General Shadowrun Questions III: Ya like that, Chummer?

[LibraryOgre]

Can I summon a Hearth Spirit and have it clean my house? How many tasks is that? Can it make dinner for me?

EDIT: And, since there may be folks who haven't seen them before: The CLUE Files.

[comicshorse]

Can I summon a Hearth Spirit and have it clean my house? How many tasks is that? Can it make dinner for me?

EDIT: And, since there may be folks who haven't seen them before: The CLUE Files.

I certainly hope so. I've been having my P.C. Shamans doing that since Second Edition
Not sure I'd trust a meal made by a being that doesn't eat though

P.S.
Spring cleaning getting you down? I noticed a similar post in the WoD thread from you

[LibraryOgre]

I certainly hope so. I've been having my P.C. Shamans doing that since Second Edition
Not sure I'd trust a meal made by a being that doesn't eat though

P.S.
Spring cleaning getting you down? I noticed a similar post in the WoD thread from you

Nah, just a wild hair that I figured could go a couple different places.

[Lord Torath]

Can I summon a Hearth Spirit and have it clean my house? How many tasks is that? Can it make dinner for me?

I wouldn't have a problem with this. I'd even let "clean the house" be a single service.

Will spirits keep doing their service after you leave their domain? Could you have one hearth spirit start cleaning house, then go next door, summon a new one, and set it cleaning house as well? If so, Daisy Maids just got some new competition.

[comicshorse]

I'm not sure I'd want a stranger to see what the spirit of my house looks like

[Misereor]

Can I summon a Hearth Spirit and have it clean my house? How many tasks is that? Can it make dinner for me?

EDIT: And, since there may be folks who haven't seen them before: The CLUE Files.

Yup.

One, unless your house is really big.

Karen is sorely missed.

And if you're the GM, you can add some flavor, depending on what your hearth spirit is like. A spirit summoned in a penthouse might look like a butler, prepare some delicious Sushi with a delicious Souffle for desert, and have the house shining like a newly minted quarter. A spirit from the Redmond Barrens might look like a gangbanger, would probably make soyflavored goop, turn the carpet over, and kick the dead rats into the nearest corner. One summoned in the safehouse of the group's hacker might appear to be overweight, order a pizza and turn on the Robosweep 9000, before putting it's feet up and watching the telly.

[DigoDragon]

...now I'm curious as to what kind of shows a summoned spirit would want to watch.

[LibraryOgre]

Can you summon a low-force water spirit with a fish tank?

[comicshorse]

Can you summon a low-force water spirit with a fish tank?

And if you do do you get a Water spirit walking around with a bunch of fish swimming around inside it ?

[DigoDragon]

Can you summon a low-force water spirit with a fish tank?

If the answer is yes, then you could weaponize a house's water heater. O_o

[Misereor]

If the answer is yes, then you could weaponize a house's water heater. O_o

In the novel "Choose you enemies carefully", a toxic shaman summons a water spirit from a stack of drums of toxic waste.
Don't know what force it was, but it had no problems tearing it's way out of the drums and engulfing (*shudder*) a hapless security guard.

[druid91]

...now I'm curious as to what kind of shows a summoned spirit would want to watch.

The answer is Theatre shows. Since they can't actually perceive electronic screens.

[DigoDragon]

The answer is Theatre shows. Since they can't actually perceive electronic screens.

Yeah? Not even when fully manifested?

[comicshorse]

...now I'm curious as to what kind of shows a summoned spirit would want to watch.

Reality TV. What better to make you feel superior to the dumb meatbags who keep ripping you out of your home and demanding you do stuff for them

[raygun goth]

Yeah? Not even when fully manifested?

Yeah, fully manifested free spirits can't see tv or computer screens, can't use commlinks or anything

Which is silly, there's magically active bacteria and algae, which means you can easily make a magically active tv screen or computer monitor

Honestly I'm surprised SR's world doesn't have soy bars with 3D-printed mineral components that can store small amounts of data, play an ad, or automatically flavor themselves if you put in a valid e-mail address

[Dimers]

Which is kinda silly, really, since they're not blocked from hearing audio created via speakers. What, sound waves are spiritual but photons aren't?

[Telok]

What about e-paper? I recall hearing (a couple years ago?) about a sheet covered with magnetic molecules that were essentially light on one side and dark on the other. You basically wrote and erased with magnets. Of course at that point you have to ask why they can't see lcd screens and all digital readouts like watches.

Still, not sure I'd want a stranger summoning the spirit of my house. How much do the spirits know about what goes on?

Can we try summoning the spirit of the TV and have it... play itself? or something.

[comicshorse]

" I'm watching the little people who live inside the box performing a play. No REALLY, that's exactly what I'm doing"

[LibraryOgre]

What about e-paper? I recall hearing (a couple years ago?) about a sheet covered with magnetic molecules that were essentially light on one side and dark on the other. You basically wrote and erased with magnets. Of course at that point you have to ask why they can't see lcd screens and all digital readouts like watches.

Still, not sure I'd want a stranger summoning the spirit of my house. How much do the spirits know about what goes on?

Can we try summoning the spirit of the TV and have it... play itself? or something.

As I understand it, the TV does not have a spirit in a meaningful sense, unless it's been inhabited by one. Most of the spirit will be spirits of place or of elements... so you summon the spirit of your apartment building, and it will look like your apartment building's spirit. If you live in a BTL den, it's going to look like a chiphead. If you live in a working class block in the barrio, it's going to look like the stereotype of the hard working Latina mom. If you live in an upper class high rise, it might look like a butler or domestic servant (because corp scum have no souls).

[Aergentum]

A quick question about character creation:

At creation spending your resources you can buy only gear with Avail of 6 or less, and 6R (restricted) needs you to have a licence to carry it. 6F (forbidden) is just banned for use so you don't need a fake license, but just be careful to not get caught with it righ?

[Misereor]

A quick question about character creation:

At creation spending your resources you can buy only gear with Avail of 6 or less, and 6R (restricted) needs you to have a licence to carry it. 6F (forbidden) is just banned for use so you don't need a fake license, but just be careful to not get caught with it righ?

12[RF] or less at character creation.
F just means forbidden for *civilian* use, so you can carry around F gear if you have an appropriate fake military or law enforcement identity.
Not that it will help you much if your heavily tatooed troll in mil-spec armor, carrying a minigun and a portable anti-tank rocket, is spotted loitering around outside a downtown jewelry store.

[DeTess]

A quick question about character creation:

At creation spending your resources you can buy only gear with Avail of 6 or less, and 6R (restricted) needs you to have a licence to carry it. 6F (forbidden) is just banned for use so you don't need a fake license, but just be careful to not get caught with it righ?

12[RF] or less at character creation.
F just means forbidden for *civilian* use, so you can carry around F gear if you have an appropriate fake military or law enforcement identity.
Not that it will help you much if your heavily tatooed troll in mil-spec armor, carrying a minigun and a portable anti-tank rocket, is spotted loitering around outside a downtown jewelry store.

I think it might be a good idea to specify editions here, as this changes between editions.

[Aergentum]

I think it might be a good idea to specify editions here, as this changes between editions.

Sorry I'm using the 5e Corebook

[Muninn]

Sorry I'm using the 5e Corebook

5e caps availability at 12. Device rating is capped at 6.

[DigoDragon]

Which is kinda silly, really, since they're not blocked from hearing audio created via speakers. What, sound waves are spiritual but photons aren't?

I could see a case for spirits being unable to use AR or VR tech. They couldn't see a trideo movie because that requires eye-hardware they can't interact with (Isn't there a great dragon working on this issue with magically active beings?), but for a simpler LED screen? I find it hard to believe a spirit couldn't see light patterns on that.

[weckar]

This question mostly pertains to the timeline as of 2nd/3rd ed.
I am failing to find any references to large-scale transportation of goods and people. Are buses and trucks still a thing, or have the corporations provided alternate solutions to these problems that are now in more widespread use?

I could see a case for spirits being unable to use AR or VR tech. They couldn't see a trideo movie because that requires eye-hardware they can't interact with (Isn't there a great dragon working on this issue with magically active beings?), but for a simpler LED screen? I find it hard to believe a spirit couldn't see light patterns on that.

I see no reason why spirits could not use trideo? At least in its original incarnation it required no ware on the users' part, which is why it almost completely superseded 2D screens even for children's use.

[Lord Torath]

The Rigger Black Book (and Rigger 2) detailed a range of delivery trucks, from step-vans (GMC Bulldog) to semi tractor-trailors (GMC 4201 Series Mechanical Mule) to road trains (Nordkapp-Conestoga "Bergen"). There's even a hover-truck. Trucking is still alive and well in 2053.

There were a couple of mini-vans, but I don't recall any full-size buses. I'd call that an oversight rather than evidence that buses no longer exist, though. I'm pretty sure I remember buses appearing in some of the illustrations in the rulebooks and adventures.

[DigoDragon]

Are buses and trucks still a thing, or have the corporations provided alternate solutions to these problems that are now in more widespread use?

The 4e Arsenal book has a generic bus in the vehicles section. I'd assume that means busses always existed. Maybe wasn't something the writers expect the runners to acquire? I used it as the template for the Seattle bus system. My old group hijacked one from the maintenance yard for transporting a bunch of people they rescued from a metahuman trafficking ring.

I see no reason why spirits could not use trideo? At least in its original incarnation it required no ware on the users' part, which is why it almost completely superseded 2D screens even for children's use.

I guess I'm thinking in the later editions where you needed eyewear or cybereyes that can read AR images.

[druid91]

The explanation that I saw was 'Electric screens lack emotional content which is what spirits actually perceive.'

[Telok]

The explanation that I saw was 'Electric screens lack emotional content which is what spirits actually perceive.'

Um... if they're perceiving by 'emotional content' then they'll have a hard time noticing the autodrive city bus about to hit them.

To say nothing about stuff like furniture, doors, drones, and vats of acid. I mean it's one thing to say that they don't notice a TV. But that makes the attack drone shooting missiles at it is "invisible".