>From: "sarahnewton111" <sarah.newton_at_...>
>
>i.) I understand that there are instances when the devotee might
>want to use Swordhelp as an active ability.
This is what I said to Paul, more or less. But it's not because of the opposition resistance being lowered neccessarily. It may simply be that the ability in question is the only one for the job. As Gavain pointed out, for instance, using a feat can be important prep in a ritual. Remember that, while they can't be used simultaneously, they can be used sequentially. Which may actually be ruled to produce similar results (the narrator can rule that you get a situational bonus or a ritual bonus or something as a result of the previous effort).
>ii.) I wonder if it's possible for a devotee to augment with BOTH
>the affinity and the feat?
What I'm suggesting is tantamount to allowing abilities to stack, mechanically. But not precisely the same. From a balance POV, the limit on use of Augments is important because Theism has other advantages over, say, Wizardry (where one needs books and/or talismans to do magic). That alone doesn't justify it, but it's a good reason to keep it if you can buy into the other uses I'm talking about.
This is all related to the "Only three magic augments" rule, as I see it. That is, it has to do with how much preparation time a character has in a given situation, and how much time and effort these sorts of magic take. One way around the augment limitation, for example, is to cast a spell or something giving it a duration (with attendant penalty), that'll take it into the next contest. I'd allow an augment in this case (roll it as a variable augment with the duration penalty), even if the character then casts three more preparatory spells.
Now, with feats this probably isn't as kosher - the notion seems to be that as soon as you start to use the affinity for anything else, that the old effect must go away. But I think it's certainly possible to use the ability to gain a situational modifier as I've said. So, with Sword Help, for instance, maybe you use that to actually sharpen the sword before battle or something. In which case, sure, the magic fades and you can't make more swords sharp, but the sword remains sharp and you get a bonus therefore. Again, variable augment rolls are good for this stuff.
What you definitely can't do with a feat is to use both sword help and the affinity it comes from "on the spot." If ambushed, for instance, you might not be allowed any augments from magic at all. If you are, then you'll have to do some pretty fancy explaining to make it plausible that the character is altering the situation with such abilities to allow a rolling bonus. Practically speaking I think it wouldn't be allowed (I wouldn't often, barring some really neat idea).
In an extended contest, however, you probably can take a round ("Unrelated Action") to do something like this.
This is all practical advice, BTW, we did one such "roll-over" contest for a feat in a game Monday night. A guy wanted to use a feat to gain an augment in the form of a good omen to carry into his next conflict. He failed the variable augment roll, and ended up with an ill omen instead (the daimone horses simply didn't ride through the mists as expected). So we're waiting to see what the omen ends up applying to - whatever contest occurs next is what we're ruling.
If you're a player with feats, be proactive about this. Come up with things you think that the feat is good for, and do them.
Mike
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