Re: Re: HQ Common Magic question

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 09:33:15 -0700


> >Because a devotee's feats will allow him to do things (like, say, Leap
Over
> >Trees, or Run Over Water) which are normally "impossible", where an
> >initiate's affinities only give him a (small) augment to a mundane skill
> >and, when using feats, your resistance is often only 14 instead of the
> >tree's "Tall 13w4".
>
> So am I interpreting this statement correctly if I say that initiates can
> only use their feats as augments while a devotee can actually use the feat
> by itself as an ability. Sorry if I seem dense but this seems to be quite
a
> departure from Hero Wars (not that I disapprove, far from it).

Initiates use their *affinities* as augmenters (and may improvise feats at -10, -5 if they concentrated their magic, as Camo stated). Just as in HW, initiates don't have feats per se.

Personally, there are some affinities that I would allow the player to use as a straight ability instead of an augmenter - Vanganths "Flight" affinity is pretty useless if all the player can do is use it to augment his non-existant Fly ability! So in this case I'd let the hero fly using the affinity at his normal value, but it would be slow and awkward - this is the guy that *must* lie down on his Breath and can't do a heck of a lot else. And he can't "double dip" to augment his Flight with an improvised feat, either! If you want to be Joe Cool and fly standing up, become a devotee! Note, please, that this *is* a departure from the rules as written - though you could use the "Improvise at -10" to allow flight. It's just that I think that followers of a speciality god like this are more enjoyable when you need to roll 17 instead of 7 to do their base magic. Otherwise the only followers of Vanganth would be Devotees.

RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done.
- Richelieu

Powered by hypermail