MJ, I could use some advice on Oak's game on some of his recent posts.
Theology in game question
(7 posts) (3 voices)-
Hmmm....+@1 Intuition, and a 1@3 Mag skill for Second Chances?????? Ask MJ too, maybe. No definitely.
I started a thread 'Theology...' for some of the puzzlement you have induced in me. Feel free to look at it, although its nothing more than a plea for help now.
I am guessing that the question has something to do with putting a definition to the skill for Second Chances; but that seems to me to be a game mechanics question and not a theology question.
So are we asking whether this Mardic, whatever sort of being he is, might be able to repent of his evil and become good? Or am I completely missing the issue?
--M. J. Young
Wed Sep 1 2010 2:54 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberMadric is a fire elemental and part of the magma underneath the Midwest, and transits between there and in the NeverNever, I guess. The NeverNever is probably a Border Supernatural. He's Unfallen, and needs no repentance. So, yes, you're missing a bit.
Oak is asking God for something. Wisdom and that he won't fall like Solomon did. I don't want to give him +@8 levels of Intuition for obvious reasons, nor a assurance that he won't fall prey to an error....so I thought maybe +@1 and a skill that will allow Oak to think again when he makes a moral mistake....although I'm not really happy with this.
Wed Sep 1 2010 3:08 am # -
Eric, somewhat related, this (you-tube video of a song about God and fire) might help (or not, but I think you'll like it anyway).
Sorry for interrupting.
Wed Sep 1 2010 7:51 am # -
I wrote about five hundred words on this, I think, and it survived two crashes but did not survive being logged out, so I'm going to try again.
First, for those (like me) for whom it matters, Nikolaj's link is to a video. I managed to bail before it crashed me.
Now, let me see if I can reconstruct my thoughts for Eric.
- The only magical means of permanently increasing an attribute is Permanently Alter Normal Abilities, something around M15@6 (I'm guessing; I don't want to open the file and overtax the computer, but I was looking at it a couple hours back) with a three hour baseline time factor. I'm pretty sure Oak did not put in three hours, and his prayers tend to be verbal only which is -10 already. If we assume that he prayed for 00:11:15, that's "only" -40 more for time. I find it unlikely that he would have been granted an increase in intuition. On the positive side, such increases generally are RS/10 marks (or the equivalent for attributes), which means if he has a 1@ intuition he could score several intensities, but if he is already at or above 1@10 he'll need a successful roll of 40 to increase by one. I'm betting he just didn't increase his intuition. I.e., that particular prayer failed.
- I certainly agree to avoiding a skill that prevents him from making any mistakes ever again. What I think is that he has probably gotten a single-use protection from this, that the next time he is about to misstep he will, if the skill is successful, get a warning of some sort.
- I would not roll it until any situation arises in which he might have misstepped.
- I would tell the player the roll but not whether it was successful.
- I would insist that the player remind me that he prayed this protection at some point in the past, and whenever he does so remind me I would roll (so that me not rolling won't tell him anything). I would mark my copy of his sheet as to whether the skill was in force or not at any given time.
- If we overlooked that the skill was in force, and the player noticed it after the fact, I would allow a rewind much as I would if I forgot that a character had some sort of anti-ambush skill in effect which might have negated surprise.
- Rolls only matter if he actually is going to misstep; that is, the skill only works or fails once, but all the previous rolls don't count.
- I am uncertain about botches. I think that the best way to handle it is that whether or not the first roll would count, if it is a botch result it botches then, but thereafter it does not botch on any roll; the roll that determines success or failure, if it's a later roll, does not botch, to avoid double jeopardy, as it were.
- When the roll matters (that is, when the misstep is about to occur) it either succeeds or fails, but the player is not told that the roll mattered. If it fails, the spell has tolled without result. If it succeeds, the character is warned in some way.
- Once the skill is invoked, it can carry into the next universe; however, I am inclined to think that the success roll has to be based on the bias of the universe in which the outcome is going to occur. That is, if he's in Narnia when he prays it and in Gamma World when it would be answered, the Gamma World bias controls his chance of success.
- You could do it as a M1@6(?) Protections NOS, but I'm more inclined to make it something in the neighborhood of a M7@2(?), since it is something like a detect lie and something like a detect truth, although not really either of these. This also gives you the advantage that you can incorporate various Secret Message (M7@1?) skills for the answer, such as writing on the wall, or talking animals, or a voice from the sky, so that a successful result can be very clear (particularly on a strong success roll).
I think that's the extent of my thoughts on the subject at the moment, but if my computer stabilizes I might have more, particularly if there are questions about this.
--M. J. Young
Thu Sep 2 2010 12:59 am # -
Oh--a prayer for wisdom in the present moment can be a temporary boost to attributes, which is a lower bias and a much lower time. "Temporary" can run anything from RS minutes to several days, depending on what the referee thinks appropriate under the circumstances.
--M. J. Young
Thu Sep 2 2010 1:01 am #
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