Re: opinions on how much affinities and feats are limited to each other?

From: Paul Andrew King <paul_at_...>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 19:42:31 +0000


>Sorry if the subject line is a little unclear, hopefully examples
>will clarify what I'm asking.
>
>Ex 1: Rigsdal gives a combat affinity. It has specific feats for
>ranged combat, for being alert, for staying at your post, and so on,
>but none of them are particularly applicable to close combat. So, if
>a Rigsdal initiate is taking part in an ambush of some praxians, in
>mid-day (a combat in which none of the feats in that affinity would
>apply). Can the initiate augment with the affinity? I doubt many
>would say "no," but perhaps "yes, but with an improvisation penalty,
>since this isn't Rigsdal's sort of fight." Or of course "The
>affinity is called combat, you are in a combat, of course it is
>applicable!" (in this last case, could a devotee augment with his
>affinity when he didn't have an applicable feat?)

In this case given that the affinity is Combat, and Rigsdal is a subcult of Humakt who does cover all sort sof combat I'd say go ahead and use the affinity without modifiers.

>
>Ex 2: Vingkot, in the thunderous aspect of Orlanth, has the "fight
>Dara Happans" affinity (along with storm and wind, so he gives no
>general combat affinity). A devotee of his is involved in the same
>fight against the Praxians (clearly not Dara Happans, nor even
>vaguely similar). He knows the "blunt spear" feat from the "fight
>Dara Happans" affinity, and wants to use it against one of the
>praxians' spear. Blunt Spear looks like an appropriate feat to use
>here, but fight Dara Happans would not seem like an appropriate
>affinity. Can he use the feat, and if so at any penalty?

I'd say that he can use the feat as they are still using spears. OTOH I'd probably go for at least a -5 penalty if the opposition wasn't Dara Happan, perhaps more depending on how different their weapons (and tactics ?) are.

>
>More generally:
>1: are affinities meant to be read as "combat" (and so any use in
>combat is appropriate), or "combat, as shown in the following feats"
>(so that uses disimilar to the listed feats would be at an
>improvisational penalty).

If it just says "Combat" without further modifiers I'd tend to go with allowing it. If you want more variation then you might give a penalty if the player doesn't give a description consistent with the "flavour" of their affinity.

>
>2: are feats meant to be read on their own, like "blunt spear" and so
>can be used in any situation that seems to match their name, or in
>association with their affinity, like "blunt spears when fighting
>dara happans" ?

Again I'd say the feats work on their own, but subject to penalties.

-- 
--
"The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of 
immortality.  More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals 
in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala 
Guide to Taoism_

Paul K.

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