Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SRUN magicalness (long)
From: reanor@speedy.cs.pitt.edu (Jeffrey Getzin)
Date: 6 Apr 92 15:47:12 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., University of Pittsburgh
Keywords: "Whoever you are .... I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
Summary: SR Magic is powerful, but has many limitations.

In article <thornt_g.702535580@kultarr> thornt_g@cs.uwa.oz.au (Sebastian Nobwit DeLaBler) writes:
>I would like to say something in light of all the discussion about
>magical/astral stuff in shadowrun.
>
>Ahem.
>
>The shadowrun magic system is SILLY.
>I HATE the way mages can learn any kind of spell that you could
>possibly think of
...
>I HATE the way most magic takes no time, gestures, 
>ingredients, preperations, or ANYTHING AT ALL that makes using 
>magic a hassle! (I know that there is ritual magic and summoning)
>Basically, mages in shadowrun are gods. They can do whatever they
>like, whenever they like, and better than anyone without magic.
>...

It sounds to me like you hate Shadowrun magic because it's not AD&D magic.
Almost all of your points with which you disagree refer to things you
find in SR that you don't find in AD&D, and visa versa.

Personally, it's been the other way around for me.   I was never satisfied
with AD&D's magic system.   The fact that you had to pre-memorize all
spells and that it takes at least six seconds to cast even the simplest
spells, while gesturing and chanting like an idiot.   It just made wizards
too pre-defined:  wizards HAD to be like a particular thing.

I think that SR magic is the best system I've ever encountered.   You
can cast as many spells a day as you dare, fearing only the drain.   Big spells
can leave the caster very vulnerable.

As a player of a mage and a GM for mages, I will testify to the balance
of the game.   Sure, a spell can imitate cyberware but a) you've got to
spend the karma to get the spell, b) you've got to find a way to maintain
that spell ... the disadvantages and difficulty of which have been well-
documented on the network, and c) you risk nasty drain for many of them.

I mean yes, you can get a spell Increase Reaction +4 which is better
than wired reflexes, but the drain is D4.   The odds are you will be
so drained after casting this spell that to do anything with it is ludicrous.
Spells locks can be easily dispelled, and to reach a rank to get the
quickening ability requires ludicrous amounts of karma.    Elementals
can hold it, but only temporarily, and they can be dispelled.

The much-feared spell-locks go both ways.  God protect the mage whose
spell lock is taken away from him.   He'd better pray that it doesn't
fall into the hands of a hostile mage, since such a spell lock leads
a magical link right back to him.

Even if the mage still has his spell lock, an astral being can use it to
launch spells at him ... something which he couldn't normally do.

So SR's magic is powerful indeed, but it has severe limitations no matter
how you go about it.   Generally, mages will make mincemeat of the lesser
encounters, but so will the samurai.  This makes sense, after all.   Aren't
we all professionals?    However, throw a guy with a high body and willpower,
and magic to boot, and make him play it smart, and suddenly you've got a
guy the mage just can't zap that easily.

			=*()*()* Jeff *()*()*=
--
					---
Jeffrey Getzin
saintdor@vms.cis.pitt.edu