Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Ubiquitous <weberm@*******.NET>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 20:43:43 -0500
At 10:28 PM 11/14/96 +0000, you wrote:
>On 14 Nov 96 at 10:42, Martin Lockert wrote:

>But maybe one of you can tell me another thing on Astral Quests: When done to
>find a Spell Formula, and more then one magician does the quest, it's easier
>for them to solve the quest, but...what if one of them is a mage, the other a
>shaman? What will the formula be? Hermetic or Shamanic tradition?

Not quite. As I recall, every extra person going on an Astral Quest adds a
modifier to the quest rating.

As far as magicians of different traditions go, the tradition of the formula
is moot, as completion of the quest only gives them an insight into how to
write the formula, as expressed by bonus dice for creating the spell later.

--
If you're a necrophiliac and your love life is dead, call 1-800-RICKY.
Message no. 2
From: Scam <scam@******.MUR.CSU.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 14:27:34 +1100
On Sat, 16 Nov 1996, Ubiquitous wrote:

> As far as magicians of different traditions go, the tradition of the formula
> is moot, as completion of the quest only gives them an insight into how to
> write the formula, as expressed by bonus dice for creating the spell later.

Kay, I'm not sure on this so maybe someone can help me.

Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
totem teaches it to you or whatever

I recall reading the grimoire that way and I've let my players do it but now
I'm not too sure because if you can:-

WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
the spell formula?

Scam

*******************************************************************
VAMPIRE: I am of the Kindred. I am child of both Night and Pain....
MAGE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now you're a soap bubble.
VAMPIRE: Pop!
*******************************************************************
Message no. 3
From: Midn Daniel O Fredrikson <m992148@****.NAVY.MIL>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 22:49:02 -0500
> Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
> totem teaches it to you or whatever
>
> I recall reading the grimoire that way and I've let my players do it but now
> I'm not too sure because if you can:-
>
> WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> the spell formula?

Yes, I am practically possitive that one can learn complete spells from
astral quests. Mages go to the various planes, fire, earth, ect and can
learn all except healing spells. Shamens go to the plane of their home
totem and can learn spells that their totem gives bonuses to. Personally,
I always thought that this gave an enourmous advantage to mages, and was
kind of hard to understand when all of a shamen's magic is supposed to
come from his totem.
Message no. 4
From: Brian W Allison <ballison@*******.WAM.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 06:55:02 -0500
On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Scam wrote:

> Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
> totem teaches it to you or whatever

Yes.
The rating of the Quest is the force at which you want to learn the spell.
Upon successful completion of the quest, you still pay the karma.

So for high force spells, instead of hitting a T# of (Fx2) to learn a
spell, you can go on an Astral Quest at rating (F).

Pros and Cons both ways chummer, ya can't fool the cosmos.


> WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> the spell formula?

It's possible to learn a spell w/o knowing the spell formula. Astral
Quests to learn a spell don't give you teh spell formula, which means you
can't teach it to anyone else.
As well, you may very well want to design a *high* force spell which
would take a ridiculously high T# to learn, but whose Quest would be out
of your depths. Perhaps you'd choose to gain dice to learn it and remain
safe. (AQ's can kill you.)


Brian W. Allison

Computer Scientist Vocalist Would-be Poet Bicycler Scuba Diver
Hacker(0xca) Nerd(79) GenX(21) #include <witticism.h>
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~ballison

--- Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail is not welcome at this account ---
--- and will result in a US$500 fee per US Code Title 47 Sec 227. ---
Message no. 5
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 11:16:54 GMT
Scam writes

>
> Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
> totem teaches it to you or whatever
>
Yes, quest rating equals force (base less fetishes etc) still costs
karma and you need to have the formula.

> I'm not too sure because if you can:-
>
> WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> the spell formula?
>
Because you need the formula to learn the spell. And in this case yes
it just adds dice = quest rating to the roll, but you get MA off this
target number so its not so bad, yes initiates can end up looking at
target numbers below -6! [but then game minimum gets in the way,
don't care if you needed -100, 1's are auto fails.]

> Scam
>
Message no. 6
From: Brian W Allison <ballison@*******.WAM.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 21:18:17 -0500
On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Mark Steedman wrote:

> > WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> > the spell formula?
> >
> Because you need the formula to learn the spell. And in this case yes
> it just adds dice = quest rating to the roll, but you get MA off this
> target number so its not so bad, yes initiates can end up looking at
> target numbers below -6! [but then game minimum gets in the way,
> don't care if you needed -100, 1's are auto fails.]

What????

Are you suggesting that Mage's subtract their Magic Attribute from the
Quest Rating?


First I've heard of it.

Perhaps you'd like to quote a source?



Brian W. Allison

Computer Scientist Vocalist Would-be Poet Bicycler Scuba Diver
Hacker(0xca) Nerd(79) GenX(21) #include <witticism.h>
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~ballison

--- Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail is not welcome at this account ---
--- and will result in a US$500 fee per US Code Title 47 Sec 227. ---
Message no. 7
From: John Pederson <Canthros@***.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 22:00:50 -0500
In a message dated 96-11-18 22:27:22 EST, you write:

>Kay, I'm not sure on this so maybe someone can help me.
>
>Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
> totem teaches it to you or whatever
Unfortunately, the Grimmy is pretty ambiguous here (I just looked very
carefully under Astral Quests and Spell Design). Under the Wisdom Quest
(Grimmy II ed, pg. 97), it says that "A magician can learn certain spells by
making an astral quest to the appropriate metaplane" and (a couple of
paragraphs down) "This quest can also be undertaken to gain insight into
formula design for any Magical Skill"-this translates into extra dice when it
comes to designing the formula. However, it only details the procedure for
one version or the other of this quest...My guess is that either something
got left out (check the errata first) or FASA changed their minds (ask
FASAMike next:).
>
>I recall reading the grimoire that way and I've let my players do it but now
>I'm not too sure because if you can:-
>
>WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> the spell formula?
Depends on whether the Wisdom Quest allows for actually _learning_ the
spell...if it does...only if the quest for the bonus is easier...if not, then
because it's eassier than simply designing the spell...

John Pederson "God is dead"
canthros@***.com -Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 to 1900)
lobo1@****.com "Nietzsche is dead"
http://members.gnn.com/lenoj/johns.htm -God (everlasting to everlasting)

"Only dead fish swim with the stream."
Message no. 8
From: John Pederson <Canthros@***.COM>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 22:00:59 -0500
In a message dated 96-11-19 07:17:17 EST, you write:

>> Q: Can you take an astral quest to _learn_ a _complete_ spell? ie. your
>> totem teaches it to you or whatever
>
> Yes.
> The rating of the Quest is the force at which you want to learn the spell.
> Upon successful completion of the quest, you still pay the karma.
>
> So for high force spells, instead of hitting a T# of (Fx2) to learn a
>spell, you can go on an Astral Quest at rating (F).
>
> Pros and Cons both ways chummer, ya can't fool the cosmos.
>
>
>> WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
>> the spell formula?
>
> It's possible to learn a spell w/o knowing the spell formula. Astral
>Quests to learn a spell don't give you teh spell formula, which means you
>can't teach it to anyone else.
> As well, you may very well want to design a *high* force spell which
>would take a ridiculously high T# to learn, but whose Quest would be out
>of your depths. Perhaps you'd choose to gain dice to learn it and remain
>safe. (AQ's can kill you.)

hmmmm....hadn't considered that angle...I like it!

John Pederson "God is dead"
canthros@***.com -Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 to 1900)
lobo1@****.com "Nietzsche is dead"
http://members.gnn.com/lenoj/johns.htm -God (everlasting to everlasting)

"Only dead fish swim with the stream."
Message no. 9
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 16:28:42 GMT
Brian W Allison writes
> On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Mark Steedman wrote:
>
> > > WHY: Would you _want_ to take a quest merely to get a bonus to creating
> > > the spell formula?
> > >
> > Because you need the formula to learn the spell. And in this case yes
> > it just adds dice = quest rating to the roll, but you get MA off this
> > target number so its not so bad, yes initiates can end up looking at
> > target numbers below -6! [but then game minimum gets in the way,
> > don't care if you needed -100, 1's are auto fails.]
>
> What????
>
> Are you suggesting that Mage's subtract their Magic Attribute from the
> Quest Rating?
>
No you get it off designing the spell formula.
TN = force * 2 - magic attribute (-2 if have lower force version of
formula)

so the above was typed fast, should make sense if you know the rules
otherwise yes its easy to misread. >

> First I've heard of it.
>
what a suprise.

> Perhaps you'd like to quote a source?
>
<um whats one of those : smirk>

>
>
> Brian W. Allison
>
Mark
Message no. 10
From: Brian W Allison <ballison@*******.WAM.UMD.EDU>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 19:18:32 -0500
On Wed, 20 Nov 1996, Mark Steedman wrote:

> Brian W Allison writes

> No you get it off designing the spell formula.
> TN = force * 2 - magic attribute (-2 if have lower force version of
> formula)


> > First I've heard of it.
> >
> what a suprise.

You don't have to be an ass about it.


> > Perhaps you'd like to quote a source?
> >
> <um whats one of those : smirk>

As I said...

I found it. GrimII, page 115. That's a change from SRI that I missed.



Brian W. Allison

Computer Scientist Vocalist Would-be Poet Bicycler Scuba Diver
Hacker(0xca) Nerd(79) GenX(21) #include <witticism.h>
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~ballison

--- Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail is not welcome at this account ---
--- and will result in a US$500 fee per US Code Title 47 Sec 227. ---
Message no. 11
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: [SR2] Astral Quests
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 11:19:07 GMT
Brian W Allison writes
> > > First I've heard of it.
> > >
>
reply deleted. Looks like a 'caught by lack of expression'. I meant i
was not supprised it was the first time you had heard of something as
what you seemed to think i was saying was not what i intended. It
looks like putting the formula in solved the interpretation problem.

basically i was unsuprised you had never heard of x before as you
though i was saying x when i meant to say y, the English language
leaves a lot to be desired at times, when we don't have tone and
inflection to help convey meaning.


> > > Perhaps you'd like to quote a source?
> > >
> I found it. GrimII, page 115. That's a change from SRI that I missed.
>
Ah i didn't know it was a change, but then mt reading of GR1 = 15
minutes scan to check 1sted shielding and the general contents.
>
>
> Brian W. Allison
>
Mark

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about [SR2] Astral Quests, you may also be interested in:

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!