A situation came up in my game this evening about a mage sustaining a spell via a focus and then astrally projecting. I could have sworn I read something on here about how astrally projecting interferes with your ability to sustain spells because of the astral/physical difference, but all my searching has found nothing.

Is it possible to sustain spells and then astral project? Does the focus or spell make a difference?

I believe going astral is an exclusive action, so you could only keep the spells up if they were maintained by a Sustaining Focus.

JaronK

Astral projection is exclusive. It's in the magic chapter of the basic book. It also precludes banishing from the astral.

Don

However, since the spell was sustained by a focus, the spell may remain active while projecting. This is a wonderful things about sustained foci, IIRC.

Going astral is an exclusive magical action.
Returning to your body is an exclusive magical action.
Summoning, controlling, banishing, and calling are all exclusive magical actions.
Casting an exclusive-limited spell is an exclusive magical action.
Casting a spell into a sustaining focus is an exclusive magical action, but letting the focus sustain it once cast is not an action at all.
Being astral is a magical action.
Sustaining a spell is a magical action.

Exclusive magical actions are those you cannot perform at the same time you're performing another magical action. This means that (among other things) you cannot:

Sustain a spell while going astral.
Sustain a spell while returning to your body.
Banish (or basically any other conjuring-related activity) while astral.
Cast an exclusive-limited spell while astral.
Cast an exclusive-limited spell into a sustaining focus.
Cast a spell into a sustaining focus while astral.

Or, given a strict reading of the rules:
Return to your body while astral.

You can, however, cast a non-exclusive spell into a sustaining focus and then go astral with it, or go astral, cast a non-exclusive spell, sustain it (not with a focus), and wander about the astral with it.

Projecting does not transfer a spell to the astral plane with you, however. You have to have cast it on the astral plane (via Perception). If it was cast on the physical plane, it will continue only to affect the physical world.

Also right.

Every game I've ever played or witnessed has not used those "rules", though. It's not always right.

Casting a spell into a sustaining focus is an exclusive action, so it can't be done while astrally projecting or perceiving. However, once a spell is locked, you aren't doing anything yourself to sustain it, so you can perform other exclusive actions such as going astral. The form of the focus, will travel with your astral form, keeping the spell locked on your astral form if it is a mana spell.

So if I cast increase reaction +3 into a sustaining focus then go astral am I a streak of greased weasel shit or a slug?

Um... the former.

JaronK

Cheers Jaronk

Sure... but seriously, ew. I mean really. Streak of Greased Weasle Shit? Is that really something you want to be?

JaronK

It's a local term meaning fast, on a par with the speed of a thousand gazells. But seriously any mage without this spell is seriously disadvantaged.

Is increased reflexes a mana spell or physical?

Mana. The cybered attribute modifications are physical, mana based work on uncybered attributes. There is no physical form of the increase reflexes spell, such would either make it compatible with cyberware or add nothing to the spell effects over the mana version.