"Special Player Characters", For the crazy Powergamer in all of us :) Options

[Umidori]

The Spell Bouncer

Willlpower ~6
Counterspelling +6
Specialization of Choice +2
Way of the Magician Adept Power: Sorcerous Parry +3
Reflecting Metamagic +(Initiate Grade)

Minimum 16 Dice to resist spells, 18 against the appropriate category, can break 20 after initiating a couple more times. When you resist a spell, you reflect it back at the caster at half force with net hits on the resistance test counting as spellcasting test hits.

It is worth noting that Reflecting uses your Counterspelling + Willpower roll in place of your Magic + Spellcasting roll. This does allow you to spend your points solely on Counterspelling instead of Spellcasting, allowing you to min-max a bit at the cost of being able to cast your own spells whenever you please.

I'm not entirely sure of the efficacy of this concept, though. My first concern is that Street Magic doesn't actually clarify whether the original spellcaster can roll to resist the reflected spell. If not, this is very powerful, but is kept in check by the fact that it is an interrupt action which takes up your next available action.

If, however, the original caster can indeed resist the reflected spell, I don't see much point in this. Instead of Reflecting the spell for half force, you could just use the same number of dice to resist it, and then use your next action to cast your own spell. The only benefits to reflecting in such a situation would be "casting" a spell you yourself do not know, and not having to resist drain.

But you could just take the Absorption metamagic instead, reducing the force of incoming spells by the number of hits you make on the resistance test (even if you fail to resist!), and then reducing the drain of your next spellcast by that same number of hits!

~Umi

[The Wrestling Tr...]

Or destruction of the Spell Anchor when it is fired and it deforms in the barrel. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Or the construct for the anchor is a small ball of titanium encased by the bullet, so that deformation doesn't destroy the anchor

Or triggers are either a unknown aura or destruction of the anchor to release the spell with an added timer delay, so that it doesn't explode in the barrel if destroyed.

We could play this game all day and night long (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Yerameyahu]

I dunno if the focus can be *encased*. Presumably you have to be able to lay a finger on it. Hollowpoint? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I dunno, either, if 'destruction of the anchor' is a valid trigger in combination with a timer, for magic. It might be. Tough to time that right, though, unless you know the range of the target ahead of time, or the slug embeds itself in them.

[The Jopp]

Warp Mage Changeling Geomancer

Magician
Astral Hazing
Arcane Arrester
Shielding/Absorbtion
Geomancy [Ignores Astral Hazing]

Any spells cast on the magicians or wards he gets close to will be in trouble. Spells that hits him can used to power his own. Any spirit of F4 or less will go 'pop' and magicians at F4 or less will be powerless.

[ShadowDragon8685]

The Cybermage Warrior
In this Idea we have a mage that uses touch based spells and has a cyberarm with grappling hand. Allowing him to touch people over a large distance (as I can remember about 30m with grappling hand). Since the flying hand is connected to the body with a cable, the mage would be able to use touch based spells and cast them at insane Force because he suffers almost no Drain. Combine that with a Dwarf char and Cerebral Booster 3 (willpower + logic as drainstat) for extra fun (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This is one of those things where you're going to have to Initiate a couple of times... But if you do, hooo doggie, that could be nastily awesome. Ram might actually be useful.

Hell, go for the gold - 0.01 Essence and still Magic of 6+.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Warp Mage Changeling Geomancer

Magician
Astral Hazing
Arcane Arrester
Shielding/Absorbtion
Geomancy [Ignores Astral Hazing]

Any spells cast on the magicians or wards he gets close to will be in trouble. Spells that hits him can used to power his own. Any spirit of F4 or less will go 'pop' and magicians at F4 or less will be powerless.

Geomancy does not ignore Astral Hazing. Geomancy is for Places not Mobile Mana Fields.
And a Magician does not ignore it either, since he is -4 Magic while Astrally Hazed. Sucks to pay for all that magic (50-75 points), just for a -10 point Flaw that reduces your magic back to 1-2.

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

If he uses filtering instead of geomancy, this would work. But you need a bootload of Karma and at least 4 metamagics for it

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

If he uses filtering instead of geomancy, this would work. But you need a bootload of Karma and at least 4 metamagics for it

Filtering could work, yes. Not sure if he will live long enough in the shadows to get there, though.
Not a very good Starting Character (of course, with the presence of Initiations, he is obviously not a STARTING character), in my opinion. Too much of a waste of points to start, and he continues to be a detriment for way too long.

[Halinn]

Maybe with karmagen, if the GM allows one to start with initiations. Would be quite specialized, but it might work.

[All4BigGuns]

Maybe with karmagen, if the GM allows one to start with initiations. Would be quite specialized, but it might work.

I know that if players in games I run want to initiate, I'll let them get up to two. After speaking with my roommate, he would limit it to one.

[Udoshi]

Geomancy does not ignore Astral Hazing. Geomancy is for Places not Mobile Mana Fields.

Can you provide a page reference on that?

Just cuz you SAY so doesn't make it true!

(it can still be really stupid and worthy of houseruling tho)

I know that if players in games I run want to initiate, I'll let them get up to two. After speaking with my roommate, he would limit it to one.

My table uses the same rule. One initiation is acceptable - some concepts, like making ritual magic actually USEFUL(sympathetic linking) actually need an initiation to not be lame ass waste of points. It also opens up a lot of interesting options without being really overpowered.
Two initiations is about the polite limit on power levels at start.

It mostly came around when one of our new guys wanted to play a free spirit, and realized that under the karmagen rules, he could start out at force 12, or force 11 if he actually wanted to buy skills and toys. It was more a thought experiment than an actual character, but led the way to some reasonable houserules.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Can you provide a page reference on that?

Just cuz you SAY so doesn't make it true!

(it can still be really stupid and worthy of houseruling tho)

Geomancy affects Sites... Here is how the Ritual to Geomance works...

This ritual must successfully be completed once each lunar month (28 days) for a number of months in a row equal to the site’s background count for the aspecting to become permanent. Until that time, the background count retains its original aspect.

Geomancy affects SITES, not People. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
See Page 56 of Street Magic for the in-depth rules for Geomancy.

[Shortstraw]

Geomancy affects Sites... Here is how the Ritual to Geomance works...



Geomancy affects SITES, not People. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
See Page 56 of Street Magic for the in-depth rules for Geomancy.

Thats ok name your character "the site's"

[Yerameyahu]

Good enough for me, TJ.

[Bigity]

Maybe it would work on obsidimen.

[The Wrestling Tr...]

Found another loophole in the rules (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Make a magician (preferably a troll" with high body. Now learn the spell shapechange for instawin!

Every hit you make in the spellcasting test adds +1 to all body attribute of the mundane animal you transform into. with 11 body you could transform into an elephant and if you're so lucky to get 12 hits it would be an elephant with 23 body and the other stats around 15-20 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sure you could argue that there's an augmented maximum or you should follow the rules of shapechanger. But by RAW it is doable and legal since there isn't any mention about augmented max or something like that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Umidori]

Elephants also have a Natural Weapon with 12P, -2 AP. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

~Alja~

[Yerameyahu]

That's not really a discovery, The Wrestling Troll, but yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Halinn]

It mostly came around when one of our new guys wanted to play a free spirit, and realized that under the karmagen rules, he could start out at force 12, or force 11 if he actually wanted to buy skills and toys. It was more a thought experiment than an actual character, but led the way to some reasonable houserules.

But all other stats, including edge, would quite likely be rubbish (unless you choose to interpret the rules regarding free spirits in the broken way)

[Udoshi]

But all other stats, including edge, would quite likely be rubbish (unless you choose to interpret the rules regarding free spirits in the broken way)

Eh. Its a pet peeve amongst our group that dumpshockers literally cannot read the description of spirit attributes right. When one # sets the Minimum AND Maximum for other values, those other values BECOME the original #.
Basically Spirit Stats = Force is true for ALL spirit types.(normal, free, shadow, insect, player free, etc).

Nothing is stopping you from raising your physical attributes independently, but you basically never ever want to.

Also, under strict reading, a Possession PC Free spirit adds Force to the possessee's physical attributes(SM 102) AND also physical attributes to the possessee's physical attributes(RC 92), and thus gets to double dip.

[Halinn]

Nothing is stopping you from raising your physical attributes independently, but you basically never ever want to.

If you choose to read the rules that way, you are unable to raise the physical attributes, as you've also set the maximum for them equal to force.

[Udoshi]

If you choose to read the rules that way, you are unable to raise the physical attributes, as you've also set the maximum for them equal to force.

Yes. I'd also point out this is exactly how literally every other spirit works anyway. Force = Everything

The only difference is that real spirits add a preset # based on elemental type to certain physical stats when they manifest in the real world.
For example, air spirits get extra agility and reaction, and I think the writers were trying to find a way to let PC Free spirits do the same thing, but utterly failed at making it clear.

[Yerameyahu]

Not just 'clear', but also at making it work. Whichever way you choose to read it, they're both bad. It should be possible to make FS rules that work like other spirits without also being crazy broken (too strong *or* too weak). They just didn't.

[Halinn]

But Udoshi, if you're claiming that as RAW, remember to include this from Street Magic page 108:

A free spirit can use Karma in several ways at normal character costs (see Character Improvement, p. 263, SR4)
...
*It may raise its Force by 1 point at a time at the cost of new Force rating x 10. Raising Force raises all of the spirit’s attributes and powers that are based on Force.

Of course, the SM rules are meant for NPC free spirits, and are at some points in contradiction to the RC rules, but this is the RAW regarding raising force for free spirits.

[Udoshi]

I would remind you that NPC free spirits and PC free spirits use entirely different, and incompatable, rulesets.

NPC Free Spirit rules are pretty much better in every way, anyway. The power point system is really kinda dumb.

But yes, you've found a good example: NPC Free spirits can raise one attribute at a time cheaply, or boost force to raise EVERYTHING at once for an obscene amount.
Keep in mind that force 7 would cost 70 karma, and also gives you magic and edge 7, both of which are worth 35 points each.