Since I'm not entirely sure, maybe you can help clear this up for me.

A Spirit of Air (Force 4) has used Engulf on a target (melee attack was successful with 1 net hit). The target did not manage to break free.

Now it's the second IP, and the Spirit's turn.
Since Engulf is sustained, it does not cost any actions to keep it active.

Some Questions:

1) Does the Spirit have to roll something to deal damage again, or is it just another Damage Resistance roll against 5S for the target (4S base damage + one net hit from the initial melee attack)?

2) Can the Spirit do anything else, except keeping the target engulfed on its action?

3) Can the Spirit move (moving the target with it or not)?

4) Can one Spirit engulf multiple targets one after the other?

Bye
Thanee

I asked some of the same stuff in this thread.

My understanding:

1) No new roll, just damage resistance. The power specifically says that "Net hits on the melee attack increase the DV of this damage" (emph added), and the only melee attack involved is the initial one -- the spirit "automatically inflicts" the subsequent damage.

2) Sure. It's a sustained power, which doesn't even distract the spirit.

3) This one I don't know, but there are a few possibilities. One is that the engulf target is "in the belly" of the air elemental, and the air elemental has to drag it along to move. In that case, it's up to whether an air elemental is strong enough to carry the target or not. Since there are no encumbrance rules in SR4, that's entirely the GM's call. It may be the case that the engulfed target isn't even really inside the air elemental, though. Engulf lets a spirit "draw victims into itself or the terrain it controls, thus smothering the victim." Does an air elemental control nearby airspace? Maybe it's just suffocating the target by controlling the air, and it could move away and leave the target where it was.

4) As far as I can tell, yes. Each one will count as a sustained power, and a Spirit can only sustain a number of powers equal to its Magic, but that's not very comforting against a high-force spirit. In the other thread I linked, FrankTrollman mentioned that Greatform spirits can even engulf multiple targets with the same action. Maybe that's in Street Magic -- I don't have that yet.

Sounds reasonable. Thanks!

Now, who might be able to answer question number 3)?

Bye
Thanee

It's a sustained power, so the spirit doesn't have to do anything specific to maintain the engulf.

Example: Bob is possessed by a Loa of Agwe (a Water Spirit), and decides to engulf some fool. He walks right up and slaps the guy, causing his native element (water in his case) to well up and surround his victim. With his enemy caught in a column of water, Bob is satisfied. He walks away chuckling while the poor fool drowns in freestanding water behind him.

-Frank

But doesn't engulf requrie taking the target into there elemental form. If they walk away wouldn't the target be freed or dragged along with?

I'm generally along with Frank's interpretation on this one. It is not necessarily the elemental itself that engulfs the target, it can easily be the element being controlled. So a nearby pipe may burst releasing the water that is doing the work. The ground around the victim may rise up to engulf him. The very air around you can become your problem. Otherwise how would you explain a possession tradition being able to engulf?

Also therefore it should in no way hinder movement by the spirit after it has performed it's engulf. There's nothing even saying the spirit cannot stop materializing and continue to sustain the power from the astral.

Thanks for the clarifications.

Bye
Thanee