| From: | John E Pederson pedersje@******.Rose-Hulman.Edu |
|---|---|
| Subject: | A Few Questions |
| Date: | Mon, 08 Feb 1999 23:32:21 -0500 |
>
> I had the Shadowrun third edition and Grimoire second edition in my hands for
> about an hour in order to create a character and learn how to play a game, RPG
> none the less, and they're a couple of things I would like to ask.
Well, welcome to Shadowrun and welcome to ShadowRN! Be prepared to
suffer through a deluge of electronic correspondence and
conversation:) And again, welcome. One thing to note concerning all
magic in SR3 as it relates to the Grimmythingy and Awakenings (which
you will probably encounter shortly if you haven't already): the
Grimoire, 2nd Edition and Awakenings are OUT OF DATE with the
introduction of SR3 and the replacement (Magic in the Shadows) is not
yet available and may quite possibly change things sufficiently that
the answers I give may not apply whatsoever. You have been warned.
> 1. Would I be able to anchor a spell, say Powerball, to my katana and the
> trigger would be anytime it draws blood? Or perhaps a throwing knife?
Yes, no, maybe. A better one would be a modification of Death Touch
(which, I believe, shows up in Grimmythingy 2) as it doesn't have an
area effect which would catch everyone in the nearby area. Your other
problem will be discriminating the target (the one being hit with
afore-mentioned katana) from the guy using the sword, and from the
sword itself (lots of ambiguity in setting up an anchoring some days).
Check with your GM. It used to be (under the previous edition) that
Combat spells (like Death Touch and Powerball) required the caster to
'synch' auras with the target -- this doesn't appear so in SR3, so
some of the complication of anchored Combat spells seems to have
disappeared. But definitely check on how the GM thinks that spell will
be targeted.
A better and mildly safer (and probably more destructive if the weapon
can handle it) is an anchored manipulation. It may not be quite the
effect you're looking for, but it should be a lot easier to figure
out, targeting-wise.
> 2. Would I be able to take a sample of a critter's DNA and clone it in order
> to domesticate it?
Yes and no (again). You would likely do as well with a newborn pup of
the species. The bad news is that the creature won't be completely
domestic -- many of those instincts (the "Four F's", as it were) are
hardwired into the creature and take a couple of generations to fade
(and even then don't disappear entirely). Do a little digging on
raising exotic (read: non-domestic) animals as pets in the
here-and-now for a better clue as to what I'm talking about.
> 3. How is essence figured out?
When your character starts, you have six points of Essence, minus the
Essence cost associated with any cyberware you may have had installed.
You cannot regain Essence that has been lost, and it can sometimes be
lost from deadly wounds. Other things that cause Essence loss:
vampires (they suck:), cyberware implants.
> 4. Can I have more than one ally? And also is it allowed for a character's
> ally to use hidden life one its previous master?
There's nothing preventing you from having more than one ally, so long
as you're willing to donate the requisite Magic Point for each one. As
for Hidden Life: if you read up on the power, you'll find that
creatures which have a spirit's life Hidden in them are pretty much
the pawns of the spirit. So the answer is yes, but you don't want to
do it.
> 5. I killed a Juggernat, cut its head off, burnt off the flesh and grafted the
> skull onto my bike. Now how much armor would that be and also how would the
> handling and speed be affected?
Given the size of a Juggernaut, wouldn't the bike be pretty much
undriveable (rendering the this a moot point)? At least, I was of the
impression that the things were, well... *huge* (as in really frickin'
HUGE).
> 6. If I create a homonclus for my ally spirit would it make sense to give it
> other forms, would it be able to use them, is my ally forever bound to its
> host body.
So long as you don't later modify the formula (check it out in the
Grimoire), an ally with the inhabitation ability is bound to the
physical body provided it and cannot leave it so long as the body
exists.
> 7. Exactly how would I be able too find a critter for my ally to inhabit, do I
> have to tame a critter, beat it senseless to the point where it lingers above
> death? What critters can I use for my ally to inhabit?
I would say that having the creature alive and at the summoning ritual
would be enough (although alive isn't really a prerequisite -- it's
just handy if you wanted the spirit's body to be something besides a
animal's corpse;). And non-Awakened critter (be it a dog, cat, horse,
etc.) is fair game, assuming you can get your hands on one. As someone
else noted, however, you're not likely to get around a whole lot if
the animal is very far out of the usual.
> 8. Can I give my spirit the skill to drive cars even if it inhabited a hell
> hound?
Yes. Although, it couldn't inhabit a hell hound (hell hounds being
Awakened beasties and all).
> 9. What is blood shaman? Can I be a blood shaman? And can you give me any
> other information on blood shaman?
They're covered in the Aztlan book and are intended as an NPC-only
kind of thing (you might talk to your GM if you're really interested,
though). What little I know about them says they aren't a pleasant
bunch (nor something I want to play).
> 10. Can you give me a list of book out and coming out?
Check the ShadowFAQ (http://shadowrun.html.com/shadowfaq) for that
kind of information.
> 11. The spell Firewall is it stationary? Can I ride on the back of a friends
> bike and put a wall around us while we ride around and just hit people with
> the wall?
I've always considered it to be stationary, though you'll want to talk
to your GM and see what his take is.
> I would greatly appreciate any help or all, and I know it is annoying to
> answer questions like these but I have only played one game, I loved it and I
> already am an addict, and as son as the damned bookstore allows me to order
> these books I'll read up.
First: ask questions, that's one of the reasons the list exists!
Second: don't get wrapped in SR to the exclusion of everything else.
Gaming's a spiffy hobby, but I don't know that it should be the whole
of one's life:)
--
John Pederson
