L4D OOC, Planning your way around a zombie apocolypse in SR Options

[crizh]

It's possible to run Ultra-sound / Echolocation in passive mode if there is another source of relevant sound in the vicinity. You can, for example, use Ultra-sound in passive mode wherever there are motion detectors, it also lets you spot the source of the sound quite easily. The system doesn't differentiate between different spectra of sound used for these purposes although you are entirely at liberty to do so.

It's just important to know for flavour reasons. The standard, default situation is that two individuals with echolocation are capable of providing 'illumination' for each other and of detecting the presence of each other unless they are in passive mode which makes a hell of a difference to the way stealth situations pan out.

How much tougher are other templates of Type IV Ghouls? Should I just avoid mentioning them or they foes that are within my grasp so to speak?

[Karoline]

It's possible to run Ultra-sound / Echolocation in passive mode if there is another source of relevant sound in the vicinity. You can, for example, use Ultra-sound in passive mode wherever there are motion detectors, it also lets you spot the source of the sound quite easily. The system doesn't differentiate between different spectra of sound used for these purposes although you are entirely at liberty to do so.

It's just important to know for flavour reasons. The standard, default situation is that two individuals with echolocation are capable of providing 'illumination' for each other and of detecting the presence of each other unless they are in passive mode which makes a hell of a difference to the way stealth situations pan out.

How much tougher are other templates of Type IV Ghouls? Should I just avoid mentioning them or they foes that are within my grasp so to speak?

Other templates vary. There are also the 'Conscious' who retain their mind and memories and have their old skills, this means they can use weapons and tactics. They run more or less on the basic ghoul template. Some of the magic wielding ghouls fall under this category. They should be within your ability to handle as part of your opening post. I'd suggest leaving out others as they are either too rare or too powerful for you to be likely to handle one alone without massive difficulty.

Edit: If I remember right, someone else did a combat scene as their vignette and it seemed appropriate to me.

[ravensoracle]

Karoline do you want me to roll for my Agent's data search or do you want to do it? Also what dice roller are we using?

[Karoline]

You can roll yourself. Invisible castle works well and is the only one I really know.

[ravensoracle]

Agent Roll (6d6.hits(5)=3)

Here is the roll, I didn't want to add a post to the IC thread just for the roll.

[Karoline]

Your agent comes back reporting no active combat type drones that it could find. It also couldn't find any armored vehicles. Both of these are more likely due to the fact that energy has been cut throughout the city, leaving most if not all drones and vehicles without power, or off in the first place.

There are also likely to be problems with reaching many nodes thanks to so many being out.

Sorry that's kinda sucky, but I'm surprisingly tired and can't get my mind to work that out any better right now.

[ravensoracle]

I figured that would probably be the case after I made the post but I figured it would be worth a shot.

[budoka05]

For my char on back up, I'm thinking about creating an Ally Spirit. Karoline, would these powers be acceptable?

Elemental Attack [Lightning]
Energy Aura [fire]
Fear
Silence
Immunity to Normal Weapons
Storm
Search
Drain Edge

For the last one, I shall note that there are specific rules about absorbing and using Edge beyond a spirit's limit.
If you need the pages refs, let me know.

[Karoline]

Doesn't Storm require being a great form spirit? And I'll have to look into drain edge a bit, but otherwise sounds fine.

I have a feeling that killing two dozen hoard ghouls single handed in as many seconds is going to be like in the video games where the new guy opens with something super awesome and powerful, but then he is part of your party and so gets way weaker all the sudden (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[TheMidnightHobo]

I have a feeling that killing two dozen hoard ghouls single handed in as many seconds is going to be like in the video games where the new guy opens with something super awesome and powerful, but then he is part of your party and so gets way weaker all the sudden (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

XD Yeah... Well, Richard is suitably impressed, Brute. Way ta introduce yourself.

[budoka05]

Sections about Storm and Energy Drain:

Storm

[ Spoiler ]

p. 102 Storm
Type: P • Action: Complex • Range: Special • Duration: Special
A spirit with this power can send a massive and destructive elemental storm against an area. Icy rain, bolts of lightning, hurricane force winds, and worse strike the area with reckless abandon. The affected area’s radius equals the spirit’s Magic x 100 meters. The spirit makes a single Magic + Unarmed Combat Test, and
all creatures and objects in the area are subject to Suppressive Fire (see p. 144, SR4). The Storm’s base Damage Value is the spirit’s Force and it inflicts Physical damage.

Energy Drain

[ Spoiler ]

Type:M • Action:Complex • Range:Touch or LOS • Duration:Permanent
The Energy Drain power is used by a number of dangerous
critters and spirits in different ways. Each version of this
power is slightly different, depending on the entity using it. All
versions entail the creature using this power to suck life energy
from a victim, in the form of Karma, Force, Magic, or Essence.
The Essence Drain used by vampires (p. 288, SR4) is a variant
of this power. For some creatures (blood spirits, shedim,
mantid spirits), this power is Touch range, meaning a resisting
victim must somehow be subdued first or drained unwittingly
(as FAB does). For other beings (shadow spirits), this power
merely requires line of sight, allowing the critter to feed off its
victims from afar.
Draining a point of Karma, Force, Magic, or Essence requires
a Willpower + Magic (10 – target’s Essence/Force,
1 minute) Extended Test (for some critters, the interval may
differ, as specifically noted). If the critter is disturbed or interrupted
before this test ends, the point is not drained. If the
Extended Test is completed, the critter drains one point of the
specified energy, adding to its own. (In some cases, the energy is
converted to an appropriate rating point at a 1:1 ratio, as noted;
for example, blood spirits convert drained Essence to Force.)
Some critters (FAB, mantid spirits), used the drained energy to
reproduce, as noted in their individual descriptions. Drained
points are permanently lost.
Living victims find this process draining at best, extremely
painful at worst. Victims suffer 1 box of damage for each point
drained. Depending on the critter, this may be Stun damage
(shadow spirits, FAB) or Physical damage (blood spirits, shedim).
Victims who take Physical damage appear drained, withered, and
hollow, and are sometimes marked permanently (white hair, hair
loss, wrinkles, premature aging, or other strange markings).
If a character’s Magic is reduced to 0, he burns out and becomes
mundane. If a critter’s Magic is reduced to 0, it dies. If a
spirit, sustained/anchored/quickened spell, focus, or mana barrier’s
Force is reduced to 0, it is destroyed. If a victim’s Essence is
reduced to 0, he dies.

Here are the relevant portions of Energy Drain from SM Errata:

[ Spoiler ]

p. 100 Energy Drain
The fourth line of the third paragraph should read:
“In some cases the energy is converted to an attribute modifier at a 1:1 ratio; for example, blood spirits convert
drained Essence to a Force modifier.”
p. 100 Energy Drain
At the end of the second paragraph add the following line: “Attribute modifiers granted by Energy Drain are limited to 1.5 times the draining entity’s Magic rating (in the case of spirits, their Force when initially summoned.)”

[crizh]

You can't give an Ally a Power one of your Tradition's Spirits does not possess.

I'm fairly sure that Great Form Powers have been disallowed by the dev's on here.

[budoka05]

According to the rules, Storm is not a great form power. So that one is not a concern (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

However, your concern about Storm is valid. In Street Magic, there are few guidelines about how the powers are chosen. Whether the power has to be or not to be tradition dependent is not explicitly stated.

However given the description about how an ally spirit is created, I would think it would not be tradition dependent. Essentially, one either devises the ally spirit's formula by an extended Arcana test, or retrieves the spirit formula components from a metaplanar quest, which I'm planning my char did. So, the ability can be added as long as the formula for such an ability is known.

[Karoline]

You can't give an Ally a Power one of your Tradition's Spirits does not possess.

I'm fairly sure that Great Form Powers have been disallowed by the dev's on here.

That's what I thought.

Also I didn't see anything about the ability to drain edge from a target in that. Essence/force/magic/karma were the only options presented.

So, no storm power and no drain edge power. All the others are fine as long as one of your tradition's spirits has access to it.

[Karoline]

Each also receives one additional power
per point of Force, chosen from any powers available to spirits
the initiate may conjure.

Seems rather clear to me.

[budoka05]

Ok, storm is out because the wonderful GM says so.

For future reference, which pages does it say that only Great Form spirits can only possess Storm? Also, is there a part of the text where Storm is excluded from the optional powers of an Ally Spirit?

[Karoline]

Ok, storm is out because the wonderful GM says so.

For future reference, which pages does it say that only Great Form spirits can only possess Storm? Also, is there a part of the text where Storm is excluded from the optional powers of an Ally Spirit?

It doesn't say in the power that Storm is restricted to Great Form spirits. But no spirit except great form spirits have the ability to take storm. And since Ally spirits can only take powers that a spirit that their creator can summon can take, the ally spirit cannot take Storm.

Unless I am wrong and one of your five spirit types for your tradition can take Storm. If in fact a spirit you can summon can take Storm, then I will likely reconsider it.

Edit: What tradition are you planning to play? Having a specific example so I can be more precise would make life easier.

[budoka05]

I'm building a Buddhist mystic adept. While I disagree with the rule interpretation about Storm, I'm just going to run with it because I would like finish up the char.

[Karoline]

I'm building a Buddhist mystic adept. While I disagree with the rule interpretation about Storm, I'm just going to run with it because I would like finish up the char.

Being of the Buddhist tradition means that you have access to the following spirits:Air, Guidance, Earth, Fire, Water.
This gives your ally spirit the ability to get the following... umm... abilities.
Air:
Accident, Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search
Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Fear, Guard, Noxious Breath, Psychokinesis
Earth:
Astral Form, Binding, Guard, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search
Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Elemental Attack, Fear
Fire:
Accident, Astral Form, Confusion, Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Engulf, Materialization, Sapience
Fear, Guard, Noxious Breath, Search
Water:
Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search
Accident, Binding, Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Guard, Weather Control
Guidance:
Astral Form, Confusion, Divining, Guard, Magical Guard, Materialization, Sapience, Search, Shadow Cloak
Engulf, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-Light Vision, Thermographic Vision, or Smell), Fear, Influence

So, if it isn't on that list somewhere, your spirit can't have it.

[ravensoracle]

I was reading through the topics when I found this.


I can so see Jacob doing stuff like this.

[ravensoracle]

Is anyone else setup for Tacsoft?

[Karoline]

I need rolls on those spells and spirits you are casting and summoning, looks like invisible castle is up, so please use that when you get a chance. Don't have time for a post before class, expect one sometime early afternoon though.

[Marwynn]

Okay here are the rolls.

[ Spoiler ]

Through the Force 5 Sustaining Focus.
Increase Willpower Force 5 Magic 6 + Spellcasting 6 (+2 Health) ([1,5,2,2,6,1,6,2,3,5,5,3,6,3]) 6 hits, 1 is discarded, that's enough for Force 5. So he now has +5 Willpower which is reduced to just +4 since the max is 9.

This +4 bonus is not applied to this spell's drain at least.

Drain is F/2 - 2, reduced to 1. Drain of Force 5 Increase Reflexes is (F/2)-2, reduced to 1. (10d6.hits(5)=5)

Summoning Force 5 Spirit of Man with Slaughter Infected. Force 5 Spirit of Man: Magic 6 + Summoning 2 (+2 SoM) (10d6.hits(5)=3)
Opposed test vs Force 5 SoM: Force 5 Spirit of Man (5d6.hits(5)=1)
So 2 net hits. First service owed is Concealment of all of us, and we can see each other, and concealed also on the Astral.
Drain is twice of the Spirit's hits, so 2. Summon Drain (Force 5 had 1 hit, DV 2) (14d6.hits(5)=6) No Drain.

Oh I forgot to apply the Centering mod which is +4 to the Drain pool. Will do so now, though it hasn't been necessary. Drain dice is 14 +4 from Centering.

Finally, casting an Empty Trid Phantasm centred just in front of Brox's chest.

Force 5 Trid Phantasm: Force 5 Trid Phantasm: Magic 6 + Spellcasting 6 (12d6.hits(5)=6) 6 hits, reduced to 5.
Drain (F/2) + 3, DV5: Force 5 Trid Phantasm Drain Resistance: Int 5 + Will 5 (9) + Centering 4 = 18 (18d6.hits(5)=7) No drain.

Extended Masking makes Brox's aura as a ghoul's, and his two quickened spells, one focus, and one sustained spell as part of his own aura.

His centering method by the way is breathing in deeply then slowly exhaling while concentrating on the spell. He's almost whistling.

Brox's account is gone on IC so I'm using my main roller.

[crizh]

Have I been able to determine if these Ghouls are Dual-natured or not?

The Assensing table is a bit vague but I would have thought 2 hits would be sufficient.

[Karoline]

Ghouls are indeed dual-natured still. I figure it should be fairly obvious to anyone that astrally precieves them.