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Message no. 1
From: Matti Aistrich <aistrich@********.hkkk.fi>
Subject: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 13:38:53 +0300 (EET DST)
On Sun, 28 Apr 1996, A Halliwell wrote:

> In addition, in games I've played in and run, you see the astral image of
> the mage..... (Chosen by the player (or GM for NPCs) on creation...)
>
> For example, one of my characters, Inferno, looks like a burning man on the
> Astral plane.
>
> This also reflects the short piece of fiction in ShR II, when explaining the
> astral plane.
>
> (The one with the mage and his apprentice. The mage is an old man
> physically, but astrally he looks strong, powerfull, muscular, etc....)
>
I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.

What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?

---------------------------------------------
: Perfect is : Matti M. Aistrich :
: only just : :
: good enough! : aistrich@********.hkkk.fi :
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Message no. 2
From: "Mark Steedman" <M.J.Steedman@***.rgu.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 13:38:18 GMT
Matti Aistrich writes

> On Sun, 28 Apr 1996, A Halliwell wrote:
>
> > (The one with the mage and his apprentice. The mage is an old man
> > physically, but astrally he looks strong, powerfull, muscular, etc....)
> >
> I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
> representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
> extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.
>
> What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
> almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?
>
Well FASA leave it very open.

[this assumes no masking]

I tend to say your face and race must be recognisable as you, people
can be identified by aura, as can true race. A magicians image is
stylised, eg you would be without scars, wrinkly skin, spots etc,
assuming thats what you want. The base from seems to be naked though
you can from cloathes, lookalike weapons etc (obviously not
foci/don't affect game mechanics [ie no reach munchkins!] but
it looks good) as you see fit. I would say if you want to look like a
cross between yourself, say Arnie and have on medieval plate fine,
just your face will be recognisable, as will race, size won't change
and no helmets covering your face.

[with masking]

I let folks masking match aura appearance to physical form. This
won't affect projection though a projected initiate masking mundane
and a ghost (see SR2 critters) of the same racial type will be
difficult to tell apart unless you know one of them. Ie two projected
human mundanes, someone claimed ones a ghost, is it Johnson or Smith
ummmmm.

You cannot as far as i know change the size or shape of your true
aura, i finally had a player realise the easiest way to stop a
capyured mage going walkabout astrally was to cut some vines and wrap
them around him. [ok limited duration till they die off but good
enough]

Mark
Message no. 3
From: Roger Ramirez <chariot@*******.net>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 11:17:56 -0400 (EDT)
At 01:38 PM 5/3/96 +0300, you wrote:
>On Sun, 28 Apr 1996, A Halliwell wrote:
>
>> In addition, in games I've played in and run, you see the astral image of
>> the mage..... (Chosen by the player (or GM for NPCs) on creation...)
>>
>> For example, one of my characters, Inferno, looks like a burning man on the
>> Astral plane.
>>
>> This also reflects the short piece of fiction in ShR II, when explaining the
>> astral plane.
>>
>> (The one with the mage and his apprentice. The mage is an old man
>> physically, but astrally he looks strong, powerfull, muscular, etc....)
>>
>I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
>representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
>extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.
>
>What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
>almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?
>
In my game I play that they can. The mage in my campaign makes him self
look like an Emerald Knight. Somewhere in one of the book I believe it says
that you can look like what ever you want when you are in the Astral. The
only thing is that any other mage that looks at you (only if you are not
masking) will still be able to tell how strong you are and all those other
things.

Chariot
---
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Please visit BearCat Company's ever-expanding (or simply under construction)
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Message no. 4
From: MENARD Steve <menars@***.UMontreal.CA>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 12:06:36 -0400 (EDT)
On Fri, 3 May 1996, Matti Aistrich wrote:

> On Sun, 28 Apr 1996, A Halliwell wrote:
>
> > In addition, in games I've played in and run, you see the astral image of
> > the mage..... (Chosen by the player (or GM for NPCs) on creation...)
> >
> > For example, one of my characters, Inferno, looks like a burning man on the
> > Astral plane.
> >
> > This also reflects the short piece of fiction in ShR II, when explaining the
> > astral plane.
> >
> > (The one with the mage and his apprentice. The mage is an old man
> > physically, but astrally he looks strong, powerfull, muscular, etc....)
> >
> I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
> representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
> extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.
>
> What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
> almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?
>
I always took it that the mage has 1, self-idealized image. THat
means, the mage cannot just look like anything, but like what he sees
himself. That image can change, but only as fast as the way a person
looks at him/herself. Takes a lot of time of big bad/good things to happen.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- |\_/| Still The One and Only Wolfbane! ---
--- |o o| " Hey! Why ya lookin' at me so weird? Ain't ya 'ver seen a ---
--- \ / decker witha horn ?" --- Scy, Troll decker with a CC ---
--- 0 Steve Menard menars@***.UMontreal.Ca ---
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Message no. 5
From: "Sascha Pabst" <Sascha.Pabst@**********.Uni-Oldenburg.DE>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 19:05:08 +0200
At 10:38 Uhr 3.5.1996, Matti Aistrich wrote:
>On Sun, 28 Apr 1996, A Halliwell wrote:
>> In addition, in games I've played in and run, you see the astral image of
>> the mage..... (Chosen by the player (or GM for NPCs) on creation...)
>> This also reflects the short piece of fiction in ShR II, when explaining the
>> astral plane.

>I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
>representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
>extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.
>
>What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
>almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?

I agree with you, Matti. SRII, p.146 "The magician's astral form appears as an
idealized self-image." Ok, this DOES leave the magician to define his/her
"self-image", but I doubt a character could declare "May shaman/mage does
see
him/herself as a red dragon" and get through with this.

We define some of our appearance in astral space in our game, but the actual
"picture" is up to the GM and greatly influenced by mood, health, ...

Sascha

--
+---___---------+----------------------------------------+--------------------+
| / / _______ | Jhary-a-Conel aka Sascha Pabst |The one who does not|
| / /_/ ____/ |Sascha.Pabst@**********.Uni-Oldenburg.de| learn from history |
| \___ __/ | | is bound to live |
|==== \_/ ======| *Wearing hats is just a way of life* | through it again. |
|LOGOUT FASCISM!| - Me | |
+------------- http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~jhary -----------------+
Message no. 6
From: "A Halliwell" <u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 22:18:55 +0100 (BST)
| I always took it that the mage has 1, self-idealized image. THat
|means, the mage cannot just look like anything, but like what he sees
|himself. That image can change, but only as fast as the way a person
|looks at him/herself. Takes a lot of time of big bad/good things to happen.

Yeh, that's why Inferno looked the way he did.
He has a thing about Fire Spells and Elementals and is a bit of a
pyromaniac.
--
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|Comp Sci & Visual Arts |public, and the many members of parlaiment who have |
|-----------------------|so kindly rung in to complain,we would like to admit|
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Message no. 7
From: "Gurth" <gurth@******.nl>
Subject: Re: Astral images
Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 11:57:19 +0100
Matti Aistrich said on 13:38/ 3 May 96...

> > (The one with the mage and his apprentice. The mage is an old man
> > physically, but astrally he looks strong, powerfull, muscular, etc....)
> >
> I remember that fiction part, but I always thought it was a
> representation of his magical power, not an image chosen by him to the
> extent that one would create a burning man or something of that kind.
>
> What is other people's take on this? Can a mage form his astral image to
> almost the same degree as a decker can form his presentation in the Matrix?

The way I always understood it was that you look like what you really want
to be, on the astral plane. The old mage from the example feels, deep
down inside, like a big, strong, bodybuilder-type, so that's what he
appears to be when astrally projecting.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
It's superficial progress, they call it liberation.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Character Mortuary: http://huizen.dds.nl/~mortuary/mortuary.html <-

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