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Message no. 1
From: Nexx <nexx@********.NET>
Subject: New use for Masking
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 23:46:28 -0500
My books are all in a box that I don't feel like un- then re-taping, but
I just had a thought: Could an astrally projecting magician alter the
shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door on an
ivy covered wall?

***************
Rev. Mark Hall, Bard to the Lady Mari
aka Pope Nexx Many-Scars, PML FAQ Cop
aka Ellegon
ICQ 8108180 AIM: Nexx3
How many Druids does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Doesn't happen. Druids screw in stone circles, not lightbulbs.
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Message no. 2
From: Robert Watkins <robert.watkins@******.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 14:56:38 +1000
Nexx writes:
> My books are all in a box that I don't feel like un- then
re-taping, but
>I just had a thought: Could an astrally projecting magician alter the
>shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
>branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door on an
>ivy covered wall?


In a word: No.

(Okay, that's four words, but I wanted to give a slightly longer answer.
Oops, it's getting too long now...)

*this reply has self imploded*

Actually, seriously, no you can't. Masking can be used to change your astral
signature, but not that much.

(OTH... there's a shapechange spell, but it's physical, and physical spells
don't work on the Astral. But a _mana_ based shapechange spell might, and a
shapechange could put you into the shape of a mouse, which could slip
though. I could dig out my grimoire and check, but I'm sure someone already
knows the answer)

--
.sig deleted to conserve electrons. robert.watkins@******.com
Message no. 3
From: Alfredo B Alves <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 01:55:08 -0500
On Thu, 14 May 1998 14:56:38 +1000 Robert Watkins
<robert.watkins@******.COM> writes:
>Nexx writes:
>> My books are all in a box that I don't feel like un- then
re-taping, >>but I just had a thought: Could an astrally projecting
magician alter the
>>shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
>>branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door on
an
>>ivy covered wall?

>In a word: No.
>
>(Okay, that's four words, but I wanted to give a slightly longer answer.
>Oops, it's getting too long now...)
>
>*this reply has self imploded*
>
>Actually, seriously, no you can't. Masking can be used to change your
astral
>signature, but not that much.
>
>(OTH... there's a shapechange spell, but it's physical, and physical
spells
>don't work on the Astral. But a _mana_ based shapechange spell might,
and a
>shapechange could put you into the shape of a mouse, which could slip
>though. I could dig out my grimoire and check, but I'm sure someone
already
>knows the answer)
>.sig deleted to conserve electrons. robert.watkins@******.com

Okay, first where's the bit about physical Spells not being able to be
cast in Astral Space? I don't recall that anywhere ... on pg 148 (at the
very bootom of the page) of the BBB is says: "Mana only affects the
astral target. Physical spells ground out and may affect others." I may
have missed something though...

Also what kind of Aura Transformations are possible? Can an astral aura
bend at the knees, and other joints (this may sound like a stupid
question, but I disagree) If so is can the aura only bend at the joints?
why or why not? And how much can the aura be compressed? My personal
view is that the aura is kinda like a bendy figure ... you can bend just
about anywhere (or if you can't, It's a self-imposed restriction) and are
allowed a little bit of deformation (stretching / compacting) ...

D.Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum)

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Message no. 4
From: Robert Watkins <robert.watkins@******.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 17:41:58 +1000
Alfredo B Alves writes:
>Okay, first where's the bit about physical Spells not being able to be
>cast in Astral Space? I don't recall that anywhere ... on pg 148 (at the
>very bootom of the page) of the BBB is says: "Mana only affects the
>astral target. Physical spells ground out and may affect others." I may
>have missed something though...


I would have to dig out my BBB (it's at home), but it's something on the
line of you can't cast Physical spells on the Astral if you're projecting.
You can if you are perceiving, though (and target Astral beings).

(Or maybe I'm just extending the rule on manipulations... I haven't read my
BBB cover-to-cover in too long a time).

>Also what kind of Aura Transformations are possible? Can an astral aura
>bend at the knees, and other joints (this may sound like a stupid
>question, but I disagree) If so is can the aura only bend at the joints?
>why or why not? And how much can the aura be compressed? My personal
>view is that the aura is kinda like a bendy figure ... you can bend just
>about anywhere (or if you can't, It's a self-imposed restriction) and are
>allowed a little bit of deformation (stretching / compacting) ...


The ruling is that your astral body can get into anything you could squeeze
your body into, provided you wouldn't have to shift _anything alive_ to get
your body in. Given that you can reorient your astral self a bit better then
your meat body, this gives you a bit more flexibility, but not much.

Oh, and your astral body is not your aura...

--
.sig deleted to conserve electrons. robert.watkins@******.com
Message no. 5
From: Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 04:50:56 EDT
In a message dated 5/14/98 5:09:35 AM !!!First Boot!!!,
robert.watkins@******.COM writes:

> Actually, seriously, no you can't. Masking can be used to change your astral
> signature, but not that much.
>
> (OTH... there's a shapechange spell, but it's physical, and physical spells
> don't work on the Astral. But a _mana_ based shapechange spell might, and a
> shapechange could put you into the shape of a mouse, which could slip
> though. I could dig out my grimoire and check, but I'm sure someone already
> knows the answer)

Guys, I know this is opening up a rather large can of worms again, so going on
the principle of trying to use some of the existing rules in the books, but
with a twist on them.

Using the Hide rules from R2, I believe a projecting individual could perform
an astral Hide maneuver, which makes them harder to see when either being
pursued or when trying to stake out a location. The pc would roll their
Grade, in dice, and augmented by any dice from their Magic Pool (and Centering
is not allowed as per the rules), with a target number set by the gm.

Guys, I know this is using a rule in a different fashion, but I do think that
a projecting individual could use the Hide option for vehicles out of R2.

And if a gm were particularly tired of the standard astral rules for movement,
they could consider the following. The Max speed of a projecting person is
their (Attribute x 1000). Their rate of acceleration is (Willpower). The
person has a "base handling" of 3. The projecting individual would roll their
Charisma + Grade in dice, as their skill in piloting their way around in the
astral. Okay, so this makes getting to maximum speed a bit hairy, but it
sounds better than being able to go from nothing to "light speed" and back to
nothing again.

Guys, let's try and keep this civil, and perhaps we can use the rules of SR,
but with different twists.

Mike (Who is not wanting to start another flame war over this).
Message no. 6
From: Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 05:02:18 EDT
In a message dated 5/14/98 7:11:17 AM !!!First Boot!!!, dghost@****.COM
writes:

> Also what kind of Aura Transformations are possible? Can an astral aura
> bend at the knees, and other joints (this may sound like a stupid
> question, but I disagree) If so is can the aura only bend at the joints?
> why or why not? And how much can the aura be compressed? My personal
> view is that the aura is kinda like a bendy figure ... you can bend just
> about anywhere (or if you can't, It's a self-imposed restriction) and are
> allowed a little bit of deformation (stretching / compacting) ...

Okay, this is something munchkinish I pulled on the players in the group I run
here in Lafayette.

The group was trying to act as a sort of rear force to keep a group of Red
Samurai from wiping out a ghoul community on the move underneath New York.
Well, the mage in the party cast a Barrier spell, force 8 or so, and the Red
Sam mages could not bring it down, so they performed a tag team on the spell.

The higher initiate mage performed an Aura Symmetry test to make the aura of
the PAD to look like that of the caster of the Barrier. The PAD then attacked
the Barrier. As soon as the PAD struck, the mage dropped the Aura Symmetry
trick on the PAD. The spell, as per the rules lashed out at what attacked
it. In this case, the spell believed it had been attacked by it's caster, and
so went gunning for the caster. I gave the party mage one chance to defend
herself. So she dropped the spell before it could righteously splatter her
across the entirety of the back wall.

As I said, muchkinish.

Mike
Message no. 7
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 11:30:22 +0100
Nexx said on 23:46/13 May 98...

> My books are all in a box that I don't feel like un- then re-taping, but
> I just had a thought: Could an astrally projecting magician alter the
> shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
> branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door on an
> ivy covered wall?

IMHO, the answer here is a quick and simple "no." If that were possible,
astral security would be just about impossible; think about it: you plant
ivy to grow over the sides of the building, plant grass on the roof, fill
the hollow doors and space between window panes with FAB, and the magician
can simply flatten his/her aura and slide through the gap under the
door...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html - UIN5044116
There was radiation. Garbage. Pestidices, toxic waste, and free enterprise.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
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Message no. 8
From: Paul Gettle <pgettle@********.NET>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 10:35:41 -0400
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

At 11:46 PM 5/13/98 -0500, Nexx wrote:
> My books are all in a box that I don't feel like un- then
re-taping, but
>I just had a thought: Could an astrally projecting magician alter
the
>shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
>branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door
on an
>ivy covered wall?

I was flipping through Coporate Security last night, and they
specifically said that the minimum size opening needed would be 'same
size as the magician's physical body' (mind you, this was shadowtalk
text, and not rule text, but it's a good guideline)


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-- Paul Gettle (pgettle@********.net)
PGP Fingerprint, Key ID:11455339 (RSA 1024, created 97/08/08)
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Message no. 9
From: losthalo <losthalo@********.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 01:30:35 -0400
At 05:02 AM 5/14/98 EDT, you wrote:

>The higher initiate mage performed an Aura Symmetry test to make the aura of
>the PAD to look like that of the caster of the Barrier.

Um, Aura Symmetry test...?

And yeah, I should think a spell would not have a hard time discerning
between its caster and something else (given the mana constantly going into
it -from- the caster).

But I'm sure I'm just being picky here. You could get into all sorts of
nitty gritty about how "conscious" a spell is, what they're capable of
perceiving, etc. But I still think a spell would 'think' of the one
feeding it as its 'daddy' or whatever, inasmuch as it thinks.

losthalo
Message no. 10
From: Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 03:49:12 EDT
In a message dated 5/15/98 5:36:08 AM !!!First Boot!!!, losthalo@********.COM
writes:

> Um, Aura Symmetry test...?
>
> And yeah, I should think a spell would not have a hard time discerning
> between its caster and something else (given the mana constantly going into
> it -from- the caster).
>
> But I'm sure I'm just being picky here. You could get into all sorts of
> nitty gritty about how "conscious" a spell is, what they're capable of
> perceiving, etc. But I still think a spell would 'think' of the one
> feeding it as its 'daddy' or whatever, inasmuch as it thinks.

Then perhaps a question of you then. Ever consider applying some of the
Utility Options with spells ? It is somewhat hard to translate across, but it
can be done with some really good common sense.

Mike
Message no. 11
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 09:19:23 EDT
In a message dated 5/15/98 12:36:08 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
losthalo@********.COM writes:

> >The higher initiate mage performed an Aura Symmetry test to make the aura
of
> >the PAD to look like that of the caster of the Barrier.
>
> Um, Aura Symmetry test...?
>
I snipped the rest of what 'halo put up for his opinions, because they were
sound enough. I am merely wishing to clarify something Mike didn't. "Aura
Symmetry" is something that we have here, and should be construed as an
"Advanced Form of Masking Metamagic" for all intents and purposes.

AKA...House Rule

-K
Message no. 12
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 13:28:29 -0400
At 09:19 AM 5/15/98 EDT, you wrote:

>I snipped the rest of what 'halo put up for his opinions, because they were
>sound enough. I am merely wishing to clarify something Mike didn't. "Aura
>Symmetry" is something that we have here, and should be construed as an
>"Advanced Form of Masking Metamagic" for all intents and purposes.

Actually I think Aura Symmetry (or something similar) is mentioned in
Awakenings. Or it's Aura Tuning or something, it's a metamagical way for
astrally projecting mages to pass through attuned wards (the ones that will
alow the caster through, but not anyone else).

Erik J.

Fight the Future on June 19th!
Message no. 13
From: Wraith <wraith@************.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 19:02:32 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>


>At 09:19 AM 5/15/98 EDT, you wrote:
>
>>I snipped the rest of what 'halo put up for his opinions, because they
were
>>sound enough. I am merely wishing to clarify something Mike didn't.
"Aura
>>Symmetry" is something that we have here, and should be construed as an
>>"Advanced Form of Masking Metamagic" for all intents and purposes.
>
>Actually I think Aura Symmetry (or something similar) is mentioned in
>Awakenings. Or it's Aura Tuning or something, it's a metamagical way for
>astrally projecting mages to pass through attuned wards (the ones that will
>alow the caster through, but not anyone else).
>


Its also mentioned in the book "Choose Your Enemies Carefully" (Secrets of
Power Vol II). The Elves use it to get through a ward, and they're also
able to help others through if I remember the book right.

Wraith
Message no. 14
From: Wordman <wordman@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 09:43:50 -0400
Nexx said on 23:46/13 May 98...

> Could an astrally projecting magician alter the
> shape of his aura to fit through a tight squeeze (like between two
> branches, or two really big security guards in front of a steel door on an
> ivy covered wall?

No. This would violate the primary principle of astral space: in the astral
things are seen the way they really are. There are no lies, no distortion,
in astral space. In order to change the shape of your aura, you would need
to fundamentally change your basic nature. For example, even if you
shapechange into a gnat, your aura will still be human.

Ah. I see why you mention Masking. Masking _does_ let you lie in astral
space. I suppose the real question then is how powerful you think masking
is. I've always considered it to be more like a change of clothes. It
prevents people from knowing your arua is actually you, but they still see
an aura of some kind. In the Dragonheart Saga, the lead character uses
masking to conceal himself (he blends into trees). I do not beleive this is
an intended use of Masking. So, the answer is it's a GM judgement call. In
my opinion, allowing Masking for the purpose you describe is only useful to
GMs who want to mostly eliminate the concept of astral security in a
campaign.

Wordman
Message no. 15
From: Alfredo B Alves <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking)
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 00:58:00 -0500
On Fri, 15 May 1998 13:31:08 -0400 Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM> writes:
>At 10:04 PM 5/14/98 EDT, you wrote:
<SNIP>
>Well, this brings up a question. What does the caster's aura look like
>when they shapechange into, say, a mouse? That's pretty easy I think,
they
>still retain the same aura, that of the (meta)human magician.

>>Let's say that a spell has a given Force of 5 when cast by the
projecting
>>magician. It alters his astral projecting self into something that is
more
>>pliant or more "acceptable/compatible" with a given mana barrier that
is say
>>Force of 5 as well.

>This sounds similar to the Aura Symmetry of Awakenings, but more
>complicated.

>>Basically the spell would allow for a projecting magician the ability
to
>>alter the general "abstract spacial compatibility" of him/her (it?)
self. It >>would only work when trying to penetrate various types of
"astral barriers". >>This -might- include passive barriers such as the
"Living Wall" theory. In >>this case, the target number would a
"6" or a
"4" (GM's decision of course),
>>with a number of successes being required equal to the actual barrier
rating
>>of the wall/material in question. Because the "Living Wall" idea is
"Passive
>>Astral" in nature, it is an unresisted test in that the barrier does
NOT roll >>against the spell. Active Barriers, such as Wards, Mana
Barriers, Lodges,
>>etcera...are actively present and thus gain the ability to penetrate
such.

>Okay, what can change an aura. Cyberware dims or fuzzs parts of an
aura,
>but it's still the same "flavor" as it were.
>
>Cybermancy? I would think that this would alter/shift an aura in many
>ways, perhaps even altering that "flavor" this is a sort of astral
>fingerprint (i.e. unique to each person).
>
>Quickenings as I understand them from the sourcebooks and fiction sort
of
>are integrated into aura, but don't actually change the aura itself.
>
>Nothing else can alter an aura. It maintains it's basic shape and
>size.
>
>But let's say I were to allow an aura to "shapechange." It would
clearly
>have to be a cybermantic spell/ritual. That's the only thing I know of
>that could possibly alter an aura. And it would probably have lasting,
and
>nasty, affects on the Target, such as ol'Wafflemeister's new magical
flaws
>or something.
>
>But altering the size/shape of an aura or astral presence is simply not
>possible given SR's cosmology and the current "tech" levels of magic.
>
>Erik J.
<SNIP Sig>

The Astral Self is based on an idealized self image so what about a spell
that for x amount of time changed what your self-image was? (VERY
dangerous)

Also through Intiation you can make slight changes to your spell
signature so you might rule that through Intiation you can also make
small changes to your Astral Self.

D.Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum)
BTW, Apologies if I SNIPed to little or too much of the previous messages
...

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Message no. 16
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking)
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 12:00:49 EDT
In a message dated 5/16/98 10:07:49 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
dghost@****.COM writes:

> The Astral Self is based on an idealized self image so what about a spell
> that for x amount of time changed what your self-image was? (VERY
> dangerous)

The only problem that -I- see with that is the a spell has problems with the
"duration" concept. In the games here, we re-adapted the "Anchoring
duration
table" in the grimoire" so as to function as a way for a spell to be "self-
sustaining" in a limited fashion. Basically, the spell would last for a
variable amount of time, as determined by the table in reference to the spell
design.

In the "Astral Changeling" spell concept I was bouncing around here, the
"Deep
Mind Interaction" modifiers were used as a way to sort of compensate for the
changes to the "Aura" itself, a way of measuring the drain for the spell
design at is were.

> Also through Intiation you can make slight changes to your spell
> signature so you might rule that through Intiation you can also make
> small changes to your Astral Self.

I don't know if this is Canon or not, but in the games here, we allow for an
Initiate to opt to change his/her astral signature on a "permanent" basis when
they advance in a grade. The cost is that the initiate does not gain the
benefits of the Grade towards his/her magical attribute.

From the POV of ritual casting made at the person, it would count as a "Poor
Link" Magical Edge IMO. If you did it in stages, then perhaps the benefits
could be cumulative. Kind of like the way a "Retrain Datatrail" throws off
search cycles in the Matrix. It's a strange comparison I know, but it's the
only -in game- comparison I could think of quickly.

-K
Message no. 17
From: Wafflemeisters <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 14:44:46 -0500
> Re: New use for Masking
(Airwasp , Fri 2:49)

> Then perhaps a question of you then. Ever consider applying some of the
> Utility Options with spells ? It is somewhat hard to translate across, but it
> can be done with some really good common sense.
>
> Mike

Thats almost as strange as aplying vehicle Quality Factors to spirits.
:)

-X
Message no. 18
From: Airwasp <Airwasp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking)
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 17:59:16 EDT
In a message dated 5/16/98 4:02:05 PM !!!First Boot!!!, Ereskanti@***.COM
writes:

Hey, my mailer cam back from it's vacation ....

> > The Astral Self is based on an idealized self image so what about a spell
> > that for x amount of time changed what your self-image was? (VERY
> > dangerous)
>
> The only problem that -I- see with that is the a spell has problems with
the
> "duration" concept. In the games here, we re-adapted the "Anchoring
> duration
> table" in the grimoire" so as to function as a way for a spell to be
"self-
> sustaining" in a limited fashion. Basically, the spell would last for a
> variable amount of time, as determined by the table in reference to the
> spell
> design.

Perhaps some limitations would do then. First limitation on the spell is that
it is technically instantaneous, it has to be cast more than once to get
through different obstacles. Second, the obstacles have to have some sort of
opening in them. Third, the spell gives extra dice for a mage to try and
"squeeze" their way through the hole in the barrier, and the target number to
get through is something set by the gm, and, IMHO, the smaller the opening,
the higher the target number.

> In the "Astral Changeling" spell concept I was bouncing around here, the
"
> Deep
> Mind Interaction" modifiers were used as a way to sort of compensate for
the
> changes to the "Aura" itself, a way of measuring the drain for the spell
> design at is were.
>
> > Also through Intiation you can make slight changes to your spell
> > signature so you might rule that through Intiation you can also make
> > small changes to your Astral Self.
>
> I don't know if this is Canon or not, but in the games here, we allow for
an
> Initiate to opt to change his/her astral signature on a "permanent" basis
> when
> they advance in a grade. The cost is that the initiate does not gain the
> benefits of the Grade towards his/her magical attribute.

Keith, this rule is in the Awakenings, and it is something that all initiates
can perform whenever they go up in grade.

> From the POV of ritual casting made at the person, it would count as a
"Poor
> Link" Magical Edge IMO. If you did it in stages, then perhaps the benefits
> could be cumulative. Kind of like the way a "Retrain Datatrail" throws
off
> search cycles in the Matrix. It's a strange comparison I know, but it's the
> only -in game- comparison I could think of quickly.

Hmmm, I'm gonna have to think about this one some more.

-Mike
Message no. 19
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 22:36:29 EDT
In a message dated 5/16/98 2:18:38 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
evamarie@**********.net writes:

> > Then perhaps a question of you then. Ever consider applying some of the
> > Utility Options with spells ? It is somewhat hard to translate across,
> but it
> > can be done with some really good common sense.
> >
> > Mike
>
> Thats almost as strange as aplying vehicle Quality Factors to
> spirits.
> :)
>
Not entirely. Sticking to the Design Options for Spells for now, let's think
of applying say a "Stealth" option to a particular spell design. It makes the
design time longer, may or may not, depending on the leniency of the GM in
question, make the drain harder. But for every "point" of stealth into the
design, the target number for assensing or noticing the magic (as per the
Totem Masking concept) is increased accordingly.

For lack of better terms, a more well designed spell or concept often
(granted, not always) works better and has a greater degree of understanding
by the user.

-K
Message no. 20
From: Wafflemeisters <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 02:31:00 -0500
>
> Re: New use for Masking (Ereskanti , Sat 21:36)

> > > Then perhaps a question of you then. Ever consider applying some of the
> > > Utility Options with spells ? It is somewhat hard to translate across,
> > but it
> > > can be done with some really good common sense.
> > >
> > > Mike
> >
> > Thats almost as strange as aplying vehicle Quality Factors to
> > spirits.
> > :)
> >-X

> Not entirely. Sticking to the Design Options for Spells for now, let's think
> of applying say a "Stealth" option to a particular spell design. It makes
the
> design time longer, may or may not, depending on the leniency of the GM in
> question, make the drain harder. But for every "point" of stealth into the
> design, the target number for assensing or noticing the magic (as per the
> Totem Masking concept) is increased accordingly.
>
> For lack of better terms, a more well designed spell or concept often
> (granted, not always) works better and has a greater degree of understanding
> by the user.
>
> -K

That example actually makes some good sense, and I seem to remembr some
others from a previous thread on this exact same topic that worked OK,
without getting ultra-wacky. IMO, all the effects would be better
covered by metamagic varients, though- the above would be a masking
varient, for example. Anchoring with links gets very close to making
FRAMES, already. ETC. If nothing else, the DESIGN and LEARNING of
those spells might require "metamagic", with option rating being limited
by initiate grade.
The "Quality Factor" thing wasn't completely sacrcasm; although they
don't translate sensably, I could see adjusting the conjuring / drain
TN's for factors OTHER than the spirits force. As thier are few types
of conjuring metamagic, this would make an excelent metamagic technique
to expand conjuration. Total "edge/flaw points" allowed could be
restricted to the conjurers intiate grade.
Now all you nedd are some edges/flaws for spitits and a rule for how
that affects conjuring TN's and drain.


-X
Message no. 21
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: New use for Masking
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 09:57:33 EDT
In a message dated 5/17/98 2:04:31 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
evamarie@**********.net writes:

> That example actually makes some good sense, and I seem to remembr
> some
> others from a previous thread on this exact same topic that worked OK,
> without getting ultra-wacky. IMO, all the effects would be better
> covered by metamagic varients, though- the above would be a masking
> varient, for example. Anchoring with links gets very close to making
> FRAMES, already. ETC. If nothing else, the DESIGN and LEARNING of
> those spells might require "metamagic", with option rating being limited
> by initiate grade.

The latter is an idea for a way to restrict how many "options" could be placed
into the spells. The only problem with the "Metamagic" variants idea is that
it would require a LOT of additional metamagic rules and guidelines.
Something that, yes, FASA (Hiya STEVE!!! :) could do, but would probably
make some people get even more confused...

"....whadya mean you are "Stealth Masking" the spellcasting, Masking never
used to do that before, now all of the sudden it does...I don't like SR3,
that's too much..."

I think we've all heard that before....

> The "Quality Factor" thing wasn't completely sacrcasm; although
they
> don't translate sensably, I could see adjusting the conjuring / drain
> TN's for factors OTHER than the spirits force. As thier are few types
> of conjuring metamagic, this would make an excelent metamagic technique
> to expand conjuration. Total "edge/flaw points" allowed could be
> restricted to the conjurers intiate grade.
> Now all you nedd are some edges/flaws for spitits and a rule for
how
> that affects conjuring TN's and drain.

Actually, for some reason a LOT of the minor side-effects that some spirits
are supposed to have for "Role-Playing" purposes (the "Gumshoe Spirit"
that is
mentioned a ways back is an example). I can't think of any right off hand
that would be -really- cool, but then, I've only been awake 15 minutes, and
looking for a letter from someone else....

-K

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about New use for Masking, you may also be interested in:

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Thwap!