Altering spirits Options

[ruknabard]

So I've been entertaining ideas of altering the listed spirits and spirit types listed in the SR 4 core book and Street Magic. Not for any reason other than that I'm tweaking certain aspects of SR4 to fit in with my long running fantasy campaign...

To be truthful, it's because I love the system, the mechanics are sleek and they fit well with my conception of my little homebrew game world.

The only problem presented so far has been wtih spirits, for reasons far too complicated to mention here, I will not go into detail.

My question is:
Is there some sort of balance issued I'd be upsetting if I changed up some spirits names and stats to better fit my world's cosmology? Would this upset some sort of delicate mechanic I have yet to observe about the game design?

[Jaid]

you're supposed to change names. it's one of those things you do. naturally, changing the name is going to have pretty much no effect whatsoever on game balance.

as far as changing stats, that depends on what you want to change. if you are going to add on +10 to a spirit's reaction, that is obviously bad :P if you just want to add a point to str and bod but remove a point of agi and rea, then not likely a problem. basically, you'd have to either be more specific for anything more specific in terms of an answer... right now, all i can say is "maybe"

[Fortune]

[ruknabard]

Yeah...I realize now how vague I was being...

Seeing as how I'm at work, its hard to type and pay attention to customers at the same time...clearly I'm a dedicated employee..

Well the alterations Im going to make to the stats are something of a mystery at the moment, given I dont have the core book in front of me, but I can give a short break down of spirit types I'm trying to assemble.

First a prelude:
The game world I run is based a fairly strict cosmology that I set up myself. The game is very elementally (read: earth, wind, water, fire.) with their being 6 planets in the entirety of the solar system/universe. One planet is the setting for the game, another the moon around which all other planets revolve. The four other planets are all elementally themed, respectively. The life-giving planet draws energy for each of the planets, and their revolution around the life giving planet (which revolves around the moon) grants the life-giving planet their energies. Because of an eliptical orbit, the planets wax and wane in their portion of granted power in relation to distance from the life giving planet.

Thats actually the short explanation...here comes the meaty part of the metaphysics: Because of this revolving act, the planets are a vaild means of measuring the astrologically perscribed behaviors in individuals. The satellite planets (SPs) raidate their energy to the life-giving planet (LGP) invisibly through ley lines...this elemental energy is known generically as Ether. The conduits which they travel through, and consequently determines the behavior and physical form of all Ether is a sort of barrier element known as Aether. The flip side to these elemental material energies is the Nether they transmit. Nether is simply the energy's psychology (and hence its ability to impact the personalities born when a planet is "in power" during their birth month). Pure Nether and admixtures of Nether energy interact to create behaviors and personality traits associated with the corresponding elemental energy...Those born under the sign of fire are typically passionate and tend to be charismatic; those born to Earth are stubbron or persevering...et alt.

Since I'm still playing with ideas for spirit types, I dont have a lot of hard rule-mongering on paper quite yet. Essentially what I'm looking to do is sort of divide the use of spirits between two types of caster that use the Elemental (Ether) type spirits or the Soul type (Nether spirits) and some unique traditions that combine the use of both.

What I'm looking at so far are: (all subject to change)
Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Aether spirits for the Elemental casters

Various behavior Souyl-type spirits, like Passion based on common perception of elemental related psychology and astrology.

Reason why I gave such a large explantion is that I could probably use a bit of help dreaming up other corresponding spirits for the Nether flip-side of elements. Figure this is the best place to get a varied set of strong opinions.

[fistandantilus4....]

so are you looking for something more liek the Earthdawn divide, Elementals, and "Ally" spirits?

So you've got Earth, Air, Fire ,Water, and Plant

And Guidance, Guardian, Man, Task, and Beast

[Garrowolf]

Ok I'm still a little vague but see if this helps out any. Why not have set levels for spriits. Like smalle medium and large force ratings. Then you can have the force go up and down with your astrology. This one gets a +3 on this time and this other get -1, etc.

[Crusader]

Probably possessing and manifesting spirits would suit your game world well for nether and ether spirits, respectively.

I would like to hear more about your setting, as I love the shadowrun system and would like to import it into a fantasy setting.

Unfortunately I think it's pretty problematic, due to the game balance issue between magic and technology, take tech out and magic becomes unstoppable.

How have you done it??

[ixombie]

It sounds like a Final Fantasy game. Interesting choice to use SR4 as a ruleset for it 8)

[ruknabard]

Well, I chose SR because, well, if you haven't seen other posts of mine...I'm a bitter ex DnD player.

I prefer RPG systems that keep a level of realism to their fantasy...Frankly, I think that in SR player charcter mortality is high risk, and I think that other systems cause players to do rediculously stupid things based on their lack of a fear of death...I just think it cheapens role playing to something like Playstation on paper. So yeah, I'm a fan of dramatic games.

As far as the conversion goes, its actually not lacking as severely as I once thought, the removal of cyberware and hacking is overshadowed by the fact that every charcter in the world is capable of awakening...the readdition of aspected magicians has made this easier to cope with and reflect. I did have to offer some incentive to characters that decide to remain mundane, so I've worked in some weapons and armor upgrading systems that allow mundanes to keep pace and keep occupied.

Now...far as the spirits go, I was going to sort of divide off the Ether and Nether spirits as summoning and posession traditions respectively, but there will be a few traditions that blur the lines. My thoughts in renaming them was that I could make it more tightly fit the cosmology I've brewed up and gave a surprisingly short synopsis of (not sarcasm).

The trouble so far as been giving a name and nature to the nether type spirits which are essentially the psychological mirrior image to the elemental spirits...as far as Aether spirits go, I kind of imagine them as something of an animus spirit...like the elemental of life or time, a cohesive bonding force that unifies the other elements but lacks definition without them.

The waxing and waning of spirit powers is actually something i've thought of as a seasonal event, I'm waiting to rule that in after i finish the spirit types though...
I was thinking that I would handle it more like a world wide mana aspecting resulting in the similar +1, +2 so on and so forth that Garrowwolf proposed...To be helpful, the world runs on a 12 month calendar, with every 3 months seeing a satellite planet "zenith" to the height of its power, i think justifying a +1 or +2.
I've a piece of paper in front of me here at work..and I'm still trying to work out the nether spirits to see if this is something I can run with, but I'm still very open to suggestions.

[Crusader]

I know exactly where you are coming from, as I played the other game a lot and I am thoroughly sick of the lack of sense a setting makes once u obliterate the chance of death.

(Like: The king has been assassinated !!111!!
So? Why don't u just rez him, costs only like 20k as a special offer in the temple next town)

But as to the incentive of playing mundanes, why don't u just steal that part from the other game ™ and allow magical arms and armor (quickened enhance strength or armor anyone??).

Then just make up a story why mages can't or shouldn't wear armor and off u go!
:)