Feats, their description and use

From: Nils Weinander <nils_at_...>
Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:55:07 +0100


Hmm, tempers have run somewhat hot in the feat discussion, so maybe I'm just adding a few mines to the minefield...

However, I think Mike has a point, that has mainly gone past the discussion: while descriptions of individual feats can be a mixed blessing, there is a definite lack of down to earth advice on how to apply rules in actual game play.

Something on the line of:

"Affinities are magic abilities of a general kind, you ask your god to help you with healing or wind or fire or whatever area of influence your god has power over. Normally you use affinities to augment other abilities, but you can use them directly for example to resist hostile magic. The narrator may allow direct use of affinities as the attack ability in a contest if she deems it suitable, but this will incur an improvisational penalty.

Feats are specific magic abilities which relate to mythic actions by your deity. You call on your god and try to do as the god did in myth. As myths always have many meanings, feats can almost always be used in many different ways. The name of the feat and the myths of the god give inspiration for this use. You can use feats both for augmentation and as the main ability of a contest. If the feat seems to support it you may also use it in a simple contest during an unrelated action in an extended contest, to try to get an advantage. For example, during a melee combat extended contest you can take an unrelated action and attempt a Shield Destroyer feat against an opponent with shield. If you get a Complete Victory in the simple contest, the feat succeeeds as planned and the opponent loses the advantage he got from the shield in the remaining exchanges of the extended contest. Remember however that you need a Complete Victory to get the exact outcome you want. The narrator may decide that you get some advantage from a lesser degree of victory in the simple contest, but there is a risk that you just lose an action.

...

similar for spirits, blessings and spells"



Nils Weinander
We sail on a ship made of dreams.

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