nu.edu)
When the adept chooses this powerC he can shoot a &last from his7her hands and choose either
flameC iceC acidC or energy for the &last.
5lemental effects apply. (ange is 2agic < ;C and damage is ?7$ 2agic@2. Target Aum&er is
5ssence?(@. The adept suffers 4rain of [?1ower7$@ O;\ S. The adept can upgrade the wound se)erity
&y for e)ery $.- magic spent ?i.e.C from 2 to 4 costs - magic@.
Notes5 It is not made e<plicit whether or not the elemental effect is chosen at the time of purchase
or time of useC and I would recommend at time of purchase. 8urtherC targeting 5ssence makes this
power almost a&surdly potent against hea)ily cy&ered charactersQ the =2 may wish to change the
target to .odyC WillpowerC or Buickness.
4uick Draw
The Euick draw power allows an adept to use the Euick drawing rules ?S(;C p. %3@ to Euick draw
weapons other than pistols. In other wordsC the adept can draw and use a single melee weaponC
missile weaponC throwing weapon or firearm in one action. The adept need not spend $ actions to
draw and ready the weapon and attackQ drawing or readying the weapon and attacking occur in the
action used for the 'ttack Test. If using a weapon reEuires a Comple< 'ctionC the adept may draw
the weapon and attack in a single Com&at 1hase.
If the weapon reEuires only a Simple 'ction to useC the adept can draw it and make two 'ttack
Tests in a single Com&at 1hase. The adept must succeed in a (eaction ?"@ Test to Euick draw.
4uick Strike
'depts with the Euick strike power possess the a&ility to leap into action with startling
suddenness. This power allows the adept to act first in one Initiati)e 1ass per Com&at Turn. This
action uses up the adeptNs action for that Initiati)e 1ass. This power cannot &e used during an
Initiati)e 1ass when the adept does not ha)e an action. The adeptNs Initiati)e Score is not affected.
The adept must &e unwounded to use this a&ility.
#apid )ealing
Rou reco)er more Euickly from all forms of in9uryC using magical energy to &oost the normal
healing process. 5ach le)el adds die to your .ody for 0ealing Tests as well as .ody Tests to
determine if you suffer a crippling in9ury from a 4eadly Wound. The power does not increase
3! Poers
resistance to in9uryC to<ins or pathogensC &ut does allow you to reco)er from their effects more
Euickly. (apid healing has no effect on checks for magic loss.
Notes5 'lthough it says Wall forms of in9uryCX it is not entirely clear whether or not this power
affects Stun as well as 1hysicalC &utC considering the canonical stance against magicNs a&ility to heal
Stun damageC it seems likely that the power affects only 1hysical damage.
#egeneration
Cost: s#e1,al Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
This powerful a&ility allows the adept to heal faster from physical wounds. This power does not
interfere with any other form of healing ?though it will startle a street
docU@. 'lmost all physical wounds ?with the e<ception of the most
serious ones@ taken will heal without e)en scarring.
Notes5 =2s worried a&out the impact of the higher le)el?s@ of this
power may cap its purchase at 3-V or -%V.
#esilience
'n adept with (esilience has the natural power to sta&ilize 4eadly wounds and minimize
secondary effects associated with e<treme wounds such as se)ered or maimed lim&sC cracked &ones
or heart attack. The adept gains O die per le)el for sta&ilization tests ?see 4eadly Wounds and 8irst
aidC S(;C p. $!@. The adept also recei)es an e<tra die per le)el when checking for permanent
damage resulting from 4eadly Wounds ?see 4eadly Wounds and 1ermanent 4amageC S(;C p. $3@.
'dditionallyC the adept reduces the target num&er &y # per le)el when testing for wound effects
?see 4etermining Wound 5ffectsC 2G2C p. $,@.
#evitali$ation
Cost: s#e1,al Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
This power is to stun damage what (egeneration is to physical
damage. In other wordsC it reduces the amount of time taken to
reco)er from stun damage.
Notes5 8ollowing the canonC healing stun damage shouldnNt &e
affected &y magicC and so =2s are strongly encouraged to gi)e
consideration &efore allowing this power.
#ooting
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 151 ($S) C
The rooting power allows the adeptC &y spending a Simple 'ction and concentrating for a
momentC to e<tend the force of his7her aura to root himself to the ground and &ecome an immo)a&le
o&9ect.
5ach le)el of the power adds die to all tests the adept makes to resist &eing knocked downC
thrownC le)itated or otherwise mo)ed against his7her will. The adept cannot mo)e while using this
powerC &ut can otherwise act normally ?including making attacks@C adding $ to all target num&ers.
Level %ealing Time Cost
3-V
$ -%V ;
; $-V -
Level %ealing Time Cost
3-V
$ -%V $
; $-V -
Poers 33
Shockwave
Cost: 1 Author: :u2bler (>u2bler@g2x.net)
.y using this skillC the adept charges his7her &ody with kinetic energy and &ecomes ground#zero
of a physical shockwa)e which affects e)eryone e<cept himself. The radius is 2agic7$ meters.
5)eryone who fails a strength test against the magic attri&ute of the adept is thrown a distance of
meters eEual to the 2agic rating of the 'dept minus the meters he stood away from the center of the
wa)e. 5)ery success can &e added to the distance the )ictim stood away from the 'dept. If a )ictim
is thrown &ack ?i.e. distance O successes does not eEual or e<ceed the adeptNs 2agic@C the )ictim is
automatically knocked down. If a )ictim scores enough successes to a)oid &eing thrown &ackC he
must still make a Strength test against the adeptNs 2agic rating and score $ or more successes to
a)oid knockdown. This power needs % minutes to recharge.
$2ample5 2a<imum Standard is surrounded &y some slots calling themsel)es the /=olden
=ators/. One of them 9ust tried to hit his face while two others are at ; and - meters. 2a< chooses
to use Shockwa)e and there goes the party. 0e has 2agic 6C making his effecti)e radius " meters.
=ator is in close com&at with 2a<C making his distance ground zero. 0e scores ; successes in his
strength testC making him fly away - meters ?6 ?2agic rating@ D % ?the distance from ground zero@ #
;?the successes scored@@. Ar. $ scores one success and is standing ; meters away. 0e is thrown "
meters. ?6#;# ] "@. Ar.;C &eing at - meters is out of range and watches his &uddies fly high a&o)e
himC lea)ing tiny little cracks in the &rick wall &ehind him.
Side Step
'n adept with Side Step can read the su&tleties of motion and &ody language to anticipate the
timing and location of a ranged or melee attack. 5ach le)el of Side Step grants the adept one
additional Com&at 1ool die only for purposes of 4odge and 8ull 4odge attempts.
Si*th Sense
'depts with si<th sense possess the a&ility to immediately sense personal danger and leap into
action with startling suddenness. 5ach le)el allows the adept to roll an additional die when making
(eaction Tests for Surprise ?S(;C p. %6@. These dice do not apply to any other type of (eaction
Test or Initiati)e roll.
Sliding
Cost: 0.!5 / level Author: :u2bler (>u2bler@g2x.net)
The a&ility ena&les the adept to slide on almost any ground like it was slippy ice. 8or each le)elC
the adept can slide $ metersC up to a ma<imum of 6 meters. 8or doing soC the adept must accelerate
firstC whether &y running or 9umping or any other form of mo)ement.
The slided distance is added to the effecti)e rate of mo)ement for that com&at turn. That meansC a
human with Buickness?"@ and gliding ?$@ could mo)e up to - meters in a com&at phase. Of courseC
this would reEuire him to 9ump and slide the last ; metersC lea)ing him lying on the ground. To run
or mo)e againC he would ha)e to spend an action to get up.
'ndC of courseC the direction can^t &e changed while sliding and this a&ility can not &e used when
using Spider Walk. ?This would 9ust look ridiculous.@
'nother oddity is that this a&ility seems to flatten the &ody in a wayC making it small enough toC
for e<ampleC slide &eneath a car without any danger. This also translates into other situationsQ for
34 Poers
e)ery two le)els of =lidingC add one die to tests in)ol)ing sEueezing into or out of spacesC including
'thletics ?5scape 'rtist@ tests. =reat for getting on the other side pretty fast and pretty surprising.
Or entering a room in a Euite dramatic way with &oth pistols ready for action. ' must for e)ery
.ruce Willis 8anU
Note5 .ecause /=liding/ has &een taken &y a canonic powerC I renamed this to Sliding.
Smashing low
The smashing &low power allows an adept to focus magical energy into a de)astating strike
designed to smash through &arriers. The adept makes an *narmed Com&at Test against the .arrier
and compare the result to the unmodified .arrier (atingC determining the effect according to the
.arrier 5ffect Ta&le ?S(;C p. $"@. This power can &e de)astating when com&ined with the
increased strength or strength &oost powers. Smashing &low can &e used against o&9ects ?including
astral &arriers@ &y adepts with astral perceptionF the power adds O$ to the adeptNs Charisma for such
attacks.
Sonar
Cost: 0.5 / level Author: lfredo lves (dghost@>uno.1o2)
'n adept with this a&ility may detect o&9ects &y echolocation. This power works at a range of
0earing 1erception (ating ?Intelligence plus any e<tra dice that apply towards hearing perception
tests@ times le)el purchased meters. 'nything
within that range may &e detected and identified &y
rolling the le)el purchased against a target num&er
chosen &y the =2. The smaller the o&9ectC the
higher the target num&er should &e. This is the
target num&er to identify the general nature of the
o&9ect. The range of this a&ility is <% underwater.
0igh#8reEuency 0earing will detect the use of this
power and an adept who wishes to use this power
must first purchase 0igh 8reEuency 0earing ?part
of the e<panded rules for Impro)ed Senses@.
Sonic Scream
Cost: s#e1,al Author: 'erbert (. 'el)er ** (+h,te +olf -3&)
This power allows the adept to create a yell7scream that can &e heard from a great distance. The
force of this scream is so great that it can shatter glassC deafen peopleC or e)en knock people out.
Such an attack lea)es people with a ringing sound in their head which causes deafness for a num&er
of minutes eEual to the adeptNs magic rating and also create a O$ modifier
to all target num&ersC unless the person has some sound damping which
would then ignore the these effects. The area effect radius is eEual to the
adeptNs magic rating in meters. 'ny distance &eyond that radius and the
power &egins to drop point per meter. The adept rolls his7her magic
rating )ersus a target num&er of ". 8or e)ery $ net successes raises the
wound le)el &y . 1eople resist this attack using .ody. 'll damage is Stun.
'ny&ody wearing protecti)e headgear lowers the power rating &y the
impact armor rating of the head gear. 'nyone one who has sound dampeners lowers the power &y ".
Singing skill will add a num&er of dice to the attack eEual to the one half the skillNs rating.
Si&e an! Details T"
2etahuman sized ,
8or each time size is hal)ed O
8or each time size is dou&led #
=eneral 4etails ?=ender7(ace@ O$
4etailed ?(ough appro<imation of &uild@ O"
Specific ?8acial 8eatures@ O,
Level Damage Cost
?Wil7$@>
$ ?Wil@> $
; ?Wil@2 "
" ?Wil@S 6
Poers 35
Spell Shroud
'depts with the spell shroud power possess the a&ility to WcloakX their presence in astral spaceC
making them difficult to detect &y spells designed to do so. 8or e)ery le)el of the powerC the adept
adds die to Spell (esistance Tests against detection spells only. Aote that the spell shroud power
does not affect attempts to read the su&9ectNs aura )ia astral perception or otherwise spot the
character in astral spaceQ nor does it affect 2asking Tests.
Spider 2alk
Cost: 1 Author: :u2bler (>u2bler@g2x.net)
*sing this powerC the 'dept is a&le to mo)e along walls and ceilings ?almost@ like on normal
ground. The adept can support his7her own weightC plus - kg for e)ery point of strength he
possessesC &e them magical or cy&ernetically enhanced. 'll com&at#related tests are at a O". If the
adept tries to run and fails an athletics?,@ testC he looses touch and falls down.
Note5 .eware that the adept is 9ust a&le to literally /hang around/ in some places. Ae)erC A5:5(C
is gra)ity reduced or somehow changed. 'll o&9ects the adept drops will fall to the ground. The
same is for clothingC so any adept hanging around upside down should think twice a&out wearing
capes and coats and stuff like that. They might get in the way.
Sprint
Cost: 0.!5 / level Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
'n adept with this a&ility has refined her muscular control and force of surface contact to increase
running speed. 5)ery le)el of Sprint grants a O Buickness for determining running distance.
Note5 This canonic power replaces the 5nhanced 2o)ement power originally listed in White Wolf
P;6 and the >egs of the Wind power created &y Y. 5ric Seaton.
Steel "ingers
The adept has practiced thrusting his7her fingers into soil and sand while focusing his7her magical
energies to o&tain this disciplineC and can penetrate through most forms of &ody armor. WhyC e)en
plate mail is said to &e useless against a master of Steel 8ingersU 8or game purposesC each .- spent
negates one point of impact armor in melee com&at. 2asters of this skill also make super&
gardeners.
Notes5 This powerC like 1ower .lowC is 9ust asking for minma< a&use. *nless the idea of impact
armor &ecoming no concern to an adept appeals to the =2C he may wish to cap this power. 1ossi&le
methods includeF upping the cost to .3- or per pointQ incompati&ility with other powers ?like
1ower .low@Q no more points than 7"?2agic@Q etc.
Stone reathing
This power allows adepts to go for a prolonged period of time without o<ygen. The amount of
time is eEual to the adeptNs magic rating or the magic rating minus the num&er of minutes the adept
is e<erting him7herself. 'fter this time period the adept must spent minute to catch his7her &reath
&efore the adept can reuse this power.
36 Poers
Stretch Attack
This power allows the arms or legs to stretch to co)er distances. 5ach le)el allows the adept to
stretch 'rms7>egs one meterQ O reach in com&at. The ma<imum le)el is ;.
Notes5 Roga fireU Roga flameU ?INm sorryC I could help myself...@
Surround Sense
Cost: 0.5 Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
This is a mystical sensing power which allows the character to see up to $3%_ ?not the !%_ directly
to the rear@. This does confer se)eral o&)ious ad)antages ?attacks from the rear get no &onusC and it+s
much more difficult to sneak up &ehind someone who+s using this powerU@. There is a limitationC
thoughF *sage of this sense adds O to all target num&ers # seeing in all directions can &e damna&ly
confusingU
Suspended State
Cost: 1 Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 170 ($S) C
This a&ility allows you to enter into a meditati)e stateC reducing your meta&olism and therefore
your reEuirements for foodC waterC airC or your rate of &leeding. To use Suspended StateC roll your
Willpower against a target num&er of "C applying any in9ury modifiers. Consult the description of
the 0i&ernate spell and use the successes as indicated. If an adept with this power takes a 4eadly
physical wound and falls unconsciousC the power automatically acti)ates.
Sustenance
Cost: 0.!5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
'n adept with Sustenance replenishes the same amount of energy and health from three hours of
sleep and one solid meal a day as a normal person would with eight hours of sleep and three meals a
day. 'dditionallyC the adept+s &ody processes food and drink )ery effecti)elyC and therefore the
adept reEuires only one trip to the restroom each day.
Note5 The canonic Iron =ut and Sustance powers replace Iron StomachC created &y 'rthur S.
Temperature Tolerance
The adeptNs &ody is e<ceptionally resistant to e<tremes of heat and cold. 8or each le)el of the
temperature tolerance powerC the adept gains an additional die for resisting the effects of e<posure
to e<treme temperatures. This power does not protect the adept from e<posure to physically harming
agents such as open flames or the freezing cold of the 'ntarctic OceanC &ut will help the character
resist the effects of sources of e<treme heat such as &urning coastC heatstroke and sun&urnC as well
as frost&ite and e<posure to &elow zero temperatures. This power also protects against &oth the
primary and secondary effects of elemental manipulation spells.
Thermal Cloak
Cost: 0.5 Author: 7' nderson (r8u28o@,1.2an3ato.2n.us)
8or a limited durationC the adept is )irtually indistinguisha&le from the &ackground temperatures.
The character performs a Stealth or .io#feed&ack Test against a Target Aum&er determined &y the
=2 &ased on the en)ironment. Success means that the character is /in)isi&le/ on the thermographic
spectrum until such time as the =2 determines the en)ironment would reEuire additional testing.
Poers 37
Notes5 's the =2 is responsi&le for determining Target Aum&ers and suchC some rough guidelines
might runF " for moderate en)ironmentsC , for unusual en)ironments ?meat lockerC sauna@C 6 for
e<treme en)ironments ?arctic winterC desert summer@C and so forth.
Thermal Masking
Cost: 1.5 Author: :u2bler (>u2bler@g2x.net)
The term /thermal masking/ is not %% percent accurateC &ut for the sake of simplicityC this shall
&e its name. What this power does is pretty easy to e<plain. It shuts down the meta&olism of the
adepts &ody so farC that the adept can hardly mo)e faster than slow walkingC &ut raises his7her
signature for thermal scanners to -. 'ny physical attri&ute testC any mo)ement other than slow
walking and any use of a com&at or motion intensi)e skill ?like athleticsC throwing or dancing@ ends
the effect. When this happensC the signature is reduced to " for % com&at turnsC simulating the heart
pumping too much &lood into the )eins and the &ody going to a full#alert status. 'dditionallyC the
adept suffers "2 Stun damage from this. If the adept chooses to end the maskingC it takes $ com&at
turns to &ring the &ody functions to a normal le)el. 'fter thatC the signature is set to a normal le)el
and all penalties )anish.
Three-Dimensional Memory
Cost: 0.5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
'n adept with Three#4imensional 2emory can memorize an area )iewed first#hand in e<actC
three#dimensional detail &y performing a Comple< 'ction. 't a later dateC the adept may make a
1erception Test to mentally walk through the areaC searching and e<ploring as if the adept were
walking through the scene for the first time. Aothing in the scene can &e distur&ed or manipulated in
the memoryC and an adept only recalls things he actually saw or sensedC e)en if incidentally. 8or
e<ampleC the adept cannot remem&er what is within a
desk drawer unless the drawer was open when
memorized the area. 5ach indi)idual area memorized in
this manner can &e no greater than ?adept+s 2agic
attri&ute@ sEuare meters. 'n adept may memorize a
num&er of areas eEual to his7her 2agic attri&ute.
The target num&er of the 1erception Test is modified
&y elapsed amount of time since the memory was
/captured/C as noted to the right.
Toughness
When resisting Stun damage of any kindC the adept adds the toughness dice to her .ody or
Willpower rating.
Notes5 0ere is yet another power that should pro&a&ly &e capped. I can 9ust see the min#ma<er
physical magician who ne)er has to worry a&out drain again. Suggestions for capping Toughness
includeF no more e<tra die than the attri&uteQ no more e<tra die than 7$ the attri&uteQ cannot &e used
toward drain ?for physical magicians@Q etc.
Time asse! since $emori&ation# T"
>ess than $" hours O%
>ess than a week O
>ess than a month O$
>ess than a year O;
' year or more O"
3& Poers
Tough Skin
Cost: 1 / level Author: Shado.dan1er (br,ddle@2arsh.v,nu.edu)
Tough skin is a magical )ariant of the &ioware enhancement /Orthoskin/ Skin acEuires the same
te<ture and tactile sensations as Orthoskin. O .allistic7O Impact per le)el.
Notes5 O, .7O, I sound scary to anyone else` OkayC how a&out a Troll with O, .7 O, I. ReahC
okay...I thought so. Suggestions for capping Tough Skin includeF increase the cost ?.3- or $ per
le)elC perhaps@Q 9ust cap it at le)el ;Q cap it at 7$ 2agicQ gi)e Charisma penalties for high le)els
?>e)el , Tough Skin has to make a guy look funny@Q etc.
Traceless 2alk
'n adept with the traceless walk power can mo)e o)er soft or &rittle surfaces such as snowC sandC
or thin paper without lea)ing any )isi&le traces. 'n adept with this power makes no noise from
contact with the floor or ground ?though mo)ement from clothes or gear may still cause noise@Q
apply a O" modifier to hearing#&ased 1erception Tests. 'n adept with this power will not trip
ground &ased motion or pressure sensors. The adept cannot walk across liEuid surfaces ?&ut can
cross deep snow without sinking@ and can still &e tracked &y non )isual cluesC such as scent.
Notes5 Aote that /ground#&ased motion or pressure sensors/ pro&a&ly do not include laser trip
sensorsC wire trippersC and such.
Trauma Compensator
Cost: 1 Author: :. 5r,1 Seaton (er,1@freenet.v,1tor,a.b1.1a)
This power enhances the &ody+s a&ility to cope with damage. Whene)er the adept takes mental or
physical damage of moderate or worse se)erityC su&tract one &o< of damage from the amount taken.
Notes5 I would recommend that this power &e limited to use on physical damage onlyC per the
canonical standard of magicNs ina&ility to affect stun damage.
True Sight
'n adept with the true sight power is more resistant to the effects of illusions. 5ach le)el of this
power gi)es the adept and additional die when making (esistance Tests against illusion spells and
illusion#&ased critter powers.
(oice Control
Cost: 0.5 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
'n adept with :oice Control has an amazing le)el of control o)er the properties of his7her )oice.
The adept can change his7her )oice+s pitchC modulation and tone at willC as well as increase her
)olume. This allows the adept to mask his7her )oice and intimate sounds within the normal range of
metahuman )ocalization ?i.e.C no infrasound or ultrasound@C including mimicking the )oices others.
This trick can &e used to defeat )oice recognition systems. *se the adept+s Intelligence in an
Opposed Test against the system+s ratingC or against the Intelligence of other characters the adept is
attempting to fool. :oice Control also allows an adept to /throw/ her )oice up to ?magic attri&ute@
meters away.
Note5 This power replaces &y :oice 'lteration powerC originally designed &y =urthC which
replaced the 'dept 2imicry power originally appearing in White Wolf P;6 .
Poers 3/
(olatile Aura
Cost: 1 Author: rthur S. (han3er@geo1,t,es.1o2)
' must#ha)e for the mildly paranoidU With this power e)ery single cell separated from the adeptNs
&ody loses instantly the adeptNs aura and can therefore ne)er &e a >ink for (itual 2agic. ' 4A'
analysis is possi&le of course. ' side effect of this power is that items handled &y the adept do not
ha)e such a strong psychic WimageX of their user as normal. 'pply a O modifier if using such items
as sym&olic representations of the adept. .ecause of the same reasonC 'depts &onding a focus must
pay one e<tra Karma 1ointC due to the the e<tra effort they put in synchronizing the aura of the focus
and their own.
2all #unning
Cost: 1 Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
Wall (unning allows an adept to mo)e up to ?2agic attri&ute@ meters on a sheer wall or )ertical
surface. 'ny attempt to run higher distances reEuires &reak points or landings and multiple uses of
Wall (unning. 'ny attempt to use this power with acro&atics ?such as 9umping from one wall to
another@ will reEuire an 'thletics Test against a target num&er esta&lished &y the gamemaster and
should &e considered a difficult maneu)er. the secondary effects of the adept+s motion still occurC
such as sound or tracksC unless this power is com&ined with Traceless Walk ?p. ;6@.
2ill to ,ive
Cost: 1 Author: rthur S. (han3er@geo1,t,es.1o2)
?Aot the same things as the S( Compendium edgeU@ Stay ali)e in the seediest parts of town e)en
with a &ig &ad chest woundU
This power automatically sta&ilizes the adept in a matter of seconds if he has a deadly wound.
The adept needs no first aid to sur)i)eC &ut he will &e in a coma until his7her wound is properly
treated or heals ?' deadly wounded 1C lying on a gar&age dump will )ery unlikely heal without any
help. It is more likely he will end as a snack to whate)er li)es on a gar&age dump@. Aote that if the
Sudden 4eath (ule ?8ields of 8ire@ is in effectC this power may &e limited in its use. 'ndC of courseC
the last &ullet in the head to Wfinish them offX is also a good way to pre)ent this power to sta&ilize
anyone.
Notes5 Some people ha)e said this should &e &umped up to .- or so. Aoting the ease of o&taining
the relati)ely low#impact Sta&ilize spellC is pro&a&ly a fair cost for this powerC &utC of courseC
always apply =2Ns discretion.
40
Initiation
This chapter is derived from Initiation and Metamagic, MitS pp. ! " and is #ritten for use on
adept characters. In case of indistinctiveness, please consult the original source.
The process of Initiation enhances the 'depts possi&ilities &y gi)ing him7her new powers and
access to 2etamagical techniEues ?p. ""@. ' character can initiate on his own or as a mem&er of a
magical group. 2ost magical groups assem&le for the primary purpose of making initiation easier
&y reducung Karma cost for e)ery mem&erC &ut &ecause they are hard to findC selecti)e in their
mem&ership and reEuire mem&ers to a&ide their rulesC some characters prefer to initiate on their
own. See 2itSC p. , for details on magical groups.
+rades o% /nitiation
Initiation is measured in gradesC &eginning with =rade and increasing. ' =rade Initiate
completing his7her second InitiationC &ecomes a =rade $ Initiate. This linear system is for tracking
initiation le)els in game terms D characters might ignore this completely.
Advantages o% /nitiation
'n initiate can choose &etween three ad)antages during each initiationF
raise the 2agic 'ttri&ute &y and learn a metamagical techniEue
raise the 2agic 'ttri&ute &y and alter the the initiate+s astral signature
shed a geas
(aising the 2agic 'ttri&ute causes the 'dept to get a new 1ower 1ointC and the 2agic 'ttri&ute
can increase a&o)e , in this manner.
Note5 'ccording to 2itSC full magician initiates gain access to the metaplanes. 's a matter of factC I
am uncertain if this applies to magician adepts as well.
Astral Abilities
Initiates recei)e a &onus to their 'stral (eaction eEual to their grade. They also gain access to the
'stral 1oolC which contains a num&er of dice eEual to the initiate+s grade. 'stral 1ool dice can &e
used for any test made while on the astral plane or metaplanesC e<cept for 2agical Skill Tests. They
can &e used to augment 'stral Com&at Tests ?e)en when Sorcery is used@ and 'stral 1erception
Tests. 4ice in the 'stral 1ool refresh the same way as other dice pools ?S(;C p. ";@.
Shedding +easa
5ach time a character initiatesC he7she can get rid of a geas ?2itSC p. ;;@. This meansC a certain
geas is eliminatedC and the character regains full access to the certain 2agic 1oint. Only one geas
may &e shed per grade.
Altering Astral Signature
To alter his7her astral signatureC a character has to change his7her style of using magic. 2ake a
2agic Test against Target Aum&er , plus the new grade. Ao dice other than Karma can &e added to
this test. ' minimum of $ successes means the character has altered his signature. 1eople who
recognized the character+s old signature can no longer identify the character &y his signature.
If an attempt to alter the astral signature failsC the character continues to use his e<isting signatureC
&ut may make the 2agic Test descri&ed a&o)e at each new initiation until he7she succeeds. 8or each
unsuccessful attempt to change the astral signatureC increase the target num&er for future attempts
&y .
Note5 I think that neither an adept ?not the magicain adept@ can change his7her astral signatureC nor
he7she might e)er need to do this. Only few powers and metamagics cause astral reisdues.
Initiation 41
Cost o% /nitiation
Tye Cost
Self#Initiation ?- O desired grade@ < ;
Self#Initiation with ordeal ?- O desired grade@ < $.- ?round down@
=roup Initiation ?- O desired grade@ < $
=roup Initiation with ordeal ?- O desired grade@ < .- ?round down@
/nitiation &rdeals
These Initation Ordeals are taken from )arious sources. In additionC they are cut to the needs of
adepts.
Astral 4uest
Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 60 ($S) C
To perform the astral Euest ordealC the character must pro9ect onto the metaplanes ?see
2etaplanesC 2itS p. !@. Shamans 9ourney to their the metaplane of their totemC mages must fulfill a
Euest on each of the four elemental planesC wulen ?see 2itSC p. 3@ must Euest to the metaplanes of
all fi)e stemsC and so on. Characters una&le to astrally pro9ect cannot undertake an astral Euest
unless they gain access to the 'stral =ateway power of a free spirit ?2itSC p. ,@. If soC normal
astral Euest rules apply.
The rating of the astral Euest is twice the desired grade of initiation. If a character fails the EuestC
he must strengthen himself through ritual and meditation &efore trying again. 2ake a Willpower
Test against a target num&er to the desired grade. 4i)ide the &ase time of % days &y the successes
to determine the amount of time your character must spend preparing to re#attempt the Euest. There
is no penalty for interrupting this processC &ut preparing an astral Euest is )ery demanding work and
lea)es no time for any acti)ities other than the most ordinary tasks.
' mage who fails on one elemental plane need only repeat the Euest on that plane.
Asceticism
'n asceticism ordeal in)ol)es physically challenging acti)ities such as rigorous fastingC strenuous
e<ercisesC ritual com&atC or e)en self#inflicted torture.
The character undergoing this ordeal must permanently gi)e up point from a physical 'ttri&ute.
This is a reduction to the attri&ute+s unaugmented ratingQ augmented ratings ?from cy&erwareC spells
or adept powers@ can ne)er &e sacrificed as part of this ordeal. In additionC the character+s (acial
2odified >imit ?see S(;C p. $""@ for the 'ttri&ute also decreases &y pointC reducing the potential
ma<imum )alue of the 'ttri&ute. The character cannot sacrifice a point from an 'ttri&ute that has a
(ating of .
If this ordeal is taken multiple timesC the character must reduce a different physical 'ttri&ute
&efore he can reduce a pre)iously reduced 'ttri&ute again.
Note5 In my opinionC the character must fulfill another reEuirementF e<treme stupidity. 5specially
adepts ha)e to rely on their 'ttri&utes D it is 9ust stupid to sacrifice them first to &oost them &ack
ne<t &y magic.
4! Initiation
Deed
' deed ordeal reEuires a character to perform some task with a goal appropriate to his7her 1athC
his magical group ?if he7she &elongs to one@C his totem ?if he7she is a shaman@C or his7her moral code
?if his7her character has one@. Successfully accomplishing the goal makes it a deed.
The gamemaster and the player should agree on a deed ordeal in ad)ance. 'lternati)elyC the
gamemaster can decide that a run 9ust fits the &ill. 's a general guidelineC a run can Eualify as a deed
if the Karma award is compara&le to the Karma cost of the grade the character seeks. The deed must
&e personally rele)antand appropriate to the character D it is not accepta&le to declare a run a deed
ordeal simply &ecause it has a high Karma award.
If the gamemaster appro)es the run as a deadC the player simply turns down the Karma award for
the run and the ordeal is accomplished. ' character can carry out a deed &efore he7she is ready to
initiate to another gradeC essentially /sa)ing/ a deed and using it as an ordeal for his ne<t initiation.
' deed must &e used for the character+s ne<t initiationC howe)erC and cannot &e sa)ed &eyond that
grade. See 2itSC p. ,%C for some deed run e<amples.
+eas
To fulfill this ordealC the character takes a geas of his choice and accepts a limitation on the
2agic 1oint or 1ower 1oint he gains from the new grade. Choose from the standard geasa ?2itSC p.
;@ or create a new one with the gamemaster+s appro)al. This geas does not reduce the cost of any
powers purchased with that 1ower 1ointC &ut otherwise it works normally. ' geas taken as an ordeal
cannot &e remo)ed.
Note5 Stupid. >imiting '&ilities 9ust to spare some crappy Karma points may result in the
knowledge ha)ing done &ullshit.
Masterpiece
Source: State of the rt !064" #. 60 ($an%ro) C
' masterpiece ordeal reEuires the character to spend at least a month working on an original piece
of art. the work must challenge the artist and reEuires complete concentrationC not allowing for daily
acti)ities such as workC study or shadowrunning to distract the artist. 'ditionallyC the work must &e
completly original. The adept undertaking this ordeal must either know the )irtuoso metamagic
techniEue ?p. -;@ or learn it during the Initiation he is currently undergoing. The adept must also
ha)e an appropriate art#oriented Knowledge skill. The adept must succeed in creating a )irtuoso
piece or the ordeal fails and the artist must start o)er. If an artist chooses to perform su&seEuent
masterpiece ordealsC he7she must start anewC and the work must ha)e a new theme that distinguishes
it firmly from other works.
Meditation
The character must spend time in daily mediattionC trying to &ring his physical &eing under the
control of his astral self.
The character must pass three 'ttri&ute TestsF
' Charisma Test against a target num&er eEual to Strength
'n Intelligence Test against a target num&er eEual to Buickness
' Willpower Test against a target num&er eEual to .ody.
Initiation 43
5ach test has a &ase time of ?desired garde < "@ in days. 4i)ide the &ase time for each test &y the
num&er of successes. *nless all three tests are successfulC the character must &egin the mediatati)e
cycle o)er again. The mediatation ordeal is )ery demanding and lea)es no time for any acti)ities
other than the most ordinary tasksC and en)ironmental distractions must &e kept to a minimum.
'pply O$ to the target num&ers of all the meditati)e tests if the character+s lifestyle is SEuatter or
Street ?S(;C p. $"%@. 4o not apply this penalty if the character is li)ing in the wilderness during this
ordeal and possesses a Wilderness Sur)i)al Skill of rating " or greater.
&ath
The oath ordealC in which the character swears an oath to o&ey a magical group+s rules and
stricturesC is a)aila&le only to mem&ers of such groups ?see 2agical =roupsC 2itSC p. ,@. 5)en if a
character swears se)eral oaths in his careerC only the first Eualifies as an ordeal.
Thesis
This ordeal reEuires a character to create a formula containing all his magical knowledge.
0ermetic theses are usually written te<ts. Shamanic theses are usually works of artC e<pressing the
the spiritual insights of the shaman. 'depts can produce either type of thesisC depending on the
adept+s way ?p. $@ ' thesis must e<ist as a physical item ?in hard#copy formC in the case of a te<t@.
' thesis is created in the same way as a spell formula ?see Spell 8ormulasC 2itSC p. "3@ with a
(ating of ,C using the character+s highest 'cti)e 2agical Skill and a &ase time of ;% days. The
author must guard the thesis carefully &ecause anyonewho o&tains a copy can use it as a material
link to target the author with ritual sorcery ?p. ;"@. 8or this reasonC initiates are reluctant to make
more than one copy of their thesis. If all copies of the thesis are destroyedC howe)erC the author
immediately loses a 2agic 1ointC so most initiates risk making more than one copy.
Some magical groups reEuire this ordeal. The thesis is usually the second ordeal for the group
&ecause mostgroups reEuire the oath ordeal for the first initiation. 2em&ers must file a copy of their
thesis with the group &ecause it acts as link for ritual sorcery D for good and ill.
2ay &rdeal
' way ordeal reEuires the character and gamemaster to de)ise a trial appropriate to ad)ancement
in the character+s chosen way. The trial must &e a significant step in the character+s philosophical
de)elopment along his path. Way ordeals should reEuire a significant sacrifice of resourcesC time or
e)en attri&ute pointsC as the gamemaster deems appropriate. Way ordeals must also ha)e measura&le
results. See Sot'$%,"C p. , for some e<amples of a way ordeal trials.
44
!etamagics
Attunement 0Animal5 /tem1
Throughout historyC animal companions and certain signature items ha)e figured in legends. The
'ttunement metamagic could &e said to &e the Si<th World+s manifestation of this concept.
In practical termsC 'ttunement allows the adept to in)est Karma toward esta&lishing a mystical
&ond with a specific animal or o&9ect D similar to the way he7she would &ond a focus D granting
him7her a uniEue affinity with that critter or item. 'ttuned animals or items may &e used as a
material ritual link to the adept ?2itSC p. ;"@.
.efore &onding is possi&leC 'ttunement reEuires the adept to go through familiarization process
with the animal or item until handling it is second nature. When familiarization is completeC a
&onding ritual of some sort is needed. The gamemaster and player should taylor this to the
character+s cultural &ackgroundC &elief system and7or way. 8or instanceC a shamanic adept might &est
a wild animal in com&at to &ecome the alpha. ' warrior adept might gi)e his weapon a &aptism of
&lood &y cutting himself with the edge. 4uring the appropriate ritualC the adept sacrifices some of
his =ood Karma to attune to the target. 'depts may also perform a deed ordeal ?2itSC p. ,%@ with
the animal or o&9ect as a &onding ritual.
'ttunement has different effects depending on whether the target is an o&9ect or animal. Aote that
'ttunement metamagic only applies to either animals or itemsQ if an adept wants to learn to attune
to &oth animals ans itemsC he must learn the metamagic techniEue twice. ' character may only &e
attuned to a num&er of items or animals ?total@ eEual to his Initiate =rade. 0e may not recei)e a
&onus from more than one attuned item7animal in any single action. 'ttunement may &e )oluntarily
se)ered at any moment &y the adept ?in)ested Karma is lost@ and is canceled if the animal dies or
the o&9ect is destroyed.
Animals5 'nimal 'ttunement allows an adept to &ond with a friendlyC mundaneC non#sentient
animal. To do thisC an adept must first &efriend the animal and gain its trustC reEuiring an 'nimal
0andling ?or similar skill@ ?-@ Test with a &ase time of two weeks. 5<tra successes may&e used to
di)ide the duration. ' failed test means the adept+s time was wasted and he must start again. The
process will not work if the animal is coerced. Once a rapport is esta&lishedC the adept may perform
the ritual &ondingC paying Karma eEual to the animal+s 5ssence.
' &onded animal gains the power of Sense >ink ?2itSC p. %!@C allowing the adept to e<perience
the world through the animal+s senses. The adept may also issue simple low#le)el telepathic
commands to the animal through this link. ?These commands do not automatically succeedC
depending on the disposition of the animal D especially if the command puts the animal in danger.
The gamemaster may call for an 'nimal 0andling or other appropriate test.@ This power has a range
eEual to the adept+s ?2agic O Charisma O Willpower@ < % meters. If the animal goes &eyond this
rangeC contact is lost. >ikewiseC if the animal suffers a 2oderate Wound or greaterC while the power
is in useC the link is immediately &roken and the adept suffers >ight Stun damageQ contact may &e
re#esta&lished when the animal is healed.
ItemsF 'ttuning a )ehicleC weapon or piece of gear allows an adept amazing intuiti)e control and
uncanny insight into its operation. 'n attuned item feels like a physical e<tension of the adept+s
&ody and makes it easier to perform incredi&le feats and difficult stunts. The familiarization process
reEuires that the adept &ecome thoroughly acEuainted with the item+s characteristics and limitations.
This entails a rele)ant .7( Skill ?-@ Test ?for e<ampleC 5dged Weapons .7( for a katana or
.ike .7( for a Ramaha (apier@ with a &ase time of one week. 'lternatelyC the adept may elect to
&uild7forge7construct the item from scratch. Success in the test allows the adept to attune to the
!etamagics 45
item &y means of an appropriate &onding ritual. The Karma cost to &ond to an inanimate o&9ect like
a )ehicleC weapon or other gear eEuals the item+s O&9ect (esistance ?p. -6@.
In game termsC 'ttunement reduces the target num&er for any skill tests in)ol)ing useC control or
handling of the item &y . 'ttunementC howe)erC pro)ides no &onus when the item is controlled
through a cy&ernetic interface ?:C(C data9ackC smartlinkC etc.@. 'ttunement does not aid 2agical
skills such as SorceryC Con9uringC Centering or 5nchanting.
AoteF See /' note on attuning animals/C Sot'$%,"C p. ,C for some optional rulings.
Centering
Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 7! ($S) C
8or centuriesC magicians studied skills like singingC dancingC playing musical instrumentsC
speaking ancient languagesC and so on. Since the 'wakeningC initiates ha)e disco)ered the reason
&ehind the practice. The mental and physical discipline of performing such skills helps center themC
putting them in harmony with the center of their &eingC the well from which all magical power
springs.
Centering S/ill
To use the techniEue of centeringC an initiate must use two skillsF Centering Skill and another skill
that represents the initiate+s method of centeringC referred to here as the creative skill. Centering
Skill is an 'cti)e 2agical Skill ?S(;C p. 6-@ that is linked to Willpower. Centering Skill represents
a character+s a&ility to use the the creati)e skill to center. Centering Skill can ne)er &e raised higher
than the rating of the creati)e skill.
The creati)e skill can &e 'cti)e or KnowledgeC though it is usually an artistic or intellectual
a&ility. It may e)en &e one the initiate already possesses. Only one skill may &e considered the
character+s creati)e skill. =enerally applica&le e<amples areF 4ancingC SingingC 1laying 2usical
InstrumentsC 'rcane >anguagesC 2editation.?see 2itSC p. 3$ for details@
Some players may want to in)ent a new creati)e skill. The 'wakening made magicians
understand the )alue of the old waysC &ut it also set a wa)e of e<perimentation to find new and
&etter ways of performing magic. 8or purposes of the gameC howe)erC creati)e skills should not &e
particular useful in non#magical areas.
8or e<ampleC consider the possi&ilities of shooting a gun as a Centering Skill. ' case could &e
made for using that or other Com&at SkillsC &ased on the aen like Eualities of marksmanship. This
wouldC howe)erC gi)e the character the ad)antage of &eing a&le to attack an opponent while
preparing to do another attack on the same or another opponentC and get &onuses for it. =enerally
speakingC the meditati)e aspects such as aen archery should &e considered a separate 2editation
Skill rather than com&ined with the practical aspects of a Com&at Skill.
The potential for such a crosso)er &etween skills is less pro&lematic if an initiate+s creati)e skill
also helps them earn a li)ingC as i the case of a rocker#mage who uses music to center.
' creati)e skill can never &e chip#&ased. The initiate must know the skill personally and learn it
the old#fashioned way.
8sing Centering
'depts use centering to impro)e their performance with 'thletics and Stealth and can learn to
apply centering to other types of skills as well.
'n adept who learns centering &egins with the a&ility to apply it to 'thletics and Stealth. 's the
adept continues to initiateC centering can &e applied to other skills. 'n adept initiate who learns
centering at =rade can learn to apply it to an additional skill area at =rade $C another at =rade ;
and so on. >earning to apply centering to a new skill is the only metamagical techniEue the adept
46 !etamagics
may learn for that grade.
The additional skill areas for which adepts may learn centering areF .uild and (epairC 2elee
Com&atC (anged Com&atC KnowledgeC >anguageC SocialC Technical and :ehicle. centering may also
&e applied to Special Skills. 5ach skill or area of Special Skill ?like 2usical Skills@ is considered a
separate techniEue. Though adepts can learn to apply centering to SorceryC they can still only use
Sorcery for astral com&at.
'depts can use centering for success and centering against penalties for any skill area they ha)e
learned to center in. The gamemaster has the final say on whether a a particular penalty can &e
o)ercome through the use of centering. .ecause they apply to mundane skillsC adepts do not reEuire
astral perception to use centering for success.
'depts can center against any 4rain caused &y any use of their powers ?such as 'ttri&ute .oost@.
Centering 0or Success
When centering to impro)e the success of a Skill TestC the initiate declares the skill use in the
standard fashion and then declares the use of a Centering Test to enhance it. The target num&er for
the Centering Test is the same as that for the Skill Test. 'ny modifiers to the Skill test also apply to
the Centering Test. 5)ery $ successes generated on the Centering Test count as an additional
success on the Skill Test. If the Skill Test yields no successesC the initiate cannot use any of the
successes generated in the Centering Test.
Centering against +rain
Centering against 4rain allows an initiate to attempt to reduceC in ad)anceC the 4rain of using
magic. The target num&er for the Centering Test is the 4rain 1ower of the magic intended. 5)ery $
Successes from this test count as success in the 4rain (esistance Test. If the 4rain (esistance
Test generates no successesC the player cannot apply any successes from the Centering Test.
Centering against Penalties
Centering can also counteract penalties affecting an initiate+s Skill TestsC such as modifiers for
partial co)erC in9uryC atmospheric conditions and so on. *se the same target num&er for the
Centering Test as for the Skill TestC adding all applica&le modifiers and su&tracting the initiate+s
grade.
5)ery $ Successes cancel out point of modifiers to the Skill Test target num&erQ centering
cannot reduce the &ase target num&er. Trying to sprint reEuires an 'thletics?(unning@ Test against
"C for e<ample.
AoteF The gamemaster might allow an adept to e<tend Centering on 5nchanting ?p. @.
Cognition
(eEuires the Centering techniEue ?p. "-@ and a Centering skill.
Cognition allows an adept to hone and e<pand his mentalC perceptual and intellectual faculties. It
also reflects the character+s enhanced a&ility to interact with and comprehend his en)ironmentC as
well as his increased mental resilience and social and intellectual adapta&ility.
In game termsC Cognition allows the adept to Center for success or reduce modifiers on
Intelligence TestsC including 1erception and >earning Tests. This reEuires a 8ree 'ction. The adept
may also use Centering to reduce modifiers when defaulting to Intelligence form Intelligence#linked
skills. Cognition also adds one die to the adept+s Knowledge and >anguage Skill Tests.
'depts who ha)e learned Cognition ha)e mastered their own a&ility to assimilate new
knowledge. To reflect thisC decrease the Karma cost to increase skills &y C to a minimum of one.
!etamagics 47
Divining
4i)ining allows an initiate to gain insight into future e)ents concerning a specific su&9ect. To do
soC the initiate must assense the su&9ect of di)ination or possess some kind of magical link to the
su&9ectC which may &e anything suita&le as a material link for ritual sorcery ?2itSC p. ;"@.
The initiate must also ha)e two skillsF 4i)ining Skill and another skill that represents the
character+s method of di)inationC referred to here as the prediction skill. 4i)ining Skill ?see 2itSC p.
;%@ is an acti)e skill linked to Willpower. It represents the character+s a&ility to use the prediction
skill to foretell the future. 4i)ing Skill can ne)er ha)e a rating higher than the prediction skill.
The prediction skill can &e 'cti)e or KnowledgeC though it typically is an intellectual a&ility and
may &e a skill the character already possesses. Only one skill may &e considered the character+s
prediction skill. ' few of the more popular prediction skills areF 'strologyC 4owsingC OmensC
4reamingC Sortilage ?see 2itSC pp. 3" and 3- for details@.
The 4i)ination Test
Once the initiate has a link to the su&9ect of the di)inationC he asks a Euestion a&out a future e)ent
and makes a 4i)ination Test. The gamemaster rolls dice eEual to the initiate+s 4i)ining Skill against
a target num&er &ased on comple<ity of the Euestion askedC as shown &elow. 4i)ination is only
useful in answering Euestions a&out e)ents.
Divination 'uestion is((( T"
:ery )ague ?What does the ne<t month hold for me`@ "
:ague ?'re my old enemies catching up to me`@ -
=eneral ?Will I get hurt if I go on this ne<t Shadowrun`@ ,
Specific ?Will 2r. Yohnson take a &ri&e from Rakashima`@ 6
:ery specific ?Is 2r. Yohnson picking up his &ri&e this e)ening`@ %
The num&er of successes indicates how useful the answer isC to &e ad9usted at the gamemaster+s
discretion. Ao successes means the answer isn+t useful. ' roll of all s results in completely
misleading information. One or two successes result in a cryptic answer containing an underlying
truth. With three or four successesC the answer is mildly helpful. 8i)e or more successes achie)e
appro<imately the le)el of detail the di)iner wanted. (egardless of the num&er of successes
achie)edC howe)erC the gamemaster should make the answer as specific or )ague as suits the storyC
allowing the player characters to e<trapolate what they think the answer might mean.
'n initiate can perform a num&er of 4i)ination Tests per week eEual to his grade. 8urther
4i)ination Tests on the same su&9ect increase their target num&er &y O$ per attempt until the
gamemaster 9udges that something significant a&out the su&9ect or the situation has changed.
4i)ination can &e used &y gamemasters to pro)ide cryptic clues a&out plots in the game. The
gamemaster can enhance the fla)or of this power &y ha)ing characters with di)ination e<perience
/)isions/ and /omens/ at une<pectedC and perhaps inappropriateC times. =amemasters should try to
keep di)ining from &ecoming a /Euick fi</ solution for the players &y pro)iding them with
occasional misleading or contradictionary information.
4& !etamagics
Empower Animal Companion
(eEuires the 'ttunement ?'nimal@ techniEue ?p. ""@.
5mpower 'nimal Companion &uilds on the &ond &etween the adept and an attuned animal
companionC e<panding the mystic connection &etween them to allow the adept to share some of his
power and magical a&ilities with the critter.
To use 5mpower 'nimal CompanionC the adept first chooses one of his adept powers and then
performs a ritual similar to the one used originally to attune to the animal. 4uring this ritualC the
adept must pay Karma eEual to the power point cost of the chosen power < ". This allows the adept
to take a 8ree 'ction and temporarily transfer that power to the animal through the Sense >ink. The
adept may not use a power himself while it is transferred to the animal. The adept and animal must
&e within the Sense >ink+s power range.
If the use of a power transferred to the animal calls for a Skill or 'ttri&ute TestC the gamemaster
should use the animal+s (eaction as the default skill rating ?though Intelligence and Buickness might
also &e appropriate@ or the animal+s rele)ant attri&ute.
The adept may conduct similar rituals in order to gain the a&ility to transfer additional powers to
the critter. The adept may e)en empower more than one critter companionC though a power can
ne)er &e transferred to more than one animal at a time. 'lsoC the amount of power points transferred
at one time may ne)er e<ceed the adept+s Initiate =rade ?note that this means an adept may simply
&e una&le to empower an animal with some of his more costly powers@F
/n%usion
Infusion enhances an adept+s understanding and command o)er &oth the magic that powers his
a&ilities and his capacity to channel mana. Infusion allows the adept a measure of control o)er his
&ody+s own somatic giftsC temporarily e<tending the limits of his original powers or e)en
temporarily manifesting new ones. Such a magic surge has its costC howe)erC as adepts suffer
temporary &urnout afterwards.
To use Infusion metamagicC the adept takes an e<clusi)e Comple< 'ction and makes a Centering
Skill ?"@ Test. 5ach success grants the adept %.$- power points that can &e used to either &oost an
e<isting power or acEuire new powers. The adept cannot score more successes than his Initiate
=rade. The adept may purchase only one le)el of a power he does not already possess. These
enhanced7new powers can &e used for ?2agic attri&ute < Initiate =rade@ minutesC after which they
fade.
's soon as the power &oost endsC the adept immediately suffers 4rain eEual to ?Centering
Successes@S. This 4rain is Stun 4amageC resisted &y WillpowerC and reflects the &ody+s fatigue from
channeling increased le)els of mana. In additionC the adept looses the same num&er of power points+
worth of powers for a period eEual to the num&er of minutes the temporary powers were in effect.
The gamemaster chooses what powers are temporarily /&urned out/ D the adept should not know a
power is inaccessi&le until he tries to use it.
'n adept should always &e a&le to increase the le)el of a power he possessesC &ut the selection of
new powers is limited to his Initiate =rade in power pointsC to pre)ent it from &eing an all#purpose
adept power. The gamemaster can either ask the player to choose one power point worth of
a)aila&le powers each time he initiates or note a power each time it is temporarily gained &y this
metamagic and cut it off when the total reaches the adept+s Initiate =radeQ from then onC the
selection is limited to powers pre)iously chosen.
!etamagics 4/
Masking
2asking hides the true nature of an initiate+s auraC presenting a less powerful astral presence to
astral o&ser)ers ?see 'stral 1erceptionC S(;C p. 3@. Initiates using this a&ility can change their
aura to that of a mundaneC or at least a non#initiate. 2asking can also hide a character+s dual nature
so that they look magical &ut not astrally present. 2asking can also hide emotions ?hatredC lo)eC
9ealousy and so forth@ that are reflected within an aura so that another mage cannot assense the
emotional state of the masking magician. Other initiates may penetrate this disguise. Initiates may
also penetrate the masking of creatures a&le to hide their true aurasC such as certain free spirits.
8or ease of playC gamemasters may wish to use the following guidelinesF
'n initiate+s aura is aways masked unless he deli&erately shows his7her /true colors/.
'n initiate must deli&erately try to assense a masked aura if studying a crowd. If only two
initiates are presentC the gamemaster can make a roll to see if they /notice/ each other.
When an initiate assenses a masked auraC the gamemaster makes a secret 2agic TestC with a
target num&er eEual to the 2agicC 8orce or 5ssence of the targetC as appropriate. ' num&er of
successes eEual to the target+s grade minus the )iewers grade is needed to succeedC with a minimum
of one.
8or e<ampleC a =rade $ initiate with 2agic 3 is assensing the aura of a =rade " initiate with
2agic ,. The )iewer rolls 3 dice against TA , and needs $ successes ?target =rade " D )iewer =rade
$ ] $@ to see through the su&9ect+s masking.
If the test succeedsC the su&9ect+s true aura is )isi&le and may &e assensed normally. The results of
success may differ for creatures possessing the power of aura masking ?see 1owers of 8ree SpiritsC
2itSC p. 3@.
If the initial test to penetrate a masking failsC the initiate may try only once moreC adding O$ to the
target num&er for additional attempts. If the test also failsC the initiate simply cannot pierce the
masking.
There is no discerni&le difference &etween a masked aura and the real thingC unless the 2asking
Test is successful.
Mas/ing an Astral Form
2asking may &e used &y dual#natured characters to make their astral forms appear as mere auras.
In this wayC an astrally percei)ingC dual natured character who is masking himself7herself will not
appear to &e astrally percei)ing at allC e<cept to those who can pierce the masking. the masking
character+s astral form is still presentC 9ust camouflagedC so it will interact with other astral forms
?&arriersC pro9ecting magicians and so on@ normally.
Characters who are astrally pro9ecting can mask their astral forms to appear as mere aurasC &ut
any astrally percei)ing or pro9ecting character who gi)es the aura more than a Euick look will see
through the effect &ecause there is no )isi&le physical &ody to match the aura.
+eli(erate Mas/ing
The standard rules for masking assume no special effort on the part of the initiate. If the character
makes a deli&erate attempt to mask his auraC roll a num&er of dice eEual to twice the character+s
grade against a target num&er eEual to his7her 2agic. 5)ery $ successes counter success a )iewer
may generate to penetrate the mask. IfC for e<ampleC the masking initiate rolls " successesC a )iewing
initiate must roll at least ; successes to penetrate the mask.
4eli&erate masking is an 5<clusi)e Simple 'ctionC which means an initiate cannot perform any
other magical acti)ities while maintaining it. 'n initiate can drop deli&erate masking at any time as
a 8ree 'ction.
50 !etamagics
Mas/ing Foci and Spells
The masking descri&ed a&o)e co)ers the initiate and a num&er of 8orce 1oints of foci and7or
sustained or Euickened spells on the initiate+s person eEual to his grade. 8or e<ampleC a =rade "
initiate can mask up to " points of foci or spells without any e<tra effort. .eyond thatC howe)erC the
presence of foci and spells can &e seen on the astral plane.
To hide additional foci and spells. the character must make a deli&erate masking attemptC as
descri&ed in 4eli&erate 2asking. the target num&er eEuals the total 8orce in foci and spells. If the
test is successfulC the character+s foci and spells are masked along with his auraC and the successes
from the test offset a )iewer+s a&ility to penetrate the mask.
Psychometry
Source: State of the rt !063" #. 4/ ($an%ro) C
(eEuires either the 'stral 1erception 1ower ?p. 6@ or the adept &eing dual#natured.
1sychometry represents the character+s a&ility to read psychic impressions left &ehind on an
o&9ectC place or e)en a person. 1sychometry is much stronger than astral perceptionC allowing the
initiate to e<tract deeper impressionsC feelings and e)en sensory input. The more recent the
impressionsC the greater the likelihood that the initiate will gain useful insight.
To use psychometryC the initiate must come into contact with the su&9ect ?whether an itemC person
or place@ and open his mind to its energies. The initiate must also assense the su&9ect and e<amine
the astral patterns around it.
The gamemaster rolls a num&er of dice eEual to the initiate+s 'ura (eading skill against a target
num&er &ased on the length of time that has passed since impressions were left ?see &elow@. If the
Initiate scores any successes C he gains information from the psychic impressions left &ehind on the
su&9ect as shown &elow. The gamemaster should tailor the information to &e as specificC )ague or
dramatic as suits the story. The gamemaster also determines what form the psychic feed&ack takes
?)isualC auditoryC emotionalC somaticC etc.@. ' roll of all ones results in )i)idly presented &ut
completely false information.
Time Since )mressions *orme!# T"
>ess than day ,
>ess than month 6
>ess than year %
year or more $
% years or more "
5ach additional % years O$
Target "umber $o!ifiers#
Su&9ect is a place O
Su&9ect is metal o&9ect ?ringC watchC pendantC etc.@ O
Su&9ect is a &onded focus
2odifier only applies to impressions related the person whom the focus is
&onded to.
Stacked foci gi)e only the highest rating as a &onus to 1sychometry.
#?8orce rating@
!etamagics 51
Time Since )mressions *orme!# T"
Su&9ect has a strong connection to others depicted in the impression ?wedding
ringC &elo)ed toyC etc.@
#$
Initiate has a strong connection to others depicted in the impression ?friendC
relati)eC childhood homeC etc.@
#$
Impression of )iolence or strong emotions #$
Impression of )iolent death #;
Chaotic or noisy surroundings ?difficult to concentrate@ O
Su&9ect carries more than one significant impression O for each
'stral signature?s@ relating to impression has &een erased O
Cleansing metamagic has &een used to remo)e impressions O,
5ach su&seEuent attempt after the first to read the same o&9ect O$
Successes Results
% Ao information recei)ed
.rief flashes of insightC dis9ointed impressionsC )ery superficial results
$ >onger seEuences and deeper insightsC though )isions are still dis9ointed
; =reater detailC multiple sensory typesC clearer )isionC more coherence
"O >engthy seEuencesC multiple sensesC coherent )isionsC significant information
Aote that a su&9ect may ha)e more than one set of impressions imprinted upon it ?for e<ampleC a
church were daily ceremonies occur and also a murder occurred a week ago@. In this caseC compare
the results of the 'ura (eading roll to the indi)idual target num&ers for each separate Impression.
the initiate may gain information on more than one impression at the same time.
The &ase time it takes an initiate to pick up a psychic impression is eEual to the impression+s &ase
target num&er ?or the highest target num&er in the case of multiple impression@ minus the initiate+s
grade in minutes. 't the gamemaster+s discretionC certain episodes of psychometric feed&ack and
)isions may take longer for the initiate to e<perience. 8or the duration of this periodC maintaining
the psychometry is considered an 5<clusi)e Comple< 'ctionC and the initiate suffers a O" modifier
to 1erception Tests. If an initiate is in the middle of a psychometric e<perience and wants to &reak it
off to perform some other actionC a Willpower?,@ Test is reEuired.
If the initiate successfully picked up any impressionsC he must then roll his Willpower against a
target num&er of $ minus the modified target num&er used for the 'ura (eading Test. If the initiate
rolls no successesC he e<periences psychic &acklash eEui)alent to a >ight Stun wound. The
gamemaster determines the form this &acklash takes ?nauseaC headacheC emotional distressC etc.@. '
roll of all ones on this test causes a temporary pho&ia against performing psychometry D treat this as
a mental 8law that reEuires a Willpower?,@ Test to allow the initiate to use the techniEue again. The
8law persists for % days minus the initiate+s Willpower. 't the gamemaster+s discretionC particularly
potent impressions may cause more se)ere &acklash. 8or e<ampleC the gamemaster could rule that
the impression from a ritualized torture and murder session inflicts Serious Stun damage on the
initiate who relie)es the horrifying e<perience.
Cleansing metamagic ?2itSC p. 3"@ and astral signature erasure ?S(;C p. 3$@ can significantly
increase the difficulty of reading psychometric impressionsC as noted.
'n initiate can attempt psychometry on a gi)en su&9ect multiple timesQ howe)erC each su&seEuent
5! !etamagics
attempt imposes a O$ target num&er penalty to the attempt. The initiate must also wait a num&er of
hours eEual to % minus his initiate grade &efore making another attempt.
Severing
Source: State of the rt !063" #. 4& ($an%ro) C
(eEuires either the 'stral 1erception 1ower ?p. 6@ or the adept &eing dual#natured.
4espite his &est intentions a character can &ecome the target of ritual sorcery or ritual tracking.
*suallyC the &est way to defend against attacks from such is to hide in a warded area or under
another type of astral &arrier. This canC howe)erC se)erely hamper a character+s mo&ility while the
threat e<ists. The se)ering metamagical techniEue is an acti)e defense against ritual sorceryC
allowing an initiate to &reak the connection &etween him and the ritual team. Se)ering can only &e
used after the ritual team has successfully completed the Targeting and &egun the Sending stage.
The initiate can only se)er the link if he knows it e<ists ?in other wordsC he noticed the SendingC or
someone else has alerted him@. Se)ering metamagic only works in cases where a ritual link rather
than a spotter is used.
When the ritual link is esta&lishedC the gamemaster must keep track of how many successes the
ritual team achie)es on the >inking Test. The initiate attempting to se)er the ritual link makes a
Se)ering TestC rolling his7her 2agic rating )ersus the ritual leader+s 2agic rating O for e)ery
additional magician participating in the ritual sorcery. If the se)ering initiate does not know the
specific nature nature of the material or sym&olic link used against him7herC he7she suffers an
additional O$ modifier. If the se)ering initiate rolls more successes on the Se)ering Test than the
ritual team achie)ed on the >inking TestC the ritual link is &roken. The ritual ends immediately and
the ritual team must make an immediate 4rain (esistance Test. The material or sym&olic link they
were using can not &e used for the same purpose until another ?se)ering initiate grade@ hours ha)e
passed. If the se)ering initiati)e rolls eEual or less successes on the Se)ering TestC the ritual
continues unhindered.
Se)ering takes time eEual to ?% D initiate grade@ < % minutesC with e)ery grade le)el including
and a&o)e % reducing the &y minute further. The amount of time may not &e reduced to less than
minute. Thus a =rade ; initiate would need to spend 3% minutes to successfully se)er the link
&etween himself and a ritual linkC while a =rade initiate would need only 6 minutes. If the
initiate does not spend the full amount of timeC the link is not se)ered. 'lso should the sending ?or
the tracking@ complete &efore the initiate is a&le to complete the se)eringC the sending wins through.
'n initiate can also use se)ering metamagic to &reak ritual links esta&lished on o&9ects and
people other than himselfC though he suffers a O$ target num&er modifier to the Se)ering Test. The
se)ering initiate must &e a&le to astrally percei)e the target during the full time it takes to se)er the
target from the ritual linkC the se)ering fails.
It is important to note that when se)ering a ritual link that was esta&lished &y using a focus as the
material linkC the &ond to the focus itself is not &roken. (atherC the a&ility to use the focus as a ritual
link is temporary negated for ?se)ering initiate grade@ hours D and the focus is also temporarily
useless to the &onder for the same amount of time. If the ritual team choosesC they may try to use it
as a ritual link again in another ritual after that time has passedQ the focus is not consumed or /used
up/. Characters will not ha)e to re#&ond with foci in this circumstance.
This metamagic can &e used )ersus a ritual link more than once and more than one person can
attempt the se)ering also. In &oth casesC howe)erC each Se)ering Test is treated separatelyQ the
successes are not cumulati)e. Count only the highest num&er of successes.
!etamagics 53
Somatic Control
The Somatic Control techniEue em&odies the adept+s progress in &oth awareness and control of
his own &ody and physicality. This ad)anced metamagic represents the purest distillation of his
somatic gift and grants an adept greater control of his physiological a&ilitiesC allowing him to &etter
understand and o)ercome his physical limitations and e)en to enhance his attri&utes &eyond their
normal ranges for &rief periods of time. The most o&)ious effect of this techniEue is the temporary
redistri&ution of the &ody+s resources to enhance certain 1hysical attri&utes at the e<pense of others.
In game termsC the adept can shunt points &etween attri&utesC raising one &y lowering another. To
use this techniEueC the character takes an e<clusi)e Comple< 'ction and makes a Centering Skill ?"@
Test. The ma<imum num&er of points that may &e shifted &etween 1hysical attri&utes is eEual to the
num&er of successes scored. the adept cannot score more successes than his Initiate =rade. This
change in attri&utes lasts for up to ?2agic attri&ute < Initiate =rade@ minutesC after which they re)ert
to normal le)els and cannot &e shifted again for % < the num&er of minutes they were modified.
The &ody+s reallocation of resources makes trained skills less effecti)eC howe)erC decreasing an
affected attri&ute+s linked skills. 8or e)ery point an attri&ute is decreasedC decrease all linked skills
higher than the new )alue &y .
(adical &odily changes of this sort are strenuous. 'fter the attri&utes return to normalC the adept
may&e suffer from painful cramps and muscle sprains. To reflect thisC the adept must make a 4rain
(esistance Test using .ody against Stun damage with a 1ower eEual to the num&er of attri&ute
points shifted. The 4amage >e)el is Serious if an attri&ute was &oosted a&o)e the (acial 2odified
>imitC and >ight otherwise.
Aote that changes to an adept+s Buickness may affect (eactionC Initiati)e and Com&at 1ool.
Temporarily shifted attri&utes do not affect the Karma cost of skills or learning.
(irtuoso
Initiated artist adepts created this metamagic techniEue. 'n adept using this metamagic focuses
all of his7her artistic skills into the creation7composition of a piece of art C pouring talent and magic
into the creation and attempting to forge something truly su&lime. The techniEue only works on
original and inspired artworks. The resulting creations are truly magical masterpieces. 8ueled &y the
adept artist+s enhanced creati)e talentC each )irtuoso piece possesses a singular and powerful auraC
one that e)en mundanes find it immensely emotional. .oth physical works of art and performance
pieces can &e )irtuoso creations.
In game termsC to produce a )irtuoso creation an adept must make a Skill ?!@ Test using an
appropriate artistic skill ?CompositionC 4ancingC 4rawingC 1aintingC 1oetryC SculptingC etc.@ with a
&ase time of one month. ' num&er of dice eEual to the adept+s Initiate =rade may &e added to the
test. The successes indicate the rating of the )irtuoso pieceQ alternatelyC some successes may &e used
to reduce the &ase time. =ood Karma may &e used to increase the piece+s rating at the time of
creation at a rate of one additional point per $ Karma in)ested ?Karma spent cannot e<ceed the
creator+s artistic skill@. The completed artwork generates a .ackground Count eEual to the piece+s
ratingC charged with an emotion appropriate to the piece. This .ackground Count is aspected to the
creator adept and does not interfere with him.
:irtuoso performance art must &e composed &y the adeptC as descri&ed a&o)e. 5ach time the
adept performs the )irtuoso pieceC he must succeed in a Skill ?,@ Test using the appropriate
performance skill to e)oke the emotional7.ackground Count effect of the piece. the gamemaster
54 !etamagics
should decide the roleplaying side effects of the piece+s emotionally charged .ackground CountC
which affects &oth the astral and physical planes.
:irtuoso pieces ha)e &een known to inspire mesmerizing awe in those who e<perience them for
the first time. 'pply the effects of 5nthralling 1erformance ?p. ,@ to any character )iewing such a
)irtuoso artwork or performance ?add the adept+s Initiate =rade to the Open Test@.
.oth physical and performance )irtuoso artworks are highly sought after for their artistics and
collector+s )alue D especially &y 'wakened collectors. 2aterial pieces are occasionally sought
&ecause they are useful in enchanting D such )irtuoso items can &e considered e<otic materials for
enchanting. The piece is not destroyed during enchantingC howe)erC &ut &ecomes integral to the final
productC which will likely earn the enchanter the artist+s wrath.
1hysical )irtuoso art also acts as a material link ?2itSC p. ;"@ to the creator.
Note5 .ecause :irtuoso may &e used to conduct the art of e<treme Euality smithing ?for e<ample to
forge a traditional katana@C the gamemaster might want to limit the use of :irtuoso on one art when
first learnedC allowing the adept taking :irtuoso on another art as another metamagic techniEue.
55
"oci
8oci are material items gi)ing an adept certain powers. 8oci must &e &onded &efore they can &e
effecti)ely used. Owners of 8oci ad)ised to ha)e an eye on them at any time D when &ondedC they
can &e used for ritual magic as a material link to the adeptC which might allow his enemies to do &ad
things with him. 8oci can &e acEuired in se)eral ways D the adept can &uy them or create them &y
himself7herself.
8or &uying 8ociC see the price ta&le &elow. 8or creating fociC see 'deptic 'rtificingC p..
uying "oci
*ocus Tye Avail Cost S) Bon!ing Cost
'dept " 7 "6 h 8orce < ,%C%%% b $ $ < 8orce
Centering - 7 "6 h 8orce < 3-C%%% b $ ; < 8orce
Infusion 6 7 3$ h 8orce < 3-C%%% b $ ; < 8orce
Weapon 6 7 3$ h ?(each O @ < %%C%%% b O 8orce < !%C%%% b $ ?; O (each@ < 8orce
Creating "oci
Adept "ocus
This focus is a )ariant of the power focus specifically designed ?and only of use to@ adepts. It
increases the &onded adept+s effecti)e 2agic attri&ute &y its 8orce. This does not grant adepts
additional power pointsC &ut does affect the amount they can ha)e acti)e at a timeC as well as
affecting testsC rangesC etc. that use the adept+s current 2agic attri&ute. The adept focus also grants
dice eEual to its 8orce for the adept+s 4rain (esistance TestsC &ut it does not affect whether 4rain is
Stun or 1hysical.
Centering "ocus
Source: 0ag,1 ,n the Shado.s" #. 6& ($S) C
This type of focus pro)ides a num&er of additional dice for use with centering Skill eEual to its
8orce ?p."-@. *sers cannot gain more dice from the focus than they ha)e dice in Centering SkillC and
the focus must &e acti)e for the owner to gain the &onus. Centering foci are often items that
complement a specific Centering SkillC such as a musical instrument for a 2usical Skill.
/n%usion "ocus
Source: State of the rt !064" #. 6& ($an%ro) C
'n infusion focus allows the adept &onded to it to tap into his inner potential and acti)ate a
specific adept power that he does not normally possess. 'n infusion ?Com&at Sense $@ focusC for
e<ampleC would gi)e the adept the power of Com&at Sense $ for as long as the focus was &onded
and acti)e. Infusion foci are dedicated to a specific powerC and an adept who knows that power must
participate in the enchanting process. >ikewiseC when an adept &onds the focusC another adept who
knows the power must &e present to teach him how to use the focus to unleash it.
The rating of the infusion focus must &e eEual to the power+s point cost < $ ?' Com&at Sense $
56 "oci
infusion focus would &e rating ".@. 1owers gained &y an infusion focus count towards the total
num&er of powers an adept may ha)e acti)e at one time. The 2agical 1ower ?2itSC p. $$@ may not
&e acti)ated through use of an infusion focus.
2eapon "ocus
Source: Shado.run 3.0" #. 1/1 ($S) C
Weapon 8oci are magical melee weapons. 'ny 'wakened character can &ond and use a weapon
focus. 'n acti)e weapon focus adds its 8orce to its owner+s appropriate com&at skill when wielded
in com&at.
' weapon focus inflicts its &ase damage ?per weapon type@ in &oth physical and astral com&at
?see 'stral Com&atC S(;C p. 3"@C and the defenses 'wakened critters ha)e against normal weapons
do not protect them against weapon foci ?see 1owersC S(;C p. $,%@. When the owner of a weapon
focus astrally pro9ectsC the astral form of the focus goes along and can &e used in astral space.
'cti)e weapon foci can &e used against targets in astral spaceC pro)ided the wielder is also present
there. When used in astral com&atC the weapon focus+s 1ower is determined using Charisma instead
of physical Strength.
'll weapon foci reEuire the magical metal orichalcum ?or#i#cal#cum@ in their construction.
Orichalcum is an alloy of copperC goldC sil)er and mercuryC a metallurgical monstrosity created &y
magic. It is a rich orange#gold colorC and legend says it was in)ented in ancient 'tlantis.
Though rumors of enchanted missiles a&oundC no one has yet found a way to enchant any kind of
missile weapon. The pro&lem is that a weapon focusC like other fociC functions only in the hands of
its owner. 's soon as the focus is no longer in contact with its ownerC it deacti)ates. This makes
enchanting any kind of missile weapon pro&lematicC to say the least.
57
Articles
Adept Enchanting
The enchanting rules written down in
2itSC pp. ;! # "3C neither allow adepts to
create nor for&id this. 's a rule of
thum&C I suggest that an enchanter
should ha)e only the possi&ility to create
foci he7she can use. 's a resultC there
must &e adept enchanters with the
capa&ility of creating se)eral types of
foci D 'dept 8ociC Centering 8ociC
Infusion 8oci and Weapon 8oci.
In additionC an adept with the :irtuoso
metamagic has the a&ility to create a
masterpiece telesma. *nlike the
masterpiece initiation ordealC the
gamemaster should allow to create non#
original masterpiecesC for e<ample a
&lacksmith forging katanas in the
traditional process ?&ut of course with
modern steel alloys@ might in)est time
into e)ery single swordC in order to get a
masterpiece Euality sword.
When trying to enchant the
masterpieceC the gamemaster then grants
the adept a target num&er reduction eEual to the masterpiece rating. In additionC the gamemaster
might also reduce the karma cost for the first &onding &y the same )alue.
)istory o% sword smithing
The history of swords is a history of material. The first &lades used &y mankind were the sharp
edges of a properly crafted flint. This was commonly used for kni)esC spear# and arrowheads.
The Stone 'ge ended when humans e)entually &egan to disco)er metallurgics. The first metal to
&e crafted in forges was copperC which was soon to &e replaced &y an alloy of copper and zinc called
&ronzeC which ga)e this peroid its name .ronze 'ge. In comparison to stoneC &ronze could easily
formed in )arious shapes D for e<ample swords.
With the disco)ery of iron and the fa&rication of iron swordsC another new technological era
&egan called Iron Time. Iron is for more dura&le than &ronze D due to the fact that iron is far more
stronger.
The city of Carthago &eing a threat for the city of (omeC had the capa&ility of creating a )ery pure
kind of ironC which we would pro&a&ly call steel. Carthago was destroyed &y (omeC and apparently
their knowledge of metallurgics got lost.
The longest &lade the romans produced was the gladiusC a short sword made of iron &elonging to
the eEuipment of e)ery roman legionaire ?regular roman troops@.
The production of longer iron swords than the gladius is possi&leC &ut it is nonetheless difficult D
let us consider that it is nearly impossi&le to create an iron swords longer than one meter.
8or the creation of longer swordsC a far higher Euality of iron is reEuired D steel. Steel &ecame
a)aila&le in europe in the 2iddle 'ges. The refinement of iron to steel reduces the car&on content to
*ocus Tye +nchanting ,arma cost
'dept 8ocus , " < 8orce
Centering 8ocus , - < 8orce
Infusion 8ocus , - < 8orce
Weapon 8ocus , - < 8orce
8orce of 8ocus O 8orce
2aterial .asis O O&9ect
(esistance
0andmade Telesma #
:irgin Telesma #$ #$
:irtuoso 2asterpiece #(ating #(ating
type of (adical # #
$ types of (adicals #$ #$
more types of (adicals #" #"
Orichalcum # 7 unit # per unit
$nd 5nchantment Test # per $ successes
5& Articles
less than $V. Compared to ironC the melting point of raw steel is slightly reducedC while the &oiling
point rises to ?alomost@ infinity. This fact allows to melt se)eral other metals into steel D wolframC
moly&denC co&altC titanC manganese and others. .y melting such materials into steelC they are alloyed
D creating steel alloys like Krupp :$' and :"' ?&oth highly stainlessC the latter is used for medical
tools@C Chrome#:anadine#Steel ?screwdri)ersC wrenches@C Wolfram#Steel ?safes and e<pensi)e
armor plates@.
TodayC in almost e)ery metal workshopC almost all metal called iron is some sort of steel. Se)eral
sorts of steel e<ist for e)ery single purposeC reducing the Euestion of material to /how costly may it
&e`/
Comparing the o&9ect resistances ta&les from S(; and 2itSC it seems the writers of &oth &ooks
aren+t into metallurgics. 'ccording to the com&ined ta&leC a handcrafted Euality &lade has an o&9ect
resistance of -C while alloys ?which are reEuired to craft that specific &lade@ ha)e an o&9ect
resistance of 6. =amemasters should take this into considerationC when a character tries to enchant
an item D a sword of real Euality has to &e made from appropriate steel.
-ear .b/ect Resistance
Aatural O&9ects ?TreesC Soil@ ;
2anufactured >ow#Tech O&9ects and 2aterials ?.rickC >eatherC Simple
1lastics@
-
0andcrafted Euality &lade -
1roduction#line gunC modern katana 3
2anufactured 0igh#Tech O&9ects and 2aterials ?'d)anced 1lasticsC 'lloysC
5lectronic 5EuipmentC >ockpick kitC dirt &ike@
6
CarC racing &ike !
2onofilament whipC thunder&irdC dikoted katana %
Magician Adepts
The magician adept is introduced in 2itSC p. $$C as the adept+s /&igger &rother/. In factC the
magician adept is afull magician sacrificing 'stral 1erception and 'stral 1ro9ection for using adept
powers. The only way to increase these adept powers isto initiate for only one point magicC gi)ing a
new power pointC or 9ust &uy an additional power point. When trying to learn metamagic or
changing the astral signature on initiationC the newly gained magic point has to &e hardlinked with
another point of 2agical 1ower.
In com&ination with the remaining limitationsC which I won+t mention hereC I get these
conclusionsF
This character model is no adept.
This model contains far to much strictures for real use.
This concept might get too powerful when played for long timeC e)en when compared to
adept characters.
The idea itself has possi&ilities D dragons ?not drakes@ son+t really differ &etween magical
traditions or styles. ThereforeC I suggest new magical characters pay $% .uild 1oints 9ust for &eing
magicalC and pay - points e<tra for e)ery magic category D adept powersC spellcasting and con9uring.
8or gaining free 'stral 1erceptionC the character isn+t allowed to take adept powers D with the
e<ception the character+s species is dual#natured. 'stral 1ro9ection is gained only when purchasing
Articles 5/
spellcasting and con9uringC &ut not adept powers.
When taking adept powers in addition to spellcastingC con9uring or &othC the character can choose
freely on initiation whether the gained power points are used for 2agical 1ower or any other adept
powerC despite the fact of leraning metamagics or altering the signature. 2agical 1ower is not
reEuired to &e purchased on creation.
I suggest gamemaster and player to discuss which metamagics such a character is allowed to
learnC regarding the difference &etween an adept accidentally doing spellcasting or a spellcaster
e)entually finding out to ha)e access to adept powersC for e<ample. It is also up to the gamemaster if
he7she allows such characters.
.elow are gi)en )alues for use with the .uild 1oint SystemC the 1riority System and the Sum of
% System.
$agic Comonents Buil! Points Priority Sum of 01
.ase 2agic $% n7a $
'dept 1owers O- n7a O
Con9uring O- n7a O
Spellcasting O- n7a O
$agic Packages Buil! Points Priority Sum of 01
'dept ?canonic@ $- . ;
Con9urer 7 Spellcaster ?canonic@ $- . ;
'dept Con9urer 7 'dept Spellcaster ?these rules@ ;% ' "
8ull 2agician ?canonic@ ;% ' "
'dept 2agician ?canonic@ ;% ' "
'dept 2agician ?these rules@ ;- n7a -
'ave an8th,ng to sa8 about ade#tsB
0a,l ,t to 2eC aj.great@gmx.net

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