guns from astral space |
guns from astral space |
Feb 29 2004, 06:04 AM
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#1
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Target Group: Members Posts: 61 Joined: 15-September 03 From: Shanghai, China Member No.: 5,618 |
Hi,
we were playing Shadowrun last night and one question from a player came up and since nobody in our group really knows much about astral physics, I thought I post it here to see what others think of it. Basically, in the material space everything with mass is solid and energies are not. In the astral space, awakened life is solid but mass is not. Therefore, there are no guns in astral space. But would this hybrid approach work: If you coat a gun with awakened dual matter, like a liquid that contains awakened bacteria or so, and use capsule ammunition filled with the same material, could an astral body be able to hold the dual matter and therefore the gun as the gun sticks to the material part of the dual matter? This would allow an astral body to carry this gun which would effectively be dualnatured. Therefore security guards would have to face a floating gun without a visible wielder. Now, if the ammunition was filled with dual-natured matter too, would an astral body that is hit by this ammunition be harmed as well? Could security guards use capsule ammunition filled with awakened matter to get rid of astral intruders? The question came up because there is only one character with astral mobility in the group and as an elk shaman he is not very skilled at astral combat. Unfortunately, the main antagonist behind the scenes is an ant shaman that likes to lurk on the astral plane. Would this work? tbd |
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Feb 29 2004, 06:12 AM
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#2
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
No, you cannot hurt an astral spirit by shooting it like that. There is no inertia on the astral, so the damage a bullet causes does not exist in that plane. Also, life is not astrally solid in 3rd edition.
The only solid astral material (besides wards) are mentioned in Target: Awakened Lands. |
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Feb 29 2004, 06:33 AM
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#3
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,028 Joined: 9-November 02 From: The Republic of Vermont Member No.: 3,581 |
Personally, I don't see any reason that a warded bullet wouldn't do damage on the astral. There may not be any inertia on the astral, but there is on the physical plane, and the astral form of the wards are directly tied to the physical form of the bullet. Having a ward forced through you doesn't seem like it'd be a lot more fun than being forced through a ward. Best case, it'll push you in front of it at bullet speeds until either it hits something on the physical and stops, or you hit something on the astral and those forcing through barriers rules come into play again.
The astral gun, however, I'd rule against. The way I figure it, if you project with it, the astral form will simply project along with you, and the physical form will stay with your body. This will not produce a usable astral gun, because pulling the purely astral trigger with your purely astral finger won't actuate the physical mechanism any more than it causes your physical finger to move. And even if it did, the bullet wouldn't come out the astral barrel, it'd come out the physical one near your body. Alternately, you could try to pick the gun up after projecting. Your astral form can't apply force on the physical plane, however, so the physical weight of the gun will pull it down though your hand... and we get to play with the forcing through barriers rules again. |
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Feb 29 2004, 06:34 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 173 Joined: 4-March 03 Member No.: 4,196 |
No, it wouldn't work. Only magical gear (foci etc) go with a character during astral projection. It's also just the magical form of the object, not the physical. An object coated in a dual-natured substance could be used to stop astral fast movement, but not cause damage. If the object were enchanted it would respond to astral combat, but again couldn't be used offensively.
Note, my interpretation of this isn't logical nor based on reality. In the examples of pressing through barriers the ward is bigger than the astrally present character, and the character is moving toward a stationary barrier. MitS pg 83 gives the rules and examples. If an astrally present character fails to completely pass through a barrier they have the choice (if capable) of projecting--essentially getting pushed out of their own body. Back on topic- a ward on a bullet would only be as large as the slug. If it came into contact with an astral character/spirit, and if one couldn't pass through the other (failed test) they'd just "slide" against one another and the astral bullet would push the projection/spirit asside and continue on its way (probably going off course itself), no damage. |
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Feb 29 2004, 11:14 AM
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#5
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,965 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Edinburgh, Scotland Member No.: 2,032 |
I'd say No to focus-guns (it's explicitly stated that the nature of the astral plane precludes the use of ranged weapons) but yes to dual natured bullets (active sustaining foci) doing damage to astral entities. I would, however, say that the damage done by the bullet would be based on astral combat with the sustaining focus's strength rather than the inertia of the bullet.
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Feb 29 2004, 12:04 PM
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#6
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
I'll say no to guns as a foci as you have described it. But a yes, to warded bullets. The bullet would push through an astral form, and do damge that way. Theorectically, it is akin to making a very small ward and go running into that ward. You will take damage.
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Feb 29 2004, 12:17 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 173 Joined: 4-March 03 Member No.: 4,196 |
The target would make a Charisma (Force) test needing success equal to half (rounded down) Force of the bullet-ward. If enough success is made, the ward passes through the target, no problem. If it did get enough success, damage would be (Force*2)D Stun resisted with Willpower (quoted-extrapolated pg 83 MitS) or maybe it'd be disrupted. You'll have to decide if extra net success on the attack do anything.
Now, what happens when a warded physical bullet hits a physical (shapeshifter, cyberzombie, etc.) dual-natured being? A successful Charisma test can't allow the ward to pass through, unless the physical bullet also passes through. If the hit from the weapon is completely soaked does the ward effect the target at all? What about a Light wound? What if the target takes a Serious physical wound (bullet penetrates body?), but passes the Charisma test--they are now only part way through the barrier. Do they engage it in astral combat now? What about initiates with Masking metamagic or spirits with the Aura Masking power (pg. 88 MitS)? Things to think about if implementing this. edit-accuracy |
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Feb 29 2004, 02:27 PM
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#8
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Another thought, with the FAB coated weapon, you might be able to cast magic fingers fromt eh astral plane and bring it along with you.
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Feb 29 2004, 02:33 PM
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#9
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
*Wrong* The focus deactivates once it loses contact to its target (where in most cases that target also is the person who bonded the focus) ... You could however use a bullet as sustaining focus that sustains a spell cast onto the bullet itself (like a "silence spell" to remove sound emission the bullet would normally create) ... But who has actually got a minimum of 15k¥ per shot and the karma to bond such a focus? Because once used, the bullet will be "destroyed" and the foucs as such as well ... |
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Feb 29 2004, 05:46 PM
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#10
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,028 Joined: 9-November 02 From: The Republic of Vermont Member No.: 3,581 |
Can't do it. The caster and the target have to be on the same plane. In this case, you'd be trying to affect the physical form of the gun on the physical plane with a spell cast on the astral. Doesn't work. You can't use Magic Fingers for anything from the astral, actually. It's a physical spell, so it doesn't affect astral forms, and you can't cast across the plane barrier, so you can't affect physical forms either. |
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Mar 1 2004, 01:17 AM
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#11
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
That could only work if the astral being was surrounded by a barrier, like a fab net. There is no resistance in astral space, nothing to slow forced movement. The bullet would simply displace the being instantly. IMO |
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Mar 1 2004, 01:30 AM
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#12
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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 since astral beings move at the speed of thought, that would do a whole lot of both jack and Squat, with some extra Zilch for added effect.
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Mar 1 2004, 01:32 AM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
Well, I don't think that would work, since the bullet has no aura to bond to. |
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Mar 1 2004, 02:03 AM
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#14
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
I don't understand what you mean. What would do nothing? Astral beings move their form at the speed of their thought. But if a fast spirit held a slow one, could the faster not move the slower spirit at the higher rate? I say it can. There is no limit to the highest astral speed because no laws inhibit movement when no obsruction is present. I view the leading edge of the ward hitting the astral being and pushing it aside at the same time unless something prevents the form from moving. |
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Mar 1 2004, 02:07 AM
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#15
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
So if a warded vehicle runs into an astral form city spirit, who moves? Which is the irresistable force and which is the immovable object?
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Mar 1 2004, 02:09 AM
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#16
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
Asking me? The city spirit. Unless it trys to force itself though the Ward, which it can do.
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Mar 1 2004, 02:13 AM
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#17
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
I thought this was covered way back when someone came up with the FAB bat. I believe there were rules made specifically for this kind of thing to not work because it's unbalancing. |
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Mar 1 2004, 02:14 AM
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#18
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
Balance? bah! Who wants balance?
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Mar 1 2004, 02:43 AM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 173 Joined: 4-March 03 Member No.: 4,196 |
and to complicate things further...
The only existing mechanic for foci is backwards. If the bullet were made into a focus (sustaining, self-targeted as Cochise pointed out) it would be the focus and not the spirit-character-whatever that makes a test at Force (barrier read: thing-being-shot's Force); success equal to half or more Force of thing-shot causes the bullet to pass right through. Less than that and the focus is deactivated. No success and it's deactivated and the thing-shot gets to attempt to destroy the the focus' enchantment. Additionally, what's the force of the barrier? For a spirit I guess it'd be...it's force, but what about magically active characters or critters; Magic or Essence? That mechanic is no good since everything would be astrally "bullet proof." High-force (in relation to the target) foci would pass through and low force would deactivate. I guess medium force foci would be deactivated, but rarely be destroyed. |
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Mar 1 2004, 02:51 AM
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#20
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
Unfortunately the "aura" as such is not the target of a spell ;) Otherwise you couldn't even cast spells against physical objects. Not even Mana-Spells: The aura is something that exists only on the astral as some sort of mirror picture (and is still intangible there). Spells however only exist on the plane that they're cast on. The focus would be bonded against it's creator, but the spell would be cast against the bullet. Since the bullet itself would also be the focus, it would not lose contact to its target |
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Mar 1 2004, 02:57 AM
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#21
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
No, I mean that you have to bind a foci to you to use it. Then you have to use it on something living (your mates, etc.)
Bullets aren't alive, and hence have no aura. Physical spells still work because they cause physical alterations magically. |
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Mar 1 2004, 05:23 AM
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#22
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
I meant the astral form of the warded bullet pushes the astral form harmessly out of the way.
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Mar 1 2004, 06:42 AM
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#23
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Grand Master of Run-Fu Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,840 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Tir Tairngire Member No.: 178 |
You *could* make the bullet an anchoring focus; but like everyone said, all it would do is displace an astral entity.
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Mar 1 2004, 06:52 AM
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#24
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
The use of foci is not restricted towards living beings as their targets ... You could, put a sustaining focus on the floor and cast "Shadow" over the area surrounded by that focus and then have the focus sustain that spell. Or can you provide a source telling otherwise?
Which only means that he potentially uesed spell has to be a physical one ...
Lucky me that the "Silence" spell is a physical one ... *Though there are other reasons within the rule why this particular spell might not work* |
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Mar 1 2004, 07:26 AM
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#25
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,685 Joined: 17-August 02 Member No.: 3,123 |
That's a subject of great debate, though. Not everyone agrees with that, nor should they. IMO it causes contradictions later down the road. |
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