Free Spirits

Which is a hard point to make, since how likely that is to happen varies from run to run and GM and to GM. But, I think the most telling point which has been made was the single friend death - each one weakens the FS significantly. Since the FS is likely to be the team's magical support, this means that with each death the team also becomes more vulnerable to magical threats... which means that if the team is facing one such threat, it grows more and more dangerous as a fight progresses if it manages to kill just one player.

Granted, the FS can burn edge to save a friend. Doing so also weakens the FS, since this lowers the number of powers it has available. And it most likely won't get the friend out of overall danger... it only saves the friend from immediate death. Likely what would happen is the friend is mortally wounded, the FS burns edge to save the friend... and then has to do so again in the next turn.

Eventually, the FS runs out of edge, loses a friend, grows even weaker, and the team finds itself minus one mage. At which point the screaming starts. Or continues. Or is chocked off into a strangled gurgle by an eldritch abomination.

T-Hawk is pretty much hitting on the point I was. And if the Spirit is constantly getting disrupted then yeah, ok so maybe he gets a little karma but still not as much as the others. Even if the FS PC continues to gather Karma, if their loosing friends all the time, their also always constantly loosing all that Karma so it kind of balances out. Regardless on the whole every other PC type will wind up having a far easier time gaining Karma. Either way Free Spirit PCs in my opinion, just like Drakes and many other very high BP cost races are not intended for regular 400bp games. And again, there's always the possibility that the other party isn't out to kill the spirit, but instead control it. It's arguably easier to do with a spirit linked to a friendship pact. Just stick a few of it's friends into a gilded cage. If it doesn't do what you want, kill one of them to make a point, that sort of thing.

Also I could be mistaken but I thought a Free Spirit could only burn edge to save some one from dying if aid person's death would cause it to also die?

No, burning the karma works to protect the pact member whether he's the last one or not.

Hey. Look. Squirrel.


We're getting off into tangents, here. Yes, FS are basically unkillable. 'But wait!', you say, 'Only a Mage can really do that!'. Alright, fair enough. How many games have you played in where there was absolutely no magic involved? No mages, no shamans, etc? For 5% of the population, they sure the heck are numerous in runs and shadowrunners. Why? Because they're neat, and they are dangerous, and it's that danger that makes them neat. But, FS are incredibly hard to banish, and the Mage had better be darn well prepared for it. Even more so because of the free default ability they get, 'Difficult to Banish' or some such in their spirit powers. The fact they can't summon other spirits does make them a 'weaker' version of a magic slinger, but they get some nifty things for that trade-off.

'But wait!', you say. 'If a Mega-Corp got involved, they'd be toast!' Well, that's true of any shadowrunner, no matter the species.

As Vanya said somewhere way up there, the whole point of the game is:

A) You're always out-numbered.
B) You're always out-gunned.
C) You will die, unless you play smart. That's the price of living on the edge, but it makes for an exciting Run.

With Spirits, not so much. Just *pop* out of danger, and you're good to go. But now I'm off on a tangent.

The point of the thread was how to apply for one, right? I'd follow T_Hawk's concept, and do it straight from the book. Force determines maximum, so pay up your attributes if you want to materialize, or be a 'possession' spirit, which means you just add your attributes to another character's stats. Does this make it hard to play in 400 BP? Yes. Very much so. But the benefits balance out with the draw-backs, now that I've got a bit more of the game's tendencies in mind. So. We're all settled with how to write one up in the BP system?

Yes?

Yeah, I think we all agree on the rules we're using, if not much else.

OMGWTFBBQ Squirrel!

There are two pooints I need to comment on. One the discrepency between runners companion and street magic. This is settled on page 91 in runners campanion:
CREATING A Free Spirit CHARACTER
These rules cover the play of free spirits as player characters.
A PC free spirit is somewhat different than an NPC. The PC has
a greater level of detail, because, as one of the story’s protagonists,
it is more important than NPC free spirits. As such, they follow
somewhat different rules. Unless otherwise specified, all references
to free spirits in this section denote PC free spirits (NPC free
spirits use the rules on p. 106, Street Magic, unless the gamemaster
chooses otherwise).


Two player death: If I was to go after a Free spirit to eliminate them from game play here is how I how do so, as a GM. Make a mage magic 6, oh and there has been spirit related runs/trouble in the area? So he has a three in sorcery, and a 6 in banishing, 3 in binding, 3 in summoning, 3 assening. Give Banishing focus lv 6, Binding lv3, summoning lv 3, and assening lv 3. basic attributes average. The mage finds your typical hang out. First action assese, with focus 9 dice see if get 5 sucesses, if not don't provoke an attack, if so, switch focuses to banishing, which is a total of 18 dice, how many attempts do you think I will need to get six sucesses that being the max an average pc edge is going to be? I think I could get it in one, Then run away Bravly...
Go to my lodge summon said spirit. (whence the five sucesses on the assensing) Bind said spirit. Now not only is that char not playable to the player. It is a pet for the rest of the mages life. Which I think is FAR worse then being dead. But functionally the same for the player, role up a new character.

Personally it sounds like the people complaining about pirits being unkillable are just the type of players that try killing their teammate for loot, and are mad that this is a character type that would be hard to do that to if your not a mage. This is a FS I would allow in my games as a GM because it is not hard at all to remove them from game if they are being abused... Fair eassier then A mage, or any infected.

Oh one more thing I don't remeber if it was brought in to question here or in the other free spirt thread. The invulnerable to normal weapons just gives them armour against it 2x force, Another easy way to remove them from action.... Sonic Rifle Arsenal page 39. Granted I would be nice and say the spirit doesn't get nauseiated do to lack of nervous system.

I'm curious as to why your responding to this thread 2 years late?

Kesslan wrote:

I'm curious as to why your responding to this thread 2 years late?

Because I am building a free spirt, was looking for other people's imput. Search here for "free spirit" This was one of the two threads that can up, read all of it. Threw in my two cents. Didn't see any reason not to. Especially sense there were what appeared to me unresolved questions. Does it hurt anything me doing so?

Just that thread necromancy generally is frowned upon for various reasons, and most of the posters in this thread have long since stopped being active on this board (Though there are perhaps two of us that still are).

Thus it makes responding to questions that were ultimately handled by the OP 2 years ago rather pointless. If people have difficulties in the future they can always start a new thread that covers their own specific issues, as each scenario is slightly different.

My bad. Just trying to add info, so a new thread didn't have to be made.

At this point with all the rule/book revisions and other official clarifications that have come out it's likely better for some one to start from scratch anyway. Especially when it comes to things like Free Spirits as each one is effectively different (Sure the same core rule set applies but their powers, strength, abilities etc are all vastly different)

Where is a good place to find these? I am interested in staying upto date but got no idea where to look, I am primarly a table topper. But I am looking to expand that and well I am just plain curious.