I.e. does it affect only mundane perception tests, or would it also affect astral perception?

Beyond the simple question. How do your runners deal with someone getting a material link? (A regular ward just isn't going to cut it once a decent mage gets brought in).

Or would you just say, they got a sample, you're screwed, permanently lose a point of edge and a janitor accidently knocks out the power cord to the refridgeration unit holding your sample.

(One of my players is in this spot, or rather a female he cares for is).

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...mp;#entry658889

Alright so concealment doesn't do anything in the astral.

So I guess it comes down to, what do you players do to avoid a material link?

I don't have a page number for you but someone, I think Tarantula, pointed out in another thread that the earth is an infinite mana barrier. If you are worried about ritual magic, you could also find some background count to hide in. I'm sure you can scare up some evil sewers to chill in for a week or so. One interesting thing though I'm unaware an exact time frame for how long a sample would last. Specially because they give no bench mark for what "slowed or stalled" means for keeping a sample viable.

From the sounds of things you could keep a sample nearly indefinitly in cryo. Sort of like how you can keep human eggs and sperm viable a long long time.

If that isn't the case it would help.

I don't know that background count should actually matter for the trave, but I'd rule that it does. That' actually my current advice. But the effects of the background count would be somewhat countered by needing a toxic shaman to cast a decent ward.

Actually can you trace the other way. I.e. start from the person and follow back to the material link?

That would be interesting, especially if you're dealing with someone that lost an arm in a poker game, and wants to find it again...

Also, using the sample destroys it

"OK, we're going to find your arm. There's going to be a slight tingle when it happens... WOAH. Um, OK, a bit more than... Um... Slight. Drek, I knew I shouldn't have skipped that class at MIT&T in order to score Deepweed..."

Which begs the question, how many times can you divide a sample?

An arm is a big piece of flesh. Can I cut it into dicesized chunks?

Or limit it to one sample pr. separate bone?

Or use advanced genetherapy to grow more of the sample?

Is a single spatter of blood one sample, or can they use just a single cell?

I guess that once a group determines the rules for this in their campaign, countermeasures can be found as appropriate. But without a rules foundation, I'd be pretty worried if my character left a chunk for some hostile mages to find.