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-=-=-=-=-=-=-
THE THIRD ANNUAL
NEO-ANARCHISTS
GUIDE
TO
EVERYTHING
ELSE (TM)
"This is the Nineties, Bubba, and there is no such thing as
Paranoia. It's all true."
-- Hunter S. Thompson
Rolling Stone: September 17, 1992
Edited and Compiled by Jerry Stratton
jerry@teetot.acusd.edu
Compuserve: 76506,636
GEnie: J.STRATTON6
The copyrights of each article are held by the original authors.
This compilation is Copyright ? 1992 Jerry Stratton.
Distribute freely, at no cost to the user or profit for yourself.
Welcome to the Third Annual Neo-Anarchists Guide to Everything
Else. This is a semi-regular electronically-distributed magazine
devoted to FASA's Shadowrun? role-playing game. In the NAGEE,
we're covering everything else.
The Guide comes in two versions -- Rich Text Format (for Word 4.0
and other word processors) and an ascii text version. The ascii
version contains the same information as the Word version, but
doesn't look nearly as spiffy. If you don't have a friend with a
Macintosh and Word 4.0 (or higher), expand your circle of
friends: contacts are, after all, the key to survival.
By the way, Shadowrun II is out. And even before it gets to our
local store, the Errata sheet hits the net! Ah well, at least
it's a small errata sheet. If anyone would like to do a review of
Shadowrun II (especially comparing it with Shadowrun I), it'd
make a great article for the Fourth NAGEE, hint, hint.
Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this issue. For
future issues, there is the possibility that Greg Porter (of
BTRC) will be selling the NAGEE at conventions and such,
spreading the word to those who haven't got net access. If you
have articles you've submitted that haven't been printed yet,
I'll be contacting you about getting your permission.
We're running out of home towns! Next issue will include the San
Diego Free Trade Zone. Then, no more locations. So if you haven't
written up your home town yet, do it! And the Bulletin Board is a
little sparse. Any rumors you want to report? Want to disagree
with any of the articles? Praise one? Send it to the Bulletin
Board (that's in care of moi, of course: jerry@teetot.acusd.edu).
The gopher site is now teetot.acusd.edu, buried in ASSORTED
COOL THINGS TO PLAY WITH and THE GOOD LIFE. This'll probably
change.
Until next time, just go frag yourself!
CONTENTS
Bulletin Board
Chambana, Illinois
The Meat Market
Apparitions
Virtual Reality
The Rolodex
Dragoncult
The Ice Box
Defining Points in World History
The Black Market
The Spirit is Strong
On-Line Grimoire
Master Spell List Addenda
The Spirit Guide
Summoning Creatures
Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall
Waking th'Dead
The Catalyst
The Chipper
The Annual Neo-Anarchists Guide to Everything Else is published
whenever I get off my ass. I'm Jerry Stratton. My address is 1937
Fern Street, San Diego, CA 92102. Unless you want to mail copies
to yourself, you can't subscribe. I also don't sell single
issues, although I do have a couple bridges you might be
interested in. Direct inquiries to Jerry Stratton at
jerry@teetot.acusd.edu on internet, J.STRATTON6 on GEnie, or
76506,636 on Compuserve, and the Man in the Pastel Flowered
Underwear on the eighth level of Hell. The above addresses are
subject to change, especially Snail Mail (and not to mention
Hell. They just keep shuffling me around). The Third Annual Neo-
Anarchists Guide to Everything Else was released on September 5,
1992, far later than it should have been. Current issues are
available on Compuserve and on GEnii, and via anonymous ftp at
teetot.acusd.edu in the Beelzebub directory. Shadowrun is a
registered trademark of FASA, Inc., and we gain both financial
and moral support from them. NOT!
THE BULLETIN BOARD
From: Daedalus
Address: <bkreed@oreadukans.edu>
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 53 16:30:35
To: Dark Elf
Subject: Origin of term "duck"
So how did theses walking arsenals get the name "duck? Is it
because they waddle like said aquatic waterfoul, or is it because
it is the first thing that you should do when you meet one of
these "oh so subtle" sammies?
From: Silver Cianide
Address: <jerry@teetot.acusd.edu>
Date: Sun, 30 August 2052 09:20:07 PST
To: Daedalus
Subject: RE: Cyberducks
Well, I'm sure Dark Elf will have something to say about this.
Personally, I've never heard anyone call a Sam a Duck before.
Sounds like a dangerous hobby. But the obvious reason, as you
say, is that a Sam loaded down with too much equipment does have
a tendency to waddle.
Something I heard from a friend of Dr. Stratton's involves a very
old joke:
TOURIST TO FARMER (while standing in three feet of mud): I
thought you said this mudhole weren't very deep?!
FARMER TO TOURIST: Only comes up to here on m'ducks.
Makes sense to me. Shadowrunning looks a lot easier when you
watch a Duck do it then it does when you're stuck hip deep in
crap. Still, take that story with a grain of salt -- the guy
isn't totally reliable. If he'd been able to include something
about vagina dentata, he would have. Fortunately, ducks don't
have teeth.
CHAMBANA, ILLINOIS
from Anthony Brummett
amb43790@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
This isn't exactly my hometown, because my hometown would
probably be dried up by 2050.
POPULATION:
Human: 62%
Elf: 20%
Dwarf: 9%
Ork: 5%
Troll: 4%
Other: 1%
WHEN TO GO
The weather around here is just about like any other midwestern
town: sweltering hot in the summer and bitterly cold in the
winter. If you really want to come here, do it in May and June or
September and October. January and February, temps are usually
well below freezing, sometimes getting to -40?C during the night.
Spring is the wet season. Pollution from other parts of the
continent have changed the weather patterns over the last 50
years so March to early May is almost like monsoon season (be
sure to look out for those tornadoes, too). Summer is always hot
and humid.
GETTING THERE
Chambana is about 280 km south of Chicago on route 57. The six
lane highway is well maintained and well policed. Besides the
airport, I-57 is the only lifeline to the civilized world.
Willard airport is about 1 kilometer south of town. Compared to
the long drive from Chicago, security at Willard is relatively
lax. A couple of contacts, a few bills and you're in.
>>>[You expect me to know someone in Chambana?]<<<
--Ginsu (18:47:12/2-23-53)
>>>[Hey, I know someone who's dad's roommate's cousin's mother's
stepson drove through once. :)]<<<
--The Joker (23:50:14/2-23-53)
WHAT IT COSTS
The public transit system here is quite good. Fifty cents gives
you a ride just about anywhere in town. There is a cab company,
but the bus is cheaper (unless you need something more private).
The prices of most consumer goods is inflated 10% or more due to
this being a campus town. For more "normal" prices, you'll have
to go to the outlying residential areas.
TOURIST INFO
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
For students, the Student Legal Center is located in the Student
Services Building. It is funded through student fees, and it is
free to them. The faculty have a similar service. For persons not
directly connected with the University, there are private lawyers
around. The Metahuman Rights Agency of Chambana (located at 1542
W Springfield) provides assistance to any Metahuman that can
prove citizenship to the UCAS (because it's subsidized by the
government); although if you're a hard luck case, they'll let you
by.
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
The only public hospital is the Urbana Public Hospital. It is
overcrowded and understaffed. McKinley Clinic (called McKillMe by
the students) is run by the University and only admits students,
staff and faculty. Carle Clinic is the hospital of choice around
here, even though they're prices tend to be a little on the high
side.
>>>[Just thought you might want to know that the medical examiner
spends about half his time at the Urbana hospital.]<<<
--Sinjin (00:52:12/1-25-53)
CHIPS 'N STUFF
According to the recruitment pamphlets, there is no problem with
illegal substances. If you believe that, I've got some ocean
front property for you. A recent, unpublished survey of UofI
students showed that over one fourth of undergraduates use some
form of controlled substance(s). Alcohol is relatively free-
flowing from the many bars and parties around.
ENTERTAINMENT
This being a college town, everybody and his uncle is in at least
one band. All this means is that there are a lot to choose from,
not that you'll find a good one. Seriously, though, there are two
or three good ones around. The night life is all around,
sometimes even during the day. Every fraternity and sorority has
a party every weekend (you'll even find six or seven during the
week). On every block, you will find at least one bar. Their
styles and clientele differ so much that there's one for
everyone.
CITY AT A GLANCE
GEOGRAPHY
If you're taking a Geo. class, let me help you out a little:
flat, corn, soybeans.
>>>[You forgot barn, cow, and beer can.]<<<
--The Joker (16:36:39/11-19-52)
POLITICS
The city is completely owned and operated by the University.
Chancellor Martin Keene would be the equivalent to mayor here.
Under the Chancellor is the Board of Directors made up of ten
people. The vacancies are filled by a vote of the board.
ECONOMY
Everything around here is made and packaged for student
consumption. That makes everything cost about 10% more than in
the surrounding areas. There is another, somewhat hidden economy
around the research done here (that's probably the one you're
interested in).
>>>[Ya mean, there's a reason for 'runners showing in
Chambana?!]<<<
-- Arthur Murray (10:07:01/08-04-52)
NEIGHBORHOODS
THE QUAD Rating AA
Every college has a quad, and this one is no exception. All of
the older buildings on campus are located here. It is constantly
patrolled be campus police on foot and bicycle. In 2046, a mutant
virus escaped from the biology lab and killed all the vegetation
in the quad area. The grass has been replanted and is making a
comeback; however, they have not been able to get the trees to
take hold.
CAMPUSTOWN Rating C
This is the "seedy" part of town, although it probably pales in
comparison with some of the places some of you are used to. With
the exception of Marketplace Mall, all the bars, shops, and
eateries are located here. The University has put a boundary on
Campustown, not allowing any new building unless new ground is
rezoned by the Board >>>Fat chance of that<<<. This has caused
the property values to skyrocket recently.
MARKETPLACE MALL Rating A
This is the other place to find "student stuff." There are guards
walking around constantly, but they are prohibited from carrying
firearms on duty. Unlike most other multi-story buildings in this
part of the country, Marketplace has only one floor above ground.
The other two are below ground.
SPORTS ARENA Rating B
The Morrow Sports Center was built in 2016 next to Assembly Hall.
The new facility is about the size of Madison Square Garden in
New York City. It features a 2500 seat theater, football field,
and full size urban brawl arena, all indoors.
>>>[Come now, tell them why it was built.]<<<
--The Joker (13:45:12/12-22-52)
>>>[In 2015, Field collapsed during a riot after the I Bowl.
Seems the ref made a bad call in favor of Penn State and Illinois
lost the game because of it.]<<<
--Gui (23:51:09/12-23-52)
DOWNTOWN Rating D
There's nothing important to see in the downtown area: just
derelict buildings and squatters. This is where the kids go to
blow off steam, hit a Stuffer Shack, or mow down some squatters.
WEST SIDE Rating C
This is the better of the two residential districts in town. All
of the University employees that live in town live here. It takes
up most of what used to be Champaign.
SOUTH FARMS Rating B-C
Ag students know this part of town like the back of their hand.
Strange thing is that the number of Ag students has increased,
while the number of farms has decreased.
>>>[I've heard there's thieves around there. Who would steal a
tractor???]<<<
--Patch (00:21:43/1-22-53)
>>>[They're not after equipment, they're after the real food]<<<
--Kiso (02:31:00/1-22-53)
>>>[I heard someone stole a cow last night]<<<
--Patch (22:08:50/1-23-53)
>>>[Don't you people have anything better to talk about?]<<<
--Gui (23:48:21/1-23-53)
EAST SIDE Rating D
Formerly the residential district of Urbana, the east side has
been severely neglected since the University took over. The
people that live here are one step away from downtown. The cops
don't come here, but crime is kept in check by vigilante gangs
and neighborhood watches.
SOUTHWEST RESIDENCE HALLS Rating B
All the rich kids live here. They have the best security, the
best food, and the best entertainment, I mean tutors.
NORTHEAST RESIDENCE HALLS Rating B-C
The NE residence halls is mainly for kids on financial aid. Life
here is not much better than the east side. Yeah, the cops come
around once and a while, but they don't care much.
>>>[This is the route they put 'em on before they're out the
door]<<<
--Kiso (21:59:01/1-15-53)
UNDERGROUND Rating E-X
Under the campus is a network of steam tunnels that go on for
miles. Many of the Orks and Trolls in town live in the "subtown."
>>>[That's subsprawl for all you city folk]<<<
--Smiley (23:15:53/1-28-53)
They don't like humans, elves or dwarves much down there, so I
don't know much about it.
UNET
Since the campus is very dependent on computers, there is an RTG
dedicated to Chambana called Unet. Each college within the
University (Engineering, LAS, Thaumaturgy, etc.) as well as
administration and the student account system have their own
LTGs. There are three other LTGs representing MarketPlace Mall
and the old Champaign and Urbana.
Probably between 1/4 and 1/2 of the students are involved in
decking. There are times when the system load from them slows the
local nets so much the only way to purge the system is to shut it
down completely for a few hours.
Access is relatively free. Every student is given a computer
account for class work, information exchange, and, of course,
playing around. Around the University records and research nodes,
though, the IC is very thick.
>>>[Every year, they have at least one student fry trying to poke
around the top secret stuff]<<<
--Joe Shmoe (12:14:24/12-13-52)
>>>[The latest word out now is they're AI project. Supposed to be
farther along than any of the major corps'. Does anyone else know
anything specific about it?]<<<
--Dangerous Dave (16:17:31/2-30-53)
>>>[I'm sorry, Dave, I can't tell you that.]<<<
--HAL (03:22:09/3-2-53)
>>>[Yuk, yuk, yuk. You two clowns finished fooling around yet?
Was any part of that routine based in fact?]<<<
-- Micromara (10:25:12/08-04-53)
>>>[Yeah, over at the cafeteria, at least one student fries every
year. Usually, they just microwave soystuff.]<<<
-- ENESTMP: No Stamp --
PLACES OF INTEREST
ILLINI STUDENT UNION/ILLINI UNION HOTEL
High Class Hotel(5 floors)
704 Green St.
No racial bias
LTG# 102 (33-2214)
The Union was recently renovated after a fire that toasted the
third floor. The rooms are large and comfortable. With each
night's stay, you are given credit toward room service.
The basement and first two floors are occupied by student offices
and recreation centers. In the basement is a cafeteria, computer
center and bowling lanes.
BECKMAN INSTITUTE
Office/research building(12 floors)
701 Springfield Ave.
LTG# 253 (34-6482)
This is the largest building in town, and one of the most
impressive. The security here is top notch, probably because of
all the government research going on in here. It is common
knowledge, though, that there is a supercollider buried under the
building. Also in here is the AI project for the University.
C.O. DANIEL'S
Night club and bar
613 Daniel St.
LTG# 532 (68-6258)
This is your basic hangout for the Greek geeks. Waiting lines on
the weekends can be more than two hours long. I would tell you
the name of the manager, but the place changes hands so often
that the city's records are usually about three or four owners
behind.
BLIND PIG CO.
Night club and bar
415 Oakland Ave.
LTG# 532 (46-2842)
The Blind Pig Company is where the local bands can get their
first real gig. One night a week, they have an open stage where
anyone and walk in off the street and play (assuming they can get
past the check at the door).
PHANTAZM
Nightclub and bar
530 Springfield Ave
LTG# 569 (28-4697)
Wixo, the owner, owned a bar of the same name in Seattle before
it was blown down in a gang war. After some flouting around, he
settled in Chambana. The Phantazm, which opened about six months
ago, has all the ambiance of a big city bar.
>>>[This place is so popular with the kiddies they have to make a
reservation about three weeks in advance.]<<<
--The Joker (04:15:27/03-03-53)
THE MEAT MARKET
COLLEGE DROPOUT
Brebane the Street Samurai <bkdavis@eos.ncsu.edu>
Priorities: Skills 4, Attributes 3, Tech 2, Magic 1, Race 0
This is the student who got his funds cut off and is trying his
best to make it on the streets. If he had finished at school he
would be working for the corp as a manager or somewhere working
behind a desk instead of running the shadows trying to eke out a
living. They might not have the speed of the samurai or the magic
of the mage, but they can come in real handy considering that
they have knowledge that most runners do not pay attention to,
but can come in handy when applied just right. These types of
people can be found in many of the cities where the big colleges
are located. Some have athletics instead of projectiles, but they
all have brains to burn.
QUOTES:
"Brain over brawn any day chummer."
"Smarts keep you alive , stupidity gets you dead."
"Oh Mr. Samurai I would not press that button if I were you.
(Pause. Samurai presses button and is fried by an electrical
charge.) Hmp told ya so drekhead."
ATTRIBUTES
Body 4
Quickness 3
Strength 3
Charisma 3
Intelligence 6
Willpower 5
Essence 5.8
Reaction 4
SKILLS
Etiquette (Corp) 4
Etiquette (Street) 4
Negotiation 4
Computer 6
Projectile Weapons 4
Unarmed 1
Firearms 3
Physical Science 4
Biology 4
Choice of Minor 2
Computer Theory 4
LANGUAGES
Native 8
Choice ?
Choice ?
CYBERWARE
Datajack
GEAR
Heavy Crossbow
30 bolts
Wrist Computer
Browning Ultra
4 clips
Nissan Jackrabbit
FORMER CORPORATE SPY
Wordman <ward1@husc.harvard.edu>
Priorities: Attributes 4, Tech 3, Skills 2, Magic/Race 1/0
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 5
Quickness: 5
Strength: 5
Charisma: 5
Intelligence: 5
Willpower: 5
Essence: 1.6
Reaction: 5 (6)
SKILLS
Computer: 5
Computer (B/R): 3
Etiquette (Street): 4
Firearms: 4
Stealth: 4
Unarmed Combat: 5
CYBERWARE
Boosted Reflexes (2)
Cybereyes with Low-Light, Flare Compensation and Camera
Datajack with 125 Mp memory
Program Carrier
Recorder
Smartgun Link
CONTACTS
Any Corporate Type
Another Corporate Type
Mr. Johnson
Decker
Fixer
Technician
GEAR
Browning Ultra-Power (with Integral Smartgun)
Bug Scanner (10)
Fuchi Cyber-4 w/Response Increase (1): Bod 6, Evasion 6, Masking
6, Sensors 6, Attack 6, Analyze 6, Browse 6, Decrypt 6, Sleaze 6
DocWagon Contract (regular)
Narcojet Pistol (with Integral Smartgun and 10 Narcojet Rounds)
Remington Roomsweeper (with Integral Smartgun)
Secure Jacket
Secure Ultra-Vest
Shock Glove
FORMER DOC-WAGONEER
Russ Herschler <76300.1071@CompuServe.COM>
Priorities: Skills 4, Tech 3, Skills 2, Magic/Race 1/0
The former Doc-Wagoneer was a loyal employee until he saw one to
many deaths from corporate incompetence, or just corporate
apathy. Whatever the reason, he still has cutting edge biotech
and combat training. After all, it used to be him who would show
up after many runs, to pick up & glue the pieces back together.
He has also beefed up a little for his new profession.
QUOTES:
"Some people thought we were just humanitarian do-gooders! Drek,
they may have been right. I mean running around, patching up
folks who got pasted doing slot knows what. But I got fed up with
it. Being told who to save and who to let die, by some Johnson,
who the closest he has ever come to being wounded on the street
is slamming his hand in the door of his long Mitsubishi Nightsky.
I walked! I took the training and now I run shadows for my soy.
Don't get me wrong! I may be a 'bleeding heart' but that doesn't
mean I work cheap."
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 3
Quickness: 5
Strength: 4
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 4
Willpower: 2
Essence: 3.2
Reaction: 4 (5)
SKILLS
Biotech 6
Cybertechnology 5
Biology 4
Firearms 4
Car 4
Etiquette (Street) 4
Etiquette (Corp.) 3
Athletics 6
Unarmed Combat: 4
CYBERWARE
Boosted Reflexes (2)
Air Filtration (5)
Radio
Commlink
CONTACTS
Choose any 2 of:
Street Doc
Any Corporate
Paramedic
Fire Fighter
Any Cop Type
Buddy
GEAR
Ares Predator with 2 clips
Narcojet Rifle with 2 clips
Armor Jacket, Helmet, Forearm Guards
3 Flash Paks
2 Medkits
Slap Patches (5 of each):
Stim 5
Tranq 5
Trauma 5
Antidote 5
Stabilization Unit 6
3 Respirators
Doc Wagon Contract (Platinum)
- ***** Advertisement ****************************************
- Village Security, Ltd. *
- *
- We're Number 1. *
- For the cutting edge in surveillance and protection, call *
- the Village. *
- ***** Advertisement ****************************************
ORK HERMETIC MAGE
Russ Herschler <76300.1071@CompuServe.COM>
Priorities: Race 4, Magic 3, Tech 2, Attributes 1, Skills 0
He's Ugly, He's magical, He's hermetic! The Ork mage does what he
can for his own personal enlightenment. If he can make some extra
nuyen in the deal, so much the better. Whatever he does though,
he is still first and foremost a mage.
QUOTES:
"Yeah! I know that there are Ork shaman, but some of us are
hermetics also. Magic isn't easy to learn for a street guy like
me, but I get by! You just pick up what you can, wherever you
can. I may not have a totem holding my hand, but I do good for
myself."
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 4
Quickness: 4
Strength: 3
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 4
Willpower: 5
Essence: 6
Magic 6
Reaction: 4
SKILLS
Sorcery 5
Conjuring 4
Magic Theory 4
Etiquette (Street) 2
Firearms 2
CONTACTS
Choose any 2 of:
Any Ork Type
Metahuman Rights Activist
Talismonger
Gang Boss
Gang Member
GEAR
Ruger Super Warhawk with 20 rounds
Armor Clothing
Medkit
SPELLS
Mana bolt 5
Mask 3
Heal Moderate Wounds 2
SABOTEUR
Hubris, the Shadowmaster <escotoR@moravian.edu>
Priorities: Attributes 4, Tech 3, Skills 2, Race 1, Magic 0
The Saboteur works almost exclusively for corporations. They are
the ones with the kind of cash he needs to "survive" in the harsh
urban jungle. He has the skill and the guts to pull off delicate
jobs without a trace (if the Employer wishes). He also has the
capabilities to enable him to acquire data which is not in any
Matrix system (due to his Camera eyes). The main drawback to the
Saboteur is that he is normally a loner. Lots of other clumsier
and slower people tend to botch him up at the most inopportune
times.
QUOTES:
"I have completed the job as specified. Do you intend to pay as
specified? Or should I let my trigger-happy friend hole you with
his rifle? The choice is yours, but stiffing a 'Runner,
especially one as competent as myself, is never a good idea."
"Stop that bleeding. I'm supposed to bring you back alive."
"Good night Mr. Security Guard."
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 4
Quickness: 6
Strength: 4
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 4
Essence: .5
Reaction: 6 (10)
SKILLS
Armed Combat: 1
Whip/Flail: 3
Monofilament Whip: 5
Athletics: 1
Tumbling: 3
Bike: 2
Etiquette (Corp): 3
Firearms: 6
Negotiation: 3
Stealth: 5
Urban: 7
CYBERWARE
Camera Eyes
Commlink-IV
Datajack (with Chip Adapter)
Fingertip Compartment (with hidden Monofilament Whip)
Memory (100 Mp)
Smartgun Link
Wired Reflexes (2)
CONTACTS
Corporate Secretary
Mechanic
Mr. Johnson
Yakuza Boss
GEAR
Yamaha Rapier
Tr?s Chic clothing
Voice Mask
Jammer (3)
Medkit
Plastic Restraints
Maglock passkey
Lined Coat (B4/I2)
Secure Jacket (B5/I3)
Telecom (200 Mp)
DocWagon Gold (2 years)
High lifestyle, 4 months prepaid
ORDINANCE
Monofilament Whip
Throwing Knife (2)
Sap
Ingram Smartgun (200 rounds)
concealable holster - right hip
Streetline Special (10 rounds)
concealable holster - right calf
Mossberg CMDT/SM (100 rounds)
Colt M22A2 (SM/100 rounds, 20 grenades)
Walther MA2100 (SM/100 rounds)
Narcojet Pistol (20 rounds)
concealable holster - low back
Ares Predator II (100 rounds)
conc. holster - left armpit
Ares Crusader MP (SM/200 rounds)
Ceska vz/120 (SM/100 rounds)
concealable holster - left hip
APPARITIONS
Wordman <ward1@husc.harvard.edu>
CREDITS
This post is nearly entirely a rules conversion from the Chill
Source book Apparitions, by Mayfair Games. Buy this book. Each
entry is about two full pages, divided into a Medium's
Introduction, an Eyewitness Account, Medium's Conclusions, and
Medium's Recommendations. This huge block of text is followed by
a very brief list of Chill game mechanics for the apparition
(three paragraphs, tops). This yields in a very high useful
information to game dependent information ratio. Very well done
book.
Thanks also to Mary Kuhner for her insight and information.
INTRODUCTION
The following details what are called Ghosts in Shadowrun. It is
intended to replace all mention of Ghosts in all Shadowrun books.
It is not an "official" rules modification. Distribute freely
and often (and, really, check out the Chill book mentioned
above). Comments of all types (although I prefer relevant ones)
are always welcome to ward1@husc.harvard.edu.
Enjoy,
Wordman
BASIC PHILOSOPHY
The Ghost entry on page 182 of the Shadowrun rulebook is a
general description of a large collection of entities much like
giving a general description of mammals, but titling the entry
"Humans".
My desire here is to greatly expand the scope of spectral
entities and behavior. More importantly, I wished to make ghosts
inherently non-astral entities (but not all of them...read on).
I wanted something that would terrify mages and non-mage-born
alike. This is a rather radical departure from standard
Shadowrun dogma, but one I feel is necessary. Astral and real
space should not be the central planes of the universe. (I'd
quote Hamlet here, but you've heard it already).
HOW TO USE THIS POST
The list of apparitions should be self evident. Apparitions
usually have no need for Attribute scores; assume attributes
equal to Force if needed and not stated otherwise. The
"Exorcism:" entry details how a particular species of apparition
can be eliminated. This is almost always doable by any person,
regardless of magical ability. Other entries include why the
ghost haunts, how it haunts, and other special information.
By now, you're familiar with the pseudo-truth nature of the
decker comments.
WHAT ARE APPARITIONS?
Apparitions, sometimes called Ghosts, dwell and/or originate from
a plane of existence separate but connected to the planes we know
of, both real and astral; current consensus is that this spectral
plane is not a Metaplane, either. Apparitions generally are the
souls (for lack of a better word) of dead humans, metahumans, or
animals. Occasionally an apparition is seen which can only be
explained as an entity propagated by the mental desires
(conscious or subconscious) of a person or persons; these types
of apparitions are generally astrally active. Rumors persist of
some apparitions which are actually natives of the spectral plane
mentioned above; these rumors generally hover about the
apparitions who exhibit the mannerisms considered evil, even in
comparison to other apparitions.
Usually, human souls become apparitions only if they have been
wronged or failed to complete some task during life. Usually,
apparitions haunting patterns are a logical (albeit twisted)
extension of the rationale for their existence. Each apparition
listed below includes why they exist, if known. Naturally, the
general magical/scientific acceptance of this theory has lead to
much religious debate.
It has been suggested that the plane apparitions dwell upon has
some sort of connection with the real plane, as certain types of
apparitions have a tendency to appear mostly in a certain area.
Judging by reports in the eastern UCAS for the last fifty years,
neither frequency nor intensity of spectral occurrences have
changed significantly during the period referred to as the
Awakening.
SPIRITS VS. GHOSTS
Ghosts are definitely not astral spirits of either the hermetic
or shamanic sense, though they do share some characteristics with
them. For the most part, apparitions do not have an 'active'
astral aura. Nor can they be summoned, in the usual sense (see
Seances below). Many apparitions appear fully capable of
intelligent (if single-minded) thought.
Few spirits can effect the physical or astral planes in other
than a secondary manner. Those that do manifest physically do so
by subconsciously pulling a substance known as ectoplasm from
their home plane and creating a physical body with it. The
properties of this substance make no chemical sense, but are
always identical. A physically manifesting apparition which is
banished generally leaves this substance behind.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
FORCE
This rating is the familiar Force concept used throughout
Shadowrun. It is a measure of strength of the apparition.
ASTRAL INFORMATION
Unless otherwise noted, apparitions have the aura of mundanes of
their original type. This usually means that they are more
easily spotted in the real plane than the astral. Manifesting
apparitions possess strange auras which, once seen and
understood, can be easily recognized; however, some apparitions
(most notably the Ccoa) have the ability to disguise this. This
aura is not vulnerable to astral attack (nor can it attack in the
astral). A very few apparitions are astrally active, and those
that are dual natured.
Long term presence of an apparition can significantly effect the
astral background count of a locale. This is assumed to be due
to the apparition's emotional state, which is usually aggravated.
GENERAL ABILITIES
The abilities of apparitions are widely diverse. Almost all can
make themselves visible and/or audible. Most can effect objects
to a slight extent. Nearly all can inhabit a willing individual
provided he or she is in the correct mind set; few can possess at
will. Some can exert tremendous psychokinetic energy to move
objects. Many appear only to person they are haunting.
Unless physically manifesting, apparitions are all immune to all
attacks, magic, the elements, etc. In addition, most apparitions
which physically manifest are highly resistant to damages and can
never be killed in the usual ways (see Ghostly Immunities).
Remember that in these situations, even though physically
manifest, the apparition's life force still dwells mostly on its
home plane, not the real plane. In these cases, however, a
method usually exists to cause the apparition to dissipate on its
home plane from the real plane.
Physically manifesting apparitions have no internal organs, as
they are made of the sold form of ectoplasm. As such, they
cannot use cyberware or the like.
Apparitions seem to be unaffected by holy symbols and the like.
There seems to be no general way of exorcising them.
GUIDEBOOK TO APPARITIONS
POWER DESCRIPTIONS
AURA MASKING
As the Metamagical ability of Masking. Treat apparition as Grade
and Magic Rating equal to Force for resisted tests to break
through the Masking.
DEATHSEEM
This power requires an opposed success test of the apparition's
Essence against a victims Willpower. If the apparition wins, the
victim appears dead (no organ or brain activity) for a period of
days equal to the apparitions net successes, while not actually
killing the victim. If the victim wins the test, the apparition
may not use this power on him for a period of days equal to three
times his or her net successes. This Power takes several minutes
to use.
DREAMSEND
The apparition can plant dreams of its creation into the victim's
sleep.
ELECTROSENSE
This power allows the apparition to utilize electrical devices:
cause images to form on trideo, manipulate the speakers on a
radio, cause printers to run, etc. Note that it does not
broadcast these images, merely manipulates the output device.
High force apparitions have been known to dim or burn out light
bulbs. This ability is believed to be how some ghosts can put
their voices on tape without any present at the recording hearing
it.
GHOSTLY IMMUNITIES
Applies to physical manifestation only. Combines (from Shadowrun
page 176) Immunity to Age, Pathogens, Poisons, and Normal Weapons
(auto-successes = twice Essence). Also included are Immunity to
Magic and Magic Weapons, as well as Elemental Effects (all give
auto successes = Essence). Some apparitions with this ability
can spend an action to heal all wounds (ectoplasmic
manipulation).
In the unlikely event that an apparition with this power takes
deadly damage, it is sent to its home plane for at least a week.
All of these abilities are nullified if the damage is done by
something to which the apparition has a Vulnerability. If deadly
damage is done by this, but not in the proscribed way of
destroying the apparition, the apparition is not destroyed, but
sent to its home plane for at least a month.
MANIFEST
A = Aural. The apparition can make itself heard. Means of doing
so are varied, and not always apparent. This need not be
accompanied by a visual manifestation.
P = Physical. The apparition can manifest into a body on the
real (and sometimes astral) planes, as detailed above.
V = Visual. The apparition can make itself seen. It is obvious
that the apparition is a spectral form of some kind (i.e.
transparent, warped features, etc.). In some cases, an
apparition can use this Power to appear to only one person, ins
spite of others present.
PARALYZING PRESENCE
This is like the Power of Paralyzing Touch, but does requires
only visual contact. The targets of this Power often must
fulfill certain qualifications to be effected.
PSYCHOKINESIS
As the power in Shadowrun rules; however, some ghosts, most
notably those in the poltergeist class, can manipulate multiple
(equal to 2*F) objects at great strength (F+4).
PUTREFY
This power hastens the rotting of a corpse (or a victim of the
Deathseem Power).
RAISE FOG
Can cause a ground level cloud to form of a radius equal to 10*F.
RESIST TRAVEL
This Power allows an apparition to make an opposed Willpower test
with anyone attempting to move it beyond a certain area. Some
cases have been documented when apparitions with this power could
cause trucks they were in to become mysteriously mired, or caused
themselves to fall off transportation.
SUMMON REMNANT
This power allows an apparition (usually a Revenant) to summon a
number of Remnants to do its bidding. The quantity summoned is
on the order of F-squared.
TELEPORT
This Power allows an apparition to physically teleport on the
real plane. It is assumed that the apparition can somehow pull
its physical 'body' into its home plane, travel in that plane,
the reform the 'body' in the real plane instantaneously.
TEMPERATURE ALTERATION
Can alter the temperature of an area (radius = F) by up to plus
or minus 3*F degrees centigrade.
WINDS
Allows the apparition to move air masses. The greater the force
of the spirit using this power, the more air and faster they may
move it. Force 1 is a light breeze, while force 10 approaches
hurricane forces.
THE APPARITIONS
ANCESTRAL HORRORS
Apparitions in this category haunt a particular family for
generations, regardless of how far the family travels. They are
usually found in Britain and Northern Europe.
BANSIDHE (pronounced BAN-shee)
Origin: unknown
Appearance: Usually more heard than seen, Bansidhes appear as
thin, pale women with eyes stained red from crying.
Method: Following the paternal line, the Bansidhe appears to
victims, apparently warning them of their eminent death.
Exorcise: Unknown
Powers: Manifest (A, sometimes V), Essence Drain, Fear
>>>[They kill who they appear to. By the way, don't confuse
these things with HMHVV-infected elves.]<<<
- Spock (02:13:40/12-27-50)
>>>[Banishing these bitches has something to do with toppling a
house that they built or something. Oh, and they appear only to
their victims.]<<<
- Caramel (15:54:53/6-21-51)
BEAN-NIGHE (pronounced Been Ni)
Origin: Thought to be female family who died during childbirth.
Appearance: Only outside. A peasant woman, quietly beating
bloodstained shrouds on the rocks at the water's edge. Often
humming.
Method: Bean-Nighe appear to family members of upcoming death of
other family members. Occasionally answer questions about
specific members, even the asker.
Exorcise: Unknown
Powers: Manifest (AV)
>>>[Most stories I've heard of these ghosts indicate true future
reading ability.]<<<
- Tormon (06:00:00/6-6-52)
SCREAMING SKULL
Origin: Skull of family member
Appearance: Fleshless skull.
Method: Following the burial of a person who becomes a screaming
skull, the family hears constant loud screams until they exhume
the body and bring the skull inside. Any time it is removed from
the house it screams. The skull stubbornly does not move past a
certain boundary of the house.
Exorcise: Seance with as many family members as possible
politely asking the apparition to leave.
Powers: Manifest (AP), Teleport, Resist Travel
Attributes: Willpower: F + 3
>>>[These skulls can teleport! They often move within the house
the inhabit. What's more, this teleport leaves no trace. No
ectoplasm.]<<<
- Fuzzy (14:43:54/5-9-52)
CHILD SPIRITS
Dead children. Usually killed or unclean in some manner. These
apparitions are usually more evil than usual, perhaps due to the
twisted innocence of the child.
NAVKY
Origin: Person under 12 dies while either unbaptized or at the
hand of its mother.
Appearance: Infant nestled in crook of dead tree. Large black
birds occasionally surround it.
Method: Navky appear at random, usually begging for baptism and
usually in places of some natural danger.
Exorcise: A baptism ceremony. Most know the name the child's
parents intended for it.
Powers: Manifest (P), Accident.
>>>[This baptism banishing only works if the child has asked for
it.]<<<
- Opus (in G) (22:16:34/1-1-53)
>>>[Navky come in two types. The ones asking for baptism will
not be surrounded by birds and vice versa. The bird-Navky are
evil and attempt to cause the death of those around them. These
are the murdered children; they can only be banished by bringing
the mother to justice legally.]<<<
- Tormon (06:00:00/6-6-52)
UTBURD
Origin: Ghost of a fetus of a very traumatic abortion.
Appearance: Cold, hard, very strong infant with glowing eyes.
Also a large dog or owl.
Method: Seeks to leave mother blind and alone by clawing her eyes
out, killing the father, killing the rest of the family, then
killing randomly.
Exorcise: Dowsed with water, then impaled with an iron spike.
Powers: Manifest (P), Ghost Immunities, Mist Form, Paralyzing
Presence (family only), Vulnerability(see Exorcise)
Attributes: Str: F + 8, Quick: F - 2, Will: F + 1, Ess: F - 1,
Claw damage: StrM2
>>>[I heard it was a silver spike. Water supposedly prevents
them from going incorporeal. Stay away from these fraggers if
you can.]<<<
- Arbit (14:23:45/4-5-52)
>>>[Utburds are truly evil. Hunt them down at all costs. Kill
them again.]<<<
- Sorbe (19:18:02/10-30-52)
MEMENTO MORI
This is a catch-all category of apparitions; it is (naturally)
the most varied class of apparition, so much so that all
apparitions are sometimes referred to as memento mori. Most of
the ghosts in this class are harmless.
CRISIS APPARITION
Origin: Believed to be unconsciously created or conjured by
(meta)humans in danger.
Appearance: Realistic, opaque (but intangible) projections of
someone in danger or distress.
Method: Often this apparition appears miles away from the
situation which created it. It does no harm, other than to
appear, but looks extraordinarily real. They last for only
minutes. Generally do not recur.
Exorcise: Unknown, as it is not usually called for.
Powers: Manifest (AV, realistic)
>>>[I think one of these appeared to me. My brother was in
Chicago and his wife was shot in an alley. At exactly the same
time, he appeared in front of me, weeping and holding something
only he could see. I was in Berlin at the time.]<<<
- Iris (13:06:24/7-20-52)
BANE
Origin: Unknown
Appearance: Evil, twisted, man.
Method: Appears to the sick and the dying saying things to add
to their suffering, telling them about the Hell that awaits them.
It attempts to cause the victim to be buried alive.
Exorcise: Unknown. It can be driven away from a specific person
by healing that person in any way.
Powers: Deathseem, Manifest(AV, victim only), Putrefy
FETCH
Origin: Ghost of a friend of the victim
Appearance: Various. Mist in the fog. Warm feelings. Always
kind and/or gentle.
Method: A fetch appears to a friend or relative it had in life,
apparently to welcome it to the other side. Victims die before
24 hours pass, without exception. It is believed that the Fetch
does nothing to cause this death, just appears as a harbinger of
it.
Exorcise: Unknown. It is also unknown how to resist the
apparently eminent death.
Powers: Manifest(AV)
PHANTOM HITCHHIKER
Origin: Various, but always classic ghost-causing circumstances.
Appearance: Hitchhikers in torn and dirty clothes. Visually
solid, but insubstantial.
Method: Phantom Hitchhikers appear to drivers (usually lone
drivers) on lone highways, often over and over until they are
picked up. They disappear before entry into vehicles. There are
no records of them doing harm.
Exorcise: Unknown. It is believed that finding why the
apparition became a ghost and correcting the problem would send
them over to the other side, but since they do not communicate,
this is difficult to accomplish.
Powers: Manifest(AV)
>>>[The drek they don't get into vehicles! I had one drive all
the way to Dallas with me.]<<<
- Korto (12:12:13/5-20-52)
>>>[Yeah, right.]<<<
- Betty (20:23:45/8-17-52)
>>>[Some of these apparitions have quite a history.
Occasionally, it can be discovered who these spirits were in
life. My... companion and I attempted to pick up what turned out
to be the spirit of Thomas Garcia after he appeared to us twice
outside of Sedona. We thought we were wigging out, but the
locals had seen him regularly.]<<<
- Dr. Love (00:14:45/9-12/52)
>>>[The Phantom Hitchhiker is just one name for this type of
ghost. These are phantoms of people who, for some reason, keep
doing the same damn thing over and over again. Not all of them
are silent. Usually, such phantoms appear at a certain time of
year, or to certain people. I know of at least two legends of
phantom drivers who pick up certain types of people and let them
off elsewhere -- both cases are benign. In one, a truck driver
who died avoiding a school bus gives down-and-out hitchhikers a
ride to the nearby truck stop. In the other, the ghost of a
seminal songster gives hitchhiking musical hopefuls a ride into
Nashville.
And then, the tales of phantom bed-and-breakfasts or other
buildings that exist only for a night, and disappear.]<<<
-- Dr. Stanwyck [06:59:46/09-01-52]
BARGHEST
Origin: Ghost of dead hound
Appearance: Huge black dog, with red glowing eyes.
Method: Barghests appear only at night, and only to lone people,
outdoors in desolate areas. Attacks only after harrowing the
victim for a long period. It manifests physically just before it
attacks.
Exorcise: Driving a dogwood stake through the heart of this
apparition while physically manifesting will destroy it.
Powers: Manifest(AP), Paralyzing Howl, Ghostly Immunities,
Vulnerability (Dogwood)
Attributes: Bod:F+4, Qck:F+6, Str:F+7, Wil:F-2, Bite: StrS2
>>>[Don't dare confuse these beats to the critters of the same
name. If they have a good side, it's that corps can't train
these bastards.]<<<
- Fastjack (12:00:00/1-1-14)
>>>[Vampires can. They can summon and bind them.]<<<
- Vanth (14:15:35/6-27-52)
>>>[If attacked while physically manifesting, the Barghest will
not turn incorporeal until the fight is over, it is dead, or it
has taken too much damage. Also, take the "through the heart"
with a grain of salt. Seems like anywhere through the chest
reduces them to a dripping pile of goo. The dogwood is
important, though.]<<<
- The Beetle (16:37:09/10-5-52)
>>>[They have no internal organs. The are, however, astrally
active while physically manifesting. It also seems that they are
terrified of any real dog. Any.]<<<
- Tormon (06:00:00/6-6-52)
CCOA
Origin: Unknown
Appearance: As a normal stray animal common to the place it
haunts, usually a dog, cat, sheep, cow or camel.
Method: Poses as a stray to get accepted into a small community,
then destroys the community by any means with the intent of
leaving a deserted ghost town. [No pun intended.] These
apparitions seem common in Central America.
Exorcise: Get as many community members together to complete a
durable community-oriented building near the center of town.
Powers: Aura Masking, Manifest(P), Influence(Essence vs.
Willpower), Hail
Attributes: As animal form, but Int:F, Wil:F+2, Ess:F
KIRKEVARER
Origin: Ghosts of animals sacrificed and entombed in the walls
or foundations of a building. (This used to be a fairly common
practice in Scandinavian countries, which is where most of these
apparitions are found).
Appearance: Transparent animals wandering through the building.
Method: No known actions, but the sight of a Kirkevarer is
thought to be a sign of bad luck for a community, and is often
associated with strange weather.
Exorcise: Burn the building to the ground.
Powers: Manifest(AV)
>>>[He makes burning the building to the ground sound easy. We
were hired to eliminate a Kirk from a community. No problem,
except it was haunting a church, which the locals were fairly
attached to.]<<<
- Tongue (10:07:49/1-5-52)
>>>[Strange weather. Hmm. Where have I heard that before?]<<<
- Bastard (03:23:26/8-5-52)
>>>[Kirkevarers appear only if the building is somehow made
impure. The church mentioned above housed a lecherous priest.
Where Tongue failed, we succeeded.]<<<
- Savior (07:07:07/10-7-52)
POLTERGEISTS
Poltergeists are, it is believed, ghosts of people who died
leaving an unkept promise or obligation to a child; their
behavior is almost always centered around a child (usually not
the one they had experience with in life), and is very childlike
itself. Poltergeist behavior is very like that of a mischievous
child begging for attention through its actions. And, like a
child, the more it is ignored, the more intense the behavior
becomes.
POLTERGEIST
Origin: Someone who died with unfulfilled promise to or about a
child.
Appearance: These apparitions are most usually indicated by
moving objects; the apparition itself is rarely seen. It
occasionally manifests as phantom lights.
Method: The apparition plays a series of pranks of ever
increasing complexity and oddness. They start small, usually
unnoticed and can end with massive telekinetic disturbance.
Poltergeists always have some sort of aim when doing these pranks
(driving the parents of a target child out of the house is
common). For the most part, the ghost's task is usually doomed
to fail, driving the apparition insane.
Exorcise: Find the identity of the apparition. Determine the
nature of its promise. Have the family 1) confront the ghost
with this evidence and prove that the ghost is not needed, or 2)
fulfill the promise.
Powers: Electrosense, Manifest(V), Psychokinesis, Winds (at F-
3), Raise Fog, Temperature Alteration
>>>[I was present at a poltergeist haunting. I saw a pocket
secretary thrown at about 200 kmph into my friend's head, and it
somehow did no damage. Didn't even leave a mark, in spite of its
velocity. It was like the bugger couldn't do any real harm, even
if it tried.]<<<
- Babs (23:06:23/6-15-52)
>>>[I think the list of abilities is a bit short. I personally
have seen poltergeists generate electricity, and I know of two
occurrences of objects falling from the open sky (glass in one
case, strips of leather in the other).]<<<
- Kimera (21:43:10/7-4-52)
>>>[Rein drops keep fallin' on my... oh never mind.]<<<
- Punnisher (12:13:59/9-9-52)
SMOTHERING GHOST
Origin: A poltergeist gone insane
Appearance: Never seen
Method: Having failed as a poltergeist in its task, the ghost
'mutates' into a Smothering Ghost and uses its powers to kill the
child and its family, usually by using objects to strangle them.
Exorcise: Unknown. Some theories suggest that if the apparition
fails to kill a certain victim twice, it willingly returns home
forever.
Powers: As poltergeist
>>>[When my daughter was being tormented by one of these
creatures, we were desperate to try anything. I found that, on
what is popularly called the Metaplane of Man, I could meet face
to face with this entity. We fought. I won. He has not
returned. I have talked to no one else who has had success with
this method (and few, in fact, that have tried.)]<<<
- Daryl Markov, KMH (21:54:16/5-18-52)
REVENANTS
Revenants are another general catch-all category of apparitions.
They can bring much more power to bear in the real world, and
seem to have a degree of independent action from their home
plane. To most societies, these are evil spirits.
BARROW-WIGHT
Origin: Military officers who did not die in battle
Appearance: Rotting corpses, usually in military uniform (and
armor) of some period.
Method: These apparitions roam in search of a fight. They are
true homicidal maniacs, fighting all able-bodied males they meet.
They usually fight with hand weapons, but will use all their
powers to win.
Exorcise: Must be killed in combat with hand weapons. Will not
fight women, children, or the aged.
Powers: Manifest(P), Ghostly Immunities (but not to melee
weapons), Summon Remnant (Battlefield), Noxious Breath.
Attributes: Str:F+4, Quk:F+4, Bod: F, Reac: F+5
Other: Uses normal weapons and armor (of the period he came
from) at skill equal to F+3. These weapons are ectoplasm, and
dissolve if the apparition is killed.
>>>[Barrow-Wights usually stick around burial mounds.
Occasionally, one roams free, as the one which marched into
Berlin did. He was eventually stopped near some governmental
buildings by a street gang, of all the things.]<<<
- Nuyen Nick (10:25:49/12-04-51)
>>>[Must've been trying to fight city hall.]<<<
- Arbit (15:01:12/4-5-52)
>>>[The Berlin Wight marched in with about a hundred less lethal
apparitions. Apparently they can summon them.]<<<
- Argonaut (12:13:23/7-12-52)
>>>[Barrow-Wights may be immune to combat spells, but spells that
don't effect them directly, like illusions, can confuse them.]<<<
- The Beetle (18:02:18/10-5-52)
BEISAC
Origin: Victims of premature, violent deaths
Appearance: Perfectly formed people, solid looking, occasionally
bloody.
Method: Appear to households to ask for food or shelter or help.
If it is given, the do not take it but leave, only to return
later with another Beisac and do the same thing. If assistance
is offered again, both leave and return with a third, and so on.
When the family or household refuses, the Beisacs kill them.
Exorcise: Unknown. It is known that the spirits have a hard
time passing mana barriers (opposed success test). If the
original Beisac is turned away twice in this way, it never
bothers that family, though it my return to that same household,
if under different occupation.
Powers: Manifest(AV, real looking), Psychokinesis (used only to
kill; with household knives, most typically)
>>>[Beisacs used to only appear in war-torn places, like
Southeast Asia and Los Angeles, but with the emergence of New
Violence, they can now be found about anywhere.]<<<
- Kalla (17:12:23/7-16-52)
>>>[Especially in places like the Shattergraves and the Redmond
Barrens. And Los Angeles.]<<<
- Professor Buff (15:23:52/8-31-52)
DOPPELGANGER
Origin: People executed for crimes they did not commit
Appearance: Exactly as their intended victim in all ways
Method: Begins by taunting the victim. Then begins to imitate
him, gradually destroying his or her reputation and friendships,
then by committing a capital crime in public. Their intent is to
cause the victim to be executed for the crime. These apparitions
usually appear only once per day, and rarely does the haunting
last more than a month.
Exorcise: Discover who the ghost was (is), then prove its
innocence.
Powers: Aura Masking(to appear as victim), Electrosense, Ghostly
Immunities, Manifest(AV(usually in reflective surfaces) P)
Attributes: As victim
Other: Skills as victim
>>>[Finding who the spirit is is usually fairly simple. The
doppelganger's victim is always someone connected in some way to
the crime.]<<<
- Stuphers (13:15:57/3-5-52)
>>>[Doppelgangers can't actually physically hurt their victim.
They also have a greater degree of control over their 'body', and
can duplicate bodily functions, like waste excretion, etc.]<<<
- Tormon (06:00:00/6-6-52)
HANGMAN
Origin: Murderers justly hanged
Appearance: Males: As living appearance, with noose around neck,
in the clothes he died in. Female: Broken necks, with rope
marks.
Method: Hangman apparitions haunt those who bring murderers to
justice, though not the people that brought them to justice.
They often act in groups. They traumatize the victim by sending
nightmares, then begin to manifest nooses about the victim. They
begin to communicate with the victim, then strangle him or her.
They will only attack the victim. If it fails in its attempt
[must maintain a hold of victim until dead, i.e. grappling rules
apply], it will return in 24 hours to try again.
Exorcise: Ring a church bell three times over the grave of
apparition. Church bells frighten these ghosts away for 24 hours
if they ring in the apparitions presence.
Powers: Dreamsend, Manifest(APV)
>>>[Exorcising these ghosts is not as easy as it sounds. They
can travel an unlimited distance from where they were buried, and
they rarely show their true face, or their names.]<<<
- Tormon (06:00:00/6-6-52)
HATE
Origin: The ghost of an evil person of some power (whether
magical, political, etc) who has been killed. Some feel that
this is not a ghost of such a person at all, but a creature
summoned or created upon his or her murder.
Appearance: Visible only astrally.
Method: Exerts its powers over various people (usually the weak-
willed) to gain revenge on the murderer. This usually involves
whispering in their ear (only they can hear it) while employing
some kind of mental control. The longer the apparition can
influence its target, the more control it gains over him or her.
Exorcise: If the Hate fails to influence a body donor, is
vanishes forever; likewise, if the body donor dies, the Hate
vanishes. If the body donor takes a real risk for another
person, the Hate is dispelled (naturally, the Hate will resist
this). Killing the murderer also dispells the Hate.
Powers: Influence (as F+4), Manifest(V)
>>>[Don't kill the body donor! This results in his becoming a
Hate and you as his victim.]<<<
- Arg (14:15:24/12-10-52)
SPECTRAL LOVER
Origin: Those who committed some crime of the heart while alive.
Appearance: First as a very attractive young man or woman. When
the apparition is ready to strike, it appears as a decayed
creature, reeking of rot and stale perfume.
Method: These apparitions act quickly. The meet the victim and
subtly flirt with him or her. Later the same night (and for the
following two), the victim will have nightmares about other
lovers. These dreams enhance attraction to the apparition and
sap the mental strength of the victim. On the forth night, the
Spectral Lover appears in its true form and literally rips the
heart out of the victim.
Exorcise: Discover its true identity and confront it with an
image of the lover it spurned in life.
Powers: Aura Masking, Drain Willpower, Dreamsend, Ghostly
Immunities, Manifest(P)
SPECTRAL REMNANTS
Spectral Remnants appear in more forms than any other type of
ghost. Most non-traumatic experiences with apparitions are with
these types of spirits.
All have a few common features. They were all failures in life,
and usually take a form relating to what they failed at. They
may all physically manifest, but none possess the indestructible
nature of Revenants; they cannot appear or use their powers
without manifesting physically. All are dual natured beings.
Each possesses physical and mental attributes and skills akin to
what it possessed in death, but cannot improve any of these
abilities.
Each Remnant has a specific aim, certain powers and a unique way
of exorcism. Some examples are given below:
BATTLEFIELD REMNANT
Appearance: As a soldier, usually wounded in some way. Will
appear in period battle gear, including modern ordinance (these
are not the actual weapons, so function only as clubs at best).
They are often assumed to be zombies, but they are not the actual
corpses of the dead, just their spirits, animating ectoplasmic
bodies.
Aim: These rarely spring up by themselves, usually summoned by
Revenants. Those that do appear by themselves usually attempt to
secure the objective they were killed for. Occasionally they
just appear to report for duty or even sneak attack places at
random.
Abilities: Weapon skills, Manifest (P), Pestilence, Regeneration.
Exorcism: Summoned Battlefield Remnants go away on their own.
'Killing' either type destroys them.
CANDIDATE
Appearance: A failed politician, the candidate shows up at
political meetings, conventions, even dinners. Often middle-aged
white males.
Aim: Wanders the world in search of votes. Will give speeches.
Abilities: Will not attack physically. Hypnosis, Noxious
Breath, Manifest(P)
Exorcism: Hold mock election with many people who have met the
apparition. A unanimous victory for the apparition will send it
to the other side.
GRANDFATHER
Appearance: It appears as a family patriarch concerned that his
family will fall apart upon his death, which is how they, in
fact, form. This body is not the deceased corpse, but will rot
away as if it was. (It does not stink, however.)
Aim: Continues 'caring' after the family as if it had not died,
quite vocally. If the family moves to different parts of the
world, it will stick with the one 'most in need.'
Abilities: Manifest(P), Temperature Alteration
Exorcism: Have the whole family over for a big family dinner. If
no one in the family says a negative thing about another family
member for the whole day, the Grandfather goes away. This may
only be attempted once per month.
>>>[The sad part is, in the only two cases I've ever seen of this
type of ghost, the family was unable to pull it off. They tried
numerous times, and eventually gave up. In one case, the
Grandfather showed up less and less after about five years. After
seven years (one year ago), it showed up for the last time. In
the other case, the ghost has haunted the various family members
for nearly a decade now.]<<<
-- Dr. Stanwyck [07:16:07/09-01-52]
SPECTRAL ORGANIST
Appearance: Sad figures in evening wear. They are dead
organists, seeking recognition, so will appear where there are
people and an organ. (They love Bach's Toccata Fugue,
naturally.)
Aim: Although mediocre musicians at best (they did become
Remnants, after all), Spectral Organists to play their music in
peace. If in front of an audience, they disdain anyone making
noise and will insult those who do so.
Abilities: Ghostly Immunities, Hypnotize, Manifest(P), Quiet Room
ON MEDIUMS
Mediums are people who are more sensitive to apparitions that
normal humans or metahumans. Not that they can see ghosts where
others cannot; it is more of a feeling or general impression.
Mediums are also able to conduct seances with less risk to
themselves.
Mediums are born with these abilities, although they may take
time to master, or even surface. As a result, mediums deviate
from social norms in many ways.
BEING A MEDIUM
Writer's Note: I debated for a while on how exactly to present
Mediums. I thought of toying with Magic priorities and Adepts
and such, but that didn't seem to make much sense given the
nature of the ghosts I described. Mediums are not powerful, just
different. All that I really attempted to do here was create a
system which discouraged every PC from becoming a medium.
A Medium's abilities are a unique set of skills. The basis for
these abilities is a mind set totally different from 'normal'
humanity; a different way of thinking, or different wiring of the
brain. In game terms this means that these skills may only be
chosen when the character's archetype is created. Characters who
start with these skills may develop them with karma, but these
skills always cost double normal amounts (including during
archetype creation). None of the skills have concentrations or
specializations.
Even if a character already has one medium skill, they may not
learn others unless they were also purchased from the start.
There are no other requirements for being a medium. Thus
archetypes can have any cyberware, magical ability, etc as long
as the skills are purchased from the beginning.
That's it. I can hear people complaining that 'All my players
have to do is get each skill at 1, and they beat the system.'
Encourage your players to do this; it is a waste of skill points.
Since all medium abilities are based on the skills, they get
almost no benefit for the expenditure. There are no 'freebies'
(like Astral Perception or pools or something) for simply having
medium skills. It is much more 'cost effective' to get high
initial scores in the skills.]
MEDIUM SKILLS
GHOST PERCEPTION
This skill allows the medium an automatic test (number of dice
equal to skill rating, naturally) to see or hear a spirit in his
or her presence. This ignores Aura Masking. The medium can also
use this skill voluntarily to seek out an apparition, if he or
she has reason to believe it is around. This is usually
difficult and may take some time. Example: Bob the Medium
observes behavior in a town which he feels may be caused by a
Ccoa. He attempts to locate the Ccoa using Ghost Perception.
His target number might be around 12, depending on the situation
(Ccoa's are hard to find in any case).
Mediums may also use this skill to gain specific information
about an apparition they have perceived previously. Easy tasks
(low T#) might be discovering what type of spirit it is. Harder
tasks could be determining its purpose. At really high target
numbers, it might even reveal the name or the face the apparition
had in life.
SEANCE
This skill allows the medium to hold a proper seance. The target
number is the Force of the apparition which the medium wishes to
channel. Zero successes indicate failure, no apparition comes
and the hole process must be done over again. At one success, no
apparition comes, but the attempt may be made immediately (after
the Drain check). Two success gets the correct type of
apparition, but not the specific one (the medium is aware this is
the case about half the time). Three successes call the correct
apparition forward. The apparition cannot resist the summoning
(by does resist the actually channeling). A critical failure
summons a completely different evil apparition, unbeknownst to
the medium.
CHANNELING
Any willing being at a seance can allow the apparition - if it
wishes - to possess him or her, but only a medium with this skill
can do so with relative safety. Mediums with this skill can also
channel unwilling ghost.
Once an apparition has been summoned by a seance, the medium can
use this skill to force it to possess him or her, so questions
may be asked of it. This involves an control test (an opposed
test pitting Force against Channeling skill). If the apparition
wins, it can stay out and the medium takes drain (see below). If
the Medium wins, the apparition is trapped until the medium lets
it go.
Normally, possessed people, if they want the ghost to leave, must
make an opposed Willpower test to send it out. Mediums with this
Channeling skill get extra dice when doing so equal to the net
successes scored over the apparition in the control test in the
previous paragraph. If the apparition entered the medium
willingly, the medium gets extra dice equal to his or her
channeling skill rating.
SEANCES
Seances exist purely to interrogate apparitions. Not everyone
can conduct seances, and only mediums can conduct them with
control. They require specific chemicals, lighting, numbers of
people, etc, as well as the correct mental state and mind set.
Usually only mediums can do this, but amateurs occasionally can
do it, often with disastrous results. Well executed seances
somehow prevent the apparition from hurting anyone in the room or
even manifesting physically (though it may try scare tactics).
Amateur seances, or incorrectly set up seances, do not confer
this ability.
The base time to set up a seance is equal to the force of the
desired apparition in hours, divided by the number of successes
from an unresisted seance test. The target number for this test
is always 4.
Once the room is set up, the medium 'summons' the apparition with
the method described in the Seance skill description. Failure
(of zero successes) requires the seance to be set up all over
again.
When the apparition comes, it may possess any willing person
attending. It cannot gain entry to unwilling bodies. The medium
(who is not considered a willing subject for this purpose)
usually invites the apparition into him or her. If it goes
willingly, it may not leave until thrown out by the medium (as
described above). If it refuses, the medium has two options: he
or she may either let the apparition go, or force it to possess
them (as described above).
While possessed by a medium, the apparition must tell the truth
and answer questions. It may attempt to avoid them, but must
make an opposed Willpower test against the medium, using only
half of its Willpower (while the medium gets the bonus dice
normally associated with ending possessions).
Once the possession has ended, the apparition must leave the
people in the room unbothered for 12 hours. The medium must also
check for Drain (with Willpower). The target number for the
drain is the force of the apparition. The base drain depends on
the situation. If the apparition was did not possess the medium
(for any reason, including that not enough successes were scored
during the 'summoning') the base Drain is M1. If the apparition
willingly possessed the medium, the Drain is S2. If the
apparition had to be forced into possession, the Drain is D3, but
the medium gets the bonus dice equal to the net successes during
the control test. For the drain of a failed control test, the
base damage is light, with a staging equal to the net successes
the apparition scored.
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VIRTUAL REALITY
A Primer
Dr. Killea Garrity
PART 1
In the late part of the last century, development of computer
power capable of generating visual and auditory images that
closely approximated reality in complexity of display and motion
led to the coinage of the phrase "virtual reality". At the time,
such forays into perceptive "worlds" were based on external
apparati that could generate believable fields of information for
visual and auditory interaction. Since human perceptive function
is prone towards completeness of stimulus, the anomalies inherent
in such an interface were not inhibitive. Visual fields were
created using goggles or, in later years, cusps that could
display enough information for peripheral and foveal stimuli to
allow complex stimulus/response exchanges. Similarly, it was a
relatively simple matter to generate auditory stimuli with
sufficient detail and accuracy.
The reality generated by such interaction was, however, woefully
incomplete when compared to what we experience on a day to day
basis. Tactile sensations were impossible to simulate, as were
the complex gestalts of motion and position. As mentioned above,
human perceptive function can, and did, assume the presence of
these stimuli when exposed to the corresponding visual, auditory,
and olfactory input. However, the resulting interactive field was
thus dependent on the perceiver and the response to such stimuli
varied across the human sample.
With the advent of neural inductive technology, the next step in
the evolution of complete perceptive simulation took place.
Rather than providing stimulus to the perceptive organs
themselves, it was now possible to simulate the feedback from
these organs at a neural level. The perception of stimulus no
longer required the presence of external stimuli. Inductors
implanted on the Optic, Olfactory, Auditory, Glosso-pharyngeal,
and Trifacial Nerves as well as the spinal cord could simulate
94% of normal human perceptive function. This technological
revolution shifted the limiting factor from stimulative mechanism
to input field production. Generating movement and tactile images
of sufficient detail requires incredible computer power. A
typical nerve space (total volume of information encompassed by a
neural channel) contains a million pieces of information and
requires refresh every 500th of a second. In the case of spinal
stimuli, the space complexity quickly approaches several million
variables. The total input space for human normal perceptive
field simulation averages 5 million variables refreshed 500 times
a second for a total data flow of about 2.5 Gigabytes/second.
Common terminology measures this in terms of pulses, the fiber
optic instantaneous bandwidth of 1 thousand bytes, so a single
second of human perceptive space takes up 2.5 megapulses. Since
generation of each variable requires an average of 100,000
computer operations, a single second of stimulus space requires
250 trillion operations. Computers capable of this kind of
processing were not widely available until the advent of inline
molecular superconductors. Even then, the machines were
incredibly expensive.
Most current high-grade systems require intrusive surgical
modifications, or 'wires'. The operation is mundane, but does
require extensive manipulation in the cerebrum. For this reason,
it is not considered simple. As mentioned above, a typical wire
harness attaches to five of the major nerve bundles coming from
the brain as well as the spinal cord. Current induction systems
are quite small and can be virtually undetectable. The feed for
the system usually exits at the base of the skull, but routing to
the wrist is not uncommon. This does, however, require a booster
in the shoulder area. Feeds can be anywhere, but must attach to
bone to provide sufficient stability for 'jacking'. It is also
possible to hide the feed just below the skin and use induction
pads for contact, but this kind of jack will not work with most
systems and cannot deliver the kind of response some applications
require (typically computer and control systems).
Civilian systems often use much less responsive and intrusive
systems for entertainment. Simulated stimulus systems (simstims)
usually come with external inductors for the eyes, ears, nose,
and spine. The units look like a complicated pair of headphones.
The effect of the system is much less intense, but still very
believable. Since these systems are typically 40% less effective
than intrusive delivery mechanisms, they are not adequate for
most high-end applications. They are, however, very popular in
the consumer market.
Contrary to popular opinion, it is unnecessary to use a keyboard
when operating through a neural harness. Once the user is "jacked
in", they can communicate with their system without any physical
effort. In fact, since a wire must completely pirate any stimuli
passing along its client nerve, stimulus from the body is blocked
both ways. It would prove disastrous if a vehicle operator, or
"rigger", were to actually move her body while controlling her
machine. The unguided motions would undoubtedly result in injury.
For this reason, a person working with a wire is unaware of
stimulus from their body and cannot control it in any way.
Usually, wire control systems monitor stimuli for neural flags
and then pass similar stimuli along to the user for action. Such
things as excessive pain, or maintenance signals are mimicked in
the current virtual reality so that the user knows they are in
pain or need to visit the restroom. Disconnection from the system
is a simple matter of will without a physical manifestation.
"Jacking out", portrayed in so many vids as a violent unplugging
of the wire jack, is in fact a completely mental process. The
actual unplugging is only manipulating dead wires that no longer
carry a signal.
>>>[So would it be possible for ice to block the 'jacking out'
signal, or intercept it and let deckers think they jacked
out?]<<<
-- Micromara (14:20:49/05-31-52)
>>>[Yes to both. It is possible to take control of the simsense
of a deck externally and generate alternate feedback. It would
take serious computer power, some really artful programming and
the right context, but it is possible. You would think you fought
off that ice. You would think you were safe. You would think
anything it wanted. Until they came and got you.]<<<
-- Guru (08:45:23/6-2-52)
CYBERDECKS
Confusion between Simstims and virtual reality units are common.
Simstim playback units are exactly that, players. They are in no
way capable of true interaction. Consequently, they do not
constitute a true virtual reality. The user is an observer only.
As mentioned above, robust perceptive space virtual reality
requires in excess of 200 trillion operations per second. Only
the more expensive civilian units can deliver this kind of
performance. In addition, these units require special hardware
and software designs completely different from what one will find
in the normal computer. Finally, all of these units assume the
user is 'wired' and consequently they appeal to only a small
segment of the market. Thus, though there are probably 200
companies that produce computing engines in North America, there
are only five that make these "cyberdecks", though one can modify
an existing computing engine with available (if expensive) parts.
The level of virtual complexity these cyberdecks allow varies.
The Tandy (Radio Shack) and Amiga (CBM/Target) machines are aimed
at the low end of the market and though they are by far the most
popular models, they also deliver a significantly curtailed
reality. Sounds are muted, visuals less detailed, motion sloppy,
and reaction sometimes sluggish. They are also prone to
malfunction and breakdown. They are true virtual reality
machines, but it is obvious to anyone using them that they are in
a simulation. The top of the line models from Fuchi, Fairlight,
and Interface are capable of stimulus impossible to differentiate
from reality. These units carry, however, commensurately high
price tags.
>>>[Have deckers ever been caused to forget they were in
cyberspace?]<<<
-- Micromara (14:22:39/05-31-52)
>>>[See above. Ice that good could make you believe you had
jacked out and were sitting around with your SoyCaf while it was
tracking your inert, jacked-in body down.]<<<
-- Guru (08:49:23/6-2-52)
>>>[What Guru neglects to mention in both places is that the
program doing the simulating would have to know what your pad
looked like to simulate it. Remember that a wire does not
constitute a conduit to your thoughts, only a stimulus/response
channel. Thus, in the situation Guru suggests above, there is no
way the ICE (or whatever) could simulate your
apartment/house/drainage ditch unless someone fed in the
details.]<<<
-- Thor (09:54:5/6-24-52)
>>>[It is interesting to note that cyberdecks have a great deal
in common with simsense units in terms of interface. Not too
surprisingly, they can cause many of the same problems simsense
abuse causes (i.e. multiple personalities, catatonia, mania, and
even synesthesia.)]<<<
--Cyberdoc (16:08:41/6-12-52)
THE MATRIX
Current urban mythology (aided by the popular media) paints a
romantic, but inaccurate picture of the current global data
network, commonly referred to as the 'Matrix'. The matrix is not
one huge network, but a collection of networks, each of which has
its own peculiarities as well as a distinct flavor. Though the
UMS imparts a degree of standardization to the sensory space, it
is by no means universally accepted or implemented. In many
cases, older systems are not capable of the necessary stimulus
sophistication and thus implement simpler realities. In some
cases, the UMS has been almost completely ignored in favor of
aesthetic expression. Such 'sculpted' systems are expensive, but
exist in sufficient quantities to warrant mention. It is
interesting to note that such systems cannot be displayed on some
of the more common decks available (i.e. the low end Tandy and
Amiga offerings) because the systems cannot process the necessary
information spaces. When accessed by such a deck, the stimulus is
downsampled (damped) to allow interaction. Though this does not
usually result in functional limitations, it can limit the user
if the designers do not take such damping into consideration. The
upshot of this varied representation is that the matrix appears
not as a single reality, but as many realities joined by a
variably consistent transport metaphor. Communications grids in
most parts of the world are UMS compliant, but there are many
exceptions.
Another common set of myths surrounds the degree to which
experiences in the matrix can have physical ramifications. The
burning deck meltdown so popular in corporate sponsored
propaganda stims and vids is simply not possible. The connections
prevalent throughout the process are not capable of carrying
those kind of voltages. This does not, however, render the
concept of interface induced damage unreal. It is simply much
less obvious to the casual observer. The human nervous system is
a fragile and sensitive electro-chemical system which, when
hooked directly into a stimulus space, becomes incredibly
vulnerable. Because the nature of the stimulus space is so
complex, filtering that space requires huge amounts of processing
power. System designers, trying to achieve the best interface for
the least money, use only the most rudimentary safeguards;
voltage and volume monitors that are relatively 'stupid.' For
most users, this is not a significant drawback as the stimuli
commonly available is far below that required to cause
significant damage. After all, who would use the system if neural
damage was a commonplace occurrence?
However, illegal use of interface equipment can result in
physical damage to the nervous system. Simstim units are often
modified to allow the use of excessively high levels of stimulus.
So called 'Better than life' or BTL systems are a mainstay of the
black market. Repeated use of such systems results in a variety
of neurological dysfunctions, some of which are fatal. Similarly,
cyberdeck interfaces are capable of carrying damaging and even
lethal signal levels to the nervous system of their users. The
generation of such signals is illegal, but if the recipient is
involved in an illegal access, the situation is not black and
white. Court cases involving such instances have established the
'home defense' precedent now recognized by most courts. A SAN is
sufficient notice to any user that the territory they are
experiencing 'belongs' to someone and that their unwanted
presence within that territory constitutes trespassing. In
addition, bypassing safeguards to enter a system is now legally
classified as breaking and entering. From this standpoint, the
use of so called 'black' intrusion countermeasures (IC's or Ice)
is analogous to any weapon used to defend one's property.
It is possible to install filters which can recognize such
stimuli and counter them. The hardware for this would have to be
roughly twice as fast as an unfiltered deck. This kind of speed
upgrade usually carries with it a tenfold price increase. To
build such a system with the throughput of say a Fairlight
Excalibur would cost in excess of 50 million nuyen. In addition,
the advantages of such a system are questionable since illegal
system access requires negation of protective ice in addition to
survival and extended combat usually results in disconnection or
'dumping'.
>>>[A toaster tech friend of my mine scoffed at the idea of
"meltdown" and pointed out that the switch necessary to keep out
any large voltage was a .25 nuyen piece of hardware. What
gives?]<<<
-- Elvis (16:08:41/8-04-52)
>>>[That would be true if in fact a single voltage spike was the
problem, but it isn't that simple. What Garrity is talking about
here is a STIMULUS spike. This is not a single peak on a single
line, but a max on every channel coming in, analogous to turning
every nerve in your body on at full volume at the same time. No
single input is over the edge, but the cumulative effect is a
matter of record.]<<<
-- Cyberdoc (16:08:41/6-12-52)
THE ROLODEX
New Contacts to Use and Abuse
KID DECKER
Russ Herschler <76300.1071@CompuServe.COM>
The kid decker is just out for kicks. Not after anything really
all that important or capable of anything all that impressive!
Still, he does have a datajack, since some parents think it is
best to let their kids get them while they are young(Like modern
parents and cosmetic surgery.) so they have an edge in life later
on. He could be a very formidable decker when he grows up,
provided he doesn't wander into the wrong place sometime and find
himself up against something he can't handle. Still, it will be
fun to see how the decker character will interact with him.
QUOTES:
"Illegal? So what? Never thought about it! This is just really
wiz! I mean, I'm just plunking around & bang! I'm in my school's
system! I don't know how they expect to keep anybody out with
this security!"
"Dad, can I have a Fuchi Cyber-6 for Christmas?"
"Hey Tommy! Gimmie a dupe of your sleaze-3!"
"Should I give myself an 'A' or a 'B+' in English?"
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 2
Quickness: 3
Strength: 2
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 5
Willpower: 3
Essence: 5.8
Reaction: 4
SKILLS
Computer 3
Computer Theory 3
Computer Build/Repair 2
Electronics 2
CYBERWARE
Datajack
GEAR
Radio Shack PCD-1000 Deck
Bod, 2
Masking, 1
Sensors, 2
Sleaze, 2
Browse, 3
Smoke, 3
DRAGONCULT
Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@ccvm.sunysb.edu>
The Dragon Tirandor is a powerful creature. His sheer power, size
and intelligence demand respect in both the everyday and the
corporate world. He is a financial wizard, as well as a
practitioner of magic. He inspires respect and fear in many, and
one group has even declared him to be a god. This group is one of
a series of new cults formed since the awakening, and operates
exclusively in New York.
Tirandor is basically a benign dragon. He mostly keeps to
himself, but has a liking for corporate politics and is seriously
considering running for mayor someday. He was amused by the
loyalty this group suddenly gave, so tolerates their
eccentricities. The dragon publicly denies any connection with
this cult, although he does maintain relations with them. He
basically sees them as a useful way of getting information off
the streets and so, often asks them to do some legwork for him
It's hard, after all, for a dragon to case out a local bar. They
have developed a whole series of rituals, which he could care
less about. He allows them to believe that he is their God in
order to gain useful services from them. And he gets a kick out
of making a scary appearance now and then to bolster their
loyalty.
Membership: The Cult has approximately 20-30 members citywide.
They have one "high priest" (use street shaman), and three sub-
priests (also street shaman, though the high-priest is probably
more powerful. The rest of the members are of mixed types,
spanning over a mix of races and professions, but most are street
gang members. Others may be of various professions, but should be
about as tough as street gang members.
MOTIFS/DRESS: Most members generally adopt a medieval look. Many
will carry swords, and dress in modernized medieval clothing,
typically leathers crafted to look like dragonscale, and/or
pieces of chain mail. The "priests" have ceremonial garb made of
actual dragon scales, given to them by Tirandor during the
molting season. They generally dress like the others when not
performing some ritual.
GENERAL IDEAS: These people are religious fanatics. They consider
the dragon to be their God. The "priests" consider the Dragon to
be their totem Whether or not this works is up to the GM. They
basically have unquestioning loyalty to the dragon, and are
likely to become hostile if they think someone is working against
their god. They live in various parts of the city, but mainly in
Manhattan. They are usually found in small groups, typically two
or three, but occasionally in larger groups. Each sub-priest has
his own congregation that meets weekly. The High Priest will
attend these meetings when possible. Once every one or two
months, the entire group meets under the high priest.
RITUALS: The weekly gatherings are in hidden shrines maintained
by each priest. They generally gather before a likeness of the
dragon and give it some kind of token offering. The large
meetings take place in a warehouse near the pier where the
Intrepid is docked. The warehouse is owned by the dragon, though
this is not publicly known. The warehouse has been converted into
a temple. The Dragon will occasionally drop in on these meetings
to "put the fear of god" into the worshippers. The high priest of
the cult is a somewhat irrational man named Phineaus Drakkhem,
who goes by the street name Mordred. He is only slightly insane.
The cult's rituals are of his own design. He even goes so far as
to require a human (or Metahuman) sacrifice in what he deems to
be times of trouble. The dragon, or a trusted emissary from
Tirandor's corporate organization, will speak to Mordred when a
favor is required.
PERSONALITIES: Mordred's sanity is borderline at best. He
conceived the cult and all its trappings and rituals. He gives
sermons in a mad, raving fashion which is quite compelling.
Despite his tenuous grip on reality, he is a charismatic and
compelling speaker. His style is geared towards rousing a mob
mentality, and is particularly attractive to people who live on
the streets. His following are mainly street folk, some of whom
have recovered since joining (only bolstering their faith) thanks
to the occasional monetary gifts given to those who serve the
dragon well. Tirandor is known to give money to the cult when
they do something especially useful for him. Mordred seems to
model his image in the cult loosely after Hitler, though he does
not discriminate against races, he only cares if they are loyal
to his god. He has little respect for the life of a non-cult
member, unless they have information that the Dragon wants. He
may not openly advocate killing "heretics", but will have no
compunctions about it if he thinks it is necessary.
>>>[Hope you get some ideas!]<<<
-The Dark Elf
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THE ICE BOX
>>>>[Right from the databases of Denvar Security Consulting Inc.,
a high profile "tiger-team" in New York. Seems they got
contracted by Mi-Tech Security Systems Inc. to run some new IC
through the penetration test. This looks to be a summary of the
operation.
We're still looking for the full document, but I expect Mi-Tech
has the only copy around. Good luck getting through their IC.
Sorry, couldn't get the figures or the appendices with this
stuff. They're probably with the main documents as well. As you
can see from the comments, I've been playing with this stuff a
little. There's a small base just off the Seattle grid with a
test batch of this stuff, and they don't keep good watch. The
Freeform there is also very, very lightweight stuff. Another
lesson for the corps. If yer gonna put in the latest and greatest
security systems, make it heavy. Otherwise, yer just helpin' the
opposition. Oh, yeah. That comment 'bout Nasan Helles ain't a
joke, either. Seems they contracted our buddy for a large chunk
of this baby.]<<<<
- Barron
FREEFORM IC
Chris Beauregard <cpbeaure@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu>
File 2100-67-B
Dated 9 Jun 2050
Protected-C
Summary of Contract 2100-4-A
"Intrusion Countermeasure Verification of Mi-Tech Security
Systems Incorporated FF-IC Freeform"
INITIAL TESTING
Simulation system was formatted after standard insurance company
and small holding bank systems, the presumed client for this form
of countermeasures. See Appendix A for full system plans. The FF-
IC Freeform was placed in the SAN to the internal layer, and both
CPUs. A lighter version was placed in the inner layer DLJ between
the central CPU and the file storage area.
>>>>[That's a layered system for you slow types...]<<<<
- Barron
The first testing consisted of a selection of program frames
attacking the FF-IC in the SAN. The program frames consisted of
light attack utilities and variable analysis utilities. The FF-IC
attacked the frames when in range and used the Nasan Helles
patented engulfing attack to destroy the frames. Appendix B
contains statistics on frame strength, FF-IC strength, and
engagement times for all tests.
>>>>[Freeform IC seems to be an adaptive IC. It has no defined
matrix construct. Normally, it appears as an energized mist until
it has a target. Then it transforms into whatever it thinks can
do the job and nails the target to the wall. The engulfing
technique mentioned is what it uses against slow and stupid
targets. Doesn't even bother transforming, just wraps around the
target and nukes it.]<<<<
- Barron
The second initial test consisted of more intelligent and less
straightforward attacks, still using the frames. The FF-IC
invariably adapted to the best icon form and destroyed the
penetrating frames. The only exceptions occurred when the frames
used high masking and evasion levels. Very high levels tended to
increase the node load to such a point that the FF-IC could not
take the most efficient form. On several instances, the program
frame managed to cause significant damage to the FF-IC. Another
possibility is that high masking decreased the information
available to the FF-IC such that it could not take on a form
sufficient to damage the frame.
>>>>[The transform process eats power bigtime. Takes a little
while to do. Once it makes it though, she's like a three-year old
with wired 'flexes and too much sugar. Fast. Those high levels of
masking and evasion, by the way, are probably well into the
milspec levels. Not just boosted reaction here, chummers.]<<<<
- Barron
ADVANCED TESTING
The first of the advanced tests consisted of a simulated life
form. Full analysis hardware was connected through a bio-chip
with a simulated low-intelligence. The anti-personnel version of
the FF-IC was used for this test. The intelligence was programmed
for straightforward attacks on the target IC. As can be seen from
Appendix D, the simulated intelligence performed extremely poorly
against the FF-IC. Analysis indicates that the FF-IC exploited
its adaptive features to bypass all the deck protective measures
and deliver the anti-personnel capacity directly to the
intelligence. This feature was not seen in preliminary testing,
and is likely specific to the anti-personnel versions of the FF-
IC. Analysis of the attack method indicates a slightly improved
version of standard anti-personnel algorithms. Also noted was the
effects of the engulfing attack. Exiting the matrix when
subjected to this form of attack increased significantly in
difficulty.
The second test consisted of a live intelligence. In each case, a
trained monkey was used in a variety of attacks on the FF-IC and
its node. Again, high masking and evasion levels seemed to cause
trouble for the FF-IC. The high quality anti-personnel algorithm
was responsible for a much higher body count than usual, and more
than offset these rare occurrences. Final testing consisted of a
number of human intelligences. because of the limited number
available, testing was not as thorough as in other areas.
However, as can be seen by Appendix F, the FF-IC was more than
capable of handling penetrations to all areas of the sample
system. Analysis indicates that the FF-IC offered a very high
psychological impact on targets, decreasing their resistance to
its unique attack forms.
>>>>[This form of testing was basically suckering wannabees into
takin' a run at their sample base. Figures that it took out so
many. On the other hand, it seems a few real hot cowboys got
pegged by this stuff too. We're still lookin' for names, but it
could be bad news.]<<<<
- Barron
ANALYSIS
High adaptivity of the FF-IC resulted in much faster and higher
kill rates. The engulfing attack especially increased the
exposure to the attack mechanisms of the FF-IC.
High load required in transformations is a definite hindrance in
its effectiveness.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Possibly decrease the size of the construct in order to increase
transformation speed and decrease load. The high effectiveness of
the FF-IC should more than offset any loss in strength from these
changes.
>>>>[Other notes. They have all kinds of versions of Freeform IC
ready for the market. The Black versions are especially nasty,
but there're versions with Blaster, Killer, and some weird
psychological attack forms. Except for a pretty high load, these
things have similar capabilities as yer standard Gray/Black IC.
The effects of the transformation are pretty ugly though. Any
attack you make against it, it's pretty much immune to a second
shot. You can't slow this stuff at all, and I doubt seriously
that you can plant a virus on it. If you try, make sure it's real
adaptive. The other problem is that every attack it gets in on
you, the one after it hits harder. Changing your defensives on
the run seems to screw it up for a bit.]<<<<
- Barron
GM NOTES
Load Rating is double Rating when transforming, Rating otherwise.
It takes one action to transform to optimum shape. Target must be
in Observation Range. If optimum configuration is reached, the IC
has a negative modifier (bonus) on its attack target number. To
reach optimum, roll the IC rating against the average of the
target's evasion and masking levels. The IC gets -1 on the attack
for each success scored. Freeform IC must transform to attack,
even if it gets no successes.
Treat Freeform IC as having shifting defensive form with no
increased load rating.
Trying to jack out when attacked by Freeform-Black IC requires an
Unresisted Willpower Test against twice the IC rating.
Each hit by Freeform IC on a target decreases the target of the
next attack by 1. This is cumulative.
Any changes in the Masking or Evasion rating of the target
requires a new transformation by the IC. All target numbers for
attacks are reset.
Slow utilities have no effect on Freeform IC.
EXAMPLE:
Davison Hack is running the Mi-Tech system. He pops into a node
with Freeform-Killer-5. The IC is in Probe mode, and Davison
blows his rolls. The battle begins. The IC wins initiative and
gets the first action. It transforms. Davison's average Evasion
and Masking is 5. The IC rolls 5 dice with a target of 5, and
gets 3 successes. This could be bad. Davison gets the next
action. He slams the IC with an Attack-4, and hits for light
damage.
The IC hits Davison next. It's got a -3 on the target number. It
hits for Moderate damage. Davison tries a Slow-5. Bummer. The IC
attacks again. This time, it's got a -4. -3 from the transform,
and -1 from the last hit. Davison lucks out, and takes light
damage. Next time though, the IC is hitting at -5.
Next round, Davison gets first action, takes the hint and puts on
a Cloak-6.
The IC transforms again. This time, Davison's Masking and Evasion
average is at 7. The IC manages one success, enough for a -1
modifier. Davison, in a burst of intelligence, skips out before
the FF's buddies show up.
DEFINING POINTS IN WORLD HISTORY
Wordman <ward1@husc.harvard.edu>
1999 Hundreds killed in New York City food riots.
2001 Shiawase Decision establishes
extraterritoriality to multinational
corporations.
2002-2008 The Resource Rush.
2003 Anglo-Japanese suborbital Ghost unveiled,
breaking international travel speed
records.
2004 Libya attacks Israel with chemical weapons.
Israel retaliates with nuclear weapons.
Nuclear meltdown in Kent, Great Britain.
2005 United Nations moves to Geneva following
major earthquake in New York City.
2009, May 16 SAIM occupation of the United States Shiloh
Launch Facility ends with the launch of
Lone Eagle nuclear missile toward
Russia.
2010 VITAS plague breaks out in New Delhi and
spreads worldwide, killing 25% of the
worlds population. United States
government passes the Re-Education and
Re-Location Act.
2011 Mexican government collapses, beginning five-
year period of wide-spread governmental
disintegration and the Year of Chaos.
Emergence of Unexplained Genetic
Expression (UGE). Nuclear meltdowns in
Scotland and Britain.
2011, December 11 Great Dragon Ryumyo appears in Japan,
signaling the start of the Mayan Sixth
World. Ley Lines activate in Great
Britain. Daniel Coleman Howling Coyote
leads Native Americans out of Abilene Re-
Education Center.
2014 Creation of the United Free Republic of
Ireland. Howling Coyote announces claim
to North America, claims responsibility
for Redondo Peak eruption. U.S. Military
beset by tornadoes.
2015 Hong Kong secedes from China.
2016 General Secretary Nikolai Chelenko (Russia),
President Jesse Garrety (United States),
Prime Minister Lena Rodale (Great
Britain), and Minister Chiam Schon
(Israel) assassinated. U.S. ratifies the
Resolution Act of 2016, sanctioning
total extermination of Native American
tribes.
2017, August 17 Great Ghost Dance causes simultaneous
eruptions in the Western U.S..
2018 Treaty of Denver signed. Formation of Native
American Nations. Dr. Hosato Hikita of
ESP Systems unveils ASIST technology.
U.S. Spaceplane America disintegrates in
orbit, falling on Australia.
2021, April 30 Goblinization begins.
2022 VITAS again spreads worldwide. Racial riots
worldwide. Formation of independent
Quebec, the Caribbean League and other
nations.
2023, November Republic of Moscow throws surprise attack on
Hamburg. Great Britain enters the
EuroWars.
2024 Introduction of commercial simsense.
2025 University of California in Los Angeles
offers first undergraduate program in
occult sciences.
2027 First operation fusion reactor goes on line.
2029, February 8 Computer virus crashes worldwide computer
network.
2030 EuroWars begin. Formation of the United
Canadian and American States.
2031 Eastern block countries invade resource-rich
Europe.
2033 Awakened forces invade Brazil, creating
Amazonia. Aztlan secedes from NAN.
2033, January 23 38 Nightwraith fighter-bombers attack both
sides of the EuroWars, effectively
ending it.
2034 Ten UCAS states secede to form the
Confederate American States.
2034, May Matrix Systems releases first commercial
cyberterminal.
2035, July Texas rejoins CAS.
2035, March Texas secedes from CAS and attacks Aztlan.
2036 Alamos 20,000 claims first terrorist act,
firebombing of Ohio community.
2037 Formation of Tir Tairngire, sparking Tsishian
secession and Californian declaration of
independence.
2038 British government discovered to be involved
in gene-manipulation on citizens.
2039 Chemical spill in Teeside Industrial District
in England kills 70,000.
2039, February 7 Night of Rage.
2041 EuroAir flight 329 downed by terrorist dragon
Sirrurg.
2041 Policlubs emerge in Europe.
2044 Aztlan annexes most of Mexico.
2047 120,000 die in Tynesprawl, England from para-
VITAS.
2048 Aztlan and several megacorps sign Veracruz
Settlement
THE BLACK MARKET
>>>[Greetings one and all, here are some ideas that a few of us
in our Shadowrealm have come up with or come across. I do hope
that you find them of moderate usage.]<<<
-the Reflex/Harbringer<11:39:42/5-21-60>
>>>[VUB in this catalog is Vehicle's Unmodified Body. VMBA is
Vehicle's Modified Body and Armor.]<<<
-- The Anal Anagramist [08:27:18/8-30-52]
COMPRESS FUEL TANKS
Parts Cost: VUB X 150 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 3 + VUB
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Work Shop
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or Armor
B/R
These objects allow for a 15% increase in fuel storage for the
spacing of the tank. The new tank(s) are considered to have a
Body/Armor (B/A) of 2/2.
COMPRESS FUEL TANKS (Improved)
Parts Cost: VUB X 350 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 4 + VUB
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Work Shop
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or Armor
B/R
Effectively, these tank(s) are upgrades from the above mentioned
version. They allow for up to 25% more fuel to be stored. The
tank(s) are considered to have a B/A or 3/2.
COMPRESS FUEL TANKS (Expanded)
Parts Cost: VUB X 350 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 4 + VUB
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Work Shop
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or Armor
B/R
These are the guidelines that cover the fuel tank(s) if the
expanded fuel storage option is utilized. These allow for up to
15% increase in the amount of fuel that can be stored within an
expanded tank. They are considered to have a B/A of 3/2.
COMPRESS FUEL TANKS (Expanded-Improved)
Parts Cost: VUB X 400 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 5 + VUB
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Work Shop
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or Armor
B/R
Again, this is simply the upgrade for expanded tanks option of
fuel storage. They can hold 25% more fuel than the standard
expanded fuel tank(s). They are considered to have a B/A or 3/3.
FUEL COMPRESSION SYSTEM
Parts Cost: 2,500 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 5
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Successes(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Work Shop
Appropriate Skill Appropriate Vehicle B/R
This system handles both the refueling and fuel injection system
of the vehicle. It can handle the premise up to and including the
Compress Fuel Tanks (Expanded-Improved) System. At the time of
installation, the fuel tank volume and rate of flow are entered
into the Vehicle's Autopilot (which then registers the
information to the driver/pilot). The flow regulation is handled
within the compressor itself.
GM'S NOTE: The compression fuel system only works on liquid fuel
engines and does not work in conjunction with Jet Engine
Technologies.
LTA PANELING (Aircraft Only)
Parts Cost: VMBA X 1,500
Installation Target #: 6
Installation Time: 7 Days (168 Hours) / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Repair Facility
Appropriate Skill Appropriate Vehicle B/R
This system allows for introduction of a full body system of LTA
(Lighter Than Air) Paneling. It will increase the economy of a
vehicle by an amount equal to (15 - VMB) in percentage. For
example, a Panzer has a body of 16, thus the introduction of LTA
Paneling will not increase its economy. If used on an Avenger
Ultralight (B/A 3/3), the economy of the vehicle will be
increased by 9%.
The introduction of LTA Paneling also increases the Handling of
the vehicle it is introduced into by +1 (+2 for Ultralights).
GM'S NOTE: LTA Paneling will not work in conjunction with LTA
Aircraft, such as Zeppelins and
Dirigibles.
DUAL BLADED, PUSH/PULL PROPELLER SYSTEMS (Aircraft Only)
Parts Cost: VUB X 7,500 Nuyen
Installation Target #: 5
Installation Time: 7 Days (168 Hours) / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Repair Facility
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or
Mechanical Engineering
This propeller engine design modification creates a set of two
(2) parallel opposing "blades" which work in concert to create
more "push" for the vehicle. The introduction of this system
enhances the vehicles overall speed by +1%/+5%. They also
increase the economy of the vehicle by +5%. They do however lower
the signature of the vehicle by -2. If Dual Purpose Push/Pull
Engines are being modified (such as in the Lear Platinum), then
the cost is (VUB X 9,500) with a Installation Target # of 6.
ENHANCED CARBURETORS
Parts Cost: (VMB + Economy Increase) X 1,500
Nuyen
Installation Target #: 4
Installation Time: 72 Hours / Success(es)
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Repair Facility
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, or
Mechanical Engineering
These basically are the vaunted and mythical economy enhancing
systems we have heard rumors of for a number of years. The cost
of the system is equal to the vehicles modified body (which
includes armoring) + the targeted increase in the vehicle's
economy. For example, Reflex wants to increase the economy of his
Avenger Ultralight. The level of increase he wants to install is
20%. The cost for the increase system (parts only) is 180,000
Nuyen (WOW!!!). If the increase is desired for a MultiF requiring
engine, then the economy increase is 2/3 normal. So if he wanted
to upgrade the economy by 20% on a BMW Blitzen that utilized
MultiF, the cost would have been 100,000 Nuyen (20 X 2/3 {.6667}
X 1500).
GM's Note: Please note that the Enhanced Carburetors will not
work on Jet Propulsion Systems, Electric/Improved Electric
Engines, or LAV aircraft.
REDUCED COMPONENT RIG CONTROLS
Parts Cost: Variable
Installation Target #: As Standard plus CF Decrease
Installation Time: As Standard X CF Decrease
Facilitation Required: Vehicle Repair Facility
Appropriate Skill: Appropriate Vehicle B/R, Mechanical
Engineering, or Cybertechnology-
Hardware Integration
Originally suggested by many individuals, this system is similar
to that one proposed for reduced component Sensor/ECM/ECCM
packages. The comparison of CF reduction to cost is altered
somewhat however.
Level of Reduction Cost Modifier
-1 CF X2
-2 CF X3
-3 CF X5
-4 CF X10
-5 CF Not Possible
The availability of these components is obviously restricted, and
have resource/etiquette rolls of 6, 9, 11, and 22 respectively.
The base time to locate the parts is equal to the availability in
Days (24 hour sets).
>>>[But anyhows, I thought that a few of you would be interested
in hearing about these suggestions. Any takers?]<<<
-the Reflex/Harbringer<12:57:49/5-21-60>
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THE SPIRIT IS STRONG
and the flesh ain't exactly a load of dragon drek either...
Jerry Stratton (jerry@teetot.acusd.edu)
I'm sitting here in the awakened world and suddenly this
meanuglynasty muther of an elemental attacks me like drek on a
cat. So I punch it inna face, like momma taught me, for a massive
(Strength)M1, using my Willpower instead of my Unarmed Combat.
Too bad I don't have a sword handy. Then I could do (Strength)M3.
Or a pole-arm. (Strength)S3 for that.
Why? It ain't the size of the weapon that counts (well, actually,
I know a female MedTech that might argue with that; Hi,
Vermouth!) -- otherwise, we'd just blast away at those nasty
spirits with an assault rifle, or better, a panther cannon.
According to the rulebooks, I gotta be up close and personal to
do damage to a spirit. So why do I do better when I use a weapon?
Against a water elemental? A fershlugginer air elemental?
So okay already. Here we got a couple of rules that will make
spirits slightly (but only slightly) less useful. Wizards and
shamans will be a little less powerful and a little more powerful
at the same time. And none of these rules affect full astral
combat. It's gotta be sentient flesh doin' the talkin'.
Fighting Spirits: Sounds like a Jack Kirby comic book don't it?
Nope, this has to do with us flesh types fighting those drekkin'
spirits who manifest on the physical plane. If we want to, we can
study conjuring -- and only conjuring, no substituting sorcery
here, chummer -- and use this to up the staging and as our
fighting skill when fighting a spirit. Spirit Combat is a
concentration of Conjuring, but remember that this only works on
the physical plane. On the astral, you'll default right back to
your conjuring. Also, you can, if you really want, specialize in
only fighting certain kinds of spirits (nature, elementals,
watchers), but that's really pushing your luck. Though I know
some people who are just chicken enough to only bother
fighting watchers.
Here's how it works. Your Charisma is the Power of your attack
(yeah, and I bet that makes you rockerbabies real happy). Your
Willpower determines the Wound Level -- divide by 2 and round
down (unless you got a one, but I'd advise a different line of
work for ya. Maybe a career as a toaster might be more your
line). Your Essence determines the staging -- divide by 3 and
round down (again, unless you've got between 0 and 1; can't have
less than one unless your essence is 0 or less. Good luck; I'd
recommend just pulling out that pole-arm). Yeah, anyone with an
essence of 0 or less can't use spiritfighting. Like you care.
Your reaction is the lowest of your normal reaction or your
Intelligence. When you're using Spirit Combat you're not even
really moving. All ya gotta do is touch the thing. It's one of
them Zen arts, ya know what I'm talking about? You can still
defend against the spirit (using your Spiritfighting as your
defense pool, of course), but no dodging bullets or defending
against normal people. Oh, and yer wiring is worthless. Oh, and
if yer arm and hand are all non-flesh: ya gotta touch it with
somethin'. Give it a head-butt, or something. Hope yer insurance
is paid up.
Everything else remains the same. You'll still do your body
resistance with your body, for example. And armor still works as
well as it did before (which tends not to be very well against
spirits).
So what does this mean? Most mundanes don't know drek about
spirits. They think that using a big weapon is the best thing, so
it becomes the best thing for them. They still use the same old
rules. Me, I know better. I've got training in Conjuring, so I'm
more effective against spirits with my bare fists than I am with
a weapon (though I draw the line at toxic nuclear spirits). Using
a weapon just gets in the way of the flesh, and sentient flesh is
the best magic weapon in the world, babe. Well, other than a self-
adhesive micro-nuke. But where to pin it on an air elemental?
Okay, so the example. I've got a Body 5, Strength 6, Quickness 6,
Willpower 5, Intelligence 5, Charisma 6, and Essence 6 (I know, I
know. I just can't stand surgery. Call me a crybaby). I've got
Conjuring/Spirit Combat 4. Suddenly up pops this air elemental.
We'll call him Fred. I decide to give him a Zen front kick. I'll
be doing 6M3 -- Charisma (Will/3) Essence/3. My defense pool will
be 4. I'll be using 4 dice to attack. My reaction is 5 (my
intelligence). Let's assume I attack first, since it makes life
easier (mine, anyway), and we already know how Fred attacks,
since we haven't changed anything for him. I roll (11,7,5,2) for
3 successes. That brings the damage up to Serious. Now, Fred has
to resist 6S3, and he does so normally. Next, he attacks
(hopefully at a penalty), and I'll resist with my defense (4) and
then Body, as normal ('cause he's attacking me physically).
Note that spirits don't have to fight back. It'll often be in
their best interest to use one of their special powers instead.
(Of course, they won't get defense, then.)
Incidentally, it looks sort of like this makes mages and shamans
kick-ass when it comes to spirits. But c'mon! What sane mage is
gonna go toe to toe with a spirit on the physical plane when all
they gotta do is cast spells, exorcise, or go astral? I did know
a priest once, who was almost certainly a conjuring adept; he'd
go the distance all the time, but he was a pretty big guy, too.
FIGHTING SPELLS
Here's one of those neat little things that just makes mages
quake in their boots. Mundanes with spell pools. Spellfighting is
a concentration off of Sorcery. All it does is give you a magic
pool, and the only thing the pool can be used for is personal
spell defense. Totally useless for mages and shamans, but us
Cajun mundanes can use it to give us just a few more seconds to
run. Oh, and a mundane can't have a spell pool greater than the
lowest of Essence or Willpower.
You'll have to roll initiative with your Intelligence. You don't
get to do anything else while spellfighting (there have been
rumors it works while in spirit combat, but it's hard to tell --
few chummers who've had a spell cast on 'em while fighting an
elemental have lived to tell about it, spellfighting or not), but
the initiative roll will tell you if your spellfighting pool gets
refreshed before the next turn. Mundanes can't bond with foci,
and thus can't make use of them in their spell pool. You're on
yer own, chummer. And make sure no one's firing at you -- you
ain't got no dodge while you're spellfighting. And no defense,
either. Nuthin' but the Zen, man.
Oh, and like spirit fighting, there's a pretty much useless
specialization: specific spell types. I suppose specializing in
Sorcery/Spellfighting/Detection might be useful, but you better
hope that's a Detect Lie and not a Slay Idiot spell you're
Zenning out for.
LEARNING SPELLFIGHTING & SPIRIT COMBAT
Most mages and shamans already have Spirit Combat, since it's
part of their conjuring. Some mundanes will as well, if they've
been expecting a trip into the astral plane.
While mages and shamans have spellfighting as part of their
sorcery, it's not something they use -- their normal spell pool
is superior to a spellfighting spell pool. But any mundane who
knows sorcery also knows how to spellfight. It's not common
knowledge. In order to test it out, ya gotta stand still and
concentrate while some kind soul casts a spell on you. Standing
still for a power bolt isn't conducive to long life.
Of course, now that we know about the spellfighting and spirit
combat concentrations, we're gonna want to learn 'em, right? Only
1.5x Karma instead of 2x karma? Hmm?
Heh. Life is never that easy. When someone gets spellfighting and
spirit combat as a side effect of sorcery and conjuring, it's
because they've been studying and hitting the books. Tell 'em
about spellfighting or spirit combat and they'll say, "Hey, yeah!
I bet I could do that!" even though most of 'em ain't gonna try
it before hell freezes over. But if you wanna bypass all that
extra learnin', you gotta find a friendly mage to help you
practice. You can't practice spellfighting without a few spells
to fight. And, dare I say, you can't practice spirit combat
without fighting some friendly spirits. And not the kind you find
over at O'Malleys.
If you can convince your local mage to do this, then you can
learn these concentrations. (Boyo, you'd better trust the
chummer...) It's rumored that a few military and corps groups
have special forces trained for this as well, but it's expensive.
Turnover's high for mundanes in the sixth world.
>>>[Some gamemasters may decide that being able to use
Spiritfighting and Spellfighting requires a Priority of 1 (0 for
metahumans) in magic.]<<<
-- Jerry Stratton (07:47:23/05-29-92)
THE NEO-ANARCHISTS' ON-LINE GRIMOIRE
Spells attributed to Montigue courtesy of lee@cyolemiss.edu.
Spells attributed to Minotaur courtesy of mancinis@mentorpurdue.edu
DETECT METAPLANAR ENERGIES Detection
Minotaur
Det. Meta. Energy S1 Mana Sustained
This spell detects the energies that initiates have access to
(quickenings, shieldings, greater form spirits, etc). The target
number is 4, 6, or 10, depending on the location of the energies.
The number of successes increase the Area as normal.
Mechanics:
Analyze magical energies: M1
Drastic: S1
>>>[Before ya all start screaming about this, we devised it so
not all our spell tossers had to rush to initiate levels. It does
not tell yet what form the energy is in, just that it is
present.]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[Yeah, I love this spell, my sister dropped a Quickening on
me, now this chummer mage friend of mine thinks I am an initiate
mage hiding his aura under all this chrome...]<<<
-Gemini
>>>[Well, I *did* think that Ork face. Now, I know different.]<<<
-Archangel
ENHANCED HEARING Detection
Minotaur
Enhanced Hearing L1 Mana Sustained
The target numbers are the standard 4, 6, and 10, although some
gamemasters will probably not allow astral hearing (target number
10).
This spell bestows the individual with the equivalent of the
cyberear, enhanced hearing.
Mechanics:
Minor Physical Improvement: L1
>>>[Great for picking up those side conversations, pity they
didn't design it with a Select Sound Filter. Ah the wonders of
technology.]<<<
-Gemini
>>>[Yeah, and with slight modification, I have already designed
an Enhanced Touch, Enhanced Smell, and Enhanced Sight.]<<<
-Glider, Eagle Shaman
LUCK Detection
Minotaur
Luck S2 Mana Sustained
The target number is 4, and this spell is cast on individuals. It
creates a pool equal to the number of successes that the GM can
access if he feels the player needs it.
For example, a lucky individual gets shot, and takes a Deadly
wound. The GM can secretly access the pool to try and save the
character's life. This pool does not refresh and once the pool is
empty, the spell dies.
Mechanics:
Hypersense: S1
Drastic: D2
Caster Only: S2
-1DC instead of -2DC, because of the Strength of the spell.
>>>[Sounds like someone has tried to design a leprechaun spell!
Har-har lemme guess, ya need a four leaf clover to cast it?]<<<
-Wolfsbane
>>>[Um you have some kinda problem with Leprechauns dog-
breath?]<<<
-Whisper, Were-Leprechaun
NIGHTVISION Detection
Minotaur
Nightvision S1 Mana Sustained
The next step on Low-light vision, nightvision allows the target
to see in total darkness. The target number is 4.
Mechanics:
Hypersense: S1
>>>[Gee whoever would need such a silly spell?]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[Those of us who didn't go through one of those adolescent
'growth spurts' that left us 12 feet tall with horns!]<<<
-D.Duke
>>>[Geee Davie, ya almost sound jealous. I have the perfect
solution, Transform to Troll (Permanent)... I'll give ya
Nightvision...]<<<
-Gargoyle
OMNISCIENCE Detection
Minotaur
Omniscience D2 Mana Instant
This spell bestows a limited omniscience upon the target. The
target number is 4, and only voluntary subjects may be affected.
When cast, the target enters a trance. When that person is asked
a yes/no question, the omniscient character has a number of dice
equal to the number of successes to see if he/she can find an
answer. If the target is reached, the character will answer the
question and exit the trance, spell over. If the target is not
reached, the character will exit the trance, question unanswered.
The target is unable to do anything (except answer the question)
while in the trance.
Mechanics:
Hypersense: S1
Drastic: D2
>>>[My God! Does this Spell really work?]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[YES- I just used it to find out your answer...]<<<
-Titan
SPHERICAL VISION Detection
Minotaur
Spherical Vision S2 Mana Sustained
This spell bestows the ability to see in all directions around
the individual. This spell does not give any new ways to see, but
if the individual already has "other" ways of seeing, this spell
automatically allows them to be used. Line of sight, as far as
sustaining spells takes on all new meaning. Casting line of sight
still has to be "in front" of the magician. The target number for
the spell is 4.
GM NOTE: With this version, cyber-modified forms of vision do not
get augmented by this spell.
Mechanics:
Major sensory enhancement: M1
Drastic Effect: S2
>>>[The perfect spell for the paranoid mage in your group...]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[Just because some people fantasize about conspiracies, does
NOT mean that all conspiracies are fantasies...]<<<
-Big Brother
STRIKE BLIND Combat
Minotaur
Strike Blind L2 Physical Instant
This spell effects only the eyes of the target. In game terms, it
delivers a wound base to the overall person two stages lower than
the damage delivered to the eyes. Any wound less than deadly
results in modifiers according to the damage. A serious wound to
the eyes is treated as a light wound overall, and a serious for
perception based tests.
The Wound staging is 1.
Mechanics:
Staging 1: S1
Very limited subject: L1
Physical spell: L2
>>>[Brings new meaning to Line of Sight rules...]<<<
-Whisper
>>>[Yeah but it is totally useless if your target is wearing
glasses or goggles like 90% of the runners, guards, and cops I
know. They have these neat smartgoggles or lowlight or...]<<<
-Brimstone
BLINDNESS Illusion
Minotaur
Blindness M2 Mana Sustained
This spell inhibits the target from using his/her eyes. The
target number is 4 (shouldn't it be Willpower? -- Jerry). It
effectively blinds until the target can figure out a way to get
around it. It's all in the mind, after all.
Mechanics:
Single Realistic Illusion: M1
Physical Spell: M2
>>>[Never, I repeat NEVER, throw this spell on your samurai
friend when he is watching the championship game of Cycle
Combat.]<<<
-Warlock
>>>[Sorry about that Warlock, btw, how is the new cyberlimb
working out?]<<<
-Anthrax
AIR BRIDGE Telekinetic Manipulation
Minotaur
Air Bridge M2 Physical Sustained
This spell creates a bridge that can span a distance equal to the
caster's Magic attribute in meters. The strength of the bridge,
or how much it can carry, is equal to the number of successes.
The width of the bridge is wide enough that a troll can easily
stand on it comfortably in single file. The target number is 4.
>>>[When have you ever seen Trolls walking single file?]<<<
-- Micromara [10:30:11:08/08-02-52]
Mechanics:
Levitate Item: L2
Area of Effect: M2
>>>[Ya'd be amazed the Toll ya can charge when a runner team is
tryin to get off the Roof of the Renraku Mall while engaged in a
firefight with the Red Sam's!]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[A Troll Toll Bridge? Gods, sometimes I truly worry about you
Raven Shamans]<<<
-Brimstone
ENLARGE Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Enlarge M3 Physical Sustained
This spell enlarges any object/person. The physical attributes of
the object/person are increased by the number of successes. Every
two successes increases the size of the object/ person by 100%.
(ie: 2 successes doubles the size, 4 successes triples the size,
6 successes quadruples the size, etc.)
The target is 4 (or the Material Rating of objects). Living
targets must be voluntary.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic: S3
Voluntary: M3
>>>[This spell is great for reaching those really high shelves in
your Kitchen!]<<<
-Whisper
>>>[Umm, Whisper, you're a dwarf. My counter top is a really high
shelf to you...]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[Not anymore!!! .....]<<<
-Whisper
FLIGHT Telekinetic Manipulation
Montigue
Flight L3 Physical Sustained
After a couple of runs, my mage determined that he needed another
way to get about. He also figured being a mage should allow him
to ignore a simple 10 foot tall fence and concentrate on the
drekheads on the other side. He likes to fight melee, when he
gets mad. The target number is 5 + background count. (Yes, that
does mean the mage is effectively penalized twice for
background.)
Flight allows the target to have a quickness of twice force plus
the number of successes. For example, 'Doc' casts flight at force
4 with a background count of 2. The target number is 7. He uses
all of his 9 dice from his magic pool giving him a total of 13
dice to cast the spell. He rolls 18, 16, 15, 13, 10, 9, 6, 5, 3,
3, 2, 1, 1. This gives him 9 successes. His quickness when flying
is twice 4, plus 9, or 17. This 17 is NOT figured in for
reaction, just quickness.
GREASE VOLT Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Grease Volt S3 Physical Instant
This spell creates a cone of pure grease that shoots in the
direction indicated by the caster. It coats everything it hits in
this grease. Anyone caught in, or entering the area of effect has
to make a Quickness success test (target number equal to the
number of successes) whenever they want to do anything that
requires mobility. Failure indicates that he/she fell.
The target is 4, and the cone has a diameter at the target point
of the caster's Magic.
Mechanics:
Major environmental change: S2
Physical: S3
>>>[Great for the quick lube job...]<<<
-Stretch
>>>[Yeah, if yer trying to lube a fraggin battleship!]<<<
-Gargoyle
PUKE BALL Control Manipulation
Minotaur
Puke Ball M2 Physical Instant
This spell inflicts the target with a form of nausea, causing the
target to either "hold it down" (resisting the spell) or start
throwing up, thus incapacitating the target until the spell is
dropped. The target number is the larger of the victim's Body or
Willpower. It only works on humans or metahumans.
Mechanics:
Minor Physical Change: M1
Drastic: S2
Physical Spell: S3
Neg. Drastic: M2
>>>[This spell works wonders in a Restaurant. I tossed it at this
rude Elven wench. Turns out it was area of effect. Her whole
table started tossin their cookies once she began!]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[You are truly sick Gargoyle...]<<<
-Whisper
RESTORE QUICKNESS
Transform Manipulation
Jerry Stratton
Restore Quickness M3 Physical Sustained
Restore Quickness restores a dead body's quickness to the number
of successes (the target is 3, natural objects). This can't be
more than the body's original quickness (quickness just before
dying) minus 1, minus 1 for every 2 points of Body lost due to
decomposition (like Strength: see the Spirit Guide in this
issue).
There's also a Threshold equal to half the original (natural)
Body of the target, rounded up.
SHAPECHANGE, AMORPHOUS LIQUID
Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Shapechange, Liquid S4 Mana Sustained
A voluntary subject is required, and the target number is 4.
Transforms the subject into an amount of liquid equivalently the
same size. The number of successes takes the place of the
liquid's "body". Clothing and equipment do not transform.
Consciousness is retained, and mages can cast spells while under
this spell, but cannot fulfill geasa or use centering skills that
the form cannot accommodate, ie: gestures, speech, etc. The
liquid form is held together, and is only in danger of
discorporation when some outside cause interferes with it.
GM NOTE: The type of liquid that the target becomes is stated at
time of casting. Please, remember that if the target becomes a
type of liquid that will react explosively with an existing
catalyst, the target's liquid body will suffer the damage
likewise.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic effect: S3
Drastic effect: D4
Voluntary: S4
>>>[I used this spell to sneak in on a target. Hid in his jacuzzi
til the stupid Sarariman came out for a dip. Pity he got to turn
the damn filter system right before I geeked him. That aerator
didn't tickle.]<<<
-Nemesis
SHAPECHANGE, ENERGY FORM
Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Shapechange, Energy S4 Mana Sustained
A voluntary subject is required, and the target number is 4.
Transforms the subject into an amount of energy equivalently the
same size. The number of successes takes the place of the
energy's "body". Clothing and equipment do not transform.
Consciousness is retained, and mages can cast spells while under
this spell, but cannot fulfill geasa or use centering skills that
the form cannot accommodate, ie: gestures, speech, etc. The
energy form is held together, and is only in danger of
discorporation when some outside cause interferes with it.
GM NOTE: The type of energy that the target becomes is stated at
time of casting. Please, remember that if the target becomes a
type of energy that will react explosively with an existing
catalyst, the target's energy body will suffer the damage
likewise.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic effect: S3
Drastic effect: D4
Voluntary: S4
>>>[My girlfriend was a bright beam of sunshine, who found her
way into my heart, and my bedroom...]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[POETRY on the Shadownet? GAG What next ?!?!?!]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[No ya brain-dead troll, she really was a beam of
Sunlight!]<<<
-Brimstone
SHAPECHANGE, HUMAN/METAHUMAN
Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Shapechange, Human M3 Mana Sustained
A voluntary subject is required, and the target number is 4.
Transforms the subject into any of the normal human/Metahuman
races. The number of successes can then be split amongst the
individual's attributes to help create the form. For example, a
human mage casts this spell and gets 6 successes. He changes into
a beautiful Elven female. He adds 2 points to his charisma, 2
points to his quickness (to dodge unwanted advances), and the
other 2 points to body. Clothing and equipment do not transform.
GM Note: Mental Attributes raised through this spell can NOT be
used in anything other than racial modifiers. (ie: in the above
example, the mage would not be able to conjure stronger
spirits/elementals while in this form. His new charisma IS only
skin deep.) The character may look better, sound more educated,
or be able to stand his/her own ground better, but he/she does
not get any extra dice.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic effect: S3
Voluntary: M3
>>>[This spell is great for getting you into those Humanis
Meetings. Good Ole human form, those I'll never understand had
they could get used to such small appendages, take for instance,
how could the female of their species be interested in such a
small...]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[ENOUGH! Stop Right There!]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[Gargoyle and Brimstone, a little t?t-?-t?t at a single
keyboard, there? Can't afford two, or is this a personal
thing?]<<<
-- Ryan [10:51:27/08-02-52]
SHAPECHANGE, INANIMATE OBJECT
Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Shapechange, Object M3 Mana Sustained
A voluntary subject is required, and the target number is 4.
Transforms the subject into any about equivalently sized object.
The number of successes are added to the object's body/barrier.
Clothing and equipment do not transform. Consciousness is
retained, and mages can cast spells while under this spell, but
cannot fulfill geasa or use centering skills that the form cannot
accommodate, ie: movement, speech, etc.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic effect: S3
Voluntary: M3
>>>[I love this spell. Having company over? Well myself and a
bunch of fellow hermetic were meeting at my place. They
absolutely loved the new furniture!]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[You're pushin it Stony! I still haven't gotten rid of those
cigarette burns, nor the coffee stains on my forehead! I ain't
volunteering to help ya with another one of yer little 'get-
togethers' again!]<<<
-Gemini, the Samurai Sofa
SHRINK Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Shrink M3 Physical Sustained
This spell shrinks an object/person 10% of the target's size and
weight for every success up to 90%, then 1% for every success
after that. (minimum size and weight: 1% of normal.)
GM Note: Although the strength and body do not change when
shrunken, if the individual tries to lift anything in this state,
his/her target numbers are raised by the number of successes.
Imagine someone the size of an ant trying to lift a chair. Where
would his/her center of balance be? It's still possible, just
very difficult.
The target number is 4 for creatures (who must be voluntary) or
the Material Rating of objects.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic: S3
Voluntary: M3
>>>[Wanna have fun, burn yourself an elemental and get real
small! I set up this hand-build sailing schooner in my bathtub;
my girlfriend and I went sailing for the weekend on the open
seas, with zero threat from Sea Serpents!!!]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[Yeah? Well when your dog found his way into the bathroom the
party was over drek-head!]<<<
-Aphrodite
STEAL (SKILL) Control Manipulation
Minotaur
Steal (Skill) L3 Mana Sustained
This spell allows the individual to borrow one skill from a
willing target. The target number is the rating of the skill.
It's harder to steal a skill that the owner has well in hand, and
easier to steal skills the owner doesn't know very well. The
rating of the borrowed skill is the number of successes up to the
original rating of the skill. While the skill is being borrowed,
the original owner of the skill cannot access the skill, he/she
simply cannot remember how to use that skill. However, if at any
time, the original owner of the skill becomes unwilling to
continue with the spell, the spell dies and the effects end. The
skill to be borrowed has to be stated at the time of spell
creation. Typical examples are Armed and Unarmed Combat,
Demolitions, Driving, and so on. For example, a mage casts Steal
Armed Combat on a willing friend. The original skill was at 5, he
gets four successes. He has the skill at 4. He then proceeds to
fight some threat to the group. During the fight, he decides that
he likes this skill and to spell lock the spell. The original
owner then becomes unwilling, and the spell dies.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Drastic: S3
Voluntary: M3
Neg. Drastic: L3
>>>[Shouldn't this be 'Borrow (skill)' ???]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[No, I liked the title "Steal Skill' better...]<<<
-Enigma
>>>[So much for Positive public imagery of spellcasting....]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[Who's lookin for a Positive Image?]<<<
-Enigma
>>>[So there's a continuous link between the target of the spell
and the owner of the skill? Can this be traced?]<<<
-- Gremlin (10:32:11/08-02-92)
TELEPORTATION
Telekinetic Manipulation
Montigue
Teleportation D3 Physical Instant
The mage must be familiar with the destination. Astral sighting
works. Mages can teleport a number of people up to their Magic
Attribute. Standard line-of-sight rules apply. The range is MA
kilometers. The mage must be astrally sensing.
The base target number is 4, plus 1 for every target other than
the mage. If any target is involuntary, that target is allowed to
resist with its dodge pool.
Targets successfully teleported are disoriented for 5 turns,
minus the number of successes. If the caster falls unconscious,
this time is 10 turns minus the number of successes.
>>>[I think I might give targets with a body of greater than 11
one automatic success for each 6 points of body greater than 6
(12, 18, 24, etc.). And these automatic successes don't disappear
if the target is voluntary. This makes it a little harder to
teleport dinosaurs.]<<<
-- Jerry (8-24-92/10:55:10)
THOUGHT BUBBLE
Control Manipulation
Minotaur
Thought Bubble L2 Physical Sustained
This spell is close to a mind probe spell, but its effects are
different. First, only surface thoughts, then in the victim's
native language. The effects are that a thought bubble appears
over the head of the target, as in the comic strips, allowing
anyone the mage allowed to see, to read whatever the victim is
thinking. The target is the victim's Willpower.
Mechanics:
Minor Mental: L1
Physical Spell: L2
>>>[Great, somebody out thar want to turn reality into a Neil the
Ork Barbarian comic book!]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[I happen to love Neil the Ork Barbarian; I have all his
comics]<<<
-Enigma
>>>[Ya wouldn't happen to have a extra copy of Neil #45: Neil vs
the Amazonian Vampire Smurfs?]<<<
-Brimstone
>>>[So if this spell is physical, does that mean you can hit your
head on the balloons?]<<<
-- Smilin' Ryan (10:59:11/08-02-92)
TURN GUN TO VEGETABLE
Transform Manipulation
Minotaur
Turn Gun to Vegetable L4 Physical Sustained
The target number of this highly invaluable spell is the
firearm's Object Resistance, and there is a threshold of its
Material rating. The spell transforms any firearm into a
vegetable of equivalent size. A hold-out pistol might become a
plum, a heavy pistol a mango or cantaloupe, an SMG a bunch of
celery, and a panther cannon a watermelon.
Mechanics:
Major Physical Change: M2
Physical spell: M3
Drastic effect: S4
Very limited target: L4
>>>[Great for the pacifist vegetarian in your group! Har-har]<<<
-Gargoyle
>>>[Hell wit dat, I dropped a bunch of palm pistols on da salad
bar at Wanda's Witchery, then sustained the spell. It was amazin
how many folks went runnin to da john when I dropped dis 'ere
spell...]<<<
-Nikodaemus, Rat Shaman
>>>[So your the fragger who's ruin my business eh?]<<<
-Wanda, witch
WALLWALKING
Telekinetic Manipulation
Minotaur
Wallwalking L3 Physical Sustained
This spell can only be cast on voluntary targets. The target
number is 4. Wallwalking allows an individual to ignore the
effects of gravity. The target can walk up the wall, along the
wall, or switch to the ceiling. Gravity for the subject will be
towards the subject's ground.
Mechanics:
Major Environmental Change: S2
Voluntary: M2
Limited Target (People): L2
Physical: L3
>>>[Yeah yeah I know Whisper, it's great for reaching something
somewhere right?]<<<
-Brimstone, Hermetic Mage
>>>[Actually, I just use it to avoid crowded elevators and
staircases, but since ya brought it up, it would make changing my
ceiling lights a whole lot simpler...]<<<
-Whisper, Raccoon Were-leprechaun
>>>[That's it, I give up...]<<<
-Brimstone
WATERWALKING
Telekinetic Manipulation
Minotaur
Waterwalking L2 Mana Sustained
Waterwalking allows an individual to walk across a body of water
as if the liquid surface were solid enough to support weight. The
target number is 4, and the spell can only be cast on voluntary
subjects.
Mechanics:
Major Environmental Change: S2
Voluntary: M2
Limited Target (People): L2
>>>[It was amazing! I just finished designing this spell on the
metaplanes and was shunted to an alternate world. Kinda primitive
they didn't even have a Heal Deadly Wounds or some of the simpler
transformation spells. Hell, just when I started to teach them a
bunch of 'em stapled me to a chunk of wood and shunted me back
from the metaplanes. That's okay, I think I am going to try to
hit that same Place of Destiny again.]<<<
-The Nazarene
>>>[Amazing. I've *heard* of the metaplane of cheap messiahs, but
I've never known anyone to go there. Stapled? Jeez. Good thing
they didn't use superglue.]<<<
-- Lancalot (8-24-52/10:35:12)
WORD BUBBLE
Control Manipulation
Minotaur
Word Bubble D2 Physical Sustained
This spell creates a cartoon-like word bubble to appear over the
target's head every time he/she creates any type of noise, be it
speech, bodily sounds, or fingersnapping. If the sounds are
speech, it will be in whatever language was spoken. The mage
predetermines who exactly will be able to see the bubble. The
target number is the victim's intelligence.
Mechanics:
Minor environmental change: S1
Area of Effect: D1
Physical: D2
Drastic:
(D+1)3
Neg Drastic: D2
>>>[More of those damn comic spells. Don't we have any serious
designers out there anymore?]<<<
-Warlock
>>>[With people turning my Ares Predator to a cucumber, you all
of a sudden want people to be serious?]<<<
-Gargoyle
MASTER SPELL LIST ADDENDA
The initial Master Spell List can be found in the first Annual
Neo-Anarchists Guide to Everything Else. You can cut and paste
whatever spells you want from here into there.
Starting this issue, NAGEE spells are denoted with *#. The number
is the NAGEE issue the spell appears in. Spells from published
adventures (of which there are none this issue) will be a single
asterisk.
DETECTION SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET STAGING/THRESHOLD RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Detect Meta Energies *3 S1 4/6/10 Visual MAx#S Sustain Mana
Enhanced Hearing *3 L1 4/6/10 Visual Single Sustain Mana
Luck *3 S2 4 Visual Single Sustain Mana
Nightvision *3 S1 4 Visual Single Sustain Mana
Omniscience *3 D2 4 (Voluntary) Visual Single Instant Mana
Spherical Vision *3 S2 4 Visual Single Sustain Mana
COMBAT SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET STAGING RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Strike Blind *3 L2 Body 1 Visual Single Instant Physical
ILLUSION SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET THRESHOLD RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Blindness *3 M2 Willpower Visual Single Sustain Mana
CONTROL MANIPULATION SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET THRESHOLD RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Puke Ball *3 M2 Body/Willpower Visual Single Instant Physical
Steal (Skill) *3 L3 Skill Rating Visual Single Sustain Mana
Thought Bubble *3 L2 Willpower Visual Single Sustain Physical
Word Bubble *3 D2 Intelligence Visual Single Sustain Physical
TELEKINETIC MANIPULATION SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET STAGING RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Air Bridge *3 M2 4 Visual MA Sustain Physical
Movement *3 S3 Object Resistance Visual Single Sustain Physical
Teleportation *3 D3 4+other targets Visual MA targets Instant Physical
Wallwalking *3 L3 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Physical
Waterwalking *3 L2 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Mana
TRANSFORM MANIPULATION SPELLS
NAME DRAIN TARGET THRESHOLD RANGE AREA DURATION TYPE
Enlarge *3 M3 4/Voluntary or Material Visual Single Sustain Physical
Grease Volt *3 S3 4 Visual MA Instant Physical
Restore Quickness *3 M3 3 Body/2 Visual Single Sustain Physical
ShCh, Amorph Liquid *3 S4 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Mana
ShCh, Energy Form *3 S4 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Mana
ShCh, Human/Meta *3 M3 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Mana
ShCh, Inan. Object *3 M3 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Mana
Shrink *3 M3 4/Voluntary Visual Single Sustain Physical
Turn Gun to Vegetable *3 L4 Object Resistance Material Visual Single Sustain Physical
THE SPIRIT GUIDE
Jerry Stratton (jerry@teetot.acusd.edu)
>>>[The following spirits are best introduced as part of an
adventure: the enemy will have them, and if the runners play
their cards right, they'll discover the means of summoning
them.]<<<
-- Jerry [01:55:06/08-31-92]
SPIRIT TYPES
There are three classes of spirits: Individual spirits, Major
spirits, and Minor spirits. A conjurer can have a number of Major
spirits bound equal to the conjurer's Charisma. The conjurer can
also have a number of Minor spirits bound equal to the conjurer's
Charisma. Minor spirits do not count against the charisma limit
for Major spirits, and vice versa. Individual spirits can be
bound in any number, but individual spirits are usually
independent and tough to control.
THE SPIRIT TYPES
Major Spirits: Nature Spirits, Elementals, Advisors, Parasites,
Ghosts
Minor Spirits: Watchers
SUMMONING CREATURES
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law
One of the things shamans and mages seemed to do in legend is
summon animals and possess humans. Summoned animals always seemed
hardier and more intelligent than the average animal, able to
perform small services on request of the summoner.
It turns out that something like this is possible. The
shaman/mage conjures a special spirit (we're calling it a
Parasite, but other suggestions are welcome) which takes over the
host.
CONJURING THE PARASITE
The conjurer can bind a number of Parasite groups equal to
Charisma. Parasites are major spirits, and these do count against
the number of Elementals/Nature Spirits the conjurer can have
bound.
The conjurer chooses the force of the Parasite and the target.
The target can be general or specific. A general target is simply
a species, and a member of the target species must be within
Magic kilometers. A specific target is a specific creature, which
must be visible (physically or astrally sighted) and within Magic
times 10 meters.
The conjurer makes a Conjuring test vs. the Parasite's force. The
first success brings one Parasite for one day. Extra successes
can increase the number of days the Parasite is bound or increase
the number of Parasites. Multiple Parasites conjured in one
conjuring test only count as one spirit vs. the Charisma limit.
If the conjurer spends force Karma Points now, the Parasites are
bound for weeks instead of days.
The ritual requires a conjuring library with a rating at least
equal to the force of the Parasite. It takes 1 action per force
rating of the Parasite summoned (and initiative is rolled with
intelligence, as astral initiative). Summoning materials cost
1,000 Nuyen per force.
INITIAL DRAIN
Initial drain is vs. (Force)S(number summoned). If force is less
than or equal to half Charisma, the drain is only (Force)M(number
summoned). If force is greater than Charisma, the drain is
(Force)S(number summoned)/Physical. If force is greater than
twice Charisma, drain is (Force)D(number summoned)/ Physical.
If the conjurer falls unconscious, the Parasite is uncontrolled,
and can inhabit whatever body it desires (the conjurer is a good
bet, though, since no fight is required to inhabit an unconscious
body).
TAKING POSSESSION
Once conjured, the Parasite must take over the target. The target
(either a general species or a specific creature) must be
specified during conjuring. The Parasite's astral reaction is
twice its force, and its Intelligence, Willpower, and Charisma
are equal to its force. It gets the automatic 5 for initiative,
as is usual for spirits. If the target is unconscious, no fight
is necessary (although it might want to be careful not to wake
the target up -- then it will have to fight to keep possession).
If the target is conscious, the Parasite's force is pitted
against the target's Charisma, with Conjuring (Spiritfighting)
added in as a pool (refreshed each action, as usual). The number
of successes of the winner (beyond the number of successes of the
loser) reduce the spirit's Force (or the target's Charisma). When
charisma is reduced to zero, the spirit has taken control. If the
spirit's force is reduced to zero, the spirit is killed. Force or
Charisma return at 1 point, at the following rate: divide 60
minutes by the number of successes on a willpower test vs. the
number of points lost. If no successes are rolled, the time is 2
hours.
Note that the spirit's willpower, intelligence, charisma, and
reaction change when its force is temporarily reduced.
>>>[I've heard of variations on this ritual that will call
Parasites into inanimate objects, such as cars, tractors,
telephones, or toasters. The two rumors I've heard are that toxic
shamans are the only ones that can do it, and they do it just
like normal shamans call Parasites into an animal; and that any
mage can do it, but it requires a very arcane ritual involving
human sacrifice.]<<<
-- Dweomer [07:19:04/09-01-52]
>>>[In either case, the Parasite fights the item's Body, instead
of Charisma, although the item's Body doesn't really go down (it
just does for purposes of determining how hard it is for the
Parasite to take control). Once the Parasite wins, it has full
control over the item, and can use it in whatever manner it was
meant to be used. When the Parasite leaves the item, the item
must make an Armor+Body test vs. the Force of the Parasite that
left. Each success brings the damage the item takes down from
Deadly.
For the arcane mage ritual, the sacrifice must be a creature with
Willpower at least equal to the Force of the Parasite being
summoned.]<<<
-- Jerry [07:20:41/09-01-92]
TARGET NUMBER MODIFIERS AND DICE
The body's current controller gets a bonus of 1 to the target
numbers. If the spirit is currently being summoned for a general
summoning, the spirit has a bonus of 1 to its target numbers. If
the spirit is being summoned for a specific target sighted
astrally, the spirit has a penalty of 1 to its target numbers. If
the conjurer is a shaman, summoning its totem animal, the spirit
has a bonus of 2 dice for taking over that type of animal. If the
target has no charisma (most unintelligent animals), the target
gets a 'fake' charisma of 1, with a penalty of 1 to the target
numbers. If the body's owner is intelligent, the owner gains a
bonus of 1 to all target numbers.
Shamans gain a bonus of two dice to summon their totem animal.
GIVING UP
The conjurer can give up before the Parasite has taken control.
If this happens, the conjurer must immediately make the second
drain test as described below, and the Parasite is free. The same
occurs (drain test is required, spirit goes free) if the conjurer
is rendered unconscious.
FINAL DRAIN TEST
Once the Parasite has taken control, a second drain test must be
made, vs. (Force)D(Turns), where Turns is the number of turns it
took the spirit to take over the target. This is always stun. If
the conjurer falls unconscious now, the Parasite is still bound,
but uncontrolled, until the conjurer awakens. The Parasite is
controlled as long as the conjurer is conscious and can see the
creature (or the Parasite is within Magic times Conjuring
meters). If the Parasite is outside of that range, the Conjurer
can still call it back. It'll come back as fast as it can, given
its body.
IN CONTROL
Once the Parasite has taken control, the conjurer can
empathically communicate with it, and must do so to tell the
creature its desires. The conjurer cannot order the Parasite to
leave the host body. If the host body dies, roll d6: if this is
greater than the Parasite's force, the Parasite dies as well. Re-
roll sixes as normal. If the Parasite lives, it is uncontrolled.
When the time is up, a controlled Parasite leaves, unless a 2d6
roll comes up less than the Parasite's force. A free Parasite is
able to leave hosts at will.
Intelligent hosts will often continue to try and push the spirit
out every time they regain consciousness (they awaken or their
charisma/willpower goes to normal). The host gains the target
number bonus for being the body's owner, but not for being the
person in control.
A Parasite that is already in control of the body can, if
desired, give up control without leaving the body; a mundane is
unlikely to know it is still there, although it can be banished
as normal. A Parasite that is free can also decide to leave the
host body on any action. If the Parasite is bound, it cannot
leave unless freed by the conjurer.
Parasites can add up to Force to any of the host's physical
attributes (Body, Strength, or Quickness). A Parasite of Force 6
could add 6 points to any one, 2 points to all, 3 points to
Quickness and Strength, 2 points to Body, 1 point to Strength,
and 3 points to Quickness, or any combination that adds to 6. The
Parasite can change the combination on any of its actions, and
still be able to act. If a Parasite is controlled by someone
else, it cannot do this on its own -- it can only be told to do
it by the controller, on the controller's action.
FIGHTING AND BANISHING
Someone with conjuring who is being taken over can divide
conjuring dice up between banishing and fighting the takeover
attempt, if desired.
FOCI
Spirit Foci can be made for Parasites. These foci must be limited
to a type of animal (rabbits, humans, elves, etc.).
EXAMPLES
Abby the Action Mage attempts to summon a rabbit. Rabbits do not
have a charisma, so she figures a Force 2 Parasite should be all
she needs. She pulls out her 2,000 Nuyen of rabbit feed (rabbit
caviar) and starts summoning. It's a force 2, so it takes her 2
actions (which ends up being two turns, Abby doesn't roll above
10 on her intelligence initiative roll) to conjure the Parasite.
Abby has a conjuring of 5 and a charisma of 5. She puts 3 dice of
her conjuring to the conjuring test, and saves the other 2 for
drain.
The rolls 3 dice vs. the force of 2, getting 1 success (5,1,1).
Then, she makes her initial drain test, vs. 2M1. Her charisma is
5; she saves her 2 dice until the second drain test, so only
rolls 5 dice, getting 5 successes (11,4,4,2,2), taking no drain.
Now, the Parasite is conjured. It finds a nearby rabbit. If
there were no rabbit nearby, the Parasite would have simply left
at this point. The referee rules that there is a rabbit within 6
(Abby's Magic) times 5 (her Conjuring), or 30, kilometers. In
fact, he rules that there's one about 500 meters away (the
Parasite always takes the nearest possible target).
Rabbits have a fake charisma of 1, so the Parasite rolls 2 dice
against 2 (the lowest possible target number in Shadowrun). The
rabbit, meanwhile, rolls 1 die against 2 (Parasite's force minus
1, but 2 is the lowest possible target). The Parasite has a bonus
of 1 (because this is a general summoning), but this doesn't
matter since the lowest possible target number is 2.
The Parasite gets 2 successes (2,2). The rabbit gets no successes
(1). The rabbit's fake charisma is reduced to 0, and the Parasite
has taken control. It took 1 turn to take control, so Abby's
final drain is 2D1. She rolls her charisma plus the two dice she
saved and takes no drain (7,5,4,4,4,3,1).
She has the rabbit for 1 day. The rabbit has an intelligence,
wisdom, and charisma of 2 (the Parasite's force), and the
Parasite can add 2 to any of the rabbit's physical attributes.
JOHN WALKING DICE
John Walking Dice is a Bear Shaman. He's on a run against Exxon
(yay!) in the Arctic, and decides to summon a bear or two. He
conjures a Force 1 Parasite, using 1,000 Nuyen of materials and 1
action. John has a Conjuring of 4 and a Charisma of 6. Bears are
his totem, so he has 6 dice for conjuring. He uses 4 of his
Conjuring dice for conjuring, saving two dice for drain.
He rolls 3 successes (4,3,3,1) and decides to summon three bears,
for one day. He makes his initial drain test vs. 2M3, taking
Light drain (7,4,3,3,2,2). He saved two dice for the final drain
test.
The referee rules that there are 3 bears within 24 kilometers
(John's Magic of 6, times Conjuring 4). Like most animals, the
bears have no charisma, so a fake charisma of 1 (at -1 target
numbers) is used. There is virtually no chance that the
Parasites will lose. Their target number is 2, and they roll
three dice (Force of 1, plus 2 dice because bears are John's
totem). As long as they each get at least 2 successes, the bears
don't stand a chance. Their rolls are (11,4,3), (9,4,4), and
(2,1,1). So, the last Parasite's bear might hold out -- the
Parasite only got one success. The bear rolls 1 die vs. 2,
getting a success (3). Next turn, the Parasite rolls (4,3,3), an
automatic success.
Now, John makes his final drain test, vs. 2D2. The staging is 2
because it took the last Parasite 2 turns to take over its bear.
John has a penalty of 1 for light stun damage, so his target is
3. He rolls 3 successes (10,7,4,2,2,2,1,1), enough to bring the
damage down to Serious, so he takes Serious stun damage. But he's
got three bears in his control, for one day. Not a bad trade.
He'll be rested up fairly soon.
MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE WALL
Crystal Balls and Magic Pools
An Advisor is an information spirit. Shamans must have a body of
clear water in order to cast this spell (an ocean, lake, or non-
toxic puddle will work fine). It doesn't matter what the shaman's
totem is, water is still important (if the shaman is a toxic
shaman of a type that water isn't important to it, that shaman
cannot summon an advisor at all, even with water). Hermetic mages
must use glass or crystal (not plastic) to summon an advisor. A
crystal ball, a true glass windowpane (or old-style television
screen), or a glass mirror will all work.
SUMMONING AN ADVISOR
The conjurer's target number is the force of the advisor. The
number of successes is the number of services that advisor can
give. The only service an advisor gives is answering a question.
It takes a conjuring library of rating at least equal to the
force of the advisor, and summoning materials worth force times
2,500 Nuyen. The summoning process takes force times 5 minutes.
DRAIN
Normal drain is (Force)L2. If the force is greater than the
conjurer's charisma, drain is (Force)M2, and if the force is
greater than twice the conjurer's charisma, drain is (Force)S2.
If the advisor is uncontrolled, it will generally leave (it may
stay for a while and cause trouble for the conjurer, but it can
still only manifest as a face in the specified reflector (water
or crystal). Roll 2d6. If this is greater than the advisor's
Force, it leaves immediately. Otherwise, it stays and causes
trouble for as long as the referee wants it to (unless it is
banished).
ASKING IT QUESTIONS
The advisor will attempt to answer all questions that are
verbalized within earshot of the reflector. The advisor
understands the native tongue of its conjurer (and any tongue
that the conjurer knows as well as that tongue). Most wizards
thus require that everybody else leave the room when they speak
with an advisor. Some hired mages will simply inform the customer
that they must not ask any questions, and when they invariably
do, it simply means less work for the mage (for the same amount
of money).
The referee will need to determine the target number for the
information desired, based on how common the knowledge is. Some
knowledge may be simply impossible -- advisors, like other
spirits, are unlikely to be able to penetrate the astral barrier
surrounding the earth, and even if they do, will probably be
dissipated in the void beyond it (see the First Annual Neo-
Anarchists Guide to Everything Else).
It takes a number of days equal to the Target Number of the
information, for the advisor to return (modified by 2d6-7, times
5%, if the referee desires). This can be changed from days to
hours, if the conjurer gives up force karma to the advisor.
The advisor rolls a number of dice equal to its force, to
determine how well it does. If no successes are rolled, the
advisor did not find the answer. Roll 2d6. If this is less than
the advisor's Force minus the conjurer's Charisma, the advisor
will make up an answer.
The conjurer can cause the advisor to hurry by diverting dice
from the answer to the time -- the target number is the same, but
add the successes from the 'hurry' roll to 1, and divide the base
time by this. If a conjurer has a Force 5 advisor, and uses 2
dice to hurry, for a question that has a target number of 3, the
advisor will roll 3 dice for the answer, and 2 dice to hurry.
The advisor gets 2 successes on the answer (4,3,1) and 1 success
on hurrying (7,2), so the advisor takes 3/2, or 1.5 days to
return with the answer.
In some cases, the advisor will need clarification, and will
return to the reflector to ask for clarification. (Incidentally,
while searching for an answer, an advisor will ignore other
questions unless the conjurer releases it from its current
question. So the conjurer and companions don't need to be as
careful here about not asking rhetorical questions.) If the
conjurer (or someone else) is not there, the advisor will make a
decision itself, based on its Intelligence of Force+3.
If the conjurer is not there when the advisor returns with an
answer, the advisor will wait 24 hours before un-manifesting.
Once an advisor un-manifests, it still knows the answer, but the
conjurer will need to ask it a question (using up another
service) to get the answer.
If the referee rules that a question is one that the advisor
already knows the answer to (such as above, or 'How many
questions does it have left?'), the advisor will answer
immediately.
Anyone can cause the advisor to manifest, simply by asking a
question within earshot of the reflector.
Advisors have an Intelligence of Force+3, a Willpower of Force,
and a Charisma of half Force (round down, but no less than 1).
FOCI
Spirit Foci can be made for Advisors. Hermetic mages cannot use
Shamanistic Advisor foci, and Shamans cannot use Hermetic Advisor
foci. Hermetic Foci often take the form of a glass object, such
as a crystal ball.
WAKING TH'DEAD
Summoning Ghosts in Shadowrun
The Shaman/Mage can summon a number of Ghosts equal to Charisma,
and this does count against the number of elementals/nature
spirits that can be summoned. Which means Shamans will find this
more useful than mages for long term use.
TARGET NUMBER
The target number for summoning is 10 minus the dead guy's
essence at the moment of death (or, just before death, I
suppose). Add to this depending on how long the person's been
dead (see the first issue of the NAGEE for why, sort of-- the
Space Barrier article), on the following table:
Dead Up To... Penalty to TN
3 hrs 0
6 hrs 1
12 hrs 2
24 hrs 3
2 days 4
4 days 5
8 days 6
16 days 7
1 month 8
2 months 9
etc. etc.
There's a bonus of 3 to the target number if the dead person is
being summoned back to their own relatively intact body (see
below for body's physical stats). Reduce this bonus for less than
intact bodies. Just a skeleton is only a bonus of 1. Anything
less ain't no bonus at all. (Although particular DM's can rule
that in their world, particular organs -- hearts, brains,
testicles, or whatever they decide is the important organ in
their system of magic constitute a bonus of 2.)
TIME
The summoning takes a number of hours equal to the target number.
This can be reduced be diverting summoning dice to reducing time.
Roll those dice vs. a target number of the Force of the spirit.
Divide the time by the number of successes plus one.
SHAMANIC LODGES AND MAGIC CIRCLES
These give a bonus of the rating to the dice used for summoning.
This bonus cannot exceed the mage/shaman's skill in Conjuring.
This also requires special materials worth 1,000 Nuyen per
rating. The dice can be used for summoning or for reducing drain.
Reduce the ghost's Force by the rating of the lodge/circle, if
the ghost ever leaves the confines of the lodge/circle.
FORCE
The Force of the ghost is equal to the number of successes on the
roll. The ghost's intelligence, charisma, and willpower are equal
to this. Those attributes cannot be greater than when the person
was alive. If the person was magically active, magic is equal to
that as well, and skills are also equal to that (again, not
greater than they were when the person died). The summoner can
decide to summon the ghost with a lesser force, in order to
reduce drain.
You need to summon the ghost into something. You can summon the
ghost into yourself, into an item, or into a dead body. The ghost
can communicate and act according to what it has been brought
back into. Bringing a ghost back into a chair isn't much use. A
Ouija board is, however.
DRAIN
The Drain Code target is Force. The wound level is medium if
summoned into yourself, serious if summoned into an item, and
deadly if summoned into a dead body. Drain is mental, unless the
Force of the ghost is greater than the Charisma of the summoner,
in which case it is physical. If you summon it into yourself, you
only roll for drain after it leaves (and, fortunately, after the
banishing battle if it decides to stay). The staging is half the
summoning Target Number.
FREEDOM
When dismissed, a ghost that wants to stay a ghost can roll Force
dice vs. 10 minus Essence. If successful, the ghost is still a
ghost, and not dissipated into the astral barrier. The number of
successes are the ghost's bonus to its initial Spirit Rating.
Spirit Rating is taken to be Force for determining intelligence,
skills, charisma, willpower, magic, etc. If the ghost was in the
summoner, the summoner has to banish it (or relinquish use of
their body).
Ghosts cannot leave their initial item/body unless it is
destroyed. Then they have to make another roll, Spirit Rating vs.
10 minus Essence. After this, they're free to do whatever free-
wheeling ghosts do. They can inhabit other items or dead bodies,
prophesy the future (not necessarily accurately -- its not an
ability, they're just more believable), or gripe about
discrimination against the dead.
INHABITING BODIES
Ghosts cannot use foci just because they're bonded by a former
owner of the body they're inhabiting. They must bond it
themselves. Ghosts use their own Essence (as it was when they
died), not the essence of the body they're inhabiting, although
their base magic cannot exceed the essence of the body they're
inhabiting.
Ghosts who were magi/shamans in their past life can cast spells
now, assuming that they have the right fetishes, if needed. They
can even summon spirits. Remember, their magic, sorcery, and
conjuring are the lowest of their magic when they died, or their
spirit rating.
If they're inhabiting a living body, the spirit must allocate
Force or Spirit Rating to Quickness. This amount reduces the
magic, skills, mental attributes, etc. They cannot allocate more
points to quickness than the body's actual quickness.
Dead bodies have a quickness of 1, and the ghost must allocate 1
point of Force/Spirit Rating to use it. Dead bodies also lose one
point of body for every deadly wound taken. This usually includes
the deadly wound that killed the body in the first place, so dead
bodies usually have a Body of their original minus 1. If the body
a ghost is inhabiting is reduced to a Body of 0, the ghost must
make a Spirit Rating test vs. 10 minus Essence, or end up
dissipating. Reduce strength of dead bodies by 1 from when they
were alive, and by 1 again for every 2 points of lost Body beyond
the first. Dead bodies have an automatic Armor of 1 success for
every point of lost Body. Against firearms, the armor is doubled.
Note that Body will also be lost as the body rots, but this will
be left up to the game master, depending on the climate and
weather. This Body loss also increases armor and decreases
Strength.
Cyberwear on dead bodies will not generally work.
FOCI
Spirit foci can be created for summoning the dead. Different foci
are used for summoning into mediums, into items, or into dead
bodies.
EXAMPLE
Jack the Mage dies on a run. For some reason, his buddies pull
his dead carcass out of the fracas as they're leaving. They
realize, when they get to home base, that Jack is the only one
who knew the combination to the safe -- none of the trolls could
remember six numbers. Rather than doing the intelligent thing and
blowing it up, they go to a woman who has claimed the ability to
talk to the dead.
Okay, Jan the Medium has a 6 Sorcery, and a 5 Charisma. She tells
them to bring the body -- it'll be easier that way, although more
expensive. Jack's Essence was 6, being a wizard type, and by the
time they get him to Jan, he's been dead for over 12 hours. The
target number is 10 minus essence, or 4, plus 3 for the time.
Reduce it by three since they've got his body, and it's in
reasonably good shape. So, Jan's target is 4. She uses 4 dice to
call him back, saving 2 for the drain test. She rolls (1,2,4,5) 2
successes. His Force is 2, and her Drain is 2D2. (Force is 2,
Dead Body is deadly, and half 4 is 2.) She rolls (1,1,4,4,4,4,4 -
- seriously! I'm using real dice, even!) 5 successes, bringing
drain down to medium.
Jack's original attributes were Body 2, Quickness 3, Strength 2,
Willpower 5, Charisma 5, and Intelligence 5. Now, he's got Body
1, Quickness 0, Strength 1, and Willpower, Charisma, and
Intelligence 2. If he gets the presence of mind to put 1 point
onto Quickness, his mental attributes are reduced to 1. Jack
isn't the bundle of magely erudition he once was. His Magic and
skill levels are also 1.
Okay, they try to coax the information out of him. I'll let you
decide whether they're successful or not. It certainly isn't fun.
Then, Jan dismisses him.
Well, Jack has got up the presence of mind to decide he'd like to
stay, befuddled that he is. He has to roll a force test vs. 10
minus his essence; that's 2 dice vs. 4. He rolls (1,10) 1
success. His Spirit Rating is now +1, and he's free as a bird,
although he still may not realize that he can move more than his
mouth. His mental attributes are now 3, as are his skills (those
that were 3 or above to begin with) and his Magic. If he puts 1
point onto his quickness, they all go back to 2, however. Of
course, it will behoove him to up his spirit rating. He can do so
in the same manner as any other spirit.
Now, while Jack does have an Armor of 1, his Body and Quickness
are also only 1, which makes him pretty much a sitting duck. A
couple weeks down the line, Jack has increased his Spirit Rating
to +3, giving him 5 for all his mental attributes and his skills
(4 when using Quickness). But he gets blasted by a howitzer, and
that one armor just doesn't help him. Because he's taken a Deadly
Wound, his Body goes to 0. He needs to make a Spirit Rating test
vs. 10 minus essence. This time it should be a snap -- 5 dice vs.
a target of 4. He rolls (1,2,3,4,6) 2 successes. This time, the
successes do not add to his rating, but he is free. He's
basically an astral body with no where to go.
SANITY
When brought back from the dead, ghosts must make an Insanity
test vs. a target of 10 minus their essence; a wound level of
Deadly for brought back into a body, Serious for brought back
into an item, and Medium for brought back into a Medium; and a
staging of the modifier for time, divided by 4 (round up). Use
original Willpower to make this check, but current Charisma to
heal any insanity that results.
In the example above, Jack would have had to make a Sanity check
vs. 4D1. His Willpower was 5. He rolls (9,7,4,4,4) 5 successes,
so at least he's not loopy.
It's up to the game master whether or not a person who was insane
when alive retains this insanity when dead. If so, this is
applied as a bonus to the above sanity check.
THE CATALYST
Jason-Keith <warmongr@mentorpurdue.edu (Jason-Keith)>
>>>>>[Hello out there chummers. Me again, with a quick note of
warning concerning a new type of magical "beastie" out there. We
encountered one recently down here in LA (the City of Fallen
Angels). The guy is called Kubrik, and I do so hope that he
enjoys his new life up there at the Nemesis home office in
Napalin (Sin Searach Nation).]<<<<<
-Bann Shidhe<20:12:14/5-6-60>
THE CATALYST
(A Priority Two kind of guy)
Here is one for the books. This individual is one of the most
unique and rare of all the magically active archetypes to date.
They have the following abilities and powers:
1. They cannot use Sorcery to cast spells
2. They cannot Conjure spirits or elementals
3. They cannot use Astral Perception of Projection
They can, however, do the following:
1. They can Enchant objects of all known magical types
(foci, fetishes, etc...)
2. They can give a power similar to an Ally, that of
Aid Sorcery/Power
3. They can give a DRASTIC increase in power when
working in concert with others (ie. Ritual Magic)
4. They can interfere with the magical talents of
others (ie. Spell Defense)
Just how does this work? Here is the apparent gist of the
situation. A Catalyst is so named because of his ability to
Catalyze magical energies in other objects, be they living or
not. Their ability to catalyze does seem to have a drastic
variation when put into the officiation of a Ritual Magic. In
effect, the Catalyst is actually a "living foci."
It seems that a Catalyst's inherent magical talent is to boost in
a positive/negative manner, the ability of another to "channel"
magical energies. For the purposes of Game Mechanics, the
following is advised:
1. The magic "attribute" of a Catalyst acts as a bonus to the
power of another magician. Add the attribute of the Catalyst to
the magic pool of the other magician. This is the same for a
magician who is conjuring, ie- an additional number of dice is
added to the conjurer's attempt.
2. The magic "attribute" of a Catalyst acts as a "Grade Bonus"
for those magicians of Shamanic Orientation whose Totemic
Alignment grants them an advantage of some form. This is in
addition to the normal bonus as mention in #1 above.
3. The Catalyst can also aid another magician in resisting the
effects of drain. For the Drain Resistance test, add the
willpower of the Catalyst to that of the originating magician.
Any failures in drain done to the magician also registers on the
Catalyst. For example-Skylight has Kubrik's assistance in
resisting the effects of a spell. After the total dice for the
test has been made, Skylight still has moderate drain. In this
instance, so does Kubrik.
4. They can also directly/indirectly interfere with another
magicians' spellcraft. This works in a method similar to Spell
Defense. In effect, the magic attribute of a the Catalyst acts in
the same way. For those Catalyst's that manage to gain the
effects of Initiation, then their magic attribute is effected
accordingly. This effect is limited somewhat however. They cannot
provide any Spell Defense to an object that is further than their
magic attribute in meters away from themselves.
5. When encorporated into the effects of Ritual Magic, the
attribute of the Catalyst acts as a number of Automatic Successes
that are figured into the magic of the Ritual. In the instance of
Ritual Magic, the normal power of the Catalyst is ignored, or
rather advanced, to this state or level (ie- the additional dice
are NOT gained in addition to the Automatic Successes). However,
when resisting the drain of ritual magic, all members of the
ritual get an additional number of dice equal to the attribute of
the Catalyst.
Please note that the Automatic Successes are not for all rolls,
but are to be spread out amongst the rolls of the Ritual as a
whole.
SIDE EFFECTS
1. When aiding the power of another magician in ANY way, the
Catalyst must have at least direct (unobstructed) line of sight
with the magician they are assisting.
2. If they are not in direct contact (flesh to flesh) with the
magician they are aiding, they must ALWAYS resist drain for the
action of the magician (as if they were casting the spell). The
magician must still resist the effects of his/her own actions as
well.
3. While aiding another magician for ANY purpose, the Catalyst is
to be counted as being Astrally Present (ie- they can be attacked
Astrally and so forth). They are not aware of the Astral Plane in
any way however.
ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS
1. If a Catalyst does study the skill of Sorcery or Conjuring
(but NOT Enchanting), then they may also add these dice to the
success test of the magician they are assisting. These dice
however are not to be used for the resistance test due to drain,
but reserved for the success test only.
2. If a Catalyst is of a Shamanic Orientation, then they have an
additional number of dice according to their appropriate Totemic
advantage (if any). However, this advantage in dice only works if
a Shamanic Catalyst is aiding a Shamanic Magician. For example-
Skylight is getting help from Kubrik again. Kubrik is Eagle
Totemic, and thus does possess a +2 for Detection spells and Sky
Spirits. Skylight however is a Hermetic Magician, and thus does
not get these benefits. If Kubrik was aiding Lobo (a Coyote
Shaman), then the bonuses would go towards Lobo's skills. If
Kubrik were an Initiate, then the Initiate bonus to the bonuses
would also come into play.
RITUAL TEAMS AND THE CATALYST
A Catalyst does NOT go against the limit to the number of members
that a Ritual Team can have. A Catalyst can also act as the
"Sender" for the Ritual, if so desired, with the benefits that I
stated.
MAGICAL EFFECTIVENESS AND THE CATALYST
When a Catalyst is using his/her talents, then they also become
subjected to any effects done upon the caster. For example-
Skylight and Kubrik are working together when Dominick decides to
drop a Manabolt onto Skylight. Skylight does the resistance tests
(with any modifiers from Kubrik) and manages to take only a
moderate wound. IN this instance, Kubrik also takes a Moderate
wound.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE-
Lobo is going to attempt a Heal Moderate Wounds on Skylight. If
Kubrik has NOT broken his "link" with Skylight, and Lobo manages
to heal Skylight, then Kubrik is also healed at the same time.
And one more-
Dominick decides that he wants a pet mouse. He aims a Transform
spell at Skylight (who is being aided by Kubrik). If Skylight
fails the opposition test, then so does Kubrik. You wind up with
a freak of nature. A Two-Headed Mouse, and neither one of them
remembers who they are. Shapechange would produce a similar
result, with both individuals "merging" in the spellcasting.
Interesting? Yep!!!
EFFECTIVENESS OF DISPERSION
A Catalyst can only assist one (1) magician or Ritual Team at a
time. They cannot touch two people and give both the benefit of
their talents. They also cannot separate their talents, lending
half of their power to one and the other half to someone else.
CHANNELING POWER
A Catalyst can, if possible, "channel" their ability down a link
of some sort to help, or hinder, a magician/ritual team. To do
this, they must have some sort of "link", ranging from a Spell
Lock to a personal object (such as a favorite shirt). When
attempting this, they must resist drain equal to 5L3 for every
full turn.
Establishing a Channeling link is somewhat difficult, and only a
Catalyst who actually has a Magical Theory skill may attempt to
do so. The attempt is an unresisted test with a target equal to
the base magic attribute of the magician. For a normal person
that is a 6, for a Shapeshifter, it would be an 8, etc....
If attempting to "link" power with an object connected with an
Initiate, a number of successes equal to the Initiate's Grade + 1
is required to make the "link."
>>>>>[But this is just of the one guy we have actually come
across. It has taken us lots of Influence Spells and several CC's
of an unspecified substance to get this information out of him.
Poor Sod, those damned Deviliners really did a number on
him.]<<<<<
-the Reflex/Harbringer<10:33:39/5-8-60>
THE CHIPPER
Reviews of things you have to pay for.
WHITE WOLF #31 (May/June)
Shadows Across The Big Easy
C. R. Shaver & Jason Rush
White Wolf
Stone Mountain, Georgia
$3.50
Shadows Across the Big Easy is the first of a five part series
covering New Orleans. This installment deals with the history of
the area, and an overview. Maps are included for New Orleans, and
the French Quarter. The Big Easy is a very useful guide for
adventures in New Orleans.
There's not much else to be said about it. It is marred by the
lack of multiple fonts: comments from runners do not stand out
from the main text. Also, Voodoo is given only a few paragraphs.
Hopefully, the latter will be fixed in later installments.
Overall, this issue of White Wolf is a vast improvement over
previous issues. I recommend taking a look at it, especially if
you're a Shadowrun gamer or a Superheroes gamer. If this is a
harbinger of things to come (this is the first issue after their
hiatus), White Wolf may well become the leading role-playing
magazine.
reviewed by Jerry Stratton
FIELD & STREAM (September 1992)
Times Mirror Magazines, Inc.
New York, NY
$2.00
There are two things in this issue of Field & Stream that might
be of interest to the Shadowrun gamer. Bob Robb explains compound
bows -- how to choose them, what their parts are.
Federal Ammunition has included a wall poster that shows various
types of ammunition, and describes the basics of ballistics. It's
from a hunting point of view, of course, not a Shadowrunners',
but for those of us who aren't weapons experts, this poster is a
nice piece of work.
Incidentally, gamers who are interested in firearms and how they
work should go to the magazine section of their local
supermarket. Field & Stream talks about guns from a hunting
standpoint, but magazines such as Guns & Ammo discuss guns from
both a hunting and a defense standpoint. If you feel you need to
know a little bit more about how guns work in a live situation,
these magazines will help you.
reviewed by Jerry Stratton