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DireRadiant
QUOTE (Dentris @ Nov 13 2008, 10:56 PM) *
Although I have nothing against morally ambiguous characters, i do not want an evil party. Benevolence is not required, but at some point, I expect you to do the right thing, or at least try.


Updated Opal BG to have a motivation to help other spirits despite an aversion to those ravening enslaving domineering power mad psychotic Mortal beings.
Karaden
QUOTE (crizh @ Nov 14 2008, 09:54 AM) *
You could work for a wind-farm.


Yeah, I can see it now, the renewable power source of 2070 isn't solar or wind or natural gas or ethonal... it's SPIRIT POWER!™
BlackHat
Renewable until the next time mana recedes, anyway.
Karaden
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 14 2008, 11:23 AM) *
Renewable until the next time mana recedes, anyway.


You really think we'll have managed to not all blow each other up by then?
BlackHat
Well, if we'd have a lot less to fight over if spirits could give us infinite free power.

Actually, scratch that. People would find a reason, anyway.
Karaden
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 14 2008, 11:27 AM) *
Well, if we'd have a lot less to fight over if spirits could give us infinite free power.

Actually, scratch that. People would find a reason, anyway.


Exactly, there are still plenty of things to fight over. Land, resources, ideology, money, technology, etc etc etc.

That aside, the backstory for Erzulie
[ Spoiler ]
Dentris
About banishment: No spirits were ever banished from their metaplanes before. The fact 5 of them gets banish at the same time is suspicious at best, a universe-wide conspiration at worst. Why you? and what will happens when you'll get banished from the physical plane is unknown, and should be a great source of fear...(Please not, that i'm a midly evil GM, not completly evil, therefore you always have a figthing chance. What that means exactly is left to your imagination)

About contacts: As spirits, it's perfectly understandable that you acquired contacts and even equipment before your banishment (and thus your existence as a free spirit). This is not without limits, though, I will put a limit of loyalty 4 to all contacts (although high connections are fair game with a good explanation). Such loyalty to simple spirits is impossible to achieve. This loyalty may increase in game, though, given enough time and effort.
Dentris
QUOTE (Karaden @ Nov 14 2008, 11:41 AM) *
Exactly, there are still plenty of things to fight over. Land, resources, ideology, money, technology, etc etc etc.

That aside, the backstory for Erzulie
[ Spoiler ]


Good,very good, but instead of being already free (as opposed to the others), i suggest your followers tried to free you but up until now, they failed. Your attempts were discovered in your home metaplane and you were banished as punishment. You are forced to materialize in the physical world and the story will start at that very moment.
Dentris
Double post
crizh
What about Metaplanar Shortcuts?

Presumably as Initiated Magicians we have access to all Metaplanes and could just use a different one to take shortcuts....
Play
QUOTE (Dentris @ Nov 14 2008, 11:26 AM) *
Good,very good, but instead of being already free (as opposed to the others), i suggest your followers tried to free you but up until now, they failed. Your attempts were discovered in your home metaplane and you were banished as punishment. You are forced to materialize in the physical world and the story will start at that very moment.



Now I'm confused.

Aside from Ally spirits, were we just spirits and got banished from home plane, or have we all become free spirits, in that we had been summoned/bound to service and then something catastrophic happened to our summoner and we made our roll to become free spirits, thus acquiring free spirit powers/status?

I thought it was the latter. ?

I'll have my 1st draft char sheet in today.
Dentris
QUOTE (Play @ Nov 14 2008, 02:32 PM) *
Now I'm confused.

Aside from Ally spirits, were we just spirits and got banished from home plane, or have we all become free spirits, in that we had been summoned/bound to service and then something catastrophic happened to our summoner and we made our roll to become free spirits, thus acquiring free spirit powers/status?

I thought it was the latter. ?

I'll have my 1st draft char sheet in today.



The banishment caused your existence as a free spirit.


Metaplanar shortcuts are possible, you just can't go to your home metaplane.
crizh
I'm at work atm and posting from my phone so I can't finish or upload a sheet.

I'm working seriously on Blackbriar who is going to be a mixture of Jason Bourne and the Agents from the Matrix. I think it's going to work...

Can we spend karma on Quickening or save some to do so in game?
Play
QUOTE (De Badd Ass @ Nov 13 2008, 11:53 PM) *
Yes, those are the cost in "Edge Power Points" as in, your PC gets one point to spend on Spirit Powers for each point of Edge. A Spirit with Edge = 2 gets 2 Points, and a Spirit with Edge 5 gets 5 Points.

There is a section in Runner's Companion called Creating a Free Spirit Character that gives costs for over twenty-something Free Spirit Powers.



I don't have Runners Companion. I'm going with one power is one point.

Street magic says, on free spirit initiation; --It may initiate as a magician does, though the process grants
one additional free spirit power per grade rather than a metamagic technique.--

How do we, can we, get metamagick? I know they have masking and such, unless they use the spirit power 'aura masking' instead.

Metamagic? On only spirit powers?

crizh
I'm pretty sure SM says a Power Point or a metamagic.

PC Free Spirits are massively less powerful than NPC ones. The rules in RC are intended to make them balanced enough to be playable.
Play
The line is my above post is a direct quote.

I'm starting to think I need the RC.

Could someone post in brief the karmagen rules? Costs for skills/attributes etc? My costs look different than char sheets posted on here.
Karaden
QUOTE (Play @ Nov 14 2008, 03:34 PM) *
The line is my above post is a direct quote.

I'm starting to think I need the RC.

Could someone post in brief the karmagen rules? Costs for skills/attributes etc? My costs look different than char sheets posted on here.


I will in a bit. Mostly very simple.
DireRadiant
On my character sheet in the top right part is the karmegen costs for reference.
Opal

Or

Improvement Karma Cost
Metatype (shapeshifter type, etc.) 0*
Improving an attribute by 1 New rating x 3
New positive quality BP Cost x 2
New Specialization 2
New Knowledge/Language skill 2
New Active skill 4
New Active skill Group 10
Improving a Knowledge/Language skill by 1 New rating
Improving an Active skill by 1 New rating x 2
Improving an Active skill group by 1 New rating x 5
New spell 5
New complex form 2
Improving a complex form by 1 New rating
2,500 nuyen 1
Bond a focus See Focus Bonding Table, p. 43
Contact (Connection + Loyalty) x 2

Play
QUOTE (Karaden @ Nov 14 2008, 12:51 PM) *
I will in a bit. Mostly very simple.



Thanks.


And elsewhere, it says..."These optional powers can come from the following:..... Any of the metamagic techniques available to metahuman initiates
may be taken as a free spirit power. "
Karaden
For a free spirit:

You start with all stats at two, including edge and force. Max for any stat is equal to your force (Which has a max of 6). You start with a number of power points equal to your edge. Initiation raises your max force by 1 and gives you either a metamagic or a power point.
QUOTE
Power Cost Reference
Accident 0.5 p. 286, SR4
Animal Control 1 p. 286, SR4
Aura Masking* 3 p. 98, Street Magic
Binding 2 p. 287, SR4
Concealment 2 p. 287, SR4
Confusion 1 p. 287, SR4
Divining 1 p. 99, Street Magic
Elemental Attack 3 p. 287, SR4
Energy Aura 3 p. 287, SR4
Engulf 2 p. 100, Street Magic
Enhanced Senses 0.25 each p. 288, SR4
(Hearing, Low-Light, Smell, Thermographic)
Fear 1.5 p. 288, SR4
Guard 0.5 p. 288, SR4
Influence 2 p. 289, SR4
Movement 1 p. 289, SR4
Mutable Form* 1 p. 109, Street Magic
Natural Weapon 1 p. 289, SR4
Noxious Breath 1.5 p. 289, SR4
Personal Domain* 3 p. 109, Street Magic
Psychokinesis 0.5 p. 290, SR4
Realistic Form* 0.5 p. 102, Street Magic
Regeneration* 5 p. 109, Street Magic
Shadow Cloak 1 p. 102, Street Magic
Silence 1 p. 102, Street Magic
Spirit Pact* 1 p. 110, Street Magic
Venom 1 p. 290, SR4
Weather Control 2 p. 290, SR4


As for karmagen:
You get 800 karma (GM said so) and you bascially spend karma exactly as you would if developing your character durring play. Couple notable things are that you can trade karma for resources at 1:2500 ratio, and contacts are (Connection+loyalty)x2

There isn't any extra cost for maxing a stat or anything, but the limit of 1 stat maxed, and 1 skill at 6 or two at 5 are still in affect.

Metatype (free spirit in this case) doesn't cost anything. Max you can spend on physical/mental stats is equal to... some massive number you won't reach (Like almost all your karma in this case)
DireRadiant
The Free Spirit Metatype starts with Force and Attributes at 2. All metatypes start with their base attributes.
Play
Sweet. Thanks to both.

p 105 of street magic says "Additionally, when a spirit becomes free, it gains a number of
new powers equal to its remaining Edge attribute."

So I'm curious, are we using the powers point cost from Runners Companion? As there isn't a cost in SR4 or Street Magic?

Do we get power per point of edge for going free, then buy new ones at cost?

Inquiring minds want to know....
DireRadiant
Accident 0.5 p. 286, SR4
Animal Control 1 p. 286, SR4
Aura Masking* 3 p. 98, Street Magic
Binding 2 p. 287, SR4
Concealment 2 p. 287, SR4
Confusion 1 p. 287, SR4
Divining 1 p. 99, Street Magic
Elemental Attack 3 p. 287, SR4
Energy Aura 3 p. 287, SR4
Engulf 2 p. 100, Street Magic
Enhanced Senses 0.25 each p. 288, SR4
(Hearing, Low-Light, Smell, Thermographic)
Fear 1.5 p. 288, SR4
Guard 0.5 p. 288, SR4
Influence 2 p. 289, SR4
Movement 1 p. 289, SR4
Mutable Form* 1 p. 109, Street Magic
Natural Weapon 1 p. 289, SR4
Noxious Breath 1.5 p. 289, SR4
Personal Domain* 3 p. 109, Street Magic
Psychokinesis 0.5 p. 290, SR4
Realistic Form* 0.5 p. 102, Street Magic
Regeneration* 5 p. 109, Street Magic
Shadow Cloak 1 p. 102, Street Magic
Silence 1 p. 102, Street Magic
Spirit Pact* 1 p. 110, Street Magic
Venom 1 p. 290, SR4
Weather Control 2 p. 290, SR4
Karaden
QUOTE (Play @ Nov 14 2008, 04:21 PM) *
Sweet. Thanks to both.

p 105 of street magic says "Additionally, when a spirit becomes free, it gains a number of
new powers equal to its remaining Edge attribute."

So I'm curious, are we using the powers point cost from Runners Companion? As there isn't a cost in SR4 or Street Magic?

Do we get power per point of edge for going free, then buy new ones at cost?

Inquiring minds want to know....


The problem is your looking at other sources. Virtually everything you read reguarding free spirits is for NPC free spirits, only the stuff in RC is for PC free spirits. So ignore other stuff about getting things when becoming free and such.

You get power points equal to edge, you get an addition power point per initiation in which you don't take a metamagic. Stop trying to use the other sources for PC free spirits.
Play
QUOTE (Karaden @ Nov 14 2008, 02:04 PM) *
The problem is your looking at other sources. Virtually everything you read reguarding free spirits is for NPC free spirits, only the stuff in RC is for PC free spirits. So ignore other stuff about getting things when becoming free and such.



Got it.
BlackHat
Second Draft:

Major changes:
- Removed Global Fame
- Removed Dayjob
- Removed Gear (Fake Identities)
- Reduced Contacts Loyalty to 4 (Although increased their magical resources, and made them more numerous since it costs the same)
- Added Greek and Vice knowledge skills
- Added initiations (Extrended Masking, and Symbolic Linking)
- Consolidated Sorcery and Counterspelling into Sorcery group

[ Spoiler ]

Karaden
QUOTE
Collection of several thousand pact-addicted mortals.


QUOTE
All have partaken in Adsinistrati's carnal pact enough times to have become quite addicted to it


Has magic even been around long enough to accomplish that? nyahnyah.gif

Edit: *Does some math* Several thousand.... times several times... times amount of time for each.... Based on random figures I see 94 days not counting breaks or travel time biggrin.gif
BlackHat
ROFL. Well, I did forget about that part. I was thinking, these were the same magicians (or companions thereof) who had summoned her before she went free - but I suppose she wouldnt' have had any sort of pact before then. Hrms - perhaps back to the drawing board with these contacts.
BlackHat
Also, you neglected to factor in that Adsinistrati could take care of more than one at a time if the cards were played right. biggrin.gif
Karaden
I wasn't thinking about that part either. I was just thinking the excessive amount of time it would have taken to build up a power base via that method. Of course my own cult initiation takes a bit of time too, but only... well actually like two combat rounds of actual required personal involvement.

I am slightly confused however. We were banished five minutes ago. We were made free spirits five minutes ago. We were normal spirits before that (Except one ally spirit). Normal spirits are slaves. How did we amass any amount of wealth or contacts before start of game?

I mean you could maybe put down someone who summoned you in the past as a contact, but they're more likely to just want to summon a new spirit then deal with you as a free spirit. Same goes with equipment. We wouldn't be able to amass any wealth or equipment before becoming free because we would be slaves. My backstory is the only way I can think of to get around such a thing, though I'm sure there are others.

Would it perhaps be easier to say we'd been free spirits for a while, but only just recently became banished from our metaplane?
Karaden
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 14 2008, 07:07 PM) *
Also, you neglected to factor in that Adsinistrati could take care of more than one at a time if the cards were played right. biggrin.gif


True, but I didn't factor in any getting any after the first 'enough to be hooked', nor travel time to global locations, nor time to actually find and recruit these people, nor cleaning up, nor any other activities besides 94 days of strait sex.

And while the image of a line with a sign that says '92 days from this point' in it is hilarious, I don't imagine it would work out so well.
BlackHat
I'll probably cut them loose, but I have no idea what I would spend the 60 karma on. smile.gif
Suppose I could say they haven't made a pact yet, and are just ex-clients that used to summon her. Not really sure how to explain the loyalty (even reduced to 4), though - since, like you said, it'd be easier to summon a new spirit (who isn't limited to PC powers) than to deal with a free spirit.
Karaden
Heh, didn't mean to kill off your idea or anything, as it is actually cool. But still, this is a bigger problem then just your cult. Any contacts period or resources period are going to be hard to explain if we've, for all intents and purposes, only been born five minutes ago.
Karaden
Meet Erzulie
[ Spoiler ]


I'll unpersonalize those spells if wanted, or perhaps just get something different entirely.
crizh
I had an idea about contacts etc what with us being newly free. My memory on the subject is vague but can Magical Groups not be created with a Patron Spirit?

That would allow me to already be a member of an extensive group and Initiated and that group would be to some extent bonded to me and vice versa.


BlackHat
QUOTE (Karaden @ Nov 14 2008, 08:22 PM) *
Meet Erzulie


One thing. We start with one Spirit pact free, and Dentris said he didn't want us picking up a second one yet (he mentioned being able to get one once the game was underway)
Karaden
QUOTE (BlackHat @ Nov 14 2008, 08:55 PM) *
One thing. We start with one Spirit pact free, and Dentris said he didn't want us picking up a second one yet (he mentioned being able to get one once the game was underway)


Whatchu talkin' 'bout?

*Whistles as he erases the friendship pact that he had erased on his main sheet*
Play
QUOTE (crizh @ Nov 14 2008, 05:47 PM) *
I had an idea about contacts etc what with us being newly free. My memory on the subject is vague but can Magical Groups not be created with a Patron Spirit?

That would allow me to already be a member of an extensive group and Initiated and that group would be to some extent bonded to me and vice versa.


Again, not if you were just born 5 minutes ago.

And we'll need a ruling on whether we -have- a spirit pact, or we -get- a spirit pact, that we can put in place once we play a bit.

Unless patron spirits can be random, regular spirits. Which we all were before.

Also, Join A Magical Group might be tough unless we could find and do that in 5 minutes. Which might be just enough time for you Orgy spirits....
Karaden
Can I help it if we have the ability to please an entire room full of people in a matter of seconds?
Cthulhudreams
I'm still kinda keen on the motivation question - is it investigative?
Play
Otay, here's my 5 minute spirit pact.

Repeatedly summoned by a shadowrunner mage, near the end of one service, Salience is coincidentally banished (however that mysteriously happened). In a flash of magic, color, and special effects, the mage looks up and sees a spirit, a new form, new power, and a new intelligence in the eyes.

The spirit looks around, newly conscious, the mage observes, notices he hasn't been attacked yet and aware something has happened, coming to the conclusion that either his spirit has become free, or the spirit just got possessed by a bigger spirit, which he strikes as much less likely.

Salience appears loosely as a naked and hyper-fit, -very- built 20ish year old white handsome male with a brilliant blue faux-hawk. Like heat off a fire, with a hint of blue, he shimmers, and his eyes glow the same brilliant blue as his hair.
His visage is still and expressionless, he looks back to the human he had been forced to serve in the past.

The mage stands up, faces the spirit bravely. "I never treated him badly...." he thought to himself hopefully.

"Shall we create a new arrangement?" he asks the spirit.

Salience remains still, floating a foot off the ground, shimmering waves rising from his human form, eyes bright.
'He' cocks his head and takes a few moments to, assumably, consider.

The mage forces himself to breath, searching his mind for the best defense in case of attack, feeling the hope rising in him like a sunrise against the dark backdrop of fear. "What is it thinking?" he asks himself. "What is it thinking?"

"Sure." the spirit replies, and lowers himself so his feet hit the floor, for the first time feeling the solidness of the physical plane.




De Badd Ass
QUOTE (Dentris @ Nov 14 2008, 02:22 PM) *
About banishment: No spirits were ever banished from their metaplanes before. The fact 5 of them gets banish at the same time is suspicious at best, a universe-wide conspiration at worst. Why you? and what will happens when you'll get banished from the physical plane is unknown, and should be a great source of fear...(Please not, that i'm a midly evil GM, not completly evil, therefore you always have a figthing chance. What that means exactly is left to your imagination)
Since you didn't like the first version of Antisthenes, I have created a second, shorter version (i know how to take a hint):

Antisthenes, (not his true name), has been banished from his home meta-plane in an unprecedented move. He wants to know the who (or what), why, and how. He also wants to return. His mission is to solve this mystery, return to his home plane, and prevent this from happening again. Punishing the perpetrators is not out of the question.

Meanwhile, he is free. He would like to stay that way.
Dentris
There is still some room for new players if you want, if not, I'll start a new topic next weekend and start the adventure.
Play
Let's go!

It's not like we need a decker;)

I'm not against more, I'm just pro gettin it on.

Where is everybody at character wise?

Other than feedback from D, and a little clean up, I'm ready.
Play
Let's go!

It's not like we need a decker;)

I'm not against more, I'm just pro gettin it on.

Where is everybody at character wise?

Other than feedback from D, and a little clean up, I'm ready.
crizh
I'm still waiting on replies about a number of things before I can complete a character.

I'm nearly done, just a little polishing needed.
Karaden
I need to make a very slight adjustment to my background but I do believe I'm otherwise ready.

Oh, I put down custom spells, wanted GM approval on them.
BlackHat
I probably need to polish off a few last things on my entry as well - and it would probably help to get a sense from Dentris if I am going in the right direction at all. biggrin.gif Given his earlier comment about not liking the idea of evil characters, I would not be surprised (or offended) if he'd prefer I pass on the concept.

I think the earlier points brought up about the contacts make sense - so I'll probably just scrap them, but I need to figure out what else to spend the points on besides initiating another 3-4 times. biggrin.gif
Karaden
That's alot of contacts or you haven't initiated very much yet. Of course who am I to speak? I have a max force of like 13 right now.
crizh
You mean 12 right?

Initiate Grade cannot exceed Magic stat.
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