Sorcery and the Mundane, Making the Mundane Enchanted. Options

[Delta56]

Hi there DS. I figured after trying my hand at finally GMing a game of Sr4, I came across a few ideas that I had question on how to make it work within the rules of general acceptance within the SR community.

The jist of it is that a corp makes an item equivalent to a battery to house mana in a gelatinous form, and use it as an alternative power source for weapons akin to the power packs for a laser. (Fluff wise, a strain of Fab3 and GlowMoss blended and infused by a Magician casting spells into the said primordial form to give it, in a sense, a magical charge.) With it, they make an item called a Channeler (read: wand) to have a mundane be able to use spells to a lesser degree of mages. The way I have it worked out so far would be the batteries have X charges (1-30) and the spell's drain uses the charges in the battery. The problem I have, as the GM, figuring how to make it work, be effective yet not game breaking.

So, we have a Powebolt spell, [Drain= (Force/2)+1] in the hands of your average street samurai who thinks of his pistol shaped Channeler as simply a fancy gun. How would you guys say it would work for him pulling the trigger? Does it just fire off in the direction pointed until a certain distance (drain x 10m?) using the Exotic Ranged skill? And if so, what happens if it hits the intended target? How would some one Counter Spell it, or can they? What if they glitch on the roll to fire? Does it explode or just drain the charges like it had shot?

I've been pouring over these ideas, and only come up with a few answers. Since the weapon would be casting a spell, it would take hits with Spellcasting skill, not the weapon skill. I figure if the target's opposed roll like any other firearm, but the extra hits do nothing to increase damage after the hit, since there would be no armor to aid in the resistance I figured it would help to make sure it did not become to unbalanced.

Then we run into the idea of how many charges the shot takes. Using the Powerbolt (formula mentioned above) the minimum charges used would at least be 2 (ranging the damage from 1-3P). Following the models for similar classes of weapons (Heavy Pistols, Sporting Rifles, Heavy Weapons ect), you come to a generalization on damages of 5-6P on pistols, 7-8 on rifles, and 9+ on heavier weapons. So following the formula for Powerbolt, and using the limited numbers of charges in the batteries, the damage curve begins to build up. (Even if changing it to something like lightning bolt, an indirect spell and having them roll to hit with that instead still proves to the same point for the idea.)

The trouble is, following that method, something along the lines of an artillery cannon (like a battleship's main cannon) using up a full 30 charge battery, would end up being 55P, switching to Powerball (Drain=(Force/2)+3) for the idea of artillery. (30 Drain = (Force 55 /2, round down) +3). Knowing the group I have to GM for, putting anything with the potential of that kind of power in the same realm thought. While it could begin a whole new working of thoughts for mana based technology, I wouldn't dare let the players start with that. Whats to stop them, or in retaliation the in game corps, from weaponizing into faster firing weapons of spell destruction?

The trouble is, I know they would enjoy the run, and beg for more (which, that is the idea, right?) just with the images of things happening before them. What do you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance!
D56.


(PS. Yes; I did get the mana battery and weapon idea from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. I figured they wouldn't remember it well enough to have the idea come from there.)