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Message no. 1
From: Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Rent and Elemental?
Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 21:48:13 -0400
[lots of discussion on elementals and their control snipped.]

FWIW, here's how I handle the issue:

A mage may command an elemental (manifested or present in astral space) to
obey another person. This costs one service. Thereafter the spirit will obey
the summoner and the person(s) specified, although the summoner's commands
always have precedence. To obey another character, the spirit has to hang
around in astral space; the other character cannot send the spirit back to
the "elemental waiting room" and call it back. So each 24 hours uses up
another service.

For example: Oyabun Hanzo Shotozumi is attending an important meeting and
wants some extra protection. A Yakuza mage summons a Force 4 Earth Elemental,
getting 4 services, and, with Shotozumi present, commands the spirit to obey
the oyabun in all things (one service). The astral form of the spirit bows in
obedience and hovers in the astral near the oyabun. The spirit will follow
Shotozumi around in astral space for up to 3 days, losing one service every
24 hours. Shotozumi can command the elemental with the remaining services
however he wishes. If the services are used up prematurely, the spirit
vanishes.

Hope that helps,
Steve K.
Message no. 2
From: Lorden <westln@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Rent and Elemental?
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 14:23:29 -0400
--- Forwarded mail from Shadowrun Discussion <SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET>

From: Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM>

[lots of discussion on elementals and their control snipped.]

FWIW, here's how I handle the issue:

A mage may command an elemental (manifested or present in astral space) to
obey another person. This costs one service. Thereafter the spirit will obey
the summoner and the person(s) specified, although the summoner's commands
always have precedence. To obey another character, the spirit has to hang
around in astral space; the other character cannot send the spirit back to
the "elemental waiting room" and call it back. So each 24 hours uses up
another service.

For example: Oyabun Hanzo Shotozumi is attending an important meeting and
wants some extra protection. A Yakuza mage summons a Force 4 Earth Elemental,
getting 4 services, and, with Shotozumi present, commands the spirit to obey
the oyabun in all things (one service). The astral form of the spirit bows in
obedience and hovers in the astral near the oyabun. The spirit will follow
Shotozumi around in astral space for up to 3 days, losing one service every
24 hours. Shotozumi can command the elemental with the remaining services
however he wishes. If the services are used up prematurely, the spirit
vanishes.

Hope that helps,
Steve K.


--- End of forwarded mail from Shadowrun Discussion <SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET>

Does this model change if the Oyabun is a mage?

Against whom does the control limit apply?

This astral waiting roomm, how does this effect services
going away every 24 hours?

--
Nigel westln@***.edu
AKA C. Yossarrian, UPAC Projectionist
AKA Lorden
Speaking for myself, and no one else.
Message no. 3
From: Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Rent and Elemental?
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 17:29:21 -0400
I wrote:
>>For example: Oyabun Hanzo Shotozumi is attending an important meeting and
>>wants some extra protection. A Yakuza mage summons a Force 4 Earth
Elemental,
>>getting 4 services, and, with Shotozumi present, commands the spirit to
obey
>>the oyabun in all things (one service). The astral form of the spirit bows
in
>>obedience and hovers in the astral near the oyabun. The spirit will follow
>>Shotozumi around in astral space for up to 3 days, losing one service every
>>24 hours. Shotozumi can command the elemental with the remaining services
>>however he wishes. If the services are used up prematurely, the spirit
>>vanishes.
>>
>>Hope that helps,
>>Steve K.

Nigel <westln@***.EDU> asked:
>Does this model change if the Oyabun is a mage?

No, although the oyabun could in that case summon his own elementals (if he
felt like being bothered). The only thing I would tend to watch out for is I
would impose the same Charisma limit on a character "loaned" an elemental: no
more spirits than the character's Charisma. So, if the oyabun was a mage with
bound spirits, he would have to have a free "space" in his stable for the
loaned spirit. This keeps mages from loaning elementals to each other to give
on mage control over an elemental army.

>Against whom does the control limit apply?

I'm not clear on this question. If you mean the Charisma limit, I would say
it applied to BOTH the summoning mage and the character the spirit is loaned
to.

>This astral waiting roomm, how does this effect services
>going away every 24 hours?

The "astral waiting room," as I call it, involves sending an elemental back
to its appropriate metaplane to await being called for service. Only the mage
who summoned the elemental can do this. If the spirit is "on loan" to someone
else, it must wait around in the etheric plane near the person it serves
awaiting commands, which uses up one service every 24 hours. Elementals
cannot be bound to another person (in the sense they are bound to the
summoning mage).

Hope that helps,
Steve K.

Further Reading

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