Re: Initiates & Devotees

From: ian_hammond_cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 17:23:12 -0000

Wulf:
> As I use it, Initiates DO get good magic, used as Augments. They
have tuned into their deity's magic, and are enhanced by it. But they cannot duplicate his abilities yet, so they cannot replicate specific feats.

This is my understanding too (from Greg's post, in the files section, and comments from Roderick on the Glorwar list).

Initiates get to augment at their full affinity rating any ability which is under the province of that affinity (i.e. a combat affinity can augment close or ranged combat). In this case you are not using an affinity as an ability, you are augmenting an ability you already have. Devotees can augment too. But a devotee also gains magical abilities, or feats, from their affinity, which they can use at the affinity rating.

Initiates get a large penalty if they try to use their affinity as an ability i.e. a feat (-10 in Roderick's Hero Band minatrues rules and Greg's suggestion). This is improvisation. Devotees get this penalty for new feats too (but the value might be less, YMMV), until they cement the new ability.

A devotee also has the advantage that he can augment with multiple times using different feats/abilites.

The trick to understanding this is:

1. feats == magical abilities
2. affinty allows enhancing existing abilites

Hope that helps,

Ian Cooper