Um... They pay troll go gangers to crotchkick them until they think they're on a metaplane?

It was possible in previous versions to physically enter the metaplanes. There was an entire campaign and "return to" campaign about it. Are there rules for that in SM?

afaik, yes. rifts and astral gateways can help you there...

yes, but seriously, initiation gives Mages more than it gives adepts, kind of unfair...

I don't really understand the original outrage. They can't astrally project (the limited power in SOTA 2064 aside) so they can't travel to the metaplanes unaided. They never could in any previous edition either.

The Astral Gateway spirit power is and has always been the only way for those without astral projection and initiation to visit the metaplanes. Great form Guidance spirits and some free spirits have it.

(Yes, immortal elves and probably great dragons can help you physically enter the metaplanes, if that's what happened in the Harlequin adventures. You'll just have to wait for the IE sourcebook, since they inexplicably left it out of Dragons of the Sixth Word.)

You are reading it correctly. This is part of the trade-off of being a jack-of-all-magical-trades. On the other hand, as a mystical adept, you get access to metamagic techniques that can not be taken by full mages.

Fangirl: The adept would need to astrally project, not just perceive. It is still possible, but it is much easier for a full magician.

@FanGirl

Yes, but you need projection to reach metaplanes. So bargining with a free spirit with Astral Gateway, or having a friend that can land enough hits on Invoking a Guardian it is the way to do it.

EDIT Incidentally this means that some traditions of Mystic Adepts can get themselves to the metaplanes by doing the Invoking themselves. Just obviously not till they gain Invoking, so never on the first Grade.

If you have SOTA 2064, you can always convert the "Limited Astral Projection" Metamagic Technique.

I can't remember where i read it, or if i read it, or if am i crazy, but i thought it was written somewhere that an adept can meditate and "travel" to the metaplanes in a way. Kinda like a vision quest without astral perception. Like adept magic, its more of an inward journey then an outward. (but i could just made that up to make sense of things)

never heard of that, Cang, in any edition.

other options for reaching the metaplanes include bribing a free spirit to use its Astral Gateway power on you, if it has that power. my SR3 adept did that once.

I'd imagine a free spirit could make some good money doing that. Pay in advance, of course.
Would doing that put the spirit in any danger?

nope.

well i did warn you i might of just made that up.

yep, its in awakenings.
i would say its mostly a merge of ascetism (sp?) and meditation...

I'd say go with hiring the troll go-gangers option.


I mean, how often do trolls get paid to beat someone into unconciousness? By the person being beaten, I mean? You oughta put some adventure into someone else's life - get some Karma while you're at it. (Use the Karma 4 rules.)

Depending on the neighborhood (and the, uh, proclivities of the client) troll gangers may get paid to beat people unconcious more often than you think.

Which is why I added the caveat "by the person being beaten".

I mean, getting paid to beat the shit out of people when you're a huge, strong troll go-ganger is a pretty regular occurance. You could probably make a living doing it.

But being paid by someone to kick the payer in the nuts? That's gotta be a new and unusual one. ^_^

Well, as a side-effect, this does give the GM a perfectly reasonable way to justify allowing an adept to go to metaplanes. After all, the adept's just hallucinating while unconcious