do the typical ability enhancement spells require a human target? specifically, i'm thinking that instead of cybering up animals (which would be both costly and wasteful, because hey, those Sec guys gotta WORK with the damn things.) magicing up a few patrol dogs or something would provide excellent intrusion detection.

I think for most of them you need to have a willing subject. For a dog, all you'd need to do is have the mage work with it and bond a bit. Other animals I'm not sure about. One thing to keep in mind is the sheer cost of either quickening (need karma for a decent quickened spell) or the spell sustaining focus.

Well, all you really need is an anchored invis/silence spell or one of each and it will ruin the day of a whole heck of a lot of people. Invisible ferocous noiseless dobermans... I like it already...

ok, aside from the shadowrun penchant for combat thinking, i was really considering more "mundane" uses. IRL, guard animals are useful for their superior senses and mobility... and the ability to make a whole crapload of noise when the find something, and in panicking an intruder. >:)

i like the idea of using stealth-enhancing spells, but then, i always do.

If you want magic up some guard animals, just check out Treats 2. The ultimate in magic-upped guard animals are covered there.

:evilgrin:

the Ares' thing, right? I gotta get that...

Given the current rules, that would have to be one nasty para-critter to warrant using an anchored spell on it.

Quickened spells are much more likely. However one needs to be careful. An indirect illusion spell is as likely to affect the target as the viewer. Todo might freak out over part of its body going missing.

Or how about the hell hound with the quickened armor spell that realizes it can no longer scratch itself.

Or that piasma that turns into a nervous wreck, because some magician quickened its reflexes to the nth degree.

Or that blackberry cat that starts yowling all the time because it senses have been enhanced and it can't handle the overload.


The only spells I think you could manage with is increase attribute spells and possible some low level enhancement spells like Night Vision.

This just gave me a spark of idea. My NPC adept, who masters in melee, with four animal companions that are magically improved!

i dont care if they dont hit, as long as i get -4 to attack TN and the enemy gets +4!

Id make them doggies have high athletics, and force 6 armor casted on them.

Rather than magicing them up, add a biomonitor/radio transmitter combo in addition to cybering them up with muscle augmentation/dermal plating. So when animal #234 reads as dead, security knows there's a problem.

You know with Shadowrun technology it should be possible to do the Biometer, radio transmitter using a high-tech collar and not through invasive and destabilizing cyberware.

Booklord
The same can be said for anything under the effect of magic, bioware or cyberware. Anything that changes you will affect you. Even if there isn't a negative effect. If I go from having a BOD of 4 to a BOD 6 because of a spell. Then say that the spell goes away. I'm going to notice that I'm not as healthy, I'm not able to run my normal route, etc. For the hellhound, I would think that the visual effect of armor would be enough to weird it out.

Hunter
Adding cyberware makes the critter go insane and unstable. Adding high ess cyberware items as you suggested only makes it that much worse.

Security Critters
Mundane security critters can easily be used for routine security uses. Take a pack of dogs and equip them with a head mounted camera (yea a micro one), flashlight and a microphone connected to a back harness with a battery back up, radio suite), give the dog an earphone. The pack can be trained to listen to commands from the operator and move on a preset course. Using pack tactics they can take down just about anyone. The operator sees and hears what they do. He can also give them commands as a pack or by the person. Keep in mind that the known locations the dogs can go too are limited (kennel, gate, etc…not guard house 3), however the controller can give commands like: right, left, sit, attack, run, slow, etc.

you forgot:
"Slow forward" (For making the doggy walk towards the victim)
"go" (Run towards victim, barking and biting)
"Bark!" (Guess thrice)

hmmm...... ideas.....

No, I didn't forget them. There are way too commands that a dog can learn to bother listing. Just figure that the dog must be trained sound (voice, bugle calls, whistle etc) and then trained to follow remote commands. My dog will follow simple commands through a Walmart walkie talkie. Things like "box" (his inside kennel), "outside" (his outside kennel), "down", "stay", "sit", "get the cat", "go" (for when he sees something to chase after). As tested through the fence or upstairs window, he can follow the commands without me being where he can see me.