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SIGSEGV posted:I meant it for players magdumping in downed mages after a fight, yeah, no one reasonable is gonna hold it against someone shooting people shooting fire and necrosis at them. Ah, yeah, that's the sort of thing that gets kill teams sent to your last known location.
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Dec 30, 2020 13:17
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bob dobbs is dead posted:there's magecuffs and magemasks that will actually do the job in the tt crunch. if you don't send them to mage jail somehow and dont geek them they might geek you by ritual later yah "Magemasks" sound nice and innocuous, but nobody who hasn't been forced to wear one mentions that they "work" by subjecting the wearer to a combination of sensory deprivation and white noise that makes it completely impossible to concentrate on anything, up to and including the passage of time, so from the victim's perspective they're trapped in an eternal moment of darkness and random noise. It's straight up cruel-and-unusual torture, but the really lovely part is that there doesn't appear to be a more "humane" way to prevent a mage from casting spells -- unless you deliberately took on various Geasa, as long as you can think, you can cast.
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Dec 30, 2020 13:22
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A blindfolded mage can only cast spells on themselves, which helps at least.
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Dec 30, 2020 13:27
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The Lone Badger posted:A blindfolded mage can only cast spells on themselves, which helps at least. Here's a fun fact: Astral perception does not necessarily require being able to see. You can astrally perceive with your eyes closed. You can astrally perceive if you're physically blind. You can, in fact, astrally perceive while blindfolded. Casting spells via the astral isn't quite as easy as doing it the conventional way, but it's still possible.
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Dec 30, 2020 13:43
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kaosdrachen posted:Here's a fun fact: Astral perception does not necessarily require being able to see. You can astrally perceive with your eyes closed. You can astrally perceive if you're physically blind. You can, in fact, astrally perceive while blindfolded. This is why you don't leave living security mages behind you on the job. Professional respect. The security mage knows that they are the single largest threat to any intruders. Many companies install fiber optic lines leading to security offices, so their mage(s) can do their thing from a secure location anyway. It's less effective, but safer.
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Dec 30, 2020 13:48
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I've always found that particular loophole for casting spells from a distance to be pretty funny. Somewhere some megacorp has a system of orbiting mirrors and complex optics and a team of mages that can cast spells anywhere in the world at any time. Probably Ares, they're one of the big space players and blowing things up is their thing.
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Dec 30, 2020 15:13
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Consider also: Mage submarine captain casting spells through the periscope.
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Dec 30, 2020 15:39
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Deep Dish Fuckfest posted:I've always found that particular loophole for casting spells from a distance to be pretty funny.
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Dec 30, 2020 15:42
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Groetgaffel posted:Consider also: otoh casting spells strong enough to affect a naval vessel will melt your brain.
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Dec 30, 2020 16:03
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kaosdrachen posted:Here's a fun fact: Astral perception does not necessarily require being able to see. You can astrally perceive with your eyes closed. You can astrally perceive if you're physically blind. You can, in fact, astrally perceive while blindfolded. just gotta make sure you make the blindfold out of living material or some poo poo
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Dec 30, 2020 17:40
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Deep Dish Fuckfest posted:I've always found that particular loophole for casting spells from a distance to be pretty funny. The reason that's not a major concern is because casting through binoculars is really drat hard. It's been ages since I checked the rules and I'm mostly a 3E guy anyway, but it's like trying to thread a needle using a 50-yard-long set of pliers. If you have no better options, sure, it's possible, but in terms of efficiency, forget it.
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Dec 30, 2020 17:56
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kaosdrachen posted:The reason that's not a major concern is because casting through binoculars is really drat hard. It's been ages since I checked the rules and I'm mostly a 3E guy anyway, but it's like trying to thread a needle using a 50-yard-long set of pliers. It's not quite that bad. It's harder, yeah, but not catastrophically so.
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Dec 30, 2020 18:10
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Groetgaffel posted:Consider also: My tabletop group once had to hunt a serial killer mage that eventually turned out to be a guy with a penthouse apartment and a really nice optical telescope.
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Dec 30, 2020 19:15
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Podima posted:Man don't post poo poo that we haven't seen yet, c'mon. Keep it in your pants. On the one hand I get where you're coming from, on the other it's the very next convo. Literally the top of next update. So as spoilers go it's not exactly saying who's Kaiser Söze.
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Dec 30, 2020 19:43
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Kobal2 posted:On the one hand I get where you're coming from, on the other it's the very next convo. Literally the top of next update. So as spoilers go it's not exactly saying who's Kaiser Söze. look forward to me telling you to shut up
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Dec 30, 2020 19:50
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shut up
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Dec 30, 2020 19:50
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Kobal2 posted:On the one hand I get where you're coming from, on the other it's the very next convo. Literally the top of next update. So as spoilers go it's not exactly saying who's Kaiser Söze.
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Dec 30, 2020 19:52
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hey the link to the dragonfall lp is broke in the op
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Dec 30, 2020 20:02
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"If it hasn't happened don't talk about it" is a simple enough rule, I figure. But this isn't big enough a deal to have an argument about, so let's just move on.bob dobbs is dead posted:hey the link to the dragonfall lp is broke in the op So it was, must've messed it up when swapping the link from the thread to the archived version. Thanks for pointing it out.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:14
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kaosdrachen posted:The reason that's not a major concern is because casting through binoculars is really drat hard. It's been ages since I checked the rules and I'm mostly a 3E guy anyway, but it's like trying to thread a needle using a 50-yard-long set of pliers. Well that's why you have very big space mirrors and very big lenses. Movie theater sized lens for your mages to peer through. It's one of those cool-sounding, utterly impractical and complex thing you throw piles and piles of cash into to get sorta working then never actually use because it's secret and you don't want to reveal its existence until it's absolutely necessary. As I said, perfect for Ares; after all they're the defense contractor-est of the AAAs. Probably named it Project Panopticon or something.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:43
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No matter what distance you do it from, casting a spell on someone leaves your astral signature on them. It's not hard for another mage (or even someone with the right equipment) to follow that back if they move fast (within hours.) You can erase a signature, but you have to be on site to do it. So: the cleanup crew coming in to assess damage from your run probably won't chase your mage down from their signature, because it's already faded by the time they arrive, or you helped it along, or both. The on-site mages responding to a long-range assassination will. wiegieman fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Dec 30, 2020 |
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Dec 30, 2020 20:51
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basically scry-and-die in a game without teleportation. defensible by all the old gm tricks for fuckin w scry and die peeps. off the top of my head, counterambushing, traps, telling the pcs to knock it the gently caress off if its pc's, magic defenses specifically for that sort of thing they put a fair amount of detail into disallowing the explicit clairvoyance scryanddie so just go further also you would prolly have to get, like, a clear from the corporate court for ares to actually use the thing on someone who's not a nobody like a runner unless they want corporate war bob dobbs is dead fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Dec 30, 2020 |
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Dec 30, 2020 20:55
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PMush Perfect posted:You must be a delight to watch movies with. "Oh, this next scene is great, it's when Banana Jackson reveals that he's a serial killer." People who talk at the movies *at all* go to the Special Hell. I ain't about that.
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Dec 30, 2020 21:12
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wiegieman posted:No matter what distance you do it from, casting a spell on someone leaves your astral signature on them. It's not hard for another mage (or even someone with the right equipment) to follow that back if they move fast (within hours.) You can erase a signature, but you have to be on site to do it. Is it possible for mages to curse someone with an unforeseen heart attack that will kill the victim in their sleep or something? I.e. an attack that's either not recognisable as such unless you're paranoid enough to check for astral signatures either way, or that even that isn't possible because between the hex and the death is enough time to let the signature fade away?
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Dec 30, 2020 21:25
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System Metternich posted:Is it possible for mages to curse someone with an unforeseen heart attack that will kill the victim in their sleep or something? I.e. an attack that's either not recognisable as such unless you're paranoid enough to check for astral signatures either way, or that even that isn't possible because between the hex and the death is enough time to let the signature fade away? Mages can pretty much do whatever the gently caress they want. I mean, not *every mage* can do *everything* obviously, but if you can conceive of it, there's a mage out there who can do it, or at least come up with a plan to do it. For a price.
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Dec 30, 2020 21:31
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There's also the question of if the corp mage is paid enough to deal with this poo poo after being merely knocked out. They might just decide "gently caress it, I got away lightly. Not worth pursuing this 'cause there's no way I'm getting overtime for it."
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Dec 30, 2020 21:46
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apostateCourier posted:This is why you don't leave living security mages behind you on the job. Professional respect. The security mage knows that they are the single largest threat to any intruders. It opens up solutions that are not limited to geeking the mages in question and allow other party members to shine (hack the feed, cut the lines, sneak through unmonitored maintenance areas, etc.).
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Dec 30, 2020 21:49
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System Metternich posted:Is it possible for mages to curse someone with an unforeseen heart attack that will kill the victim in their sleep or something? I.e. an attack that's either not recognisable as such unless you're paranoid enough to check for astral signatures either way, or that even that isn't possible because between the hex and the death is enough time to let the signature fade away? Not really. People can tell when there's magic happening. Even if you're not a mage, your hair stands on end and you know there's something spooky going on. More skillful magicians can hide this, but not when they do big spells. Astral signatures last for an hour per Force of the spell, and that time starts counting after the spell has done its wok.
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Dec 30, 2020 22:00
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theres a spirit power for the deniable accident thing but getting a spirit w metamagic masking would be a pita prolly a strong free spirit could do it getting free spirits to do poo poo is not a thing you can feasibly and easily buy
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Dec 30, 2020 22:27
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Rogue AI Goddess posted:Sounds like a good setup, not just for the company, but also for any shadowrunning PCs that hit it. No hacking the feed- it's just a fiber optic line, no computer involved. If the light bouncing off the target doesn't reach your eye direct, it doesn't count.
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Dec 31, 2020 01:00
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Come on, no sane corp with an army of bean counters is gonna pay a mage to monitor a single "camera" 24/7. There's probably a system of mirrors connected to a motor and a computer somewhere to switch between the various endpoints. That's what you target. Now whether it's hacking with a decker or with Brick The Troll and his sharpened surfboard, that's up to you.
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Dec 31, 2020 01:40
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Deep Dish Fuckfest posted:Come on, no sane corp with an army of bean counters is gonna pay a mage to monitor a single "camera" 24/7. There's probably a system of mirrors connected to a motor and a computer somewhere to switch between the various endpoints. That's what you target. Nah, mate. Many fiber optic end points ending in a plethora of peepholes. I'm going by original FASA descriptions, that motorized setup isn't in the listing.
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Dec 31, 2020 02:20
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System Metternich posted:Is it possible for mages to curse someone with an unforeseen heart attack that will kill the victim in their sleep or something? I.e. an attack that's either not recognisable as such unless you're paranoid enough to check for astral signatures either way, or that even that isn't possible because between the hex and the death is enough time to let the signature fade away? At least in 3rd edition, there was a specific phys adept power that did this, presumably someone at FASA had been watching too much Fist of the North Star. It works like this. The adept has to touch the target, nothing obvious. The pc and target roll a stealth check to see if they noticed being brushed against. Regardless of whether or not the target notices, the pc rolls like they are making an unarmed attack and the the target rolls like they are defending from an unarmed attack, damage is calculated, and then nothing happens for a bit. If the adept rolled some damage they get to declare when in the next 24hours it actually takes effect. If someone looks at the target in astral space between the casting and when it goes off, they can even see the punch magic just chilling on the target's astral form waiting to hit them in the face.
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Dec 31, 2020 02:54
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I dont know posted:If someone looks at the target in astral space between the casting and when it goes off, they can even see the punch magic just chilling on the target's astral form waiting to hit them in the face. Is there a way to remove it? Does it expire if the adept dies or loses consciousness? Can it apply to weapons, like a punch dagger for example? Like the mage whose body dies while they are projecting on the astral, a character with a ticking delayed damage bomb on them is an interesting character for an investigation scenario.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:06
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Loxbourne posted:Is there a way to remove it? Does it expire if the adept dies or loses consciousness? Can it apply to weapons, like a punch dagger for example? From what I recall, it only worked with pure unarmed attacks, which means the adept really needs a high unarmed skill paired with a high level of the ability killing hands to do lethal damage with it. I do think if a magical character detects it, they can dispel it using the normal rules for dispelling persistent magical effects. But it's been 20+ years, and I really don't remember how those work.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:15
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I dont know posted:From what I recall, it only worked with pure unarmed attacks, which means the adept really needs a high unarmed skill paired with a high level of the ability killing hands to do lethal damage with it. Killing Hands (D) and a high strength, quickness, and unarmed skill are paramount to getting good value out of it, yeah.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:23
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Ares isn't going to build the complex space mirror and telescope system because nobody is going to pay for an ultra-expensive system that can be foiled by a loving cloud when you already have GPS and rods from god. Also learning invisibility spells and/or having halfway decent stealth tech and skills is enough to nullify the oh so clever fiber optics caster. paragon1 fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 03:41
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To blatantly steal a joke: At mage school they have a test where you fit wooden shapes into a cube with various holes to match those shapes. This results in two kinds of mages: The moderately clever and the incredibly strong. If you're using spells to kill people in a combat situation I hope you're in the latter category. It's almost always a FAR better use of your time to call up a spirit, point it at the enemy, and then use your mojo to do something useful that can't be replicated by good hand eye coordination and a heavy enough rock.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:49
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paragon1 posted:Ares isn't going to build the complex space mirror and telescope system because nobody is going to pay for an ultra-expensive system that can be foiled by a loving cloud when you already have GPS and rods from god. a drone with a can of spray paint works just as well.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:50
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apostateCourier posted:a drone with a can of spray paint works just as well. If your drone's program is good enough that it can spot the, presumably hidden, ends of a fiber optic cable then its probably about to develop a God complex and take over an arcology.
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Dec 31, 2020 03:52
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