From:	"Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject:	More Shapeshifting
Date:	Sat, 13 Feb 93 00:38:59 CET

No David,
I think your the one who's not getting the point. Not that I want to single
you out or anything, but your the only one who seems to think you need some type
of degree to use the Shapeshift spell. It seems like you want to limit the
spell to such a degree that it would be useless, at least for hermetics. Buy
the reasoning you use most spells would be impossible to use unless you had
precise knowledge of the subject at hand.
Remember that the prime function of magic is to do things that are not
normally possible. Turning the human body into an animal is one of those. It's
magic, you don't need to know exactly how its done. It just is.
Besides hermatic magicians are nearly as technically oriented as you make them
sound. To qoute Grimoire II:
Way of the Mage (Page 15)
Pundits often refer to the hermatic tradition of magic as "magic as science".
This description is both true and false. True because mages apply scientific
standards to their magic, and false because hermetic magic is much more than
just a discipline of science.
In closing I would like to say that if you find the Shapechange spell to be
to powerful for your campaign, why don't you save yourself and you mages the
trouble and just ban the spell. There will still be Critter form for people
that want to change into animals.

See Ya in Shadows,
Jason J Carter
The Nightstalker