Well that is a good reason to have an in-game reason, in case it is useful.
>
>> I see your point, but I think that a temporary
>> deception, in the name
>> of revealing a greater truth ("Now you KNOW you
>> would do it") might be acceptable.
>
>Definitely YHMV, then. That sounded like the end
>justifying the means.
The same could be said of making the "test" real. I would say that if you allow Humakti with some degree of human attachment then requiring the death of human they care for just to achieve Devotion is - in my view at least - going a bit too far.
And then again, Humakt is about doing what is necessary, even if it brings shame.
>
>
>> The problem is that another PC might BE the
>> character's best friend -
>> wannabe Humakti aren't the sort who are popular and
>> make friends easily.
>
>If the guy's only got one friend, he'd probably be
>facing a different test. Sounds like he hasn't got
>much left to learn about Humakt being more important
>than friends.
More likely he's neglected his other Relationships, established no new ones and only associates with the other PCs.
>
>All suggestions for different tests welcome, but my
>guess would be whatever the PC would find difficult.
>Look at the virtue, skill, affinity or whatever that
>they need and have at the lowest level: then test
>that.
Always the best ones to play out, I would think, just because they are the ones most likely to fail. If it is played out at least the player has some influence on the result and if the character failed he has a chance of working out why.
>
>> A Humakti Devotion probably ought to
>> involve A death, but if
>> you include too much death what do you do if someone
>> wants to be a Disciple ?
>
>Retire them from play, I suspect. Beyond that I have
>no real idea. Disciples have more or less no free
>will,
>as I remember it?
Well unless you erase the character from reality they ought to at least try for Discipleship, even as an NPC. And I don't remember any accounts of mass slaughter of friends, relatives or even subjects associated with the Household of Death.
-- -- "The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of immortality. More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala Guide to Taoism_ Paul K.
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