 Good Freaking Gods! Levitation Amazement. |
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 Jun 25 2006, 08:51 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585  |
This may be rather funny for you lot out there in the shadowrealms, but my players and I don't tend to do the whole "Yay, my mage sets fire to the whole building" thing too much. (Honestly, we don't. Not anymore. Much.)
But it's that time again (Downtime) and a few of the Mages are digging out the Spell formulae and design library..Including the GMPC (Mine) :eek: So, what was my reaction when I FINALLY reread the description for Levitate? My understanding of the spell is (Magic attribute) x spell success [up to spell level/force cast] = movement rate m/turn. Tell me that this is a typo, because another players' troll mage with lev 3 initiation is probabily going to buy some tights and a cape and seriously mess with the rest of the team. Female Troll. Charisma 5. Probable speed of 27m/turn. GOD -Tir |
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Jun 25 2006, 09:04 AM
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#2
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
So she has a level 27 levitate spell? Or is the spell success limited to force level? Its been a while since I did math that involved punctuation.
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Jun 25 2006, 09:18 AM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585 |
Troll Mage, starting magic 6. Initiation 3 times. = Magic 9. Cast force 3 Levitation. 9 x 3 = 27m/turn, right? Quotation time
Page 197, SR Core Rules 3.
I read that as the maximum multiplier would be that of the spell's force. Not the maximum speed = spell's force. Clarification, please? -Tir. |
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Jun 25 2006, 10:01 AM
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#4
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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 |
The number of successes applicable is capped at spell Force, just like with all the other spells where n successes matter. So, even if they get 5 successes on a Force 3 spell, it tops out at 3, and the movement is 27m/s.
And 27mpt for Levitate isn't that impressive. Don't forget to add a couple of high Force Wind Spirits to use their Movement and Guard powers so that the mage really can play Superman. A Force 6 spirit will increase your mage's velocity from 27mpt to 162mpt (Travelling at 194.4kph/121.5mph is why you want the second spirit using Guard). Plus being an Initiate doesn't trump getting a high Force spell in the first place if you're really serious. A starting mage with Levitate at Force 6 and good rolls will be moving 33% faster than your Grade 3 Initiate (and so when she does get to Grade 3, she'll be twice as fast as your concept mage). |
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Jun 25 2006, 11:14 AM
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#5
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
Meters/trun turns into km/h like this:
* 20 turns in a minute * 60 minutes in a hour /1000 meters in a kilometer so 27 m/turn * 20 * 60 /1000 = 32.4 km/h, really not that fast. Now, a magic 6 magic, w/ 4 levels of initiation and a force 4 power focus maxing out a focre 6 levitate looks like (14*6): 84 m/turn = still only 100.8 km/h, hardly scorching the air. Of course, as a spirits movement power and things can get out of hand... |
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Jun 25 2006, 03:51 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 573 Joined: 23-July 03 From: outside America Member No.: 5,015 |
Similar things involving Levitate/Gecko have been discussed before.
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Jun 25 2006, 08:32 PM
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#7
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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 |
Yeah... I was using the actual calculation that is given in SR3, like an idiot, rather than wasting precious braincells. |
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Jun 25 2006, 10:37 PM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
Notice that 20 * 60 / 1000 = 1.2, the exact value listed in the book.
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Jun 26 2006, 03:04 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585 |
Thanks for the replies, people. It's good to know that I wasn't reading it weird, it IS weird. :)
Level 8 initiate with an "easy" level 5 Levitate = 70m/turn, or ~23.3m/sec. Or 82k/hour. "I'm gonna sell ma Dodge Papoose!" Now, all I have to do is find a truckload of money for the Sustain Foci (Stealth 5), Sustain Foci (Improved Invisibility 6) and Sustain Foci (Silence 3), roll more than 6 successes for levitation and I've got a magical organic stealth bomber. :rotfl: I'm very sure the nice people who wrote this spell did not expect it to be used that way... -Tir. (No mention of the gecko-mage with the backpack sentry-gun.) Ps: No, I'm NOT going to wheel out any weird stuff like that. Not in my game, I'm not. -T. |
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Jun 26 2006, 03:59 AM
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#10
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Target Group: Members Posts: 56 Joined: 17-June 04 Member No.: 6,409 |
Probably not since they wrote in Legality limits, spell signatures and magical patrols by Watcher spirits and astrally active magicians. All your spells are illegal or require a permit. All your spells and you can be easily seen in astral space. All your spells leave your astral signature. You draw some attention. When you actually commit a crime, a magician will likely try to obtain your astral signature. Now every time you go flying about, there is a chance he will match your signature. You are one step closer to being caught. |
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Jun 26 2006, 04:12 AM
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#11
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
Check out the altitude limitations on levitate, the manasphere goes up to something like 100 miles. Strap into a space suit and go get your astonaut's wings.
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Jun 26 2006, 11:02 AM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585 |
Level 8 initiate. Masking and Cleansing. Hello Mana Static, Sterilise and Manaball 7 :) All without a foci. "But that der's jerst pointless braggin'" (I'm having fun here, do not make me think too much) Sure an astrally-active magician will cry foul, go straight to jail, do not collect :nuyen: 200, but unless someone is pumping karma into watchers, I'm going to doubt that they will figure out that a flying mundane is something to worry too much about. Shamen have it easier for the "Nightwing Bombing Reinactment" though, with the varied Spirit powers, etc. Gee, now there's an idea for the tinfoil-hat team. Crusher Bob, GREAT idea. Just wear a decent set of mil-grade armour with enviroseal and oxygen, a portable computer hooked up to a GPS (for speed, velocity, etc) and then try for an sub-orbital insertion...across the damned ocean. Hell, with a couple of Force 7 spirits/elementals you could hook an across-the-pole corner shot from Seattle to Downtown Tokyo without the TN's ratcheting up too highly. Imagine the bragging rights to that one. "Yeah, this one time, I sent our entire team, including the Trolls, into Japan. Via Space." -Tir |
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Jun 26 2006, 02:48 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 573 Joined: 23-July 03 From: outside America Member No.: 5,015 |
Just gotta hope (a) you don't collide with a ward while travelling that fast (b) the magician doesn't collide with a pigeon and lose concentration on sustaining the spell © you don't pass by a Trickster Free Spirit who uses its Sorcery to dispell your levitate while high high above the earth. Doesn't Cleansing require you to spend a period of time in a location in order to affect an area of merely a few cubic metres? If you are flying via Levitate/Movement and stopping to perform a Cleansing every few metres to cover your tracks... you're going to make very slow progress. Just get Invoking and ask a Spirit to do it for you.
Don't forget you'll need # team members * 14 karma to bind the foci too.
Unless you actually meant you were going to get a single Sustaining Focus (Stealth 5), a single Sustain Focus (Improved Invisibility 6) and a single Sustain Focus (Silence 3). You cannot talk about "a foci" in the same way you cannot talk about "a pigeons", "this data", "an errata", "one criteria". These are all irregular plurals (well, except for pigeon). Their singulars are focus, datum, erratum and criterion respectively. |
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Jun 26 2006, 09:35 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585 |
It's called "Cut & paste laziness". And for a better example, Cactus/Cactii. :grinbig: <Cue: Dr Evil voice> And throw me a frikin bone here, I'm trying to encourage someone more foolish than myself to say during their next game, "Hey, I've got an idea. Who's got military armour with enviroseal..." :spin: Uh, an aside for a moment. Didn't someone suggest implanting an Ares Redline into a Megladon once? Now, that's wrong. And for Invoking, after initiating 8 times, you'd expect more than just Masking and Clensing... Although for the 8th level, it was "Alter Astral Sig." And THAT was a lucky roll. (6+8 = 14, min 2 successes to change trail. Ouch. 14 dice had never looked so few.) -Tir A GM injecting Darwin into throwaway suggestions since 2003. |
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Jun 26 2006, 09:50 PM
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#15
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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 |
Improved Invisibility doesn't stop radar. Radar + Levetation can be very bad.
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...=13052&hl=gnome |
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Jun 26 2006, 11:29 PM
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#16
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
Very wrong, a Redline is a hand held weapon and megaladons are larger than most land vehicles. You really need to start with the Firelance and probably go into some custom larger laser weapon. |
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Jun 26 2006, 11:48 PM
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#17
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
What was it that was said about leaving the manasphere and trying to use any magic whatsoever? Oh yeah, don't. |
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Jun 27 2006, 12:02 AM
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#18
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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 |
All you need to cast in space are Filtering and Centering. You may also want Sacrificing for an extra safety net.
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Jun 27 2006, 12:09 AM
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#19
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
How long is that trip going to take at those speeds?
How long can YOU concentrate on something without screwing up? |
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Jun 27 2006, 07:25 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 573 Joined: 23-July 03 From: outside America Member No.: 5,015 |
My suggestion was that if you want to cleanse away the trail you leave as you Levitate internationally, it would take you a month to do it yourself. On the other hand, if you have Invoking and can summon Greater Spirits of the Elements, you can get them to do the Cleansing, cleaning up after you're long gone. |
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Jun 27 2006, 12:35 PM
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#21
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
A trail of greater elementals behind you might draw attention. :)
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Jun 27 2006, 03:22 PM
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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 |
This assume that levitation leaves an astral signiture where you go. It may just leave the signiture what it was first cast and on the target.
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