[X] My Assistant

[Munchkinslayer]

I'm lookin' at a D&D book, and they've got these guys called Acolytes of the Skin. These fruit-pies bond a demon to their own hide, eventually becoming one with it. It grants them various abilities, of course.

So this makes me think can you make an ally of yourself? You can't put an ally spirit into a sapient being, but you can put it into a statue. But does it have to be a statue? Could it be liquid? Like tattoo ink maybe?

[toturi]

Had a T1000 homunculus once in my game...

[FlakJacket]

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

I don't think tatoo ink would work, because the inhabit passage states that the homonculus moves in a manor consistent with the material. This might have some cool Venom (from Marvel Comics) effects, but I don't think that is the effect you're looking for. I would allow something like bone lacing to be the focus in my campain, because you would have to reduce your magic rating to gain those benefits.

[Crusher Bob]

Did you commit suicide again AE?

[Austere Emancipa...]

Naw mate, and I think my name would still be synonymous. :P

(In my current state of mind, that actually caused me to stop and think for a while...)

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

you could instead makeone of the forms the spirit can materialize as into a formfitting body armor. This would only give you the benefit of 3D movement, but I don't think you'd get anything else any other way, accept when channeling.

[Crusher Bob]

Recent studies have revealed my pants to be strong, fierce, and powerful.

You might be better of finding out what the player wants to accomplish with this and see if you can house rule an alternate ally that does it.

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

materialized ally spirits also have immunity to normal weapons power. If wearing them as armor, that armor should provide you with the same protection in the areas it covers (your entire body in the case of form-fitting full body armor)

[Lilt]

Not quite, the immunity to normal weapons power is often explained as the fact that damage done by bullets does not affect someone. Essentially the damage done to the physical form isn't actually done to the spirit, but in by no means says that the physical form remains completely intact.

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

the power gives an armor rating based on essence. Bullets over a certain power rating effect the spirit (SR3 264).
Are you trying to say that the bullets UNDER a certain power pass right through the thing, but bullets over a certain power will damage it? If you are, I'd have to disagree. How would it descriminate? The same bullet, fired in burst fire mode, would suddenly have an effect, when the same bullet would normally pass right through.

[Dissonance]

Y'know, houngans have the power of self-possession. +force to all physical atts, with the downside being that you can't remember a damn thing afterwards.

[Austere Emancipa...]

So you'd say a Force-5 Fire or Air Elemental that is shot at with a HMG (a single shot) simply stops the bullet in midair before it hits the elemental? Or that HMG rounds fired at a vampire don't even prick its skin if the Immunity is still at rating 10 or more?

I think what Lilt it saying, and what makes most sense, is that the bullets would pass through the material of the homonculous (or any other physical form with Immunity to Normal Weapons) just like they would if there wasn't a spirit there, but the spirit only takes damage from that if the base Power of the attack is greater than the rating of the Immunity.

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

Thinking about it more, I'd have to agree. (Homonculi don't get the power, only the materialised spirit)

[Austere Emancipa...]

I'm not very good with the magic, and especially conjuring, rules. I'm far better with making sense. ;)

[Dissonance]

What about one with a really high barrier rating?

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

Although, I've never heard any reference to parts of a body going astral (the only game mechanic I can think of to explain the effect.) Or to a whole body going astral for that matter. If you're think of something like regeneration, there are already rules for that. And since armor piercing weapon act like normal bullets, I'd say that they must pierce something.

[Austere Emancipa...]

Actually, APDS ammunition not getting the penetration bonus against the virtual armor provided by Immunity looks to me like further proof that the Immunity isn't about what you penetrate, but more about how massive damage you cause.

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

I suppose it doesn't matter. If it were my campain, I'd go with your ideas to maintian the balance.

[DamienKnight]

[DamienKnight]

[DamienKnight]

HO ho ho, woah wait a minute!!!

The answer has just smacked me on the @$$!

According to the Magic in the Shadows book, a homunculus can be a living being, like an animal, but not a person, 'Awakened critters are too magically powerful to be used as hosts, as are sapient beings (such as people).' p. 108

And as we know from the invisibility spell, the mana version of this spell works on cyber eyes (even though they are technically cameras) because the user pays essence (effectively making the cyberware part of the astral presence.

Since a mage would have to pay an essence cost for the Bone lacing, it would technically be part of him, and the spirit cannot inhabit a Sapient being.

Sorry joker, but using your bones as a homonculus isnt going to get you out of your quadrapalegic flaw ;)

[Joker9125]

:S

[Moonstone Spider]

What about surgically implanted Foci? I can see a magician making small thin foci and simply having them implanted under the skin, with no tissue removed and no neural connection it shouldn't even cause essence loss.

Magiware.

[Zimbabwean Aardv...]

I was just wondering, if you're standing behind a being that has immunity to normal weapons, and the being gets shot at, does your character take damage?