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Wands

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Marcus

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« on: <06-02-18/0034:47> »
So this maybe a little weird, but I really feel like SR just lacks utterly in the wand department, I know you can make foci look anything, and so yes you can make the look like wands. But no body does this, they make rings, amulets, staves, tattoos, cuff-links, gauntlets. anything but wands. I really really feel like there is a need to make some wand specific foci, like the ones from 4th made form specific magic woods, maybe a simple as just adding a level or two a specific school of spells (Combat, healing). But really wands guys. It's just something I feel like the whole magic subculture would gain from. No more mages pulling guns, Mages pull wands, and they do so for a reason.
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #1 on: <06-02-18/0040:38> »
Depends on what you want out of the wand. D20 rules?  Harry Potter rules?

Within existing SR rules you could say your Alchemical Preparation is a wand.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Marcus

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« Reply #2 on: <06-02-18/0043:00> »
Depends on what you want out of the wand. D20 rules?  Harry Potter rules?

Within existing SR rules you could say your Alchemical Preparation is a wand.


I don't wand D&D type wands with charges or something. I want a reason for mages to pack them over guns, like harry potter or something, I'm looking for Foci type bonus but on that would unique to wands.
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Reaver

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« Reply #3 on: <06-02-18/0047:40> »
I think its the whole "I'm waving a twig! Fear me!!" angle....

That, and the fact I think people are thinking about getting disarmed of their foci. If you have a twig, err, sorry wand, then someone can take it from you (by guile or force), you can drop it, and it stands out for what it is.. cause you know, no one carries twigs for combat (unless they go for the eyes!The eyes Boo! The EYES!!). With tattoos, cuff-links, even gloves its a little harder to lose them. Or so they think...
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Marcus

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« Reply #4 on: <06-02-18/0053:04> »
I can't denie that there is a style angle to my desire for wands, and I agree Reaver that what your saying make sense. But players are simply creatures, offer them a plus one to something they can't get anywhere else, and they will get on board in a hurry, or heck just make it cheaper to a focus a wand and your well on track.

It might also be a good way to address the lingering issue of weapon focus mono-whips, which remain an utter abomination that need to dealt with.
« Last Edit: <06-02-18/0923:54> by Marcus »
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Jack_Spade

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« Reply #5 on: <06-02-18/0247:34> »
If you want a quick and dirty houserule: Making a Combat Spell focus in form of a twig... eh, wand, allows you to aim your indirect combat spells like a gun or rifle and/or gives you a +1 bonus die to perform them.

That should be enough of an incentive to get certain people to polish their wands and whip them out to every occasion... ;)
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Kiirnodel

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« Reply #6 on: <06-02-18/0437:35> »
Wands would also make a good option for the form of a spell fetish.

But really, the restriction or bonus for using a Wand for spellcasting is completely self-imposed in the Shadowrun setting. For some traditions it might make sense for one of the forms of magical paraphernalia to be a wand, and others it might be completely ridiculous and counterproductive.

In setting there is no specific bonus for using a wand to aid spellcasting. That just isn't how magic works in the 6th world.

Marcus

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« Reply #7 on: <06-02-18/0917:34> »
If you want a quick and dirty houserule: Making a Combat Spell focus in form of a twig... eh, wand, allows you to aim your indirect combat spells like a gun or rifle and/or gives you a +1 bonus die to perform them.

That should be enough of an incentive to get certain people to polish their wands and whip them out to every occasion... ;)

Very Acceptable.
Wands would also make a good option for the form of a spell fetish.

But really, the restriction or bonus for using a Wand for spellcasting is completely self-imposed in the Shadowrun setting. For some traditions it might make sense for one of the forms of magical paraphernalia to be a wand, and others it might be completely ridiculous and counterproductive.

In setting there is no specific bonus for using a wand to aid spellcasting. That just isn't how magic works in the 6th world.


Yes Kiir I do understand the rules. But there is nothing wrong with advocating for changes and/or additions to the system. We have books and books of guns, no reason we couldn't have books and books of Foci or other gear pieces.
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Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #8 on: <06-02-18/1050:53> »
I have to agree with Kiirnodel on the point about different traditions.

The rules for magical gear are intentionally vague... going down into the weeds would result in gear specific to various traditions.  The existing Foci rules allow for (Harry Potter style) wands for Hermetics.  The same rules cover Prayer Beads for Christian Theurgists, Prayer Sticks for Hopi and Zuni branches of Shamanism, and etc.

And in trying to come up with some gear to serve as analogous examples to Wands for Hermetics, I realized I kept hitting on "sacred" items in real-world religions that are the inspiration for SR traditions.  It's a fragging minefield to start assigning game stats to various holy objects.  It's lose-lose for CGL to do it, and imo more than kinda insensitive to personally do it for home game purposes.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

farothel

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« Reply #9 on: <06-02-18/1322:09> »
One of the things that let me go for rings, amulets, tattoos,... instead of wands is that you only have 2 hands.  If your focus is a ring, you still have your two hands free for other things, while if you have a wand, you need one hand to use it.  In most fights it's not an issue, but in some of the fights my characters have been in, having 2 hands free for things other than your foci was quite useful.
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Beta

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« Reply #10 on: <06-02-18/1424:18> »
I've always viewed fetishes as something of at least modest size, that typically needs to be held during casting.  Which for some traditions would indeed make wands a perfect fit.  But what you need now is a quality that requires a fetish (negative), or gives an extra bonus for using a fetish in some situations (positive).

Or a house rule putting more range penalties on spells, but letting appropriate wands give longer range increments.

And to note that in my home game I now have a mage from a possession tradition.  Sooner or later 'Mr. Stick' is going going to get burned up and something made of natural materials that are a bit more durable will no doubt be sought, and a wand would again be perfect.  I mean, a wand possessed by a fire spirit is pretty darn close to a wand of fire blasting ...

Marcus

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« Reply #11 on: <06-02-18/1431:22> »
If wands were the best tool for the job then that's what worlds casters would use. I don't think any one assigns religious value to harry potter style wands, and I'm not purposing stating out the ark of the covenant or Zulfiqur here. Stating out the worlds great holy objects is obviously a lose lose proposition but that has nothing to do with wanting to see, wand foci become the preferred tool for spellslinging. 

I still see far to many weapon focus mono-whips and everything we can do end that travesty is worth while.

Also this isn't a new idea, the end of 4th we had wands that did better stuff b/c they were made from trees that would eat you. So this isn't anything we haven't seen before. Further its not like I purposed stopping people from getting rings amulet etc as they have in the past. I do want to end magic mono-whips but that's a different issue.
« Last Edit: <06-02-18/1507:56> by Marcus »
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Marcus

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« Reply #12 on: <06-02-18/1528:34> »
Heck we could make it as another magic based Martial Art, call it Wand Slinging.
Make some more magic martial art maneuvers with the same sorts of bonuses and there ya go.
We have gun arts why not wand arts? 
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Reaver

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« Reply #13 on: <06-02-18/1636:15> »
.... I don't think any one assigns religious value to harry potter style wands, ....


Dude, all I am going to say is... "Starting running now!"



Once the "Potterites" hear of this, they will hunt you down....



How far is their reach? just google "Muggle" to see.
Where am I going? And why am I in a hand basket ???

Remember: You can't fix Stupid. But you can beat on it with a 2x4 until it smartens up! Or dies.

Marcus

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« Reply #14 on: <06-02-18/1751:00> »
.... I don't think any one assigns religious value to harry potter style wands, ....

Dude, all I am going to say is... "Starting running now!"

Once the "Potterites" hear of this, they will hunt you down....

How far is their reach? just google "Muggle" to see.

It's not like you to get your undies in bunch over some broom riding hippies Reaver.
I'm more worried about Lormyr and his panzer assault canon. I actually might run afoul of him one these days. lol
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