Free Spirit Powers
Animal Form
(Physical Power, Exclusive Action, Range of Self, Special Duration)
A free spirit can materialize in the form of a non-magical animal (see p. 19, Critters, for statistics). In animal form, add the spirit’s Spirit Energy to the critter’s normal physical Attributes and use the spirit’s Force in place of the critter’s mental Attributes. The animal form also has the power of immunity to normal weapons, based on its Spirit Energy rather than Essence. While in this form, the spirit retains all its other powers and can speak if it wishes. It also gains the +10 materialized Initiative bonus when in this form. Killing the animal form disrupts the spirit.
Creating this animal form to inhabit on the physical plane requires the spirit to make an Exclusive Simple Action, but maintaining it takes no effort. Returning to the astral plane requires another Exclusive Simple Action.
Free nature spirits usually appear in the form of an animal native to their domain. On the rare occasions when elementals appear as animals, they use a large, powerful animal form.
Astral Gateway
(Mana Power, Exclusive Complex Action, LOS Range, Sustained Duration)
A free spirit can use the astral gateway power to bring the astral and physical planes into closer contact. The power permits anyone, magician or non-magician, to project into astral space, either to the astral plane or to the spirit’s native metaplane. As long as the spirit maintains watch over the traveler’s physical body, it does not suffer Essence loss.
Should the spirit leave off guarding the traveler’s body, however, the gateway closes. A full magician can try to find a way back to his body in the standard way, but others die instantly. Non-initiates abandoned on a metaplane also die instantly.
Normally, a spirit uses this power on willing subjects. However, a free spirit with this power and the power of possession can force anyone, even mundanes, into astral combat so that it may possess them. Free spirits cannot, however, use this power to suck victims into astral space and then abandon them to die.
Aura Masking
(Mana Power, Automatic Action, Range of Self, Always Duration)
This power allows a free spirit to mask its aura in two ways. It can match its aura to its present physical form (animal or human) or it can make its aura look like that of a normal spirit of its type.
This power has an effect similar to metamagical masking. Use Spirit Energy in place of grade. Only an initiate can determine the true nature of a masked aura. In order to do this, the initiate must make a Magic Test against a target number equal to the spirit’s Force. The initiate needs a number of successes equal to the difference between his grade and the spirit’s Spirit Energy to see through the masking.
If the test is successful, the initiate knows the spirit’s aura is masked and on which metaplane its true nature can be learned. If the initiate wants to view the spirit’s true aura, she must undertake an astral quest to the spirit’s native metaplane with a Quest Rating equal to the spirit’s Force plus Spirit Energy.
An initiate who completes the quest can view the spirit’s true aura. The character automatically learns the spirit’s true name and gains the usual information from assensing.
Free spirits with aura masking can also perceive the true nature of masked auras. The gamemaster makes a secret Force Test to see if this occurs. Alternatively, the gamemaster may simply decide to let the spirit pierce the mask without effort. A free spirit with this power can also deliberately mask their aura in the same manner as an initiate with masking.
Dispelling
(Mana Power, Complex Action, LOS Range, Instant Duration)
The spirit can break spells via dispelling. The spirit does so according to the standard rules, using its Force plus Spirit Energy as its effective Sorcery Skill.
Hidden Life
(Physical Power, Automatic Action, Special Range, Always Duration)
With this power, the spirit permanently places its life force in some place or thing. Destroying the hiding place destroys the spirit. As long as the hiding place remains safe, however, the spirit can never be permanently banished or destroyed by any means, and all its physical forms possess the power of regeneration. Even when this power fails, however, the spirit is not destroyed, merely disrupted for a time. Even someone who knows its true name cannot destroy the spirit if it has hidden its life.
Though the spirit’s life force is protected from most normal harm in this way, much depends on the nature of the hiding place. All hiding places are protected from magical or mundane damage by “armor” equal to the spirit’s Force plus Spirit Energy.
A spirit can also hide its life in an animal, giving the animal the powers of immunity to age, normal weapons, pathogens and toxins, as well as regeneration. The animal’s Attributes increase by a value equal to the spirit’s Force. Such animals become puppets of the spirit.
Rumor has it that free spirits with this power can hide their life inside a metahuman. Presumably, the metahuman receives
the same advantages as an animal serving as a hiding place, but the effects of such a relationship on the metahuman will and mind remain unknown. The gamemaster can give a person hiding the spirit’s life Mental Flaws equal in value to the Spirit Energy. The number of Mental Flaws will increase as the Spirit Energy increases.
Human Form
(Mana Power, Exclusive Complex Action, LOS Range, Sustained Duration)
The spirit can assume any metahuman form it desires, in a manner similar to materialization. While in this shape, it has the normal physical Attributes for its type, with a bonus to each equal to its Spirit Energy. Mental Attributes equal Force. In addition, this form has the power of immunity to normal weapons, based on Spirit Energy rather than Essence. The standard +10 materialized Initiative bonus also applies. The appearance of its human form, whether male or female, old or young, beautiful or hideous, is entirely up to the spirit. Killing the human form disrupts the spirit.
Creating this human form to inhabit on the physical plane requires the spirit to make an Exclusive Simple Action, but maintaining it takes no effort. Returning to the astral plane requires another Exclusive Simple Action.
Personal Domain
(Physical Power, Automatic Action, Special Range, Always Duration)
The spirit selects some area where its powers are greater than normal. A nature spirit must choose a site in a domain appropriate to its type. The personal domain has a maximum area of 10,000 square meters times the spirit’s Force.
Within a spirit’s personal domain, its Spirit Energy doubles. This bonus applies to all powers and physical Attributes influenced by Spirit Energy. A spirit with Force 4 and Spirit Energy 3 would have an effective Force of 10 when using powers in its personal domain.
A free spirit with a personal domain and the possession power can attempt to possess anyone, willing or not, astrally active or not, in its domain. It forces the victim to engage in astral combat and can possess him if it wins.
A spirit cannot change its personal domain once it is chosen. If the domain is physically destroyed or drastically altered, the spirit loses its expanded power. For example, if a swamp spirit chooses a particular marsh as its personal domain, turning the marsh into a landfill destroys the domain. A spirit will, of course, fight ferociously to prevent such interference with its domain.
Some people speculate that free spirits whose personal domains are destroyed sometimes become toxic spirits, especially when the domain is destroyed by pollution.
Possession
(Mana Power, Complex Action, LOS Range, Sustained Duration)
Free spirits frequently have the power of possession.
This power allows the spirit to possess a living being, similar to the metamagical technique of Possessing, with the following differences.
The spirit can also inhabit a willing host, but the host must be astrally active (with the exception of loa summoners and serviteurs, who may be possessed through the magical link they have established with the loa). The host invites the spirit to enter, but the spirit decides when it will leave, unless it is exorcised.
A spirit has access to its own knowledge and skills as well as the knowledge and skills of its host. All the host’s physical Attributes are increased by an amount equal to the spirit’s Force. The host’s mental Attributes are replaced by the spirit’s. If the host did not willingly submit to possession, add +2 to all the spirit’s target numbers while possessing that body.
If the victim is killed or knocked unconscious, the spirit is unharmed, but it is driven back into astral form. Banishing the possessing spirit disrupts it rather than killing it. Mana spells and critter powers affect the spirit, while physical spells and powers affect only the host body.
Spirits using possession maintain the use of all of their powers with the following exceptions: corrosive secretions, engulf, materialization.
Sorcery
(Mana Powers, Variable Action, Range, and Duration)
A spirit uses Sorcery Skill exactly like any other magician. Free allies always have this power. The spirit’s Spell Pool is equal to its Force. The beginning Sorcery Skill rating is equal to its Spirit Energy.
Like a magician, a spirit spends Good Karma to increase its skill and learn spells. A spirit, however, does not need the usual tools and props of magicians. Neither does the spirit need a teacher or a spell formula because it is always in tune with mana, the heart and source of magic. It must still spend the same amount of time a character needs to learn the spell. In addition, when casting a spell, the spirit must abide by the following rules:
- Drain does not affect the spirit. The spirit cannot, however, cast a spell at a Force greater than its own Force.
- To use Sorcery on the physical plane, the spirit must materialize. It cannot cast spells that affect the physical plane while it remains in astral space. The spirit is subject to all the normal spell-targeting rules.
Wealth
(Physical Power, Exclusive Complex Action, LOS Range, Permanent Duration)
Wealth gives the spirit the power to create precious stones or metals. A spirit sophisticated in the ways of metahumans may, like a genie from the Arabian Nights, produce exotic fabrics, artworks and so on. Material created shows as magical when assensed and permanently carries the spirit’s astral signature.
The spirit can produce wealth with a base value of 1,000 nuyen times its Force. Roll dice equal to the Spirit Energy and multiply the result by the base value. For example, a spirit with Force 4 and Spirit Energy 3 can produce 3D6 x 4,000 nuyen worth of valuables once every 30 days.
Market conditions vary, of course. The gold, jewels and other precious items a spirit produces may be hard to sell. Even if a character finds a buyer who will waive a fence’s fees, people will wonder where he came up with all this stuff.
A free spirit active in metahuman society often uses this power to bankroll its operations. Other free spirits do not generally use it for themselves and scoff at the excitement humans display when the spirit demonstrates its wealth power.
