Hedge Magic, Optional Rules for Mundane Characters |
Hedge Magic, Optional Rules for Mundane Characters |
Apr 29 2007, 09:37 PM
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#1
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
Recently I updated my Mundane Magic page. It is interesting to note how as the editions have advanced how things have changed. It used to be that a mundane character with enough time and karma could almost become a poor man's mage...if they had access to the Astral, that is. Depending on the power level of your game, a mundane character picking up a little bit of magical skill here and there might even the edge between mundane characters and their Awakened counterparts. So what follows are some Optional Rules that gamemasters could choose to implement in their game.
Optional Rule: Mundane Assensing Gamemasters may choose to allow non-Awakened characters to spend time and Karma to develop the Assensing Skill. The character does not gain the ability to astrally perceive or project, but if they do gain access to the Astral, they can use their Assensing Skill in the same way as any Awakened character. Jenny Greentusks, Occult Detective takes a deep breath before stepping into the astral shallow, one of the permanent remnants of Hong Kong's magical past. It's hard to tell if the physical just got dimmer, or if the Astral is just so vibrant it looks dark by comparison. Jenny steels herself and takes the medallion from the murder scene. In the astral, the focus glows. She knows what to look for... Optional Rule: Mundane Astral Combat Gamemasters may choose to allow non-Awakened characters to spend time and Karma to develop the Astral Combat Skill. The character does not gain the ability to astrally perceive or project, but if they do gain access to the Astral, they can use their Astral Combat Skill in the same way as any Awakened character. Somewhere behind her, Jenny Greentusks body sits in an astral rift. Right in front of her is the fire spirit that a stupid student summoned to impress his girlfriend. Six deaths in the an apartment fire later, and here she is. One astral fist raised, Jenny gives a tusky grimace. "You can run, but you can't hide." Optional Rule: Mundane Conjuring Gamemasters may choose to allow non-Awakened characters to spend time and Karma to develop the Binding Skill. A mundane character with these skills can only use them to bind free spirits, following the rules provided in Street Magic. Outside the ritual circle, Greentusks calls out a name...and something answers. She can feel its presence. The binding chant comes smoothly, a rush of syllables that shape air, shape thought, shape magic...and then Jenny knows, with certainty, that the spirit is hers. Only for three tasks, maybe, but that'll be enough. Optional Rule: Mundane Enchanting Gamemasters may choose to allow non-Awakened characters to spend time and Karma to develop the Enchanting Skill. A mundane character with this skill can refine raw reagents into refined reagents, and craft fetishes and ritual materials. In her apartment, Jenny takes her knife to the polished bone she bought from the lore store, shaving off splinters one at a time, glancing from time to time at the image on the open data terminal in front of her. She needed to get the talisman right if it was going to work. Optional Rule: Poor Man's Magician Gamemasters may choose to allow non-Awakened characters with Magical Skills to take the following Positive and Negative Qualities that are normally restricted to Awakened characters, with the appropriate changes as noted: Positive Qualities
Negative Qualities
Somewhere back in the meatworld, Old Bones comes across the sedate form of an female ork, an amulet of bone laying between her breasts. A glance at the Astral shows that her spirit has gone travelling, no doubt the work of the spirit hovering over her and maintaining the astral gate. With wrinkled fingers he snaps the amulet from Jenny's neck...caught far away, Greentusks mutters a silent fuck. Optional Rule: Smoke From Heaven Gamemasters may choose that Deepweed forces all characters, mundane and Awakened, to astrally perceive. Take a hit of that voodoo shit Astral trippin' Astral trippin' Emotion pollution from Gaea's tit Astral trippin' Astral trippin' --The Ballad of Jenny Greentusks |
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Apr 29 2007, 10:37 PM
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#2
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
I like it and I'll probably allow it in my game, and I'll definitely allow it if I ever run a Hong Kong-based campaign.
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Apr 29 2007, 10:44 PM
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#3
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
Actually, spirit pacts for mundanes is the RAW - just not at chargen.
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Apr 29 2007, 11:01 PM
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,665 Joined: 26-April 03 From: Sweden Member No.: 4,516 |
I like it AH - I like it very much!
How about also allowing Banishing? Back in SR2 (I think?) mundanes could use that skill, and in SR4 it could be viable to use those techniques along with Force of Will for mundane characters. They just can't banish anything the traditional way. |
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Apr 30 2007, 12:49 AM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
There's room for confusion; I just wanted to specify.
Used to be they could use Conjuring to resist spirit powers, but not banish. |
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Apr 30 2007, 01:31 AM
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#6
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,507 Joined: 27-January 05 From: ...and I'm all out of bubblegum Member No.: 7,021 |
Heh, contact high. Nice.
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Apr 30 2007, 08:50 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 588 Joined: 27-February 06 Member No.: 8,316 |
yeah but the one every mundane wants is counterspelling.
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