From:	bluewizard@*****.com (Steven A. Tinner)
Subject:	Re: Re[6]: [SR2]: Fat-bac -Reply
Date:	Fri, 6 Sep 1996 13:59:43 -0500 (EST)

>Nope. If you don't have mass then you can't aquire
>momentum. If the astral mage is hit by an aura then he
>will stop moving as soon as the aura is no longer in
>contact with him (if he indeed has no mass). Which is the
>same reason that a mage cannot affect anything on the
>physical plane that isn't dual natured. He has no mass and
>cannot aquire momentum and therefore cannot impart
>(physical) energy on anything. For those things that are
>dual natured he can affect that part that is magically
>active by using his willpower and/or magic, but he still
>can't affect them physically (no mass).
>
>And, if something has no mass then it cannot be affected by
>nor can it affect the physical component of a physical item.
>
>Here's how I see it. You've got a physical net with mass
>and an aura being thrown over an astral being with no
>mass. The aura collide. The net has mass that is affected
>by gravity and is pulled to the ground. The mage has no
>mass and is pulled to the ground. The net hits the ground
>trapping the mage between the net's aura and the (living)
>ground. The mage's aura does not support the net because
>the mage has no mass. The mage can escape from between the
>net and the ground because he *has no mass* and can
>therefore defy almost all the laws of physics allowing him
>to slip between the net's aura and the ground's aura. He
>might be in pain (GM's call IMHO) but he can escape.
>
>You make a FAB club and hit an astral mage. The mage has
>no mass and can't affect the club's movement in any way.
>The club's aura pushes the mage out of the way. After the
>club is no longer in contact the mage stops moving because
>he can't aquire momentum. The club causes no damage
>because it isn't magicaly active.
>
>You envelope an astral mage in a cloud of FAB. The mage's
>aura does some pretty funky contortions as it is forced
>between all the bacterium. But again, he can escape by
>slipping between the auras of the bacterium. And, IMHO, it
>wouldn't slow him down at all because in astral space
>movement is as fast as you can think.
>
>Either FASA blew it when they made FAB, or FAB has a
>characteristic that no one knows about that allows it to
>trap astral beings.
>
>-David
>
>Thank you Bill Nye the Science Guy.

That's the best explanation I've seen so far!
Personally, I'm going with the unknown characteristic that allows it to trap
astral beings, because it's useful, and because of the possible horror
connection.
I'm still not sold on allowing mages to alter their astral form.
I allow one ideal expression, and that's it.
The way I see it, a human would have a hard time idealizing their body as
something other than human. If I allowed astral shapechanging at all, it
would only be for initiates, and only with a serious willpower or sorcery test!