Star Captains!

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 11:33:37 +1300


Pam Carlson:

>The RQ 4 draft lists Polestar as having the divine spell "Call Star
>Captain", but it's not described anywhere I could find. So I made up the
>following:

>Call Star Captain

>[Pam couldn't find a description, so made one up, giving us a description
>then asks the digest for comments.]

The only description of it I've seen was in Sandy's Dayzatar Cult Writeup (and it hasn't changed from Nick Brooke's description). However, the exact spell was dependant on the number of points stacked in it due to Dayzatar Monks being absolute losers when it comes to Divine Magic (ie a ten point spell has a ten percent chance of success). The strength of the Star Captain was really dependant on the amount of POW spent in the spell. He comes down to earth in a meteor, decked out with a 2H-spear or Composite Bow both made out of Ze-metal (just magical tin). Per 3pts of rune magic, the dude gets 1d6 in each charateristics and has a skill of roughly 3d6*5 +1 per spell point in his weapons. He has no armour, casts no spells etc. The spell exemplifies Dayzatar's usefulness to worldly affairs. Personally I think a Monk would better off investing in a Kennel of Big Black Dogs and teaching them to attack people on the slightest provocation. I'd fear them more as a result.

Strictly speaking, the spell should be Summon Luxite or to preserve Sandy's sensibilities, Summon Shanasse. The spell can be used ceremoniously to summon a full Star Captain but this requires special rituals.

However as we are speaking of the Cult of Polaris, I would expect their spells to be somewhat more useful and not quite as costly. For those who say a star captain is a shanasse is a luxite, I say he comes from a lower region of heaven thus having more relevance to worldly affairs.

The demoralize effect is good (after all if I'd saw a meteor crashing to earth and this hulking angelic warrior lumbers out, I'd crap my pants too!). Make him a physical being, that's my main suggestion. None of this spirit combat stuff, that's for barbarians only. Clad him in Dara Happan Armour coz that's what the summoner expects (if he's Dara Happan), and give him a 2H spear and a composite Bow for similar reasons. A Grazer Campfire Guard/Worshipper of Polaris would expect the luxite to be equipped with a Bow and sword. Vorumaini Luxites would be like that Japanese Dude in 'Brazil'.

Blazing. His visiage terrifies. Statistics is a problem. From the Waha spell call founder (6 pt spell STR and SIZ 10x the summoners), I would suggest making the luxite have characteristics twice that of the summoners. Weapon skills are the same as the summoners. Presumably his weapons (constructed of meteroic iron as David suggests) would be hot! Heatshock attacks from the damage taken by the weapon would be appropiate.

I would make it a three point spell. Reusable if done in a ceremony, one-use if done in an emergency. The GRAY says Polaris was easy to contact but nobody ever said he was cheap! I'm uncertain about whether this could be only cast at night. Polestar is sometimes visible (during the day (during the darkest parts of Winter). I'll say that normally Polestar is shining all the time but his aetheric radiations are usually flooded out during the daytime by Yelm so the Spell is useless then.

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