Magical Abilities/Skills Vs. Exclusive Actions Options

[Sunday_Gamer]

So then you can do whatever you want except another exclusive action since being exclusive, it precludes you're physical?

Meaning that one could not summon, cast exclusive spells while projecting but one could certainly cast spell that are not exclusive.

That about right?

Kong

Slightly less dizzy monkey.

[Lilt]

@Sunday: That sounds about right. You can only perform one exclusive action at once. You cannot perform magical and exclusive actions at the same time.

Essentially there are 4 classes to consider:

1. Exclusive Actions/Activities: Conjuring, Casting/Sustaining an exclusive Spell, Initiating/ending projection, ETC
2. Magical Actions: Casting a spell, Aura reading, ETC
3. Magical Activities: Whilst providing spell Defense, Whilst Sustaining a spell, Whilst Projecting, ETC
4. None of the above: Whilst Percieving (possibly, by some people it counts as a magical activity)

Whilst performing a 1, it is impossible to perform any other 1. You cannot perform any 2s or 3s whilst performing 1s, or 1s whilst performing 2s or 3s... I've just confused you more haven't I? :P

The question is wether the duration of a Posession counts as an ongoing Magical Activity or not. AFAIK the arguments are that:
A) It is a metamagical technique, performed during a magical activity, thus during posession it counts as maintaining a magial ability. Whilst it states that you are allowed to perform some exclusive actions, these are exceptions rather than the norm.
B) During posession, you are not actually maintaining anything. You are no-longer technically projecting, and the stress on your magical ability isn't as great as projection or spell sustaining. It also allows you to perform a number of exclusive activities, implying that it isn't that hard to do.

(If anyone has any corrections to these arguments then please correct me)

On Dual beings: Assensing is not synonymous with Astral perception, it is a separate sense/action which is only possible whilst percieving/projecting. I would also question wether any dual-natured person can be considered completely mundane, they may have no magic attribute but nor do any of the 'awakened' critters capible of using magical powers. They can also learn the Aura Reading skill, a magical skill, implying that they are not mundane (assuming the "Dual Natured" surge effect is anything to go by).

[A Clockwork Lime]

No, Aura Reading does not require any magical ability to obtain. Anyone can learn it, unlike Sorcery or Conjuring. Astral Perception is an ability most magicial characters possess (excluding most adepts), but it itself is not magical. Likewise, perfectly mundane characters can become dual-natured, such as SURGE Changelings -- and yes, a Magic Attribute of 0 is pretty much the definition of a mundane metahuman.

And I'm fully aware that Assensing is not synonymous with Astral Perception, and the context of the Shapeshifter's "Dual Nature" section is a reference to assensing, not Astral Perception itself (it's just poor wording). Just about every other source on dual-natured creatures clarifies that. Page 5 of Critters is easily the authority on dual-beings, and it clearly states that all dual-beings are astrally perceiving at all times.

And again, since being dual-natured is their natural state of being, it shouldn't count as a magical ability for purposes of Exclusive Actions since they are, in fact, not performing any magical action whatsoever. The fact that they can astrally project -- an Exclusive magical action -- more than demonstrates this.

[Lilt]

Except that the aura reading skill is still officially a magical skill, and any dual being with magical skills can astrally project (P260, SR3), and astral projection is a continuous magical activity, thus any dual-natured being can have magical ability even if you don't consider astral perception or the aura reading skill to be :proof:. :P
(I should really stop playing shouldn't I?)

As for the reference to Assensing in the SRComp, I find it far more likely that it is refering to the 'observe in detail' simple action as someone already suggested.

[Darkest Angel]

I think we've pretty much established that the SRC mention of Astral Perception is not the same as the SR3 action of Shift Perception.

However, I think the implication in the paragraph 'Astral Conjuring' Pg 189 SR3, is that banishing is an exception to whether exclusive actions are possible while perceiving, as it is not as explicit when it deals with other uses of conjuring.