We used karmagen, so he initiated and then raised Magic.


[hubris]I've played this game since it began over 20 years ago and other RPGs long before that. I can min-max with the best of them. I wanted to play a farmer who got pissed off at the corporations, and see what I could do with him. Keeping this guy.. and his dog ... alive will be a challenge worthy of my skills.[/hubris]

As a farmer/shepherd, when he was baling hay, etc. he Boosted STR and BOD. When he was out hunting for supper, he Boosted AGI and REA. All of his Adept Powers, maybe with the exception of Astral Perception, and both Initiations are directly applicable to his farming/shepherding life.

Makes Sense, Pbangarth... Awesome character concept.

"Get ahf mah laaaahn!"

I know. Just pointing out that the linked example has it's own thread. It seems like the beastmaster angle doesn't have a huge number of pitfalls beyond the animal management and survivability, rather it is more creative usage to get the most out of.

Nosferatu is likely the largest danger zone so far.

Haven't heard much in the way of Mystic Adept though, other than having to take Astral Perception as a power.

Ich think survivability is a bigger factor than you might think. You sink a TON of both nuyen and karma in your dog. and it dies pretty easily. if that happens, you can basically start a new character (numbers wise).

haven't really sunk karma into a beasty, yet. Since I am working primarily with paracritters, I hadn't even given the animal attunement much thought until this thread.

However, that being said, I find that running numbers, and gearing the beasts properly (modern K9 unit dogs have Kevlar, there is no reason my wolf the size of a horse can't), that some are remarkably hard to kill, especially if employing fading tactics. Fenrir Wolves have counterspelling as well, which I could handle (I believe) as a group effort if I am covering them too. Any thoughts to increasing their survivability?

Honestly, in terms of the combat-oriented Fenrir Wolves, I am more concerned of losing them to the law than your regular shadowrun fight (regular, not the high-intensity runs).

Hmmmm...

13 karma for Attunement (dog) Power - which can be used for any dog, even the modified ones you might prefer
6 karma for Attuning Jake specifically
13 karma for Empowering the adept powers he has
8 karma for the 20,000 nuyen to buy him

Total: 40 karma, which can be regained in 4 to 8 runs. For me, the fun of playing them is worth the cost.

you can't attune a paracritter. Mundanes only. Much to my sadness.

There's a spell for that: Borrow Sense, page 166, Street Magic. It is still, in my opinion, a suboptimal choice - you'd be better off with Possession/Inhabitation spirits in the animals. You get that psychic connection and it toughens the animal and all that.

But you can attune a mundane biodrone. For a lower Karma cost than a normal critter, too, since the Attunement cost is dependent on the animal's Essence. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)

It's kind of weird that it would be based on Essence. What reason could there be for that?

MAGIC!

What if you bond to an animal then Call a spirit to Inhabit it?

Then you instantly die because Calling is pure evil, only slightly more so than Inhabitation. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

AFAIK, the rules wouldn't have an answer for that? But I feel like the spirit should override everything, only gaining memories and things, not metaphysical bonds.

I'd think that the Bond is something that the spirit gets to use - "all skills and abilities" and all that. Depends on which Merge you get. Maybe a Possession wouldn't have access to it though. But still you'd have the psychic link of it being your Bound spirit.

See, I wouldn't call it an ability of the animal at all. It's an ability of the PC, and a magical state of affairs.

Right, but depending on the merge the spirit gets all of the vessels' abilities, mundane and magical. The ability was initiated by a PC, but the magical effect is fully a part of the animal now.

I was counting on the mental link to spirits to give me most info, and eyes of the pack/borrow senses/spells for the rest. A single attuned animal might be good for long term, but that would be one I would never risk, and put the highest priority on keeping it hidden.

Possession by bigger spirits tends to be pretty easy to spot as "not normal." Is there any way to mitigate this other than the concealment power?

I don't think it is fully a part of the animal at all, see. Yes, it clearly depends on your perspective. Luckily, GMs who allowing Calling and PC-controlled Inhabitation spirits are rare. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) So it doesn't matter.

Aura Masking?

EDIT: No, Realistic Form.

Improved Invisibility or Physical Mask spells may also help, but check with your GM first!

Is this really a way? I am planning on playing a Houngan and would really like that power, but I do not know a way to get my fingers on it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

That's very difficult, but a hougan could pull it off, at least in theory. Calling aside, only ally spirits get Realistic Form, Inhabitation flesh forms get Aura Masking, too. Great forms of Guardian and Task spirits get the endowment power. It's up to the GM wether or not Great forms (Invoking metamagic provided) count as "spirits his tradition can conjure", the FAQ suggests a clear "no". If not, a great form spirit with endowment has do endow the ally spirit with the endowment power (yeah, I know, wonky) who then can pass on his Realistic Form onto other spirits.
Physical Mask (even as an Innate Spell for spirits of man) may be way more easier, if allowed.

Since I possess the Physical Mask spell, I will prefer this one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Thanks anyways.

Actually the FAQ clarified the latter.

Ally spirits can only select from the powers available to your normal non-invoked spirits.

So no great form powers on allies.

Free Spirits, both PC and NPC, can get both Realistic Form and Aura Masking.