| From: | "Paul J. Adam" <shadowrn@********.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: [SR3] Drain |
| Date: | Sat, 5 Jul 1997 02:19:56 +0100 |
<caric@********.COM> writes
>Try in the realm of impossible...lets assume a Sammie with a body of 6 (low
>for a Sammie if you ask me)
Human maximum is low for a samurai?
Yes, there's orthoskin or dermal plating: both of which, among other
things, have detrimental effects on your sex life. Which, personally, I
consider extremely important, and most of my characters do too.
>and the mageboy is casting Powerbolt (fairly
>common spell) if that spell is force four the mage is doing more damage (I
>know one is stun the other physical, but the mods are the same) to himself
>than he is to the Sammie and he will probably never succeed in doind any
>damage unless he lets himself get nailed with the drain.
So what?
The mage has spent a maximum of four Karma points learning that spell.
Less, probably (exclusive spell, re-usable fetish, and _one_ Karma point
buys you a Force 4 Powerbolt).
How much Karma does it cost to buy Firearms-4? Or even Ares Predator-4?
Add in the minor point that the samurai has to _have_ his Predator to
hand, loaded and ready: has to draw it and aim it: has to fire it. All
very public and noticeable events.
A magician has to look at the target, and by the harshest interpretation
make a small gesture and whisper a few words.
You have all these advantages and you're still complaining? :)
>Now if there two Sammies the mage is just
>flat out screwed.
Moral: make sure the samurai don't see you. Or don't take on two samurai
alone. These guys are _meant_ to be combat monsters. A magician with
fifty force points can learn one combat spell and take the rest in
healing, detection, manipulatiom, et al. Samurai focus on combat.
After I give up most of my Essence and starting cash for cyber and a
third of my skill points for Firearms skill, I want to be a lethal
combat machine that others tread lightly around. I don't like it when
the team mage can out-recon the rigger, out-fight the samurai and out-
heal the paramedic all at once.
I don't personally like the idea of "combat magic". Does anyone remember
Fred Saberhagen's "Books of Swords"? Where magic was powerful and
effective... until swords were drawn, whereupon magicians tended to find
places to hide. Magic is the most versatile and powerful force in
Shadowrun as it is: demanding that magicians, by virtue of two spells,
be as potent as street samurai cuts no ice with me.
Want to outshoot a samurai? Get wired reflexes and a smartlink and
Firearms skill better than his. Or else pit spells against Mach 2 lead.
>I'm saying that mages should have at least a chance of hurting a Sammie
>without killing themselves.
Why?
I _hated_ SR1's balance of magic and cyber, where with a fetish focus a
locked Combat Sense spell left magicians totally out-reacting samurai:
and where magicians avoided armour autosuccesses they could kill
multiple enemies per action, while Firearms-8, a smartgun link and APDS
ammo couldn't guarantee to take down a single adversary in one action.
A human samurai in my own experience tends to put Attributes at A, Tech
at B, Skills at C. (We used to use 'sum-to-ten' in which case read
Attributes A, Skills B, Tech B). That gets you wired reflexes at level
2, good attributes, and Firearms-6.
Why should a magician be able to dish out more hurt than he takes to
such a character - one who has sacrificed as much to skill-at-arms as
the magician has to magic - without corresponding injury? Why, in fact,
play a non-magician at all?
Magicians _must_ be weaker than other character types in those types'
area of expertise, or else you will see all-mage character groups. It
takes a lot of willpower to deliberately play an inferior character.
>I'm not saying that they should be as good...there not going to be able to
>drop three or four people every action forever like a Sammie could,
Three or four? How?
Two per action at absolute most, if the enemy is halfway smart. If they
line up in the open and say "Shoot us! Shoot us!" then you might get
many. But taking down (meaning Moderate wounds) four enemies in one
action was a major feat for a samurai using a smarlinked SMG with
Firearms-9.
>but
>they should have at least a fighting chance of succeffulyy casting a combat
>spell without totally draining themselves.
Depends how effective you want that combat spell to be. You want to
throw Force 6 spells? Get set for a major headache. Force 4? you can get
a _lot_ more of them off.
>And you definately want to do that, I enjoy the non-combat experience, but
>as much fun as the social skills are for role-playing once the lead does
>start to fly they mage should be able to do something other than run and
>hide.
The magician can do a _lot_ more than run and hide.
Mask spell: to put the most recently exposed enemy in a rival's uniform.
Confusion or Chaos, or Alienating an enemy observer via spirits.
Barrier, to cover a retreat.
Imvisibility, to hide a sniper.
Clairvoyance, to watch those enemy making what they think is a covert
flanking manoevre.
Et cetera et cetera. Can a samurai do any of those?
No?
Then why are you demanding all that _and_ parity in stand-up combat?
--
There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy...
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
