Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: uh-ummmm....
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 22:52:43 -0400 (EDT)
Just a hypothetical question related to a discussion item from awhile
back, naming casting spells through spirits, watchers, focii, etc.

In SR II, they talk about how mages can cast through focii, similarly they
explain how spell locks work in this matter. Now the rub comes in when
you have a mage who (hypothetically) creates spell locks shaped like
, say, arrows. Then goes out with his/her bow and shoots a couple
adversaries with said spell lock/arrows. Said mage then immediately
grounds out a highly volatile physical spell through the spell lock/arrow.
The spell lock is consumed in the casting and blasts the adversaries as
a group.

This sounds a great deal like magic missile weapons. Of course, it would be
a tremendous pain to spell lock a belt of ammunition, but, according to
the rules, this could work.

Could someone please disabuse me of this notion so that these techniques
don't start to show up among the foes I have to face? Please!?!

peace
Dave
Message no. 2
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Re: uh-ummmm....
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 15:07:55 -0300
>In SR II, they talk about how mages can cast through focii, similarly they
>explain how spell locks work in this matter. Now the rub comes in when
>you have a mage who (hypothetically) creates spell locks shaped like
>, say, arrows. Then goes out with his/her bow and shoots a couple
>adversaries with said spell lock/arrows. Said mage then immediately
>grounds out a highly volatile physical spell through the spell lock/arrow.
>The spell lock is consumed in the casting and blasts the adversaries as
>a group.

The mage could just cast a spell at them, and not use the arrow in the
first place. That way is just a waste of a spell lock (unless you go pry it
out of the tortured bodies of your victims) and the karma to bond it. You
could have a second mage in astral space, and he/she/it could do the
grounding thing, but this is not the most efficient way to kill people. If
your foes start using it, 1)they do the same amount of damage that they
could have done by easier ways, and 2) you get to harvest spell locks (at
45 knY a pop) if you survive.

>This sounds a great deal like magic missile weapons. Of course, it would be
>a tremendous pain to spell lock a belt of ammunition, but, according to
>the rules, this could work.

The reason enchanted missiles don't work is that they leave contact with
the mage, right? So enchant the gun or bow.

PLAYTHING OF A CRUEL GOD
JAIMIE NICHOLSON
Message no. 3
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: Re: uh-ummmm....
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:53:28 -0400 (EDT)
I see the LOS therefore just cast tthe spell at them thing. I tend to
overlook the obvious sometimes :)

However, the spell lock/arrow would be destroyed by the spell coming through
it. (p. 138 SR II) Unless it was made out of something really tough.

You assuaged my concern regarding grounding through a missile focus. However,
it would still be useful to spell lock something like Control Thoughts
onto a projectile, have the target go berserk on everything around her,
and then ground out a spell through the target to destroy the link back
to the caster.

The whole thing still works well if you have an astral projecting mage
and, say, a samurai or physad. The sam/physad plants the lock and the
astral mage blasts the tar out of the target area.

Again, this causes problems to shadowrunners. EG -- Corp buys spell-locked
bullets for their guys to use, the mundane guards cap the runners with them,
an astral mage comes along and blasts them.

This also leads to some other, rather more complex and esoteric, really
nasty potentialities.

And, of course, I do believe in tearing your unused magic missiles from
the tortured bodies of your foes .... <booming evil laugh>

just kidding, really!

peace
Dave
Message no. 4
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Re: uh-ummmm....
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 16:25:51 -0300
>However, the spell lock/arrow would be destroyed by the spell coming through
>it. (p. 138 SR II) Unless it was made out of something really tough.

Nope, foci are not destroyed by grounding. I had reason to check this last
wednesday, so I am pretty sure, but I can't quote page numbers.

>This also leads to some other, rather more complex and esoteric, really
>nasty potentialities.

Yep.

Jeffry said:

>the item would not do mystically enhanced damage (as per the
>extra dice you get to roll with a weapon focus)

What about the accuracy of the shot? That would be highly modified by the
bow/gun. The magic doesn't affect damage, it only affects skill of use.
"Mystically enhanced damage" would raise the power of the attack.

>nor would it allow the
>damage to be extended to creatures with protection from normal weapons,
>(because it is still a mundane projectile hitting them)

I agree with that point, probably from my D&D days, when a magic arrow was
needed to hit were wolves, not a magic bow.

PLAYTHING OF A CRUEL GOD
JAIMIE NICHOLSON
Message no. 5
From: "Ferri Pagano" <Ferri_Pagano_at_STRM__Amsterdam1@******.com>
Subject: Re[2]: uh-ummmm....
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 96 12:37:33 EST
I see the LOS therefore just cast tthe spell at them thing. I tend to
overlook the obvious sometimes :)

However, the spell lock/arrow would be destroyed by the spell coming through
it. (p. 138 SR II) Unless it was made out of something really tough.

You assuaged my concern regarding grounding through a missile focus. However,
it would still be useful to spell lock something like Control Thoughts
onto a projectile, have the target go berserk on everything around her,
and then ground out a spell through the target to destroy the link back
to the caster.

The whole thing still works well if you have an astral projecting mage
and, say, a samurai or physad. The sam/physad plants the lock and the
astral mage blasts the tar out of the target area.

Again, this causes problems to shadowrunners. EG -- Corp buys spell-locked
bullets for their guys to use, the mundane guards cap the runners with them,
an astral mage comes along and blasts them.

This also leads to some other, rather more complex and esoteric, really
nasty potentialities.

And, of course, I do believe in tearing your unused magic missiles from
the tortured bodies of your foes .... <booming evil laugh>

just kidding, really!

peace
Dave
------------------------------------------
Spell-locked bullets for a corp??
Sure... 40.000 nY per EACH ... BULLET?????????
Corps DO work on a budget, you know... I imagine an overeager guard
with an SMG already.... <BWAARRRGGHHH... FULLL AAAUUTTOOO!!!!.>

I also imagine shadowrunners with nets to catch all those locks... :)
I hope I can convince my GM to use those guards....We'll just blast
the mage and start collecting...... :) <Verrrry happy shadowrunner!!>


F.
Message no. 6
From: NIGHTFOX <djwa@******.UCC.NAU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Re[2]: uh-ummmm....
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 09:21:24 -0700 (MST)
On Mon, 29 Jul 1996, Ferri Pagano wrote:
> The whole thing still works well if you have an astral projecting mage
> and, say, a samurai or physad. The sam/physad plants the lock and the
> astral mage blasts the tar out of the target area.

Its works beautifully except for one small problem. The Phys Ad or Sam
could not plant the lock - they can pick up a deactivated one and put it in
the persons pocket jst fine - but they can't turn it on - only a Magician
can do that.

Nightfox

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about uh-ummmm...., you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!