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Message no. 1
From: Stephen Delear <c715591@******.MISSOURI.EDU>
Subject: Cyber and Mage
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 16:48:05 -0500
Yep back to everyones least favorite subject. What cyber would a mage have.

Here's a list of ware that mages would find usefull (though one certainly
wouldn't have all of it). The rest of the post is about quickening and
spelllocks.

Cerebral Booster (maybe)
Pain Editor (only if they're crazy)
Trauma Damper (If you allow it to help with drain then not something any
mage should ever be without)
Synaptic Accelerator (much more mage friendly then boosted one)

Datajack 1
Encephalon (If you allow this to mitigate some of the penalties for
sustaning spells say one spell per level then no mage should be without at
least a level 1 version of this)

Cybereyes (optical image mags and flare comp with either low light or
thermo or maybe both if the mage wan't to spend the extra .2 essence)

Smartlink (a very usefull peice of tech but at .5 essence it takes a fair
amount of the one essence point most mages generally dedicate to such
perposes. If anything was ever to get alpha or beta'd it be this as well
as cybereyes above)

Comlinks and Crypto plus subdermals. Takes way to much essence for most
mages to bother however if the entire groups going to be using this junk
the mage probably needs some as well.

Dermal Sheath 1 (+2 to body for .7 or .8 with coloration adaptation, maybe
you'd have to beta it though if you wanted to stack it with a Trama dampener).

A combat mage would probably look something like this...

Ok the Trauma dampener is pretty much a must. Cybereyes would also be good
for most mages. (.6 essence). For a combat mage I'd say splurge and buy a
alpha smartlink 2 (.4 for a total of 1 essence point). Of course if you're
planing to quicken a personal bullet barrier you'd probably be better off
droping the smartlink for say an Encephalon or synaptic accelerator if you
don't want to use magic to boost reflexes.

When it comes to reflexes things get complex. Quickening or Spell Locking
an increase reflexes shouldn't be to hard. I think most GM's have house
rules to keep increased reflexes from being quickened (such as health
effects caused by putting the mages matabolic system in overdrive). Locked
increased reflexes 2 would however be common with wage mages who fear for
there safety (the magical equivelent of packing a gun). In all likelyhood
most runners are only going to be carrying one or two locks (the average
initiatory level or most runners hovering somewhere around 2) the first
would be increased reaction and the second lock would most likely be an
increased reflexes +3 lock.

Other things I can think of are quickening a force 1 +4 body a force 6
armor spell (with centering, magic pool,and karma pool all dumped into
getting more successes). Another combat mage idea would be to anchore a
treat spell onto a ring set to go off if the mage suffers a deadly wound.

So how much do magical augmentations show up in your games. They would
seem to be a viable competitor to cyber in some instances (force 1 increase
reflexes 3). I can't see a mage making heavy use of quickenings to try to
out sam a sam (at least with the GM letting him get away with it) but I can
see a mage with maybe increase reflexes 2 and a bullet barrier on locks and
maybe a force 1 +3 body quickened.

SteveD
Stephen Delear
University of Missouri-Columbia
Check out my Photo Message Board at http://www.missouri.edu/~c715591
"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click
the shutter" Ansel Adams
Message no. 2
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Cyber and Mage
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 18:51:00 EDT
In a message dated 4/25/98 4:48:27 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
c715591@******.MISSOURI.EDU writes:

> So how much do magical augmentations show up in your games. They would
> seem to be a viable competitor to cyber in some instances (force 1 increase
> reflexes 3). I can't see a mage making heavy use of quickenings to try to
> out sam a sam (at least with the GM letting him get away with it) but I can
> see a mage with maybe increase reflexes 2 and a bullet barrier on locks and
> maybe a force 1 +3 body quickened.
>
I have to admit, there is something rather funny occurring in the games here.
Once a long time ago, Binder made a +2 Increase Reflexes object for someone's
use. That person later moved on to something bigger and better, but instead
of throwing it away, kept it. Along came a new player, with fewer mods than
the others. He needed to "sped up" to keep in sync with the other players,
and the object got passed along. I think it's up to it's 5th or 6th PC now,
and it's been in the hands of an NPC at least once as well.

(chuckling)

Makes certain things kind of interesting. As to how much "magical
augmentation" happens in the games here as compared to Cybered stuff...not
really certain. I know when it comes to speed/reflexes, the magical is
prefered (for the essence cost, I don't blame anyone really). But for the
other stuff, like intel or body or whatever, the cyber seems to be the choice
(with perhaps an armor spell exception that's running loose currently).

-K
Message no. 3
From: Alexander Jenisch <night@********.CO.AT>
Subject: Re: Cyber and Mage
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 11:35:50 +0200
Ereskanti wrote:
> (chuckling)
>
> Makes certain things kind of interesting. As to how much "magical
> augmentation" happens in the games here as compared to Cybered stuff...not
> really certain. I know when it comes to speed/reflexes, the magical is
> prefered (for the essence cost, I don't blame anyone really). But for the
> other stuff, like intel or body or whatever, the cyber seems to be the choice
> (with perhaps an armor spell exception that's running loose currently).
>
> -K

I really wonder why a mage should be cybered up at all? In fact, I'd say
that cyber implantats shouldn't lead to a loss of magic only, but also
distract him by casting spells. An extreme effect would be a +1 modifyer
on every cast spell for each lost point of essence!

NT
-------------------------------------------------------

Everyone is a mage but has to find his own magic first!

-------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 4
From: Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Cyber and Mage
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 08:30:32 EDT
In a message dated 4/26/98 10:53:50 AM !!!First Boot!!!, night@********.CO.AT
writes:

> I really wonder why a mage should be cybered up at all? In fact, I'd say
> that cyber implantats shouldn't lead to a loss of magic only, but also
> distract him by casting spells. An extreme effect would be a +1 modifyer
> on every cast spell for each lost point of essence!
>

One advantage to being cybered up with certain pieces of cyber is that it
would lessen the load to be carried by the mage into the field, and allow that
extra free weight to be taken up by fetishes and things of the like.

Give a mage an internal BattleTac with IVIS and FDDM linked into them, and
then they could become a true magic drone, with the ability to sling a spell
and slam the frag out of people that are about to come around the corner as
one of his team members is in the same corridor as the opposition and sees the
opposition. Pity this has yet to be done with the group in the home game,
although there is now only one true spellslinger in the entire group. The
other two spellslingers are either not able to come to the game or is going
off to an SCA event, or is too tired because of work the night before.

Cyber also is not something one can ground through, as enchantments and active
spells are.

Cyberware would also allow for a mage to be better integrated into a team as
the mage is now going to get information that the norms normally only get and
can then rely on the information (as in the first example) to help the team
out immensely.

All I have to say is this, I am glad tech has become as important in the home
game right now. Cuts the power down in some ways, bringing it more into some
form of reality and out of the heavens. And above all else I am thankful for
the R2, this book was the catalyst for our home games. Which reminds me I am
probably going to go through one a year at the rate I am going currently with
the way the spine is going out.

Mike
Message no. 5
From: Alfredo B Alves <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Cyber and Mage
Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 03:45:53 -0500
On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 08:30:32 EDT Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM> writes:
>In a message dated 4/26/98 10:53:50 AM !!!First Boot!!!,
>night@********.CO.AT
>writes:
>> I really wonder why a mage should be cybered up at all? In fact, I'd
say
>> that cyber implantats shouldn't lead to a loss of magic only, but
also
>> distract him by casting spells. An extreme effect would be a +1
modifyer
>> on every cast spell for each lost point of essence!

>One advantage to being cybered up with certain pieces of cyber is that
it
>would lessen the load to be carried by the mage into the field, and
allow that
>extra free weight to be taken up by fetishes and things of the like.

Querry: does stuffing a fetish in a cyberlimb count as touching it for
spell casting purposes? (this just theoretical thought as [hopefully]
any mage would consider a cyberlimb too expensive essence-wise)

>Give a mage an internal BattleTac with IVIS and FDDM linked into them,
and
>then they could become a true magic drone, with the ability to sling a
spell
>and slam the frag out of people that are about to come around the corner
as
>one of his team members is in the same corridor as the opposition and
sees the
>opposition. Pity this has yet to be done with the group in the home
game,
>although there is now only one true spellslinger in the entire group.
The
>other two spellslingers are either not able to come to the game or is
going
>off to an SCA event, or is too tired because of work the night before.

I don't believe BattleTac with IVIS and FDDM count as LOS. although the
mage payed essence for all his gear, the signal has to be transmitted
which disrupts the LOS, so your idea wouldn't work, sorry. :) would be
kinda cool though ...

>Cyber also is not something one can ground through, as enchantments and
active
>spells are.
>
>Cyberware would also allow for a mage to be better integrated into a
team as
>the mage is now going to get information that the norms normally only
get and
>can then rely on the information (as in the first example) to help the
team
>out immensely.

hmmmm... an intiated mage with some cyber might mask his aura to appear
mundane and have any assensing opposition think he's a street sam or,
more likely, a merc and act accordingly then get taken off guard when the
"merc" slings a spell their way <grin> ... hmmmm... could an intiated
mage fudge his aura to appear as having cyber? (Note: IIRC, aura masking
has the same T# regardless of the degree of change ... this not good )

>All I have to say is this, I am glad tech has become as important in the
home
>game right now. Cuts the power down in some ways, bringing it more into
some
>form of reality and out of the heavens. And above all else I am
thankful for
>the R2, this book was the catalyst for our home games. Which reminds
>me I am probably going to go through one a year at the rate I am going
>currently with the way the spine is going out.
>
>Mike

Duct-tape the bindings :) I liked R2 as well but I don't think it
reached final production stage yet ... too many holes :/ I like the new
drones :)

D.Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum)
Player: "What's Dikote?"
GM: <insert explanation of Dikote>
Player: "Can I--"
GM: "NO!"
:)

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