| From: | Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Centering vs Penalties (was Re: [SR3] Spell Rituals) |
| Date: | Sat, 12 Jul 1997 08:14:10 -0700 |
> things (the four elements, etc.). Not only does this hold too closely to
I think I was reading the SRII description of Astral at the time. :)
> Hermetism, but it doesn't follow what I've read in every SR supplement I've
> seen on magic. In the Etheric Astral (the one corresponding to our world in
> location) everything is seen there the same except for print (which is
> obscured, unreadable, except for some feel for its emotional content). If
> there's a rock or a signpost there, it's there in Astral as well. Period. It
> doesn't have to be magical or alive to be seen in the astral, or to give vision
> modifiers, it's just not material (you can pass through it like a ghost).
> Smoke obscures, fire produces light, etc. The only differences are 1)
> everything has an aura as well attached to it and 2) the natural earth,
> considered a living thing, sheds light as all living things in Astral do.
On the other hand, the color traffic lights emit, the screen on computer
monitors, and neon lighting are all munged, since information can't be
read off of them. So (to be argumentative) they emit light into Astral
normally, but it isn't perceived correctly?
Eh?
> > Ahhh. This is why we want better Astral descriptions in SR3!
> They've always made sense to me, I don't see why everyone complains so much. I
> think they read too much into it or bring their own ideas in and add them.
If 'everyone' complains, then they should be made clearer. The needs of
the many...
> > Getting back to the issue at hand, it's the _spell_ that does the
> > targeting, not the mage, and (combat) spells are assumed to hit
> > unerringly (otherwise everything's reduced to a DM). The _spell_
> > certainly doesn't worry about a bit of night-fog.
> It does if the mage cannot see the target well enough to 'synchronize' the
> astral-to-physical bridge to get the spell to work. The magician, not the
> spell, targets; he does this by perceiving both astral and physical together
> for a split second (as with usual assensing) and aligning magical energy with
> the aura of the target and letting it 'drain through into the target's physical
> self. Make sense (hope that was clear)?
Yes; I was on a beeline to the point made below.
> > To me, it would become an either/or situation: either you can make out
> > the aura distinctly, or there's so much detritus in the way that the
> > aura is indistinguishable. But 'partly' just doesn't fit. (Or do you
> > only 'partly' synchronize your aura to the targets? Oh, that opens up a
> > box frogs....)
> I agree. I don't see why vision mods should affect combat spells, was only
> recently informed that they did and did a double-take, tried to figure out why.
> I think the 'why' is game balance...
It does make life more interesting.
> losthalo
