Astral Perception, Enter the Realm of Dreams |
Astral Perception, Enter the Realm of Dreams |
Feb 27 2008, 10:59 PM
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#1
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
it's no question about the rules wise aspect, just somthing i thought up while at work and my brain decided to take a little time-out.
How is Astral perception/travel accomplished? either by sheer willpower and determination through a good bit of concentration or by meditating and relaxing? If it's accomplished by relaxing . . what happens if the mages go to sleep? O.o there's not many states you can be in that are as relaxed as sleeping is i would think . . so would a mage suddenly go astral sleepwalking? would an adept not really dream because he's merely astrally percieving(Spelling check? that does not look right to me somehow) while his meat body is relaxing and resting? If it's done by concentrating . . imagine you really concentrating on something really hard because you wanna accomplish something important to you . . or going to the loo . . do you suddenly shift on the astral plane? o.O |
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Feb 27 2008, 11:21 PM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 811 Joined: 30-January 07 From: Portland, OR Member No.: 10,845 |
I can't vote because I think it is a matter of both.
I see Astral Perception at least as a kind of switch. It's something that you may stumble upon unconsciously at first, but can discipline and learn how to consciously use it. Perception is kind of the same way. Some people have the unconscious ability to use it, and how they discover it is completely case to case. Saying that sleeping is the same as meditation is also somewhat wrong. Meditation is much like self hypnosis, in that it helps reduce the conscious thought and bring out the unconscious. Sleeping is somewhat like this, except that you usually have no control over it. Projection could originally happen as a lucid dream though. I think magic is not completely set and stone, and each person comes to it a different (though similar) way. |
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Feb 27 2008, 11:31 PM
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#3
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Yep ... concentrate hard to relax ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
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Feb 28 2008, 12:45 AM
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#4
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,991 Joined: 1-February 08 From: Off the rock! Back In America! WOOOOO! Member No.: 15,601 |
Hey! If you've ever tried, some forms of meditation it's exactly like that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
ish |
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Feb 28 2008, 02:07 AM
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#5
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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 |
...wouldn't know, never really played a character who ever did it.
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Feb 28 2008, 02:15 AM
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#6
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,206 Joined: 9-July 06 From: Fresno, CA Member No.: 8,856 |
Well the answer is clearly yes.
Magic in Shadowrun is what you think it is. And if someone else thinks it's something else that logically would be mutually exclusive, well, you're both right. In the Secrets of Power trilogy the main character falls hits his head and wakes up astrally projecting, or some such. There's a description in a book of a master and an apprentice that described it in terms of meditation/concentration. Like traditions, everyone is right even when someone else who is right thinks they are wrong... |
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Feb 28 2008, 05:59 AM
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#7
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,991 Joined: 1-February 08 From: Off the rock! Back In America! WOOOOO! Member No.: 15,601 |
Magic is funky.
But yeah, i just looked it up and it's pretty clear that, traditionally, astral perception is a conscious action that requires some amount of focus. Stunning a mage to a drooling mage is still a good way from keeping him magically quiet. |
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Feb 28 2008, 06:53 AM
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#8
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
i can't vote because i think it's a matter of c) any of the above. some characters relax, some characters concentrate, some characters concentrate to relax, some characters relax to concentrate, some characters chug cough medicine and smear themselves in honey. probably not many characters do that last one, but you never know.
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Feb 28 2008, 09:21 AM
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#9
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
ok, yes, i forgot about that third option and the magic being formed by belief thingie . . fixed that now ^^
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Feb 28 2008, 10:04 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 263 Joined: 18-October 03 From: Cal Free State Member No.: 5,734 |
I think it's be more of a zazen 'no mind' state, a focus on nothing. So not really a relaxation or a concentration, but rather like the blank mind you get when you're competing in athletics of some kind and you drop into 'the zone', y'know? So I voted "neither/all of the above".
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Feb 28 2008, 03:52 PM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 811 Joined: 30-January 07 From: Portland, OR Member No.: 10,845 |
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Feb 28 2008, 05:55 PM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,245 Joined: 27-April 07 From: Running the streets of Southeast Virginia Member No.: 11,548 |
Just because I can...
10 mages 13 different answers. 'nuff said. |
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Feb 28 2008, 06:10 PM
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#13
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
I recall an exchange in Shadowtech, under the pharmaceutical section, along the lines of: "Zen is how I get my mojo," and the reply, "There's some question in magical circles to whether narcotics are actually required for magic." The implication being that everyone had assumed you needed to pass a peace-pipe to hit the zone until the mid-50s or so... But I like the idea that you'd need some kind of catalyst to transition between meat and astral, some trick to pull yourself completely in. Whether sniffing salts, deep meditation, or asking your ancestors to open the gates to the ghostworld.
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Feb 29 2008, 11:12 AM
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#14
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 4-February 06 Member No.: 8,230 |
my first reaction was to say that it took concentration because you can only maintain it for so long. but then again, a person only sleeps for a a certain number of hours before naturally waking up.
i'd feel like the transition into perception or projection takes atleast a moment of focus. metas aren't dual natured in their sort of 'natural' state. evidence being that if you knock them out, they drop out of the astral. |
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Feb 29 2008, 12:45 PM
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#15
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Target Group: Members Posts: 41 Joined: 22-February 08 Member No.: 15,701 |
If one magician can hurl a spell by quoting the ten commandments, and another polishing the shinies they've stolen, and a third by flying high on drugs - each tradition is going to be different. Sure, zazen for an Adept, but not for a chaos mage.
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