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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Holger Eberhard <zcl01121@******.RUS.UNI-STUTTGART.DE>
Subject: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 1994 19:05:29 +0100
Magic is strong against living beings, this explains why physical
spells have a higher drain than mana spells. Another effect is
the high resistance of high-tec items. What happens if a human
installs cyberware? Cyberware is definitly high-tec, and it sure
is dead matter. Should this increase his magical resistance?
I think it goes this way. Don't forget that the human buys it by
spending his essence, and essence means life force.
So I tend to give wired characters a resistance bonus equal to
their exxence loss. This weakens the magic impact on these
characters. But why spending 1.000.000 Nuyen (or even more) only
to be still cannon fodder for the average mage?


The voice
Message no. 2
From: Mauricio Gomez Pena <g9123745@******.UNIANDES.EDU.CO>
Subject: Re: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 1994 15:55:55 -0500
Let's see the wiz-kid get near the streetsam first.
Message no. 3
From: Grand Poobah <mcormick@*****.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Subject: Re: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 1994 15:30:24 -0700
According to The Voice:

>... I tend to give wired characters a resistance bonus equal to
> their exxence loss. This weakens the magic impact on these
> characters. But why spending 1.000.000 Nuyen (or even more) only
> to be still cannon fodder for the average mage?


While I agree that magic does have a very drastic impact on the
cybered characters of the group. I also think that magic was meant to be
a very powerful force in the Shadowrun world, just look at The Great Ghost
Dance. According to the Grimoire,only about 1 percent of the worlds population are
capable of using magic
(page 10, Grimoire 2nd edition). I don't think that increasing the
effectiveness of cyberware against magic is the solution. What would work
better (and does very well in my campaign) is to simply limit the amount
of magic that the players have to deal with. Don't eliminate it all
together but also don't run them into mages all the time. As a side
note, if you are going to limit the magic, don't allow the group to have
more than one mage. It'll save many headaches later on.



The Grand Poobah!
Students for War & Oppression
@@@@ @ @ @@@@ Counter productive, highly destructive!
@ @ @@ @ @ @ ---
@@@@ @ @@ @ @ @ Celebrating the occurences of War &
@ @ @@ @ @ @ Oppression since the dawn of time
@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ -- Even the planets were born in turmoil... --
Message no. 4
From: Michael Garoni <Michael_Garoni@****.INTERSOLV.COM>
Subject: Re: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 09:11:00 LCL
You could argue that their lower resistance to magic means that they are EASIER
to damage. A spell goes for the easiest part of an object to damage and if they
have less flesh then there is less of them to absorb the punishment? ie someone
with a low body is more easily damaged by a bullet?

Just a thought. We don't give cybaugs any advantages or disadvantages against
spells.

-Obi Wan
Message no. 5
From: Matt <mosbun@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Re: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 1994 19:38:11 -0500
But once you spend essence, the cyberware becomes a part of you, and you are
still a living object. Life is like being knocked up- you either are or aren't.
Now if you cyberware is targeted, that's another matter...

Matt
Message no. 6
From: Neal A Porter <nap@*****.PHYSICS.SWIN.OZ.AU>
Subject: Re: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 15:02:46 +1100
>
>Magic is strong against living beings, this explains why physical
>spells have a higher drain than mana spells. Another effect is
>the high resistance of high-tec items. What happens if a human
>installs cyberware? Cyberware is definitly high-tec, and it sure
>is dead matter. Should this increase his magical resistance?
>I think it goes this way. Don't forget that the human buys it by
>spending his essence, and essence means life force.
>So I tend to give wired characters a resistance bonus equal to
>their exxence loss. This weakens the magic impact on these
>characters. But why spending 1.000.000 Nuyen (or even more) only
>to be still cannon fodder for the average mage?
>
>
>The voice


Not your comment about paying for the cyberware with 'life force', this
implies to me that the cyberware is then a part of the char for better or worse
, a point back up not only in the rules but by may list users as well. And
as such this 'bought' cyberwear shouldn't effect your magic resistance.

If you want to be more magically resistant, increase your body and willpower
, or keep a defending mage near by at all times.

A'Deus.
Message no. 7
From: Michael Garoni <Michael_Garoni@****.INTERSOLV.COM>
Subject: Re[2]: magical resistance and cyberware
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 14:44:00 LCL
>Let's see the wiz-kid get near the streetsam first.

I never saw a sam that a wiz kid couldn't toast. Mind you, I never saw a wiz
kid that a sam couldn't toast. Depends on technique and who get's too cocky
first. Remember, you gotta know about it to stop it!

-Obi Wan

Further Reading

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Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!