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Dangerous Ideas is an electronic-only (unless you print out a copy for your-
self) forum for any and all players and Journey Masters who use or merely
enjoy the Dangerous Journey Multi-Genre Game System and the Mythus Fantasy
Role-Playing Game, written by Gary Gygax and Dave Newton, now unfortunately
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1: Mythical Revelations: Tom's "fixed" Mythus Prime Part II
2: Powerful Rumblings: Matt's suggestions for dealing with power
3: Noteworthy Organization: The Realm Knights
4: Yikes?: The Kriig Spider
5: Potent Jewellry: Buy one for your significant other!
6: Questionnaire/Request: Heka-Forging
============================================================================
MYTHICAL REVELATIONS: Well, that's my new name for the Rules section. This
issue, we're continuing our simplified (yet quite useful) Mythus Prime rules
put together by Tom (BluSponge@AOL.com). The only thing left to ask of him
is: what the heck is a Blue Sponge? :)
Magick
Full Practice
Note: There are some Vocations which are not permitted Full Practitioner
status (such as the Theurgist) as it is part of their character. Check the
Vocation listing on page 1 under the status column to see whether or not FP
is allowed for the Vocation in question.
Dweomercraeft: Any HP possessing the dweomercraeft K/S and the Magick K/S
can attempt to be a Full Practitioner (FP ). They must possess both K/S from
the start, either from their initial bundle or through bonus K/S attributed
upon the creation of their HP. In addition, the HPs Mental TRAIT must be at
least 55.
If the HP meets these criteria, they may attempt for FP status. The HP
must roll vs. his Dweomercraeft K/S x 0.5 (counting any bonuses afterward).
If the player succeeds, than he/she generates Heka at STEEP x 5 for the
lower, Dweomercraeft or Magick, rather than at 2.
Priestcraeft: Priest HPs may roll for FP status in the same manner as HPs
possessing the Dweomercraeft/Magick STEEP combination. In the priest's case,
however, this is qualified by the possession of both the Religion and
Priestcraeft K/S Areas. Also, an HP MUST be of the Priest Vocation! Also,
the Spiritual TRAIT is the key for priest FP status.
It should be remembered that Partial Practitioner priests may latter try
to make a Vow or, in special circumstances, may enter the game with a vow.
Combat
I think that's it for now. Tom said he may send more this way, but who
can say? What I'd really like to do in the future is include rules that will
cover areas untouched (or touched poorly :)) in Mythus. I know I have some
interesting house rules, and I know you readers do--so send 'em in!
============================================================================
COMMENTARY: This is a passage which Matt (Anaxamenes@AOL.com) sent to me a
few weeks ago. It has some really intelligent solutions to a common problem.
We all have our own ways in dealing with these things, but Matt's suggestions
are clear, concise, and do not require learning any more rules!
There seems to be a common problem for most JMs out there, and that is the
"Power Player." Power players are those players who push the rules to their
maximum extent, unrestrained by some . They say stuff like "Hey, why can't I
put a breast plate on over my plate armor? The rules don't say I can't."
They do stuff like pile all their AP's into one K/S, or want to have their
HP spend 3 months straight doing nothing but lifting weights and sleeping, in
order to boost their PM characteristic. They play the game like a bad
lawyer, their only concern being the structure of the rules, and to hell with
what an actual person their persona's position might really do.
The usual response to such a player is to make new rules to keep them under
control. I have had this problem with some players in my campaign, and I do
appreciate the necessity of finely crafted rules to keep them in line. I
would like to suggest, however, that this is not the only resource that the
JM has for keeping power players under control.
The rules are a structure to run the campaign by, but are not the whole
campaign or world. The rules are a guide to certain areas, but fail to cover
all of the pseudo-reality that is a campaign world. These areas outside of
the rules, the color and circumstances of the world, are a powerful tool for
keeping power players in line. It can be utilized through at least the two
basic principles or strategies I want to talk about here. The two principles
are 1) that all actions are committed in a setting, and will have
consequences in that setting that are not specified by the rules, and 2) That
players are not simply statistics and ratings, they are people, and even
heroic people have feet of clay. Let me be more specific
Mages who have a bunch of time on their hands can be a problem. They
immediately want to go into their study and research 10 new ways to kill all
their enemies and credit all their wealth to the HP's bank account without
even leaving the lab. Either that or they want to learn 20 spells a day for
20 days in a row. One solution is to make up elaborate rules about spell
research and learning. But there are other, complimentary options, that can
be used also, so that the rules are reasonable and flexible enough not to
hobble your average player, but enough to keep the power player under
control. For players who you feel are spending an unrealistic amount of time
on arcane study: give them headaches. Hey, theoretically I could read Kant
all day, but I'd never make it without a massive headache at the end of the
day, and doing it day after day would be impossible. I'd lose my marbles.
Give the mage who spends all his time studying new spells headaches and
backaches, and blurred vision. If they don't take the hint, mess up their
vision permanently, make them nearsighted. Why do you think so many
academics have glasses? Ever hear of scholar's hump? Just because the rules
say a player can do something, doesn't mean you will be able to in these
circumstances, or will want to, and certainly doesn't mean there won't be
consequences. Extremely driven people in any field pay a heavy price in the
rest of their life. This should be so in a Mythus world also.
Maybe the amount of APs you give out sneaks up on you, the Necromancer in
your campaign gets his STEEP up to 80, and can raise legions of undead under
the rules. What to do? The way to prevent him from doing so is not by the
rules, but circumstances in the world. He's got to go find all these bodies
lying around to raise. Maybe he gets chased around by the cemetery-yard dog
which wakes the local priests; maybe he finds that the people in this area
have their priests perform a ritual that prevents their loved ones corpses
from ever being animated. When he finally does get some animated, all his
living servants run away; his horse won't go within 1,000 yards of the
undead; the keep where he lives begins to STINK; he starts to have
nightmares from hanging out with the dead all the time. There are hundred
of "real world" problems that can be used to curb players who are pushing the
rule limits.
One particular instance of such a non-rule consequence I am about to
institute in my campaign involves casting major amounts of spells. When a
character, especially a full practitioner with large amounts of heka, uses
most of their heka in a day, they are really tired. This doesn't affect
actual adventuring much, because they are all usually exhausted at the end of
the day anyway. What is does effect is the mage who gets up in the morning,
wants to drop 1500 heka into her brand new super heka reservoir, then spend
the rest of the day researching new spells, and finally go out and party 'til
midnight keeping up on current events and searching for rumors about a
certain mercenary she has a score to settle with. All these are allowed
within the rules, and on a single day where it was really important, might be
possible (with a little help from a lot of coffee or some Endurance heka).
But there is no way this will go on for a week. Pushing out 1500 heka is
going to make you tired, like getting up and running 20 miles. Yeah, the
full practitioner is better acclimated to doing so, but that is why she is
equivalently exhausted to the dabbler with only a 300 heka who uses up 250 in
a day. This also opens up the possibility that the character will end up
using stimulants to reach that desired performance level. Let them do it.
This is how drug addictions can begin.
Another related problem is power player's putting all their APs into only a
couple K/S areas, and so within a few sessions you have people with a Combat,
Hand Weapons of 98%. There was a new rule by Adam Mortara in DI #2 about the
cost of STEEP advancement that made alot of sense. But alone it may not
completely solve the problem. Some power players will continue to pour their
APs into a couple K/S areas, they just won't get as far ahead. If you want
players to use their APs in a more realistic manner, make your world require
it of them. Make them roll against Mental and Physical Perception to see the
bad guy in the alley. They can't hit what they don't know is there. Have
unarmed people get into bar fights with them. If they pull a weapon, it's
murder (or attempted murder). That will make them put some points in Combat,
HTH, Non-lethal (and maybe Law, also). Make them roll against their riding
STEEP whenever they try and chase someone on horseback. You can all think of
these examples. The main point is that player's will put their APs into the
areas that they end up needing to roll against, and what they need to roll
against is determined by how you have the world interact with them. So make
something besides weapons skills important. Make characters want and NEED to
be something other than a 1-dimensional sword-slinging thug.
In the campaign I play in right now, Influence, Etiquette & Social Graces,
History, and the various language skills are some of the most important K/S
areas for the characters. A lot of us have put APs that could have gone into
combat skills into them. The situation you want your player's in is having
too many K/S areas they want to put APs into at the end of the adventure, and
that comes from what you make them use.
Curbing the power player can be done very effectively by using rule
modifications and by thinking outside of the rules. Relying solely on rules
can sometimes result in gaming sessions that sound much more like the
pretrial arguments in the Simpson case than people having fun. Use the rules
when effective and necessary, but also put yourself in that player's position
and think about the problems you might have. The characters are supposed to
be heroic, but they are not gods. Not even Lancelot slept in his plate
armor. As a JM, making sure that the characters are aware that their feet
are made of clay, and that their action will have consequences may go a long
way to curbing power player's excesses, or attempted excesses. I realize
many other JMs are aware of this strategy, but I thought I would write this
because there still are a lot of people who are fixated on the rules, and
don't realize the power available from this more narrative aspect of the
game. After all the rules are just a device to help you and your players
write/play out a story that is a surprise to everyone. Don't let the rules
take over from the story. Thanks for listening; any comments would be
appreciated.
============================================================================
PROTECTORS OF THE COMMON GOOD: This organization, the Realm Knights, I
created to give players in one campaign of mine a common background. They
provide what I believe to be a coherent, easily transferred organization
that anyone can use. What I mean is, you could probably get this set up to
use in your own campaigns in a matter of minutes. All you'd have to do is
change some names, really...of course, maybe I don't know what I'm talking
about!
General Description
The Realm Knights are the closest thing Tora gets to a universal
protector. They are one of the only organised groups of warriors other than
specific countries' armies. They are warriors of legend, champions in the
struggle between good and evil.
In Cordmarren culture, and indeed over most of Tora, the Realm Knight is
a mighty hero, who is respected and admired by the common folk (excepting, of
course, the evil and criminal elements). The Realm Knight has the good will
of the Western Toran nations (Sylvanos, Rohar, Anthur, Bandar, and of course
Cordmarre, plus the other small lands). Indeed, the Realm Knight is often
looked to to solve crimes, settle disputes, and otherwise serve justice in
the community he or she is visiting.
History
Social Customs
The Realm Knights, as stated above, are respected throughout Tora. Often
they are seen attending the courts of various national governments
(particularly in Cordmarre, not surprisingly). They are taught etiquette for
most situations (although some Knights choose to ignore that particular
skill). Most Realm Knights take advantage of their position to "hobnob" with
the aristocracy. Some Knights actually dislike the higher social classes, and
instead live amongst the peasants. These are the Knights who are most
respected (by the general populace, anyway).
The Knights realize that they are the protectors of Tora, and they enjoy
their job. Most strive for glory, and try to do the most heroic thing
possible (which may also account for their numbers never growing very
large...). Some people find this philosophy unintelligent, but many a plot to
overthrow local governments has been foiled by the Knights.
There is no common language spoken by the Knights, but most know a decent
amount of Low Toran. What is common, however, is a simplistic form of sign
language. The signs are inconspicuous so that two Realm Knights can
communicate without someone else even realizing that there is another
conversation going on. What their signs cannot do, however, is convey anthing
too complicated--it is meant to communicate during battle, when hearing is not
always possible.
Religion
Obviously (or not...), Talor is the most commonly worshipped god amongst
the Knights. Many other religions are seen, as there is no official religion
which all Realm Knights must adhere to. The only other commonly worshipped
goddess is Fortuna. Of course, almost any other deity could be found to be
worshipped by the Knights, but the Dark Lords and Chaos Gods are mostly fought
against, not prayed to.
============================================================================
OPPOSITION: Tom is a sick guy I think. Anyone who can throw together some
_thing_ like this ought to get help. :) But, it would make a particularly
interesting opponent for your HP's, especially in a campaign where there are
some truly vile wizards on the other side...
Powers:
Extreme Attractiveness (dazing, "easy"/fleeing, "easy")
Web Net
Area of Effect: 2 yards
Delivered by: Gesture
Range: N/A
Time: 1 AT
Duration: until destroyed
Frequency: at will
Description: This power is similar to the CG V Dweomercaeeft Casting,
Invisible Chains Charm. It appears as aa thick, silken net with a slight
blueish glow, though this glow will not give away the position of a hidden
Kriig.
Hypaeaesthesia (dark vision: sees equally well in light and darkness)
Shadow cloaking, self
Area of EEffect: self
Delivered by: thought
Range: N/A
Time: 1 CT
Duration: until removed
Frequency: at will
Description: The Kriig Spider is nearly totally undetectable in shadows.
Detection DRs are at +2, while its suprise attempts are at -1 DR.
Furthermore, it has an effective Ambushing K/S of 45, allowing it to attempt
Total Suprise.
Statistical Detail:
Base Scheme (+/- 2d3)
M (cunning): 34 P: 125 WL: 93 CL: 113
MM: 17 MR: 17 PM: 65 PN: 60
MMCap: 7 MRCap: 7 PMCap: 35 PNCap: 25
MMPow: 5 MRPow: 5 PMPow: 15 PNPow: 15
MMSpd: 5 MRSpd: 5 PMSpd: 15 PNSpd: 20
Armor Scheme:
Area Pierce Cut Blunt Fire Chem Stun Elec.
Ultra Vital 12 12 12 - - 12 -
Super Vital 10 10 10 - - 10 -
Vital 6 6 6 - - 6 -
Non Vital 2 2 2 - - 2 -
Average 7 7 7 - - 7 -
I hope this at least gives you all ideas for future items. If so, take about
2 minutes and type one in and send it to me! :)
============================================================================
HEKA-FORGING: Before the Great Crash of September, there was a lot of talk on
Mythus-L about the Heka-Forging K/S. People wanted more and better info about
the K/S Area, and wanted to know how other people were role-playing it. Now,
what I'm doing here is a group project. I have included a few of the many
questions posed on Mythus-L regarding this subject. What I would like is for
everyone reading this to answer some or all of these questions, and send in
all the answers to me.
The end result of this will be an issue of Dangerous Ideas devoted to Heka
Forging. In the best case scenario, we will be able to re-write the K/S Area,
making it more complete, coherent and clear. This really needs to be done, in
my view, as Heka-Forging can be one of the best K/S Areas in the game, as well
as one of the most unique. So, here's what I have at the moment...
From: BluSponge@AOL.COM
3) How do you roleplay it???? This is the main reason I have removed this
K/S from the lists for my Prime game despite complaints from a few of my
players. The description of Heka-forging doesn't contain enough meat to ham
up or even describe in detail. If I had more insight into the activities of
the Heka-forger, I might have less of a problem with this K/S.
4. What is the effect of multiple items with various Defense Bonus castings
on them? For instance, if an HP finds a helm (US AP Cat.) with Defense Bonus
I Formula on it, and greaves (N AP Cat.) with a Defense Bonus II Formula on
it does the character have 15 total points of bonus armor? or simply 10? Or
does the character get a 5 point bonus to the US AP Categories and a 10 point
bonus to the N AP Categories?
(Examples: Sword with continuous +5 BAC, and sword with +5 BAC after
HP spends 50 heka.
Ring of 15 points armor vs. physical damage, and one which
requires 150 heka to activate temporarily.)
5) What spells, costs, and skills are necessary to create an item which
has a limited number of uses before becoming useless?
So, anyway, I have a feeling that what we ought to do is re-create the whole
Heka-Forging K/S. Maybe we can leave the Sub-Areas the way they are, maybe
not. I'd also really like to come up with some really logical, coherent
(blame this on Anaxamenes and EPB3 @AOL.com!!), and sensible rules for the
creation of magickal items. As an aside, a way to determine how much they're
worth would be nice, too...
I'll be taking everything that people send me, and put it all together,
then put it all out as a special D.I. issue, hopefully number 5 or 6!
============================================================================
FINIS: Well, that's all I can do for now! Hopefully, things will continue as
currently progressing. This issue made it over 700 lines! But, now that
Tom's Mythus Prime articles are complete (for now), I need something else to
fill in that gap. I'd like to do more with magickal items and enemies, so
I'll need people to send in specific things...
As for next issue, look for it soon! It'll hopefully be out before the
end of the month, as I do have some stuff to place there already. But, you'll
have to tune in then to see what it is, since I don't remember right now!!