Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Senko on <08-24-17/0107:23>
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Previously I tended to use the group skill names for mage job titles if you had a legitimate job (or NPC) that is. . .
If you cast spells or counter them you're a sorcerer.
If you summon, bind or banish spirits you're a conjurer.
If you enchant or disenchant items you're an enchanter.
If you brew potions you're an alchemist.
If you're trained in all disciplines you're a mage.
Now with forbidden we've a lot more mage options where you can have 2 sets of group skills or even part of different groups, even one who can only astrally perceive. So I'm unsure which way to go right now and am looking for feedback on which approach people think is best. Right now I'm leaning towards option one but I'm open to 2 if people think it's better.
1) All magic users are one of three things mage, shaman or priest (insert specific religion title here) and you need to check their records to see what they can do and possibly their tradition. However some jobs have specific job titles e.g. Talismonger.
2) Carry on with my titles indicating what an officially trained magic user can do. The problem here is I need titles for not only each group but each combination of that group and possibly variants for mages vs shamans vs priests and that could get cumbersome without even considering mystic adepts and adepts.
So thoughts please?
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Suggestions:
Conjuring+Sorcery=Adept Apprentice (If you have a larger repertoire you could be upgraded to a Magister)
Conjuring+Alchemy=Binder
Sorcery+Alchemy=(Spell)Weaver
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Can you give an example of what kind of thing you'd have trouble naming? I'm not sure I follow.
Everything in Forbidden Arcana has a name; all the random tradition-specific magicians have very specific names, and that's really the only way to accurate describe them. In-setting, they would probably be described by a handful of terms. The "Licit Qur'anic Mage" of the Islam tradition would probably be called, in various circumstances, a sorcerer, a mage, an alchemist, a priest, and other more specific titles. It's just the nature of the Awakened that they can be difficult to categorize, since it's impossible to tell just by looking at one what they're capable of.
As such, really only option 1 works in my opinion. In casual speech, you can really only know that they're Awakened and what their tradition is (usually because it's a huge part of their life, even if it's not a religion). "Magician" is often used in place of any Awakened capable of using any amount of sorcery, conjuring, or enchanting. Just meaning "magic-user", specifically the ones who aren't adepts and so channel magic outwardly. If you wanted to know more, then things like "sorcery aspect", "apprentice aspect", and then the more tradition-specific thngs, and so on will come up.
@Jack_Spade
Also, I wouldn't suggest calling one "adept", since, you know... Adepts. People do actually call them "physical adepts" and other terms.
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Damn it, I wanted to write Apprentice who were also once called Shamanic Adepts. Classic brain fart.
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Say the mixed hedge wizard or whatever it was (getting ready for work so can't look it up) who has one type of spirit summon and one type of spell casting. Or the one Jack listed of conjuring + sorcerery that's an apprentice which to me is a term linked to someone learning to use magic from a master not a proper trained category. Just personal taste but I've always used apprentice for well apprentices.
Your right about variability of terms its why I'm leaning towards option 1 actually. A shaman may be listed as "Magic user, Conjuration and Alchemy" on their magical licence and in the countries database but the term they're called could be medicine man or Doctor (if they have a medical degree so they can tend peoples physical and spiritual needs) depending on the situation and what's more appropriate.
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Ah, for legal purposes. This, actually, makes it far easier - you just have checkboxes. You don't state style; they can tell that. Their particular path and whether they have a mentor are not, I think, strictly legal questions (or at least not ones which require answers from the individual - privacy and all), but spaces for them could be placed on the application, for them to voluntarily fill out.
John Doe, M.Th., Awakened. Limited sorcery (combat), limited conjuring (beast spirits), astral projection. Aspected shaman, Wolf mentor.
Jane Doeh, Awakened. Physical enhancements (artistic).
Juan D'Oh, Th.D., Awakened. Full sorcery, full conjuring, full alchemy, astral projection. Hermetic mage.
Jaina Dew, Awakened. Full sorcery, astral perception.
That sort of thing. (No, I'm not sure if I got the perception/projection stuff right.) Note how 'Jaina Dew' gave no additional information, so the LEO (or the 'runner who's stolen the information) has to ask questions, or just wonder.
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Hmm I'd have thought you would need to list tradition given the corps decades of only hiring hermetic mages and a few others along with certain religions and nations only allowing "one true magic" practicioners to work there. Same with blood magic actually as there'd be a world of difference between taking down John Doe blood mage and taking down Juan D'oh Aztec priest visting Seattle as a dipiomat. Not saying runners wouldn't take a shot at Juan but casual capturing would be off the cards given he's a 'licenced' blood mage with diplomatic immunity. Unless I've got the wrong end of the stick on how noticeable that type are outside of their corps property. On the other paw I suppose that could be covered by the voluntary listing of information if I go to the middle east I'm obviously not an Iman so while I'm technically 'safe' as a vistiing mage casting a spell there would be a very, very, very bad idea while someone who is an Iman could have that listed along with they completed their studies so it'd be easy for authorities to check and say "yes sir go right ahead sir."
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There's probably a difference between what various countries would require of information. The way I see it, many countries would require option 1, the Islamic countries being a good example whereas I think corporations ( and some countries too ) would probably be more interested in option 2. So your legal papers and title could differ quite a lot depending on who issued it.
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There's probably a difference between what various countries would require of information. The way I see it, many countries would require option 1, the Islamic countries being a good example whereas I think corporations ( and some countries too ) would probably be more interested in option 2. So your legal papers and title could differ quite a lot depending on who issued it.
A corp would have basically complete and total knowledge of every ounce of magic someone working for them can do. Being Awakened is Corp-nip, basically. They can get enough of it, and want to consume as much as possible. Though most of the info wouldn't be available to the lower levels of the corporation; they just don't share that stuff lightly. But considering magic has the feature of being considerably easier to measure than normal skills (Initiation can even function as a metric of one's ability), information on any Awakened employees would have to be regularly updated...
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Of course there's going to be a difference from location to location, and of course any corporation is going to want as much information as they can get, to
squeeze every last nuyen best assign their people to fulfill the corporation's needs. (The fact that corporate mages tended to be hermetics instead of shamanics was more a note about shamans, not about corporations.) But how much information is required would depend on where you live. CAS / UCAS law would not, I think, require much more information besides what you can do, e.g. your ability with sorcery, conjuring, enchanting, and/or personal enhancement channeling. Anything extra would be voluntary.
However.
A certain amount of individuality and privacy is going to be part of what most mages want - just like almost everyone else. (Dog and Prairie Dog shamans might be different, being communal/sharing types. ;) ) Which means that while they may give complete information, especially if there's a benefit of some kind (financial or otherwise), it doesn't mean they automatically will - just because being able to have something of yourself to keep to yourself is important, psychologically.
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Makes sense. Of course you've also got a separate combat magic licence (even if I always house rule that as combat magic not per spell). So there may be other branches that have required information if your capable of them (blood sorcery, anchoring Spells and the like). Even if they're not a separate licence. You could (outside the scope of the game but easily tieable to licence level especially with my houserules on their level equalling how restricted the licence is) you could have levels of licence with able to cast magic under someone else's supervison, able to work alone and able to supervise others. So Dave may not be able to cast magic except under someone with a full contractors licence even if they're not standing right over him they're responsible for his work, Tony can operate alone on a job with his contractors licence and Sarah with a supervisor licence can take responsibility for Dave's work or work on her own.
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You mean academic sounding titles like "theurgist," "thaumaturgist," or "telergist?" Or bland sounding corpspeak like "magisec coordinator" or "Chief Metaphysical Officer"?
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Probably the former, with perhaps links to degrees of competence; a Magic 3 Sorcery 3 fellow would probably not be known by the same titles and honorifics as the Magic 6 Sorcery 6 woman.
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Easy enough to do with job titles but it'd add another layer of difficulty to other identifiers. You can easily be chief of thaumaturgical operations West coast and head of thaumaturgical operations north America or director of thaumaturgical operations northern hemisphere. However trying to identify mages by magic and skill you'd have a nearly infinite number of titles needed as a magic 3 sorcery 3 mage would have a different title to a magic 4 sorcery 3 or a magic 3 sorcery 2 one.
@ agent_juice A mix of both was what I was considering.
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Okay, here's a few job titles to begin with:
Abjurer (Sorcery + Banishing)
Specializes in disrupting spells instead of casting them, relying on Counterspelling and Banishing. Hired by security whenever a mage gets arrested, so referred to by rank if he's Lone Star or Knight's Errant. How does "Detective" or "Staff-Sergeant" sound? He may belong to an Abjuration or Countermagic unit but it's not part of the title.
Parapsychologist (Assensing + Conjuring)
An exorcist with a PhD. If he says he's psychic, run.
Parasurvivalist (Conjuring + Outdoors)
Guides you through awakened wilderness and keeps the spirits off your back. Awakened nations likely require a license to be a guide or a scout in addition to practicing magic. "Pathfinder" is an appropriate title if any.
Molybdomancer (Engineering + Enchanting)
A magician who works with metal and machines. Specialty isn't just enchanting, but working with awakened materials, and making them into machine parts. Might have PhDs in Engineering and Applied Magic, but a hands-on technician doesn't need advanced degrees.
Mostly titles are about rank within an organization, not necessarily what people do. I forget which sourcebook covers rank, though.
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I would think corps would use some of the titles listed above along with some others like Combat Mage, Medical Mage, Astral Support, Astral Security, Support Mage, Control Mage etc.
Most of that would be tied to their function and spell list.
Combat Mage would have a robust list of combat spells or spells that are useful in combat situations if not necessarily from the combat school. Probably expected to also have decent counter spelling as well.
Medical Mage is going ot have a robust list of Health and Detection spells all focused on diagnosing health problems and fixing them. Probably expected to have decent First aid skills as well to apply non magical aid when its cheaper and just as effective.
Astral Support is going to be good at summoning and binding spirits so he can combat drop the spirit army on the enemy or deal with hostile spirits. Maybe good at astral combat as well.
Astral Security will have a nice selection of Wards and barriers and be good and putting them up. Probably good and summoning and binding spirits as well. Honestly an overlapping title with Astral support, the main differential would be being able to put up wards.
I think you get the Idea. Alot of organization would work with these as well as the Chief of Thaumaturgical Operations etc. The Fancy ones would probably be fore important supervisors and managers who dont want to be just a Combat Mage.