Recruiting: The spirits within, Free spirit only game Options

[crizh]

Hmm, spit-balling.

[ Spoiler ]

Blackbriar is an Ally spirit created as a Secret Agent. The perfect Agent.

Everybody becomes a potential spy, Blackbriar can Possess anybody at any time and bring 'his' skills and abilities with him. To enhance his abilities a network of prepared vessels are dotted around the world. Each a volunteer they provide a physical base for logistical support but never have any personal experience of the operations that they are involved with, they are Possessed whenever doing anything operational.

[Karaden]

Magic 8...are we not capped at 6 to start?

Also, with multiple initiations, there's no increase in magic or force but one gets the extra metamagics?

He was saying before we pointed out he couldn't go past 6. That's why he said 6+6 not as good.

No increase in force, but raises MAX force (GM ruled no going above 6 force at start)

And yes, each initiation is an extra metamagic or a power point to be used for spirit powers.

[DireRadiant]

Opal

Interesting working on one of these. Good exercise of the mechanics.

[Play]

He was saying before we pointed out he couldn't go past 6. That's why he said 6+6 not as good.

No increase in force, but raises MAX force (GM ruled no going above 6 force at start)

And yes, each initiation is an extra metamagic or a power point to be used for spirit powers.

Got it.

So this is 4th ed...for building spirits, is there anything specific y'all are looking at spirit-wise other than the main rulebook? I'm trying to remember how power point is used for spirit powers.....gotta find my rulebook.

Oh GM, If we init, can we get those points later at some point? (adding to the list of questions)

[BlackHat]

The majority of the spirit rules are in Street Magic and Runner's Companion

[Play]

Acquiring now.

Thanks.

Excremental spirit. I love it.

[Cthulhudreams]

Opal

Interesting working on one of these. Good exercise of the mechanics.

Urgh, I forgot flying was a skill that I might need. Lammmeee.

[crizh]

Flying is part of the Athletics group. RC p88.

[Cthulhudreams]

Handy - thanks for the heads up.

[Karaden]

So, natural weapons power. That leaves alot of questions:
1. What is a materialized spirit's damage without it?
2. What is a materialized spirit's damage with it?
3. Can a possession spirit take this, and thus be able to give their host the improved DV?

[BlackHat]

1. Without it, Spirits do STR/2 Stun, like everyone else. (Or astral combat damage, as usual - force/2 I think)
2. Not sure what the DV is (it says it will be listed for each critter), but every spirit uses DV=force, that I could find.
3. Not sure

[De Badd Ass]

Excremental spirit. I love it.

Antisthenes' Story

Chapter 1: Magic in the Matrix

The 21st Century version of the Holy Grail is a foci (or other means) to enable Magic in the Matrix. Mega-corps have spent much time, man-hours, and nuyen in the race to be first. Many top scientists are employed in this endeavor. Most of these scientists are certified geniuses. Some are just certifiable. It comes with the territory – most “normal� people are not capable of conceiving ways to alter the “laws� of the universe. Those that do are often called “mad�.

How does a scientist alter the laws of the universe? The way is known as “the scientific method�. Postulate a theory, design an experiment, build an apparatus, and test. Repeat until successful.

“Techno-magical� research is not limited to the design of “techno-foci�. Another avenue of research looks for ways to merge Magic and Resonance. The true natures of both Magic and Resonance – like the true nature of God and the Universe - have not been discerned. In the absence of real understanding, the same metaphor has been applied to both. Some feel that a unified theory explaining both is just waiting to be discovered.

Enough about theories, this story is about practices; specifically, the experiments of mad or otherwise sadistic scientists. You have probably heard stories about Otaku and Technomancers, and about the cruel experiments conducted on many of them. These stories generate some empathy in people that consider these beings (meta)human. You don't hear stories about experiments on Magicians. That's because Magicians as a group are too powerful to piss off. The Ghost Dance proved that. Instead of experimenting on Magicians, Magicians conduct the experiments – on Spirits. Spirits are not meta(human).

To summarize, there are experiments with spell formulas to create techno-magic spells; experiments with focus-formulas to create techno-magic foci, and experiments with spirit formulas to create techno-magic spirits. There are experiments to create techno-magic telesma for foci, and experiments to create techno-magic vessels for spirits. There are even experiments in utilizing foci as vessels. What these experiments have in common is lots of humiliation and suffering for the test subjects. Is it any wonder that these subjects try to get free? Is it any wonder that they are filled with hatred and the desire for revenge?

Techno-magic spirits

The research into techno-magic spirit formulas doesn't just create spirits, it creates new spirit types. In fact, the most radical research creates new magical traditions. The scientists/magicians involved feel that the dichotmy between Magic and Resonance is inherent to the nature of the traditional traditions. They created new traditions, new spell formulas, new spirit formulas, even new metaplanes.

One critic dubbed these new spirits excrementals [[c'mon, you knew I get that in here somehow!]]. He joked that the scientists were pulling these formulas out of their asses. It is said that “Magic is stranger than fiction�. This is a case of fiction becoming Magic. These scientists ended up creating the Metaplane of Excrementals, spirits that want nothing more than to shit all over the Matrix and their (former) conjurers. Most of the free spirits of this type are Gremlins, Tricksters, and Shadows. They hate the Matrix, its devotees, and all things electronic.

Occasionally, the complex and complicated nature of these spirit formulas results in spirits with more complex personalities. Antisthenes (not his true name) is one such complicated personality. Part of his spirit formula was designed to give him (meta)human feelings. His conjurer postulated that a spirit with true (meta)human feelings might be able to experience virtual reality. Instead, he conjured a spirit with the ability to empathize with the plight of other test subjects, including technomancers and AIs.

Antisthenes realized the Matrix was essential to the nature of technomancers and AIs through no fault of their own. “The Matrix isn't evil; the Mad Scientists are evil�, was his mantra. Antisthenes helped some of these subjects get free, and they helped free him. He tried to get other spirits to joined forces with these escapees. They say “no good deed goes unpunished�. The other spirits banned Antisthenes from the Plane of Excrement for his heretical preaching.

[Play]

Flying is part of the Athletics group. RC p88.

I'm assuming you're interested in Flying for when manifested.

T/F Equipment does not go astral when going from manifested to non-manifested. I'm going with True.

[BlackHat]

True. Although a spirit's manifested form could LOOK like it has gear (but then its non functional, anyway).

[Cthulhudreams]

Yeah you drop it all. Its fairly impossible to operate with high levels of teleportation without concious decisions to pick up and drop off gear

You need a commlink to function as a member of society

You have to offload all your equipment to function as a spirit

I'm anticipating that most of the time I'll keep a car or something near by so I cna just sit in the back seat, tell the car to go back to a safe place, then transport/dematerlize from there.

I also need to re-read the armour stacking rules.

[Play]

Where can I find a page on tags....like for spoiler tag and such? I don't see an obvious link for it (I'm an obvious kind of guy)

[Play]

Initiation is possible (initation is 10 + 3/next rank), but I will limit it a little bit. While you can have an initiation level, you can't raise your force attribute higher than 6 at character creation. Upon initiation, you have access to a metamagic or one power point (as described in Runner's Companion)

There's an optional rule in street magic, buying metamagic skills without initing, for 15karma.

Yes/No?

[Karaden]

1. Where can I find a page on tags....like for spoiler tag and such? I don't see an obvious link for it (I'm an obvious kind of guy)

2. If we're banished from our home plane, kind of means we can't go anywhere. So if we are astral, we can fly places quickly, or sneak around.

Other than that, no real reason not to just stay manifest? Just checking.

1.

[ Spoiler ]

is what your looking for, then do one with a / in front of it at the end.

2. Yeah, only reason to be unmanifested/unpossessed is for quick semi-invisible movement. And of course to potentially avoid physical threats (Though given most of us will have force 6, and thus 12/12 armor with anything under 12P doing no damage, physical threats aren't going to be much of an issue.)

[Cthulhudreams]

Most of the tags are there when you hit 'post reply' you can just click on the bold, italics or whatever and it will insert the tags. Eventually you just learn them by heart and type manually.

The only one that isn't is spoiler tags. They are {spoiler}{/spoiler} except instead of {} use []

[De Badd Ass]

Chapter 1

All joking aside, that was all background fluff, the actual character will be created according to the rules.

Dentris, I need some clarifications:

1) In one post, you say that we are newly banned, in another post, you say we are newly freed. It makes a difference.

2) In the post where you say we are newly freed, you imply that we don't have any contacts. Is this correct?

[Play]

Thanks.

A thought....

So we have a twisted succubi. I'm going with 'twisted' as eviiil as generally described. I can go good, evil, or ambivalent.

Shall we as a group have an overall 'dark' group, or an overall 'good' group?

Just for playability sake, an evil orgy demon likely wouldn't play well with a jedi knight mimic.
I'm not big on games where there's a built in PvP element. I think D said something to the effect that we're all supposed to get along well enough?

Thoughts?

[Play]

Opal

Hey...can you tell me how you did your form? Is that pre-done somewhere? Starting to build char and looking for an easy form.

[Karaden]

Thanks.

A thought....

So we have a twisted succubi. I'm going with 'twisted' as eviiil as generally described. I can go good, evil, or ambivalent.

Shall we as a group have an overall 'dark' group, or an overall 'good' group?

Just for playability sake, an evil orgy demon likely wouldn't play well with a jedi knight mimic.
I'm not big on games where there's a built in PvP element. I think D said something to the effect that we're all supposed to get along well enough?

Thoughts?

Considering a mimic is a free spirit that has taken a liking to human vices, mimic and jedi knight don't go well together.

That aside, well, I'm sure we could all get along to some degree or another despite personalities, just like with any other group.

That said my character also has a distinctly evil bent. Lets just say the part of the initiation ritual for the cult involves a shotgun and not dodging it.

Edit: I just noticed that of the two character sheets we have posted so far... two of them have weather control. Am I missing something very cool about this power?

[Cthulhudreams]

Its is a great, great power. You can actually summon Tornadoes or Hurricane Katrina with it. How cool is that? Very cool, imho.

[Play]

1. That aside, well, I'm sure we could all get along to some degree or another despite personalities, just like with any other group.

2. That said my character also has a distinctly evil bent. Lets just say the part of the initiation ritual for the cult involves a shotgun and not dodging it.

3. Edit: I just noticed that of the two character sheets we have posted so far... two of them have weather control. Am I missing something very cool about this power?

1. Agreed.

2. EVIIIIL it is!

3. You don't have to pay for showers. Probably something about lightning, and fog.