| From: | Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: [SR3] Area Spells |
| Date: | Sat, 26 Jul 1997 01:06:51 -0400 |
>Steve Kenson <talonmail@***.com> writes:
>> This is how all area-effect combat spells (and other area-type spells like
>> Chaos) work. The only exception is Damaging Manipulations, which create a
>> real, physical medium the caster directs at the targets. The blast radius
of
>> a damaging manipulation affects all physical targets in the area of
effect,
>> whether the caster can see them or not.
>
>The one we could use here is LOS and damaging manipulations. Is the
>TN to hit the security guard behind the door in your example [i
>snipped] with a flamebomb (he being immune to anything but a DM)
>landed in the middle of the doorway betwwen Mr mage and guard 1 a 4
>'because you have a clear LOS on the doorway' or a 12 'becasue the
>target is invisible +8 for blind fire'?
The corp guard under full cover gets hit by the DM spell from the center of
the spell's blast radius, just as if it were a grenade, so he gets no TN
bonus for "cover" unless he has cover relative to the spell's "ground
zero"
(ie, a barrier between him and the blast). The caster wasn't necessarily
targeting the guard (since he didn't even know the guard was there) but the
DM affects everyone in the area, just like a normal explosion. If the caster
were throwing, say, Flame Volt, and knew there was someone hidden behind the
wall and wanted to shoot through the specifically wall at him, then he would
have to take the +8 "Blind Fire" modifier just like any other ranged
attacker.
>And clear up what the descriptions imply but the rules don't state
>that the elemental is immune to the flamebomb even if the mage
>casting it is astrally percepting because the spell is dual but
>explodes on the physical plane only 'because the magical flame must
>have a physical component'.
Correct. In fact, even if the spell were Powerball, the elemental would not
be affected. In my rough outline of the SR3 magic rules, a Physical spell
will not affect a target with no physical body, like a spirit in astral form.
So, yes, even if the caster were using astral perception, the flame bomb
wouldn't affect the elemental at all.
>Similarly that you cannot cast DM's while
>astrally projecting (as astral magicians have no armour thay are FAR
>too lethal were this to be allowed).
Again, correct. DMs are different from combat spells in that they ground at
the CASTER'S location, creating an elemental medium, which the caster then
magically projects as a normal Ranged Attack. Therefore, DMs require the
caster to be in his physical body in order to cast them, they cannot travel
through astral space alone.
>It might also be worth making
>the 'no projecting and sustaining spells' rule clearer.
Basically, as I see it, leaving and returning to your body are Exclusive
activities, so you cannot be Sustaining any spells, or performing any other
magical activities, on the Action when you astrally project or return to your
physical body. Both actions take a lot of concentration. Not only that but
(IMHO) you also cannot perform other Exclusive activities (casting Exclusive
spells or summoning spirits) while Astral Projecting since it is also a
"magical activity" and thererfor prevents the performance of Exclusive feats.
Astral Perception is a more passive activity, and so does not affect
Exclusive actions. You can cast a spell, then switch to astral perception
while sustaining it, but if you then want to astral project, you have to drop
the spell in order to do it.
>And while we
>are at it clear up the effect of initiate shielding and damaging
>manipulations, does it as i belive rasie the effective body but not
>the 'fixed' TN4 which is the same as spell defence, or does it plain
>rasie TN's in which case initiates with some shielding left are
>utterly immune to magic (unless the rule stating you need net
>successes to hurt peple with magic is revoked, which is a house rule
>i use).
Here I must disagree. Although DMs create an actual physical medium to damage
their targets, this matter or energy is still sustained and directed by magic
and, therefore, can be deflected by magical defenses (such as Spell Defense
and Shielding).
However, Shielding does not necessarily make an Initiate invulnerable to
magic. Sure, if an Initiate goes full-defensive and pours all of his Magic
Pool into Shielding, then he's going to be very hard to affect with spells,
but that's as it should be, IMHO. There are still several other factors:
1) DMs, unlike combat spells, must be reduced like normal combat damage. The
Spell Resistance Test for a DM is actually a Damage Resistance Test, so the
Initiate is going to NEED those extra dice if he wants to reduce the damage
of a Flame Bomb with 2-3 successes down to nothing.
2) I allow other Initiates to use Centering to offset the penalties of an
opponent's Shielding, focusing their power through the shield. I don't know
if this will find it's way into the rules, but, as I see it, Shielding
imposes a TN penalty, and Centering allows an Initiate to overcome TN
penalties, so...
3) Lastly, a magician up against a heavily shielding Initiate simply has to
be SMARTER. I'm reminded of the scene from Bob Charrette's second book
(CHOOSE YOUR ENEMIES CAREFULLY, I believe) where the evil Archdruid confronts
Hart and sneers how his shielding and anti-bullet barrier make him
invulnerable and Hart just says "whatever" and blows the floor out from under
him. He hits the dirt, stunned, dropping his spells and defenses, and she
shoots him dead. Flame bomb can't get through the guy's shielding? Bet it can
take down the roof above his head, then...
Whew, that's enough thinking for me at 1:00 AM. I'm outta here...
Steve K.
