Re: Re: Question on a feat Deathsong Berserk

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2005 16:35:00 -0700


> Its not mechanically the same, as per the conversion notes the augment
> is 1/4 of the rating and the character is in a berserk fury which
> requires high AP bids and calming down when the supply of enemies runs
> out. Using that ability and not ending up with someone dead would be
> pretty unusual!

But it 's not necessarily the Deathsinger who ends up dead, to bring this back around to the original question...

Mechanically, *no* ability usage is absolutely guaranteed to kill the user (or the target, for that matter). A "you die, no sacing throw" type ability is much more likely to be a Great Secret than a mere feat in a bog-standard affinity. Now, a narrator or group may decide that Deathsong Berserk automatically kills the user, and that's fine, YGMV and all that, but *I* think that it's not a good decision.

If the player wants to have his hero sacrifice himself by staying behind to hold up the collapsing roof of the cave, or throw himself on a dwarven grenade, or stand in the backblast while fixing the warp drives, that's one (great) thing. But using a simple ability shouldn't be an automatic "You Die" situation.

Stating that "I don't care if my hero lives or dies, I just want to kill the onrushing horde" *could* result in character death at Marginal Victory:"Okay, your heroism and flashing swordplay slows, stops, and drives back the horde of slavering broo, but as the last one retreats you fall, mortally wounded..."

Using something stupidly, like: "I'll jump off of the peak of Kero Fin and use my "Land safely 13" ability to save me" is a different kettle of fish. After asking the player if that's really, Really, *REALLY* what he wants to do, and that it's an awful long way down, etc., if he still wants to do it, then fine, test "Land safely 13" vrs Wintertop's "High 10W9"... That's Suicide by Stupidity. (and no, it doesn't matter if "land Safely" is magical, because KF is magically High, so you don't get the "World resistance 14").

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

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