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[SR4] Overcasting loophole?

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Eloque

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« on: <03-21-16/0853:56> »
So, I have this mage in the group, that does the following thing that I believe is a loophole, but can't find anything on;

He overcasts spells, takes physical damage from the drain.
Then, he casts heal to heal his own physical damage and successfully resists the much lighter drain of that.

In effect, he is using most of his magic quite "drainless", is that a loophole, or don't I understand the rules?


Jack_Spade

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« Reply #1 on: <03-21-16/0913:28> »
Drain damage is resistant and can only be healed by normal rest.

It's been that way afaik in every edition
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Sendaz

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« Reply #2 on: <03-21-16/0913:53> »
I would refer you to page 208 in the core handbook.

Quote from: pg 208 core
Sorcery cannot heal damage resulting from magical Drain.

It doesn't matter whether it was physical or stun, drain is drain and magic can not be used to heal it as it represents a different form of damage.

So now you need to retroactively inflict all that unhealed drain on him. ;)
Kidding, but yeah he won't be able to bump the drain like he is doing.
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Eloque

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« Reply #3 on: <03-21-16/1212:58> »
Page 208 of my SR4 Rulebook gives me stuff about hacking.

But, I always thought drain couldn't be healed. Is that in the SR4 rules as well?

Sendaz

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« Reply #4 on: <03-21-16/1306:49> »
Page 208 of my SR4 Rulebook gives me stuff about hacking.

But, I always thought drain couldn't be healed. Is that in the SR4 rules as well?
  Sorry for the confusion, I quoted the SR5 page.

In SR4  this was covered in the 4th edition FAQ you can see here

Quote from: SR4 FAQ
DRAIN

Can Physical Drain be healed by magic? What about Regeneration, adept powers, or mystical healing?

Damage from Drain cannot be healed by magical means including Healing spells or the Empathic Healing or Rapid Healing adept powers. Even the mystical healing optional rule (p.123, Augmentation) cannot add dice to Healing Tests to help with injuries including Drain.

Drain is considered magical damage, and is not subject to the Regeneration power.

You can also see it in the SR4 20th anniversary book pg 178
Quote from: SR4A pg 178
Neither Stun nor Physical damage resulting from Drain can be healed by magical means such
as sorcery or spirit powers.
« Last Edit: <03-21-16/1308:58> by Sendaz »
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Reaver

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« Reply #5 on: <03-21-16/1313:29> »
Drain has not been able to be magically healed since 2e. But, like a lot of things, it is not stated outright and is usually found in the FAQ/Errata..... until the 4a and the 5e books.
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Whiskeyjack

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« Reply #6 on: <03-21-16/1348:21> »
Pretty sure you could first aid drain in 4th (but you can't in 5th) so just remind him of this  :P
« Last Edit: <03-21-16/1351:52> by Whiskeyjack »
Playability > verisimilitude.