From:	Damion Milliken <milko@***.EDU.AU>
Subject:	Re: Centering vs Penalties (was Re: [SR3] Spell Rituals)
Date:	Sun, 13 Jul 1997 05:39:50 +1000

Caric writes:

> This forced me to ponder (no easy task at 6AM on a Saturday) the exact
> functioning of area effect spells. If I understand correctly you toss the
> spell at a target and if it grounds out from him it hits anyone else in the
> area of effect, but only if you can see them. Yet if the spell doesn't
> ground throught the original target then it doesn't go off.

This is the case for grounding a spell from the astral plane, yes. However,
it is not the case for casting an area of effect spell at targets on the
plane that the caster is currently in.

> If you have to target the auras of all the targets why wouldn't the spell
> try to hit them all regardless, and if you have to just hit the one target
> why would you have to see the other targets?

I'm a little confused by this. If an area of effect spell is being cast at
a group of people, then it affects each on individualy. The affect (or lack
thereof) of the spell on one person does not change the affect of the spell
on another. As for the requirement to see all the targets of a spell, it
has to do with the "synchonising araus" thing - you can't affect a target
that you cannot synchronise with (exception: DM spells).

> Now if the caster does not need to see the other targets (I just checked
> the BBB and didn't find anything that said one way or the other, but I just
> read the little blurb about area of effect spells in the "spells" section)
> then why would vision and other situational modifiers ,other than cover,
> effect the target numbers to damage them?

Although the caster does need to see the targets of a spell to affect them,
you bring up a good point. Since the spell caster does a quick switch to
astral perception to synchronise auras with the target of the spell, it
would seem logical that many of the situation modifiers (lighting in
particular) would be irrelevent. Modifiers due to smoke, mist, or rain
would still apply, as these distort and block vision on the astral plane the
same as they do on the physical, however. The only real reason I can think
of right now for still including the vision lightin modifiers in spell
casting is that the quick action of astral perception that the spell caster
undertakes to synchronise auras is only quick enough to synchronise auras,
not significant enough to allow readjustment of targetting. If the
targetting is poor, perhaps due to being unable to see that target clearly,
then the synchronisation will also be poor.

As for the requirement to "centre" spells on a target, I always used to run
it that spells other than DMs had such a requirement. However, upon
looking, I cannot find where I obtained this ruling from (perhaps 1st Ed?).
Also, I cannot really see any reason that a comabt spell requires that the
centre of its affect be a specific target of the spell. After all, its is
just pumping energy into the auras of all targets within its area of affect
- why should it need one at the centre?

PS: It's good to be back - it's been a long time since I've debated
grounding spells through quickenings cast on elven illuminati that have
masked them and are in FAB filled rooms lined with orichalcum. <VBG> :-)

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: milko@***.edu.au
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