Re: Re: Delayed welcome - new member

From: Jane Williams <janewilliams20_at_...>
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 12:48:04 +0000 (GMT)

(nods) Visual-only illusions can do a LOT, to people used to relying on sight as their main means of finding out what's going on at a distance.

> There are counter-tactics available. A divine gate
> guardian (ideally in
> the portal rather than in the moveable parts) would
> make spells fail even when cast by coteries.

And I'm sure such exist. I had a Gate Guardian in Tarkalor's Gate, based around the keystone of the arch. Its precise powers were unknown (but got added to as part of the story).

> Dispelling: An Orlanthi way might be to send an
> Umbroli to blow the magic away.

Rigsdal is pretty good at seeing through/dispelling illusions...

> Spell transmutation (a Larnsti thing, or at
> least one displayed by
> Sartar) is naughty, too, especially when relying on
> temporary reality.

ooh, nice!

> Actually, I don't think so. Tatius appears to be
> doing a long term magical
> build-up, powered by the blood of the regular Lunar
> troops and allies.
> That has precedence e.g. in the conflicts between
> Carmania and Dara Happa.
> Learned Orlanthi might call this necromancy or blood
> magic, depending on their objectivity.

One wonders what the about-to-be-sacrificed troops call it...

> Getting various magical rituals to coordinate in a
> battle situation sounds
> rather optimistic to me. As long as the magics are
> typical special effects
> of the magicians, this might work.

Lunars are supposed to be better than Orlanthi at this sort of thing, but that still to my mind means that they're not quite as appallingly bad at it :)

> As for the illusionary fire: nice idea, and
> certainly a good way to thwart
> elemental air countermagic. For a fire to be taken
> serious, it must emit
> heat, though (even more so than visual effects).

We had the fire as extremely short-lived, designed to cause immediate panic rather than actual damage. I don't think we specified whether there was a heat element: certainly a repeat later on the same spot was visual/aural only.

> (A trick would be to subdue the heat of a fire for a
> while with a cold
> illusion, until people lose their fear of it. Then
> cancel that magic... sizzle...)

ooh, nasty!



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