@obidancer: As I stated last night, work kicked my ass yesterday, and then I got caught up in real life stuff last night. Today's the last day, and I'll be reviewing all submissions tonight/tomorrow. Don't worry if your name doesn't show up on the list in the first post yet, because I will be going through all the posts to make sure I didn't miss anybody.
Ruling on Mystic Adepts and Power PointsOk, so I'm going to be doing some quoting here because I like to see the rules and I like to let everyone know where I'm coming from. So we'll start with what the book says on page 279:
...adepts receive Power Points equal to their Magic attribute, while mystic adepts have to buy Power Points 0with Karma. Subsequently, Power Points can come in two ways. You get a free Power Point whenever you increase your Magic attribute, and you can gain a Power Point through Initiation (p. 324) instead of gaining a metamagic.
This states that at character generation, Mystic Adepts must use Karma to purchase power points. It also states that adepts gain a free power point whenever their MAG rating increases, and it does not state that this doesn't apply to Mystic Adepts. Kind of poorly worded (in my opinion) when it states Adepts get them free at character creation and Mystic Adepts have to pay for them, but it's not that big of a deal. So, if you increase your MAG rating using Karma during game play - Mystic Adept or Adept - you get a free Power Point. And considering how expensive it is to raise your MAG rating, that's actually quite fair for both.
Now, as far as purchasing Power Points with Karma during game play...
The only reference I can find to purchasing Power Points with Karma is on page 69, and that's only for Character Creation. The specific statement:
Mystic adepts must purchase their Power Points with Karma (2 Karma each at character creation for a full Power Point, with a maximum number of points equal to their Magic attribute rating).
I went through the rules regarding spending earned Karma, and there is a section on Magic. However, the section specifically mentions Spells, Rituals, and Preparations, and makes no mention of Power Points. I then looked in both the Magic and Power Points sections, and I found NOTHING that indicates you can purchase Power Points using earned Karma.
Therefore, unless official errata comes out - and I don't mean a forum thread where someone suggests the rules be changed, but official Catalyst errata - you are NOT allowed to purchase Power Points after character creation. You automatically gain a Power Point if you increase your MAG rating using earned Karma, and that's balanced enough.
This may seem like it makes Mystic Adepts better than true Magicians, but remember that you have to purchase Power Points with Karma during character creation, which will cut into everything else you want to spend that juicy Karma on (such as spells, qualities, skills, etc.).
If someone knows of an official ruling that I do not, please let me know and I'll review.
And now, I'm off to play Shadowrun Returns for a while this morning. I'll be back later to review characters!
