Re: feats and descriptions

From: Mikko Rintasaari <mikrin_at_...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 04:17:42 +0300 (EET DST)


On Thu, 22 Jun 2000, David Cake wrote:
<snip>
> Therefore, I am going to treat a Sunset Leap as a great
> leaping feat useable at sunset. Effectively, Sunset Leap in my games
> is the same as Leap At Dusk (saying dusk rather than sunset makes it
> clearer that it refers to the time rather than the direction).
> Mythic justification - commemorating Orlanths great victory
> over his enemy the sun.

Ah, this is one I like! And infact the only other thing I could think of with any mythical significance.

Since the slaying of the Sun Emperor was the thing that raised Orlanth into the fullness of his power, I think sunsets have a deep meaning for them, and especially the magic of Orlanth Adventurous (Young Orlanth) is at it's peak.
  It make's sense that the leaping feat works at this moment. Or at least works best then.

BTW I think the heortling orlanthi are good at jumping anyway, like the celts are tought to have been.

> >So. I still claim that the authors did have a reason for each of the
> >feats they put in. What puzzles me is why the hell don't we get told the
> >meanings of the feats...
>
> You might be surprised. I am pretty sure some of them were
> just cool sounding words that haven't been thought through.

*brrrr* I'm not that pessimistic quite yet. :)  

> > > > Lightning sword:
> >> >
> >> > (What's this supposed to mean... a sword charged with lightning... a
> >> > bolt of lightning wielded as a sword... an enchantment that makes the
> >> > sword move lightning fast...)
> >>
> >> All of those sound plausible to me. The first might give an edge (to
> >> Close Combat), second would allow direct attacks using the feat, the
> >> third gives a bonus.
> >
> >That sucks. We are not playing scrabble. This is no way to run a
> >FRP. Either it's an adjective meaning "swift" or it refers to actual
> >crackling stormfire, and I want to know.
> >
> I am in complete agreement. Ambiguity because the same basic
> effect could be used many different ways in different situations is
> cool. Ambiguity due to vagaries of the English language (such as the
> occasional use of the word lightning due to its connotation of
> proverbial speed rather than its direct meaning) is extremely silly.
> We are playing a roleplaying game, not a word game.

Hear! Hear! There's a distinct possibility of me getting to be one of the people to translate Hero Wars into Finnish, and that requires knowing what was meant by the wording.

> I take to mean literal 'lightning'. Can be used to make the
> sword made of lightning as seen on the cover (if its on the cover, it
> should be something that you can actually do in the game!).

Agreed. (but I have a horrible vision of somebody wielding this huge shaft of lightning as a sword, and bidding 4 AP:s into the attack) :)

> Thats a
> very powerful version of the feat, so powerful you can't even see the
> original sword - but at normal beginning PC levels, it probably just
> looks like lightning crackling up and down a sword blade (your level
> of cinematic description may vary). Classically used as a combat
> augment.

That's actually one I've used in my Glorantha gaming before Hero Wars. Since the Orlanth cult writeups lacked runic sword magic!!   I was a bit surprised that "Windblade" or something like that wasn't part of the orlanthi feats, since Orlanths sword is supposed to have been inspired by the cutting of his wind. (Orlanth's contests with Yelm)  

> > > > Swordhelp: ???
> >>
> >> I always assumed this is an enhancement-only feat, which can be used
> >> to give a bonus or edge to Close Combat with a sword.
> >
> >I suppose... what a lame name. Sounds all too generic (in a system which
> >makes one feat pretty much like any other)
> >
> Could be used to lend APs, could be used to defend against an
> attack aimed specifically at a sword, etc. It makes swords better.
> Seems straightforward to me.

It's just too... hmm, lame and rulesy. Swordhelp... use it to help you swordfighting. Does the name mean that Vinga (etc) helps you swordfight or what. I just can't see anybody calling a feat swordhelp withing the world.

> As opposed to Snarl Darkness etc, for which are neither
> obvious to me, nor given further explanation in a convenient example.
>
> Cheers
> David

Oh... very true. The swordhelp is just too generic.

        -Adept

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