Re: Magic Crystals & "Battle Magic"

From: Wulf Corbett <wulfc_at_...>
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 08:49:27 -0000

> Which brings me on to my old axe-to-grind - non-"Rune" magic in
HW. I guess
> my big point in last week's posting was that there was always a
qualitative
> difference between the magics which "Rune levels" wielded and those
which
> lesser mortals did in the old RQII/RQIII - a difference which seems
to be
> missing in HW and which IMHO disturbs the "Gloranthan continuum" my
players
> are used to.

I think the real difference is the missing 'step' between battle & rune magic. What's really changed is that the 'fixed effect' magic is now Animistic Spirit-originated, while the Theistic magic is a continuous gradient of effect. But you WILL see a considerable difference if you pit a 'Swordhelp 17' against a 'Swordhelp 5W2' - the extra Bonus/Edge from a high augment is very noticeable! The big game-world problem with what you are doing is that you're giving Theists access to Animistic magic (or at least a similar effect). Your choice, of course.

  Hence the need I felt to "plug the gap" with something
> analogous to the old Befuddle / Disruption / Bladesharp-style
spells. It's
> also interesting, knowing how those traditional Battle Magic spells
used to
> work, trying to reproduce their effects in the HW game - for me,
it's
> pushing my imagination beyond the obvious augment/edge/AP transfer
syndrome.

But didn't you find most fitted into that anyway? It's all APs with fancy description after all.

> We just finished ransacking Whiteye's Lair this weekend (again -
but first
> time in HW!). I'm sure this is an old, old, statement on this
list, but I
> really was stunned at just how difficult it is to get injured in
low-level
> games! The very worst any character came off in combat was -15AP,
after a
> solidly brilliant critical, etc - but that's only an Injury.

-15 is a Wound, not an Injury. But that's more to do with bidding. Our players, still within the 'starter' ranges with about 7W maximum abilities (but some with Followers to add AP), are tending to bid higher than is generally described on this list, averaging 10-15 AP for the first exchange or two until they start losing. Our best two so far were myself bidding 30-odd AP when firing off a Soulfire (Integrated Firshalla spirit Talent), with every intention of throwing in a HP to get a crit, but rolling a 1 anyway! Next exchange, another 1... then a 2... Crispy fried bandits... Then, this weekend, a Vingan with Deadly Spear Throw bid 30 AP, critted, the poor sod fumbled! 90 AP loss and he only had 8... Bid high when you're winning (as player or ref), use Grievous Wounds, convert AP to Wounds, and you'll soon get some battle scars to show off.

Wulf

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