Re: Re: Common Magic, Subcults

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 09:18:04 -0800

>I think Kevin's makes slightly more sense, but it still leaves one
>question - If a talent is "part of you" or "Something you are" then
>in what way does, for example, Flesh Man provide this to the
>Heortlings? - Why are thes Common Magic Abilities Talents rather
>than Common Magic Feats provided by a deity from "The Inner World"
>(which would seem to be a reasonable description of Flesh Man...)

Well, the *continued* death of Flesh Man proves that he's not a God. (to paraphrase Saturday Night Live; "It's 1630, and Flesh man is still dead.")

Why is he the source of the Heortling's common magic? Because he is.

The "Mythical why" of who provides common magic is an impossible question to answer in most cases. Why do some cultures get Common magic that meshes well with their Specialized Magic and other cultures get screwed? "Um, because they do" is about as far as you can take the answer. They just do.

Magic doesn't need to make sense (for a game it needs rules, and some understanding of how those rules work, but those are "How" questions, not "Why" questions). Why are [Orlanthi All] Heortlings theistic, instead of animistic, or sorcerous, or mixed common magic, and why are the neighboring Praxians all animists?

In a Gloranthan answer: "They are because of their mythic history." In a Game-Writer's answer: "because we decided to do it that way."

RR
C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du pr�sent a fait ce qu'il a fait.
- Richelieu