So, here's my question:

On page 178 of SR4A, it says "Lodges can be established almost anywhere. While the contents of a lodge can be moved, lodges are not portable. It is an Awakened place, more than the sum of the objects it contains. After being moved a lodge must be set up again and a new activation ritual performed."

Now, this means pretty clearly that if, say, you're a Runner and you have your lodge set up in a basement and you suddenly need to clear out in a hurry (you got advance notice that the 'Star are closing in and you need to grab your important shit, knock down the lodge and scoot out into the Orc Underground,) you're going to have to set the Lodge up again.


But what if you build your lodge inside something which is, itself, portable? On the small end, say, an ISO shipping container which fits on a flatbed truck or even a rail car, or if you built it in an old boxcar or caboose? Would your lodge collapse (as a Lodge, anyway,) the moment the container budges an inch?

What if you went bigger - much bigger. Say, a room in the bowels of an oceangoing vessel? Would it be possible to set up a lodge that would hold in there, or not? Again, would it collapse when the ship moves, or would it stay 'anchored' to the ship and stay whole?

I think the lodge would have to be smaller than the vehicle that is moving - the opposite of a hyperspace bubble around a ship. So a small one inside a shipping container may be possible but I think the magic room in a ship is a better idea.

I figured that the Lodge represents both a spiritual and physical location to the area which is "consecrated" by the ritual. So I don't think a Lodge on a truck or other moving object is possible.

I use rule fu to combine the shiny new living in vehicle rules with the original ones from runners companion and give my vessel a workplace.

"...an available large space, secure from the elements, to work in, operate a small business, or
house a magical lodge....."

Edit: if you still aren't convinced add aspected domain as well to keep the astral conditions the same.

I'd allow it, but limit it's effectiveness. So a school bus could hold a rating up to what the player and I agree upon, etc...

A magic lodge is a construct similar to a ward. Wards can be put inside objects that move, such as a vehicle, so a lodge should be able to do the same, no?

I would think that "It is an Awakened place, more than the sum of the objects it contains. After being moved a lodge must be set up again and a new activation ritual performed." is pretty darn clear, but I might be wrong.



-k

Karma Inferno good catch. I'd forgotten that section. So that seems pretty clear-yeah you can use a school bus or a cargo container, but every time it moves you'd need to reactivate it.

I would lean towards what Karma Inferno stated. So you could have your cool 1800's train car lodge, but you could not haul it across town and expect it to continue operating. Make sure the brakes are on.

Rules aside, I personally don't see an issue with a lodge on a sufficiently large object that moves. I'm not sure where my cutoff is, but a shipping container feels too small, while an ocean going liner is definitely large enough. If only because it's reasonable to me that a boat that can be at sea for months at a time could have it's own magical lodge.



I doubt that's strictly necessary. A good idea, yes, but for other reasons (i.e. walking away and having it careen off down the hill). Moving a few inches isn't going to upset anything; after all I doubt every mage needs to reset their lodge after an earthquake.

As a side note, I justified a Nexus as a magical lodge once. Rules-wise it was merely a component in the lodge, but it-had-no-bearing-on-the-game-because-it-was-never-used-wise, it was the UV node the nexus contained that was the actual lodge.

… What? Magic and matrix don't mix, dude.

Yeah, I agree it would be a house rule but I would allow pseudo-mobile lodges in parts of much larger mobile structures. A train car or big RV could only fit a rating 1 or 2, a 200-foot yacht could fit a rating 3-4, and a small cruise ship could fit a rating 6.

For practical runner purposes this limits them to rating 1-2, nothing overpowering.
But this also lets me have a security mage on a tanker vessel have a potent workshop and magical base. What's a toxic shark shaman to do when he lives on the high seas dumping toxic cargo overboard?

Die messily because that sounds like a guaranteed ticket to attract the hostile attention of the Sea Dragon?

Yeah, but if the sea dragon is busy elsewhere some shady people might get hired by the guy smuggling the toxic stuff that keeps going missing to find out what's happening too.

I know they don't. Doesn't mean my character can't think they do.

Hahaha, ohh. Dig it.

Like I said, never came up in play, although I had spent the BP on having the nexus and lodge.