Since the two posts that keep bouncing around have to do with Horrors and Geasa, I figured I'd get others opinion on a bit of Shadowrun metaphysics.

I happened to pick up and re-read the first of the ED books, The Longing Ring, the other day, and a passage in it where one of the characters, Garlthik, talks about the way magic changes one's outlook made me think. He basically says that the path an ED adept takes focuses the way in which he thinks about the world; this view is supported in one of the ED supliments: thieves think about property differently, archers tend to be linear thinkers, ect. I then connected this to three things in SR.

The first is the Paths that are talked about in the Tir sourcebook or the Way of the Warrior from Aztlan--but that's a gimme, and others have seen the obvious connection. The other was a bit more of a strech and is a guess: shamanic totems are not that different from an ED adept's path, since Dog will influence you the same way becoming an ED adept would, by changing your behavior and outlook; if you desert the magic in either case the magic will desert you. I would have to say that Hermetic magic is just another form of the Wizard discipline from ED for this to work, but I don't see that as impossible within the framework of the storylines.

Third, we have the ever-present idea of Geas. Now, I don't wanna have this become a "too tough, too weak" argument, or even get into the game mechanics if it can be avoided, but I'd hope that we can agree that Geas limit the manner in which a mojo tosser interacts with the magic of the world. It narrows his vision to where he can only see the mana to shapechange after dark, for example, or requires him to display his voodo doll before dominating someone. I know that the talismin limitation is a better example of this, but Geas still seem to fit within the framework of my line of thinking, even if not quite as well due to the loose nature of what a Geas consists of.

So, any thoughts? Maybe this type of hypothetical 'what if' isn't up your alley, but I have to admit that I enjoy the idea of a rhetorical metaphysical discussion, even if its in the realm of fantasy.

To any Awakened, if he has a geas, it is simply the way things are. To use an example, a man who can walk normally gets into an accident and develops a limp; similarly an Awakened person get hurt and develops a geas(a magical limp) so to speak. But all these are just the way things are to the Awakened, there is no "why".

Likewise, I can also see geasa as the way the Awakened was trained. To use another example, it would be like a person shooting a gun; instead of squeezing the trigger, he is pulling at it. Or a bad habit or a tell. Like someone dropping his left guard when delivering a kick or holding his breath before playing a winning hand.

Regarding Ways, I see them similar to the mental outlook of the Awakened. If the person is aggressive and constantly seeking challenges, then perhaps his Way is that of the Warrior. Someone who is more concerned about bettering himself would seek the Way of the Athlete. A very sociable person would find himself gravitating towards the Social Way. A person who is very competitative might have a Way that is either Warrior or Athlete. I can see also that the Way a person follows as influencing the type of geas he might end up with. A mage who cannot be bothered about his work or a mage with a very strong sense of fairplay might end up a restrictive geas, simply because the geas reflected his attitude to magic. In the first case, he couldn't be bothered about his magic (not a good example: but I reckon it is like the way men go shopping, simply buying the first thing in the price range he is comfortable with), in the second, he feels he must pay full price for the "product"(magic).

On the other hand, I can see a bargain-hunter mentality causing the adept to gain a geas that is easy to fulfill(the most bang for the buck), similar to complaints that the limitations aren't limitations.

@ Deadeye

This has always kind of been my thought on the subject, too: Adepts in ED just have their geasa built-in. This and the higher magic level makes them tougher and more versatile. Adept Disciplines are sort of huge Initiatory group with a lot of strictures (to put it in SR parlance).