From:	Damion Milliken <u9467882@***.EDU.AU>
Subject:	Re: Astral Question...
Date:	Fri, 28 Oct 1994 11:21:42 +1000

Jeff writes:

> The real problem for me though (and this is probably getting a little nit-
> picky) is what about microorganisms in water; rain, sea, or whatever?

This is something I have yet to see a good explanation for. If one really
wishes to get picky, then a mage cannot actually astrally project in the
atmoshphere - there are just too many organsms floating around. Lukes
explanation is the best I've heard so far, and it goes soemthing along the
lines that an astral form is slightly, um, "spongey", or "flexible",
for
want of better words. That way they form can sort of flow around small
obstructions like bees and things, but it is not sufficiently flexible to
move through the gaps in a vine covered window.

> In a previous discussion about astral safeguards against mages, reference was
> made to a barrier of vegetation or a layer of 'primordial ooze' (which was
> also included in 'Burning Bright'). How large does something have to be to
> interfere with an astral mage?

I would say that any creature larger than about 1cm or so would interfere,
as would any large concentration of smaller creatures (such as a cloud of
single celled creatures released for just such a purpose).

> Lastly, consider a vine-covered wall, we're talking to thick to see through.
> In astral space that should be perceived as a solid barrier. Could a mage
> bash his way through the barrier or would he knock himself silly? Would the
> shock in astral space pull him back to his body?

The physical world would not move unless the mage actually lobbed a spell at
it to ground out. So the mage would receive a headache and go bouncing back
or something similar. I don't think he'd be automatically returned to his
body though.

Shadowdancer writes:

> No flame. But you are wrong. Magicians are not affected by things
> that are not ALIVE. Weather is not alive, but plants are. Someone
> mentioned organisms in the water. Interesting thought. Perhaps it
> would act as sort of an astral minigun. Maybe I will have to pull that
> on my mages this sat. Sure you want to play, Star and Magister?{:-[)

I guess it'd be possible to place small custom grown creatures in bullets
(like CHOPPER suggested - I think it was him, that sounds like one of his
ideas :-)), so you could have a real astral minigun. As for the rain, I'd
hope not, as it would be rather fatal to more than a few mages if they ended
up caught out in a rain storm while in astral space.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong e-mail: u9467882@***.edu.au

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