[John Q. Mind]

So I'm trying to figure out the best way to make Mind Quad using the sr4 rules. For those who haven't seen it, John Q. Mind was a soldier till an accident/experiment blew his arms and legs into HIS MIND! This makes him a parapalegic with telekenesis at such power that he can throw people and do things that would require limbs like moving curtains and driving a motorcycle.
I realize he'll probably need use of the levitate spell, but he's not really a mage, so excessive use of magic is out.

[JustADude]

So I'm trying to figure out the best way to make Mind Quad using the sr4 rules. For those who haven't seen it, John Q. Mind was a soldier till an accident/experiment blew his arms and legs into HIS MIND! This makes him a parapalegic with telekenesis at such power that he can throw people and do things that would require limbs like moving curtains and driving a motorcycle.
I realize he'll probably need use of the levitate spell, but he's not really a mage, so excessive use of magic is out.

Actually, there's a quality called something like Magical Knack. I'm AFMB, but IIRC it basically allows you to have access to one spell or summon one spirit.

[John Q. Mind]

There is such a quality, I'm just trying to decide what else I would give him to make him a viable character.

[Xzylvador]

Magic Fingers is more appropriate than Levitate in this case. You can't use levitate to drive a motorcycle or type or bring a glass of water to your mouth. (It can do the last one, but then it wouldn't tip so you could drink out of it but just float upright.)
Problem then is that Magical Knack only gives a maximum magical attribute of 1, meaning your magical hand will have a STR and AGI of 1, 2 if overcasting. That's not really spectacular.

So I think that to make it work, you'll need a mage. You can give him Incompetence to some magic skills and make him an Aspected Sorcerer (and?/) or Aspected to Manipulation to make sure he doesn't become a full magician, but if you want to be throwing people with your mind, a good Levitate dicepool will be required. Same if you want to be somewhat decent with the Magical Fingers, you take a -2 to everything you do with it and even picking up small things might require a test.

[kirk]

Like Xzylvador I think you're going to need a larger magic score. A subtle but potentially interesting variation to the mage would be an aspected (manipulation) mystic adept, choosing non-combat non-physical powers like commanding voice and analytics.

[Pyromaster13]

You can always just grab the psionic tradition if you're going mage.  It's essentially the magical tradition that doesn't really believe they use magic, but that they control the world through sheer force of will with the mind so... it seems like it would fit.

[John Q. Mind]

Where is the psionic tradition listed?

So a mage with a few sustaining talismans for levitate and magic fingers..

[Crimsondude]

It's in the Digital Grimoire e-book. That's pretty much the extent of it. They think magic is really psychic activity and spirits are "thought forms." In SR3 the tradition demanded severe restrictions, but in SR4 they do not. It's just suggested that they take the Aspected (Sorceror) Quality.

[Katrex]

There are some adept powers you could use. Distance strike, and see if your dm will let you do ordinary actions at a distance too, combine that with critical strike and/or missile mastery. You should probaly have some sort of geass making your powers cheaper and make the gease mot moving your arms and legs (or something)
Then you get way of the adept,  and buy your physical stats at half price using adept powers. Thus, you can only move when you have your powers and if you physicaly move you lose your adept powers. Something like magic 6, Str improvement  4 1.5pp agi improvement 4 1.5 pp, distance strike 1.5pp, of something else.

Then you would buy your other stats body 4  reactions 5, logic 5 intuition 5 willpower 5, Charisma 2

Then you'd probably want some sort of rigger something to help you move about, then later on in the game you'd work towards getting to deltaware cyberlegs, or a cybertorso + jetpack :p

That's the way i'd do it, get my gm to house rule distance strike, and you'd just use your 5 str and agi for everything. It's hardly munchkiny because well, you're not str 9 or agi 9 and you are completely parapalegic in a dead zone

[UmaroVI]

It's in the Digital Grimoire e-book. That's pretty much the extent of it. They think magic is really psychic activity and spirits are "thought forms." In SR3 the tradition demanded severe restrictions, but in SR4 they do not. It's just suggested that they take the Aspected (Sorceror) Quality.

Actually, the Psionic tradition does still have some restrictions: no Mentor spirits, no preparing vessels. I really hate the Psionic tradition, by the way. "Yes, we are all rational and scientific. Yeah, what that guy standing right there just did, in front of me? It's impossible. I don't believe it works."

[Crimsondude]

He says to the person who wrote for a book titled Conspiracy Theories.


People are astonishing in their capacity for self-delusion.

[John Q. Mind]

He won't ever have cyberlimbs. Him being a quad-amputee is the point...

[John Q. Mind]

So if I give him two sustaining talismans, he should be able to function normally in any place that isn't a magic dead zone.
Perhaps a katana for bad-assness...

[JustADude]

Perhaps a katana for bad-assness...

  Oh god...  you're one of THOSE people!

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! RANT MODE TRIGGERED!*

A katana is not some ultra-super-special mega-sword. It's a good weapon for draw-cutting (aka "slicing") through lightly armored opponents, but so is a standard saber, a scimitar, a falchion, or any of a dozen other curved blades. And, just like any of those, it can be stopped cold with a simple wooden shield, something the Japanese never developed, let alone anything approaching proper metal armor, which they never had either.

The simple fact of the matter is that Japan just didn't have the quality or quantity of iron to come up with effective defenses to swords, so their swords got to the level of "able to cut barely protected flesh really well" and stopped there.

A one handed European "arming sword", by comparison, is also able to lop off limbs with ease, and its more robust blade geometry and straight edge provides superior piercing and percussive-cutting (aka "chopping") capabilities, meaning it can compromise chain and plate armors, respectively. Plus, being one handed, it allows you to use one of those aforementioned shields, allowing for a greater level of defense.

*Deep Breath*

Sorry, I've just had to deal with way too many weaboos who talk about the katana like western culture didn't spend a couple dozen centuries developing its own highly sophisticated ways of separating people from their lives, starting before Rome was more than a collection of huts.

But anway, back on topic, I suggest you go with either a Combat Axe or Mono-Whip instead of a katana. One or the other is the best bang for your buck, depending on if your effective Strength.

[Crimsondude]

Jesus, dude. Chill.

It's a style thing, especially in Shadowrun, where there are katanas in fiction made out of smart materials that hold a monomolecular edge and can be used to block minigun fire.


That said, it seems more apt for his Robert Patrick-voiced pursuer, who already has that Highlander vibe going on.