From:	The Powerhouse <P.C.Steele@*********.AC.UK>
Subject:	Re: Magic rules, please?
Date:	Tue, 19 Apr 1994 17:36:08 +0100

In reply to Brett Ryan Brown .....

> 1: Please explain to me just what is Quickening and Anchoring and all
> that....! I haven't been paying attention to the threads, and so I'm
> rather ignorant about this matter...

Quickening is the acting of permantly sustaining a spell with karma, similar
to a spell lock except that the amount of karma that you spend varies. It is
possible to make a spell more resistant to astral attack by spending more
karama in the quickening.

Anchoring is like quickening but with a switch. It usually consists of 2 spells
though it may consist of more, one spell is usually the effect spell and the
other spell is a detect spell. When the detect spell is activated then the
other spell is activated. This other spell could be anything ie sustained,
instant or permanent, so you could have detect bullets hooked up to an anti
bullet barrier.

> 2: Can you have multiple foci and anchored/quickened (I'm guessing at
> what those are) spells all in one object? I somewhat recall discussion
> on the topic of stacked foci, but I have no idea as to the rules.

Well you are right about stacked foci and I would say that there is no reason
that you couldn't quicken spells or anchor spells onto those foci, though if
I were the GM I would make the task very difficult with the possibility that
the spells may react in some way unforseen by the magician.

> Sorry if I sound stupid, but what can I say? I'm trying to create a
> poweful NPC magician, but I don't have the Grimoire (I _or_ II!)
> Basically, what I had in idea was a mage with, for instance, a staff
> like Raistlin's (Dragonlance AD&D reference) Staff of the Magi:
> Something that can be used as a weapon (Weapon Focus) channel power
> (spell lock/power focus/spell focus) and activate certain built in
> spells. In example, the Staff of the Magi instantly lit up with
> magical light when Raistlin spoke "Shirak", and dimmed when he said
> "Dulak". I was hoping that Anchoring or Quickening (or one of those
> things) could do..."keep" a spell in a focus/object that could be
> activated upon some sort of command...know what I mean? (please?)

Well it is quite possible to create such an item just be prepared to spend the
force points or karma points that are necessary to make such an item.

Phill.
--
Phillip Steele - Email address P.C.Steele@***.ac.uk | Fighting against
Department Of Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Political Correctness !
University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England |
Land of the mad Geordies | The Powerhouse