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Message no. 1
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: Combat mages (was Re: Magic)
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 00:32:34 -0400
>That's fun. Hey whatever floats your boat. When I GM, my PC mages
(no
>matter how power hungry) are pretty damn careful. Most cybered and
>physical adept types have increased initiative and if the mage has an
inc
>reflexes spell quickened or anchored on him all the time, someone
will
>eventually ground a spell through that shining astral beacon.
Otherwise,
>you know the old creedo, "Geek the mage first!"
>
>That's how it happens between my group of friends. We try to kill
the NPC
>mage and the GM (whether it be me or my friend) tries to take out PC
mages
>first.


Hey, that reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask you guys...

In one game, I'm running this combat mage (my first fully Awakened
character) who has a distinct style: she can destroy a lot of stuff in
a very short amount of time (and does it often). How fast? One of
her spells starts with the mock-incantation, "Darkness from twilight,
crimson from blood that flows; buried in the flow of time..."

And then combat's over, and she's usually unconscious. It was funny
the first three times, but...well, I need more options. But she
survives, which, in my mind, is always a good thing. Problem (or is
it a good thing?) is, she almost always moves last in combat, which
means everyone's last move is to duck for cover. However, she only
uses the spell as a defensive maneuver against everything that might
be moving after her (because she's really slow), and I wanted to try
something different because combat's beginning to wear thin.

If she casts Physical Barrier in an enclosed space, how much damage
would it do to someone who's suddenly found themselves in the path of
the equivalent of a brick wall? Can I use a Physical Barrier like,
say, a really big riot shield, and push my opponents around with it or
maybe bash them with it? If understand this correctly, elemental
manipulations don't go in or out of a physical barrier, am I correct?

And now for the big question...

No matter how many times I read the book, I still don't have a grasp
on the "sustained bonded foci" thing. Are these things like spell
locks (which I do understand), or do they "deactivate" after a while?
How long does the spell stay active? Say I use a sustained bonded
foci for Increase reflexes +3 on myself; does this mean I'm always
going to have this spell on me, or am I still sustaining this thing?
Or does the foci do the sustaining for me? Help, this thing is
confusing me...

-----
AK404

http://mindspring.com/~angelkiller404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that
cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just
comes in to work every day and has a job to do."
Message no. 2
From: Chris Maxfield cmaxfiel@****.org.au
Subject: Combat mages (was Re: Magic)
Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 20:12:18 +1000
At 00:32 6/08/99 -0400, Angelkiller 404 wrote:
>In one game, I'm running this combat mage (my first fully Awakened
>character) who has a distinct style: she can destroy a lot of stuff in
>a very short amount of time (and does it often). How fast? One of
>her spells starts with the mock-incantation, "Darkness from twilight,
>crimson from blood that flows; buried in the flow of time..."

In my game, combat is usually over by the time someone can chant all that
out. :-)

>And then combat's over, and she's usually unconscious. It was funny
>the first three times, but...well, I need more options. But she
>survives, which, in my mind, is always a good thing. Problem (or is
>it a good thing?) is, she almost always moves last in combat, which

Why last? Are you using SR3 initiative rules. If so, she goes on the first
pass like everybody (unsurprised) else.

>If she casts Physical Barrier in an enclosed space, how much damage
>would it do to someone who's suddenly found themselves in the path of
>the equivalent of a brick wall? Can I use a Physical Barrier like,

Use the Impact Damage table under Vehicle combat on page 147.

>say, a really big riot shield, and push my opponents around with it or
>maybe bash them with it? If understand this correctly, elemental

I don't think you can move a Barrier. I think it remains in exactly the
place you created it as long as it is sustained. Actually, the rules aren't
explicit on this but the spell description emphasizes it's just like a
physical wall and you can't move physical walls around.

>manipulations don't go in or out of a physical barrier, am I correct?

Says so in the spell description.

>And now for the big question...
>
>No matter how many times I read the book, I still don't have a grasp
>on the "sustained bonded foci" thing. Are these things like spell
>locks (which I do understand), or do they "deactivate" after a while?
>How long does the spell stay active? Say I use a sustained bonded
>foci for Increase reflexes +3 on myself; does this mean I'm always
>going to have this spell on me, or am I still sustaining this thing?
>Or does the foci do the sustaining for me? Help, this thing is
>confusing me...

A sustaining focus permanently sustains a spell for you as long as it is
not deactivated. The magician may deactivate it at will, anytime, but it
otherwise requires no participation from the magician.

You buy a sustaining focus for a particular category of spells (combat,
detection, etc.) and at a particular force rating. The sustaining focus's
force rating is the maximum force of a spell that can be bonded to it.
Karma is paid and the sustaining focus bonded to a particular spell at a
particular force (of no more than the sustaining focus's force).
Thereafter, it will only ever sustain that chosen spell unless it is
re-bonded again (with more karma spent).

To activate the sustaining focus, the spell is cast and handed to the focus
to look after at whatever effectiveness the casting achieved. Activating
the focus costs no karma.

The spell on the sustaining focus is always active until the focus is
deactivated. To reactivate it, the spell must be cast again and handed to
the focus at whatever effectiveness this new casting achieved. This does
not require re-bonding or more karma but is not often possible in the
middle of combat. :-)


Chris
Message no. 3
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: Combat mages (was Re: Magic)
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 22:08:54 -0400
>>In one game, I'm running this combat mage (my first fully Awakened
>>character) who has a distinct style: she can destroy a lot of stuff
in
>>a very short amount of time (and does it often). How fast? One of
>>her spells starts with the mock-incantation, "Darkness from
twilight,
>>crimson from blood that flows; buried in the flow of time..."
>
>In my game, combat is usually over by the time someone can chant all
that
>out. :-)


Ah, somebody gets the joke. Good.

>>And then combat's over, and she's usually unconscious. It was funny
>>the first three times, but...well, I need more options. But she
>>survives, which, in my mind, is always a good thing. Problem (or is
>>it a good thing?) is, she almost always moves last in combat, which
>
>Why last? Are you using SR3 initiative rules. If so, she goes on the
first
>pass like everybody (unsurprised) else.


She has an initiative of 4+1d6, which is why I need a Bonded
Sustaining Foci of Increased Reflexes in a bad way...

-----
AK404

http://mindspring.com/~angelkiller404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that
cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just
comes in to work every day and has a job to do."
Message no. 4
From: Chris Maxfield cmaxfiel@****.org.au
Subject: Combat mages (was Re: Magic)
Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1999 12:58:23 +1000
At 22:08 6/08/99 -0400, Angelkiller 404 wrote:
>She has an initiative of 4+1d6, which is why I need a Bonded
>Sustaining Foci of Increased Reflexes in a bad way...

She only needs a force 1 Sustaining Focus and 1 karma point to bond it. The
only real problem is the cost - 30K bought on the street. Is she saving her
pennies and, very important, does she know the spell? :-)



Chris

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