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Message no. 1
From: Mark Steedman <RSMS@******.EEE.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 09:22:22 GMT
> From: Nilo Nolasco <nilo@*******.COM>

> On Fri, 21 Jul 1995, Merlin Montgomery wrote:
> > Just as an aside to this discussion, how does one describe the effects of a
> > mana bolt/ball? When you're in the heat of battle it's easy to describe
> > the death of a bad guy due to bullets - "He flies backwards, blood spurting
> > from..." etc. Physical spells similarly. But mana bolt - what happens? Guy
> > falls over? Guy's head explodes? Is there any noticeable effect at all?
>
> Visual affects, I would assume (well, in my campaign anyway) are the
> same as one would get when they take tremendous amounts of mental
> damage. It would be some form of severe mental trauma (if the caster
> manages to stage it up to Deadly or past it) like someone going through
> a stroke or a very nasty seizure because you DO hinder or damage neural
> pathways (and brain cells if you take the damage all the way to Physical)
> in some way.
Generally fine. These things can of course still casue bodies to
lurch e.t.c., (due to convulstions when the body dies due to an
attack). The top end effect tends to be blood out of the ears (for
poor souls taking straight D's of well past dead) but this could well
be to much dramatic license.

Remember that the actual spell itself could be very visible even if
it does little appartant samage to the target. The 'to spot magic'
formula is : (magic rating - force) * 2 : so typical magician casting
force 6 magic is about as suble as typical Sci-fi film laser effects
at target number 0 to spot.

> If they manage to roll the damage down to Serious or
> Moderate from a Manabolt, it would probably fell like a really nasty
> hangover or a monster migraine (hence, the +'s to TNs). Aren't they
> great?!
>
> Nilo
> >
>
Mark
Message no. 2
From: Merlin Montgomery <merlin.montgomery@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 20:41:22 +1200
>> From: Nilo Nolasco <nilo@*******.COM>
>
>> On Fri, 21 Jul 1995, Merlin Montgomery wrote:
>> > Just as an aside to this discussion, how does one describe the effects of a
>> > mana bolt/ball? When you're in the heat of battle it's easy to describe
>> > the death of a bad guy due to bullets - "He flies backwards, blood
spurting
>> > from..." etc. Physical spells similarly. But mana bolt - what happens?
Guy
>> > falls over? Guy's head explodes? Is there any noticeable effect at all?
>>
>> Visual affects, I would assume (well, in my campaign anyway) are the
>> same as one would get when they take tremendous amounts of mental
>> damage. It would be some form of severe mental trauma (if the caster
>> manages to stage it up to Deadly or past it) like someone going through
>> a stroke or a very nasty seizure because you DO hinder or damage neural
>> pathways (and brain cells if you take the damage all the way to Physical)
>> in some way.
>Generally fine. These things can of course still casue bodies to
>lurch e.t.c., (due to convulstions when the body dies due to an
>attack). The top end effect tends to be blood out of the ears (for
>poor souls taking straight D's of well past dead) but this could well
>be to much dramatic license.

I *like* dramatic licence: the more spectacular the action, the better
the players remember it!
>
>Remember that the actual spell itself could be very visible even if
>it does little appartant samage to the target. The 'to spot magic'
>formula is : (magic rating - force) * 2 : so typical magician casting
>force 6 magic is about as suble as typical Sci-fi film laser effects
>at target number 0 to spot.
>Mark

Doesn't that only apply to Physical spells? I thought that mana spells
travelled the distance to the target in astral space, and so were only
visible as a "shimmerimg" as they were cast. So you'd get Mr. Magic
casting his spell, then what looks like heat ripples between unfortunate
target and Mr. Magic, and then unfortunate target staggers, bleeds, and
(maybe) falls.

Mana bolts tend to be deadly to your average grunt anyway, what
with them tending to have lowish willpower and no magic, and so the
casting magician can use nearly all his dice for the attack. One spell, one
action, one kill - powerful stuff.
Later.
Merlin.




merlin.montgomery@********.otago.ac.nz

**** STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE ****
**** ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING ****
**** TAKE IT TO THE EDGE ****
**** AIN'T NEVER GONNA DIE FOR WANT OF SHOOTING BACK ****
Message no. 3
From: Mark Steedman <RSMS@******.EEE.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 10:06:04 GMT
> From: Merlin Montgomery <merlin.montgomery@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
> >
> >Remember that the actual spell itself could be very visible even if
> >it does little appartant samage to the target. The 'to spot magic'
> >formula is : (magic rating - force) * 2 : so typical magician casting
> >force 6 magic is about as suble as typical Sci-fi film laser effects
> >at target number 0 to spot.
> >Mark
>
> Doesn't that only apply to Physical spells?
i think it applies to anything except damaging manips that
automaticall are vissible as for example a jet of fire from caster to
target.

> I thought that mana spells
> travelled the distance to the target in astral space, and so were only
> visible as a "shimmerimg" as they were cast. So you'd get Mr. Magic
> casting his spell, then what looks like heat ripples between unfortunate
> target and Mr. Magic, and then unfortunate target staggers, bleeds, and
> (maybe) falls.
>
it could be just ripples, difficult to say. FASA leave this
(intentionally) undefined. The target number is to see something,
what that something is though will vary.

> Mana bolts tend to be deadly to your average grunt anyway, what
> with them tending to have lowish willpower and no magic, and so the
> casting magician can use nearly all his dice for the attack. One spell, one
> action, one kill - powerful stuff.
yes, i once had a character drop someone dead with a force 1
manabolt, ok it had 6 magic pool behind it but!

> Later.
> Merlin.
Mark
Message no. 4
From: "J.D. Falk" <jdfalk@************.ORG>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood (fwd)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 17:15:35 -0400
The following messge was sent to owner-shadowrn, instead of to
shadowrn. I've heard that this type of error is common with Microsoft
Mail, since it was never intended for reading or sending Internet or
BITNET-style EMail -- so, please be careful.

] From: "Mattson, Michael" <E2X@*****.WA.GOV>
] To: owner-shadowrn <owner-shadowrn@*****.NIC.SURFNET.NL>
] Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood
] Date: Fri, 21 Jul 95 08:39:00 PDT
] X-Mailer: Microsoft Mail V3.0


Mark stated:

M>yes, i once had a character drop someone dead with a force 1
>manabolt, ok it had 6 magic pool behind it but!

Didn't they change the rules in second edition to not allow more magic pool
dice than the force of the spell? In other words: A wiz-boy could only add
4 mana pool dice to a force 4 spell. I'm not the authority on Magic in SR2,
but that's the way we have been playing it.

Michael Mattson
Message no. 5
From: "S.F. Eley" <gt6877c@*****.GATECH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 15:21:41 -0400
Merlin asks:

> Doesn't that only apply to Physical spells? I thought that mana spells
> travelled the distance to the target in astral space, and so were only
> visible as a "shimmerimg" as they were cast.

Yeah, they say that, and then they fill the sourcebooks with line drawings
of mages tossing glowing bolts of fire all over the place..

I attribute it to dramatic interpretation of just what "shimmering" really
means. Sure, it shimmers.. It may shimmer a bright fiery blue with
shimmery sparks of lightning all around, but it's still a _shimmer_, right?
>8->


I tend to have a lot of fun describing magic stuff. Last weekend my
group's had a meet in the Alabaster Maiden (Seattle's downtown mage bar)..
He ordered a screwdriver, and was a bit surprised when he got the drink and
saw it rotating in the glass. He was even more surprised when it kept
swirling, down his throat and into his stomach..

It's a fun sort of place. >8->


Blessings,

_TNX._

--
Stephen F. Eley (-) gt6877c@*****.gatech.edu )-( Student Pagan Community
http://wc62.residence.gatech.edu| "Suppose Euphoria is a state with
My opinions are my opinions. | 'n' cities..."
Please don't blame anyone else. | - Proof in CS 3158
Message no. 6
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Bolts and Blood (fwd)
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 1995 11:02:12 +0200
>Didn't they change the rules in second edition to not allow more magic pool
>dice than the force of the spell? In other words: A wiz-boy could only add
>4 mana pool dice to a force 4 spell. I'm not the authority on Magic in SR2,
>but that's the way we have been playing it.

The limit for assigning Magic Pool dice is your Magic rating. If you're a
Grade 4 Initiate with a rating 6 power focus, you _can_ roll 17 dice for
casting a Force 1 spell.


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Further Reading

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