Shadowrun: Hong Kong Update #18, $855,273 and Counting

The latest Kickstarter update for Shadowrun: Hong Kong reveals that the author of the e-novel that some of the backers will get as a reward is Mel Odom (who already worked on some Shadowrun tie-in books in the 90s), and includes a write-up on some of the additions to the magic system that are being implemented for the campaign.

Here’s a snippet:

Until recently, spells could only really work (one-way). They were either an attack, a buff, or a debuff. During our pre-production phase, we prototyped some new features for magic spells and cyberware that will create more interesting effects and outcomes. Spells can now have an affect on both the caster as well as the target.

For example, we had the (Slow) spell in previous games, which reduced the target’s AP. Now we can make a similar spell that also adds that AP to your character, acting much like the (Haste) buff. This also lets us create enemies like Blood Mages who can steal HP from their enemies to heal themselves.

With the limited number of spell slots a character can bring on a given run, more spells can now pull their weight by providing dual effects. This functionality allows us to make more unique character abilities for your crew as well.