Re: Re: HQ Beginner - Character Generation questions and ducks

From: Andrew Dawson <asmpd01_at_...>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:54:38 +0800


On 4/20/07, Jane Williams <janewilliams20_at_...> wrote:
> > Players will tend to concentrate their magic,
> > because you get special bonuses and crunchy
> > stuff whenh you do. Some players won't, for whatever
> > reason. But few Gloranthans
> > concentrate their magic precisely because they lose
> > all those little charms and feats and
> > spells and talents that have been part of their
> > environment.
>
> And as Mike (I think) said, this is one of the things
> I hate about the concentration system. I hate having
> my role-playing head and my gamist head pulling me in
> opposite directions. If you could just use CM
> actively, so it was worth having, that would help. But
> a few more +1 augments... wow, big deal. That or a +5
> to the real magic. Hard choice.

A MHQWV vary solution to this is to remove the hard distinction between concentrated and non-concentrated, and to remove the passive-only magic. I've come to find both of these elements out-of-world mechanical restraints with little in-world payback.

I like the idea of using Concentration actively, but that didn't occur to me in time. Instead, I use a continuum of piety/concentration, with greater "concentration" offering bonuses in dealing with whatever you're concentrated in (for example heroquesting), with any lesser concentrations acting as distractions (like flaws, only with significant enough penalties to matter). This means that the players who want to keep their common magic and devote get to, since that's what the players want and they're doing it for the coolness of their characters. This also eliminates the need for natural magic, and the player complaints of "why wouldn't all my magic be natural magic then?"

Non-passive-only means that the otherwise passive magic can be used to create a real ability with the minimum rating, so a common magic ability can be used as an active ability with a rating of 6, representing a base ability to do something. Many of the common magic abilities like Strengthen Maul work fine and and seem to be worded to be augmentations, but some like Heal Arrow Wound or Melt Bronze could work better as active abilities - especially to the non-healer, and non-smith respectively. The rating is low, but that's what hero points are for. (I already know about concentrating common magic - it's not the solution.)

Again, MHQHV.

Thanks,
Andy

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