Re: Re: cementing; ease of use

From: Wulf Corbett <wulfc_at_...>
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 20:13:11 +0100


On Tue, 23 Oct 2001 11:45:58 -0700, David Dunham <david_at_...> wrote:

>> What I DO object to is the situation, after a cattle raid, of
>> cementing the cattle 'Herd of 5 cattle XX' - for a start, what would
>> that 'XX' be?
>
>It certainly seems silly to cement a specific number of cows -- why
>isn't this Herd of Cattle 12?

So why is my 'Herd of Cattle 12' no better than HIS 'Herd of Cattle 12', when I captured more cattle than he did? Are cattle automatically less valuable in larger numbers? In other words, it's only realistic that you should get a 'better' herd (whether in rating or by it's inherent definition) if it has more cattle in it. Even if (and I disagree with the idea) you have to pay more to cement it.

>> There are several cases where it's at least implied you can cement
>> abilities at > starting level,
>
>Do you remember where? P. 32 is pretty clear. (New followers of
>course have higher abilities, but your relationship with that
>individual still starts at 12.)

Without scouring the rules, it just seems obvious to me that Items of Great Power (tm) should be available to find and cement at higher ratings. Why should Arthur have bothered with Excalibur if it only had Rating 12? Did whats-his-name in Greek Myth really have a helmet of Invisibility and Winged Sandals of only 12? Why go look for the Snake Pipe of Snakepipe Hollow if it's only a 12 (and any Ernaldan can Command Earth Animals)? Now, you COULD say that such items are only available through HeroQuests (back to the Quest Challenge discussion...), even if on the mundane plane, but that just feels fake (and doesn't explain what happens when you swipe them from the bad/good guys). Magic items are an intrinsic part of fantasy and myth, and having to build them up from a rating of 12 is just against all precedent.

Wulf

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