Mage sensor idea... Options

[Legs]

Pretty much a camera with the ultrasound enhancement and a biomonitor. A second piece would be a mild shock wrist band so a mage could get alerted if some one approches them while they're astral.

Does something like this exist? Is it possible?

[Ancient History]

Not entirely sure what you're going for here. A proximity sensor tied to an astrally projecting magician's body won't do jack, since they're not aware of their physical body at all.

[Legs]

That's what i thought but couldnt find the info...

[Screaming Eagle]

Though why more mages don't summon or use a bound a spirit/s to guard their body while they are out and about astrally has always puzzled me. Even if it's a little one (I would favour around forse 3 for this task) if it get banished or disrupted the summoner knows and can book it back "home", hopefully in time to avoid watching their corpse start to cool.

[Legs]

I just thought I had read somewhere that an astrally projecting mage was dimly aware of their body.

[Screaming Eagle]

I recall similar but have no hard referance in the newer books (4th) - I tend to have it be very vauge and only for extreme cases: 6+ damage boxes they feel a forboding, once they are in overflow the projecting mage feels "funny, not hurt but sickly, like you might soon throw up" - a sensation that passes shortly replaced by an odd sence of being adrift, because you are. To casual attemts to wake them they are totally oblivious.

Quick mechanic I just invented for those who want to give the mage a warning something is wrong while sticking to the "totally out of it" bend:

Intuition (or astral perseption) test threshold (total# of physical boxes character possesses - current damage taken)

so once you are bleeding out you realize it automatically... not exactly kind, but better then nothing, and its another reason to twink intuition/astral perseption.

I think I'll stick to summoning spirits to guard my body... possesion spirits for preferance, I bet Ghede loves this trick (just don't ask what else he does while you are out, you don't want to know... ok so you do want to know, but you don't get to).

[Legs]

From the While You Were Out Sidebar...

"...Damage to the astral body is felt by the physical body and vice versa ... If the physical body is injured the astral body may experience a ghostly scense of distant pain."

[Karoline]

From the While You Were Out Sidebar...

"...Damage to the astral body is felt by the physical body and vice versa ... If the physical body is injured the astral body may experience a ghostly scense of distant pain."

So yeah, a motion detector with a shock bracelet attached to it should be enough to give a mage (Who has practiced with it a few times) an idea that someone is near their body. Alternately you could have something similar with the other PCs able to just hit a button and zap the mage (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[TheOOB]

Watcher spirits are more subtle and don't harm your corpse.

But yes, anything strong enough to cause a wound would alert your astral form.

[Karoline]

Watcher spirits are more subtle and don't harm your corpse.

But yes, anything strong enough to cause a wound would alert your astral form.

I don't know that it would have to be strong enough to cause an actual box of damage or anything. It would have to be something that the mage was looking for (And thus why I mentioned practice) but I'd imagine they could feel something that did less than a box of damage (I've played with electricity before, and it can hurt alot but I don't think it is worth a box of stun damage or anything (Least not what I did))

[TheOOB]

A point of stun damage isn't much, the average person has over a 90% chance of healing it given an hour(assuming 3 body & 3 willpower).

A weakness of astral perception is that you don't know what your corpse is doing, and anything that circumvents that should have some sort of drawback.

[Karoline]

A point of stun damage isn't much, the average person has over a 90% chance of healing it given an hour(assuming 3 body & 3 willpower).

A weakness of astral perception is that you don't know what your corpse is doing, and anything that circumvents that should have some sort of drawback.

Yeah, but I've totally zapped myself way more than a dozen times in an hour, which means I should have dropped unconscious if each zap was enough to do an actual box of stun.

[TheOOB]

Yes but did you zap yourself enough to make your detached spirit feel it?

Anyways, this is getting too much real life in our RPGs.

[Tachi]

So yeah, a motion detector with a shock bracelet attached to it should be enough to give a mage (Who has practiced with it a few times) an idea that someone is near their body. Alternately you could have something similar with the other PCs able to just hit a button and zap the mage (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Not sure that would be wise... funny... yes... Wise? Probably not.

Yeah, but I've totally zapped myself way more than a dozen times in an hour, which means I should have dropped unconscious if each zap was enough to do an actual box of stun.

Agreed. I've been hit (fairly hard) with 220 over a dozen times in under an hour. For the record, unless you have a high tolerance for the 'interesting sensation' (not exactly painful, but definately interesting) that comes with getting shocked, I'd suggest turning off the power before messing with electricity. I, on the other hand, frequently rewire hot circuts.

[TheOOB]

Yes but how many of those times did you make the body check to resist the 1S damage (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Tachi]

Ok, yeah, you've got a point there OOB. Wasn't considering the damage resistance check...

[Karoline]

Yes but how many of those times did you make the body check to resist the 1S damage (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Oh sure, I could totally see the bracelet doing 1S worth of damage that the mage has to resist in order for him to be able to feel it. I thought you meant it would need to actually cause a box of damage.

[Ravor]

Meh, it seems to me that the "zapper" would have to be strong enough to fill the Mage's stun track completely and yank him back to his body, or at least thats the way I remember it working...

[Karoline]

Meh, it seems to me that the "zapper" would have to be strong enough to fill the Mage's stun track completely and yank him back to his body, or at least thats the way I remember it working...

Well, we already have the quoted text that a mage feels any damage done to their body while they are gone (Instantly), so I don't see why it would have to kill the mage to get his attention.

[PBI]

It would have to be capable of doing Light damage/1 box of damage in order to activate the "mage feels pain inflicted on meat body" rule.

[Karoline]

It would have to be capable of doing Light damage/1 box of damage in order to activate the "mage feels pain inflicted on meat body" rule.

Yeah, so you set up a 1e shock bracelet on him, it zaps him, he resists the damage, but still gets warned. It was capable of doing 1 box, it just didn't.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Yeah, so you set up a 1e shock bracelet on him, it zaps him, he resists the damage, but still gets warned. It was capable of doing 1 box, it just didn't.

And lets not forget that with electricity damage, even if he took absolutely no damage, he is still resisting the secondary effects (even if he makes the roll he is still -2 to all actions for a time), I am sure that this would give an indicator that something has occurred that would make him want to return to his body...

Keep the Faith

[Karoline]

And lets not forget that with electricity damage, even if he took absolutely no damage, he is still resisting the secondary effects (even if he makes the roll he is still -2 to all actions for a time), I am sure that this would give an indicator that something has occurred that would make him want to return to his body...

Keep the Faith

Really? I didn't realize you still got hit with that if you resisted all the damage. Seems kinda odd. Could always adjust it to stable you with a needle for 1P damage and resist that.

Anyway, the general consensus seems to be that it is an acceptable idea.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Really? I didn't realize you still got hit with that if you resisted all the damage. Seems kinda odd. Could always adjust it to stable you with a needle for 1P damage and resist that.

Anyway, the general consensus seems to be that it is an acceptable idea.

Yes Really... Even if you stage the damage, you must still suffer the secondary effects...
But it is a great idea...