 What can Posession Do?, Innovative uses for our new toy |
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 Aug 10 2006, 06:50 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 133 Joined: 8-September 05 Member No.: 7,718  |
What would happen if a spirit of... say... Man, posessed a drone which was as the time being jumped into by a hacker/rigger? Who wold be in controll of the drone? Would the spirit know the drone was actively being controlled from elsewhere? Would the rigger detect somethig was wrong?
While a spirit can posess a gun, the rules say that the spirit can fire the gun and eject the clip but not aim or effect any electronic accessories. What if a spirit with Psychokenesis were to posess a gun? Could the spirit use it's psychokenetic power to "pick itself up" and aim? |
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Aug 10 2006, 07:15 PM
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#2
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
The spirit and the rigger would both be able to control the drone. The spirit has the final say over the drone's physical motion, but the rigger is still in there and can control any of the purely electronic devices. The spirit has no control over nor awareness of the Matrix connection of the drone. So the Rigger still gets to use his Drone as a pair of eyes and as a repeater to hack from. The Spirit won't be able to stop him from doing that or even know it's happening. So the breakdown is the spirit gets full control of the drone's physical motion andhe rigger retains full control of the drone's matrix existence. But you should probably use a Guardian spirit instead of a Spirit of Man. A drone whose physical actions are controlled by a spirit with the Heavy Weapons skill is hilarious.
Nope. The spirit can't even perceive the Matrix actions the drone is performing under its nose.
Absotively, the diagnostics would suggest that the motors were out of control - even a small movement by the spirit would have been outside the parameters ofthe pilot program.
Yes. Note that many spirits with Psychokinesis can also fly (which is a power), and would be able to simply hover themselves around anyway. Air spirits make pretty decent snipers. -Frank |
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Aug 10 2006, 07:28 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 133 Joined: 8-September 05 Member No.: 7,718 |
Frank: Great answers. That was how I was thinking about it as well.
Another question. Can an air-spirit posessed rug function as a magic carpet? :-) |
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Aug 10 2006, 07:51 PM
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#4
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
perhaps for a very light runner, or if the spirit had a very high strength. keeping in mind that str * 5 kg is how much something can carry around, and iirc air spirits don't have very good strength... (i suppose it could carry more for a shorter period of time maybe, but still not very impressive unless you're already pretty lightweight)... |
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Aug 10 2006, 07:54 PM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 168 Joined: 6-August 06 Member No.: 9,033 |
Possesion is tuns of fun and good a scaring your players like having a human who they could have killed in one blow before now able to take no damage from an assault cannon unless they score big. How do you do, for only the price of 47 karma, Initiate twice take channeling and ally spirit, using ordeals, to lower the cost. Than use energy aura and whatever cool powers you can think of. only problem is mana spells, becuase you will resist with only 3 plus counter spelling dice. That is why i dont give out a lot of karma, its very bad for your bad guys's health.
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Aug 10 2006, 07:58 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 451 Joined: 8-May 06 Member No.: 8,533 |
Okay, this makes me want the book very, very badly... just so I can have a mage with a handgun that kills people on its own.
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Aug 10 2006, 08:08 PM
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#7
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
and the people around him will wonder if he is using a troded smartlink or not :P
edit: forgot about the self-hover bit. alltho i guess he may be using telekinesis to hold it up ;) |
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Aug 10 2006, 09:12 PM
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#8
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
Ride dead horses through the NAN.
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Aug 10 2006, 09:16 PM
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#9
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Does possession give skills? Presumably an air spirit possessed gun would be really bad at hitting people.
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Aug 10 2006, 09:17 PM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 834 Joined: 30-June 03 Member No.: 4,832 |
Have spirits posses your enemies commlinks, or their cyberware.
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Aug 10 2006, 09:22 PM
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#11
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
why not just have them possess your enemies?
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Aug 10 2006, 09:23 PM
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#12
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
Possess a lock, and open.
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Aug 10 2006, 10:38 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 834 Joined: 30-June 03 Member No.: 4,832 |
Have them posses an ATM and spit out paper money. It doesn't sound like it would be able to transfer funds to a credstick though.
Have a spirit possess your cheeseburger, mush it's self up and then march down your throat. |
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Aug 10 2006, 10:50 PM
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#14
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
Boy it took you guys long enough to actually come up with a decent use... |
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Aug 10 2006, 10:58 PM
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#15
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,314 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lisbon, Cidade do Pecado Member No.: 185 |
Actually that's one of the things it probably can't do, since a possessing spirit cannot control electronical or digital elements of equipment - just mechanical ones... |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:04 PM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 984 Joined: 15-June 06 Member No.: 8,717 |
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Think of all the crying indians! *tear* |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:14 PM
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#17
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
you mean it can't spit out the bills, or it can't make electronic transfers? |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:27 PM
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#18
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,314 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lisbon, Cidade do Pecado Member No.: 185 |
Let's see... An ATM requires some form of valid ID or accreditation to allow access (or not) between the dispenser and the safe box, that probably has an electronic locking mechanism controlled by the ATMs computer, then there's an electronic shifting mechanism to count out the necessary money, and then the lock mechanism between safe and dispenser chute/conveyer - any and all these things a GM can rule as beyond the control of a Possessing spirit under the rules.
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Aug 10 2006, 11:33 PM
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#19
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
that would mean that a spirit basically can't manipulate most modern technology at all, since almost all of it would require some form of electronic verification to work. possessed cars can't drive themselves, etcetera. obviously, that's not going to make me unhappy, but it seems to run counter to what the rules intended.
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Aug 10 2006, 11:41 PM
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#20
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,314 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lisbon, Cidade do Pecado Member No.: 185 |
That might be from people jumping to conclusions before reading the rules... Possession of innanimate objects was never intended to be an uberpower, in fact it has quite a few built in limitations. How much these actually restrict possession spirits is (you guessed it) up to each group and their GMs. Under the rules Possession spirits are specifically unable to "interface" with a lot of modern technology including AR, DNI, electronics, etc. But a spirit should, for instance, be able to control some cars simply by making their mechanical components move (though an electric car wouldn't be able to tap Gridlink for power or access the system). Same for certain drones. |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:42 PM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 834 Joined: 30-June 03 Member No.: 4,832 |
If the electronic lock has a mechanical stopper to prevent the cash door from opening, couldn't the spirit move the mechanical stopper even if it couldn't understand that it was controlled electronically? Does that mean also that a spirit couldn't unlock a maglock? I would imagine that unless there was a purely electronic blockage (as in, the money spitting device needs and doesn't recieve power unless the ID is verified) it could bypass locking mechanisms. BTW, I haven't gotten the book yet, so I don't actually know the rules, just what's been said in this thread. So I don't mean to be obtuse about the subject. |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:47 PM
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#22
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
why doesn't that apply to ATMs? shovelling cash around is merely a matter of routing power to the correct areas--something a possessing spirit can obviously manage, if it's able to control drones at all; it's not like drones have gas and brake pedals to push, or steering wheels to turn. the fact that those power routings are normally controlled by Matrix commands doesn't factor in at all. |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:49 PM
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#23
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,314 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Lisbon, Cidade do Pecado Member No.: 185 |
This is correct.
Generally speaking if it has moving mechanical parts the possession spirit can animate them. If, however, a lock uses a magnetic mechanism to move the bolt from locked to unlock, the spirit would be unable to control that. |
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Aug 10 2006, 11:52 PM
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#24
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
...huh? why can't it just animate the bolt itself, the way it animates vehicle controls?
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Aug 10 2006, 11:52 PM
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#25
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
That would be a no-go. The spirit's aforementioned inability to access the computer side of things makes possession of the commlink pretty irrelevant. You'd control what? The snap on the carryng case? The clip that hooked it to your opponent's belt? Cyberware is just plain impossible, since it's part of your opponent's aura and not separately targettable by magic. Now, the ATM plan would totally work. It can't give you a valid transaction, nor can it spoof the system to believe that the machine is supposed to be spitting out money. But it can physically open the money cannisters and feed them out. That's probably not what you should be doing with your time, but it would work. Here's the problem: the spirit can't spoof the camera feed, it can't spoof the autopilot on the money or the tamper-sensors on the device. All of these are going to be going off like crazy. As far as the ATM is concerned, someone is ripping it open and taking money out by hand (which, BTW, also works). And so it's busily sending out a distress call and taking mad pictures and posting them to Lonestar. So how is this any better than just taking a monofilament chainsaw to the machine and taking the money? Well, it's no more subtle as far as the folks in Zurich Orbital are concerned, but ieverything looks perfectly normal to everyone standing around in the mall. As far as the security people are concerned, everything loks normal. That means that when the money comes out and the security gets pulled in, it takes a relatively easily Charisma + Con check to make them believe that you're a law abiding consumer and the machine is giving a false alarm. As long as you do this fairly infrequently, you can probably get away with as much as hundreds of nuyen without drawing undue attention to yourself. -Frank |
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