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Message no. 1
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 07:10:01 2001
<snipt!(TM)>
> And for most of these, the Force does not usually
need to be all that high, IMO. Force 1 Levitate is
enough to get you over a fence; just don't try to use
that same spell against your opponents.
<snipt!(TM)>
> Gurth@******.nl -

PLEASE tell me that's not all you use this particular
spell for, Gurth. You realise that at force 6 and with
magic rating 6, and considering city traffic, you can
probably get around Seattle faster by levitating than
by DRIVING, don't you? (And with a few initiate
grades...well, that same mage, initiated up to grade
4, can levitate at up to 72km/h.)

And you know what? That troll you can't take down with
a force 6 power bolt? Try levitating him a couple of
hundred metres into the air - then dropping him. That
should do the trick.

In a ganger game I'm playing in, my shaman took out a
toxic spirit that had been giving the gang - and a
compound-full of mafia goons we were helping out - a
hellishly terrible time. How? She levitated it through
an exploding truck. Now, of course, we'd been whacking
it for a while - I think she'd pumped three force 4
power bolts into it - but that little trick (which
I'll admit was only half intentional :) ) certainly
cleaned its clock.

So, Gurth, PLEASE tell me you don't use levitate just
for getting over fences.

In fact, let me make this a general plea. PLEASE,
everyone, tell me that you try to be inventive when
you use spells. Actually, let's make it fun.

Guys, you've read my interesting little tale of
levitation - now how have you used magical spells in
inventive ways? It doesn't have to have saved the day,
or anything, but if you've used a spell in a way
different to how its normally used and you got an
interesting story out of it, then tell us. :)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 2
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Chris Maxfield)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 08:55:01 2001
Howdy people. I've been away for several months. How are you all?

Records show that at 04:09 on Tuesday 13/03/01, Rand Ratinac scribbled:
>And you know what? That troll you can't take down with
>a force 6 power bolt? Try levitating him a couple of
>hundred metres into the air - then dropping him. That
>should do the trick.

Or into the ceiling, and again, and again, and....

>In fact, let me make this a general plea. PLEASE,
>everyone, tell me that you try to be inventive when
>you use spells. Actually, let's make it fun.
>
>Guys, you've read my interesting little tale of
>levitation - now how have you used magical spells in
>inventive ways? It doesn't have to have saved the day,
>or anything, but if you've used a spell in a way
>different to how its normally used and you got an
>interesting story out of it, then tell us. :)

Fashion - as an "offensive" spell. The characters took a job to ruin a
businessman's reputation. They chose to have the magician cast Fashion upon
him at the most inconvenient moments e.g. suddenly wearing pink bunny
slippers as he enters a high-powered board meeting, or suddenly wearing
ass-less skin-tight cruising leathers as he enters a restaurant to
entertain clients, etc.. It sometimes took a great deal of ingenuity to
get the team's magician within touching distance, unseen.

Heal - as an "offensive" spell. Once, as a message, the characters beat the
living shite out of another person, within an inch of his life, and then
healed only one box of damage. This left the victim beyond further magical
healing. He had to recover naturally. A great way to make enemies.

Catalog - to register if there are any other cameras, bugs, or any other
security or surveillance devices that have not already been identified,
within the range of the spell. This spell is usually cast on the team's
security technician, since he the most experienced for identifying these
devices by sight.


Chris
Message no. 3
From: shadowrn@*********.com (David Buehrer)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 10:25:00 2001
At 12:50 AM 3/14/01 +1100, Chris Maxfield wrote:

>Fashion - as an "offensive" spell. The characters took a job to ruin a
>businessman's reputation. They chose to have the magician cast Fashion
>upon him at the most inconvenient moments e.g. suddenly wearing pink bunny
>slippers as he enters a high-powered board meeting, or suddenly wearing
>ass-less skin-tight cruising leathers as he enters a restaurant to
>entertain clients, etc.. It sometimes took a great deal of ingenuity to
>get the team's magician within touching distance, unseen.

LOL

>Heal - as an "offensive" spell. Once, as a message, the characters beat
>the living shite out of another person, within an inch of his life, and
>then healed only one box of damage. This left the victim beyond further
>magical healing. He had to recover naturally. A great way to make enemies.

omg, that is just evil. I gotta use this one on my players <eGMg>


To Life,
-David Buehrer, aka Graht
ShadowRN Gridsec, Nice Guy Division
--
"Anything I have ever done that ultimately was worthwhile....
initially scared me to death."
-Betty Bender
Message no. 4
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Ahrain Drigar)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 11:30:01 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: Rand Ratinac <docwagon101@*****.com>
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories


> Guys, you've read my interesting little tale of
> levitation - now how have you used magical spells in
> inventive ways? It doesn't have to have saved the day,
> or anything, but if you've used a spell in a way
> different to how its normally used and you got an
> interesting story out of it, then tell us. :)
>

*Or using levitate to "grab" someone and letting your sam have target
practice.

*Or levitating your target's cover out of the way.

*Using Barrier as a make shift prison cell.

*Using Force 1 or 2 Clout to start a Bar fight as a diversion. Magic Fingers
works great here. Ever see a pissed off Troll woman get goosed by the
"little elf behind her". Not a pretty sight.

*Fashion has already been touched on, but is one of my favs

*In one of the games I was in my mage used physical barrier to save some
people from falling debris (which spawned a post a few months ago. BTW,
thanks guys)

*The Godzilla illusion from a previous post, IMO, was MAGNIFICO! <sp> : )

*Force 1 stink in a board meeting is horrible for the "offender"/rival
especially mixed with auditory illusions or a planted speaker (pocket or
something)

I could go on and on and on. ( I play mages allot)

BTW, Doc, I'm surprised you haven't responded to Strange Runs. Sorta has
your name on it. : P

Ahrain
Message no. 5
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Nexx)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 12:05:03 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Buehrer"

> >Heal - as an "offensive" spell. Once, as a message, the characters beat
> >the living shite out of another person, within an inch of his life, and
> >then healed only one box of damage. This left the victim beyond further
> >magical healing. He had to recover naturally. A great way to make
enemies.
>
> omg, that is just evil. I gotta use this one on my players <eGMg>

Of course, can't you play that the other way? Give yourself a light wound
with a knife, then heal everything?
Message no. 6
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Damion Milliken)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 13:35:10 2001
Nexx writes:

> Of course, can't you play that the other way? Give yourself a light wound
> with a knife, then heal everything?

Erum, not that I have a reference, but I think that there is a rule stating
that only the NEW wounds can be healed, not wounds that have already had
magical healing attempted. <ducks for cover in case remembered rule is
wrong>

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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M-- V- PS+ PE(-) Y+>++ PGP-@>++ t+ 5 X++>+++ R+(++) !tv(--) b+ DI+++@
D G+ e++>++++$ h(*) r++ y-(--)
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------
Message no. 7
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 14:00:01 2001
According to Rand Ratinac, on Tue, 13 Mar 2001 the word on the street was...

> PLEASE tell me that's not all you use this particular
> spell for, Gurth.

Don't get annoyed with me, I don't use Levitate at all if I can help it :)
It's just a handy example of a spell you don't _need_ to learn at a high
Force to be effective.

(FWIW, the one magician in our SR group does know Levitate, and uses it
almost exclusively to get people over obstacles. He learned it at Force 1,
and found out quickly that it can't be used for combat purposes in that
case :)

> And you know what? That troll you can't take down with
> a force 6 power bolt? Try levitating him a couple of
> hundred metres into the air - then dropping him. That
> should do the trick.

Except that said troll gets a Strength or Willpower test, whichever is
higher, to resist. This is not so easy as it seems (or indeed, as it was
back in SR2).

> Guys, you've read my interesting little tale of
> levitation - now how have you used magical spells in
> inventive ways? It doesn't have to have saved the day,
> or anything, but if you've used a spell in a way
> different to how its normally used and you got an
> interesting story out of it, then tell us. :)

Since you started with Levitate, in my various campaigns I've seen two
"good" (by your definition :) uses of it. The first was when the PCs were
trying to escape from Chicago in the hours/days after the initial bug
break-out. They eventually found themselves on foot underneath an overpass,
on top of which was a traffic jam. The shaman promptly levitated a car from
said traffic jam, the runners pulled the driver out, and drove off with it.

The other time was getting to the top of the gigantic tower in Harlequin's
Back. Instead of taking the stairs, we looked around the village for a door
and levitated that after everyone had sat down on it. OK, so it's still
overcoming an obstacle, but it beat the alternatives...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Kogels houden van mensen.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

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Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 8
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 14:00:18 2001
According to Nexx, on Tue, 13 Mar 2001 the word on the street was...

> Of course, can't you play that the other way? Give yourself a light wound
> with a knife, then heal everything?

Common sense says you can only heal each "set" of wounds once with magic.
If you take a Serious wound and then heal three boxes of it, then take
another Light wound, you can only magically heal one box. The Moderate
wound would have to heal naturally.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Kogels houden van mensen.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+@ UL P L++ E W-(++) N o? K w+(--) O V?
PS+ PE(-)(+) Y PGP- t@ 5++ X(+) R+++(-)>$ tv+ b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 9
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Martin Steffens)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 14:15:01 2001
From: Rand Ratinac

> Guys, you've read my interesting little tale of
> levitation - now how have you used magical spells in
> inventive ways? It doesn't have to have saved the day,
> or anything, but if you've used a spell in a way
> different to how its normally used and you got an
> interesting story out of it, then tell us. :)

We've used barriers to create an impromptu ramp for
the pursuing Lone Star cops to fly off into a ravine
(with a 9.8 for style)

Or use levitate on a target, then lock him up in a
globe shaped barrier and roll them down a mountain
slope. Instant hamster ball!

Or lock someone in a cylindered barrier tight and start
throwing in stuff from above.

The Spark spell is just begging to be used around bath
tubs and other watery areas.

Similarly the ice sheet spell can do wonders to get
queues out of the way, or help you push along heavy
objects easier. Relatively obvious use would be on
corners, but it still is funny to see sec-guards smash
face first into a wall (or fly though a window).

Use the Petrify spell and then pull out the victim's
cyberware like pulling a wire from a plaster wall.
Or carve an obscene symbol in his forehead.

Use magic fingers to really ruin some one's date
(sorry the details are x-rated :) )

A particularly nasty runner used to go into cinemas
and use stun ball on large groups to pick pocket them
when they were unconscious.

Martin
- You want to do what with his fly? Outch, man that's
cruel! -
Message no. 10
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Scott W)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 16:35:01 2001
--- Martin Steffens <marste@*********.com> wrote:

> We've used barriers to create an impromptu ramp for the pursuing
Lone Star cops to fly off into a ravine (with a 9.8 for style)

I heard of a player that did this to get over a barrier...
unfortunately, no rigger they; they failed their Crash Test and
killed themselves whamming into a building.

> Or use levitate on a target, then lock him up in a globe shaped
barrier and roll them down a mountain slope. Instant hamster ball!

*Boonie collapses laughing...*

> Or lock someone in a cylindered barrier tight and start throwing in
stuff from above.

Like water? >:)

Shapechange begs to be used to make yourself into a tiny critter
and get in where you otherwise can't... I had a character who liked
turning into a monkey (and for some reason SR2 gave him a Strength of
9 when he did it... MegaMonkey!) and nipping through air vents. Not
sure whether decreasing your mass that way is canon...

A little flashier is the mage who took a spell designed to freeze
water and the spell Create Water... he caste them simultaneously and
would create huge balls of ice... with everyone in the area of effect
entombed. Ecch.

I like to Levitate people off buildings or just immobilize them by
lifting them... that's boring though. The only really nifty use I
can remember is when I lifted a guy and spun him around so fast he
let go of his hostages :)

-Boondocker

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Message no. 11
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Nexx)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 16:40:09 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott W"

> turning into a monkey (and for some reason SR2 gave him a Strength of
> 9 when he did it... MegaMonkey!)

Hmmm... would that mean he had to solve more puzzles, since he went
MegaMonkey?

Nexx, Holder of the Obscure Joke card
Message no. 12
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Scott W)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 16:50:01 2001
> Hmmm... would that mean he had to solve more puzzles, since he went
MegaMonkey?

> Nexx, Holder of the Obscure Joke card

Now I know how fish feel... I know it's gonna hurt, but I just HAVE
to bite.

Whutchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?

-Boondocker (holder of the A Few Monkeys Short of a Barrel card)

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Message no. 13
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Nexx)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 16:55:01 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott W"

> > Hmmm... would that mean he had to solve more puzzles, since he went
> MegaMonkey?
>
> Now I know how fish feel... I know it's gonna hurt, but I just HAVE
> to bite.
>
> Whutchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Well, Arnold, the game "Curse of Monkey Island" by LucasArts (third in the
Monkey Island series) has two options for play. There's normal play, and
"MegaMonkey", which is identical to normal, but has a lot more puzzles and
such.
Message no. 14
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 20:35:01 2001
> *Or using levitate to "grab" someone and letting
your sam have target practice.

This was actually more of my intention when I vaped
that toxic spirit. Let me set the scene a bit more.

We're in the middle of the mafia compound. We've been
taking out the spirit's support left and right,
although most (all?) of the mafia goons are down. But
we can't seem to make a dent in the spirit. I figure,
okay, power bolts aren't working. Lets see what you
can do if I levitate your ass into outer space. More
or less. :) So I cast the levitate spell.

Just before I do, though, the spirit picks up a
freaking TRUCK (pickup, not semi :) ). The GM rules my
spell takes, but it's too heavy - I can't actually
lift the spirit while it's holding the truck. So my
little shaman starts screaming for someone to make it
drop the truck, while the spirit stalks towards an NPC
ganger, apparently intending to drop the truck on his
head.

The rest of the gang (or at least one - not sure what
they were all doing) start shooting at the truck. The
petrol tank is hit and it explodes. The GM then rules
that as soon as the weight of the truck is removed by
the explosion, the spirit starts rising - fast - right
into the MIDDLE of the explosion.

Buh-bye spirit. :)

<snipt!(TM)>
> *Using Force 1 or 2 Clout to start a Bar fight as a
diversion. Magic Fingers works great here. Ever see a
pissed off Troll woman get goosed by the "little elf
behind her". Not a pretty sight.

*Doc falls down laughing...*

<snipt!(TM)>
> *Force 1 stink in a board meeting is horrible for
the "offender"/rival especially mixed with auditory
illusions or a planted speaker (pocket or something)

Heh heh heh...magical whoopee cushion. Classy. :)

Hey, there's an idea. Make a spell CALLED whoopee
cushion. Give it the auditory component as well as the
olfactory. ;)

> I could go on and on and on. ( I play mages allot)
>
> BTW, Doc, I'm surprised you haven't responded to
Strange Runs. Sorta has your name on it. : P
> Ahrain

*lol*

You know me so well, Ahrain. :)

Truth is, though, I'm strange - but I don't tend to
run strange games.

I run Murphy games. Anything that can go wrong, does.
ANYthing...:)

Of course, I'm more of a storyteller than a GM, so if
my players come up with a good idea to get out of
whatever predicament I've put them in now, they'll get
out of it, no matter what the dice say.

Unless I decide that we can have more fun by them
failing. ;)

They hate me. They really hate me.

Don't you, Scott? ;)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 15
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 20:40:05 2001
> > >Heal - as an "offensive" spell. Once, as a
message, the characters beat the living shite out of
another person, within an inch of his life, and then
healed only one box of damage. This left the victim
beyond further magical healing. He had to recover
naturally. A great way to make enemies.
> >
> > omg, that is just evil. I gotta use this one on
my players <eGMg>

Don't tell me this hasn't occurred to you before,
Graht. I thought you were meaner than that. :)

Btw - Chris! Nice to see you again, bub. And you've
got some good ideas there.

Question, though - why did you use Fashion? Why not
Physical Mask? That doesn't require contact. I'm sure
there's a good reason, though. :)

> Of course, can't you play that the other way? Give
yourself a light wound with a knife, then heal
everything?

Uh...not sure I follow, Nexx. Do you mean heal
yourself as much as you can, then, assuming you've
still got damage left over, wound yourself lightly and
then heal yourself again?

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 16
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Scott W)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 20:45:00 2001
> Of course, I'm more of a storyteller than a GM, so if my players
come up with a good idea to get out of whatever predicament I've put
them in now, they'll get out of it, no matter what the dice say.

> Unless I decide that we can have more fun by them failing. ;)

> They hate me. They really hate me. Don't you, Scott? ;)
> Doc'

Uh... is there an answer that won't have a negative effect on my
character?

-Boondocker (who's pleading the fifth, or whatever that amendment is)

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Message no. 17
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 20:55:01 2001
<snipt!(TM)>
> > Of course, can't you play that the other way? Give
yourself a light wound with a knife, then heal
everything?
>
> Uh...not sure I follow, Nexx. Do you mean heal
yourself as much as you can, then, assuming you've
still got damage left over, wound yourself lightly and
then heal yourself again?

<Homer>
Well, I'm an idiot.
</Homer>

I got what you meant the INSTANT after I sent this
message, Nexx.

I'd have to agree with Damion. I'm pretty sure I
recall that you can only heal wounds taken AFTER you
were last magically healed - which is why it's
worthwhile to heal wounds as you get them, rather than
letting them pile up (which someone which damage
compensation of some sort can do and still remain
effective). All you could heal would be the light
wound, not the remaining damage.

And even if this ISN'T in the book, I'd recommend
using it.

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 18
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 21:00:18 2001
<snipt!(TM)>
> Use magic fingers to really ruin some one's date
sorry the details are x-rated :) )
<snipt!(TM)>
> Martin
> - You want to do what with his fly? Outch, man
that's cruel! -

Awww, c'mon, Martin, tell!!

Or at least tell me privately. ;)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 19
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Scott W)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 21:25:01 2001
> <Homer>
> Well, I'm an idiot.
> </Homer>


No, Rand, no! The security guard says that... geez, you get this
wrong every time...

*Boondocker explodes from the sheer, irrational frustration of it
all*

-Boondocker (or what's left of him)

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Message no. 20
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Tue Mar 13 23:10:01 2001
> > <Homer>
> > Well, I'm an idiot.
> > </Homer>
>
> No, Rand, no! The security guard says that...
geez, you get this wrong every time...
>
> *Boondocker explodes from the sheer, irrational
frustration of it all*
> -Boondocker (or what's left of him)

Hey, at least I got the LINE right this time. :)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 21
From: shadowrn@*********.com (James Zealey)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 00:20:01 2001
I remember once we had a mage with the SR2 spell
that let you turn an unwilling target into an
animal chosen when you learnt the spell.
He had a bucket of snails and the spell "turn
into blue whale".

Step 1. Throw snail
Step 2. Turn snail into blue whale

Fortunately he died soon after first using the
tactic, and we all decided to never ever do it
again, like we tend to do with a lot of munchkin
tactics (of course thats because if we didn't
stop, the GM would play turnaround).


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Message no. 22
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Nexx)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 00:25:01 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Zealey"

> I remember once we had a mage with the SR2 spell
> that let you turn an unwilling target into an
> animal chosen when you learnt the spell.
> He had a bucket of snails and the spell "turn
> into blue whale".
>
> Step 1. Throw snail
> Step 2. Turn snail into blue whale
>
> Fortunately he died soon after first using the
> tactic, and we all decided to never ever do it
> again, like we tend to do with a lot of munchkin
> tactics (of course thats because if we didn't
> stop, the GM would play turnaround).

Oh dear gods... its always so much fun when they forget to check the sizes
on these things....

You know, though, that must have been one confusing scene for Lone Star to
clean up... there's a squished mage, and the huge imprint of a whale
everywhere... but absolutely no sign of the whale...
Message no. 23
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 01:55:01 2001
> > Of course, I'm more of a storyteller than a GM, so
if my players come up with a good idea to get out of
whatever predicament I've put them in now, they'll get
out of it, no matter what the dice say.
>
> > Unless I decide that we can have more fun by them
failing. ;)
>
> > They hate me. They really hate me. Don't you,
Scott? ;)
> > Doc'
>
> Uh... is there an answer that won't have a
negative effect on my character?
> -Boondocker (who's pleading the fifth, or whatever
that amendment is)

Just be honest, Scottie. I won't hurt you.

Really...

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 24
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Chris Maxfield)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 02:45:01 2001
Records show that at 17:41 on Tuesday 13/03/01, Rand Ratinac scribbled:
>Btw - Chris! Nice to see you again, bub. And you've
>got some good ideas there.

G'day Doc. Have you written a best seller yet? ;-)

>Question, though - why did you use Fashion? Why not
>Physical Mask? That doesn't require contact. I'm sure
>there's a good reason, though. :)

They used Fashion rather than an illusion spell for three reasons. One,
because the result was real and permanent (he could hide the pink, fluffy
bunny slippers - but they were still there); two, on completion Fashion did
not require sustaining e.g. if the shite hit the fan, and; three, well,
because it was more fun that way. :-)

Chris




--
Chris Maxfield We are restless because of incessant
<chris@*****.com.au> change, but we would be frightened if
Canberra, Australia change were stopped.
Message no. 25
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Alfredo B Alves)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 05:05:01 2001
On Tue, 13 Mar 2001 23:20:08 -0600 "Nexx" <nexx@********.net> writes:
<SNIP>
> You know, though, that must have been one confusing scene for Lone
> Star to
> clean up... there's a squished mage, and the huge imprint of a
> whale
> everywhere... but absolutely no sign of the whale...

"...Uhm, yeah ... I'd like to report a drive-by whale-squishing."

"Where's the whale now? well, that's a funny story. ya see..."

--
D. Ghost
Profanity is the one language all programmers know best
- Troutman's 6th programming postulate.
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Message no. 26
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Alfredo B Alves)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 05:05:05 2001
On Wed, 14 Mar 2001 16:18:53 +1100 "James Zealey"
<incubus@*********.zzn.com> writes:
> I remember once we had a mage with the SR2 spell
> that let you turn an unwilling target into an
> animal chosen when you learnt the spell.
> He had a bucket of snails and the spell "turn
> into blue whale".
>
> Step 1. Throw snail
> Step 2. Turn snail into blue whale
<SNIP>

My ruling would be that momentum is concerved in the transformation so
the blue whale has the damage code of a thrown snail as it skids along
the pavement.
... now, drop snail over someone - turn snail into blue whale would work
much better. :)

--
D. Ghost
Profanity is the one language all programmers know best
- Troutman's 6th programming postulate.
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Message no. 27
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Martin Steffens)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:15:01 2001
Martin Steffens
PSPD Ireland
e-mail : marste@*********.com
tel: +353-1-706 6644


From: Scott W

> > Or lock someone in a cylindered barrier tight and start
> > throwing in stuff from above.

> Like water? >:)

Fire ants actually >:)

> Shapechange begs to be used to make yourself into a
> tiny critter and get in where you otherwise can't...
> I had a character who liked turning into a monkey
> (and for some reason SR2 gave him a Strength of 9 when
> he did it... MegaMonkey!) and nipping through air vents.
> Not sure whether decreasing your mass that way is canon...

My favourite troll mage used this once to climb in a tree,
hang from a branch and drop the spell when the target was
beneath him. Also messing around with mass ratios, but we
were laughing too much to worry about the rules at that
stage.

Also we once captured a shape shifted mage like that. We
knew it was her favourite spell to get into places (change
into a racoon and then crawl through the vents like your
monkey), so we set up a trap which locked her up in a small
steel barrel, just big enough for a racoon. I'm afraid she
wasn't able to sustain her spell after we started zapping
her with cattle prods >:).
set

> I like to Levitate people off buildings or just
> immobilize them by lifting them... that's boring though.
> The only really nifty use I can remember is when I lifted
> a guy and spun him around so fast he let go of his
> hostages :)

Who subsequently flew 30 meters and smashed into the side
of a building? :)

The best use of levitate I can remember, which is far from
really original, was flying a bunch of goons through mono
wire... and again and again and again...

Sick, but it had us in stitches at the time :)

Martin
- Who wonder if he should have run more ethical campaigns
for the good of the souls of his players... Naah, this was
more fun! -
Message no. 28
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Martin Steffens)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:25:01 2001
From: Rand Ratinac

> <snipt!(TM)>
> > Use magic fingers to really ruin some one's date
> > sorry the details are x-rated :) )

> Awww, c'mon, Martin, tell!!
> Or at least tell me privately. ;)

You don't yet warrant special treatment... oh wait
you do!

Anyway it was similar to the zipper scene in
"It's all about Mary" except it was used just
before the action :).

Martin
- Cruelty is a sign of creativity -
Message no. 29
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:35:01 2001
> >Btw - Chris! Nice to see you again, bub. And you've
got some good ideas there.
>
> G'day Doc. Have you written a best seller yet? ;-)

Still working on it. :)

Working on getting into comics these days, actually.
:)

> They used Fashion rather than an illusion spell for
three reasons. One, because the result was real and
permanent (he could hide the pink, fluffy bunny
slippers - but they were still there); two, on
completion Fashion did not require sustaining e.g. if
the shite hit the fan, and; three, well, because it
was more fun that way. :-)
> Chris

Works for me. :)

I was about to suggest you could have used Makeover to
make the guy look like Mimi from the Drew Carey
show...unfortunately that requires a voluntary target.
Pity. :)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 30
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:40:01 2001
> > <snipt!(TM)>
> > > Use magic fingers to really ruin some one's date
> > > sorry the details are x-rated :) )
>
> > Awww, c'mon, Martin, tell!!
> > Or at least tell me privately. ;)
>
> You don't yet warrant special treatment... oh wait
you do!

Of course I do.

This is ME you're talking to. ;)

> Anyway it was similar to the zipper scene in "It's
all about Mary" except it was used just before the
action :).
> Martin

Ummm...assume I haven't seen the movie...

...cuz I haven't...oops. :)

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 31
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Martin Steffens)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:50:01 2001
From: Rand Ratinac

> > You don't yet warrant special treatment...
> > oh wait you do!

> Of course I do.
> This is ME you're talking to. ;)

Yes and you're /very/ special... :)

[snip]
> Ummm...assume I haven't seen the movie...
> ..cuz I haven't...oops. :)

Okaaaayyy... Imagine a guy being together
with a really good looking girl and getting
ready for the act. He pulls down his zipper
unloads the.. erhm... equipment from inside
and then the mage pulls the zipper back up
with a force 6 magic fingers.

Martin
- We have a bleeder! -
Message no. 32
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Rand Ratinac)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 06:55:01 2001
> > > You don't yet warrant special treatment...
> > > oh wait you do!
>
> > Of course I do.
> > This is ME you're talking to. ;)
>
> Yes and you're /very/ special... :)

Precisely.

> [snip]
> > Ummm...assume I haven't seen the movie...
> > ..cuz I haven't...oops. :)
>
> Okaaaayyy... Imagine a guy being together with a
really good looking girl and getting ready for the
act. He pulls down his zipper unloads the.. erhm...
equipment from inside and then the mage pulls the
zipper back up with a force 6 magic fingers.
> Martin
> - We have a bleeder! -

*gasp*

Ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Feeling...empathic...pain...

====Doc'
(aka Mr. Freaky Big, Super-Dynamic Troll of Tomorrow, aka Doc'booner, aka Doc' Vader)

.sig Sauer

Can you SMELL what THE DOC' is COOKIN'!!!

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Message no. 33
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Ahrain Drigar)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 13:10:01 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: Gurth <Gurth@******.nl>
Subject: Re: Levitation and other great magic stories


>> And you know what? That troll you can't take down with
>> a force 6 power bolt? Try levitating him a couple of
>> hundred metres into the air - then dropping him. That
>> should do the trick.

>Except that said troll gets a Strength or Willpower test, whichever is
>higher, to resist. This is not so easy as it seems (or indeed, as it was
>back in SR2).

Personally, I would think it would be Quickness. The same way as Bind/Net.
The only way I would see Strength is if he/she had something to hold on to.
Then you would do a Str vs Str test. Kinda hard to flex real hard and hold
on to the floor.....unless you've had a little to much goldschlager <sp?>
: P

Will could work though, but not sure how that works with a physical spell.

Ahrain
Message no. 34
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Alfredo B Alves)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 15:45:01 2001
On Wed, 14 Mar 2001 11:15:08 -0000 "Martin Steffens"
<marste@*********.com> writes:
<SNIP>
> The best use of levitate I can remember, which is far from
> really original, was flying a bunch of goons through mono
> wire... and again and again and again...
>
> Sick, but it had us in stitches at the time :)

As well as the goons, I'll bet ...

--
D. Ghost
Profanity is the one language all programmers know best
- Troutman's 6th programming postulate.
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Message no. 35
From: shadowrn@*********.com (aaron chappell)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 16:55:01 2001
Hey all this is my first (and probably for a long
time) my only post. Someone mentioned a ganger
campaign I am running one right now with a few friends
and wondered if anybody has some tips for me? This is
the first SR campaign I've ever gmed and since fasa
went off and folded I'm havin trouble gittin sr
products (not to mention smuggling said stuff past my
mother).



Gwylly
Munchkin Gm extraordinare

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Message no. 36
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Chipeloi)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Wed Mar 14 18:25:01 2001
In the asylum, Martin Steffens whispered in the corridors:

From: Rand Ratinac


>

>
> Or use levitate on a target, then lock him up in a
> globe shaped barrier and roll them down a mountain
> slope. Instant hamster ball!
>
> Similarly the ice sheet spell can do wonders to get
> queues out of the way, or help you push along heavy
> objects easier. Relatively obvious use would be on
> corners, but it still is funny to see sec-guards smash
> face first into a wall (or fly though a window).
>
> Use the Petrify spell and then pull out the victim's
> cyberware like pulling a wire from a plaster wall.
> Or carve an obscene symbol in his forehead.
>
> Use magic fingers to really ruin some one's date
> (sorry the details are x-rated :) )
>
> A particularly nasty runner used to go into cinemas
> and use stun ball on large groups to pick pocket them
> when they were unconscious.
>
> Martin
> - You want to do what with his fly? Outch, man that's
> cruel! -
>


OMG ...LOL...i...can't...stop...luaghing....
Whahahaah..hehehehe

OOO man thanks you just made my week
hehehehehe LOL
And you just gave me some idea's to use for my mage...


--
>If you thought Chipeloi was crazy just wait till you meet me !
Message no. 37
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Thu Mar 15 05:20:40 2001
According to Ahrain Drigar, on Wed, 14 Mar 2001 the word on the street was...

> Personally, I would think it would be Quickness. The same way as Bind/Net.
> The only way I would see Strength is if he/she had something to hold on to.
> Then you would do a Str vs Str test. Kinda hard to flex real hard and hold
> on to the floor.....unless you've had a little to much goldschlager <sp?>
> : P
>
> Will could work though, but not sure how that works with a physical spell.

By the book, Levitate can be resisted with either Strength of Willpower,
whichever the target prefers (my guess would be the higher of the two :)
but in my group we've said that you can only use Strength if there is
something for you to grab onto, which makes more sense. With nothing to
hold onto nearby, you can always fall back on Willpower, and if your
Willpower is higher than your Strength, that would be the smart option
anyway.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Kogels houden van mensen.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+@ UL P L++ E W-(++) N o? K w+(--) O V?
PS+ PE(-)(+) Y PGP- t@ 5++ X(+) R+++(-)>$ tv+ b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 38
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Thu Mar 15 05:20:47 2001
According to aaron chappell, on Wed, 14 Mar 2001 the word on the street
was...

> Hey all this is my first (and probably for a long
> time) my only post. Someone mentioned a ganger
> campaign I am running one right now with a few friends
> and wondered if anybody has some tips for me? This is
> the first SR campaign I've ever gmed

Keep it simple, in that case. Things are hard enough on a new GM, so you
don't want to go and complicate matters more than you need to. My advice
would be to stick to the rules from the SR3 main book and not bother with
rules from sourcebooks yet, unless you already know them well.

As for the campaign, starting off with typical ganger stuff would be best,
because if you give the players shadowruns from the start then they'll
think of themselves as small-time shadowrunners rather than as gangers.
Have the neighboring gang start a turf war, for example, or feed the
players rumors that another gang is going to get a shipment of something
that your players would like to have as well. You can also involve the
larger crime syndicates, like the mafia or yakuza, who would probably try
to recruit the gang when they start becoming successful. That leaves your
players to decide whether they want to be part of these organizations, and
if so, which one. By having two syndicates approach them at about the same
time, for instance, you can pose the players a nice little dilemma...

In a campaign like this, it's important to let the players decide most of
the action. Let them decide what they want to do with the gang, instead of
having someone hire them every week. You _can_ hire them, or use some other
method of sending them out on an adventure (you've got the gang boss to tell
them what to do, after all), but that again turns the game more into a
shadowrunner-type campaign than a gang one.

The important thing with letting the players decide, though, is making
sure that they _will_ do something (if I give the players in my group this
choice, they'll choose to have their characters sit at home watching the
trid; not good, because nothing will happen that way). The players need to
understand that they can choose which way to go, what they want to do, and
so on. If they don't know what to do, you can always throw some event their
way that will force them into action -- have the neighboring gang do a
raid, for example, and make off with some important stuff. Then let the
players decide what they're going to do about it.

> since fasa went off and folded I'm havin trouble gittin sr products

FASA's books are still easily available, AFAIK, since it's not as if
they've been closed for a long time now. GDW's products are an example of
stuff that's fairly hard to come by (if someone has a spare copy of the
American Combat Vehicle Handbook for 2nd edition Twilight: 2000, for
example, please don't hesitate to contact me :)

> (not to mention smuggling said stuff past my mother).

Just stick it in a brown paper bag. She'll think it's another kind of
"literature" and not worry about you ;)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Kogels houden van mensen.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+@ UL P L++ E W-(++) N o? K w+(--) O V?
PS+ PE(-)(+) Y PGP- t@ 5++ X(+) R+++(-)>$ tv+ b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 39
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Lars Wagner Hansen)
Subject: Levitation and other great magic stories
Date: Mon Mar 19 17:25:03 2001
From: Gurth <Gurth@******.nl>
> By the book, Levitate can be resisted with either Strength of
Willpower,
> whichever the target prefers (my guess would be the higher of the
two :)

By the book, the target has to use the higher of the two :-)

> but in my group we've said that you can only use Strength if there
is
> something for you to grab onto, which makes more sense. With nothing
to
> hold onto nearby, you can always fall back on Willpower, and if your
> Willpower is higher than your Strength, that would be the smart
option
> anyway.

But since it is a physical spell, I also allow my tagets to use Body
to resist, which my player think is absolutely totally unfair, but
they still use levitate offensively quite a lot.

Lars
--
http://home4.inet.tele.dk/l-hansen

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