| From: | hAPPY gUY <FSAJB3@******.BITNET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | What I really mean is... |
| Date: | Mon, 31 Jan 1994 19:53:04 -0900 |
in abig hurry, but that is not the point of my letter. Yes spirits can't
search large areas, and watchers need amental image, but as Da Minotaur
(at least I think it was him in the middle of that digest) said, an astral
mage can see truth from lies, see through illusion and shapechanges, also
they can instantly (close anyway) move to a location and communicate, spy,
etc. My point is this: The aforementioned activities tend to downplay the
technological aspect of the game by rapidly and effectively circumventing
the need for technology. Making things more difficult via bigger wards,
more wards and blowing up magic items doesn't effectively deter players,
it tends to incise them to even more heroic efforts in the astral arena.
This then causes a further magical bias in the game. I for one think
that a strong technological presence in the game enhances the flavor. There
is a greast deal of role playing potential in having your P.I. down in the
streets trying to dig up the facts on a Johnson. This is not to say that
magic should not also play an important part in the game. With proper treatment
magic can add a great deal of mystery to the game. In my campaign I found it
most effective to slow the astral access down a bit, as follows:
I had the astral "atmosphere" collapse down to the Earth's surface into
Ley lines ala England. Access to the astral without the "atmosphere" became
very strenuous, i.e. Drain was involved. For assensing the drain is
(5 - initiate grade)S, or (5 - initiate grade)M on a ley line. This led to
all kinds of interesting scenarios with players trying to buy living
quarters on or off ley lines, check if their target was on a line etc.
Astrally projecting characters run into a much more dangerous situation. They
face (10 - initiate grade)D PHYSICAL drain for each minute they project.
The only way to circumvent the nasty drain is by the expenditure of ritual
materials (units = 12 - magic attribute) and ritual lasting for (12 - magic
attribute)hours. The players could then project normally. This went over
EXTREMELY well with my players. It sped the game up, kept the party together,
stopped the mages from dying every other game, and shifted the emphasis back
to a more even spread between tech/magic. Ritual magic and astral quests
were unaffected by the change as neither is very easy in the first place.
and as Da minotaur noted, Illusions actually work, along with disguises,
shapeshifting thermal masking, and ruthenium fibers. Also spirits become
alot more powerful, which adds to the mystique.
NOTE: When I refered to ley lines in England, I wasn't refering to the SR
rules, just the legend. I haven't read the SR rules in ages so I doubt they
coincide.
Just all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that I'm
hAPPY gUY
