Hi Folks,

after watching "Scott Pilgrim" for app. 15 times, i cannot stop myself anymore from planning a combat-ready version of the levitate spell. Everybody who watched the movie knows about this feature, but i know that it will heavily create doubts (expecially from my GM) about possible abuses. Therefore i would need a proper planning before i present the spell. The effect that the spell should create is simple: damage. If it comes through the "chokehold of force" or a simple "smash his body on the wall" doesn´t matter, but both ways should be possible. I also thought about a simple wind-effect combat spell, but i don´t want to simulate a similar effect, i want real telekinesis. So combat spells are not an option. Manipulation would be the way to go, but what about damage over time? Sustained or immediate? Drain?

Please help...the in-game-style needs you.^^

You mean like Clout? :/ If your spell is for damage, it *is* a combat spell.

Ah, like "elemental aura" for example which is for what exactly?^^

Combat spells are always instant in duration. How will you manage the Darth-Vader trick with an instant spell? Problem.
Besides: the "intention" of the spell is damage, not necessarily the spell-category.^^

I was talking about the 'smash his body into the wall' aspect, not the 'slow choke'; but the choke is instant to me anyway. It seems odd for the same spell to do both, in SR.

Elemental Aura needs to die in a fire. But that's a *buff* in either case.

Slow choke sounds like Anti-Oxygenate, but you also need the paralysis, I guess. :/ Hm.

With regular Levitate you could cast it on someone and throw them like the Fling spell. As with a "choke" styled spell, I'd imagine it would be a Health Spell:

Physical +1
Touch Range -2
Sustained Duration +0
Negative Health Spell +2

So it looks like (f/2)+1 for a spell called Choke which would cause the target to immediately start taking damage like Holding Your Breath, page 137 of SR4A, only being resisted by Body + Willpower instead of Swimming + Willpower. The "paralysis" effect is simply because a lot of people don't like the idea of not breathing, although you could always Multicast Choke with Bind.

Can't you get either of these effects from magic fingers? You can lift someone by the throat, simultaneously choking them. Or throw someone by simply lifting someone and running them into a wall. You'll have to get a lot of hits on the test, but since most people are rolling 12+ on spellcasting checks you can expect 4 hits which is enough to lift 120 lbs + 30lbs*hits on the magic fingers lifting check. So it would be hard to pull off, especially for lift choking a troll, but possible.

The problem is, that levitate / magic fingers don´t cause a specific damage. It is up to the GM and you don´t always have a canyon or the top of a building you can drop the victim down off. Basis levitate is simply not fast enough to cause real damage, so i would prefer a spell with a damage rule comparable to a combat or manipulation spell and a specified effect. The problem is, to get 2 different effects in one spell..^^

Well, Magic Fingers lets you attack. So you can just use Unarmed Combat (Subdual Attack) with it. With Spellcasting hits serving as Agility and Strength and a -2 on actions (on top of sustaining) that doesn't sound too good, though.

How about a "Magic Fists" version? No -2 penalty but can't do anything but Unarmed Combat with it. Up Drain Code, Agility and Strength by 1 or 2 and it's Ok, IMO.

It chokes and hits and if you want to throw stuff / people you still can get Levitate for that.

Why am I reminded of my Star Wars D6 Jedi trying to develop the "Force Telekinetic Sexual Organs Crush"?

I think i will go for 2 different spells. For the "instant effect" i will create an advanced version of the corresponding combat spells that let me choose the direction from which the impulse will come from. So i have maybe more of a tactical option while using this spell. The other one will be an upgrade to levitation, that causes damage over time for the suffocation-effect, if you manage to grab the victim with the levitation-rules....^^

Thanks for the input.

remember, you can always cast two spells at once. assuming you handle the drain.

Style is important, but not so important. ^^