Spaceships with Magic Power Plants

Mgellis · 05-29-2011, 08:41 AM

A few quick questions...

The soulburner version of a magic power plant lists the number of souls needed for a certain number of power points. The caged spirit version does not. Also, the one ship included in Spaceships 7 with the caged spirit power plant, while large, appears to only need one spirit to run it.

Is the assumption that because this is a powerful spirit, only one is needed? That's fine...it makes sense for a lot of settings, etc. But how do you decide how powerful the spirit is? Is this just deliberately open-ended so it can fit various settings and other details are left to GM decision? (In theory, you could say that any soul can power a ship...maximum SM is Will-6 or something.)

Among other things, I'm wondering how you'd model Asura Cryin', where the mechas are powered by spirits of people in suspended animation and you can burn them out (although they don't seem to be particularly tormented). This sounds like soul burner, but there's an indication that the soul can also be released, and only one is needed, which sounds more like caged spirit.

If it is simply--"Caged spirit costs 8 times what a regular soulburner engine costs...it's basically "cosmic" soulburner...you can set up any special rules you want" then that's fine. I just wasn't sure if that is what was meant.

Any ideas?

Mgellis · 05-29-2011, 08:48 AM

Side note...Asura Cryin has a plot that involves reality quakes (I'm not through the series yet but it looks like someone was experimenting with black holes, things got out of hand, and two timelines merged, and the one remaining is unstable and in danger...one of the characters is starting to have memories of his life in "the first world"). The material might be useful for anyone who wants to describe this kind of thing to his or her players.

05-29-2011, 08:41 AM	#1
Mgellis Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Flushing, Michigan	Spaceships with Magic Power Plants A few quick questions... The soulburner version of a magic power plant lists the number of souls needed for a certain number of power points. The caged spirit version does not. Also, the one ship included in Spaceships 7 with the caged spirit power plant, while large, appears to only need one spirit to run it. Is the assumption that because this is a powerful spirit, only one is needed? That's fine...it makes sense for a lot of settings, etc. But how do you decide how powerful the spirit is? Is this just deliberately open-ended so it can fit various settings and other details are left to GM decision? (In theory, you could say that any soul can power a ship...maximum SM is Will-6 or something.) Among other things, I'm wondering how you'd model Asura Cryin', where the mechas are powered by spirits of people in suspended animation and you can burn them out (although they don't seem to be particularly tormented). This sounds like soul burner, but there's an indication that the soul can also be released, and only one is needed, which sounds more like caged spirit. If it is simply--"Caged spirit costs 8 times what a regular soulburner engine costs...it's basically "cosmic" soulburner...you can set up any special rules you want" then that's fine. I just wasn't sure if that is what was meant. Any ideas?

05-29-2011, 08:48 AM	#2
Mgellis Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Flushing, Michigan	Re: Spaceships with Magic Power Plants Side note...Asura Cryin has a plot that involves reality quakes (I'm not through the series yet but it looks like someone was experimenting with black holes, things got out of hand, and two timelines merged, and the one remaining is unstable and in danger...one of the characters is starting to have memories of his life in "the first world"). The material might be useful for anyone who wants to describe this kind of thing to his or her players.