Re: Affinities and Feats at Character Generation

From: Bryan <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2003 14:27:48 -0000

wrote:
>
> > Since you get all abilities in a keyword when creating a
character
> > (unless otherwise instructed), that would include all feats if
you
> > start as a devotee. Of course, if the narrator decides, for
> instance,
> > that they are starting devotees, she may limit them to just 3 per
> > affinity. I've used both methods.
>
> Weeell, I guess but the CG rules are explicit about Initiates (it
> would have helped had they been explicit about a whole bunch of
> other things), it says you start out as an initiate and if your
> Narrator agrees you can spend 3 points to up your membership level
> to Devotee. I'd like to hear an 'official' ruling from somewhere...
>
> If those 3 points get you every single feat - something that would
> cost a bag full of Hero Points during play, every player would jump
> at the chance to kick off as a Devotee...

Umm, maybe, maybe not, and if so, so what?. The heroes are supposed to be special, and part of that will be that many of them may be devotees. There is nothing wrong with that, after all, active magic is cool and fun, so as long as this agrees with the game that the narrator wants to run (hence the permission bit), that should be fine. besides which, the savings aren't so huge. Most affinities don't have more than 6 feats, and when you become a devotee in play you get 3 feats/affinity anyway, so you might be saving 9HP, but you would choose your most favored feats from those three anyway, so it probably doesn't have a huge game impact.

On the other hand, devotees can't have any other magic, and have to put 60% of their time and resources into being a devotee. Those are both substantial limitations, and some players will prefer to make more flexible, less focussed, characters.

Personally, since I think it is fun to make people have to think, I would most likely use the 3 feats/affinity for starting heroes too if I was narrating, but as a player I don't think it would make too big of a difference to me in choosing a hero.

-Bryan