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Post by Admin on Sept 15, 2020 20:56:16 GMT
School start has been easier here so far but we are all just waiting for the inevitable outbreaks closing all the schools down again.
Sorry I haven't been posting much; the last batch of graveyard shifts have really knocked me out and making it worse all the smoke from the fires keeps waking me up coughing during those few hours when I can try to sleep. How's the sky situation around you, Brennon?
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Post by Brennon on Sept 16, 2020 14:22:11 GMT
Well, Saturday morning it all turned brown, about 11am. Monday it went orange. Yesterday it got mixed with fog amd moisture, and now it's grey and humid as heck. This is normally the almost-desert part of the state.
I also had to turn off the AC units and shut up the house. Even though it went from 90 to 60 outside, it's still a muggy 74 in the house. (That's just over the warm side of room temp, which is usually 68-72 on our scale, for those of you in celsius)
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Post by Admin on Sept 17, 2020 20:23:50 GMT
Same here, We are also getting the humidity and fog. Rain this coming weekend and a forecast of winds changing direction is supposed to clear the smoke out. Are you anticipating the same?
A friend in Michigan posted pictures of the smoke in the skies there. It's being blown all across NA.
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Post by Admin on Sept 17, 2020 21:06:06 GMT
Long ago I promised information on the NPCs of the game. Lots has been written but most is still redacted from PC eyes. But I did just create a new folder and posted a bit about Coral if you want to look at it.
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Post by Admin on Sept 18, 2020 6:04:10 GMT
Sorry Karas and Calvera, I didn't get the chance to post for youse today.
Quick question for the GMs and rule scholars: It's usually played that an item bought by a PC can't truly be lost, just a little shadow shifting can have it found again (Random in 9PiA recovers Greyswandir for Corwin, Corwin at the start of GoA walks in the forest and finds Greys in a tree stump, the rules for item creation). If so, then why pay the times six multiplier for ubiquitous in shadow? There is the fact that the item has to look commonplace but most weapons would fit that condition I Suppose. Maybe more exotic and zany items won't fit the bill. Any thoughts on those rules or interpretations?
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Post by Hammett on Sept 18, 2020 6:38:59 GMT
It might not be super useful for a weapon, but maybe if your item/artifact is a creature like Julian's wolves or soldiers it is better. Also I guess there are no rules preventing other people from using items/artifacts you create, so a weapon that was ubiquitous to a shadow would be a good way of arming an army with powerful weapons, so all your ubiquitous soldiers also all have access to the ubiquitous magical double damage swords you have in the same shadow.
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Post by XuLiang on Sept 18, 2020 6:50:03 GMT
Here is an example for Xu Liang in a previous incarnation: Shadow Ninja: Become invisible in Shadow 1 pt. (Shape shift to Shadow) Combat Reflexes 2 pts. Unique [x1]: A single person with a name 3 pts. Named and Numbered [x2]: A clan of them 6 pts. If you lose them it takes time to get replacements. Might even have to RP to get them. Horde [x3]: An extremely large number, centered in one location in one shadow 9 pts. This would be a continuous pool of cannon fodder but you have to go there to get them. 9 pts. Shadow-Wide [x4]: Can be found in Horde qualities everywhere in a Shadow. Same as before but you can go to a particular place in each Shadow to get them. 12 pts. Cross-Shadow Environment [x5]: Found in every Shadow that contains a particular environment. Same as before but you can go to any Chinatown or high crime area in any city and raise a small army. 15 pts. Ubiquitous [x6]: Found throughout Shadow. They are literally everywhere. He snaps his fingers and 20 Ninjas pop out of every shadow. 18 pts. I’m not sure if this is how everyone would play them/DM them but it was what I was thinking of doing...
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Post by Eivor on Sept 18, 2020 10:45:11 GMT
I would say the multipliers are more relevant for creatures than items, but a single item can still get lost. Even with Pattern it might take a while (time and effort) to find it, especially if someone with powers has taken it from you and an hidden it somewhere. With multipliers they would still have the original but it doesn't matter because look, there's one just like it over there! It's worth remembering the canon items are not just any old artifact - they are tied to the Pattern (or Logrus in Frakir's case) which makes them a cut above.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2020 17:18:48 GMT
I agree with everyone above. All I have to add is, what ever someone is trying to buy or build needs to make sense with you.
If "ubiquitous in shadow" doesn't make sense, they can't have it. For instance if someone builds a dragon, they can't then make it Ubiquitous. There can't be dragons everywhere because there aren't dragons everywhere. The other PCs would have noticed.
Similarly if I was the DM and a player wanted those shadow ninjas "Ubiquitous." We would have to talk fir a while about what that meant.
....
More to say.
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Post by Katerina on Sept 18, 2020 19:55:05 GMT
Pretty much agree with Calvera. You have to agree with the GM what it is for and what its meant to do and it has to actually make sense to be ubiquitous.
Items that get lost can be regained, but you won't necessarily get it back straight away. For story purposes it can be removed for a while before they get it back, bit as a GM I do make sure that they get it back eventually.
Kat
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Post by XuLiang on Sept 19, 2020 2:49:42 GMT
I agree that Ubiquitous is a bit hard to justify. I just enjoyed the image that from Jackie Chan Adventures of the shadow demons popping out and thought it looked cool. Game wise I don't think I could justify it.
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Post by Brian on Sept 20, 2020 17:52:22 GMT
It depends:
If I wanted to make the Morrigan proper and give her control of all Ravens that would be a way to build it
but thats a GM ruling issue
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Post by Admin on Sept 21, 2020 3:18:16 GMT
I think I understand now. From what you all said and a look at the examples in the book. I don't like it for two reasons.
a) I'm no accountant but I can't sanction such wasting of points, turning a minor item into a huge weight in points, or a decent item into an anchor, keeping the character rooted to one dimension or idea or focus or however you want to phrase it.
b) but even worse is that it is cowardly. Spending all those points to, say, have an army always waiting for you to show up or a superweapon always within reach. Why even play the game? If you're that afraid to have your character get into trouble or danger why not play Candyland or Clue instead? This ain't D&D where you are always looking to bedeck your character with all sorts of magic loot.
Why do people generally like the Corwin books and are less enthralled by Merlin's story? I'd say it's because Corwin fights and gets the shit kicked out of him all through his books while Merlin just wanders about never geting more than a scratch and even though there are hints of dangers around him it never really materializes, and something or someone always rescues him. Boring. Zelazny must have wanted to create an anti-Corwin character and story but I think swung too far away from the readers' expectations.
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Post by Katerina on Sept 21, 2020 8:10:08 GMT
I don't think I've ever used it as an option as I don't find it interesting to be honest, so there'll never be an issue with it from me. I much prefer having a very unique item for the character. Most of the book characters have some unique item that sets them apart. Corwin has Grayswandir, Julian has his white armour, even Flora has her hounds. These give the character unique distinct flavour which is why I gave Katerina the mirror cloak.
As to the books, I think most of the hate for the secodn series is directed at Ghost Wheel which is a really powerful get out of jail free card. There are interesting expansions of the lore by going into the Courts and he sets up interesting plots and betrayals in the second series, but Merlin is often clueless about them, whereas Corwin is much more active in trying to achieve things in the first series (after he regains his memory).
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Post by XuLiang on Sept 21, 2020 16:09:00 GMT
The reason for it is to have a character who can achieve his goals before others can interfere. Think of Ras Al Gul’s Pawns in Batman Begins. He knows they can’t defeat him, but he needs them to buy him time to complete his plan. Xu Liang’s magic usually took time, or personal Chi (Power Words) so the Ninjas could have given him breathing space to cast spells or recover from using a string of Power Words.
My vision for that version of Xu Liang was the Mandarin. He would direct and manipulate but only directly do things when his strength was needed. Being able to concentrate his efforts on establishing control (and participate in the story!) because he didn’t have to personally do everything.
First control of the underworld, then essential services, then merchants and finally the nobles. The Ninjas would be able to run multiple operations at the same time greatly multiplying his ability to affect things as well as act as his muscle when needed. His view was that Oberon and then Random left the Kingdom of Amber to run itself inefficiently because they were concerned with other things. He would bring order and stability to enable the Kingdom of Amber to grow to the next level. Yes he was a villain with good intentions. It was going to be an amazing arc of a good man’s downfall into evil.
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