| From: | Stephen Guilliot s.guilliot@**********.edu |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Turn to goo spell effects. |
| Date: | Sat, 17 Jun 2000 22:19:59 -0500 |
>> I'd disagree- a door is very much a seperate physcial componant. The
>> rules even aknoledge this- it has its own barrier rating seperate form
the
>> buildings walls or whatever. The same is not true of somebodies nose, or
>>of vehicualr componants.
>
>Actually, this is where you are also wrong. Bullet Proof Glass has it's
own
>barrier ratings in the books as well. Used to be an "8" IIRC.
He's not really wrong. A vehicle's bullet-proof glass only has a seperate
rating when you are firing through it at you true target, the object inside
the vehicle. If the vehicle is the target, as is the context of his comment,
then "Vehicles are single entities. A vehicle's wheels, windshield, antenna
and other accessories are interrelated components. Therefore, magicians
cannot use magic to target individual portions of a vehicle." (SR3 p.150)
>From: dbuehrer@******.carl.org
>The rules state that non-manipulation spells cannot target specific
>locations on vehicles. I would extend that rule to buildings and other man
>made structures. If you want to be able to bust through doors with a
>spell, take a telekinetic manipulation spell, or an acid elemental
>manipulation spell.
Non-elemental manipulation spells cannot target specific locations, so a
telekinetic manipulation wouldn't work unless you say the door is a seperate
object. The acid manipulation would work only because it is treated just
like any other ranged attack. However, (at any reasonable force) it would be
able to melt only weak barriers, and you're still left with a puddle of
caustic acid to wade through as you enter the empty doorway.
From: "Gurth" <gurth@******.nl>
>what's the area of effect of a single-target spell?
I would say an item is an item and a house could be targeted, regardless.
However, this is a moot point. Either a door can be targetted as an object
or you have to target the whole building. In the former case, no problem. In
the latter, since there are no "Buildings and Magic" rules anywhere, the
"Vehicles and Magic" rules make the most sense when dealing with magic and
LARGE targets. There, SR3 states that spells cast against LARGE objects
"have a target number based on their Object Resistance (8, 10+) plus their
body rating plus half their armor rating (rounded down)." Now, exactly what
is the body rating of a building, keeping in mind that a 308kg troll can
have a body of 11........?
This all works out quite nicely. The mage can t_r_y to affect a building but
has a snowballs chance of succeeding. His magic (i.e. force X) just isn't
powerfull enough to have such a cataclysmic effect (i.e. goo hundreds to
millions of tons of building). So, if it where my game in question, I would
give the mage a choice at the time of casting: 1. cast the spell against the
door or 2. the whole building. In other words, let the mage choose his own
folly. With this ruling, I wouldn't have to worry about any character gooing
Mt.Ranier or the Renraku Arcology, but he still has a nice spell to do what
it was intended to do: goo doors. Imagine that.
