NPC question

[John Ewan]

Hail, all!

I was working on an NPC idea, a wizard of the bloodline Masela, Khinasi
most likely but possibly a far-flung Brecht, as they are strong seagoing
races. This wizard would have the blood ability of Resistance and had the
good fortune to have survived a drowning, thus giving him/her the permanent
Water Breathing ability. I'll present what I've thought of so far, for
comments and suggestions.

What I'm considering doing with the person was to have them move out onto
the ocean floor near a coastline and set about developing a source. The
source would correspond to the coastal sections for determining ocean
travel. When developing a ley line the wizard could only work 150 miles
along the coast line but only in coastal waters. Possibly a ley line could
be done up to 150 miles out to sea, considering for that purpose that a
source holding is on the land portion of a coastal province.

My earlier question about Caelcorwyn was related to this, as I though it
would be a fine base for a wizard with ley lines and source into the
'coastal waters' of that island out to 150 miles, as was later mentioned in
responses to Phil's question. This 150 mile range would also make the
wizard a power to be reckoned with in the area around Caelcorwyn. It also
allows it to connect to 'coastal waters' along the mainland.

I was also considering what new Realm spells could be developed for such a
wet regent, those that affected tide or storms and the like, possibly
something dealing with undersea creatures. I have not gotten too far with
that yet.

Thank you for your kind attention,






John Ewan, Sysop | Look for me online at MPG-Net
Multi-Player Games Network | as Gimli jwe@mpgn.com
http://www.mpgn.com |

[Mark A Vandermeulen]

On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, John Ewan wrote:

> I was also considering what new Realm spells could be developed for such a
> wet regent, those that affected tide or storms and the like, possibly
> something dealing with undersea creatures. I have not gotten too far with
> that yet.

Some ideas:

Becalm: Prevents non-oared shipped from travelling through the area, and
traps any already within the area, making them easy targets for pirates,
enemies etc. in oared ships. Sound like a good trick for the Serpent,
anyone?

Tsunami: devastates any one coastal province as if hit by Major Disaster
(Random Events: Natural Event). In addition, all ships in or near port
must make an immediate seaworthiness check at a -5 penalty. If the ship
fails the penalty at -5 but would have made it with a regular check, the
ship is grounded (tossed inland) but otherwise requires only minimal
repair. If the roll would have failed a regular check, the ship is
destroyed.

Storm/Drought: since the weather in most coastal provinces is cheifly
dependent upon the ocean, the wizard can create Natural Events (as per the
Random Event) for coastal provinces which are very difficult to detect as
non-natural. These may be either boons or minor events, but affect as many
coastal provinces as the regent is willing to spend GB/RP for.

Sea Summoning: as per the Summoning Spell, but with the following chart.
Level Troops
1-3 Pod of Dolphins (enough the carry 1 unit of marines)
4-5 Mermen Irregulars
7-9 Sahuagin Raiders
10+ Giant Squid/Dragon Turtle
This list is fairly weak in the low levels, but relatively strong
at the high levels.

Sea Stronghold: The stronghold includes a breathable atmosphere at livable
temperatures and pressures.

Mark VanderMeulen

[John Ewan]

At 12:08 1/26/98 EST, DKEvermore@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 98-01-26 02:01:37 EST, I write:
>> What I'm considering doing with the person was to have them move out onto
>> the ocean floor near a coastline and set about developing a source. The
>What makes you think a land-dwelling mammal could ever possibly attune
herself
>to an environment so alien to her natural one?

Because the capacity to adjust to the environment could, quite literally,
be in her Blood. For a blooded scion in Cerilia, there is very little that
is beyond the realm of possibility. The changes needed to survive could
also come from Blood abilities and there are already things in the game to
limit abuse by PCs even if they defeat this person. The basic Blood
ability is not what grants her the capacity to endure underwater, that was
a side-effect of a traumatic event. PC are not going to seeking drowning
opportunities for this minor chance. Other difficulties could be dealt
with by spells, also. Researching new spells is always an option and some
of those could be fine treasure for anyone if they should happen to kill
the person and or get control of their spellbook.

>I think it is important to remember the reasoning and roleplay reasons behind
>the game rules of developing sources.

Correct, and as some awnsheigh and ernsheigh break, or adjust rules if
needed for the purposes of story I think it is reasonable that I do the
same for my own campaign. My players do not read this list, unless I print
out something for them, and it seemed the best place to get educated help
in developing these ideas.

>I would disallow this in my own campaign for the above reason, and then
>carefully watch the ambitious power-gamer who tried it...

Thanks, but it was not for a game in which I was playing, it was for
a game in which I was setting up some things to run. I want to have a
unique power in *my* Cerilia that will be all mine and fits the realms they
will have to choose from, namely the southern coast, Anuire and Khinasi.
This person will be plunked down in the middle of it all. How they deal
with it will then be up to them.

Oh, not to deny that I come up with power-game ideas for my characters when
I can, but I have no problem with being told "No!". I also come up
with roleplaying ideas that may even be unhealthy or costly to my
characters, if it makes them fun to play.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate and enjoyed it! Because of it I'm
thinking that I may not want to have this person full-blown in control of
their domain. What I could do, is have the person be an NPC they are
familiar with and deal with fromthe beginning of the campaign, sometime
after have them lost at sea, which is the drowning incident. Then, if some
of the PCs decide to seek for her, they could or they could just mourn her
loss. Later, the NPC would turn up, but with a focus to their life that
she did not have before. This could be a mystery to solve, or lead to come
cool role-play. The PCs could then offer assistance, an option to
adventure, or just let her go her own way. All options that will have an
effect on the eventual attitude of the person to the scions. After a
reasonable amount of time, there would be notice taken that *something* is
occuring in the area of Caelcorwyn and again, an option for exploration and
adventure. That is my prime goal, so a very likely way for me to go with
it. It also will be a slower growth to a power that could be very
important to the PCs.



John Ewan, Sysop | Look for me online at MPG-Net
Multi-Player Games Network | as Gimli jwe@mpgn.com
http://www.mpgn.com |