Okay, so my players tend to use a lot of spell locks and quickenings. Aside from astral combat and dispelling, how would I as the evil GM make use of this? This isn't nessisaraly for the group I have now, every group I've ever played with has overused spell locks quickinings ect. Though no one ever uses anchoring but me. (shrugs)

I know I can ground spell (we're playing 2nd ED), and focus adiction. Some of them have enough masking, others don't.

What would walking into a mana barrier do to quickenings, spell locks sustaining foci ect.? Like say if it was set up so the barrer went up upon a sertain trigger. (say detect magic, detect elf, detect soy whatever.)

Just looking for an idea or 20.

Oh, I have no problem with 3rd ed ideas either. I'm slowly switching over to third, at least for magic. I'm assuming most of the stuff that works on a sustaining focus works on a spell lock.

things dealing with other foci are good too.

Thanks all.

IIRC, wouldn't a Mana Barrier just stop a person anyway?

In theory, yes. This is assuming they arent strong enought to walk right through it.

However, in another thread someone sudgested the idea, and I was curious exactly how that would work. Like if the two then engeged in astral combat or something. Duno.

I mayself use spell locks alot, I just leave them off most of the time, and I almost never use foci. However, as a player whos char usually has MT, and a GM with players who do the same, I'd like to know some fun ways it can be counteracted so I can use/avoid them.

A strong enough barrier that they can't mask through it. Had this happen to me once. Had to dispel my own quickened increase reflexes.
Sad for me.

Wards conduct an opposed Force test against the Karma spent on Quickened spells. If the quickened spell loses, it is destroyed. If the spell wins, it goes through, but alerts the creator of the ward.

Foci that are passing through wards (and other astral barriers) face a different test. They roll against a TN equal to the Force of the Ward. If it achieves a threshold equal to half the Force of the Ward, it passes through unharmed. If it achieves any successes, but does not beat the threshold, it is deactivated forcefully. If it achieves no successes, the ward can try to destroy the focus, with a Ward Force test against a TN equal to twice the force of the focus. One or more successes destroys the focus outright.

FAB Strain III loves the always-active quickened/spell locked spells. Nummy nummy!

Play up the fact that the characters are astral beacons. They may know masking, but you can only mask up to a limited amount of foci and sustained spells. Use wards effectively. And what's good for the goose is good for the gander...

Isn't Fab fooled by masking (think I remember that from MiTS, don't have it handy though)?

What is the mechanic behind that? If it isn't masked they can't attun?


edit:You answered as I was asking, cool

Yes, he just usually ends up sitting outside watching for trouble. And then complains about never getting to do anything. He was very usefull when i sent them into the HIVE, though. And will likely be very usefull against the hords of bugs they shall soon have to deal with.

As for the title, I'm a Highlander fan. With a subject invovving quickening, I couldn't resist.

But hey, its a great joke.
FOR ME TO POOP ON! hehehe.

Thatone is a bit overdone too, but hey...

Hmm, some quick things I can think of to deal with spell locks...

You can send watchers to attack them, a force 2 or 3 watchers can easily destroy a spell lock, if the owning magician dosen't interfere. This will either get rid of a few spell locks, or make them spend actions... Besides, if they astrall percieve to go after the watcher, they can then be ganked by the watcher attack pack.

If facing a mage with alot of foci, you can percieve astrall, then blast them with an area of effect spell. As you are using astral perception, all their unmasked foci will be targeted as well.

Quickened spells are harder to get rid of, normally it the legal problems and wards that make having quickened spells difficult.

Dealing with fully masked spell locks is the hardest, as it takes to many actions to detect them that you are better off trying to get rid fo the mage instead. As spirits can't break masking, you can't send them after the foci... The characters still have to be on the lookout for wards though...

You can try casting a quick astral barrier around the offending mage. AS the barrier won't show up in the physical world, they will hopefully move and cross it, forcing their foci to combat the barrier...

Ya know I read this topics title and the first thing I thought was oh look someone wants to discuss those optional rules a friend of mine said he got from Tom Dowd to make Highlanders.

Oh well next thread.

I think what he means is that the armor spell makes a glwoing filed around you in the physical world according to the spell decsription. Masking wouldn't cover that.
I don't really see any reason you couldn't make a custom version that would be invisible, but "street grimoire" armor glows in a very obvious way.

Ya know, your right. I went back and looked, the armor was on a spell lock, the dirt barrier was quickend. So I just never got dirty. Sorry, I should learn to look at the char sheet before posting stats.