Whats the difference between them? It seems that one is intended for PCs and the other for NPCs. It's a bit of a change from SR3...

Is that a correct interpretation?

- J.

Both are free spirit powers explained in Street Magic. Hidden Life places the spirits life force in a creature, place or object making immune to normal weapons, age etc. Pacts are a bargain with sapient creatures that link the two together via sympathetic link and can include drain, dream, formula, life, magic or power pacts. Both do feel similar.

It should be noted that the Spirit Pact power includes only one type of pact per time taken. For instance, a Spirit has Spirit Pact (Life), but can't do Power Pacts or Drain Pacts. This is hinted at in Street Magic, but expounded upon in Runner's Companion.

Very true, however, it must be also remembered that the Spirit Pact power can be bought multiple times to allow multiple types of pacts, and most likely, many free spirits do (since various pacts such as Friendship, Life, Dream, and Formula have complementary effects).

A good idea is if you are offered a spirit pact, take a really, REALLY good look at the Spirit's aura. As in, have several people assense it. Chances are your GM is going to have it take off the spirit equivalent of glasses-with-attached-nose-and-moustache and it'll turn out to be a wraith. And if you end up with hidden life shoved into you, I'd advise taking up residence inside an extremely powerful ward that has enough room for you and noone else.

My GM presented to my Shapeshifter (who isn't really skilled with magic and sees it as an nuisance) a Free Spirit. He doesn't know anything about 'em but the Spirit offered him a Pact to make his Magic stronger so he doesn't have to be the "small Guy no one recognizes". What he does know is, that the Spirit has something to do with Death.

OT spoken it's a weird mix between the Mentor Spirit (Dark King) and Power Pact Merits, coupled with some RP Quirks. It's really cool for me, since my character can't figure out if he actually should trust it or if it is honest.

I believe a spirit pact is a means by which spirits can gain Karma, and Hidden Life is a power by which a spirit makes it harder to remove it from the earthly plane. That's just from memory, though, so I might be mistaken; can a spirit gain Karma through Hidden Life?

Right but the rules read like the Spirit Pact is the reward to the PC for Hidden Life, but Hidden Life grants more.... do you see what I'm saying?

E.g.
Human NPC is invested with a Hidden Life by a Free Spirit and gets all the perks.
Human PC is invested with hidden life by a Free Spirit and gets the Spirit Pact.

You see what I mean?

- J.

The PC made a Hidden Life vessel also gets all the insanity. And remember that a Spirit Pact is a mutually beneficial arrangement that both parties must agree to, which Hidden Life can be forced upon an unwilling subject.


Lets say a major villain hides his life in a PC, so that the PC has to commit suicide in order to defeat it, and in the mean time suffers from a large variety of mental flaws due to the antagonist's very high Force. Not so fun now.

To put it another way, a Pact is something that the spirit does for the character. Hidden Life is something that the spirit does to the character.

Er ... no, I don't see what you mean. Could you elaborate a bit?

And you may say to yourself,
This is not my beautiful double post ...