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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: S.R.Bailleul@*********.salford.ac.uk
Subject: Magejob [was: re Phiberspace]
Date: 17 May 96 20:51
From: mbroadwa@*******.glenayre.com (Mike Broadwater)

-No. I can believe that a magician can have other skills and do other
-things. I just don't think your going to find very many of them. I
-shouldn't rule out that their would be others, thats wrong of me, but I
-can't see a lot of magically active doing something like "hairstyling" or
-"special effects". Mages are hard enough for corps who can afford training
-and high salarys to get. Yes, there are going to be those who work in the
-public sector, but I think you'll find more of them working corp side doing
-combat or healing, or forensic pathology, or interogation, or any of the
-myriad of more useful things than casting illusions in a play, though,
-statistically, there would have to be some.

-Oh, and 1% of the population is magically active, not full mages. That
-means that a lot of them are probably adepts. I'm sure that as magic levels
-rise you'll find more, it's just my belief that you'll find more of them in
-the corporate/shadow structures where they can make more money and get
-training.

To combine this stream with another, what about mages not wanting to kill
others? Look at the Germany sourcebook, German edition. (right, okay, I know
most of you can`t get it, but it`s a shame what FASA made of it anyway.) Theres
a contact\archetype called Mage professor, NO COMBAT SPELLS AT ALL, but he`s
still bloody good. Consider what magic does to people, it`s bad enough if you
blow somebody`s brains out with a Desert Eagle, but when all that`s left after
your attack is a twisted heap of charcoal (don`t forget the smell of burning
flesh, I will never) remember that the mage will have to live with that memory.
As was stated somewhere in the rules, magical murder is always in the first
degree! Most people are lawabiding folks, most of us are, too. Would you
seriously consider blowing somebody`s brains out? Would you then think you
would be able to go up to somebody and burn him with a flamethrower? Why do you
expect every mage to be willing to do so? In my opinion, most mages are going
to be more creative than destructive. Sure, they will probably learn some
combat spells, but will they really want to use them when they have to face the
consequences? I`m not saying none will, but most will only kill with regret. I
bet most people here know how to use a gun, right? How many of us have shot
somebody, though. Pretty few I bet. People lust for power but confronted with
the consequences, many will back down when they see what they CAN do.


Sergej

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