 Free Spirits as Contacts, Anyone do this? |
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 May 15 2004, 02:14 AM
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#1
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Runner  Group: Members Posts: 2,751 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Neighbor of the Beast Member No.: 5,375  |
So the idea is a Mage character with a (you guessed it) Free Spirit as a contact. I personaly don't have much of a problem w/ taking contacts that are mostly for flavor but I was wondering if this concept could work.
From the ground up, there are numerous problems: 1) Modes of contact. Would this thing have a cell phone? Could I use Watcher Spirits to set up the meet? 2) What type of info/support could this thing provide? 3)Do you guys think its good idea? The background is the mage fell in love w/ another magician and she's one of the Corrupted/Darke wannabe/generaly bad person (haven't decided which). She manages to involve the PC in "bad things" and eventually this led to a showdown in which she is killed (no she isn't :)). The Free Spirit, formerly her Ally, show up and warns the PC that she is in fact alive and really interested in having a short (and violent) conversation with said PC. There's a whole backstory between the three of them (no Dikoted threeways, you sickos :P ) but it doesn't really matter here. The point is I'd like to keep the relationship between the PC and Free Spirit going as I hope that the Ex-chic will reappear and adventure will ensue... Thoughts? |
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May 15 2004, 02:25 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 216 Joined: 27-January 04 Member No.: 6,025 |
Damn! I say again DAMN!!!
Talk about comlicated. Upkeep via good karma, projection into the metaplanes to make contact, YOUR HATED ENEMY KNOWS IT'S TRUE NAME!! Other that that, s'cool. Seriously it sounds like a really neat idea aside from the drawbacks mentioned above. Info I would reasonably expect it to know would be mostly magical in nature and narrowly focused on the activitys of it's former mistress. however if your GM is the cruel and malicious type(is there any other?) then this is a good way to introduce the crazier aspects of the universe. Have fun |
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May 15 2004, 02:29 AM
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#3
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Senior GM Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,406 Joined: 12-April 03 From: Redmond, WA Member No.: 4,442 |
It's fine to have Free Spirits as contacts. The GM needs to make sure that Karma (or other) payments to the spirit are high enough that the character isn't getting anything (information, gear, resources, spells, whatever) for free.
The last Free Spirit we had as a contact had a Personal Domain. We could generally find it there, but if it wasn't we had no way of contacting it. |
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May 15 2004, 02:32 AM
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#4
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,751 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Neighbor of the Beast Member No.: 5,375 |
I have it worked (in my head anyway) that the PC has Bad Karma and possibly Dark Secret due his "affiliation" with the Ex. Does the summoning mage automaticaly know the True Name of a spirit she conjured and then went Free? |
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May 15 2004, 02:33 AM
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#5
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Remember if you are playing a mage(or shaman) PC, you can donate at a 1:3 rate. 1 of your karma gives the spirit 3.
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May 15 2004, 02:34 AM
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#6
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
Free Spirit contacts are great - if used lightly. They can have phones, own bars, be police officers, and any number of normally metahuman things, though not all do.
If the characters know it is a spirit, it may keep them at arms length to prevent them from learning its true strengths and connections. That reduces the desire by them to bind it - hey spirits can be paranoid, too. If they do not know, it may insist (though nonchalantly) on meeting in areas with background count or other astral activity to prevent easy identification. |
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May 15 2004, 02:56 AM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 216 Joined: 27-January 04 Member No.: 6,025 |
Honestly I don't know. From a reality standpoint I'd say yes, but from a game balance standpoint maybe not other wise how could you have a deadly enemy, whom you have complete power over? Something to think about I guess. |
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May 15 2004, 03:06 AM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,751 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Neighbor of the Beast Member No.: 5,375 |
I dont have MitS on hand but I'm pretty sure that you have to the Astral Quest thing to get the true name of a Spirit, regardless of if you summoned it or not. The novels indicate this. Talon and Gallow....(I know that's not canon :) ) "Flesh calls to flesh as power calls to power." |
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May 15 2004, 07:56 AM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 56 Joined: 8-April 04 From: Utah Member No.: 6,225 |
MitS p 113. "Note that a magician must learn the free ally's true name (see Free Spirits below) in order to basnish it..."
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May 17 2004, 12:27 AM
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#10
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Free Spirit Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,944 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Bloomington, IN UCAS Member No.: 1,920 |
It also doesn't gain a true name until it goes free.
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May 17 2004, 04:00 AM
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#11
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Target Group: Members Posts: 57 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,877 |
One of my players once had a free spirit as a contact. From a storytelling POV it's great - a whole new world of plot hooks and information that can be given. If he wanted to talk to it, he had to go find it, looking in all the places he knew it might be, and just hoping it would be there. It never had any trouble finding him, when it wanted something in return ;).
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May 17 2004, 05:37 AM
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#12
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Grand Master of Run-Fu Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,840 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Tir Tairngire Member No.: 178 |
In a general sense, this isn't a bad or broken idea. A free spirit won't do anything more for the PC than a contact of a similar level will. They may be able to do different things, but it's not horrid. For a really powerful Free Spirt who's willing to do a bit more, I'd require the equivalent of the "Friends in High Places" edge.
No. You do know which metaplane it originated from, so you may have a head start. I mean, that friendly-looking anima could be from anywhere; but one that takes the form of a giant flaming comet might be giving you a small hint. |
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May 17 2004, 10:31 AM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,428 Joined: 9-June 02 Member No.: 2,860 |
Opening Comment: I LIKE this idea. I had automatically written it off as munchkin before, because I was thinking of the free spirit in terms of high rating Ally for some reason. But as a Contact rated within the Contact rules... Question 1: Sure, they use cellphones. I bet some watch trid and turtle the Matrix. Question 2: Depends on the Contact rating. A rating 1 contact free spirit is going to give limited info and aid like any other rating 1 contact; you might very well have dikoted threesomes with a rating 3 contact free spirit. The questions are how/when/where/who/why did the character and spirit meet? Did you bump into the spirit in a library and now use it as a source of firsthand info on spirits, or is the spirit just a bar owner and thus basically an unusual bartender contact? You have a specific background for the free spirit in your game, so you have some answers already. Is the spirit going to be a good buddy? Maybe it's a rating 2 contact, then, and will do some odd favors for the runner in addition to giving info. Question 3: It's a good idea if the spirit doesn't turn into magical free spirit fire support for you, and remains "just" a contact. Then most of its spirit powers won't matter. |
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May 17 2004, 03:30 PM
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#14
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Illuminate of the New Dawn Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 317 Joined: 9-June 03 From: Seattle 'Plex, UCAS Member No.: 4,700 |
Just to add my 2 :nuyen: ... I had a character with a Free Spirit contact. It was a Hearth spirit that had been summoned repeatedly by a Korean/Amerind shaman working for the Yaks and had gone free when its summoner was killed in the Korean purge that formed the Seoulpa Rings. It had a personal domain where we could always find it and it worked like a regular contact with an unusual area of expertise. It worked out well for my character because it had the astral gate power and my character was an aspected conjuror, so when he absolutely needed to do something on the metaplanes, he could get there. In return, he gave the spirit some karma and usually had to do some dirty deeds against the Yaks. Those requirements made sure its powers weren't abused too much (I mean, how many times could I screw with the Yaks before they started really screwing me back?). But it still added a lot of flavor to the game and was pretty useful as a contact.
Anyway, any free spirit could use a phone if it wanted to, but you could always set up a meet through Watchers (as long as the free spirit hasn't gone home to the metaplanes for a while - but I don't suppose the metaplanes get very good celullar service either. And just think of the roaming charges!). I've already given examples of the kind of services it provided to my character, but the possibilities are many. I think its a great idea, as long as its reasonably kept in check. Especially with your backstory, it sounds like a natural idea, so go for it. |
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May 17 2004, 08:52 PM
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#15
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,751 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Neighbor of the Beast Member No.: 5,375 |
I hear what you're saying. I had already been thinking of it as "just" a contact so magical fire support didn't occur to me until I just read it. I was thinking it would similar to having a mage/shaman contact. :) Depending on the BP situation he/she might be a level 2 contact, we'll see. As for force, I hadn't given much thought to that. I guess was thinking in the 3 to 5 range. But utimately I didn't think it was my decision. My character wasn't the original summoner but they did spend a lot of time around eachother, so its not too unbelievable that he'd have some idea of what the thing could do. Of course the spirit has probably since gained new powers that the character would have no idea of. Figured the GM could decide all that when/if it became an issue. The only reason I asked about what kind of info it could provide is that the idea is more of a background thing that I didn't want to die (as it were) in the background but I didn't want to blow BP's/nuyen on it if it was going to just be expensive widow dressing. |
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