[ArM5] intro & a couple of questions

[Goran Topic]

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 09:20:25 -0700, Matthew L. Seidl <seidl at wraith.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 7 Jan 2005 01:03:51 +0100, Goran Topic writes:

> >1) The magic spoon thingy - there is a very loud voice of opposition
> I've seen no good way for magic resistance to not be broken, without
> allowing it to detect the intention of the incoming spell.  If someone
> has one, I'd be happy to hear it.

I've been following silently the discussion on auto-vulnerability. As
it was already observed, it does reduce the opportunities for abuse,
but it does not remove them. If there are two mages on one side, they
can cover each other. Which still leaves the loophole. I don't know...
most of the troupe is satisfied not to be abusive and to be slapped on
the fingers by the storyguide if such a situation occurs, but the loud
minority is trying to get us to go back to the old resistance rules.
We'll see...

> >2) Advancement rules. Here we basically all agree - it is sooo slow.
> Yes, things are slower, but I'm nto sure there as slow as you're
> thinking.  A lot depends on how often the characters went on
> adventures before.  If you ran 1 adventure a year, the grogs might
> have been getting 2-3 exp a year in the old system.  Now they'd be
> getting 2 seaons of exposure (2 eps a season) and 2 seasons of
> practice/treaching/adventure.  Those two seasons could be from 8 eps
> (practice) to 18 eps (teaching with +2 com, 4 teaching, lots of
> students) to 20 eps (2 10 point adventures).  Totals to 12 eps min (or
> 2.4 eps old system) up to more like 24 (or almost 5 eps old system).

2-3 per year? not very fair comparison. take one moderate level story:
that's 1-2, let's say it's 1, and the character wasn't even roleplayed
that well. let's even say that the adventure took a whole season. it
still leaves us with one free season, probably for practice (up to 3
xp, but let's take 1), and two working seasons where he could get
exposure (typical grogs usually not being the smartest people around,
let's take 1 xp per season). That amounts to 4 xp.

Still discussing one adventure per year, but let's make it short -
under a week. It was still a moderate level story, but the party did
well - 2 xp. And the players were into it - nothing special, but they
did try - so, 1 extra xp for roleplaying. The season was not wasted,
everybody went back and managed to train for two seasons, and in one
of the skills he trained this year the grog was a newbie, so he gets 3
xp for that season. Still only one for the other season. Let's say
he's a Turb captain - bright lad, learns quickly, Intelligence +1.
That allows him to get 2 exposure xp for each of his remaining
seasons. The total? Without the Storyguide being too extravagant, it's
still 11 xp in one year, equivalent to 55 new experience points.

The same activities in ArM5: moderate level story is 5, practice is 4,
two seasons of exposure are 2*2. Total: 13 new experience points.

I'd say it's just as slow as I think. :)

> >4) Some spells. We were discussing Hermes Portal, ReTe 75 Ritual...
> Level 35 ReCo - Transport to arcane connection.
> +5 levels - Touch
> +10 levels - Group (I want to take my +2 size Giant's Blood grog with me).
> +10 levels - Animal req (I want my familiar)
> +10 levels - Auram req (and someone else wants their bird)
> +10 levels - terram req (and the pile of loot)
> +10 levels - herbam req (and the card to bring it back on)
> --
> level 90, not including unlimited uses.  And probably too large an effect
> for an item.

Okay, it's a bit larger than I imagined - but I still calculate it at
most at level 60 (35+Touch+Group+Unlimited Use). Why would requisites
increase the level, and especially by two magnitudes each?

p. 114, last paragraph: "Thus, the Herbam and Terram requisites that
alow a spell to change a clothed man into a bird do not add any
levels, because they don't significantly increase the power of the
spell."

> Now, this is pushing the usefullness, but hermes portal DOES give you
> a lot of coolness.  I might also, as a GM, have issue with an
> unthinking magic item using an arcane connection as a casting req.

Wouldn't be a casting requisite, the arcane connection would be
enchanted into the item. The original idea were portal stones: you
take a boulder, you split it in two, then enchant each half to take
you to the other one. The item IS the AC.

And the cart is a stretch. What we need is not something to connect
Iberia with Novgorod, but our Covenant with a village 5 hours away.
You need a cart, drive it, it's what it's designed for. :)

> >5) Spells, continued. My magus being a Rego specialist, I am very
> >interested to find out what Base 4 for ReTe is. That is the base
> >governing the Trackless Step and Wielding the Invisible Sling.
> 
> I'm thinking its level 3 + 1 for stone, but it is wierd for it not to
> be listed.

1) The material modifier is listed above the base levels: "Add one
magnitude to control stone or glass,...", so I guess that would be
explicitly listed in spell construction. 2) Trackless step affects
earth, so no material modifier should apply. And 3) why should it
apply to Wielding the Invisible Sling, and not to Unseen Arm, both of
which affect the same kinds of targets?

> >(And finally, to poll for some ideas: what'd make a good ReVi
> >familiar? I find it a bit too abstract for any thoughts on the
> >subject, but the good book says that every Magus can find a fitting
> >familiar for his favourite form and fechnique...)
> 
> Hummingbird? (not native to europe AFAIK, but still a possibility).
> A small sprite?
> Dragonfly?

Hmmm... You mean, Rego for the strange flight, and Vim for being an
obviously magical creature? I'd have to think about it...

> I do agree there are some hard combinations.  I was trying to think of
> good InCo ones for a amge of mine, without taking a kid as my
> familiar.  I'm thinking some of the small monkey's might do well.

Hmmm... A mundane monkey is still Animal, however similar we might
otherwise be. Darwin hasn''t yet spoken his mind... How about a
Unicorn? The healing, the virgins, they're a good judge of human
flesh? :) A crow? Smart, and always goes for the eyes :) Sorry, you're
absolutely right, some combinations are just difficult.

-- 
groan
--
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Some people have a fitting anagram!