| From: | Faux Pas <fauxpas@******.net> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | RE: Astral/physical debate |
| Date: | Fri, 6 Sep 1996 02:04:38 -0500 |
>Ok, I've done my homework on this one now...Here are a couple of
>revelations..In CS FAB is discribed as ASTRALLY active and in another place
>as dual natured
Okay, just going by the gamemaster section of CorpSec (where the rules are).
Reread this from the introduction: "Like other Shadowrun sourcebooks, the
Corporate Security Handbook is formatted as an electronic document from that
fictional world. Scattered throught teh document are comments and additions
from readers .... because this "black" informatin comes from characters
within the game universe, [the comments may not be true].... As the book is
partly a sales pitch [by Ares], it may exaggerate or even lie about the
effectiveness of the security measures described." [p4, CorpSec] Ignore all
the sidebars, the story, and the sales pitch from Ares/Knight Errant. FASA
tells us it can't be taken as hard and fast rules. FAB is described on p
103 of the CorpSec.
In the GM section, the bacteria is described as "genetically engineered form
of bacteria". As I've cited before, bacteria is alive, thus has an astral
aura. The places that FAB is called astrally active is in the story section
"Behind the Curtain", and on page 39, in a brochure that KE supposedly puts
out. Read again the part on p4 about KE exaggerating and lying about its
products. On page 40, the question by posters to Shadowland ask if the
bacteria is dual-natured.
So by the rules I've already quoted from in the SR2 main book and what we
can determine from the GM Info section of CorpSec, FAB works as any other
non-magical living object. It has a non-detachable aura which cannot pass
through another aura.
>..Hmmm..Unless a net wraps COMPLETELY around an astal entity
>the entity is pushed out of the way and escapes..FAB is designed to flood an
>area and does NOT freeze the entity in amber so to speek but rather slows the
>entity from a run to a walk..
>My sugestion is pick up your copy [or borrow one] look in the back at the
>index and read everything that is shown..Then go to pg 65 and read the part
>called "activation"...then make comments...Oh yea, dont forget to read the
>runner's comments in the sidebars..
I've already stated why you should disregard the comments in the sidebars.
>> At 11:56 AM 9/5/96 -0500, you wrote:
>> >>What happens when the FAB net covers a mage is the mage's aura influences
>> >>the FAB's aura in the astral plane. The effect of this in the physical
>> plane is that
>> >>the net appears to wrap around a gap of air.
>
>IMHO..what then would happen is discribed by Magister in one of the
>sidebars..As the net [this assumes the net actually wraps completely around
>the entity] it acted on by gravity in an attempt to drag the mage to the
>ground the auras of the FAB attempt to intersect with that od the astral
>entity..
But the rules clearly state that auras are corporeal in the astral plane and
cannot intersect [once again, I refer you to the SR2 black book].
Magister's comments on page 83 are 'black' information and are wrong,
according to game mechanics. Although his quote on page 82 is mostly correct
by the game mechanics, everything after the last comma isn't proven by the
rules.
>> When the physad attacks the
>> >>mage with a FAB club, the club's aura hits the mage's aura. The effect
of
>> this in
>> >>the physical plane is that the club strikes something in the air. The
>> astral mage
>
>For this situation..I would say this..the club has one of the following
>different effects..My favorite-Nothing happens..the casing of the club is too
>thick or molecularly dense to allow the aura to be used as a weapon in this
>manner..
That doesn't work according to the game mechanics. The casing of the club
is non-living, so it would pass through the astral mage's aura. The astral
mage's aura comes into contact with the aura of the FAB. Auras cannot
intersect. [all from the SR2 book, first page on Astral Space]
>Or assuming you will allow this abuse to occur in your game..as the
>cylinder is inserted into the area where the mage is supposed to be the FAB
>dies and refer to the previous example for the stun..
Just have FAB technology expensive. It already appears insanely expensive
to begin with. You've got these pressurized tubes in the walls pumped full
of FAB that begins to die off immediately. As soon as the physad pours FAB
into his club, the FAB starts to die. How long has he been carrying around
the club? Chances are, by the time he gets to use it, the FAB's dead
already. Dead object, no aura.
>I would say the same for an Ivy net as well..it [the ivy] dies having no
>willpower...
Cite an actual rule, and I'll consider that arguement.
>Oh an by the way when a FAB net is used against the an astral
>target the net does not attempt to do anything it is the person who tried to
>snare the astral being who is trying to do something..therefore that whole
>argument about the who is trying to do what makes a difference as to which
>gets affected in what way is aimed in the wrong direction...
Someone else said that I was confusing an 'active effect' with a 'passive
effect'. I wasn't. I was comparing a 'direct effect' with 'indirect effect'.
The Earth's gravity directly acts on the net. Direct effect: Net is pulled
down towards the Earth.
The net is pulled down towards the Earth. Direct effect: The net's aura is
pulled down towards the Earth. [The Earth's gravity directly acts on the
net. Indirect Effect: The net's aura is pulled down towards the Earth]
The net's aura is pulled down towards the Earth. Direct effect: The net's
aura falls on top of motionless astral being because two auras cannot
intersect. [The Earth's gravity directly acts on the net. Indirect effect:
The net's aura falls on top of motionless astral being because two auras
cannot intersect.]
The net's aura falls on top of motionless astral being because two auras
cannot intersect. Direct effect: The physical component of the net stops
falling and has trapped the motionless astral being.
Using the actual rules (not the game-flavoring Shadowtalk posts, not short
stories, actual hard and fast rules) for Shadowrun, 2nd Edition, can someone
point out a flaw in the above logic? [Please cite your sources.] Because
as the rules are written, there is no such thing as the forced integration
of auras, there is no provision for the watermelon seed theory (nice theory,
by the way), and there is no justification for the battle of willpower to
see who gets to survive.
I'm getting near the point where I'm going to collect the various arguements
on Astral/Physical (aural) Interaction and send them off to FASAMike.
-Thomas Deeny
the Cartoonist at large is on the web at www2.cy-net.net/~fauxpas
"We were told to turn it down, stuff got broken, and everyone got naked. It
was a successful party."
-Marcus "DoubleDaves will have to name one of their stores after me" Drew.
