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 Targeting an active focus from the astral |
 Mar 15 2007, 12:23 AM
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#1
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Target  Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 6-March 06 Member No.: 8,337  |
I remember in the 2nd and third edition rules there was a way that an astrally projecting or perceiving mage could cast a spell at an active focus or spell lock from the astral and have it burn out the focus or spell lock and affect the physical world. Even an area spell could be targeted on the focus but it would have an effect in the physical world. I can't seem to find anything like this in fourth edition or on the boards. Does anyone remember this and still use it? I always thought it was an awesome deterrent to mages running around with tons of foci active with armor or levitate or increase reflexes or worse, all three.....
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Mar 15 2007, 12:24 AM
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#2
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
Long gone.
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Mar 15 2007, 12:27 AM
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#3
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 6-March 06 Member No.: 8,337 |
That was an awesome rule, I wonder what the rationale was for ditching it?
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Mar 15 2007, 12:42 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 668 Joined: 4-September 06 Member No.: 9,304 |
Probably because it was way to easy for runners to have an unwitting victim go into a building with a level 1 sustaining focus active, and then pump a large spell into it and take out all the guards from astral.
And other such abuse. |
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Mar 15 2007, 01:23 AM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
yeah, that's been gone since 3rd edition...
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Mar 15 2007, 01:23 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
It also made foci too dangerous to use. The game designers wanted foci to be a way to get rid of the mages money. Then nobody used them.
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Mar 15 2007, 01:33 AM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
You can however still target the foci and destroy it. Just not affect the Physical plane.
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Mar 15 2007, 02:30 AM
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#8
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 6-March 06 Member No.: 8,337 |
I'll have to look in to the rules for that then. I guess it's just a judgement call on how much damage it takes to destroy a focus depending on what the focus is.
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Mar 15 2007, 02:40 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 668 Joined: 4-September 06 Member No.: 9,304 |
I don't think you can destroy the focus, but you can disrupt it, so that it cannot be used for a bit, but only if it was active when you attacked from astral.
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Mar 15 2007, 03:56 AM
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#10
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
I assume that you assign the focus a barrier and armor rating like any other object you wish to apply damage to.
You hit it with a manabolt and you do physical damage to it. It takes that damage just like anything else and can be destroyed. There are rules for when you can target a focus from astral, how a focus resists spells, and how objects take damage. It all seems to add up to a smooshed focus. |
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Mar 15 2007, 03:31 PM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,333 Joined: 19-August 06 From: Austin Member No.: 9,168 |
That was indeed the bestest rule.
And I think its absence goes a long way towards the "mages are so overpowered zomg!" arguments. When your mage can have 3-4 active, rank 3 foci, they get better real quick. |
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Mar 15 2007, 03:38 PM
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#12
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Cybernetic Blood Mage Group: Members Posts: 3,472 Joined: 11-March 06 From: Northeastern Wyoming Member No.: 8,361 |
Until you smite them with Foci Addiction...
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Mar 16 2007, 08:18 PM
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#13
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Man Behind the Curtain Group: Admin Posts: 14,868 Joined: 2-July 89 From: End of the Yellow-Brick Road Member No.: 3 |
Arrgghhh... So much for "plinking" the foci of mages... That was the best defense for security mages on astral patrol....
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Mar 16 2007, 09:48 PM
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#14
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...I really miss grounding. I really do.
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Mar 16 2007, 09:55 PM
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#15
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,863 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
KK beat me to it. It was called Grounding. And the new foci addiction doesn't do half what last editions versions did. The lack of these two rules IMO have let foci get a lot stronger. That along with sustaining foci being spell category and not for a specific spell. I still use grounding to level the field a bit. Works well for me.
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Mar 16 2007, 10:05 PM
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#16
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...I think I will do the same. Too many runners getting rich off of NPC foci that are needed to counter the PCs with foci.
"...we cannot afford to have a magic focus gap." |
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Mar 17 2007, 01:24 AM
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#17
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
I find that destroying expensive and expensive to bind foci is quite enough a deterrent to over use. Your players only have to lose 8 to 12 Karma once to become very very careful when and where they light one up.
So you can't damage their neighbor now, not that big a loss IMO. |
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Mar 17 2007, 02:56 PM
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#18
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 6-March 06 Member No.: 8,337 |
Yes! You're right, and I had forgotten that sustaining foci had to be purchased for a specific group of spells. Grounding is back in my game as well...
Thanks for all the feedback. |
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Mar 18 2007, 03:05 AM
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#19
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Man Behind the Curtain Group: Admin Posts: 14,868 Joined: 2-July 89 From: End of the Yellow-Brick Road Member No.: 3 |
Grounding is casting a physical spell on a foci and having it take effect at the location of the physical aspect of the foci... Plinking is attacking active foci and killing it. Sustaining foci were the best... increased reflexes and the like... :grinbig:
I absolutely agree... Mages can be a lot more careless and have lost a signifigant amount of their liability factor... |
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Mar 18 2007, 04:20 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 458 Joined: 28-March 05 From: NA/UCAS/IN/ Member No.: 7,246 |
The old "grounding" rule was the number one reason why none of my spell-tossers ever had even one focus. Since it's gone in 4th ed and we now have sustaining foci, I could see loading up on at least 5 of the things, one for each spell category.
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Mar 18 2007, 04:32 AM
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#21
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Cybernetic Blood Mage Group: Members Posts: 3,472 Joined: 11-March 06 From: Northeastern Wyoming Member No.: 8,361 |
And if the Foci were used most of the time I'd say that is a classic case of Severe Foci Addiction, -6 to all Addiction Tests, Drain Tests, and to the tests to resist using your Foci even when you don't have to.
And to top it all off, you aren't very far away from burning out all of your Magic. At least to me it seems alot more balanced then having one active Focus serving as a ground to roast the entire party with no chance of being able to return fire. |
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Mar 18 2007, 02:33 PM
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#22
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Man Behind the Curtain Group: Admin Posts: 14,868 Joined: 2-July 89 From: End of the Yellow-Brick Road Member No.: 3 |
Hogwash.. That's like saying we all have a car addiction. We use our cars all the time becuase they are the right tool for the job.. To get us from point A to point B in the fastest manner possible.. |
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Mar 18 2007, 02:55 PM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 22-June 06 Member No.: 8,764 |
Yeah, but cars don't have a mystical link with our inner spiritual essences. If you had to bind a car and it melded with your innermost being, I'd be afraid to commute like I do. |
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Mar 18 2007, 02:58 PM
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#24
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
riiight... so you've never seen someone living in a trailer with a vehicle (or two) that probably costs almost as much as the trailer out front? :D in all seriousness, most people that i know actually use their cars for far more than is really required. i wouldn't say the addiction is to cars, however, so much as it is to laziness. i mean, watch sometime... people will just barely miss an elevator and wait 5 minutes for it to come back so they can get to the second floor, instead of using the stairs :P |
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Mar 18 2007, 04:26 PM
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#25
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Man Behind the Curtain Group: Admin Posts: 14,868 Joined: 2-July 89 From: End of the Yellow-Brick Road Member No.: 3 |
Now that I subscribe to.. People are, by their nature, lazy and the way to combat laziness is a disciplined mind (ergo willpower). Psychological addictions are in that same category, like laziness, a character defect rather than mental defect or disease.
Point taken. Ok, now the question is... How do you rate and balance this to cyberware? With bioware/cyberware you have essence to limit this and provide some measure of game balance. What is the frequency of foci use the cause addiction? How does willpower, magic rating and foci rating affect this? |
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