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Message no. 1
From: Stuart Marsh <sam10@***.AC.UK>
Subject: Full astral projection
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 12:42:40 +0000
I think that at high initiate levels you can fully project <take your body with
you> so you could remanifest fully somewhere else. I think this is wah happens
at the end of harlequin.

Does anyonehave any comments on spending karma lot become magicians
After all by shamanic theory we all have the power, the totem that we follow
even though we don't know it

As for learning skills by study it would take ages, I mean look how long a
degree is and I's say in effective terms you'd end up with a skill of maybe 5
or 6 if you where a top grade student.

Cinder
Message no. 2
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Full astral projection
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 23:52:50 +1000
Stuart Marsh writes:

> I think that at high initiate levels you can fully project <take your body
> with you so you could remanifest fully somewhere else>. I think this is wah
> happens at the end of harlequin.

I'd have actually called it a spell effect, but anyhow. Either way, it'd be
something no player should ever be able to do. Just think of how high a
level initiate H must have been. And it'd most certainly cost the user more
than just drain to cast in my view (like it'd be expensive in a big karma,
magic or some other way). Not something you'd want to do very often. Not
something you'd get unless you lived long enough to get into high double
figure initiate levels. The idea of teleporting should be kept well away
from SR if you ask me. Sure, things like H's and Ehran's trick can be used
to enhance storylines, but forget the idea of ever explaining just how or
why, it isn't neccessary. If you assign it stats, then players will get it
and abuse it.

> Does anyonehave any comments on spending karma lot become magicians After
> all by shamanic theory we all have the power, the totem that we follow even
> though we don't know it

Again I'd say no. It isn't fair on those who had to allocate it at character
creation time. If you haven't got the power, you haven't got it. You need
the right gene structure to tap into the astral plane. Even if everyone has
a totem that they just don't know about, then only those who have the correct
genes can actually access the astral and contact their totem. But I wouldn't
take the totem bit too seriously, there have been a couple of indications in
the SR literature that totems are only a figment of the shamans imagination,
a crutch or crux for him to base his magic around. OTOH, if you have really
good role-players in your group, then a character gaining magical abilities
during the game can be a great role-playing experience.

> As for learning skills by study it would take ages, I mean look how long a
> degree is and I's say in effective terms you'd end up with a skill of
> maybe 5 or 6 if you where a top grade student.

This I do agree with, though as Jani said, the SR knowledge skills should be
expanded somewhat, they cover too much ground. But, what SR character gets
knowledge skills anyhow? :-)

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

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a18 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+
Message no. 3
From: Paul Jonathan Adam <Paul@********.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject: Re: Full astral projection
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 00:52:43 GMT
> > Does anyonehave any comments on spending karma lot become magicians After
> > all by shamanic theory we all have the power, the totem that we follow even
> > though we don't know it

> ...But I wouldn't
> take the totem bit too seriously, there have been a couple of indications in
> the SR literature that totems are only a figment of the shamans imagination,
> a crutch or crux for him to base his magic around. OTOH, if you have really
> good role-players in your group, then a character gaining magical abilities
> during the game can be a great role-playing experience....

We've had characters become shapeshifters and in one case a dragon, but not
magicians... :-)

My character Lynch is Wolf totem. He's a longtime mercenary, cybered to the
max. On a scale of 0 to 10 for magical ability, he's a negative number. But
he's part Native American and his totem is very important to him: he follows
Wolf, visits him in smokelodges and vision quests, et cetera.

Does it get him any advantages? Not even slightly, as far as the game is
concerned.

Does it make the game more interesting? You betcha.

> ...though as Jani said, the SR knowledge skills should be
> expanded somewhat, they cover too much ground. But, what SR character gets >
knowledge skills anyhow? :-) ...

I could say "non-active Skillsofts, so no rating limit" here, but I probably
won't. ;-)

--
When you have shot and killed a man, you have defined your attitude towards
him. You have offered a definite answer to a definite problem. For better or
for worse, you have acted decisively.
In fact, the next move is up to him.

Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Full astral projection
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 12:21:00 +0100
>I'd have actually called it a spell effect, but anyhow. Either way, it'd be
>something no player should ever be able to do. Just think of how high a
>level initiate H must have been.

Harlequin is a Light Bearer (from Earthdawn). At rank 15 of the Light Bearer
talent you can do "Astral Shift," which "allows the lightbearer's entire
being -- physical, mental, and spiritual -- to enter the astral plane and
reemerge into the physical world at a new location." (From the Earthdawn
Companion, page 113). It costs 3 points of Strain, which is not very much in
ED, though it might be more difficult if the magic level isn't as high as it
is in ED yet.


Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
"... Produced in the States by FASA, known for their toughness, attention
to detail and sheer completeness (or, of course, their ability to thrash a
topic to death, depending on your point of view . . . ) ..." --John
Treadaway, 1989
Geek Code v2.1: GS/AT/! -d+ H s:- !g p?(3) !au a>? w+(+++) v*(---) C+(++) U
P? !L !3 E? N++ K- W+ -po+(po) Y+ t(+) 5 !j R+(++)>+++$ tv+(++) b+@ D+(++)
B? e+ u+@ h! f--(?) !r(--)(*) n---->!n y?

Further Reading

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