looks like mystic magic's broke!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Cake [mailto:dave_at_...]
> Sent: 26 May 2000 23:48
> To: hw-rules_at_egroups.com
> Subject: Re: Mystic magic
>
>
> > Having read the mystic magic rules again, I see some
> > problems. Right now, the martial artist rules feel rather
> > boring, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have misunderstood
> > things.
> >
> I fear you have understood them all too well.
>
> > * Defending against magic with your disciplines. This is
> > not of much use, at least initially. With the -20 penalty
> > the default defense at 14 is better until you reach 15w
> > and then you are still better off using other appropriate
> > abilities if they are higher than discipline-20.
> >
> Yes, mysticism gives you the special ability to defend
> against magic extraordinarily badly using unusual abilities if
> you want to. I can't think why you would actually do this in play,
> though.
>
> > * You don't get any magic until you have reached 1w2 in all
> > three disciplines. And then you can't leave the school
> > until you reached 1w in one power. That means that the
> > narrator has to bend things a lot in order to include a
> > martial artist character in a mixed campaign. If the
> > campaign revolves around a dojo, it's fine, you can play
> > the struggle to reach that point, but a lone starting
> > character in a mixed group is a problem.
> >
> Yep, not only is it poor magic, but its the hardest to get.
>
> > * The strike mechanic also has some oddities. The special
> > effect only happens if you drive the opponent below 0 AP.
> > But at 0 AP the opponent is already out of the contest
> > which makes the special effect less important and less
> > dramatically interesting.
> >
> The strike mechanic is very odd. Its effectively a complex
> way of making extended contests behave like simple contests with very
> nasty comnsequences. Unless you are fighting a supervillain
> witha large
> number of APs (around double yours), most strikes reduce
> contests to a
> single roll. There are two big problems with this. The first is that
> it reduces what are supposed to be the most dramatic and interesting
> contests to single rolls - completely against he spirit of the whole
> extended contest mechanic as far as I can see. The other is
> that in actual
> real play, strikes (which remember you can't even learn until you
> have various w2 abilities around) are likely to be one of your lowest
> abilities, so using a strike with its low chance of success
> and extreme
> consequences is likely to be a curious form of suicide.
> Unless you are a
> muchkin or an NPC, who can ignore normal character
> advancement patterns.
>
> > * Other magics are vaguely described and can thus be used in
> > many ways. The few mystic powers are described are quite
> > specific in their effects.
> >
> Yep.
>
> > All this and the heavy cost in hero points in using the
> > chancy strikes make it feel like martial artists are NPCs
> > only.
> >
> Pretty much.
> Or at least, any supplement that tries to make martial artists
> into PCs is probably not going to do it with these rules.
>
> > Finally, the examples in the descriptive text "transform
> > hands to eagle talons" and "ride a thunderbolt into battle"
> > don't sound like either counters or strikes. How do you fit
> > them into the concept?
>
> You don't - it doesn't really work that well. Counters
> and strikes
> are both very limited mechanics in comparison to feats or spells.
>
> These rules were not really playtested at all, as far
> as I am aware.
> It shows.
> Regards
> David the curmudgeonly 'rules consultant'
>
>
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