Astral Space, several questions

[PiXeL01]

After playing Shadowrun as long as it has existed my understanding of Astral Space is somewhat screwed as I try to apply that concept to this setting. But although the two settings share a universe (or used to) the rules on Astral Space differ.
Yesterday I was trying to read up on the topic but could not find answers to all my questions. So I turn once again to you very knowledgeable and experienced people.

How do pure astral beings affect physical space? Can all such beings make themselves visible and communicate or are they stuck? (Despairthought at least can do this)

Can astral beings affect patterns as they are being woven? Are weaves and matrices visible to beings lurking around a caster making it possible to attack and disrupt spells before they are completed? (the Horror Taint seems to be able to do this or at least Mark)

Pure astral Horrors and marks: how do these beings mark Namegivers? Only via items and cursed places?

Are Adepts active on Astral Space during the moment they use Talents.

Can adepts using astral sight see through inanimate objects like hoods? ("Wireframe" or solid?)

[ChrisDDickey]

I'm not going to touch most of your questions, but here http://fasagames.com/archiveforum/viewt ... =17&t=1818
is the astral sight thread where most issues with astral sight were hashed out at length.
With more issues explored in the Etheral Darkness thread http://fasagames.com/archiveforum/viewt ... ight+chest

The short answer is that you can't see through objects, however a persons aura and/or pattern might be ruled to extend a few cm out from their skin. Most would allow you to study and recognize the pattern of a person clothed normally (ie face and hands uncovered but everything else covered). It seems reasonable to presume you can also study the aura and/or pattern of a person wearing a mask or one seen from behind.

You also specifically said "hood" and not mask. A hood that shadows your face from all physical light sources present will do nothing to shadow your aura or pattern which are lit by their own glow.

[PiXeL01]

Thank you. I will look through the links later.

Hood probably should have been blindfold.
However I think you answered that question so it should be "no you cannot use Astral sight to see past a blindfold."

Thank you again

[The Undying]

Many of your questions are answered in the Player's Guide.

Many of your questions about "can an astral entity do X" are basically "why not - make one that can, just make sure it's balanced." Astral creatures are incredibly varied, and some are left over entities from when the barriers between realms was weak during the Scourge. So, something's may be able to, some may not; some may be do it one way, some another; some may be limited to doing it within X context, others Y.

[Kosmit]

In 4th edition Astral Sight no longer allows seeing through solid non-magical imprints.

[The Undying]

@Kostmit

Correct. Lifesight does fill that roll now, though.

[ChrisDDickey]

Hood probably should have been blindfold.
However I think you answered that question so it should be "no you cannot use Astral sight to see past a blindfold."

Excepting that Astral Sight makes no use of the eyes whatsoever. It works even if there are no eyes. so covering the eyes only will have no more effect than covering the chest does.
I was looking at your question before as "what can you see of a person whose face is covered" not "what can a person whose face is covered see" - however I would say the answer and reasons are the same.

So the questions become, what parts of his body can the adept use as the center point for his astral sight. The location of his eyes, his brain, or anywhere in his body? Does it vary from adept to adept and creature to creature? Might some see out of the center of their forehead (the mystical 3rd eye) or from their spleen? Is it always the same place that you discover and cover? Can some adepts more their sensing location around? The next question is how far outside of his own skin can an adept see through barriers such as his own clothing as if they were not there?

There is a huge amount of room here for a GM to make whatever ruling he feels like, but my own personal opinion would be that covering the eyes only would do no good at all, since most adepts astral sight can see out of any side of the head they chooses to focus the effect. So a hood might be better for the purpose than a simple blindfold. However I also feel that a simple hood would not be adequate. Once again, I always picture an aura as extending several cm out of ones skin, extending past most clothing and whatnot. I feel that probably a person ought to be able to astral sight out of any part of their heads (at least) aura. So seeing out of a hood yes, out of a well placed basket, probably not.

Again, lots of scope for GM interpretation here.

[The Undying]

I think it's a hard sell, given RAW, that astral/Thread/life sight (SIGHT) does not use eyes. The descriptions in the Talents, the sections of Astral Sensing, and the examples all use over and over again the word "see." Namegivers see with their eyes. There's no additional text, whether intended as fluff or mechanics, that says things like "opens their mind's eye" to suggest the center of their perception changes. The concept of a blind Namegiver and Astral/Thread/Life sight isn't really explored in the Player's Guide. Much like in the real world, though, glasses that improve sight, red lasers that identify targets, and things of that nature do NOT help the blind. So, in that sense (haha), it would make sense (haha) that a physical barrier over the eyes would block Astral sight.

Now, if you want to reinterpret it, go for it! Nothing says that Astral Sight can't be interpreted as Astral Perception where Adepts get a sense of the things around them versus SEEING what is around them. I could also see (haha) a natural, maybe low-rank Knack for each of these talents that changes it to "Perception" and allows sensing in forms other than sight.

[The Undying]

More bolstering for Sight meaning SIGHT is the Astral-Sensitive Eye, found on page 416. This alters the eye, not another organ. Normal Sight out of the eye becomes cloudy but still functions, and "the eye allows him to see into Astral space as if he possessed the Astral Sight talent."

[etherial]

More bolstering for Sight meaning SIGHT is the Astral-Sensitive Eye, found on page 416. This alters the eye, not another organ. Normal Sight out of the eye becomes cloudy but still functions, and "the eye allows him to see into Astral space as if he possessed the Astral Sight talent."

Astral-Sensitive Eye does not alter the eye. IT CONSUMES THE EYE. Having literal eyes has never been a requirement for Astral Sight because blind folks seeing oogy magical stuff is really common in fantasy (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, for example).