From:	Augustus shadowrun@********.net
Subject:	What to do: PC Mage w/spirit posse (Long Reply)
Date:	Mon, 16 Oct 2000 14:06:22 -0700

----- Original Message -----
From: Drew Curtis <dcurtis@***.net>

> I've got a PC in my game who constantly summons and maintains six
> elementals at all times. One round into combat he starts calling them in
> and sending them out to attack targets.
>
> What weaknesses are to this strategy that a GM could take advantage of?

I'm curious about the answer to Max Rible's question too... what does he do
thats so effective?

As I see it... if he summons them with high force, then he gets stonger
elementals but less services. On the same note, if he summons them with low
force, he gets weaker elementals but more services.

Anyhow, my thoughts:

Elementals have weaknesses that you can exploit/use to your GM advantage...

First, they all have a vulnerability. Don't fight fire with fire... use
water elementals instead. Water elementals, as an example, stage up their
damage level by 1 versus a fire elemental.

Secondly, if the mage goes unconcious, the elementals go free.

Nextly, You can use the rules for banishing or controlling elementals.
Banishing is a direct attack against the elemental, while controlling tries
to wrest control from the elemental itself. And if an opposing mage is
successful in a control test (or ties the summoning mage for successes) the
summoning mage can be forced to make drain resistance tests against this.

Nextly, there is services. If the PC wants to summon 6 force 6 elementals,
by the time he summons the 5th one, the first elemental has already used up
a service (24hrs has passed) and by the time he summons the 6th, the 2nd
elemental has used up a service too. This ofcourse assumes the mage hasn't
spent any time resting up after taking any drain.

Next, there is time. What if the party doesn't have any? If the Johnson
calling up says its a high priority job and he needs the PCs out the door
now and on the hunt for whatever it is he wants, he isn't going to take it
kindly if the PC mage says "Oh wait I have to go and summon some elementals"
(if your PC has them summoned "all the time" then read next entry)

Next, there is money. It costs 1,000¥ times by force per elemental to
summon. Maybe your mage PC has abit too much cash on his hands and needs to
spend some more on something else. But if your PC also keeps a whack of
elementals summoned at all times... you can keep that in check with
something like "Ok you guys have all rested up and put the word out on the
street that you are available for a job" (pause) "time goes by" (pause to
see if PCs keep doing stuff, giving you prompts, etc). "Ok a week goes by
and finally Joe's phone rings. The Call Display says its your Johnson
contact from Ares"
Even if the PC did something to keep summoning elementals in that time, he
would have lost 6 or 7 services just from the 24hr lapse in time.
If your PCs do have a whack of dough and nothing to spend it on, another
interesting run idea could be: PCs hired by a johnson to snag some data
file. The run turns costly (they lose a vehicle, somebody gets
hospitalized, and they go through alot of resources). When they try to
contact the johnson, they find out that he was bumped off (maybe he upset
the yakuza with a previous run from a different group?) and now the PCs find
that the stuff they swiped is worth alot less than they figured (it was
worth it to the johnson cuz maybe it did something for his department at
work, but to almost everybody else its useless) --> end result: PCs
succeed in the run, get karma and such, but lost money on this run.

Nextly, there is combat actions. If the mage engages in combat and decides
to call an elemental, that takes up 1 complex action. Problem is... the
elemental appears in astral space... if the mage orders the elemental to
switch to manifest form and attack, the elemental cannot act for two
initiative passes as it switches to its physical form.
Its then up to the GM if the PC can order the elemental to fight in combat
as one action... or one action per guard the elemental engages (I've always
done it as the former, but if you read the book on elemental combat and how
elementals stand about in combat holding actions until the PC goes, it could
be interpreted to the latter)

And finally, service range. The elementals can only do service in a range
of (Charisma+Magic)x10 meters. If the PCs hop in a car and start driving
away while the elementals are just standing around after being summoned,
then they'll suddenly find themselves on a remote service. Free to go as
soon as they are done thier last service.

Anyhow, thats my thoughts,

Sorry its so long,

Augustus