All-Ritual Magic?, Just a possible idea I’m exploring Options

[Shev]

Note: this is only applicable to 3e.

A lot of the problem with stunbolt isn't in the game mechanics, but in how GM's handle security. Too often I hear about security teams decked out in top-of-the line body armor, but with a Willpower of 3 and no magical protection or support at all! This is as ridiculous as sending security into combat with every other guard a mage on spell defense and everyone is Body 3 and wearing t-shirts. Shadowrun corps are aware of the dangers from Awakened threats and they take measures to compensate against magic just as surely as they do against bullets. The problem is that while running mundane protections for security is easy for a GM to think of (doesn't take much to think "Hey, let's give these guys body armor") magical protections take a little more fore-planning"

• Security mages. How many will vary on the size and importance of the facility. Smaller and less important facilities may not have security mage on shift at all times, but you bet they have spirits and watchers on patrol to notify the "on call" mage, who can arrive as fast as thought to scout and direct spirits while a ride transports his meat body to the scene.
• Defensive architecture. The guards should be pulling out rolling panels to provide cover against gunfire, and those same panels block LOS for spells. They should also control the lights, using bright blinding lights or pitch darkness to control what the runners can and can't see.
• Decent stats. Remember a lot of corps have control over their employees from cradle to grave. They want bodies, but they also want them with enough Willpower to resist basic spells flung their way. Training programs will involve strengthening ones force of will alongside body.
• Drones. Have fun stunbolting an unliving chunk of metal controlled by a dude in the heart of the facility.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, just off the top of my head. Mages are great support and a good support mage can be very tricky for a GM to counter, but the only time I've seen mages outperform combat characters is either when the mage was a conjurer and just summons a f-ton of spirits (no longer allowed at my table) or when the defenses of the facility seem to have been designed before magic became known to the world.

[Ka_ge2020]

Don't shoot me for what is probably obvious, but I'm only recently getting back into Shadowrun after--what?--almost 30 years and hell is there a huge amount of published material to get through. (More so since I'm trying to read through Earthdawn, too!)

I seem to recall back in the day (SR2) that there was a corp security handbook... *checks folders* Yep, there it is and helpfully called the Corporate Security Handbook. There it includes such things as:

• Barrier Spells
• Wards
• Living Walls
• Living Restraints
• Fiber Optic Networks
• FAB Zones
• Magical Alarms and Countermeasures
• Guards and Wards
• Physical Defenses
• Research
• Special Assignments
• Security Shamans (!?)

When I ran into the "manabolt" issue, it was just pure physical security.

[Shev]

That's a much more exhaustive summary! And yeah, pure physical security is about as wise as pure astral or pure matrix security.

[Ka_ge2020]

Getting back to the original topic with the caveat that this was for another system (GURPS), I dabbled with an approach called "Ritual Path Magic" that was basically a noun-verb syntactic system where each spell was created to have an energy value that you would then roll to gradually accumulate. This never worked for me, so I took an alternative approach called "Effect Shaping". The gist here is that the power of the spell translated to a negative skill modifier.

For most spells this was manageable. On other hand, the really powerful stuff had to be mitigated throughout some form of ritualism (and it was also mandated with some spell types). Thus, places of power, ritual regalia--whatever suited the specific case/magic user/tradition/etc.

I ended up taking this approach for Shadowrun myself, but I still think that it could be made to work in the game without too many issues. You would just have to tweak the spell design system so that rather than target numbers your generating numeric values.

[FuelDrop]

So I am going to steal an idea from GURPS too, again with the Ritual Path Magic splat book.

How about you let mages "precast" a number of spells equal to their magic rating, which they cast using rituals hours or even days beforehand and can then fire off in combat rounds by completing the very last portion of the ritual on the spot.

For a more generous version, Magic + initiations spells precast. For a more punishing version, you can only precast a number of spells equal to your initiations.

Think of it kind of like preparing spells in D&D. The player declares what spells they have prepared and the force that they have them prepared at when the run starts, then they can complete them to cast as a complex action and get hit by drain then. This keeps the planning aspect of your ritual magic concept while not completely removing combat magic from viability.

[Ka_ge2020]

How about you let mages "precast" a number of spells equal to their magic rating, which they cast using rituals hours or even days beforehand and can then fire off in combat rounds by completing the very last portion of the ritual on the spot.

That seems kosher to me. Perhaps this is a way that you could cast more powerful spells by prepaying the cost?

...then they can complete them to cast as a complex action and get hit by drain then.

Maybe the pay for the drain prior to the casting? I'm kind of channeling Pendragon 3e here where you have to prep spells ahead of time and pay for in time that you had to mystically slumber.

FWIW, I'm rather fond of using ritual magic for this, especially for summoning.

(That and hacking!)

This keeps the planning aspect of your ritual magic concept while not completely removing combat magic from viability.

To be honest, this does sound fairly awesome to me.

[FuelDrop]

Hit by drain before is fine, it does mean that you'll see higher force spells precast since the caster will be able to heal the drain outside of combat rather than having to risk a bad soak roll in combat.

I'd say that if they precast a spell over their limit the oldest spell currently precast dissipates harmlessly, meaning they took the drain for nothing.

[Ka_ge2020]

Perhaps when pre-casting it should engage similar mechanics to Ritual Magic?