Re: Re: magical vs.mundane skills

From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_...>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 06:43:35 -0500

At 10:59 AM 2/24/2004 +0000, simon_hibbs2 wrote:
>The Run Fast example is interesting and actualy, for me, more
>problematical. The thing is that when using 'Run fast Boots 17' to
>run fast from one city to another, there's no real definition of
>success. How fast is a Minor Success? How fast is a Complete Success?
>You're not realy comparing against anything. If you and I with my
>mundane Run fast ability of 17 were competing against each other then
>we are matching like against like, but the first one doesn't realy
>strike me as being a sensible kind of contest to have. I mean, what
>are the consequences of not Running Fast between two cities? Unless
>there's some kind of time limit, or other factor you're competing
>against, it's all a bit wooly.

         I was thinking about this, too. I guess the contest would be "run to Boldhome without anything very bad happening" (suggested by Bruce Ferrie's research rules). A complete failure means you fell off a cliff or knocked over some Uroxi or something else awful. A marginal success says that you arrive safely, but a little too late. A minor success means you arrived with a little time to spare (so you can clean up before seeing the person you came to see). And so on.

         Anyway, Run Like the Wind may be a little bit too broad -- it says nothing about endurance, after all -- sure you can run fast, but can you sustain it? If you want the Run Between Cities by Dawn feat or a Cover Long Distances in a Single Day spell or whatever, that's a little more specific (and it makes the difference between the race and the journey clearer).

Peter Larsen