| From: | Keith Duthie psycho@*********.co.nz |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Mages and spirts, take 2 |
| Date: | Wed, 18 Oct 2000 03:47:17 +1300 (NZDT) |
> After reading all the responses to my last post on the mage with the
> spirit posse, I've got some other questions that I've had for awhile but
> never got around to asking.
>
> 1) Can an elemental be asked to manifest around an NPC directly from
> astral space?
I'd assume so.
> 2) Does it take a service to call up an elemental into astral space?
No, that would be counter-productive.
> 3) Does it take a service to have an elemental follow you around in astral
> space while you move from one location to the next?
Only if you order it to. Otherwise it'll follow you anyway ;-)
> 4) How hard is it for an elemental to find someone? I've read the rules
> but it seems a bit easy. Case in point: last run was to retrieve a soil
> sample from a desert island in the Pacific. PC sends an air elemental out
> to do it for him. Run circumvented.
Don't forget that a remote service forfeits all the other services the
elemental owes the mage - make sure the player isn't just marking off 1
service. Also, look into the likelihood of the elemental being attacked
while it's away from the mage, and whether or not the target is on the
other side of a ward from the mage.
> 5) Is there any tech out there that would be used as anti-spirit
> measures? You'd think that by now someone would have come up with
> something.
Plenty. Look in MitS. Especially nasty is FAB strain III, which can effect
both the elemental and the mage. Guardian vines can also be
effective. Don't overdo them though - you may find it better to just make
sure that you aren't overpaying the team.
> In response to a couple of the other queries about whether or not wanting
> this behavior to be curbed is appropriate, I'm all for players finding
> ways around things. It's a bit boring however for this PC to have the
> remote solution for any situation plus enough firepower to stop a truck
> by using just one aspect of his powers over and over again. I'm not
> interested in permanently preventing him from doing this, just interested
> in finding ways to make it not be the silver bullet all the time.
The main downside of elementals is the cost. On average, for a mage with
conjuring 6, he'll get one success per summoning for force 6
elementals. This means that by using six at a time, he's effectively
paying 36,000¥ per combat - which shouldn't be viable.
--
Understanding is a three edged sword. Do you *want* to get the point?
http://www.albatross.co.nz/~psycho/ O- -><-
Standard disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this message are unlikely to
be mine, let alone anybody elses...
