[Kirklins]

Hopefully this will be mooted by the priority table changes in upcoming errata. These are therefore potential house rules, not proposed (yet).

So as currently designed the human metatype is at a karma deficit compared to all other metatypes. I'm putting out options I'm considering for my eventual table for comment.

First, how much behind are humans? Using the quality table and assuming caps and deficits are specific approved for more than limit:

• dwarf: 36 48 Karma (12 for Body 7, 24 for Strength 8, 12 for Willpower 7, -8 for reaction 5, 8 for thermographic vision, 12 for toxin resistance, -12 for size adjustement see note below).
• elf: 44 Karma (6 for low light vision, 12 for Agility 7, 24 for Charisma
• ork: 50 Karma (24 for Body 8, 24 for Strength 8, -8 for Charisa 5, 6 for low light vision, 4 for Built Tough I)
• troll: 79 55 Karma (36 for Body 9, 36 for Strength 9, -8 for Agility 5, -8 for Charisma 5, 8 for thermographic vision, 7 for dermal deposits, 8 for Built Tough II, -24 for size adjustment see note below/i]).
• human: 12 Karma (12 for Edge 7)

unknown negative karma value for dwarves and trolls requiring size adjustment. Dwarves are for fitted gear, trolls are for everything they use. By default using 12 per step

Humans are at a minimum 24 karma behind the other metatypes. There's a meta/ingame benefit due to not being a meta, but the actual effect depends on the table. (And if you're dealing with elves, being human can be a penalty.)

The following options are not inclusive but exclusive (except as noted). I do not want to reverse the issue making human the default preference, but I would like it to be a viable choice. So for your consideration:

• Humans get +10 karma. While not covering the deficit of /any/ race, there's a great advantage in 10 points that aren't fixed. The vision advantages most races get, for example, are easily matched with technology and a little ¥.
• Humans get +1 adjustment point. An obvious alternative, but it runs against the tradition of Elves being better at magic since adjustment points can only go to SAP or racial bonus attributes. At the same time I could argue that it should be +2.
• All human attribute are special attributes for character creation. This would allow a flexibility and more powerful humans while not really removing the total points. The risk is the fact a human C with no magic and willing to stay at 1 edge has a defacto 33 attribute points.
• "Human is as Human does." Humans get a quality to reflect they are the "right race" in a racist world. Name to be determined, but gain 1 edge in social interactions. I'd like to narrow that to not include things like Tir Tairngire government, Ancients, and Ork Underground encounters, but even so I think the generic human is more trusted than the generic ork (or elf in the case of the OU). This is probably only worth 5-8 points so should be combined with something else, but it's a nice racial minimum.

Discussion requested
Edited per discussion below

[DigitalZombie]

You forgot the dwarfs strength bonus. 1-8 strength.
And the Penalty for gear to dwarves and trolls.

I like the idea of giving the humane some extra karma, 5 or 10 as you suggested.
Maybe also something unique related to Edge. Like humane can hold unto 8 Edge instead of 7 during encounters.

I also like the ideal that Adjustment points can go anywhere for humans. I dont think that would be unbalancing, as a mundane Dwarf could easily put 9 Adjustment points into body, strength and willpower, and end up with a total of 33 too.

I think part of the problems with humans is that the priority table doesnt really help them, there isnt a "+6 Adjustment  point" that happens to fit humans perfectly for their Edge score. NO mundane humans gains anything from their higher Edge cap.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

I think an interesting idea to reward humans/disincentivize metahuman is to make the free racial qualities be not quite so free... counting against the 6 total qualities, or making them be mandatory karma expenditures, or both... depending on how hard you want to tip the balance.

[CigarSmoker]

for Dwarves 12 karma for their size adjustment seems too much.

p.246
Size Cost Adjustments
[...] but it’s not as easy for dwarfs [...]. They usually need to shop at special stores or order their gear with certain customizations made to it. To account for this, dwarfs pay a ten percent markup on all the fitted gear they purchase. This applies to items like armor and clothes, but not stuff like weapons and commlinks. When in doubt, the gamemaster makes the call of when to apply it. It’s harder for trolls, and they experience a ten percent markup on everything.

Armor and clothes. Since clothes is included in Lifestyle thats 100Y extra on a 1000Y Armor Jacket. Hardly worth 1 Karma.

(For Trolls 24 Karma seems about right as you suggested )

[Kirklins]

CigarSmoker, In earlier editions, and I imagine in later books for this edition, clothing makes an appearance. I've also seen tables rule the cost applied to vehicles (especially higher end), goggles, and in one controversial call cybergear.

It's subjective, though, and more important immaterial to the key point that humans have a karma deficit at creation.

[CigarSmoker]

Well Humans have a free "Human-Looking" (p.72) which is 8 Karma. You should probably add that.

[Tecumseh]

Unless they have the Elf Poser or Ork Poser negative qualities, of course.

This is an interesting discussion.

Brainstorming some ideas:
- Higher cap on qualities (somewhat the opposite approach of Stainless Steel Devil Rat), so that a human could have up to 8 (or 10) qualities
- Free Blandness quality (ha)
- Free Exceptional Attribute quality
- Negative qualities are worth 2x as much karma (total increase from qualities still capped at 20 karma)

I don't actually like the idea of a free Exceptional Attribute quality for humans, but it goes a long way toward eliminating one of the primary mechanical benefits of playing a metahuman. An Agility-based character would no longer be constraining themselves by picking human instead of elf, for example. But there is some risk in making Logic-based characters almost exclusively human.

The 2x karma for negative qualities is an interesting idea, especially if you keep the cap on how much karma can be earned from qualities. So perhaps humans stock up on negative qualities (except Impaired Attribute, which I'm going to nerf if the errata doesn't beat me to it) but then they have to spend that somewhere so they don't lose it. Maybe that makes Exceptional Attribute more appealing, if only as a place to spend some overflow karma from picking up Prejudiced and SINner for 16 karma each. Plus it incentivizes players to take negative qualities, which are usually fun and interesting.

[Michael Chandra]

'Karma from having a higher maximum attribute' doesn't seem a fair criteria, because you're essentially penalizing anyone that doesn't actually take that attribute at that value. The whole idea of the current setup is to allow easy entry into metatypes. So I agree with giving a boost to Humans, but I disagree with the karma claims here, since it means we're treating non-super-optimized metahumans unfairly.

I personally think some karma compensation suffices. Alternatively give as racial quality Exceptional Attribute, though again you then penalise anyone that doesn't make use of it.

[Finstersang]

I really think that Karma Compensation (and probably the option to buy 1-2 additional Qualities) feels best here, it´s a common practice in other systems as well to give the "Normies" a little bit more freedom in the form of additional Skill Points, Adjustments, Free Qualities etc.

Also, if Humans would be able to save up to 8 instead of the usual 7 Edge in their Edge Pool, their increased Attribute maximum would be an actual benefit and not an obvious trap.

[Shinobi Killfist]

I’d give humans a floating stat with a increased racial max. They’d have less increased maximums but it would be flexible and could hit niches other races don’t hit. Allow metatype priority points to go into the stat chosen.

[ZeroSum]

Would allowing humans to use Special Attribute Points to apply to any attribute be too strong?

As it stands, taking Human at Priority C with Mundane will just waste 3 SAPs...

[Shinobi Killfist]

Would allowing humans to use Special Attribute Points to apply to any attribute be too strong?

As it stands, taking Human at Priority C with Mundane will just waste 3 SAPs...

Doesn’t even seem as powerful has having 2-3 extra attributes you can put it to with increased maximums.

Basically allowing special attributes as is for the metas allows two things. Giving you the points or capitalize on increased racial maxes so if you are playing to your race you just are better than other races at it without having to dump other vital stats. Playing against type also is supported as you can save your real attribute points for your archetypes core stats while using the meta points to get other basics to a functional level. You likely don’t need that for more than 2 stats. Even bumping strength to one saves the troll one point from their 24 points so his decker can max his logic easier.

[Hephaestus]

I’d give humans a floating stat with a increased racial max. They’d have less increased maximums but it would be flexible and could hit niches other races don’t hit. Allow metatype priority points to go into the stat chosen.

I think this would be a good solution. That way you're not stepping on qualities to give humans a more level experience.

Personally, though, I would make it a choice between a 2-point bump to one stat, or two 1-point bumps to two stats. That way your hyper-focused Street Sam could get AGI or STR to 8, and a Rigger/Decker could bump up both LOG and WIL to 7.

Following on that, I would add humans back into the priority table at B-tier (possibly A-tier). If humans want to push their other selections down for SAPs, let them.

[Shinobi Killfist]

Not sure why humans aren’t in b tier as is. Raise magic from 1 to 6 is 5 points edge 1 to 7 is 6 or eleven points total for B. 

A elf can cap magic from D and edge a human can’t?

[Hephaestus]

Not sure why humans aren’t in b tier as is. Raise magic from 1 to 6 is 5 points edge 1 to 7 is 6 or eleven points total for B. 

Because frag your edgy mage... or because numbers are hard.