| From: | Doctor Doom <JCH8169@*****.TAMU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | The long awaited Q&A with DLoH |
| Date: | Sat, 4 Dec 1993 03:49:34 -0600 |
Yes, here it is...a long, LONG last. I apologize for the delay, which
was partially due to the Dark Lord's vacation and my own pressing academic
concerns. However, for better or for worse, here are the answers from the
latest audience with Herr Dowd:
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> "Paul D McLamb" Knighthawk, Hawk Shaman
>
> If you have not called the DLOH I have a very simple
> question for him. I have read that a Shaman's handbook is
> in the works, and I would like to know if there is a projected
> release date yet?
There is a text due out next year with the tentative title of "The Shaman Book"
with unspecified content, which means that Herr Dowd is still awaiting
the author's manuscript.
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> David R. Henry <dhenry@******.NODAK.EDU>
> count so high the whole mana weave just erupts. The manastorms also have
> the only typo in the book: references are made to finding the Force of
> the storms on the map that shows where they are, but no Forces are to
> be found on the map. Maybe someone should contact the DLoH and ask for
> this classified information. :-)
Was not able to verify this at the moment I called; however, he took note of
this possible error.
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> From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu>
> Do you like Coke or pepsi better? :-)
Coke.
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>
> From: Nightfox <DJWA@******.UCC.NAU.EDU>
>1. Manipulation Spells and Spell defense / Shielding. How exactly do spell
>defense and shield effect Manipulation spells. Manipulation creates a physical
Spell Defense applies to Damage Resistance tests against Damaging Manipulations
in the same fashion is applies to Combat Spells. Remember: there is still an
astral element to the spell which may be inhibited to decrease its
effectiveness.
> 2. APDS ammo - APDS 1/2 armor and barriers, but what does it do to to vehicle
> armor because what the SRII rule book says is confusing. Does it 1/2 the
The Dark Lord read the clause in question, and he was struck by its
incomprehensibility as well. He speculated it was an error that developed from
editing and splicing two versions of the sentences together accidentally.
The supposes that it was intended to say the following (in essence): Armor
Rating is reduced by 1/2 and then applied to the APDS value...although the APDS
is reduced by one Level. Thus, hardened armor is only half as effective (power
wise) against APDS, although the potency (power level) is still reduced.
>3. Why can you not Run every action with wire reflexes. Under the rules it is
>possible to walk just as far as you run in one turn, though the running will let
> you get there sooner.
"Because you'd be able to run too damn fast!"
> 4. ShadowPlay mentioned the Barret 80 - a .50cal weapon. We on the list have
Another ShadowRun book, "Fields of Fire," (due out in February) shall contain
this weapon.
> 5. for area affect combat spells, do you have to use a person or thing as the
> center of the area or can you just use thin air. ie - if you want to hit one
> person with a fireball and you are 2 meters from him, can you center the effect
> 5 meters behind him and catch him in the area of effect?
It must be centered on *something* tangible, as there must be an aura through
which the astral energies may be channeled. Air molecules are insufficient in
this regard.
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> Doctor Doom
> Is the spell Spark intended to be sustained, or is that a typographical error?
It's a typo.
> Does one have to be an Initiate to summon an Ally? There are no references to
> it as a prerequisite, although simply assuming such a complex feat is
> attainable by the non-Initiated may be an erroneous conclusion.
Metamagic and the Ritual of Summoning Allies are two separate fields of study.
Hence, one may be uninitiated and summon an Ally.
> What are the conditions and qualifiers that apply to Centering Skills? Does
> one, for example, have to learn it exclusively following Initiation, or could
> one utilize a previously learned say Dancing or Arcane Language skill for
> Centering purposes?
One may use a skill possessed previous to Initiation.
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> Da Minotaur
> 1. Can a magician cast NON-combat spells at Spirits? <YES>
> 2. Are Bound spirits (Elementals/Spirits) considered voluntary targets
> for the magician who has bound them? <NO>
They may be obedient, but a spell attempts to alter (even ever so slightly)
their aura, their essence. By there very nature they shall not be willing.
> 2a. So could a magician therefore cast a shapechange at a manifested
> spirit under his control, turning it into a tiger? <NO>
> 3. How do enhanced senses (cyber or otherwise) affect a person's
> ability to detect someone using stealth?
There are Perception rules, and the various effects that modifications have
upon target numbers, in ShadowRun II.
> 4. Can people with alpha/beta eyes pack more into them? <NO>
> 5. Does someone who self-initiated need to establish an Astral Contact
> as per the rules in the Grimoire ? <NO>
Astral contact only applies to Groups, and hence the reduced Karma cost of
Initiation.
> 6. How long is ambush
> can mage cast area of effect spell <YES> <NO>
> can sam throw a grenade <YES> <NO>
>
> 7. Can an ally be considered an independent member of a ritual team?
> <NO>
> 8. Can a magicians cast spells or provide Spell Defense through his
> Sense Link with his/her ally? <NO>
Otherwise, one would also be able to cast spells through Clairvoyance.
> 9. How long does it take for a toxin exhaler to 'recharge' ? _________
Number of hours equivalent to the power of the toxin.
> 10. Where does the use of a toxin exhaler fall:
Simple _X_
"Simple action would make it too deadly."
> 11. Can weapon foci be designed with additional reach or are they designed
> with their innate reach? ie Can I build a Weapon Foci Rating 1, with
> a +4 reach? <Innate>
You *cannot* enchant something to get more reach than it originally possesses!
> 12. Can a shamanic adept employ an Enchanting Skill to its full capacity?
> If so, are they restricted by what types of foci they can build?
They are limited to the enchanting of foci for which their Totem bestows
benefits.
> 13. Will FASA ever produce a comprehensive list of normal critters, if
> nothing else, at least those represented by Totems? ie Raccoon,
> Raven, etc?
Probably not...although one generally can acquire an analogue looking at the
various Paranormal animal books.
> 14. Do Vampirics/Weres take their clothing with them when they alter
> their physical form- Mist Form, Critter, etc? Is there anyway they
> could? (ie have it bound in a manner similar to the Druid's reusable
> fetish?).
Yes. "it's a mystical ability" (Note the illustration in Paranormals of
Europe). Although this applies to SIMPLE CLOTHING. Not Armor, not weapons.
> 16. How do you explain Nemesis's quickness of 30? <typo> <intended>
> Nemesis is a hermetic vampire assassin hired by Face of Eclipse
> in the Module "Total Eclipse". His quickness and dodge pool, as
> they appeared in the module, were 30. Yes this is by SR I rules,
> which I still use.
Simple answer here: "I fucked up. I don't know WHAT I was smoking that day."
> 17. Given that so many aspects of an Ally require astral quests- destroying
> it should it go free, getting tis true name, etc... does this result
> in an unspecificed law that you must be an initiate to have an Ally?
Answered earlier. Short version: No.
> 18. Do foci change with the magician when he/she employs a shapechange
> spell? <NO>
> 19. If a vampiric creature takes the deadly wound and fails a regen
> check, can normal means of healing (first aid, heal spells) be used
> to bring him/her/it back? <YES> <NO> [If he should ask why, tell
> him the party became "attached" to Jetblack in One Stage Before.]
"Did they? *laugh*" Yes, they may be healed.
> 20. Would you mind giving me your home telephone number so I can call
> you on Saturday nights with questions that arise during the games? :)
"YES! I would mind!"
> 21. Since FASA is HQ'd in Chicago, a brief drive from Purdue, would you
> please give this struggling Grad Student a break and come GM for my
> gaming group? I will make ya homemade Spagetti and Meatballs using
> homemade sauce as a bribe? I also make a mean lasagna :)
"There's a waiting list."
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> Nightfox:
>
> 9. Does the auto execute utility still exist, and do you have to make a success
> test to have it work the first time.
Yes. Virtual Realities has not been abandoned.
> 10. What is the essence of a familiar or Ally, is it the force or is it equal
> to the summoners. With an ally inhabiting an animal say a TIGER, do you add the
> ally's force to the creatures essence? Is the force added to reaction?
Essence is the Force. The Force is added to Quickness, and 1/2 to Reaction.
> 11. I gather that anchored damaging ranged manipulation that is anchored to a
> sword is no longer ranged? ie no swords shooting flaming bolts.
That is correct.
> 12. Do you subtract you grade from centering vs drain and spellcasting tests?
> or is it only vs penalties.
Only verses penalties.
> 13. can combat pool be used to help in damage resistance vs melee attacks? or
> is this only done in full defense. Is the TN for full defense use of combat
> pool 4 or is it the power level. If you are in a fight and you win the attack -
> can you choose to do no damage - ie your fighting a troll you need TN 5 to hit
> while he needs 3's, you decide that full defense with its TN of 11 is not a wise
> choise, instead you opt for the 5 and decide that if you win not to hurt the
> troll - ie pull your punch.
Combat Pool is only applicable to full defense situations, and the target
number is the power. There shall be rules regarding "pulling your punches" in
the aforementioned "Fields of Fire."
> 14. will the winter catalog have a mono-swiss-army-knife (tm) :)
NO!
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> --Bill Flint
>
> 1) Why are sasquatches not possible race to play in the current shadowrun
> universe? They are considered sentient beings. They aren't powerful.
"Actually, I've seen them played, and quite well at that."
They aren't included basically because there simply aren't that many
Sasquatchi. Were they a "sanctioned" player race, then there would be
a veritable deluge of them popping up all over the place.
> 2) In the GrimoireII, some combat spells work exactly like manipulation spells
> in that they try to hurt a target by a manifested elemental effect. Then
> you have Manipulation spells that have a target number of 4 to see how
> well they work in harming a person then turn around in the GrimorieII and
> have the similar spells that have a target number equal to either the body
> or willpower.
> Why did who ever complied the GrimoireII did this?
"Well, we stand by this idea."
Paraphrase:
It should be important to note that Elemental Effects differ in how they are
brought about in the two spell categories.
Damaging Manipulations create a physical manifestation of whatever Elemental
power with which they are equipped. This accounts for their relative ease with
which they may be cast (the general target number being 4); although this is
offset by the ability to utilize Combat Pool in the damage resistance.
A Combat Spell behaves quite differently. It seeks to channel energy directly
into the target's aura, which means target numbers of Body or Willpower,
contingent upon the spell's nature. Armor won't prevent this from happening.
It follows that if one applies even more energy, as is reflected in the
elevated Drain Code, then one may gain the same "effect."
> 3) What would happen if a magic with a essence of 1.0 and is a grade initiate
> level 2 with a total magic rating of 3 (No magical focus) decided to get
> one more piece of cyberware bring their essence to 0.8.
> the same mage as above decided to blow a lot of nuyen to get bioware worth
> 0.8 body index.
In either situation, the Mage would still be a mage, that although the
inclusion of bioware or cyberware would reduce their magic by their remaining
"natural" Magic Point, their Initiation would keep them going, so to speak.
> 4) With a mage with 3 points of cyberware and a approiate magic rating of 3
> loss any more magic if he/she get any bioware that costed less than 3 points
> of body Index?
Yes. If the have only 3 points left, and get anything over 2 points of
bioware, their Magic ability "goes South."
> 5) In back of the Shaowrun 2ED Source book it tells how to up date past
> supplements. The place where theytell how up date the armor rating of past
> vehicle, does this rule apply to armor upgrading construction part in the
Yes. Whereas before each additional armor point reduced the top speed by
15 klicks, it now only reduces it by 5.
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Und das ist alles. I am aware there were perhaps one or two questions
forwarded to me which I ran across after the Q&A session (I did not have the
most recent hard copy on my desk when I made the call) which shall be answered
later. My apologies.
Colonel Count von Hohenzollern und von Doom, DMSc, DSc, PhD.
Doom Technologies & Weapon Systems -- Dark Thought Publications
>>> Working on solutions best left in the dark.
<<<
[ Doctor Doom : jch8169@********.tamu.edu ]
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"A man's greatest pleasure is to defeat his enemies, to drive them before him,
to take from them that which they possessed, to see whom they cherished in
tears, to ride their horses, to hold their wives and daughters in his arms."
-- Genghis Khan
