[Namikaze]

What do you mean?

Medicine specializations are:
Cosmetic Surgery, Extended Care, Implant Surgery, Magical Health, Organ Culture and Trauma Surgery.

Yes, but these are hardly the be-all end-all of the list.  One could reasonably talk about preventative medicine, dietary medicine, etc.

[Xenon]

...these are hardly the be-all end-all of the list...

They aren't?

[Triskavanski]

What is Magical Health specialization on the Medicine skill anyway...?


It let you ignore the awakened or emerged negative dice pool modifier on your extended medicine test...?

Well, um... yea <cough>:

As a specialization, you basically get a +2 dice to the test. Thus it offsets the negative modifier for treating an awakened (and paying attention to their nature)..


Note: It has be argued that the care giver could choose to "ignore" the awakened nature of the character to remove the negative modifier as well..... But that opens a host of other issues: (like "what level of damage VS improper care causes magic loss?") So I generally disallow this avenue of thought out of our table's "Anti-headache Rule".

What negative modifier for the nature of the awakened?

[Sendaz]

What is Magical Health specialization on the Medicine skill anyway...?


It let you ignore the awakened or emerged negative dice pool modifier on your extended medicine test...?

Well, um... yea <cough>:

As a specialization, you basically get a +2 dice to the test. Thus it offsets the negative modifier for treating an awakened (and paying attention to their nature)..


Note: It has be argued that the care giver could choose to "ignore" the awakened nature of the character to remove the negative modifier as well..... But that opens a host of other issues: (like "what level of damage VS improper care causes magic loss?") So I generally disallow this avenue of thought out of our table's "Anti-headache Rule".

What negative modifier for the nature of the awakened?

Page 208 main book, Modifier to Healing table, Patient is Awakened or Emerged –2

[Reaver]

...these are hardly the be-all end-all of the list...

They aren't?

Nope, the are the suggested specializations, but by no means the end of the list. you could in fact have a specialization Computer programming 4 (Basic A+2). Now good luck finding anything programmed in Basic A in 2075, but you could have it!

[Triskavanski]

* Triskavanski blinks. I do not understand the point of the negative modifier. Do they have different organs?

[WellsIDidIt]

Their systems are different enough that certain medical techniques can hamper their magical abilities. In SR3 and before, treating them without the modifier caused a magic loss test I believe. They did away with that level of magic loss in SR4 but kept the penalty. Going with the  softer damage system now, I would probably force a test against temporary lost magic if they were treated without penalty. Make the loss for a number of hours equal to the boxes healed.

[Sendaz]

* Triskavanski blinks. I do not understand the point of the negative modifier. Do they have different organs?

It's an old throwback to possibly losing Magic to heavy damage, so a doctor working on the Awakened or Emerged has to be more delicate and less invasive or risk upsetting the body/spirit/mind balance causing potential loss of Magic/Resonance.

SR3 had a good explanation of the effect here:

Awakened characters have it rough when they get hurt. Doctors and medics have a harder time treating them because they cannot use their high-tech gear and high-powered medicines without risking damage to the character’s Magic Rating. When an Awakened character suffers a Deadly wound or is treated without the +2 modifier for an Awakened character (see First Aid Table ), the character risks a loss of magic. The character’s player rolls 2D6. If the result is less than or equal to the magician’s current Magic Rating, that character perma- nently loses 1 point of magic . If the Awakened character is being treated for a Deadly wound and the +2 modifier is not applied, roll 2D6 twice for magic loss (see p.160).

An Awakened character who requires a replacement limb or organ must have it cloned from the original tissue or risk similar magic loss. Any other DNA pattern, even that of anoth- er Awakened, decreases the character’s power-handling capability and thereby automatically reduces the character’s Magic Rating by 1. This reduction can be temporary; for example, a non-cyber substitute part can later be replaced with a limb or organ cloned from the character’s own tissue. Doing so restores the lost magic points; however, organ implants require major invasive surgery, and may pose the risk of even greater magic loss.

Think of it as Sensitive System Lite.

[Xenon]

Nope, the are the suggested specializations...

I don't find any reference that specializations in the book just act as examples or suggestions.

Sure, some specializations have suggestions (like Hardware -Commlinks, -Cyberdecks, -Smartguns etc.).

But most have a definite list (like Medicine -Cosmetic Surgery, -Extended Care, -Implant Surgery, -Magical Health, -Organ Culture, -Trauma Surgery).

Fleshing out your character with knowledge about preventative medicine, dietary medicine and Basic A Programming would be separate [in this case Academic or Professional] Knowledge skills.



Sure - you can also invent new specializations to active skills (or even invent new active skills, change the behavior or scope of existing skills and make up your own skill groups),
...but that would require GM Approval / GM House Ruling; wouldn't it....?


I feel like I am out on thin ice here -it sound as if i am- but that is part why i am asking;
i might simply have missed the reference that make listed skills and listed specializations into just suggestions...

[WellsIDidIt]

It never comes out and says it, but it is heavily implied when the book mentions the player having the freedom to choose what their narrow focus for a skill. In addition, there are references to specializations that aren't on the list. For example, p. 89: "if you have the Blades skill, you may specialize
in an axe or survival knife." A quick check of the Blades skill on p. 130 will show that there is no Survival Knife specialization listed. Another example would be the Hack on the Fly specialization in hacking that the Decker archetype has, but is not present on p.145.

[RHat]

Specializations have never been treated as a definite list, Xenon, and absent specific text on the subject it makes little sense to assume this has changed.

[Reaver]

Nope, the are the suggested specializations...

I don't find any reference that specializations in the book just act as examples or suggestions.

Sure, some specializations have suggestions (like Hardware -Commlinks, -Cyberdecks, -Smartguns etc.).

But most have a definite list (like Medicine -Cosmetic Surgery, -Extended Care, -Implant Surgery, -Magical Health, -Organ Culture, -Trauma Surgery).

Fleshing out your character with knowledge about preventative medicine, dietary medicine and Basic A Programming would be separate [in this case Academic or Professional] Knowledge skills.



Sure - you can also invent new specializations to active skills (or even invent new active skills, change the behavior or scope of existing skills and make up your own skill groups),
...but that would require GM Approval / GM House Ruling; wouldn't it....?


I feel like I am out on thin ice here -it sound as if i am- but that is part why i am asking;
i might simply have missed the reference that make listed skills and listed specializations into just suggestions...

After reading the entire sections several times, I can see how you can feel and see it that way. Me personally. I ask myself "What's the harm?"


as you say:
"But most have a definite list (like Medicine -Cosmetic Surgery, -Extended Care, -Implant Surgery, -Magical Health, -Organ Culture, -Trauma Surgery)."
I say:
Where's Mircobiology? Biochemistry? Both of those are actively used skills? Where is Heart Surgery? The list of specializations is just too great.



Also, some of their skills are very (as they admit) broad in description. For example, they make "Industrial Mechanic" a skill, but under that, they list a lot of "specializations" that are basically requirements for the actual job title. (and I am personally, essentially a specialist in that skill-trade).

[Xenon]

Fair enough I guess...

[Shinobi Killfist]

While it is not a definitive list anything not on the list would need GM approval to make sure if fell in line with the range of other specializations. 

[firebug]

While it is not a definitive list anything not on the list would need GM approval to make sure if fell in line with the range of other specializations.

Yeah.  No "Unarmed (Punching)" specialties.  Unless your GM is going to somehow force your character to kick people half the time...