Hoi,
I am having a conversation with a tablemate on whether or not Deepweed affects Mundanes as it does Awakened.
SR4 Core p249
Full Version: Magical Compound: Deepweed
| QUOTE |
| Deepweed Duration: (6 – Body) hours, minimum 1 hour Eff ects: +1 Willpower, forces Awakened characters to astrally perceive Description: Also known as “bad karma,� this substance is derived by Caribbean houngans from an Awakened form of kelp. Naturally laden with nicotine and THC, deepweed is especially enticing to the Awakened and is sometimes used to dose targets for possession. It is ingested or inhaled. Deepweed forces any magically active user to astrally perceive, even if the user is an adept without astral perception ability. Once its eff ects have worn off , deepweed users may suff er a –1 to all dice pool modifi ers for an equal duration. Deepweed users say that the drug is relaxing and opens the mind. While it may be so, there are still dangers inherent in forced astral perception, such as attracting unwanted attention. Roleplaying the eff ects of deepweed may mean portraying someone who seems not completely “present�—she isn’t. |
Street Magic p. 88
| QUOTE |
| Magical Compounds Magical compounds are unique enchantments created by magicians using alchemy. Mundanes cannot create magical compounds, even if they possess the correct formula and ingredients. Tribal medicine men and wise women have passed down the secrets to creating magical compounds as part of their tradition, while cutting-edge corporate alchemical researchers have discovered the formulae for others. Any character, Awakened or mundane, can benefit from a magical compound. Each magical compound has a shelf life of 1D6 weeks, after which the magical compound has no effect; |
So the debate is whether or not Deepweed constitutes a magical compound. Thoughts?
It affects mundanes. They would only get the +1 willpower as it explicitly states that it only forces awakened characters to astrally perceive.
In SR4, Deepweed is a drug, not a magical compound.
Deepweed + GloMoss = mage detector
"Sir, please smoke this joint and stand under the mistletoe."
| QUOTE (Ancient History) |
| "Sir, please smoke this joint and stand under the mistletoe." |
Now that sounds like a party!
| QUOTE (Ancient History) |
| "Sir, please smoke this joint and stand under the mistletoe." |
:::Horned Man Spirit Possesses offerer::::
:::Dark Goddess Spirit Possesses taker::::
::Deep Male Voice is heard::
"Long time no see Babe, shall we get on with it?"
::Sultry Female Voice is heard::
"Sure you are up for it this time?"
:::Male and Female laughter is heard:::
Have a difficult time thinking of DeepWeed as Kelp.
| QUOTE (Ancient History) |
| In SR4, Deepweed is a drug, not a magical compound. |
AH, I know it is listed as a Street Drug in the Core rules, but as I pointed out it is derived from awakened kelp base, could this be an alchemical process? And as a process it is labeled in SM as a compound. A basic compound is mixing two or more separate products to form a new product.
The reason behind the question is can we force a mundane to smoke/ingest Deepweed and in turn astrally percieve? I thought this was mentioned in the Hong Kong section of Runners Havens?
It doesn't look likely that Deepweed (as described) makes mundanes astrally perceive. But there's no reason you can't refine it alchemically to create a version that does, as long as your GM is cool with that. But if it's strong enough to make mundanes perceive, it's likely to launch any magically active being. Maybe you've just invented the magical equivalent of steroids.
Sure, there's a good argument you could use a misting/vaporizing device or other type of inhaler to quickly administer ReallyDeepweed, but that's problematic as if your target IS a mage, he or she is not going to react to being dosed in a kindly way... especially if you're within arm's reach.
A better method is the old SuperSquirt or injector arrows/bolts. This means your target is dosed at range (no risk of deathtouch for you!) and you can have your mage friend waiting in astral space with a REALLY BIG HAMMER playing whack an astrally perceiving mole. However, as a security measure this fails, as there's going to be not a few complaints about everyone being stoned out of their gourd after passing the checkpoint.
Sure, there's a good argument you could use a misting/vaporizing device or other type of inhaler to quickly administer ReallyDeepweed, but that's problematic as if your target IS a mage, he or she is not going to react to being dosed in a kindly way... especially if you're within arm's reach.
A better method is the old SuperSquirt or injector arrows/bolts. This means your target is dosed at range (no risk of deathtouch for you!) and you can have your mage friend waiting in astral space with a REALLY BIG HAMMER playing whack an astrally perceiving mole. However, as a security measure this fails, as there's going to be not a few complaints about everyone being stoned out of their gourd after passing the checkpoint.
| QUOTE (Magus) | ||
AH, I know it is listed as a Street Drug in the Core rules, but as I pointed out it is derived from awakened kelp base, could this be an alchemical process? And as a process it is labeled in SM as a compound. A basic compound is mixing two or more separate products to form a new product. The reason behind the question is can we force a mundane to smoke/ingest Deepweed and in turn astrally percieve? I thought this was mentioned in the Hong Kong section of Runners Havens? |
I think I know the reference you're thinking about. More will be explained in an upcoming sourcebook. As it stands, Deepweed does not force mundanes to astrally perceive.
Now, that's not to say you couldn't have a magical compound that has a similar effect-just follow the guidelines set down in Street Magic.
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