<– Back to magic

The Get-A-Grip Physical Adepts Handbook

by John Becker

Assembled by John Becker - Alaric@MSN.COM

---

NOTE: I have borrowed a lot of material from other sources. I want to thank all of those people and let them know that I am not taking credit for their material. I just took all the material I could find from all sources and revised it all to the same standard. I also did not include all the new powers that were included in other sources because I did not feel that they were appropriate for the character. The Physical Adept is a great character concept by itself and we need to make sure we don’t ruin it. If anyone has any complaints or comments please e-mail me. Enough said.

This is just my view on the subject of Physical Adepts. When ShadowRun first came out I was really impressed with the Physical Adepts. They were a very interesting character to play and they had good playability. When Second Edition ShadowRun came out I could hardly wait for the Second Edition Grimoire to come out. When I got it, I couldn’t decide whether to cry or just stop playing.

Since then I have calmed down and have seen some very good and interesting ideas for the Physical Adept but so far no one has addressed the problem facing it. Simply put, a girl scout with a box of cookies could beat the snot out of a 6th level initiate Physical Adept and not have to breath hard. Below I have included a comparison of the standard Street Samurai Archetype, which I think we can all agree is pretty lame, and what it would take to make the same character as a Physical Adept.

Street Samurai		Physical Adept	Magic cost
Attributes		Ability
Body	6(8)	Improved Attribute	3
Quickness	4(5)	Improved Attribute	1
Strength	6(7)	Improved Attribute	1.5
Charisma	2
Intelligence	5
Willpower	5
Essence	0.01
Reaction	5(9)	Increased Reaction	7
Initiative	+3d6	Increased Reflexes	4
Cyberware:
CyberEyes - LowLight		Enhanced Senses	.25
Dermal Plating Lv2		See Stats
Smartgun Link		No Equivalent
Wired Reflexes Lv2
Muscle Replacement Lv1		See Stats
		Total Cost:	16.75 Magic Points

As the above example shows, to even come close to matching the capabilities of the Street Samurai archetype you would have to be an 11th level Physical Adept Initiate which would cost 455 Karma Points to achieve counting the 10% going to the personal karma pool. It could be just me, but I think this is more than slightly unbalanced.

The following is my first draft of revised rules for the Physical Adept. It is my hope to breathe life once more into this very cool character type.

The main problem with the Physical Adept is that powers cost way to much and you have so few points to spend. I resolved this problem two ways. First off I revised the costs of all the powers that I thought were reasonably for the character. Secondly, I multiplied the Physical Adept Magic rating by 2 for purchasing Phys Ad powers only. At first this may seem excessive but if you look at how unbalance the character currently is, it really isn’t. I decided to multiply the Magic rating instead of reducing the cost of the powers even more because I wanted to avoid characters that had .3573082 magic to spend. The main restriction on my revised Physical Adept is that they may not spend more Magic points on a single power than 3 + their Initiate Level. This provides fairness and a chance for character development. I also do not recommend the use of these rules with the optional Physical Magician rules, that combination would just be too powerful. If you feel that these rules are too powerful you might try adjusting the cost of the physical adept to an A pick.

The following are my revised Physical Adept powers.

Physical Adept Magical Abilities

Astral Perception

Cost: 2

The adept has the ability to see into the astral plane via Astral Perception, but cannot use astral projection. This enables the adept to use the Sorcery Skill in Astral Combat, but the character cannot cast spells nor does he/she have a Magic Pool. When a Physical Adept activates Astral Perception he may function physically without a penalty.

Attribute Boost

Cost: 0.25 per level

The adept with attribute boost power can call upon their inner self, enabling them to perform amazing feats far beyond those of which they are normally capable. The attribute boost power can be purchased for any Physical attributes: Strength, Quickness, or Body. It cannot be purchased for a Mental Attribute, nor for Reaction, and must be purchased individually and separately for each of the three Physical attributes.

The level purchased is the number of Rating points by which the attribute is boosted. To gain the boost, the physical adept must make a Success Test, rolling a number of dice equal to his current Magic Rating against a target number equal to the current value of the attribute being boosted. If they roll no successes, the attribute remains at its current level. If the character achieves any successes, the attribute is boosted by the full number of rating points. The boost lasts only for a number of combat turns equal to the number of successes generated in the Magic test.

When the boost runs out, the physical adept must make a Drain test to determine if they were weakened by the boost. The Drain target number is equal to one-half(round-down) the boosted attribute value. The Drain level is based on the level of the boosted attribute rating compared to the character’s Racial Maximum for that attribute per the table below.

As with a regular Drain Resistance test, to offset the Drain the character must make a Willpower test against the Drain target number. Every 2 successes reduces the Drain level by one. Drain Damage is taken as Stun.

It is possible to use Centering to help reduce the Drain.

The Attribute Boost power is not compatible with any form of cybernetic or bioware enhancements, nor spell-based increases. It is compatible with the Physical Adept ability Improved Physical Attribute.

Boosted Attribute Rating	Drain Level
Less than Racial Max	L
Up to 1.5 x Racial Max	M
Over 1.5 x Racial Max	S

Blind Fighting

Cost: 0.5

Physical Adepts with the blind fighting power possess a mythical “sixth sense” that allows them to function more effectively in darkness or under conditions in which the adept is unable to see (such as being blindfolded). The blind fighting power reduces the visibility penalty (blind fire, full darkness) to +4. Targets attacked by an adept using this power still gain the normal bonuses from cover.

Blur

Cost: 1 plus 0.25 per additional level

This power gives close to the same effect as the critter power “Adaptive Coloration”. This power affects the visual band of the electromagnetic spectrum, including that part of the spectrum used by dwarfs, trolls and others with natural thermographic vision. This power gives a physical adept the ability to refract light around themselves and become almost invisible(think of the Predator movies). When the adept is immobile, the target number for the Perception test required to detect him is 10; when the adept is in motion, the Target Number is 8. Because this power plays merry hell with the depth perception of anyone attacking the adept, add a +1 to all target numbers for melee attacks and add a +2 modifier to all target numbers for ranged attacks against him. The base level of this power works against natural and cybernetic thermographic vision, but has no effect against non-visual senses such as sonar, radar, or scent tracking.

Additional levels may be purchased to provide protection against additional senses such as sound waves, microwave radar, or tracking scents. Also, any success made by a Stealth roll are added to the target number of the Perception test. It takes a simple action to activate this power and it lasts for 10 combat turns, it may be continued without interruption as long as another simple action is expended before the time limit is up.

Body Control

Cost: 0.25 per level

The Physical Adept using the body control power has such control over their body that they can resist the effects of gases, drugs, poisons, and diseases. Each level of Body Control gives the character one additional die to use in Damage Resistance Tests against these things.

Charismatic Aura

Cost: see below

The adept with Charismatic Aura uses their magic to assist their body in he production of natural pheromones to influence they come into contact with. Each level purchased adds +1 to the adepts effective Charisma and a +1 to all Social skills for the duration of the effects. This power is effective out to radius equal to the adept’s Magic Rating in meters. The actual cost of the ability depends on whether it is higher than the character’s Racial Maximum rating.

• Up to Racial Maximum: .25 per +1 rating
• Up to 1.5 x Racial Maximum: .5 per +1 rating
• Greater than 1.5 x Racial Maximum: 1 per +1 rating

Combat Sense

Cost: 0.5 per level

The adept with combat sense power has an almost sixth-sense about an area and any threats around him. Each level of this ability purchased gives the adept a number of extra dice in his Combat Pool, as well as the ability to spend Combat Pool dice to assist the Reaction Test in surprise situations.

Counterstrike

Cost: 0.25 per level

The counterstrike power gives the adept a particularly strong ability to strike back at attackers. For each level of the power, the adept rolls an additional die for Counterattack Tests in melee combat, either armed or unarmed. These dice can only be used for counterattacks, not for damage resistance or any other type of attack.

Deep Breathing

Cost: 0.25 per level

The adept has practiced incorporating magic and breathing exercises, and can use his/her lungs to a greater extent. Each level purchased (each .25 point) gives the adept an additional 60 seconds under water.

Delay Damage

Cost: 2

The delay damage power allows a physical adept to inflict damage in unarmed melee combat that does not take immediate effect. Before making his attack, the adept declares the use of the delay damage power and then makes a normal Attack Test against the target. The target makes a Damage Resistance Test as normal.

If the attack is successful and the target does not completely resist the damage, the delay damage power converts the attack into a “charge” of astral force that lingers in the target’s aura for up to 24 hours. After a predetermined period, defined by the adept when the attack is made, the damage from the attack (Stun or Physical, per the standard rules for the attack) takes effect against the target as if the attack had just occurred that instant.

Once the delayed damage attack has been set in motion, it requires no further attention or effort from the adept. A target can only be under the effects of one delay damage attack at any given time. Anyone who observes the target of a delay damage attack in astral space will see the magical charge in the target’s aura. The charge can be removed before it takes effect by making a Dispelling Test against a target number equal to the Power of the attack, with a Drain equal to the attack’s damage code.

Physical adept assassins with the delay damage and killing hands powers are capable of striking a victim with the confidence that the target will die hours later, when the adept has secured an alibi hundreds of miles away.

Disarm

Cost: 0.5 per level

Using this ability, the physical adept can quickly and efficiently remove a weapon (or any other object, for that matter) from an opponent’s hands. The adept rolls a number of dice equal to his Unarmed Combat skill plus the level of the ability, against a target number equal to the opponent’s Quickness, and applying all applicable modifiers for melee combat (SRII page 101). Disarm is considered to be an unarmed attack, so the opponent may defend against it in the normal way. If the adept has any net successes, anything the opponent was holding in his hands is removed and flies away for a number of meters equal to the adept’s net successes, in the direction desired by the adept Disarm does not cause damage to the target, but the target’s counterattack may damage the adept. The adept must have both hands free in order to disarm an opponent.

Distance Strike

Cost: 2

The distance strike power allows a physical adept to use the medium of astral space to make an unarmed attack over a short distance and strike a target without physically touching the target. The power has a range in meters equal to the adept’s Magic Attribute and inflicts the standard damage for an unarmed attack. To use the distance strike power, the adept makes an Unarmed Combat Test as normal, ignoring Reach modifiers. The target uses Combat Pool dice and Body to resist the attack as a ranged attack; in other words, the target cannot counterattack, and if the target rolls more successes on his Combat Pool or Threat Rating dice than the attacker’s successes, the attack is a complete miss.

If an adept possesses either the killing hands power or the distance strike power and wishes to purchase the other, double the cost of the second power purchased. For example, Falcon’s player purchases the killing hands power for that character at character creation. At initiate Grade 1, if the player wants to purchase the distance strike power, it will cost 4 Magic Points.

Empathic Sense

Cost: 0.5

The empathic sense ability gives an adept a limited form of astral awareness that allows him to sense the feelings of those round him, to a range of the adept’s unaided line of sight. The adept makes a Perception (4) Test to gain a general impression of a subject’s current emotions (love, anger, fear, and so on). The greater the number of successes, the more detailed the information the adept learns. Metamagical masking can defeat this power, but if the adept using the empathic sense power is also an initiate, resolve an attempt to penetrate the masking normally.

Enhanced Aim

Cost: .5 per level

Each level of this power applies a -1 modifies to his target number in ranged combat to a maximum of -2 below the base target number. The adept must buy this power for each skill (i.e. he must buy it for Firearms and for Throwing Weapons) and may not have more than 2 levels per skill. This power is not compatible with smartgun links, smartgun goggles, or lasersights, but it does enhance non-electronic rangefinders and scopes.

Enhanced Centering

Cost: 1 per Skill Category

This ability allows the initiate physical adept to apply their own Centering skill to a non-physical skill. The area to which the adept may apply the Centering skill must be purchased individually. Non-physical skills that benefit from Enhanced Centering are Build/Repair, Combat, Knowledge, Language, Magical, Social, Technical, and Vehicle. Enhanced Centering can also apply to Special Skills at a cost of .5 per Special Skill. Even with this power, physical adepts may still only use magical skills for mundane effects; they may not cast spells or conjure.

Enhanced Coordination

Cost: 0.25 per level

An adept with the enhanced coordination power may use both hands equally well. Each level of this power counts as 1 level in the Ambidexterity Special Skill. The adept must have at least 1 level in the Ambidexterity Skill in order to buy this power, and may not have more levels in the enhanced coordination power than he has levels in the Ambidexterity Skill.

Enhanced Initiative

Cost: See below

Increased Reaction gives the adept additional Initiative dice and an increased Reaction stat, based on the degree of ability purchased. Consult the table below.

Level	Cost	Reaction	Initiative Dice
1	1	+2	+1d6
2	3	+4	+2d6
3	5	+6	+3d6
4	7	+8	+4d6

Enhanced Movement

Cost: see below

This power allows an adept to increase his/her movement modifier. The adept adds the level bought to his/her racial movement modifier. The adept is able to maintain this rate of speed for a number of combat turns equal to the adept’s magic rating after which the adept must stop and rest. The amount of time the adept must spent resting is equal to double the number of combat turns spent running.

Level	Cost
1	.5
2	1.0
3	1.5

Extended Jump

Cost: 0.25 per level

The adept uses his entire body to propel himself/herself forward/upward. Each level adds a +x1/2 multiplier to their jump distance. This would be calculated on the (meta)human distance after an athletics test. For example, level 3 would be a x2.5 multiplier for the jump distance.

Flexibility

Cost: 0.25 per level

The flexibility power makes an adept’s limbs unusually limber, able to twist and bend more than a normal person’s. For each level of this power, the adept may add 1 die to tests made to slip out of ropes, handcuffs, and other such bindings as well as tests made to escape from a hold in unarmed combat. The adept can also make Flexibility Tests to squeeze through small openings and passages that would be difficult for a normal person of the character’s size to fit through, such as transoms, ventilation ducts, and other close quarters. The gamemaster may determine appropriate target numbers for such tests.

Freefall

Cost: 0.25 per level

For each level of the freefall power, the adept can fall a distance of 2 meters without suffering injury or making a Damage Resistance Test, provided that the surface the adept falls onto is not in itself dangerous. If the adept falls a distance greater than the allowance of the freefall power, subtract the maximum distance cushioned by the power from the distance fallen before calculating damage. If the adept falls onto a dangerous surface - an alley covered with shards of glass or a burning floor, for example - he can still use the freefall power to avoid falling damage, but will take damage dependent on the surface and the gamemaster’s discretion.

Hyper Strike

Cost: 3

The adept may attack with such speed and accuracy that the adept may strike more then once per turn or make a move and make an attack. With this power an unarmed attack costs a simple action instead of a complex action. When the adept makes two attacks versus the same target in the same turn, the target must split their counterattack dice to handle both attacks.

Improved Ability

Cost: See Below

The physical adept is able to purchase additional dice for use with a specific general skill. Dice purchased for the general skill carry over equally to any Concentrations or Specialization’s of the skill that the character may know. In addition to the +2 target modifier received for every circle passed on the Skill Web, any Improved Ability dice are reduced at a rate of one per circle crossed. For example, passing three dots would add a +6 modifier, while subtracting 3 Improved Ability dice.

The adept cannot have more extra dice than the character’s current Skill Rating. Thus, a character with Firearms 4 cannot have more than 4 additional dice.

Skill Costs:

• Athletic Skills: .25/die
• Stealth: .25/die
• Combat Skills
  • Armed Combat: .5/die
  • Unarmed Combat: .5/die
  • Throwing: .5/die
  • Projectile Weapons: .5/die
  • Firearms: 1/die
  • Gunnery: 1/die
• Vehicle Skills: .5/die
• Other Physical Skills (not including B/R): .25/die

• Improved Physical Attributes

Cost: See Below

With this ability, the physical adept can raise a Physical Attribute (only Body, Strength, or Quickness), but not a Mental Attribute. If the adept later wants to increase a Physical Attribute using Karma in the normal manner, the cost is based on the natural attribute rating, that is, without the magical improvements. The actual cost of the ability depends on whether it is higher than the character’s Racial Maximum rating.

• Up to Racial Maximum: .25 per +1 rating
• Up to 1.5 x Racial Maximum: .5 per +1 rating
• Greater than 1.5 x Racial Maximum: 1 per +1 rating

Improved Physical Senses

Cost: 0.25 per improvement

This ability is noted in the Grimoire. Physical adepts may purchase any sensory improvement that does not require technology (such as radio) to accomplish. Listed below are some additional options for this power. Some general target numbers for Perception tests involving these power would be: 4, if the adept is examining things in line of sight, 6 for subjects out of direct sight/sensing range, or 10 for subjects present only in astral space. The number of successes determines the amount of information that the adept gains. One success gains only general knowledge. Two gives minor points, with only minor inaccuracies. Three successes give accurate details, but minor parts are obscure. Four successes gives complete and detailed information.

Direction Sense: The adept almost never gets lost and can easily retrace his own steps. He always knows where magnetic north is and if he is above or below the local ground level. Useful especially for the tribal hunter types.

Enhanced Sense: Additional dice for Perception tests with a single sense may be purchased for .25 Magic per die. Additional perception dice form all senses cost 1 Magic point each. These dice are added to the adept’s Intelligence score for Perception tests.

Flare Compensation: The adept’s eyes adapt quickly to intense light, preventing him from being blinded by flash grenades and the like.

High Frequency Hearing: The adept can hear sounds of a higher pitch than normal human hearing, such as dog whistles and ultrasonics (such as those used in range-finders and targeting devices).

Improved Scent: Adepts with this power can identify scents much like a bloodhound. They can identify individuals by their scent alone and can tell if someone has been in an area recently if their scent is known. The strong smells of most sprawls may dampen or confuse this ability.

Improved Taste: The adept can determine the ingredients of food or beverage by taste alone. Characters with Chemistry, Physical Sciences or a related skill can also identify ingestive poisons and drugs concealed in food or drink with a successful Perception test. Adepts with the Survival Skill and this power can determine if a sample of water is pure enough to drink with a Perception (3) Test.

Low Frequency Hearing: The adept can hear sounds of a lower pitch than normal human hearing.

Sensory Magnification: The adept has an extremely sharp sense. Each level of this power decreases effective range for perception between the adept and the subject by one step. Maximum of three levels. This power must be bought separately for Sight, Hearing and Scent.

Sound Dampening: The adept’s ears are protected from loud noises and adjust quickly to sudden changes in ambient noise level.

Iron Will

Cost: 0.25 per level

The iron will power makes an adept’s will exceptionally resistant to outside influence. For each level of this power, the adept rolls an additional die when resisting any attempt to control, affect, or alter his mind. This power does not defend against mana-based combat spells.

Killing Hands

Cost: See below

The physical adept may use his magical force to turn his Unarmed Combat attacks from Stun to Physical damage. When using Unarmed Combat, an adept with Killing Hands may choose to do either the normal Stun damage or the improved Physical damage, as purchased. See the table below for the costs for each of the four different levels of Killing Hands available. The player must declare use of Killing Hands with the Unarmed Combat attack. The attack itself is effective against creature with immunity or magical defenses against normal weapons. Their defensive bonuses do not apply when used against Killing Hands (as the attack is not truly physical, the hands merely serving as a channel for the magical energy). Note that Killing Hands is a bare-handed strike and cannot be augmented by either weaponry or magic, though they may use other physical adept abilities like Improved Ability. Also, note that a physical adept can use Killing Hands only at the level(s) purchased. For example, if an adept purchases Killing Hands at D and L levels, he/she can use the power only at Physical damage levels of L and D.

Damage Level	Cost
(Strength)L	.5
(Strength)M	1
(Strength)S	2
(Strength)D	4

Little Death

Cost: 0.5

This power allows the physical adept to enter a trance. In this dormant state, the adept’s metabolic rate decreases to such an extent that even modern medicine cannot detect that he is alive. The only problem with this power is that the physical adept must decide before he enters the trance how long the trance is to last. Once this decision is made the physical adept will not wake from the trance until this time has passed, regardless of any outside stimuli. It is possible for a physical adept to remain in trance too long and wake up in pieces in the mortuary, having just had an autopsy performed on him.

Magic Resistance

Cost: 0.5 per level

An adept with the magic resistance power possesses a strong, unconscious resistance to sorcery. In the same manner as initiates who possess spell defense, the character adds 1 die per level of this power to Resistance Tests made against spells. Only the adept may use these dice; he cannot give extra protection against sorcery to others. The magic resistance power does not interfere with spells accepted voluntarily and does not defend against critter powers. Initiate physical adepts who possess this power do not gain the benefits of shielding.

Magic Sense

Cost: 0.5

The magic sense power offers a limited form of astral awareness that allows an adept to sense magical energies and effects within a radius equal to the adept’s Magic Attribute x 5 in meters.

The adept is astrally active while using this power, open to the energies of astral space and therefore vulnerable to astral attack. If the adept does not have astral perception, he is incapable of defending against astral attack and must simply take his chances. The adept may use a free action to “turn off” his magic sense power, at which point the adept is no longer astrally active. The magic sense power cannot be activated and deactivated in the same combat phase.

Mimicry

Cost: 0.5

The power allows a physical adept to mimic sound effects, another person voice, or another creature sounds in every way. For the adept to fool a person or creature, the adept roll an opposing success test with his/her magic rating versus half of the person’s or animal’s intelligence and with the person or animal rolling their intelligence versus the adept magic rating. Against voice identification devices the adept rolls his/her magic rating versus the full rating of devices and with the device rolling its rating against the adept’s magic rating. Animals get a -2 bonus to target number for checking against sounds of it own species. Singing skill add extra dice equal to the skill rating to the opposing success test.

Missile Mastery

Cost: 0.75

An adept with the missile mastery power possesses such a highly developed talent for throwing weapons that, in his hands, normally harmless items such as pens, credsticks, and ID cards become deadly weapons. Adepts make attacks with such items using Throwing Skill. Unorthodox missiles such as pens have a base Damage Code of (one-half adept’s Strength, rounded down)L. Impact armor resists damage from such missiles. Items with an edge or point inflict Physical damage, while blunt objects do Stun damage. Adepts using the missile mastery power to throw standard missile weapons, such as shuriken and throwing knives, add 2 to the weapon’s Power Level.

Missile Parry

Cost: 0.75 + 0.25 for Extended Protection

With this ability, the physical adept can pluck slow-moving missile weapons such as arrows, thrown knives, or shuriken out of the air. To perform this feat, the character must roll a number of dice equal to his Reaction Attribute(plus Combat Pool dice, if the player so chooses) against a target number equal to 10 minus the range determined base target number for the incoming attack. For example, to catch an arrow shot at long range, the adept has a target number of 2(10-8). If the attack was made at short range, his target number would be 6(10-4).

To successfully grab the missile weapon out of the air, the character must generate more successes in his Reaction test than the attacker generated in the Attack test. Ties go to the attacker. Use of this ability is a free action.

The adept may also purchase Extended Protection to protect others out to a range in meters equal to his Magic Rating.

Mist Form

Cost: 3

This power allows the adept to turn into a mist that can seep through any cracks that are not airtight. He may stay in mist form for a number of turns equal to his Magic rating, after which he becomes solid again, he must stay that way for the number of turns he was in mist form. Should the adept’s time in mist form expire while the adept is in, say, a tight air vent, the adept’s body will re-solidify in the nearest space the adept’s body can occupy. While in mist form the adept may fly at a rate equal to his normal movement but he should be careful to land before the power runs out.

Mystic Armor

Cost: 0.5 per point of ballistic or impact

The adept is able to magically toughen his own skin and bone structure to resist the effects of damage. Note that Mystic Armor is cumulative with worn armor. An adept can have points of each armor type up to his Body rating but one armor rating cannot be greater than 11/2 times the other(i.e., if an adept has Impact of 2 he cannot have a ballistic of greater than 3). Mystic Armor is fully effective in Astral Space.

Nerve Strike

Cost: 1

The nerve strike power allows an adept to magically inflict damage that affects a target’s nervous system. To use the nerve strike power, the adept makes a standard unarmed melee attack, using the Unarmed Combat Skill against a base Target Number of 4 modified by the target’s armor. Rather than inflicting damage, for every 2 net successes gained in the adept’s Unarmed Combat Test, reduce the target’s Quickness Rating by 1. If the target’s Quickness is reduced to 0, the target is paralyzed. Quickness lost in this fashion is recovered at a rate of 1 point per minute. The nerve strike power is only completely effective against (meta)human opponents. When used against critters, the base Target Number is 6 (or higher, if the gamemaster determines that the critter has an unusual anatomy). Targets that lack functional nervous systems, such as machines, spirits, and zombies, are immune to this power.

Pain Resistance

Cost: 0.25 per level

Pain Resistance allows the physical adept to ignore the effects (injury and Initiative modifiers) of a number of boxes of damage equal to the number of Pain Resistance levels purchased. Thus, a character with 3 levels of Pain Resistance does not suffer any modifiers when taking Light or Moderate wounds. Once the character’s damage passes the Moderate wound level (more than 3 boxes), all injury and Initiative modifiers will apply normally. Levels purchased work equally on both Physical and Stun Condition Monitors. Note that even if a character has 10 point of Pain Resistance, he/she will still go unconscious, and possibly die, once he/she reaches the Deadly wound level. What happens is that the character will show no signs of being injured until he/she simply drops unconscious.

Pain Resistance also allows the character to resist pain from torture, magic, illness, and so on. Add the number of levels of Pain Resistance to the target numbers for inflicting pain on the adept; subtract them from the target number to resist pain (e.g., in a Body or Willpower Test against the symptoms of a painful disease). Again, Pain Resistance does not prevent or heal actual damage, but may prevent or reduce the damage’s effect on the character’s skills or Initiative. Pain Resistance cannot be used to augment and form of Damage Resistance Test.

Power Blow

Cost: 0.25 per level

This ability allows to adept to focus his/her chi (magical power) into a blow!

This skill needs a bare-handed attack or a bonded Weapon Focus. It focuses magical energy into the point of attack, so the character adds the influence of the Power Blow to melee attacks (ranged combat cannot be improved, because of the high speed of the projectile, and the fact that the adept cannot be in direct contact with the projectile to channel the magical energy.) Each .25 adds +1 to the power (STR) of the attack. Note that this ability cannot be used with devices such as stun gloves, stun batons, etc., as their effects are solely technological, and the magic cannot affect the power of the attack. You can’t focus magical energy like this into a non-impact weapon, and stun batons and the like manipulate electricity to achieve their effect. The maximum level of this ability is equal to the base power of the attack and the ability must be purchased for each individual attack.

Quickdraw

Cost: 1

The quick draw power allows an adept to draw and use a single melee weapon or firearm in one action. In other words, the adept need not spend 2 actions to draw and ready the weapon and attack; drawing the weapon and the attack occur in the action used for the Attack Test. If using a weapon requires a Complex Action, the adept may draw the weapon and attack in a single phase. If the weapon requires only a Simple Action to use, the adept can draw it and make 2 Attack Tests in a single Combat Phase. If the character wants to use the quick draw power for both firearms and melee weapons, he or she needs to buy the power twice.

Quick Strike

Cost: 0.25 per level

Physical adepts with the quick strike power seem to possess a supernatural ability to leap into action with startling suddenness. Each level of the power allows the adept to roll an additional die when making Reaction Tests for Surprise against an opponent. These dice do not apply to tests made by the adept to aviod being surprised or for any other type of Reaction Test or Initiative roll.

Rapid Healing

Cost: 0.25 per level

The adept recovers more quickly than normal from all forms of injury, Using magical energy to boost the healing process. Each level of the power adds 1 die to the adept’s Body Attribute for purposes of Healing Tests as well as Body Tests made to determine if the adept suffers a crippling injury from a Deadly wound. This also adds to Willpower rolls to recover from Stun damage. The rapid healing power does not increase resistance to injury, toxins, or pathogens, but does allow the adept to recover from their effects more quickly. The rapid healing power cannot counteract possible magic loss due to Deadly wounds, the effect of goblinization, or incurable diseases such as cancer or HMHVV.

Regeneration

Cost: 1 per level

This power allows the physical adept to regenerate physical damage very quickly. At the end of each turn, the adept rolls dice equal to the level of this power versus a target number base on his current level of damage. For each success he heals one box of damage. The target number for each damage level is as follows.

Damage Level	Target Number
Light	4
Moderate	6
Serious	8
Deadly	10

Rooting

Cost: 0.25 per level

The rooting power allows the adept, by spending a Simple Action and concentrating for a moment, to extend the force of his aura to “root” himself to the ground and become an immovable object. Each level of the power adds 1 die to all tests the adept makes to resist being knocked down, thrown, levitated, or otherwise moved against his will. The adept cannot move while using this power, but can otherwise act normally (including making attacks), modifying all target numbers by +2.

Sixth Sense

Cost: 2

The sixth sense power gives an adept a magical ability to sense immediate personal danger. When potential danger threatens, the gamemaster makes a secret Perception Test using the adept’s Intelligence against a target number based on how obviously the danger stands out: 4 for threats in the adept’s line of sight (such as someone about to pull a gun), 6 for threats beyond the line of sight (such as a concealed sniper or trap), and 10 for threats in astral space (such as a spirit or ritual sending). A successful test gives the adept a general feeling of danger, and he cannot be Surprised by the threat. The adept does not learn the nature of the threat, only how near or far away it lies and the relative level of danger. The adept can only sense dangers that threaten personal harm.

Smashing Blow

Cost: 0.75

The smashing blow power allows an adept to focus magical energy into a devastating strike designed to smash through barriers. The adept makes an Unarmed Combat Test against the Barrier Rating of the target. Add the successes to the adept’s Strength and compare the result to the unmodified Barrier Rating, determining the effect according to the Barrier Effect Table, p. 98, SRII. This power can be devastating when combined with the increased strength or strength boost powers.

Spell Shroud

Cost: 0.25 per level

Adept’s with the spell shroud power possess the ability to “cloak” their presence in astral space, making them difficult to detect by spells designed to do so. For every level of the power, the adept adds 1 die to Resistance Tests against detection spells only. If the spell cannot be resisted, increase the target number to detect the adept by 1 for every 2 levels of the spell shroud power. Note that this power does not affect Masking Tests and attempts to read the subject’s aura via astral perception or otherwise spot the character in astral space.

Suspended State

Cost: 0.75

The Suspended State ability works in a similar manner to the spell of Hibernate. It allows the Physical Adept to place himself into a meditative state that slows the bodies metabolism and therefore lowers it’s requirements for food, water, air, and bleeding rate. To determine the effectiveness of the injury modifiers. Consult the description of the Hibernate spell(p. 157,SRII) and use any Suspended State, roll a number of dice equal to the character’s Willpower, adding any meditative Special Skill dice available, against a target number of 4, applying any applicable successes generated as indicated.

Temperature Tolerance

Cost: 0.25 per level

The adept’s body is exceptionally resistant to extremes of heat and cold. For each level of the temperature tolerance power, the adept gains an additional die for resisting the effects of exposure to extreme temperatures. This power does not protect the adept from exposure to physically harming agents such as open flames, but will help the character resist the effects of sources of extreme heat such as burning coals, heatstroke, and sunburn, as well as frostbite and exposure to below-zero temperatures.

Toughness

Cost: 0.5 per level

When resisting Stun damage of any kind, the adept adds the toughness dice to her Body or Willpower rating. The adept cannot use more levels of Toughness then the rating of the attribute that he is using to resist.

Traceless Walk

Cost: 0.5

An adept with the traceless walk power possesses a very limited form of magical levitation that allows him to move soft brittle surfaces like snow, sand, or thin paper without leaving any visible traces of his passage. If the adept with this power makes a successful Stealth Test, he can walk across nightingale floors (designed to creak when walked on) without a sound and will not even trip ground-based motion/vibration sensors. The adept cannot walk across liquid surfaces (but can cross deep snow without sinking) and can still be tracked by means other than visual cues, such as scent.

Unarmed Mastery

Cost: 0.5 per level

This power is based on the Physical Adepts mastery of unarmed combat. Each level applies a -1 modifies to his target number in melee combat to a maximum of -2 below the base target number. He also cannot have more levels in Unarmed Mastery then half his skill in Unarmed Combat (round down).

Complete Physical Adepts’ Power List

• Astral Perception - Cost: 2
• Attribute Boost - Cost: .25 per level
• Blind Fighting - Cost: .5
• Blur - Cost: 1 + .25 per level
• Body Control - Cost: .25 per level
• Charismatic Aura - Cost: Special
• Combat Sense - Cost: .5 per level
• Counterstrike - Cost: .25 per level
• Deep Breathing - Cost: .25 per point
• Delay Damage - Cost: 2
• Disarm - Cost: .5 per level
• Distance Strike - Cost: 2 or 4
• Empathic Sense - Cost: .5
• Enhanced Aim - Cost: .5 per level, Max Level 2 per skill
• Enhanced Centering - Cost: 1 per Skill Category
• Enhanced Coordination - Cost: .25 per level
• Enhanced Initiative - Cost: Special
• Enhanced Movement - Cost: Special
• Extended Jump - Cost: .25 per level
• Flexibility - Cost: .25 per level
• Freefall - Cost: .25 per level
• Improved Ability - Cost: Special
• Improved Physical Attributes - Cost: .25, .5
• Improved Physical Senses - Cost: .25 per improvement
• Iron Will - Cost: .5 per level
• Killing Hands - Cost: .5, 1, 2, 4
• Magic Resistance - Cost: .5 per level
• Magic Sense - Cost: .5
• Mimicry - Cost: .5
• Missile Mastery - Cost: .75
• Missile Parry - Cost: .75 + .25 for Extended Protection
• Mist Form - Cost: 2
• Mystic Armor - Cost: .5 per point
• Nerve Strike - Cost: 1
• Pain Resistance - Cost: .25 per point
• Power Blow - Cost: .25 per level
• Quickdraw - Cost: .75
• Quick Strike - Cost: .25 per level
• Rapid Healing - Cost: .25 per level
• Regeneration - Cost: 1 per level
• Rooting - Cost: .25 per level
• Sixth Sense - Cost: 2
• Smashing Blow - Cost: .75
• Spell Shroud - Cost: .25 per level
• Suspended State - Cost: .75
• Temperature Tolerance - Cost: .25 per level
• Toughness - Cost: .5 per level
• Traceless Walk - Cost: .5
• Unarmed Mastery - Cost: .5 per level
• Enhanced Initiative Cost: Special
• Enhanced Movement Cost: Special
• Extended Jump Cost: .25 per level
• Flexibility Cost: .25 per level
• Freefall Cost: .25 per level
• Improved Ability Cost: Special
• Improved Physical Attributes Cost: .25, .5
• Improved Physical Senses Cost: .25 per improvement
• Iron Will Cost: .5 per level
• Killing Hands Cost: .5, 1, 2, 4
• Magic Resistance Cost: .5 per level
• Magic Sense Cost: .5
• Mimicry Cost: .5
• Missile Mastery Cost: .75
• Missile Parry Cost: .75 + .25 for Extended Protection
• Mist Form Cost: 2
• Mystic Armor Cost: .5 per point
• Nerve Strike Cost: 1
• Pain Resistance Cost: .25 per point
• Power Blow Cost: .25 per level
• Quickdraw Cost: .75
• Quick Strike Cost: .25 per level
• Rapid Healing Cost: .25 per level
• Regeneration Cost: 1 per level
• Rooting Cost: .25 per level
• Sixth Sense Cost: 2
• Smashing Blow Cost: .75
• Spell Shroud Cost: .25 per level
• Suspended State Cost: .75
• Temperature Tolerance Cost: .25 per level
• Toughness Cost: .5 per level
• Traceless Walk Cost: .5
• Unarmed Mastery Cost: .5 per level