I've played SR3 before, and am about to start playing an SR4 game. I'm playing a shaman focusing on Summoning spirits and have found several questions that I can't seem to find the answers to in the book. This is compounded by my assumptions about magical rules that are left over from SR3.

• In SR4, is it possible to summon a spirit while astrally projecting?
• If it is possible, would a mage take automatic physical damage while doing it?
• Is it possible to suppress astral barriers? If no, how does one get past them by force?
• Is it possible to use Counterspelling to block incoming spells on people who are in the physical, while the Counterspeller is in the astral? I know you can only dismiss spells while on the same plane, but is there a rule for spell protecting from a different plane?

If anyone could answer these questions or point me to the proper page number where the rule can be found, much thanks will flow your way.

~style

1) Yes. they are summoned astrally in the first place, and since being projected isn't an 'exclusive action' like it use to be, there's no limitations like that short of the blatantly stated, and the rules for crossing boundaries. It does mean, however, that you got to be careful around spirits in the astral world - they tend to be as deadly there as they are in the physical world.

2) I don't remember if the 'physical damage while astral' rule still exists. ^-^; I'll have to read up again! argh! Generally speaking, spellcasting and conjuring, if the rule still exists, would be physical.

3) I don't believe you can suppress bariers, you have to either bypass it (which, as far as I know, requires consent) or get rid of it the hard way and beat it down.

4) the rules for world boundaries applies. you can't interact with the physical world from the Astral. UNLESS the people you are trying to project are dual beings (or astrally perceiving) you can't help them out that way.

@Cold-Dragon: I believe that #3 no longer applies to SR4, I looked specifically for that when I was reading through the book several times now and never found a reference to it

Well, then it's crystal: you do NOT getting through a barrier without destroying it or getting consent from the owner, lol.

...and then someone breaks my crystal, lol. Ah well, the Diamond looks prettier. *goes and sells it*

However, pressing through or breaking through still alerts the creator of the ward. If you want it to be anything like a secret that you are passing the ward, you'd best be able to do it completely mundane. Any active foci, projecting magicians, dual critters, or spirits are going to make alarm bells go off all over the corp's security network.

-Frank

Also, just so I am clear... a ward will rebuild itself in one combat round, even if it is completely destroyed in one round - and if karma = to its force is paid it can be made perminant... so it can never be removed under any circumstances?

Or if the ward, if destroyed in one round, is it gone for good?

err, last I checked, a thoroughly destroyed ward or field of just about any sort is gone for good. O_o even permanent ones (the permanent ones just last longer and have their karma for use as well). But yes, if you don't destroy them all the way, they can recover to full force again.

you should definitely read the magic section closely to make sure you know how they work. All these answers have been in there thus far.

I should read them too really, lol.

of course in 3rd edition you could 'spoof' a ward with masking to gain covert entry. Attuning the ward it's called. Maybe we'll see that in Street Magic

If conversions have been like they have, it's likely we'll see most of what isn't in the books in Street Magic.

Here's hoping to get a copy asap, heh.

I'm pretty sure that it says in the SR4 book something to the effect of "Due to the enchantments that are placed on wards, they are fully restored within one combat round." It says nothing about being able to permanently destroy them. So unless its some sort of error, a permanent ward is permanent forever. But that seems kinda silly. That eventually the astral plane would be littered with left over and forgotten barriers.