From:	"Jeremy \"Bolthy\" Zimmerman" <jeremy@***********.COM>
Subject:	Re: Locking distant spells
Date:	Fri, 15 May 1998 15:18:56 -0700

----------
> From: Brian Moore <mooreb@****.FAC.COM>
> To: SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET
> Subject: Re: Locking distant spells
> Date: Friday, May 15, 1998 2:47 PM
>
> Katt Freyson <katt@******.NET> said:
> > |> My mage casts Invisibility on my buddy street sam and then locks the
> > |> spell with a spell lock. My mage deactivates the lock (and
therefore
> > |> the spell) and carries around the lock. At a pre-arranged time, he
> > |> activates the lock, which should activate the invisibility spell.
> >
> > No, won't work [unless they changed the rules again] the lock MUST
be on
> > the person on whom the magic effect is on.
>
> I'm assuming this is your opinion (which I did ask for), since you
> didn't mention any rule references.
>

BBB, p. 138:

A spell lock must be placed in contact with its target in order to operate.
It can be worn, hung, nailed, or stuck in a pocket, as long as it is in
contact with its intended target.

> So how do you handle spell locks that aren't placed on people? I think
> Lone Star or other groups have (area effect?) Preserve spell locks used
> to preserve ritual samples. There are lots of applications for Spell
> Locks that don't involve people. I would assume that a Spell Lock must
> be somewhat near the spell it is maintaining.
>

I think you've got it a little backwards. You cast the spell on the spell
lock, and it locks the spell into it. You can then hang the spell lock on
your dog, your sword, your uncle's monkey's goat, your Eurocar Westwind
and, if you are a mage, can activate it. You can apparently put it on an
inanimate object. Don't want it there? Turn it off and put it somewhere
else. Stick it to 'em with stick ups! It just has to be in physical
contact with the target. By the rules, mundanes cannot see it, touch it,
or affect it.

One thought that does occur to me, in the vein of the PAC, is that you
could rule that even though it can't be seen, touched, or affected, it can
still be detected by something like a metal detector, chem sniffer,
whatever, as it is still there, just intangible to mundanes. I didn't see
where it said it got sent to astral space when I glanced at the rules.
It's a wide interpetation, but could help curb the munchkinizing of it.