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Message no. 1
From: Mark Mains <mains@*********.NET>
Subject: Question on SR Adventures
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 06:46:25 -0500
I have a quick question on some of the modules that I have run in. In
several of them my group had to go up against a toxic shaman who had
elementals. In fact...none of the modules I have ever GM'd or run in have
nature spirits. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?

Mark
mains@*********.net
Message no. 2
From: "Jeremy \"Bolthy\" Zimmerman" <jeremy@***********.COM>
Subject: Re: Question on SR Adventures
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 15:58:56 -0700
----------
> From: Mark Mains <mains@*********.NET>
> To: SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET
> Subject: Question on SR Adventures
> Date: Thursday, April 23, 1998 4:46 AM
>
> I have a quick question on some of the modules that I have run in. In
> several of them my group had to go up against a toxic shaman who had
> elementals. In fact...none of the modules I have ever GM'd or run in
have
> nature spirits. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?
>

Are you asking why the toxic shaman had toxic elementals instead of toxic
nature spirits?

I've always figured that the term "toxic elemental" was a bit of a
misnomer. Although, I don't know that I'd classify them as being nature
spirits either. They are, essentially, the nature spirits of toxic
domains, usually water (spirits of the sea) or earth (spirits of the land),
though I suppose in some places the air is so bad you could do a toxic air
(spirit of the sky?). Another is a toxic fire elemental (spirit of the
fiery firmament summoned from radioactive material?). I don't know what a
toxic spirit of man would be... the hearth spirit of an insanse asylum...?
The hearth spirit of a nuclear reactor? Dunno. Anyway, the big difference
is that toxic spirits can leave their domains, IIRC. Toxic elementals
aren't supposed to be able to summon normal nature spirits because their
world view has become so skewed that they can only conjure toxic spirits.

Hope this helps.
Message no. 3
From: The Vagabond <nomad74@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Question on SR Adventures
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 12:19:25 PDT
>I have a quick question on some of the modules that I have run in. In
>several of them my group had to go up against a toxic shaman who had
>elementals. In fact...none of the modules I have ever GM'd or run in
have
>nature spirits. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?

Ooohh... good question.
For some reaon, particularly in early SR novels, many NPC "Shamans"
have the ability to summon Elemental Spirits(for example: A Fire
Spirit).
Though many have speculated, it's not really known why the NPCs have
this conjuring "X-Factor". Personally, I like to say that they've
tapped into a different(note: Not "good" or "evil", just different)
type
of magic that most magic users aren't aware of. I think it is a type of
magic that only NPCs should have. However, it more than likely a power
the writers gave such NPCs to frighten and confuse the players so that
"everything they thought they know about magic goes out the window".
I've seen "good guys" NPCs in modules(won't say which ones cuz I
don't want to type up spoiler space) that were by definition hermetic
mages, but could conjure Air or Earth "Spirits". Basically, I think the
only difference is they can summon as easily as a spirit, but with the
powers of elementals.


-Vagabond the "Quotation marks happy" Guy
"Under wandering stars I've grown"
________________________________________________________
<nomad74@*******.com> <ICQ 4297972>


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Message no. 4
From: Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Question on SR Adventures
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 00:12:20 EDT
In a message dated 4/23/98 5:54:56 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
mains@*********.NET writes:

> I have a quick question on some of the modules that I have run in. In
> several of them my group had to go up against a toxic shaman who had
> elementals. In fact...none of the modules I have ever GM'd or run in have
> nature spirits. Is there a reason for this or am I missing something?
>
I think you must be missing something, or else you GM is (whichever the case
may be). I thought that Nature Spirits were mentioned on occasion, such as
Site Guards and the like for certain places (Like in Ivy&Chrome; one of the
many FASA modules).

-K

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