 New Spells, GM advice needed |
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 Feb 2 2004, 04:00 PM
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153  |
Got some new spells people may find interesting. Also looking for GM advice as to play balance. See what you think.
----------------------------------------------- Subprocess This spell was designed so that mages could better multi-task within thier often busy schedules. Subprocess allows the casting mage to allocate a small part of his mind to a certain task, like solving a problem or guarding a door. The mage will then forget it until the subprocess is finished and reunites with the main mind. Subprocess allows a person to half learning times for knowledge-based skills, assimilating information and even learning a new spell. Target numbers to learn the material do not change, nor does it affect karma costs. Type: Physical Range: Personal Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (M) Category: Manipulation -------------- Osmosis Lets face it, sometimes you just need to absorb a certain amount of data fast! Osmosis was designed for this purpose. The caster holds the book, newspaper, etc. to his head. He casts the spell and absorbs the information at a base rate of 10 seconds per Mp worth of data. Each success will of course reduce the total time needed. The mage will be able to recite the absorbed data right out of his memory. Osmosis will not translate languages. A separate version of Osmosis cane be used for electronic media, allowing the mage to pull data from P-secs, optical chips and the like. Electronic data is far more difficult to absorb however. Type: Physical Range: Personal Target: Object Resistance Duration: Sustained Drain: Hard Data: +1 (L) Electronic Data: +1 (S) Category: Manipulation ------------ Multi-Tasking Multi-tasking allows a person to make two different actions at the same time. The person can still only accomplish actions he is capable of performing at the same time. The person cannot do two separate magical actions at the same time, but could do a magical and a mundane action at the same time. Such a spell could even be used to program a computer and memorize a recording while carrying on a phone conversation. This would cut by 25% the normal required time needed to perform the tasks. As the human mind does not normally work in such a way, so the caster must overcome the targets Willpower. Every two successes will allow the person to perform an additional simple action. The maximum number of allowed actions is one-half the persons Intelligence rating or the force of the spell; whichever comes first. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: Willpower Duration: Sustained Drain: +3 (S) Category: Manipulation --------------- Contingency Contingency allows the caster to program a set condition into the spell. The spell stays in effect until the condition happens. When that trigger event occurs, the contingency spell will activate a number of foci equal to the spells rating. The foci to be activated must be determined at the time the spell is cast. This allows the mage to save immense time activating foci. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: -1 (M) Category: Manipulation ---------------- Avoid Traffic This spell uses divination and detection to allow the mage to be better aware of traffic, which is nearby. This gives the mage the ability to dance around traffic easier. In game terms, the spell provides one extra die per two successes gained in the spell-casting test, up to the maximum force of the spell. These bonus dice can only be used for vehicle tests. The spell only provides the bonus dice with vehicles; pedestrians do not count. Avoid traffic is an extended area spell. Type: Physical Range: Limited Target: See table, pg. 192 Duration: Sustained Drain: +2 (D) Category: Detection ----------------- Akira Bootleg The Akira Bootleg allows the person to make stops and bootleg turns at any speed. The spell nullifies the inertial energy to allow better control when making such braking maneuvers. This spell can be used to make hairpin turns easier, or to come to a quicker stop. The spell allows the caster to reduce the actual total speed when making a crash/control test. For every two successes, the actual speed is reduced by 10 kph. The spell only takes effect when braking is applied to the vehicle. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (M) Category: Manipulation -------------- Strength of Steel Designed as an aid for creating prototypes and strengthening important items. This spell gives any material a net strength many times greater than it had before. With this effect, balsa wood could be made stronger than the toughest steel alloys. The spell increases the barrier rating of the material by +1 for every two successes. The amount of material that can be transformed is 5kg per magic rating attribute. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (M) Category: Manipulation -------------- Longevity Longevity is the magical version of the Leonization process. The spell halts the aging process for as long as the spell is active. Of course, it is obvious that this spell must be kept active for long periods of time to be beneficial. Longevity would be best as a quickening. Longevity follows the same aging rules as Leonization. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 10 - Essence Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (D) Category: Health -------------- Integrate Integrate was designed to interface the mage to technological items. Integrate allows the mage to have complete mental control over a technological device as if he was connected to it via a datajack. The device could be something as simple as a digital watch or as complex as a cyberdeck. The GM might allow a –1 TN under certain circumstances to reflect the ease in using the item the mage is integrated to. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: -1 (D) Category: Manipulation ------------------ The Clapper The Clapper is a nifty spell designed to turn the lights on with a whim, without flipping a switch. When the spell is cast, any light bulbs within the vicinity are flooded with a flow of electrons. The lights will remain on so long as the spell is sustained. Every two successes will turn on one light fixture, up to the maximum force of the spell. Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (L) Category: Manipulation --------------- Charge Battery Charge Battery is designed to magically recharge a battery. The spell will recharge a battery with the equivalent of one charge per two successes. For example, a battery on an Ares Redline would get three shots back if six successes were made on the spell-casting roll. The battery cannot receive more charges than the maximum force of the spell. Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (L) Category: Manipulation ---------------- Dampen Explosion Dampen Explosion simply allows the caster to reduce the explosive strength of any kind of explosive device. When cast, the spell reduces the rating of an explosive device by 1 point for every two successes. This force reduction cannot go above the force of the spell of course. The damage code of the explosion is not changed. The spell targets a single explosive device per casting. Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (M) Category: Manipulation -------------- Enhance Explosion Enhance Explosion simply allows the caster to increase the explosive strength of any kind of explosive device. When cast, the spell increases the rating of an explosive device by 1 point for every two successes. This force increase cannot go above the force of the spell of course. The damage code of the explosion is not changed. The spell targets a single explosive device per casting. Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (M) Category: Manipulation ---------------- Controlled Reaction Controlled reaction allows the spell caster to effectively negate or expand any chemical reaction he chooses. For every two successes, the energy in a chemical reaction is increased or reduced by one point, up to the force of the spell. At the GM’s discretion, too much added energy may produce an explosion. Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (S) Category: Manipulation --------------- Etherealness Etherealness allows the spell caster or a touched target to become insubstantial. The target can pass through solid objects, but not anything with an aura or magical barriers. Moving through the barrier is determined by the success of transformation. Movement is reduced by the barriers rating, minus 1 for every 2 successes gained in the casting. Movement cannot be reduced below a Quickness of 1. While ethereal, a person is considered to have immunity to normal weapons, but worn armor has no effect. Type: Physical Range: Touch Target: 4 Duration: Sustained Drain: +1 (S) Category: Manipulation -------------------- |
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Feb 2 2004, 04:31 PM
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
Could you cast this on a person to make him unable to do any damage in melee? |
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Feb 2 2004, 04:49 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
I don't see why not. You'd just have to rewrite it. |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:00 PM
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Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600 |
Etherealness: too powerful IMO, scrap it completely
Intergrate: TN should be as per Object resistance Avoid Traffic: This effect cannot be obtained through magic, since it includes aspects of divination. Besides, city spirit + guard = pedal to the metal with no accidents. Contingency: No. Osmosis: hmm... doubtful... it's kinda cool, though. |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:03 PM
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
-1 Power of all melee attacks per success, or something like that. Even better if you cast in on the bugger's katana -- no Resistance test.
You've got a lot of spells there that make energy appear or disappear. Making such spells that can have very varied results depending on what you cast them on might not be a very good idea. For example, the Controlled Reaction spell could be used to immediately stop all functions in a living being, and if sustained for a long enough time it will kill anyone. Strength of Steel might have similarly destructive uses. This is one basic problem with magic: If you are capable of doing all the cool cinematic stuff, then logically you should be capable of killing people without any problem whatsoever. As long as the spells are took to extremes and are very specialized, the suspense of disbelief is easier. These spells might raise some serious issues. However, many of them might work extremely well and be very fun. |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:06 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
You're right. Integrate should be OR for the TN, and I completeply forgot to change that. My bad. :oops: Avoid Traffic uses detection to detect where cars are, not divination, so it could be obtained through magic just like you could use detect life to get through a room full of invisible people. I do like to city spirit idea as well thou. :) Contingency. Why no? Nothing in spell design states you can't do it. Just wondering why you say no. :) I thought Osmosis was cool too, hence the reason I wrote it. :) |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:12 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
That is a neat idea. I think I'll have to write that one at some point. Although, could just as easily make a kinetic barrier that robs the kinetic energy away from the incoming object. Some spells aren't meant for direct killing though. The GM could rule that Control Reaction could control a specific chemical process... that you have to be able to see of course... so affecting such processes inside people would be a no go. Nice thinking though. I like your devious nature. ;) Destructive nature with Strength of Steel? Potentially. You could increase the barrier rating of something soft and hit someone with it. Who would've thought that sponge would hurt so much? ;) |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:17 PM
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,685 Joined: 17-August 02 Member No.: 3,123 |
As I recall there is a spell in MITS called Reinforce which does about the same thing as Strength of Steel.
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Feb 2 2004, 05:19 PM
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,546 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
Another point, a lot of those shouldn't be manipulation. Technically, everything is some form of manipulation, so try to avoid that category whenever possible. For instance, at least a few of the first ones I'd put as health (multi-tasking most especially). Just a recurring problem throughout the game...
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Feb 2 2004, 05:24 PM
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#10
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
(Un?)Fortunately Reinforce only increases the Barrier Rating of the target, it does not claim to actually make it stronger in any way. Instead with the Strength of Steel, cast it on a person and see what happens. A cheap Petrify with even worse consequences -- consider what would happen to a (meta)human body if every substance within suddenly became several times harder/tougher/stronger. I can't think of anything specific, but I'm sure it wouldn't be pretty.
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Feb 2 2004, 05:25 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
Shows you how much I pay attention. ;) |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:27 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
That's a good point. Sometimes it gets hazy deciding what category a spell should go into. Thanks for the input thou, I will definitely move multi-tasking into health. :) |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:38 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 639 Joined: 22-April 02 Member No.: 2,638 |
Contingency sounds too much like Anchoring without the initiation or karma cost. Consider a stacked Sustaining Foci containing Contingency-1 and Agony-5. The trigger is set so it goes off if anyone gets within 1 meter of the foci and has a gun in their hand. For 6 karma, you just built the magical equivalent of a reusable landmine.
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Feb 2 2004, 05:40 PM
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,685 Joined: 17-August 02 Member No.: 3,123 |
I think that Barrier Rating is as good a representation of the strength of a material as you'll find in SR. |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:43 PM
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
In Shadowrun, you can't assume that BR = strength of a material. Just like you can't assume that Power = penetration of an attack. Giving something a greater Barrier Rating might just mean that the target makes energy around it disappear.
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Feb 2 2004, 05:43 PM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
Actually, that landmine wouldn't be useable for long. Your own shadow team would geek you from getting zotted by it cause they carry guns. ;) However, it could be designed specifically as a spell to be anchored to balance it out. |
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Feb 2 2004, 05:52 PM
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Target Group: Members Posts: 42 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Between the electrons Member No.: 465 |
Contingency sounds like a spell version of trying to get a modified version of Anchoring metamagic, without innitiating -- specifically, the 'trigger' aspect of anchoring. Since having a spell trigger another spell is a metamagic, I'd say you can't just make it just a spell :)
In addition, activating foci can only be done by the person to whom the foci are bonded. This means your friend can't activate them, and you shouldn't be able to cast a spell to activate them, either. Etherealness as a concept is fine, I'd say: it's a transformation manip that makes you insubstantial. However, keep in mind that immunity to normal weapons isn't actual -immunity-. Electrical, fire, cold, etc. attacks will still kick your ass. The TN is way off: target should be Body, and there should be a threshold equal to 1/2 body to overcome. The amount of etherealness should be determing by the success of the spell, and you should find a way to work that into both the maximum barrier rating a person can walk through and the effectiveness of the immunity to normal weapons. The drain should be S (major physical change) +1 (physical spell) +1 (sustained), -1 Drain Level (touch range) for a final drain of +2M. Use the Transformation spell on 148 of MitS as a guide. Longevity is only really a game-breaker if you're planning on running a compaign with a bunch of old guys. It should only slow a person's aging process, not stop it, for the duration of the sustaining (I assume it's regenerating cells and not slowing time?) based on the number of successes -- if you're planning on making a person young again with a single magic spell, well... This sounds like the realm of cybermancy or some wierd metamagical spell as yet undiscovered, and it should stay there IMHO. I'd say Osmosis is fine, and you'll be able to spout whatever it is you've absorbed, but only as long as you sustain the spell. After that, the info goes bye-bye. There should be an upper limit on the amount of info that can be stored in this way. probably base on int or will. |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:08 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
Here's my look at it. You're not having a spell trigger another spell, you have it trigger a focus. The focus is an actual object on your person and therefore can be affected by spell casting. If it can be targeted by spells and can be affected by mages, why can't you have a spell that activates it? That's just my view on it.
I like those changes. I'm going to put that into the spell. Thanks Blue. :)
Grumpy Old Shadowrunners? ;) The spell does not make one younger, it just stops aging for as long as the spell is sustained. Could easily change it to 'slow' healing, but I was to lazy to hammer out rules for how much a person actually ages over time while the spell is active. Not to mention answer questions about what happens if the spell is dispelled a month into using it. ;)
Good point. I'm gonna add that in. Thanks a lot deep blue. Your input is greatly appreciated. :) |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:10 PM
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,685 Joined: 17-August 02 Member No.: 3,123 |
If that's the case, wouldn't you say that the material is acting as if it were stronger? |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:23 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 131 Joined: 1-April 02 From: Finland, Iisalmi Member No.: 2,497 |
Ok, what about this spell:
Magic Sword Type: Physical Range: LOS Target: 6 Duration: Sustained Drain: (D) Category:Transformation Manipulation This spell creates a physically movable barrier that has a shape of a sword or similar edged weapon. The weapon has Reach of 0 and +1 Reach for every success beyond the first, up to maximum of half the spell's force or 3. Damage for the blade is (STR) M. It's wielded with either Edged weapons(Reach 0 or +1) or Polearms(Reach +2 or +3). The Magic Sword maybe used by anyone. Because of it's magical nature, it is considered a magical weapon and will bypass Immunity to Normal Weapons. It deals (Force) M damage on spirits. |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:25 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
That's an interesting idea. :) |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:35 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 131 Joined: 1-April 02 From: Finland, Iisalmi Member No.: 2,497 |
Yeah, it's interesting, I was just looking for opinions on if it's too powerful or weak, and if it really is even possible by SR rules. So, everyone, what you say? :D |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:37 PM
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
Not in all cases. If the spell really worked in such a way as to make energy around it disappear, you could still bend it as normal, and otherwise manipulate it, allowing the (meta)human body to still function somewhat normally. If human flesh actually became as hard as steel, moving would be a bitch. Living, too. |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:40 PM
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
And you couldn't phsysically see it since light energy couldn't refract off of it.
It would look like a black hole in space. |
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Feb 2 2004, 06:41 PM
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 518 Joined: 24-February 03 From: Tucson Member No.: 4,153 |
It doesn't cause teleportation. It doesn't cause time travel. It doesn't attempt to conjure a spirit. So it's definitely doable in the rules according to MITS. As to powerful or weak, I think you've got a good balance on it and I like the way the damage was done. Far better idea than having variable damage. :) |
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