Street Magic: Material Linking, What does it do? Options

[phasmaphobic]

The section on plain material linking in Street Magic seems a bit incomplete. Textwise, it is almost a distinct copy-paste of the section from Magic in the Shadows. However, I think it is missing some tables and modifiers.

Using the SR4 rules, how exactly does material linking work? Without any other description on the process, I am led to believe it is the writers' intentions to have it work exactly the same as the normal process, and that is just too powerful.

In short, the books says :yeah you can do this" but never actually tells you how. It gives modifiers and thresholds for sympathetic and symbolic links, but what about plain old material links?

[Mr. Unpronouncea...]

From the wording, a material link simply replaces the need for one of the ritual's magicians (or his spirit) to act as a spotter.

A material link could also be used in conjuction with a spotter to astrally track a mundane (something that wasn't really possible in the base rules - since it required an astrally active (i.e. spell, lodge, focus or spirit) target.)

[phasmaphobic]

It seems all right, but something about it rubs me wrong. I like the concepts of material linking, but I don't think it should be anywhere near this easy.

[Slithery D]

One shot use of material links (they're destroyed during casting) will limit much abuse. Just make up some minimum volume or some aura unity of sample rule so they can't subdivide a splash of blood or a clump of hair into a dozen individual links.

Taboos against disposing of hair/blood/fingernails/etc. should be pervasive. Magic may be this mysterious force that most people never really encounter, but you can bet Supercuts sweeps all of the cut hair into some sort of furnance, and you don't want to get a nurse going about all of the paperwork she has to fill out to prove compliance with the relevant disposal laws every time she draws blood...

[phasmaphobic]