[Mordoyh]

Through trickery (and a bad perception rolls by me and my group) a newly discovered enemy has acquired a material link to my character, I.e. A drop of blood.  I am a relatively new Shapeshiter Mage, and I wonder what can be done to defend from it.  So far, I've mostly found information on how to use one against someone rather than how to defend against a spell cast by one.

Thanks!

PS... Any suggestions on an alias (aka Street Name) for a Black Panther (basically a black jaguar...it's possible, I looked it up!) shapeshifter from Amazonia?  He is primarily a combat Mage and follows the Aztec Tradition (not blood magic).  His mentor spirit is of course a black panther (modeled on lion), so he tends to be somewhat aggressive.  For some reason I'm just not coming up with anything that I really like.

[Chaemera]

Through trickery (and a bad perception rolls by me and my group) a newly discovered enemy has acquired a material link to my character, I.e. A drop of blood.  I am a relatively new Shapeshiter Mage, and I wonder what can be done to defend from it.  So far, I've mostly found information on how to use one against someone rather than how to defend against a spell cast by one.

Thanks!

PS... Any suggestions on an alias (aka Street Name) for a Black Panther (basically a black jaguar...it's possible, I looked it up!) shapeshifter from Amazonia?  He is primarily a combat Mage and follows the Aztec Tradition (not blood magic).  His mentor spirit is of course a black panther (modeled on lion), so he tends to be somewhat aggressive.  For some reason I'm just not coming up with anything that I really like.

The answer to your question is. . . get new DNA. Or really good Counterspelling. Also, even with refrigeration/magical preservation, a tissue sample decays with time, a single drop of blood shouldn't last more than a week. Even then, it's only good for one ritual, even if the ritual has to be aborted. (Street Magic, pg. 29)

Best bet, therefore, is a combination of "wait it out" and "go on the offensive". Send a watcher spirit to keep tabs on the guy, they're cheap, plentifully available and have the search power. Once you know where he is from your watchers, send bigger, badder spirits after him, or arrange a run against him yourself. Heck, a watcher spirit spying on him (he can't astrally perceive all the time, and if he's persistently bothered by your spirits, he's not casting ritual spells at you) could tell you when he enters a magical lodge from which he could cast a ritual spell. The watcher spirit shows you how to get there & you hit him hard mid-ceremony.

Certainly fits the "aggressive" description you provided.

[Mordoyh]

Thanks for the reply.  Some good suggestions there.  But, like me, our new enemy is dual-natured (he's a Nosferatu), and I believe our GM is setting him up as a foil/overarching enemy for our group.  At the moment he's being presented as being a lot more powerful than our group.  The waiting it out for the sample to degrade and keeping watcher spirits active seem like the more viable option.  Then of course if something were to occur, I can go on the offensive to retaliate and attempt to disrupt the ritual casting.  Atbthat point there's not much to lose.  I'd also assume (?) that I can follow the link back to the spell caster in the event they start a ritual. (That's just my guess tho.)

I do, however, have a back up character (or two) created and ready to go.  The character I am currently playing I created kinda at the last minute due to an idea that just suddenly hit me.  Initially, I wasn't to happy with him at the beginning, but I'm starting to like his potential.

[voydangel]

Since the NPC villain nosferatu is more powerful than you, it would be well to remember that you don't have to fight the guy, all you gotta do is disrupt the ceremony. Since the link is only good for one casting, he will have wasted it and you will be in the clear again.

[Chaemera]

Thanks for the reply.  Some good suggestions there.  But, like me, our new enemy is dual-natured (he's a Nosferatu), and I believe our GM is setting him up as a foil/overarching enemy for our group.

Powers: Compulsion, Enhanced Senses )Hearing, Low-light Vision, Thermographic Vision), Essence Drain, Fear, Immunity (Age, Pathogens, Toxins), Infection, Influence, Natural Weapon (Bite: Str/2+1P, AP 0, -1 Reach), and Regeneration. In addition, the maximum Essence a nosferatu character can drain is equal to three times its natural maximum essence.

Powers: Compulsion, Enhanced Senses )Hearing, Low-light Vision, Thermographic Vision), Essence Drain, Fear, Immunity (Age, Pathogens, Toxins), Infection, Influence, Natural Weapon (Bite: (Str÷2)+1P, AP 0, -1 Reach), Regeneration, Sapience. In addition, the maximum Essence a nosferatu character can drain is equal to three times its natural maximum essence.

Don't see dual-natured. Your GM might have house-ruled it, but if he didn't tell you the baddy's dual-natured, don't make the assumption and limit your options. Get your character to research nosferatu in-game and you can justify knowing about its limitations.

As for making him a long-term foil of the party, well, that's what the Hand of God (SR4A, pg. 75) is for. You might still choose not to mess with him, if he really is that dangerous, though.

[Mordoyh]

@Chaemera Hrrrrmmm.....I was thinking that Nosferatu were a rare type on Infected, and that infected were dual-natured.  I'll have to look into it.  I do have parazoology skill, so I can do some research.

[FoxBoy]

Something to keep in mind is he may not do the ritual at all. He could give it to someone else to cast, not say WHO they're casting it on, and the mage zots you with a spell at range without even knowing your name.

So... even if you got a ritual spell incoming, that's no assurance it's the bad guy who has it. The problem is, the longer they wait, the longer you have time to prepare so the time is actually your friend here. Having your max force and charisma in spirits on the ready, with standing orders to go attack anyone that starts ritual casting against you... that can be a VERY rude surprise to the casting mage if your a proficient conjurer (or you have a friend who is). It takes at mininum several hours to ritual cast. It takes a spirit almost no time at all to track the mana back to the ritual circle.

I've seen a conjuring specialist introduce a ritual caster to his wolfpack. 8 beast spirits, almost 40 force worth of spirits who came over to say Hi. The caster and his group were never a problem again.

[Chaemera]

@Chaemera Hrrrrmmm.....I was thinking that Nosferatu were a rare type on Infected, and that infected were dual-natured.  I'll have to look into it.  I do have parazoology skill, so I can do some research.

While I would like to think all infected are dual-natured, I have to go by what the books tell me, and being "dual-natured" is specifically a power which a critter can possess. If it's not on their power list, they do not have it. Unless your GM decides otherwise, since, at the end of the day, his opinion carries more weight than even the book.

[Shadowwalker]

Also you can Always go on the offensive and do a ritual magic strike on the sample to destroy it. you do have a material link to it  after all 

[Mordoyh]

@Chaemera Hrrrrmmm.....I was thinking that Nosferatu were a rare type on Infected, and that infected were dual-natured.  I'll have to look into it.  I do have parazoology skill, so I can do some research.

While I would like to think all infected are dual-natured, I have to go by what the books tell me, and being "dual-natured" is specifically a power which a critter can possess. If it's not on their power list, they do not have it. Unless your GM decides otherwise, since, at the end of the day, his opinion carries more weight than even the book.

Yeah, my mistake.  Read up some more, and certain infected are dual-natured, nosferatu are not.  Bonus!

[Mordoyh]

Also you can Always go on the offensive and do a ritual magic strike on the sample to destroy it. you do have a material link to it  after all 

I hadn't really thought of that.  Something to ponder.

[Chaemera]

Also you can Always go on the offensive and do a ritual magic strike on the sample to destroy it. you do have a material link to it  after all 

Evil Shadowrun Overlord Rule # 563.9:
"All material links obtained from the runners will be stored in a lead-lined box wrapped in awakened poison ivy inside of a magical lodge within an aspected domain. Also, pirate-ninjas will provide physical security."

Okay, a bit on the silly side, though it is worth noting that a spell "travelling" through a mana barrier (such as a magical lodge), even cast ritually, will be less likely to work. So he can protect his sample that way, and you can protect yourself the same. See pages 194 and 185 of SR4A for the rules.

[Shadowwalker]

Also you can Always go on the offensive and do a ritual magic strike on the sample to destroy it. you do have a material link to it  after all 

Evil Shadowrun Overlord Rule # 563.9:
"All material links obtained from the runners will be stored in a lead-lined box wrapped in awakened poison ivy inside of a magical lodge within an aspected domain. Also, pirate-ninjas will provide physical security."

Okay, a bit on the silly side, though it is worth noting that a spell "travelling" through a mana barrier (such as a magical lodge), even cast ritually, will be less likely to work. So he can protect his sample that way, and you can protect yourself the same. See pages 194 and 185 of SR4A for the rules.

True True but living in a Mana Barrier non-stop make for a very bored Panther making the attempted to "zap" the sample 1st does sound more like what an aggressive combat mage would try

[Chaemera]

Never said anyone would like it, just said they might live longer.

[Mordoyh]

Never said anyone would like it, just said they might live longer.

Do you want to live forever? *queue music*. There can be only one!