[Whiskeyjack]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

[Halinn]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

[rednblack]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

Page 314 of the CRB lists "Numinous Perception" as a Specialization of Perception not covered under the skills section on page 133 of the same.  It's certainly not a smoking gun, but it would imply that the list of Specializations are not exhaustive.  I'd say it's a GM call to make sure that Specializations are not abusive.

[Medicineman]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

A) it's been that way since Ed 3 (IIRC)
B)
Check f.E Pistols
------------------
Pistols
This skill category includes all types of handheld pistols,
including tasers, single-shots, semi-automatics,
and revolvers.
Default: Yes
Skill Group: Firearms
Specializations: Holdouts, Revolvers, Semi-
Automatics, Tasers
-------------
Hold-Out  and Taser as special.,but not Light Pistols or Heavy Pistols ?


or Hacking
There is no "Hacking on the fly"  even though the Decker Archtype has it

Hough!
Medicineman

[Kincaid]

Missions specifies the ones in the book or "one that's similar" so in this instance, going outside RAW seems to be tacitly approved.

[kyoto kid]

I recommend pre-spending Edge on your Initiation check. That means you should end up only spending a month per initiation. Remember that it's an Arcana + Intuition (Grade, 1 month) test, so if you get three hits on the first test for Grade 3, it only takes one month.

That said, your other solid option is to get up to a dice pool of 8 with Arcana + Intuition. If you spend 7 karma to get a specialization in Initiation (if your GM approves)*. Otherwise, you can spend 10 karma to get the skill up to 3.



* Arcana lists spell design, focus design and spirit formulas as it's specialties.

...not sure if in Missions you can use edge during downtime tests. Actually the cost for a straight 3 skill rating is 12:  2 + 4 + 6 (unless you have the Jack of all Trades Quality, then it's 9).  The person who suggested doing so is also one of our Missions group's GMs.

[kyoto kid]

The recent change to downtime in the FAQ makes it much more palatable, assuming you don't have an adept with a Luxury Lifestyle.

...KK's Lifestyle is Low, so yeah, not much of an issue.

[kyoto kid]

Missions specifies the ones in the book or "one that's similar" so in this instance, going outside RAW seems to be tacitly approved.

...for a straight Adept, it would make sense to have some kind of specialisation that could be used for Initiation as other than that, the skill is pretty useless since they don't cast spells, create foci, or summon spirits.

[Halinn]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

A) it's been that way since Ed 3 (IIRC)
B) Check f.E Pistols
Hold-Out  and Taser as special.,but not Light Pistols or Heavy Pistols ?

or Hacking
There is no "Hacking on the fly"  even though the Decker Archtype has it

a) Doesn't matter. 5E isn't 4A, 3E or any other previous edition.
b1) Arguably not sufficiently different to warrant their own specs
b2) Most of the archetypes have errors.

I'm not claiming it's wrong to have specs not listed, I'm just trying to work with what the rules explicitly say.

[falar]

...not sure if in Missions you can use edge during downtime tests. Actually the cost for a straight 3 skill rating is 12:  2 + 4 + 6 (unless you have the Jack of all Trades Quality, then it's 9).  The person who suggested doing so is also one of our Missions group's GMs.

You can, but then it's marked off at the beginning of the next session. It's basically for things like binding spirits where you wouldn't have a chance otherwise.

I apologize on the math there. I thought KK already had Arcana 1 and therefore only needed to go from 1->3, which is 10.

[kyoto kid]

...nah on the advice of several members of my group I ditched it and put the points to her Pistols & Longarms skills. With an Intuition of 5, just getting it at 1 (2 Karma) will suffice for a couple initiations when she's ready.  So curious, if she gets more than 1 hit, does that reduce the time?  I know it probably is somewhere in the book but of course, not where one would expect it to be.

[Whiskeyjack]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

Source where the book says those are an exhaustive list. 

[Halinn]

Specialties listed are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Please source that claim

Source where the book says those are an exhaustive list. 

Implicit from this bit (p. 89): "Full descriptions of skills and their specializations are found in the Skills chapter (p. 128)."
Wouldn't be full descriptions if they were only examples (without being called out as only being such).

Also, without this assumption, you'd be able to specialize in exotic ranged weapons.

Beyond this, and the fact that the listed specializations by each skill appears to be a fairly thorough list, I can't prove a negative.

[falar]

So curious, if she gets more than 1 hit, does that reduce the time?  I know it probably is somewhere in the book but of course, not where one would expect it to be.

I can't find anything to support reducing the time, so I would say that there is no way to decrease it outside of maybe Street Grimoire initiation things, but I think those are all longer, if anything.

[kyoto kid]

...all the more Arcana sounds like an extremely limited use skill for the SP/Karma cost for a non spellcasting Adept as it only comes into play for initiation and nothing else.

The cost for for rating 3 is almost the cost for the first grade of initiation without a a Group and/or Ordeal.