Full Version: spirit edge
according to spirit stats, they have edge equal to force. am i the only one that thinks this is extreme? its good for my mage, i guess, but wow, it just seems like too much. how should a gm decide when and how spirits use edge?
IIRC, there is something concerning that in StreetMagic.
As a GM I generally only use a spirits edge if it is in its own best interest. If a player is abusive to spirits, they save it for chances to escape (things like binding tests).
Street Magic p.95 addresses the issue of Spirit Edge use, while the Tweaking the Rules section on p. 31 proposes a weaker alternative.
thanks for the info. i will also mention: i forget where i saw it but i saw a thread about casting spells through astral projection and a new metamagic proposed to allow this while materializing. i think that would be too powerful, but it would be cool to have a summoner with spirits of men traveling with you through astral space. the spirits can materialize and sling some wicked spells. 
| QUOTE (BrandedBandit @ May 4 2007, 04:03 PM) |
| according to spirit stats, they have edge equal to force. am i the only one that thinks this is extreme? its good for my mage, i guess, but wow, it just seems like too much. how should a gm decide when and how spirits use edge? |
Yes, and from what I remember the rules encourage you to. You're more likely to see one of your spirits using edge to whip your sorry butt EXTRA hard after a failed binding ritual than you are to see one drop some edge just to Conceal you better.
| QUOTE (Demerzel) |
| As a GM I generally only use a spirits edge if it is in its own best interest. If a player is abusive to spirits, they save it for chances to escape (things like binding tests). |
...something I will be using it for a lot more of as well. And man, failing a binding test can be sooooo bad for the mage.
| QUOTE (BrandedBandit) |
| according to spirit stats, they have edge equal to force. am i the only one that thinks this is extreme? its good for my mage, i guess. |
No. Really, no it isn't. If a GM allows you to control spirits as if they were automatons then he's doing the spirits a disservice. Edge represents both utmost effort and a certain mystical luck / grace / fate. There's no reason a spirit should be spending it on behalf of some magician that is forcing it to do various tasks of no benefit to itself.
If magicians abuse their spirits, then they're going to get a nasty shock the first time one of them uses edge to resist a binding.
But a GM shouldn't be one sided. I had a beast spirit that was sent to kill four guards and was enjoying itself so much (I play Beast spirits as pretty blood-thirsty sometimes), that it stuck around after its service was complete and spent most of the rest of the mission storming round the base chasing and devouring terrified security guards and employees. If I think the spirit will enjoy what it's doing, then it might spend some edge at it.
But it's GM call. A magician can only tell a spirit what it's supposed to do, not determine whether the spirit is enthusiastic about the task or not.
The use of Edge by spirits is discussed in SM, p. 95. There are some good guidelines there.
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