| From: | Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | [SR 3] Unconscious Astral Forms |
| Date: | Sun, 17 Aug 1997 22:39:52 -0400 |
>One question comes to mind. Once you have successfully passed
>through an object, do you need to make another test to
>do it again? I am going to assume yes, but I hate assuming.
I would say yes as well.
>Second question. If a mage has successfully passed through an
>object and is now in the center, lets say hollow area. If the
>mage goes unconscious what then? Do you make a test to see
>if he returns to his body. I assume if he fails he dies,
>other wise he lives?
>
>Third question. Again assuming your inside the hollow object.
>Someone "shakes your body, or slaps it doing just a little
>damage, does the mage still notice it? Again I would assume
>yes.
This raises the whole "what happens when a person's astral form is knocked
unconscious" (reaches Deadly Stun damage). AFAIK, there is no current
"official" answer (at least not that I have seen). The general opinion seems
to be that the character "snaps back" to his physical body, which is
certainly a possibility. Another is the astral form simply drifts in astral
space, in which case the projector had better wake up in time to get back to
his body before his Essence runs out and he dies. And of course, if the
projector snaps back, what if there is a barrier between him and his body?
I tend to favor the idea of the astral form of an unconscious character
snapping back to the physical body automatically with no test required and no
penalty other than the character being unconscious until he would normally
have less than Deadly Stun damage. I realized some might consider this an
"escape hatch:" if you're astrally trapped, just knock yourself out and
you're home free; but I just don't buy the idea you can knock yourself out
just like that (with a spell or any other way), and any player who tried that
in my game would get knocked out all right; the PLAYER, not the character : )
As far as the projector noticing stimulus inflicted on his body, the only
fact we have is an astral projector automatically knows if his body is
killed. Other than that, I would say a projector should know if any injury
(any boxes of damage) are inflicted on his body and might be able to detect
something like a hard slap or the like with a simple Perception Tests.
Otherwise, no stimulus affecting the body is noticed by the astral form.
BTW, I don't buy the interpretation "any damage whatsoever to the physical
body kills it." The projector's physical body is just as resiliant as always,
it's merely helpless and easy to inflict a Deadly wound on if someone wants
to do so. But random or accidental damage in necessarily instantly fatal to
an astral projector's body.
What are everyone's thoughts on the "unconscious astral forms" question?
Steve K.
