>
> On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 16:41:32 -0800 (PST), joshua
> neff
> <joshua_neff_at_...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > --- Darren Hill <rpglists_at_...>
> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 16:08:13 -0800 (PST), joshua
> >> neff
> >> <joshua_neff_at_...> wrote:
> >> > Gandalf kicks all kinds of ass and is, in
> almost
> >> > every respect, far more powerful than any
> hobbits.
> >> But
> >> > he could *never* have taken the ring to Mount
> >> Doom,
> >> > whereas Frodo could. And Frodo couldn't have
> done
> >> it
> >> > without Sam.
> >>
> >> Are these facets achievable in HQ, and if so, can
> >> you provide examples?
> >
> > The One Ring corrupts, right? And the more
> powerful
> > one is, the worse the corruption will be. Let's
> say
> > Gandalf is a PC with all kinds of masteries. He's
> > really damn powerful, far more than Frodo is. But
> what
> > Gandalf isn't is *innocent*, and let's say Frodo
> has
> > Innocent 17. Now, even at 17, that Innocent is
> enough
> > to resist the ring--at first. Of course, Innocent
> > isn't enough to resist the ring completely,
>
> I see what you're saying, but if you were playing
> that as a game in Middle
> Earth using HQ, wouldn't it be possible for other
> players to have traits
> such as "Resist Evil Influence", "Hates Sauron,"
> "Champion of the Lesser
> Races of Middle Earth," "Love [someone or thing],"
> "Altruistic Dedication
> to the Downfall of Evil Forces," "Dedicated to the
> Destruction of Magic
> (especially circular items)", and "Good Guy" for the
> same purpose?
I'd say Champion of the Lesser Races of Middle Earth, and abilities like it, are exactly what would make a character susceptible to the ring's corrupting influence. Which is why Gandalf hands the ring to Frodo.
But to be honest, I don't want to be dragged into a lengthy discussion about could-you-or-couldn't-you with Lord of the Rings. Suffice to say, I do think that any character can engage in any conflict in HQ. But as I said, not every character can do it equally. Some characters are better at kicking ass in a fight, some are better at wooing people, some are better at stealing things, some are better at stirring up a crowd with oratory, and so on. Heroes aren't interchangeable. There is niche/role protection in HQ, but it isn't in "occupation" or "character role" necessarily, it's in the various skills and relationships and personality traits.
>
> > I actually had a hero in a similar situation in
> Mike
> > Holmes' Shadow World game. My character had gotten
> > possession of a powerful magical item, and
> everytime I
> > used it, I had to roll against it to resist its
> > corrupting influence.
>
> What was the base ability you used for the test? Did
> it ever change?
> That's my point - that in HQ, you aren't likely to
> create something and
> say, "only this ability - and no other - can be used
> for this particular
> type of task you'll be rerolling pretty frequently
> actually."
I don't recall if it was the same base ability or not. That being said, the other PCs may not have resisted as well as my character, or they may have resisted better. Again, just because any character has a chance in a conflict doesn't mean they have the same chance. One hero may have an easy shot at resolving a conflict, and another character may have a snowball's chance in hell at resolving the same conflict.
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