Re: Re: augments n' fightin'

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 09:03:03 -0800


> > > it. My initial feeling is that you augment yourself rather than
> > > handicap your opponent.

Generally, yes.

> > I think this could come up when you are operating 2 or more against
> > 1, especially if one of the multiple wasn't very good at combat,
> > debate, or whatever was happening. Ergo, a Kadone the Grounder
> > initiate making a warrior's sword heavy, to give him a penalty on
> his
> > close combat.
>
> This was the very example I had in mind (as I have a Kadone Initiate
> :). If you can't beat the man, attack his weapons. It's like
> attacking a shield to destroy it, he's going to actually HELP by
> putting the shield in the way of the blow, so resistance will,
> indeed, be lower.
>
> Other examples:
> Visage of Fear to lower an opponent's abilities instead of a direct
> attack on his Bravery.
> Ear-piercing Shriek (or whatever that Bevaran feat is called) to
> likewise rattle an opponent and reduce his abilities.

Roderick-as-narrator, off the top of my head answer: I'd probably make his resistance the ability you are trying to lower, possibly with an additional penalty for high numbers of reduction, rather than the generic "+5/point of enhancement", though. You are attacking *him* - it will be more difficult than if you are simply boosting yourself. Consider this a case of "Roderick invokes the Difficult Magic modifier rules for his game". While I appreciate subtlety and cleverness, in my opinion reducing an opponent's ability with a low resistance is contrary to how magic in Glorantha works. Now, if you hit the warrior's sword with "Make heavy" *before he picks it up* - that's a different thing altogether. yes, there is a distinction *in my mind* on attacking a person directly (even by 'simply reducing his abiltiy') during combat and manipulating the parameters of the combat beforehand.

RR

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