>
>'Runequest', from what I remember, is compatible my image of a world in
>which magic to affect peoples' minds is a rare thing, whose targets would
>certainly not be happy about it. On the other hand, what I have seen of
>'Hero Quest' tends to go the other way: the devotees of trader gods run
>around performing the feats 'Convince buyer' and 'Convince seller', the
>devotees of gods having to do with leadership have feats for getting their
>way in negotiations, and so on.
>
But the point is that most of those people will have relatively low scores in those feats, and the GM (IMO) should place heavy penalties on the roll if they are being used in an obvious manner. In fact I probably would never use this roll directly, but in conjunction with an appropriate ability - 'bargain' or 'lie' spring to mind. Thus you can use your 'Convince Buyer' feat to get an edge on your bargain roll, but if you want a large edge, you better roll well. A fumble (major disaster? What's this called again?) would mean the victim was aware of the magic, and seriously pissed at you.
Anyone who gets a reputation for using magic would soon be shunned, just like the Del-boys of this world are.
All of which reasonably applies to other mind-effecting magics as well - they may give you an edge, but they aren't going to do the whole job for you.
Graham
"He hadn't a single redeeming vice."
Oscar Wilde
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