Re: When feats fail catastrophically

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_V3YBum3dw73iNZV5rp3MOYzuK9pdazQ5nKjTHxtDeiLElKhwSRMnPQz6v4SSQMgoGIbOo>
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:46:58 -0700


>> It partially depends on what you're calling "Catastrophic failure" -
>> a Fumble result on the dice, or a Complete Defeat in a contest. A
>> Fumble in a Simple contest is probably pretty bad and will wind up
>> in the lower parts of the Results chart...
>
> This was indeed pretty much what I was thinking. Then again, even in
> the extended contest it's useful to think what the fumble result
> means, and what that 3xAP loss signifies. The nature of theistic magic
> on Glorantha makes this a bit of a poser, at least to me. Is it
> possible to anger your deity, because when doing a feat you _are_ the
> deity. One of the effects that comes to mind would be the shifting of
> the characters personality towards the virtues of the deity. When
> embodying the magic, your own personality weakened.

A difference between Extended and Simple contests is that in extended, the player has a say in how "aggressively" he is using an ability, through the AP mechanism.

A 3-AP bid is "well, I give it a try, not expecting much" while a 3/4-Total AP bid means more like "I *really* want to do this thing". A Fumble with a 3-AP bid is no big deal (even if it ends in defeat, because you won't be going far under 0), while a fumble with a 3/4 means that you *really* blew it. So I'd narrate the results of a 3-AP fumble much differently than a 3/4 AP bid.

As Rob said, you can't really anger the god by fumbling - even gods failed, and they are far away behind the Compromise. But you might weaken your own confidence - in yourself or in your god. By the rules, the results of that fumble are only applied if you are defeated in the contest - so if you win, you may have had doubts, but you overcame them and have no ill effects. If you are defeated, it is certainly logical for the narrator to apply the Results to some aspect of the ability you fumbled. "Sure, you are beat and battered, but your worst wound is to your Faith - your Devotee keyword is Dying, and unless you can complete a quest *right now*, you will have lost all confidence in your god." (Just like a narrator can delay physical death while a hero's buddies race to bring her a cure, he can send you on a quest to "resurrect" your lost faith, or a fading love, or allow you to make a merchant voyage to bring back the lucrative trade agreeement,. etc. A "Dying" result is a great hook for adventure!)

RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad R. Sabatini, Scaramouche            

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