On page 106, Street Magic, under New Powers, the very first sentence states that all spirits, when they go free, gain the Magician quality. In the Inhabitation Merges sidebar, page 100, Street Magic, Hybrid Form Merges are specifically noted that they lose the ability to assume an Astral Form. However, under the Magician quality, page 79, SR Core Rulebook (I don't have SR4A yet), the fourth paragraph states that magicians are capable of Astral Projection.

So here are a series of questions:
1) Apparently Flesh Form Inhabitation Merges do not have this restriction, and are able to assume their Astral Form regardless of being a free spirit with the Magician quality. Is this true? And if not, what rule am I missing?

2) Does the Magician quality's astral projection provision superceed Free Spirits that are currently in Hybrid Form Inhabitation Merges, overwriting the loss of the ability to assume an Astral Form?

Flesh form being the spirit's natural form? My understanding of Inhabitation (across the editions) is that once used, the spirit lost its ability to go astral regardless of form as it's binding its astral form to a physical form.

Though I could see the Flesh Form being allowed to switch back and forth to make it a worthwhile result in comparison to the Hybrid and True forms.



In this case, I would say yes. Keep in mind the spirit is an Awakened Being, much like the various Drakes, certain Metavariants, & Infected. Awakened != Mage.

Gaining the Magician quality would indeed give all the of the benefits of the Magician Quality except those specifically banned to spirits (such as Conjuration). In this case, the Free Spirit isn't so much assuming an Astral Form as it would be Astrally Projecting. Also keep in mind the spirit should have to figure its stats on the Astral as a Magician would rather than as a Spirit due to the method it's using to gain access to the Astral. Depending on the Spirit in question, it is possible that it comes out ahead stat-wise in comparison to other spirits of its type.

This makes sense to me.

Actually, only Hybrid Form Inhabitation Merges specifically state they lose the ability to assume an Astral Form.


Spirit's and normal mage's astral forms/astral projection's attributes are found pretty much the same way. A spirit is assumed to have mental stats equal to its Force, which is why its attributes in Astral Form are equal to its Force. In the event that they Astrally Project, they would use their mental attributes to calculate their attributes, and unless the free spirit raised its Force/mental stats, they would have been identical to normal.

However, a Hybrid Form magician would also be limited to Magic (in this case Force) hours out of his body, as he now has to follow the rules for Magicians.

Did you take a look at the "Astral Projection" Free Spirit Power (Street Magic, page 109)?

I have not, but having the Magician quality allows astral projection by default.

And the ability of summoning spirits, thing that free spirits can't do; I think that the intended meaning is that free spirits can cast spells like they were mages, were it not the case it wouldn't make sense for the developers to be bothered by putting a specific free spirit power to enable spirits to do something they are already able to do ..... at least that's what I think.

No, because it specifically bars spirits from summoning in many places - IIRC even later in the same paragraph that gives them Magician. That means they get everything the Magician quality gives, except the abilities in the Conjuring group.

I don't know what to say, either poor wording in the part that says that free spirits are magicians or a whole free spirit power that doesn't have a reason for existing (and to be put into a book by the developers); at this point it would be nice if one of the developers that lurks about on this forums would be so kind to enlighten us ...... Ancient History!!!!