| From: | Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Prometheus Unbound (was Re: Astral Magic) |
| Date: | Mon, 18 May 1998 20:04:53 -0400 |
>Here is another method I was thinking of that is based on the real world
>teleportation that occurred recently. I'm no physicist, but from what I
>understand of the experiment, what they actually did was they had two
>particles linked in some fashion set at an X distance apart. To teleport
the >one particle to the others location, nothing physical actually
transposed space.
>They simply copied the properties of particle A to particle B, and vice
versa.
>This caused A to take on the characteristics of B, and B of A, thus for all
>intents and purposes becoming its counterpart. The end result is that A is
now
>where B was, and B likewise. This change occured instantly, so to an
observer,
>the two particles teleported.
>
>Ok, let's relate this to a teleport spell. Mage creates an exact duplicate of
>himself. (Clone). The spell would transport the mage's life force to the
clone, >or back if the mage so desires. Of course, this would mean that the
mage could
>take nothing with him. It also means that a body would be lying around,
but the
>mage could hopefully plan for that contingency.
>
>I know this is wacked-out, but is it feasible using Shadowrun magic?
Gee Tim, I didn't know you were capable... ;-)
BTW, I also remember reading about this same experiment. It may never have
real-world applications, but it's fascinating nonetheless.
Okay, my gut reaction says no. When I start to think about it, I see the
direction your thoughts must have gone though, so...
To do this physically, in a mundane fashion, you would have to redefine the
characteristics of billions? trillions? effectively infinite? particles in
the human body. Possible in theory, and it would be only from one fixed
point to another fixed point, but theoretically possible. Practically
impossible though.
Now you want to do this with magic. Okay, let's say that it is possible to
clone an entire human being. Not a huge stretch given the accepted concept
of clonal tissues to replace damaged ones. I've never gotten the
impression though that anyone has been able to clone an entire body
perfectly; you can clone parts well enough, but not an entire human being
with all it's complex systems; witness the problems with ol'Thomas Roxborough.
But let's say it's possible for arguments sake.
While here in the real world we can argue back and forth whether or not
there is such a thing as a "soul," the entire concept of astral projection
and the general philosophical implications of the SR magic cosmology would
seem to indicate that in the SR world there is something that at least
approximates a soul. This soul is what powers a human being and is what
makes it more than just an organized lump of cells. What you are proposing
is that somehow the soul is transposed between one body and another. Sort
of like "possessing" another body and leaving your old one to be blown into
smithereens.
And what would happen if either the original body or the clone were
protected by astral barriers? The teleporting life force/soul/whatever
could easily be blocked by that, and what would be the affect of that?
Soul bounces back to original body maybe, or the soul is instantly
disrupted and the PC dies instantly and horribly. Not sure.
Theoretically possible I suppose. But I would see this a something akin to
a cybermantic ritual, at least in terms of difficulty. It wouldn't be
something that players could use to teleport out of difficult situations
(anywhere from guns blazing to mother-in-laws nagging). So while it would
appear to be possible in theory, I would have to say it isn't possible in
practice.
BUT it is something that I would be willing to allow as a GM plot device.
It really isn't suited for PCs after all, and is more suited for some old
man trying to live forever or something. I can think of several shadowrun
opportunities built around this concept.
Personally, the original teleportation concept wasn't my own and was
something I essentially had to accept. Now that I'm in control of my own
game (since college anyway, 3 yrs.) it hasn't made an appearance because I
wasn't really happy with it. But it's a good concept for some people out
there.
Erik J.
Fight the Future on June 19th!
"Ladies & Gentleman, the newest member of the band, the one and only Spice
Boy, GRUMPY SPICE!!!" <and the crowd goes wild!!!>
