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A Magician's Steed

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Unadept

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« on: <01-13-13/1018:31> »
Hey, all,

So, I'm considering making a magician character that focuses on Conjuration and works through his spirits in the Astral, but he needs to keep up with his party as well.  To this end, I've been considering the Transys Steed from Arsenal, but I'm worried that it won't have enough defense for him.  Looking around, I found the Rigger Cocoon, and was wondering if it was appropriate to strap a rigger cocoon into a  Transys Steed?  It basically seems like a bag with a seat in it, and with Armor 20 and Structure 10, which is pretty good, as armor goes- wouldn't protect the Steed, but would protect the mage.

I would also want to drop a Ward on that- I see no reason why I couldn't, and the mage should be able to project through without problems, as mana barriers don't affect their creators (our group has already ruled that mobile walls, like trucks, can be warded).  I was also going to put an Endoscope or Mage Sight Goggles in that, so I can cast spells through that.

Is this not kosher in any way?

Thanks.

CanRay

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« Reply #1 on: <01-13-13/1316:35> »
Other than the fact that everyone would think you're a Rigger or a Decker until the magic started...

Geek The Mage First is still a rule, but that would make for one hell of a hard way to Geek The Mage!

...

Well, at least until the Assault Cannon-Equipped Drones start popping out.
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Unadept

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« Reply #2 on: <01-13-13/1457:09> »
I was considering running it in Stand Alone mode, and communicating with it via 'trodes, so it couldn't be hacked.

In theory, I could do something similar with Possession spirits and some Enchanting, but the Homunculi rules are notoriously inexact.

DaveDaveDaave

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« Reply #3 on: <01-20-13/1846:06> »
I was considering running it in Stand Alone mode, and communicating with it via 'trodes, so it couldn't be hacked.

In theory, I could do something similar with Possession spirits and some Enchanting, but the Homunculi rules are notoriously inexact.

You need to slap Pimped Ride on it too and make it look like a Dalek. Then if people fall over for no clear reason they wont think MAGE, more very cheap special effects. 8)
An Awful lot of people believe a lot of very strange things indeed for no valid reason I can see. They can`t all be right but it is quite likely they all can be very wrong.

Unadept

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« Reply #4 on: <01-21-13/1141:02> »
Ha!  Yes!

Inconnu

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« Reply #5 on: <01-21-13/2134:08> »
This makes me think. If Mirrors count as indirect line of sight, what about cameras? :o

Falconer

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« Reply #6 on: <01-21-13/2257:53> »
You should be fine with this since the drone is designed to carry passengers... though it's not a kevlar flexible body armor bag (which is far less armor than that see p48 arsenal)..  20/20 armor is far more than the heaviest military combat armor suit... it also has no view ports which is very important to you.   Look at the barrier table in SR4a (a security door is only rating 8 armor for comparison sake).

Effectively you put a big fold open windowless plasteel box where the seat is and you climb in.


It means you cannot provide counterspelling to allies unless you're astrally projecting and you can see their astrally active forms (no help to the mundane members of your party).   You cannot target spells through it since it is not worn armor and you're blind. and reliant on vehicle sensors.

Your GM may have issues with such a small drone carrying that much weight though.


If he does here's an alternate suggestion... it's a large drone... but it comes with both walker mode and a valkyrie module built in (cocoon plus high rating medkit/autodoc).

The CrashCart drone in the main book.    Not only that you can spend 1 mod point to up armor the drone itself to 12 obvious.. or 2 points for 10 concealed (the max).

Unadept

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« Reply #7 on: <01-22-13/1548:10> »
I'll keep a weather-eye on the Crash Cart drone, in case the Steed doesn't work.

But if I installed Mage Sight goggles in the cocoon, wouldn't I still be able to see my team and thus provide counterspelling and spells?  Might have some flare-comp problems, but still.

Falconer

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« Reply #8 on: <01-22-13/1707:56> »
Think about that... the mage sight goggle is more or less a small very limited field of view lens at the end of a fiber optic cable.  (think of those things that doctors snake into peoples asses to look inside... or for looking inside the body while doing some surgeries).

How exactly are you keeping your entire team in your field of view with that?  Especially in combat conditions?  Especially if you're using it to look at enemies to cast spells at them.  When your view of the world is like looking through a cardboard tube all the time with no peripheral vision.

Also don't forget casting spells through optics like that is a dice pool negative as well.

Unadept

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« Reply #9 on: <01-22-13/1923:35> »
I could just as easily use a Periscope, rather than a myomeric rope, which should allow for greater vision.

And yes, I'm aware there are penalties, but this is going to be a largely Conjuring-based character, so throwing Combat spells left and right isn't entirely the goal, though nice to have as backup.

The Wyrm Ouroboros

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« Reply #10 on: <01-23-13/0246:53> »
This makes me think. If Mirrors count as indirect line of sight, what about cameras? :o
Cameras do not.  Baseline rule of magic.  What it boils down to is that the photons bouncing off your target have to be the same photons that go into the mage's eyes; no conversion, no image, nothing along those lines.  Mirrors, and by extension the magesight goggles (photon-conducting fiber optics along with, er, mirrors), do the job.  The moment you put electronics between yourself and the target, you interrupt line of sight.
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Inconnu

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« Reply #11 on: <01-23-13/0536:41> »
What about a telescope?(cue firing a mana bolt at aircraft)

The Wyrm Ouroboros

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« Reply #12 on: <01-23-13/0852:36> »
...
...
...*

Yes.  Telescope, standard binoculars, yes.  Electronic enhancements interfere, however, so you're stuck with standard techniques - either the huuuge starlight binox, or just watching carefully, or having essence-paid implants, etc. etc.


* - This is me being nice.
Pananagutan & End/Line

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"Oh, gee - it's Go-Frag-Yourself-O'Clock."
New Wyrm!! Now with Twice the Bastard!!

Laés is ... I forget. -PiXeL01
Play the game. Don't try to win it.

DaveDaveDaave

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« Reply #13 on: <01-24-13/1917:29> »
Yup it still screams Daleks to me. Rigger Cocoon with Mage Sight Goggles explain poor Dalek vision. Even the fact they can`t climb stairs is due to a lack of mod slots for Smart Tires lets seee, in very rough form.

Vehicle Daiatsu-Caterpillar Horseman with Advanced Cargo Module (PMV)
System 3
Firewall 3
Response 3
Signal 3

Category Personal Mobility Vehicles Source AR107
Body 6 Clearsight 
Armor 12 Defense 
Pilot 1 Electronic Warfare 
Sensor 2 Maneuver 
Sensor Signal 5 Targeting 
Device Rating 3 Analyze 
Acceleration 8/16 Encrypt 
Speed 60 Scan 
Handling 1 Armor 
Vehicle Worth 54900 ECCM 
 Applicable Active Skills
SKILL NAME POOL RTG. ATT.
Gunnery 0 0 1 (AGI) 
Navigation 0 0 1 (INT) 
 
MODS
Armor, Normal Rating 12
Mechanical Grapple
Pimped Ride Level 2
Rigger Adaptation
Rigger Cocoon, Enhanced
Weapon Mount (Normal, External, Fixed, Remote)
 GEAR
Vehicle Sensor
WEAPON DAMAGE AP MODE RC AMMO 
Ares MP Laser 3 7P -half SA 0 2x5(c) orexternal source AR 41
Smartgun System
 S: 0-100 M: 101-250 L: 251-500 E: 501-750 
RANGED WEAPONS 
 
                                       
 
 
An Awful lot of people believe a lot of very strange things indeed for no valid reason I can see. They can`t all be right but it is quite likely they all can be very wrong.

Unadept

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« Reply #14 on: <01-24-13/2210:43> »
The Steed has Smart Tires pre-equipped, luckily, not that I don't appreciate the comparison.