| From: | Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Area of Effect Spells and Astral Targeting |
| Date: | Sat, 12 Jul 1997 18:49:59 -0700 |
> |synchronize auras with several different people at the same time? Maybe
> |it's just me, but under the current explanation of Auras, it can't
> |really happen.
> How about him not just synchronising auras, but cycling through?
> That way, all the auras are targetted and affected, but at VERY small
> differences in time... Think of those Mandelbrot screensavers that cycle
> through all the colours......
Didn't someone on the list propose something like this once - I believe
the actual scenario he suggested was that a mage was halfway cycling
through opponents when he was killed, or something like that.
And no, it can't be cycling through. Otherwise you end up with the mage
deciding not to blast his buddies; area effect spells effect everyone
within the area. And the actual spell-threading behind it gets foogy -
what, the spell gets released with the first aura imprint, unleashes,
comes back to get refreshed?
What's it mean, this 'aura synching', anyway?
> |> > p. 45 of the New Grimoire. The spell is Quickened to the Armadillo Bar,
> |> > *not* a particular patron. Stink is an Illusion; it does not need an
> |> > aura to latch onto as a combat spell does.
> |> The "New Grimythingy"?
> I think by "new" he means "not the first edition one".
I didn't think it'd be that hard to understand!
> |A magician synchs to the perceived Aura, which is *not* the actual
> |Aura. The spell flies off in search of it and, since the perceived Aura
> |is not present, misses. Unless you assume that spells are Initiates and
> |able to penetrate the mask.
> Nope. The spell goes out seeking the PERCEIVED aura, heads directly for it
> and grounds through it.... It then comes across another aura hidden inside,
> but ignores it because this aura will do just fine thankyouverymuch....
> BANG!
Depends on how you define the Masking routine. Is it the mage's One
True Aura, with markups? Or is it a secondary image over the first? Or
is it just playing with the perceiving mage's mind?
Given he first, I can see spelling with no difficulty.
Given the second, I can see spelling with difficulty.
Given the third, I can't see spelling.
> |This makes Masking a bit too much like Shielding, so I can understand
> |why, for game balance, it was removed.
> Easy ways to reason it out as well....
Again, depending on how you reason Masking. The spell bumps into a fake
aura (or is given false parameters by the casting mage). Well, it looks
like it's the target, so it flows through - but to where? If it's a
falso image, it is by definition .not. the aura of the target. Ergo,
difficulties.
> |Makes sense, but it's wrong. Assensing is a natural extension of normal
> |eyesight and thus counts for targeting purposes. ("A magician cannot
> |cast spells directly at invisible beings.. except by using enhanced
> |vision or *astral perception*...")
Pardon me, but I must:
<nitpick>
> Astral perception has nothing to do with eyesight whatsoever.
> A blind mage could walk around without worry most of the time, as long as he
> was continually assensing.
</nitpick>
Replace 'eyesight' with 'senses.' Incidentally, almost all SR Astral
stuff written talks about Astral in terms of 'visible', 'viewing',
'sight' or 'vision.' Occasionally, 'assensing' or 'perception' come up,
but the former are much more prevalent.
> When you assense, you detatch your astral body VERY SLIGHTLY from the
> physical one, in order to see in astral space. Therefore, your eyesight
> matters not a jot.....
Oops. The </nitpick> should be down here.
> It's all just a matter of ruling HOW MUCH the astral body is detatched
> during assensing before it becomes fully detatched and loses control of the
> physical.....
> For example. Do you allow a mage to assense in order to see past a tight
> fitting blindfold? Possibly. A bag on the head (Magemask)? No.
... A fairly arbitrary decision, except that we want security to have
some way of stopping those mean mages.
