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From:	Dave Woods <spuwdsda@*******.AC.UK>
Subject:	A question for a GM
Date:	Fri, 28 Jul 1995 13:08:27 +0100

Message no. 1 A question from a my GM

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 10:30:04 +0100 (BST)
From: Graham Pursey <G.J.Pursey@*******.ac.uk>
To: Dave Woods <spuwdsda@*******.ac.uk>
Subject: shadowrun

Can you do a posting to the shadowrun list.

Find out what rulings people have about casting spells in astral space.
If casting at another projected mage which types of spell can you cast
mana/physical or both.

Graham

-------------------------------------------------------
Lost .signature if found please return to Graham Pursey
e-mail G.J.Pursey@*******.ac.uk
2nd year PhD Image Analysis, Reading University, U.K.

From:	Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject:	Re: A question for a GM
Date:	Fri, 28 Jul 1995 23:54:04 +1000

Message no. 2 Dave Woods writes (For GM Graham):

> Find out what rulings people have about casting spells in astral space.
> If casting at another projected mage which types of spell can you cast
> mana/physical or both.

As far as the rules are concerned (see page 148 SRII), an astrally
projecting magician can cast any non-sustained spell on another astrally
projecting magician. (Astrally projecting magician's cannot sustain spells,
so obviously they can't cast sustained spells at another magician. As for if
an astrally perceiving magician could cast a sustained spell onto an
astrally projecting magician, well, that's something else and I dunno.)

If the spell is a physical spell, it will ground out through the astrally
projecting magician's aura, and affect his physical body. Because of
repercussion, it will also affect his astral form. If the target's physical
body is within LOS of the caster, and the physical spell cast is an area of
effect spell, then it will affect everything in it's area in the physical
world. If the target's body is not in LOS, and the spell is an area of
effect spell, it will only affect the target.

If the spell is a mana spell, it affects the spiritual side of the target,
ie his astral form. Due to repercussion it also affects his physical body.
But it does not ground out, so even if the target's body is within LOS of
the caster, it won't do anything to anyone inside it's normal area of effect
on the physical plane.

An area of effect spell would affect all valid astrallly present targets,
and if physical, then it may ground out as described above. Note that this
includes foci and such too, so things get nasty if you get hit by a physical
area of effect spell (mana spells can't damage foci).

I personally rule (and so do many others) that damaging manipulation spells,
because of their "dual" nature, cannot be cast from the astral plane at all.
But as far as I know, there is no FASA rule saying this.

There is also a school of thought that spells should not function as spells
on the astral plane at all. After all, the rules describe them like small
creatures on the astral, so to contemplate them having the same effects as
if cast from the physical plane does seem a little odd.

One thing I am curious about is when an astrally projecting magician is hit
by a physical spell, does he resist with his Body attribute, or his astral
Body attribute (equal to his Willpower)?

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a19 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+$ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+

From:	Mark Steedman <RSMS@******.EEE.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject:	Re: A question for a GM
Date:	Fri, 28 Jul 1995 15:24:20 GMT

Message no. 3 Damion Milliken writes

> Dave Woods writes (For GM Graham):
>
> > Find out what rulings people have about casting spells in astral space.
> > If casting at another projected mage which types of spell can you cast
> > mana/physical or both.
>
[trimming the bits fully answered]

> As for if
> an astrally perceiving magician could cast a sustained spell onto an
> astrally projecting magician, well, that's something else and I dunno.)
>
i am not aware of any rule preventing this one, though some of the
control magics might not work as the astral from is all mind and no
body.

>
> An area of effect spell would affect all valid astrallly present targets,
> and if physical, then it may ground out as described above. Note that this
> includes foci and such too, so things get nasty if you get hit by a physical
> area of effect spell (mana spells can't damage foci).
>
well trimmed but nicely explained. One note would be that stun spells
would not damage foci, even if physical. Also i tend to overlook that
one but. Yes power-stun spells are very nice if area affect, astral
attack, put them all to sleep and then move in on the physical to
collect interogation specimins.

> I personally rule (and so do many others) that damaging manipulation spells,
> because of their "dual" nature, cannot be cast from the astral plane at
all.
> But as far as I know, there is no FASA rule saying this.
>
Agreed. Best info from FASA is under workings of spells near the end
of the magic chapter SR2 which is where the info this is based on is.

> One thing I am curious about is when an astrally projecting magician is hit
> by a physical spell, does he resist with his Body attribute, or his astral
> Body attribute (equal to his Willpower)?
>
willpower, it his his body there. Your three 'physical' attributes
have no meaning in purely astral project combat, use astral
statistics. However an srtrally percepting magician in still using
physical attribute so would use body.

> --
> Damion Milliken
>
Mark

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