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Message no. 1
From: Ereskanti@***.com Ereskanti@***.com
Subject: Astral Bloodhounds (Re: Astral Defences)
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 03:42:08 EDT
In a message dated 9/15/1999 2:01:36 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
m0ng005e@*********.com writes:

> Another good way to ensure astral security is just to have a site that
> isn't WORTH surveiling astrally. Sure, the mage can find out the layout,
> but if all the work is done in th matrix, and you have good physical
> security, who cares? He can't even ID your workers, because he's only seen
> them astrally!

Oh really? I know it isn't used very often, but there is a certain character
we have who has a Barghest for a pet (nope, not Padre', he's now retired and
busier than ever). The Barghest "Billie" also converses with the Cat Shaman
and Cat Shaman's ally. Kind of like good friends and a dog. Just a dog with
bigger than normal teeth that can tear the hell out of an astral object.

Anyway, using spells ("Communicate with Billie" in this case, no, its' not a
joke), why couldn't you confer the information to another person (mage or
astral security 'entity') type, and have it keep track of things.

Case in point. Have a watcher go with a group of characters, and since the
magicians has done an "Astral Scouting" of the place, he makes 'notes' of the
magical security types, and the watcher's job is to point them out to the
guy/gal he is sitting on the shoulder of. (Psst, hey guy, see that bozo over
there, yeah, the one with the big head and attitude, he's a mage...).

Also, though I'm not sure, and I could be remembering incorrectly, Wards to
NOT have to be broken down to be broken into. Also, I don't locate anything
about a Ward being attacked is automatically noticed by the individual(s) who
cast it.

-K
Message no. 2
From: Sebastian Wiers m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject: Astral Bloodhounds (Re: Astral Defences)
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 16:38:49 -0700
> > Another good way to ensure astral security is just to have a site
that
> > isn't WORTH surveiling astrally. Sure, the mage can find out the
layout,
> > but if all the work is done in th matrix, and you have good physical
> > security, who cares? He can't even ID your workers, because he's only
seen
> > them astrally!

> Anyway, using spells ("Communicate with Billie" in this case, no, its'
not a
> joke), why couldn't you confer the information to another person (mage or

> astral security 'entity') type, and have it keep track of things.

You might, though its a pretty special case. I had a character who used
"mindlink" on his spirits quite often; it made his watchers, in particular,
much more effective than normal. It never came up wheter he could convey
astral impresions this way (such as being able to later ID somebody the
watcher saw), but even if that did not work, the proper spell (mindprobe,
for example) would allow such info exchange (one way, in this case, but in
SR3 you can cast it on sombody else to let them do the probing...).

> Case in point. Have a watcher go with a group of characters, and since
the
> magicians has done an "Astral Scouting" of the place, he makes 'notes' of
the
> magical security types, and the watcher's job is to point them out to the

> guy/gal he is sitting on the shoulder of. (Psst, hey guy, see that bozo
over
> there, yeah, the one with the big head and attitude, he's a mage...).

Again, with propper preperation, that could work. I don't think a wathcer
could remebr all that info (those are some VERY complex instructions), but
given a propper channel of communications, it could be made to work. Then
again, the mage could themselves come along (astrally or using perception)
and give folks the same info. I more meant he can't ID somebody from a
picture that he's only seen astrally (or vice versa), much to my occasional
consternation.

> Also, though I'm not sure, and I could be remembering incorrectly, Wards
to
> NOT have to be broken down to be broken into. Also, I don't locate
anything
> about a Ward being attacked is automatically noticed by the individual(s)
who
> cast it.

They have to be reduced to zero force, but do not need to be permemantly
desroyed. You may be right about it never mentioning explicitely what a
mage knows about his wards status. I do think they can always allocate
spell defense to a ward (regardless of range), which would imply they know
when its being targeted with spells, at the least. I'll have to check up
in MiTS, which I unfortunatley left at the house we play at.

Mongoose

> -K

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