 Astral combat, If you are not a magic user |
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 Mar 3 2005, 05:27 PM
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#1
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It's for winners  Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 523 Joined: 8-February 05 From: Wiltshire with da shooty stuff Member No.: 7,067  |
Have been on a few runs lately and playing a non magical character i have suffered somewhat with astral assault. What can you do if you are being attacked in the astral by spirit etc? The one thing our team lacks at the moment is a magic / shaman type, Is there anything you can get to help detect astral activity without being awakened? I have had a flick through SR3 and Awakenings, but I have lent my Mits to a mate. torz x :read: |
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Mar 3 2005, 05:39 PM
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#2
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Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600 |
If you are a mundane, astral combat is not one of your concerns.
Nothing from the astral plane can affect you, and vice-versa. Any spirit that wishes to harm you must materialize. Any spell that can affect you must be cast from the physical plane. Assuming you knew this, in order to detect the presence of astral entities (mostly spying on you one would imagine), you have very limited options. One is to carry a small dual natured pet, such as Nimue's Salamander, trained to burp or something when it spots an astral presence. Otherwise, you can hire a mage to sell you a watcher spirit that'll do the same thing. Or perhaps carry an aerosol can that sprays FAB around. You see glowing, you know there's something astral. There's also a new camera in SOTA64 that supposedly can take pictures of the Astral, but I don't have that book yet so I can't tell you much about it. |
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Mar 3 2005, 05:47 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 527 Joined: 30-January 04 Member No.: 6,043 |
If the astral spy goes right through you, you get a perception test to detect it.
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Mar 3 2005, 05:47 PM
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#4
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
It's based on daguerrotype films and Kirlian photography. In any case, you would need to develop the film in order to get anything, so it's not useful on a run unless you were Ghostwatching or something. |
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Mar 3 2005, 07:36 PM
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#5
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It's for winners Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 523 Joined: 8-February 05 From: Wiltshire with da shooty stuff Member No.: 7,067 |
Thank you, I like the idea of a spray! whats the availability?
torz :) |
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Mar 3 2005, 07:42 PM
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#6
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
5,000 nuyen, Availability 6/1 wk for 50 cubic meters of aerosol. I'd imagine you'd need a spray tank to use it (it's not really something you can use from a spraypaint can... maybe a squirt bottle). |
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Mar 3 2005, 07:46 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 19-July 04 From: N 42° 43.799'. W 84° 27.901' Member No.: 6,496 |
As for dealing with a spirit without a mage (or adept with killing hands), that immunity to normal weapons can be a real downer. You could try using improved grenades (15S damage) which would work on spirits force 7 and lower (barely) and try to flood them with successes, but I'd view that as a chancy tactic at best.
Another tactic is using high reach weapons (whips, extendable batons) and battle it using willpower--the reach still applies. Now, the problem is you only get to roll willpower while it can roll reaction and combatpool. So, I'd recommend having several people delaying and engaging it at the same time for a friends in melee bonus. The problems with this tactic is you're doing a base (Cha)M Stun damage and you may need to tie up several PCs to deal with a lone spirit. If you're rich, and can find someone to cooperate, an anchoring focus with detect spirit / spiritbolt could nail one pretty well. Of course, it might just nail some poor old lady's seeing eye watcher spirit and then you'd be out a decent chunk of nuyen. The FAB spray seems pretty cool. If your GM allows it, it'd probably work--just remember bacteria are living organisms. Left to their own devices, their populations grow and grow, then level off, then it crashes. So take good care of the bugs or you won't have any left to play with :) |
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Mar 3 2005, 07:56 PM
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#8
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Ain Soph Aur Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,477 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Montreal, Canada Member No.: 600 |
No, spirit does not get Combat Pool either. |
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Mar 3 2005, 08:09 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 19-July 04 From: N 42° 43.799'. W 84° 27.901' Member No.: 6,496 |
Actually if you look carefully at the wording, the person makes a willpower test as a melee attack and the person can't use his combat pool. If he succeeds, then the spirit can't use combat pool to soak the damage. However, there is nothing preventing the spirit from using its combat pool during the initial melee test. |
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Mar 3 2005, 10:45 PM
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#10
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It's for winners Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 523 Joined: 8-February 05 From: Wiltshire with da shooty stuff Member No.: 7,067 |
Thank's for that I know all about bacteria and their exponential growth, and luckily so douse my character! torz x :P |
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Mar 3 2005, 11:42 PM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,032 Joined: 6-August 04 Member No.: 6,543 |
And lasers work on any of them short of force,12 I think. That being th hand held lasers. Bigger lasers do more damage.
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Mar 3 2005, 11:46 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 392 Joined: 13-January 05 From: Forgot where his meat body was Member No.: 6,971 |
FAB spray? Would you happen to have a page reference handy for that? |
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Mar 3 2005, 11:41 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 19-July 04 From: N 42° 43.799'. W 84° 27.901' Member No.: 6,496 |
Don't ask me, it was backgammon's idea.
But the basic idea, afaik, is getting your own little FAB farm, putting some of the suspension (complete with FABs) in an aersol spraying device, and spraying them around an area--use normal FAB rules at that point. |
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Mar 4 2005, 12:01 AM
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#14
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Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220 |
The damaging kind of fab takes days or weeks to take effect, not a good option.
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Mar 4 2005, 12:12 AM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 392 Joined: 13-January 05 From: Forgot where his meat body was Member No.: 6,971 |
Hmmm... There was that nasty bacteria (in Threats 1, if memory serves) that attacked and devoured astrally active magical things. But again, it's probably too slow-acting.
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Mar 4 2005, 12:12 AM
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#16
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
FAB III. 3rd ed rules are in MitS. it only makes one check per hour to eat a rating point, as i recall.
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Mar 4 2005, 12:14 AM
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#17
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Lasers employ an Elemental effect, and work just as well as any other Elemental attack method. |
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Mar 4 2005, 12:21 AM
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#18
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,174 Joined: 13-May 04 From: UCAS Member No.: 6,327 |
So an alternative weapon with elemental effect on spirits (other than lasers) would be flamethrowers? Or is it too low powered that you might as well be spitting at it? |
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Mar 4 2005, 12:37 AM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 19-July 04 From: N 42° 43.799'. W 84° 27.901' Member No.: 6,496 |
Yeah, I was mentioning FAB as an astral detection measure--strain 3 is far to slow to do much good.
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Mar 4 2005, 12:30 AM
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#20
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Flamethrowers, stun batons, water cannons, or any other weapon that delivers an Elemental effect will work against Spirits.
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Mar 4 2005, 12:47 AM
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#21
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 392 Joined: 13-January 05 From: Forgot where his meat body was Member No.: 6,971 |
So next time my mundane PC meets a spirit, I'd better hope he's packing a defiance supershock, huh? |
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Mar 4 2005, 12:59 AM
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#22
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Better than nothing. You'd be better off still with the AZ-150, since it has a Reach of 1.
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Mar 4 2005, 01:10 AM
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#23
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
The costs of an FAB I Aerosol are listed in the back of MitS, in 50 and 500 cubic meter amounts. You could reasonably put the FAB into a spray tank and use it to detect Astral Beings, but only if you either saturated an area with it, or happened to spray in the right direction. Not entirely effective, but it's an option. |
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