Modified qualities:
Gearhead 10 Karma (RC 98*) The Gearhead character is a natural born driver or pilot. From the first time the Gearhead sat behind the wheel/stick/controls of a certain vehicle, it was like putting on a comfortable old suit. She discovered an intuitive understanding of its limitations and its capabilities, and she quickly learned to coax exceptional performances out of the vehicle. During a single scene (duration at the gamemaster’s discretion), a Gearhead can increase the Acceleration of her chosen vehicle by 20 percent, or increase the Handling modifier by +1. She also gets a distinct +2 dice pool modifier when attempting difficult maneuvers or stunts in the vehicle. This quality only benefits manual or VR control of the vehicle.
For 10 Karma, the Gearhead is gifted on one type of vehicles (bikes, automobiles, trucks, helicopters); for 20 Karma to a wide variety of vehicle types (wheeled groundcraft, jet and jet-assisted aircraft).
Juryrigger 20 Karma (RC 98*) This quality gives a character an intuitive grasp of the underlying principles and functioning of all kinds of mechanical and electronic devices, conferring +1D to mechanical repairs or modification. Contingent on success on an appropriate Mechanics Skill Test, this quality allows amazing technical feats with bare minimum gear, sometimes even with substandard tools.
Resistance to Pathogens 10 Karma (S4A 93*) This character can fight off diseases more easily than other characters and receives a +1 dice pool modifier per rating to Resistance Tests.
Resistance to Toxins 10 Karma (S4A 93*) This character can fight off toxins and drugs more easily than other characters and receives a +1 dice pool modifier per rating to Resistance Tests.
Adept Powers (mostly reduced cost on a few to improve parity with 'ware and drugs):
Distance Strike (SM 176*)
Cost: 1
This power allows an adept to “transmit” an unarmed physical attack over a short distance to strike a target with concussive force. The power’s range equals the adept’s Magic attribute in meters, and it inflicts damage as normal (this may include the effects of Killing Hands but not Elemental Strike). Though the attack is rolled as a normal unarmed attack (ignoring Reach modifiers), the defender resists the attack as if it were a ranged attack (the defender may just roll Reaction or go on full defense). Cover modifiers apply and the strike is unable to pass through solid objects. Targets on the other side of mana barriers cannot be affected by this power.
Elemental Resistance (Digital Grimoire 17*)
Cost: 0.25
Prerequisite: Mystic Armor
Elemental Resistance enhances the effects of Mystic Armor by granting the full rating of the Mystic Armor Power to the character’s armor value against one elemental attack type (S4A 163, SM 164). The specific elemental effect must be chosen at the time the power is bought, though an adept may take this power more than once to achieve different elemental resistances.
Empath (Original)
Cost: 0.75 per level
Each level increases Charisma by one as a magical augment. This power allows you to exceed your natural attribute maximum up to the augmented maximum.
Creative Eye (Way 15*)
Cost: 0.75 per level
Each level increases Intuition by one as a magical augment. This power allows you to exceed your natural attribute maximum up to the augmented maximum.
Gliding (SM 177*)
Cost: 0.5
This power allows an adept to run up to (Magic) meters across a tangible surface that would normally be unable to hold his weight, such as a fragile tree branch, thin ice, or water. Any attempts to run longer distances require breaking points or landings between uses of Gliding. Any attempt to use this power for acrobatic maneuvers (such as jumping from the surface or performing a Gymnastics dodge) is considered a difficult maneuver, and subtracts 3 dice from the relevant dice pool. Secondary effects of the adept’s motion, such as sound or vibrations, are still noticeable (leaves shake and water ripples) unless the adept also uses the Traceless Walk power.
Improved Ability (S4A 196*)
Cost: 0.5 per level (Combat skill, active group), 0.25 per level (active skill)
This power increases the rating of a specific Combat skill, or an Active skill group (physical, social, technical, or vehicle piloting skills) by 1 per level. A skill’s maximum modified rating equals its base rating * 1.5.
Improved Physical Attribute (S4A 196*)
Cost: 0.5 per level
With this power, you can raise a Physical attribute (Agility, Body, Reaction, or Strength) as a magical augment. Each level increases the attribute by one. Increasing Reaction with this power also affects Initiative. This power allows you to exceed your natural attribute maximum up to the augmented maximum.
Improved Reflexes (S4A 196*)
Cost: 1 per level
This power increases the speed at which you react, just like wired reflexes. For each level, you receive +1 die to Reaction (this also affects Initiative) and 1 extra Initiative Pass. The maximum rating of Improved Reflexes is 3, and the increase cannot be combined with technological or other magical increases to Initiative.
Iron Gut (SM 177*)
Cost: 0.25 per level
This power allows an adept to digest nearly anything and pass it without harm (gamemaster’s discretion). Each level of Iron Gut adds a +1 dice pool modifier for Resistance Tests against ingested toxins, and reduces lifestyle costs by 5%.
Iron Will (SM 177*, Digital Grimoire 18)
Cost: 0.25 per level
Iron Will makes an adept’s mind resistant to external influences. The adept adds the power’s level in bonus dice to resist magical mind control, alteration, illusions cast directly against the adept, and all uses of Intimidation and fear-inducing spells or powers. Iron Will also functions against Mental Manipulation spells, and similar critter and adept powers.
Keen Wits (Way 15*)
Cost: 0.75 per level
Each level increases Logic by one as a magical augment. This power allows you to exceed your natural attribute maximum up to the augmented maximum.
Linguist (SM 177*)
Cost: 0.25
The Linguistics power combines enhanced memorization and mimicry to allow an adept to pick up a new language after minimal exposure—no Karma expenditure or additional test required. After (10 – Magic) hours of contact to the new language in use, the adept makes an Intuition + Logic Test using a threshold as noted on the Linguistics Table (SM 177). If successful, the adept develops the Language skill at Rating 1. Increasing the skill beyond this point receives a discount up to half Intuition (round down) to Karma cost (minimum 1), but the base learning time for the adept is halved.
Living Focus (SM 178*)
Cost: 0.5
Living Focus allows the adept to physiologically adjust his body to channel mana in order to sustain a spell cast solely on him (in effect becoming a metahuman sustaining focus). The magician who cast the spell need not sustain it; this power allows the adept to do so with a little concentration. The Force of the spell sustained in this manner may not exceed the adept’s Magic, and the adept may only sustain one spell at a time. The adept suffers a –2 dice pool modifier for all actions for the duration he sustains the spell.
Magic Sense (SM 178*)
Cost: 0.25
This power grants the adept extra sensitivity to the ebbs and flows of mana in his vicinity. The adept can sense magical activity on the same plane within (Magic*10) meters of his person. This power will detect active foci, spells, mana barriers, dual-natured beings, and mana anomalies; on the astral it will also detect astral forms. Treat this power as the Detect Magic spell (S4A 207), with a Force equal to the adept’s Magic.
Metabolic Control (SM 178*)
Cost: 0.25
This power grants an adept exceptional control over his metabolism, giving him the natural power to reduce the effects associated with extreme wounds by stabilizing and suspending his body’s organic processes. Metabolic Control allows the character to enter a meditative trance state in which bodily processes are slowed, thereby reducing the rate of breathing and bleeding, also limiting his need for food, water, and air. The character’s metabolism is reduced by a factor equal to his Magic (therefore also delaying the effects onset of toxins, poisons, and diseases). For example, a character with Magic 5 will have his metabolism decreased by a factor of 5. While in this state, the character cannot act as normal (though he can break out at any time).
This power activates automatically if the adept goes into Physical damage overflow (S4A 253), placing the adept’s body into a suspended state. In this case, the adept will only take additional overflow damage at the rate of 1 box per (Body) hours.
Motion Sense (SM 178*)
Cost: 0.25
This power grants the adept a magical sense of minute disturbances in the ambient mana, allowing him to subconsciously detect the motion of objects, people, or animals within (Magic) meters, even when he would be unable to detect them through normal senses such as sight, sound, or smell. The adept makes a Perception + Magic Test with a threshold based on the Motion Sense table. If the target is detected, reduce the dice pool modifiers for visibility or blind fire by 2. This power cannot detect movement through astral barriers.
Movement Threshold
Smaller than a cat 3
Smaller than average human 2
Average metahuman 1
Larger than average metahuman 0
Natural Survivor (Way 15*)
Cost: 0.5 per level
Adepts with this power have an innate knack for adapting to their environment, whether it be by taking on the survival skills of an canny urban Mentor Spirit like Cat or Rat, or through natural link with the elements. Each level applies a +1 bonus when making Navigation, Survival, or Tracking skill checks.
Pain Resistance (S4A 197*)
Cost: 0.25 per level
Pain Resistance allows you to ignore the effects of injury. It does not reduce actual damage, only its effect on you. Subtract your level of Pain Resistance from your current damage before determining your wound modifiers. So, an adept with 3 levels of Pain Resistance does not suffer any modifiers for sustaining up to 3 boxes of damage and suffers a reduced penalty with more significant injuries. Pain Resistance works equally on both the Physical and Stun Condition Monitors.
Pain Resistance also allows you to resist pain from torture, magic, illness, and so on. Each level adds +1 die to any tests you make to resist pain, such as a Body or Willpower Test against the symptoms of a painful disease, interrogation, torture, and so on.
Penetrating Strike (SM 179*)
Cost: 0.25 per level (maximum 4)
This power allows the adept to channel the force of an unarmed combat attack a short distance forward, thereby bypassing the target’s armor. This power gives the adept’s unarmed strikes a negative AP equal to the Penetrating Strike’s level. This power can be combined with Killing Hands, but not with Aura Blade, Distance Strike, or Elemental Strike due to the extra focus these already require.
Power Swimming (Digital Grimoire 18*)
Cost: 0.5
The adept character with this power moves at home in water and swims with the ease and speed of a marine mammal. This power doubles an adept’s natural swimming rate (S4A 137), doubles the time between fatigue tests for swimming, and each hit on a Swimming Test adds 2 meters instead of 1 to the swimming rate.
Quick Draw (SM 179*)
Cost: 0.5
The adept may use the Quick Draw rules (S4A 147) to draw any weapon of Reach 2 or less, not just pistols. An adept may draw and use a single melee weapon, missile weapon, throwing weapon, or firearm in one action, and need not spend two actions to draw and ready the weapon and then attack: drawing and readying occur in the action used for the Attack Test. If attacking with the weapon requires a Complex Action, the adept may still draw and attack in a single Action Phase. If attacking with a weapon that requires only a Simple Action to use, the adept may draw and make two attacks in a single Action Phase. The adept must succeed in an appropriate weapon skill + Reaction (2) Test to Quick Draw.
Rooting (SM 179*)
Cost: 0.25 per level
By taking a Simple Action, an adept with the Rooting power can become an immovable object. Each level adds a +1 modifier to Body solely for checking for knockdown (S4A 161) and also adds a +1 dice pool modifier to any tests to resist being knocked down, thrown, levitated, or otherwise moved against his will. While rooted, the character cannot move at all from where he stands, but reduces recoil by 1. He may otherwise act normally with his arms and upper body (including making attacks) but may not dodge and suffers a –3 dice pool modifier to combat parries and blocks. The power’s effect can be cancelled with just a thought.
Smashing Blow (SM 179*)
Cost: 0.5
An adept with this power may focus his magic to break through obstacles. Multiply his base DV by 2 when performing an unarmed or melee strike on a barrier or other static structure (S4A 166).
Sliding (3rd party original*)
Cost: 0.125 per level
The ability enables the adept to slide on almost any ground like it was slick ice. For each level, the adept can slide 1 meter, up to a maximum of 8 meters. The adept must accelerate first by running, jumping, or any other form of movement, and can't change direction mid-slide. Distance slid is added to effective movement rate for that combat turn, though standing back up still takes an action.
Adepts with this power can also somewhat flatten her body, making it thin enough to do things like sliding beneath trucks without losing her forehead. For every 2 levels of Sliding, add one die to tests to squeeze in or out of tight spaces.
Sorcerous Parry (Way 15*)
Cost: 0.25 per level
Mystic Adepts with this power are experts at snuffing out enemy spells with tremendous ease. It increases the rating of the Counterspelling skill by 1 per level. The maximum modified rating equals the base rating * 1.5, rounded up.
Spell Resistance (S4A 197*)
Cost: 0.25 per level
You possess an inherent resistance to sorcery. Add 1 die per level of this power to all your Resistance Tests against spells. Spell Resistance does not interfere with spells that you actively choose not to resist. The only critter power this protects you from is the Innate Spell power (and critters using Spellcasting of course).
Street Monkey (Original)
Cost: 0.5 per level
These adepts are preternaturally skilled in the use and maintenance of their vehicles of choice. They also have an uncannily sharp ear for information relating to their family of vehicles and are quicker to pick up related skill and trivia, granting +1 per level to learn the relevant skills, and reducing the karma cost of relevant knowledge skills by Street Monkey’s level (minimum cost 1). Street Monkeys receive a +1 each level to Pilot Groundcraft, Automotive Mechanics, and the immediately relevant knowledge skills for their hardware, up to the usual 1.5*base skill.
Sky Monkeys receive a bonus in Pilot Aircraft and Aeronautic Mechanics, Sea Monkeys in Pilot Watercraft and Nautical Mechanics.
Urban Survivor (Way 15*)
Cost: 0.5 per level
Adepts with this power have an innate knack for adapting to their environment, whether it be by taking on the survival skills of an canny urban Mentor Spirit like Cat or Rat, or through natural link with the elements. Each level applies a +1 bonus when making Shadowing, Survival, or Street Knowledge skill checks.
Wall Running (SM 180*)
Cost: 0.5
This power allows the adept to run up sheer walls or other vertical surfaces. The adept makes a Strength + Running Test, with hits indicating the number of meters he may climb. Attempts to run up longer distances require stops or landings and additional uses of Wall Running. Any move that requires a Gymnastics Test (such as jumping from one wall to another) performed while using this power suffers a –2 dice pool modifier. Secondary effects of the adept’s motion still occur, such as resulting sound or tracks, unless combined with the Traceless Walk power.
