I know by RAW this is possible. I have an infected character NPC magician that would be familiar with the benefits of critter Mist Form power to design and use the spell. It would be in keeping for them to go out of their way to obtain it

The question is should I allow it to exist?

Having a PC Assess and retro engineer this would be a pain. Delightfully amusing in consequence retaliation but still a head ache in general.

Would simply saying this NPC is 'special' or their infection line express the critter power be neater?

I am reticent because I have drilled in the, "Know your enemy." lesson.

REF fiat to break RAW might be...unfair real world- without just consideration.

Would your game world benefit from this spell?

No.
Don't do it.
You'll open up a whole world of cans of worms you never even wanted to know existed . .

I wouldn't have a problem with it. Make sure the spell has all the other drawbacks spells of that nature have though - the inability to have gear travel with you. No guns, no commlink, no armor, and no clothes.

If you're happy with the Turn to Goo spell I don't see that this should be an issue.

As a note on Neraph's post - no gear means no sustaining focus, so he'd need a bound spirit to offset the penalty and even then it chews through services pretty quickly.

Incidentally, the know-your-enemy paradigm does not mean read every page of fluff and RAW before you go to bed. It means the characters themselves need to find out what they're up against. It's practically standard for magical NPCs to veer from the norm in order to, as the good book itself puts it, "keep your players guessing".

Aerospider I am guessing that you believe that the spell version should not be able to allow knowledge of self while active- so sustaining would be impossible and movement as well? Which would make it pointless for the NPC, this draw back can also be over come by design however- would you like to elaborate with this modification?

Just for the sake of transparency am running SR3.

Neraph- ~I'd thought about your restriction and its a good call but then I have to really careful what they carry. Are you going with Shape change and transform spells as the guideline?

Stahlseele To the point and succinct.

Depends on the group an the game you are running. Gamebreaking in one game, might be useless in the next.
With the restrictions given by Neraph it should work.

You should think about question like: Can I make a security guard inhale me and what would happen...
Think about such stuff in advance. (Here no, he will cough you out and the human body is capable of really high "windspeeds". So no chance)
If you are taken by surprise and allow it...
Thats always the problem with new spells and with some of the existing once... (I guess that are the cans of worms Stahlseele is talking about)

Ah, did not realise you were talking SR3.

In any case you misunderstand me - I was simply pointing out that as sustaining foci should not join your misted form you would be stuck with the -2 sustaining penalty.

Yes, although I play only SR4 and am unfamiliar with earlier editions.

Turn to Mist would be, functionally, a "Bypass Obstacles" spell.

How 'broken ' it would be depends on if you're okay with your players being able to trivially get past many barriers, security systems, etc.




-k

Your right of course. Which is what I meant by in general a headache. Warding would stop this- as would most astral security guards alerts.

But as it might already be suggested am very careful about game world balance and add nothing with out due diligence.

Just can not shake the feeling the spell would be 'fairer' but the critter power option would be 'safer'. Neither are leaping out as optimum though. Just looking to balance the Benevolent and the Tyrant sides of reffing.

And how important trivial things like gear and clothing are.