[IW] Updating "Georgia Bush" to G4e

[DaltonS]

I've created two new "Georgia Bush" G4e character sheets. The first has all the same levels of attributes and traits as found on the G3e one (Wizards p.115) with some skill upgrades due to the elimination of half-point skills for 253 points. In the second, I dropped IQ and HP one level and raised Magery to 3 (this kept all the spells the same) and added points to some (but not all) of the IQ based skills to match their levels to the original sheet values for 250 points. I have several questions:

1. Which one should I use to represent her when she was just starting her mission?
2. Neither version includes the Security Clearance advantage which she would need to learn classified Planar travel magic. Should I include it, and if so at what level?
3. Her original character sheet gave her "Plane Shift (Merlin)" without the prerequisite "Planar Summons (Merlin)". Should I add that spell?
4. How should I upgrade her to reflect 6 years of experience as of IW? Or 11 years to bring her up to the present day? (I'd be amazed if her Homeline cover ID actually held up that long.)
5. Did her CIA know they were sending her to a "no mana" world? If so, how did they expect her to make reports? (I know IW mentioned her going to mana-positive alternates to report, but how could her bosses anticipate that possibility?)
6. How did she set up her cover ID on arrival? (Remember, no mana, no magic.) Wouldn't Inifinity do a background check of someone requesting travel to a mana-positive world?
7. Has anyone actually used her in an adventure?

I'm currently working on another thread on how her CIA got her to Homeline in the first place. (The obstacles are formidable, but not insurmountable.)

Dalton "who always thought this was a daring enterpise" Spence

[David Johnston2]

Were I to use Georgia Bush, I would choose one of two options. Either I'd make Homeline actually a low-mana world or I'd give her Mana Enhancer.

[DaltonS]

I've thought about that, but the Sheldrake Section of Paralabs is pretty sure that Homeline is no-mana. I'm not so certain about that; the Time Travel Adventure that started it all ("Soulburner") stated at the end that the Albuquerque area (at least) was low mana. I know this was probably to allow the newly undead Agent Marie Kingfisher to return home (at least for her debriefing), but an argument can be made that if the oz-particles connected to parachronic currents and banestorms by para-physics in IW are the same ones connected to mana transfer by Merlin mana-physics, then the activity of parachronic projectors on Homeline might "leak" enough of them to raise the local mana level to "low". (Perhaps the Sheldrake para-physicists conduct their mana-detection experiments away from projector stages to minimize interference, not realizing this "interference" is exactly what they are looking for. ;)) The range of the effect would have to be short but usable; say a half-mile radius for a standard 2 ton projector up to slightly less than 2 miles for a 30-ton stage (I'm thinking inverse square law here) varying a bit depending on traffic.

Dalton "who wonders of Cabal infiltrators would discover this effect" Spence

[Davies]

Originally Posted by DaltonS

I've thought about that, but the Sheldrake Section of Paralabs is pretty sure that Homeline is no-mana.

They're wrong. At least parts of it are low mana, aspected in a way with which they're unfamiliar. Ironically, that aspect is for planar travel, making it easier.

Simple solution.

Chris Davies.

[DaltonS]

Originally Posted by Davies

They're wrong. At least parts of it are low mana, aspected in a way with which they're unfamiliar. Ironically, that aspect is for planar travel, making it easier.

Is that an opinion/option, or can you give me an in-book reference for that? Although if parachronics is directly connected to oz particle flows, perhaps the entire science is actually planar travel magic in disguise. :) Of course, before the Merlin CIA can send agents to Homeline, they have to find it find it first. The only way that makes sense to me is if an Infinity Patrol agent is identified by Merlin's FBI (which has jurisdiction in matters of domestic counter-espionage) and is secretly tagged with an enhanced Trace spell. While I-Cops would probably purchase some commercial Scryguard spells for security, how well they would work against government surveillance magic is problematical.

Dalton "who really should start his CIA Planar Magic thread soon" Spence

[Davies]

Originally Posted by DaltonS

Is that an opinion/option, or can you give me an in-book reference for that?

I made it up.

Chris Davies.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by DaltonS

Is that an opinion/option, or can you give me an in-book reference for that? Although if parachronics is directly connected to oz particle flows, perhaps the entire science is actually planar travel magic in disguise.

Originally Posted by Davies

I made it up.

Given that it was meant as an option, a possible rationale explaining how Bush is able to operate, Dalton's follow-up sentence looks like it would dovetail nicely with it.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by DaltonS

I've thought about that, but the Sheldrake Section of Paralabs is pretty sure that Homeline is no-mana.

Pretty sure isn't 100% sure. But if you were inclined to make Homeline no mana, then I'd suggesting putting Georgia Bush somewhere else since I wouldn't let a Planar Travel spell work into a no-mana zone.