 Finding magical potential., Why don't they just use assensing? |
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 Nov 19 2006, 04:58 PM
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#1
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Dragon  Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019  |
I'm sure that mages can detect when somebody has potential. Why don't the private schools just have astrally projecting mages scan everybody for about 5 minutes?
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Nov 19 2006, 05:05 PM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 668 Joined: 15-February 05 From: Ontario, Canada Member No.: 7,086 |
Takes an extraordinary number of successes. 3rd ed, 5, if memory serves.
So, what you end up with is "This person will awaken, everyone else, couldn't tell you".. since you can't definitively say "No" under most circumstances. Because you don't necessairily know if you've only got 4 successes, or the all-important 5. If my numbers are off, shift them down slightly.. it's still very unlikely. |
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Nov 19 2006, 05:11 PM
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#3
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 |
I see.
It's like trying to spot a mite from 10 feet away? |
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Nov 19 2006, 07:45 PM
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#4
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
assensing doesn't always work, not even with 5+ successes. no test available always works. that said, the private schools probably do test for magical ability--early and often. they just don't always succeed in detecting it.
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Nov 19 2006, 11:20 PM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,640 Joined: 6-June 04 Member No.: 6,383 |
I always thought that assenssing was a little too powerful. Makes it too easy to tell right away who's a toxic mage and who isn't. Oh well.
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Nov 19 2006, 11:26 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 668 Joined: 4-September 06 Member No.: 9,304 |
Any mage who has even the smallest amount of power, will probably have masking as a metamagic technique, so that you can't tell what kind of 6th world being he/she is.
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Nov 19 2006, 11:50 PM
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#7
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,640 Joined: 6-June 04 Member No.: 6,383 |
But that's not really foolproof. If someone keeps checking him for long enough he'll probably roll what he needs to figure the truth out. |
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Nov 20 2006, 12:47 AM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
If played to strengths, the toxic mage is either: masked, in a background count (+ to assense TNs), or in the process of ordering his toxic water elemental to sludge you while you are busy guessing at his tradition. |
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Nov 20 2006, 01:05 AM
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#9
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Free Spirit Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,948 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Bloomington, IN UCAS Member No.: 1,920 |
It has been stated a few times that magical ability expresses at around puberty. So some budding mages may be late bloomers.
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Nov 20 2006, 01:48 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 199 Joined: 11-September 05 Member No.: 7,729 |
Another reason to not use Assensing is that using it severely limits the number of people who can make money off of spotting future magicians. You hire a mage to detect potential magicians, you have to pay him/her to do it. But in SR there are whole companies that do nothing but test for magical potential (sort of like the College Board corporation and the SATs). You go in, do a bunch of tests, and they can tell you whether you're Awakened in six-to-eight weeks. This process employs alot more people, and lets mundanes break into the otherwise-closed magical services market. And since they rely on a scientific process, rather than magic, they can standardize and (usually) guarantee their results.
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Nov 20 2006, 02:19 AM
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#11
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
Emphasis mine.
And some metahumans have expressed as early as 8. As with many things magical, your results may vary. However, there has been in SR for a long time something called the Dumas test, which is administered to all SINner children (in the UCAS and CAS, anyway) with a mostly accurate, but open to pretty egregious false negatives, result. |
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Nov 20 2006, 03:04 AM
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#12
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,008 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Passive masking is only useful if initiates are rare. If initiates are not rare (like, say, any mage with even the smallest amount of power being one), passive masking is barely useful. ~J |
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Nov 20 2006, 03:09 AM
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#13
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,512 Joined: 16-August 03 From: Northampton Member No.: 5,499 |
I always wondered what sort of reading a masked mage would give off, has to be something doesn't it? do you pick the reading? Otherwise the very fact that you can't be read gives away the fact you a mage. At least to half competent people anyway.
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Nov 20 2006, 03:16 AM
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#14
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
i assume it displays whatever you want it to display.
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Nov 20 2006, 04:07 AM
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#15
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Shadowrun Setting Nerd Group: Banned Posts: 3,632 Joined: 28-June 05 From: Pissing on pedestrians from my electronic ivory tower. Member No.: 7,473 |
I imagine it masks your aura as that of a mundane or a person with less magical power.
Oh, hey. Look at that. Even Steve Kenson agrees with me. |
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Nov 20 2006, 04:07 AM
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#16
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
The person using Masking chooses how they want their Aura to appear. It can be anything from totally mundane, to an non-Initiate, all the way up to twice the Initiate's grade (IIRC). |
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Nov 20 2006, 05:39 AM
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#17
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,512 Joined: 16-August 03 From: Northampton Member No.: 5,499 |
Cool i suspected as much. Just means that if your a mage and you get angry, better remember to make your aura angry too, otherwise your spotted (Assuming someone is assensing you of caurse)
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Nov 20 2006, 06:08 AM
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#18
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
I believe that Masking only has an effect on the magical bits of your Aura. I don't know that you can use it to alter emotional content (but I don't think it would be necessary either), or other kinds of details.
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Nov 20 2006, 06:18 AM
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#19
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,512 Joined: 16-August 03 From: Northampton Member No.: 5,499 |
Oh. I just remember reading something in Corperate punishment about Banshee and her suffering from self loathing if you pierce her masking. Thought the opposite would be true (of sorts). |
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Nov 20 2006, 06:26 AM
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#20
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
In that case, you may very well be right. Even if that is the case though, I still don't believe that the 'Mask' requires constant fine tuning to adapt it to your actual emotions. |
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Nov 20 2006, 06:51 AM
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#21
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,512 Joined: 16-August 03 From: Northampton Member No.: 5,499 |
Granted most of the time it would be irrelevant, just wondering if it would be possible to "catch out" an initiate if the emotion was extreme enough.
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Nov 20 2006, 09:19 AM
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#22
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Magical potential often Awakens via spontaneous summoning or casting in a dangerous or stressful situation. Therefore, the most reliable way to test for magical potential is to place a candidate into a deathtrap that could easily be defeated with magic.
If they Awaken then they are perfectly safe. If not then there is one less mundane in the world. |
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Nov 20 2006, 09:31 AM
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#23
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,526 Joined: 9-April 06 From: McGuire AFB, NJ Member No.: 8,445 |
Evolve or die, huh?
I'm pretty sure the population wouldnt put up with that for very long, considering how many of them are still weary of magic in general. |
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Nov 20 2006, 01:52 PM
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#24
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,008 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
According to MitS, you can. See the section James quoted. ~J |
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Nov 20 2006, 02:08 PM
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#25
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
See the post(s) immediately below the one you quoted where I already admitted as much. ;) |
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