I was looking at getting this for my SRM character, but the last paragraph (SM pg. 55) has be worried:



Previously it says that it only cleanses an area that has a permanete source for X amount of time, this new (doesn't work) limitation seems a little harsh. I'll be playing with radom GM's, and my opportunity to use this will not come up much, but when it does I'm afraid either the author (through cheesiness) or GM will just wave off my ability to temporarly Cleanse an area.

What thinks the crowd. Am I missing anything; are there other guidelines somewhere?

GM discretion in a SRM game usually means it won't come up when the GM is a CGL Demo Team GM. Cleansing gets rids of Astral Signatures and faaast and is a gateway to Filtering. If you are in a large area of background count Filtering lets you set up a short term funnel that moves with you where Cleansing is more of a grenade-like effect.

I think cleansing is a good buy for SRM's although Centering and Shielding (and situationally Channeling/Invoking for summoner builds) are stronger choices.

Cleansing also lets your adepts and spirits fight better in an area of background count and for that nothing else will work to restore their lost dice.

Cleansing is nice becuase it lets you just wave your hand and get rid of all your evidence of spellcasting (your astral signatures).
It also lets you take Filtering, which will work on any background count, but just for you - which can be advantageous if you can stick enemies with the penalty and ignore it yourself.

What other metamagics do you have?

I'm initiate level 3, and I have Quickening, Masking, Extended Masking so far. I'm at 175 career karma, so elite level mods only.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'elite level'. Is this a missions thing?

I cant say enough good things about Centering. That and a Centering focus make spamming Armor, Barrier, Area Thought Recognition and Trid Phantasm possible.

Elite level, as in the adventures are going to be authored for players with a lot of karma. It's not going to be a "beat up those gangers b/c....". I mention this, b/c BG counts may appear more often in these types of missions.


Edit: Centering isn't needed, as a mystic adept I don't combat cast. I stab things with a weapon focus.

I am not a fan of quickening but the other 2 are awesome IMO. I like carrying a pack of focuses with me and no one seeing it. I'd go with centering next, I do not like drain. After centering I'd take filtering. As for the permanent source thing I think that is the exception not the rule, most more recent sites of mass murder etc are cleansable. I think you'd have to be at a well known site from today almost a tourist attraction of a bad event level of place for it to apply. I don't think missions usually has you in places like that, and besides occasionally a archetype is supposed to be at a disadvantage in a scenario.

Edit to add NM on the centering part. But I'd take adept centering then.

Yeah, that was my exact thought: "Well, if you're picking up grade 4, that makes Centering rather good, doesn't it?"

But if you're a -mystic- adept, then yeah, you get randomly screwed over by background count, or even a mana static spell. Cleansing's nice, then.

Then Adept Centering and do a lot of called shots. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Is there a reason you Initiated twice for something you could get from one Spirit Pact from chargen?

Huh? What spirit pact does that.

None of them.

There's a pact that lets you pick up a spirit power. There's a power available to free spirits that functions as Masking and Extended Masking--I assume that's what Neraph was referring to.

Also in case it wasn't clear from the first line of my post, you're wrong.

I just read the Free Spirits powers, and I'm not so sure which one of you is wrong. Which power are you referring to?

You mean the one that lasts for 24 houers and maybe possible can be renewed if you can bribe the spirit sufficiantly to do so.
Yeah that one definedly can be taken instead of maskin/great masking (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Yes, I mean the one that you can take and the GM can take away from you if he's a dick. That one.


Aura Masking.

No, its the one you can have for more then 24h if your GM is nice and you spent somethink to bribe the spirit every 24h.

Aura masking costs 3 Power Points, so that is a 15BP quality at least. Why do you think it is so much better than initiate twice for somwhere between 18 and 29 karma?

Because I'm talking about getting a Power Pact and getting it, not playing a Free Spirit.


Yeah, and having access to a spell the spirit otherwise has no way of casting without learning itself is called bribery. No GM except the jerk-iest would actually take it away after 24 hours if the spirit is actually receiving something for it.

None but the most pushover GM ever, would let you keep a pack that lasts 24h a time for forever.

You'd have to negotiate everyday, and how long before the spirit is bored with your spell list? I personally think that only a "dick" of a player would expect to get to use this power everyday from a free spirit that may or may not needs a spell you can cast.



Aura Masking is sustained, so I'd have to walk around with a -2 dice penalty and I'm the perception guy of the group.

1) How about you got it from a Spirit who's out to feed the hungry of the world and you have Sustenance? He comes back to you begging to keep the pact going.

2) Sustaining Powers does not grant a Sustaining Penalty from spells.

EDIT:



You gain the Power, so you'd be under the rules for that Power also.

How about every spirit get's the magician quality, so after he/she/it gains 5 karma is learns Sustenance?

It's a hard-knock world out there. Spirits don't spend Karma using human intelligence, so what makes you think he'd spend it on that spell and not save up for a higher Force? Karma is hard enough to come by without all the additional costs a Spirit needs to stay alive.