> But from what you're saying, if the fireball was
> mundane not magical (Mostali?), then the abilities you
> could usefully use to defend against it would alter?
> Or am I still confused? Given three possibilities:
I think you're still confused. Or maybe *I* am...
>a) basic 14
>b) mundane personal ability > 14
>c) magical personal ability > 14
>which ones get ruled out or altered depending on
>whether the attack is mundane or magical?
They can all be used, depending on circumstance
14 is the "Default resistance" - if you can't figure out something better, this is the number you use - against magical *or* mundane attacks. (See "Resistance" page 61)
Magic uses this number if:
A) It's the right magic for the task *AND*
B) there is no active resistance
(See "Natural Resistance" page 98)
If there is a being involved (whether Rat, Man or Daimon), then there is *usually* some sort of active resistance, and you'd use that instead. Items with magical effects on them also get "Active" resistance (assuming the magical effect is right for the job, of course).
(But if, for instance, Our Hero has no legs (a regular down at Gimpy's!), and is targeted by the fireball above, his "Active resistance" options are prettty limited (and we'll also assume that he has no appropriate magic to resist with, to remove the remaining options). So his resistance is 14 no matter whether the attack is Mundane or Magical. (Nasty narrators could make that a "No ability 6" if they really want to - another grey area!).)
Now let's take that fireball and throw it against some things. (The Fireball is using "Set things on Fire 10w" as its ability)
First off, we chuck a fireball at a dragon. It doesn't matter if the fireball comes from a magical Spell or a Hollywood-style catapult (All Hollywood catapults throw fireballs - I thinks it's part of the Movie Code). The dragon will resist actively (Large, Dodge, Scaley Skin, Resistance to fire,...). The Fireball will never get the Basic 14.
Now we throw the fireball at a Haystack. It doesn't matter if the fireball is magical or mundane, there is no active resistance so both get the Default 14 resistance (But actually *reduced* by the hay's "Flammable 10w")
Now we throw the fireball at Wooden Palisade that can "Resist fire 10w" (Wood can be amazingly hard to light, especially whole logs). The Mundane fireball is resisted by the fire retardent properties of the wall. The Magical Fireball is *not*.
Finally, we throw the fireball at a palisade *magically* treated to "Resist Fire 10w2". Both the Magical and Mundane fireballs face the 10w2 resistance, as the magical effect is an "Active" resistance.
Hope this helps.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
"Ignoring the rules" has been a part of roleplaying since White-Box D&D. It's usually written right into the rules, and in HeroQuest it's the First Rule on page 10: "Play the story, not the rules" (as opposed to the First Rule on page 177: "YGWV").
>> While I agree that the Char Gen system doesn't give
>> you that "Love Wife 10W"
>> that your character description seems to indicate,
>> it also doesn't give you
>> that "Clan Champion level Swordsmanship 10w3" that
>> your description would indicate, either.
>
> No, but that's not the same case at all. Your
> interpretation of the rules (which seems on the face
> of it to be reasonable), combined with the chargen
> rules, says that not only can you not have "clan
> champion" in there in any useful way (reasonable), you
> can't have "married" either. And "married" isn't
> exactly an exotic or advanced idea.
Sure you can have "Married", just not at Hero-level to start. If your relationship is that important to your character, use your chargen points to raise it to 7w (Since "Relationship to Family" is a part of every Homeland keyword, it starts at 17). Buy it up with Hero Points during the course of the game.
RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad
R. Sabatini, Scaramouche
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