> Jeff (or others), could you elaborate on this please? I am intrigued
> and encouraged that you have found a way to make this useful. My
> problem with the Humakti feats is that they all seem to be along the
> lines of "Cut Foe [augment x]" "Cut Foe Some More [augment x]" "And
> While Your At It, Cut Them Again [augment x]". How do you make the
> different descriptions have different rule effects that are actually
> useful?
Depends how fast and loose with the game mechanics you're comfortable with playing. It's a narrative game, so really, you should choose the rules effect of a given magic (or action in general) to suit the situation, not vice versa. Clearly, Elmal's Desparate Last Ditch Stand Against Overwhelming Odds is not at all the same _in the game world_ as Massive Humakti Killing Stroke, and one should do whatever's necessary to reflect this in the game (assessing +'s and -'s to TN, to APs, and to bids, to suit the situation and the described action).
Doing this entire ad lib puts quite a lot of pressure on the narrator, though, and if not handled well, can potentially lead to friction with frustrated players, and I suppose is harder to deal with for people coming from different game systems. (The supposed "paradigm shift" effect.) If it makes either your own synaptic impulses or your group dynamic flow any better, I'd suggest jotting down a few notes of "possible effects" for each feat (e.g., Decapitate Foe gets an Edge or a TN+ when using as a coup de grāce, Elmal's Desparate Last Ditch Stand gets a bonus when over-matched and making "desparate defence" type action, etc), as informally or formally as suits your tastes. At the far end of the scale, you might end up with a "rules effect" for each, sort of like "mini-secrets". (My own tastes lie somewhere in between. Feat-tags are a little too vague; secret desciptions are a little too over-specific.)
> Eg, in combat you would probably be unlikely to switch your Humakti
> over from CC 3W2 to Combat Affinity, Decapitate Foe Feat 10W unless
> the enemy has extremely poor resistance (or at least worse than their
> CC). It also seems that the enemy could legitimately defend with
> Close Combat, although some (mild IMO) improv penalty might be
> required.
It all comes down to sit-mods, really. If you think that, in the correct circumstance, doing so is Appropriate enough to merit a huge bonus, then the PC very well might do so. The tricky part is, matching the game-world situation, both in terms of mundane tactics, and mythic appropriateness, to a number.
> And this segues nicely into a rant on Humakti feats. Where are Blind
> Fighting, Lightning Draw, Reverse Strike, Vorpal Blade Went
> Snickersnack, Hit Foe Into the Middle of Next Week, Slash Multiple
> Opponents In One Giant Swing, Flashing Blade, Defeat All Enemies
> (hey, that's what he did in his initiation by the bad uncles, right?)
> etc?! Why is it that the combat feats of Vinga, Elmal and others are
> so much more interesting, useful, and have wider applications? (sorry
> I don't have books with me or I would cite but Ricochet Shot comes to
> mind) Humakt is the best warrior of the Storm Tribe, shouldn't his
> feats be able to do something more fun and creative than the simple
> augment or edge enhancement?
Obviously, you should feel free to add to the list, either up front as a group, or in play as a Humakti "discovers" new applications of death. I'd say that for me, though, Humakt's magic seems most appropriate in the form of "ruthless efficiency" and "prosecute prejudices of god remorselessly", rather than unduly flashy "fancy stuff".
Powered by hypermail