[Sabato Kuroi]

Can you use  the heightened concern adept power as a mystic adept   to ignore the penalty from sustaining a spell?

HEIGHTENED CONCERN COST: 0.5 The adept can ignore a single distraction while performing another task. This power negates a single situational modifier of a value of up to half (rounded up) of their Magic Attribute. It takes a Complex Action to activate and may be combined with the Adept Centering metamagic.


If yes then this is the most important power for mystic adepts

[Logarion]

you mean "heightened concentration"?
I think it does

[Sabato Kuroi]

Nice! Thank you!

I think it is called heightened concern in the shadow spells pdf, I may be wrong though

[jim1701]

Nice! Thank you!

I think it is called heightened concern in the shadow spells pdf, I may be wrong though

It is and you can.  IMHO I think they meant to call it heightened concentration but maybe they typed it on an iPhone.   

The real question is whether multiple sustained spells count as a single source or not.  I would say yes but it is debatable. 

[Imveros]

the only issue is that is takes a full round action and has no duration. I've always read it as you take a full round action to concentrate, then you take an action without the chosen penalty, then you need to take another full round action to concentrate again. Which may make it useful outside of combat, but I've always stayed away from it for that reason

Shadow Spells p23

HEIGHTENED CONCERN
COST: 0.5
The adept can ignore a single distraction while performing
another task. This power negates a single situational
modifier of a value of up to half (rounded up) of their
Magic Attribute. It takes a Complex Action to activate and
may be combined with the Adept Centering metamagic.

[jim1701]

the only issue is that is takes a full round action and has no duration. I've always read it as you take a full round action to concentrate, then you take an action without the chosen penalty, then you need to take another full round action to concentrate again. Which may make it useful outside of combat, but I've always stayed away from it for that reason

Shadow Spells p23

HEIGHTENED CONCERN
COST: 0.5
The adept can ignore a single distraction while performing
another task. This power negates a single situational
modifier of a value of up to half (rounded up) of their
Magic Attribute. It takes a Complex Action to activate and
may be combined with the Adept Centering metamagic.

That's possible but I think you are reading in a lot that isn't there IMO.  A task could be a single action or it could be something that lasts hours.  It does not really say one way or the other how long the power lasts which is kind of unusual for this type of thing.  I think that is something that should be asked for errata if it hasn't already.

[Sabato Kuroi]

Imveros , I get what you ' re saying but generally, if there is no duration mentioned, the power lasts for as long as the adept wants, right?
For example killing hands need to be activated but there's no duration.

[Imveros]

Imveros , I get what you ' re saying but generally, if there is no duration mentioned, the power lasts for as long as the adept wants, right?
For example killing hands need to be activated but there's no duration.

True true, i think my stumbling block is that it has a listed activation time so my brain wants there to be a set end time as well. Killing hands has no activation time. It is just a part of the unarmed attack. Lethal damage yes/no.

I also fear the potential munchkining that could occur if this had no expiration. For half a power point, and a dose of psyche, you could sustain any number of things scott free. High level foci, high level focused concentration PQ, or an initiation (with no power point or other more useful power), all have a high opportunity cost for a reason


SR Core 310

Killing Hands
Cost: 0.5 PP
Activation: Free Action
This power lets you inflict lethal damage with your
unarmed attacks. When inflicting damage on the target
of an unarmed attack, you may choose whether to cause
Stun or Physical damage. Killing Hands may be combined
with other adept powers that increase unarmed damage.
Your Killing Hands attacks are magical, so they can bypass
a creature’s magical defenses against attack, such as the
Immunity to Normal Weapons power, and may be used
by adepts with Astral Perception during astral combat.

[Namikaze]

I saw the question that jim posted in the Errata thread - can someone summarize for me why there should be a duration listed on this power?  The way I read it, the power negates a single situational modifier.  Once that modifier no longer exists, the power is over.  Would the duration of the power then not be "the duration of the distraction"?

[cyclopean]

That's how I would interpret it, also.

[Sabato Kuroi]

What do you mean killing hands has no activation time?
You are entitled to one free action per Initiative Pass.If you don't spend it in order to activate the power but instead choose to do something else, you can't use it.If I'm not mistaken, you need one free action in the entire encounter in order to activate it and then it's activated for as long as you want.

Btw I agree with you that heightened concern seems a bit overpowered but mystic adepts don'-t have karma to spare for foci etc in chargen so they end up being inferior casters.

[Triskavanski]

Though a GM could allow you more than one free action

[Lucean]

The wording of Heightened Concentration has always been problematic, as far as I know. When I mentioned it to my group, they instantly came up with using it for negating the blind fire penalty. And since this is again a situational modifier it would work again.
So it might be better to talk to your group upfront about the power and get a ruling there.