Full Version: Some old plot hooks.
| QUOTE (Slithery D) |
| Of course, the one thing I do like about Movement is that it could explain how anyone can afford a space based industry. Escape velocity on the cheap... |
To get that effect means it's real velocity you gain, as in 1/2M*V^2=E velocity. Which makes it mighty useful for weapons too.
| QUOTE |
| Movement is a critter power, just like Influence. It's designed to screw up someone messing with the critter or the critter's prey. |
OK... now make exactly the same argument for Guard, Regeneration, and Concealment and tell me how much sense you're making.
Not all critter powers are offensive in nature. Even amongst the powers which are usable on others, there are many powers which are flat beneficial. Concealment, Guard, and Magical Guard spring immediately to mind. The fact that something is a critter power in no way indicates that being affected by it isn't a good thing.
| QUOTE |
| Of course, the one thing I do like about Movement is that it could explain how anyone can afford a space based industry. Escape velocity on the cheap... |
Nah. That's plain Psychokinesis and 3 dimensional movement. You can lift things up to the mezosphere without expending fuel at all and then boost from there. Movement doesn't make you stronger, nor does it cause your kicks to do more damage. It does not make you jump any higher, for example. So I doubt that it's of much use in getting to escape velocity.
Or to put it another way: If you multiply somethig's speed and acceleration, you are multiplying its gravity-generated downward accceleration even as you are multiplying the thrust. Therefore you'll get out of the gravity well (or not) faster, but it won't change whether you succeed.
It would reduce fuel expenditures on the way up. But of course with the availability of gravity defiance within the atmosphere that isn't even a problem. You don't even turn on your thrusters until the magic turns off.
-Frank
| QUOTE (FrankTrollman) |
| OK... now make exactly the same argument for Guard, Regeneration, and Concealment and tell me how much sense you're making. |
Guard is the only one that takes much work. Regen and concealment are both highly useful appled to itself. As is movement. Guard is harder, but I'm sure I can come up with something. Eventually.
Your other points are all reasonable given the way the game is written any you are choosing to interpret them, but the place they needed to have included them was in the BBB, as they are major changes in the flavor of the game and how things work. And unlike say Psychokinesis, you are saying movement is a flat effect that has unlimited scaling. It works the same on a flying bird as a million ton tanker. Not a whole lot else does.
Ok slightly off topic (or what the topic has become) but I though I would add my own question.
One thing that has been bugging me since the secrets of power trilogy is what type of shamen verner turns out to be. I think it’s strongly inferred that he is somehow different from other 'normal' shamen.
My main reasoning for this is
1. when mentioning speaking to his totem to the priest he seems surprised as if this is not normal recognized behavior, even for shamen (though later editions i believe make this possible?).
2. when his family were killed, mention is made of the bloodline (and the night of rage being cover for getting rid of certain undesirables, or undesirables to certain dragons at any rate)
Any ideas? I have always thought he was like nadia mirrin from into the shadows - able to handle large levels of magic, maybe large enough for a dragon to be worried about. Is this just me reading too much into this?
While I’m on the subject has any mention of Sam Verner been made in books or cannon since the end of the trilogy?
Cheers!
One thing that has been bugging me since the secrets of power trilogy is what type of shamen verner turns out to be. I think it’s strongly inferred that he is somehow different from other 'normal' shamen.
My main reasoning for this is
1. when mentioning speaking to his totem to the priest he seems surprised as if this is not normal recognized behavior, even for shamen (though later editions i believe make this possible?).
2. when his family were killed, mention is made of the bloodline (and the night of rage being cover for getting rid of certain undesirables, or undesirables to certain dragons at any rate)
Any ideas? I have always thought he was like nadia mirrin from into the shadows - able to handle large levels of magic, maybe large enough for a dragon to be worried about. Is this just me reading too much into this?
While I’m on the subject has any mention of Sam Verner been made in books or cannon since the end of the trilogy?
Cheers!
Sam Verner has been mentioned subsequently. He posted as "Twist" in Dragons of the 6th World where he comes off as kind of an ass: supporting Lung's anti-secularism campaign on the grounds that it makes things easier for magicians.
He is "just" a male human dog shaman. Of course, he went from a guy who didn't know which end of a wand to hold to a guy who had sex with all of the most beautiful women in his life and used great magic to banish an evil ttem and reverse the effects of HMHVV in just a few years... but that's what that kind of storytelling does.
Since then there has been a decided attempt to under play Mr. Verner. He gets amazing powers for very little reason and he isn't the Mary Sue of any other writer. So I wouldn't expect Twst to appear in the current lineup of Shadowtalkers.
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Much of Sam Verner's unique magical uses come from him operating under a previous edition's rules. When he went on an instantaneous astral quest in the middle of his battle against the Wendigo and came back with a powerful spirit, that was straight first edition rules. That's how Invoking happened, that wasn't an unusual action at the time.
Others of it, where Sam gets all the hot women and all the magical power without any apparent effort, are simply because he's the Drizzt of Shadowrun.
EDIT:
P.S.: I wouldn't hold my breath for the next exciting rmantic escapade of Ryan Mercury either. Again, that's sort of a one-man operation, and I don't think he's writing SR stuff any more.
-Frank
He is "just" a male human dog shaman. Of course, he went from a guy who didn't know which end of a wand to hold to a guy who had sex with all of the most beautiful women in his life and used great magic to banish an evil ttem and reverse the effects of HMHVV in just a few years... but that's what that kind of storytelling does.
Since then there has been a decided attempt to under play Mr. Verner. He gets amazing powers for very little reason and he isn't the Mary Sue of any other writer. So I wouldn't expect Twst to appear in the current lineup of Shadowtalkers.
---
Much of Sam Verner's unique magical uses come from him operating under a previous edition's rules. When he went on an instantaneous astral quest in the middle of his battle against the Wendigo and came back with a powerful spirit, that was straight first edition rules. That's how Invoking happened, that wasn't an unusual action at the time.
Others of it, where Sam gets all the hot women and all the magical power without any apparent effort, are simply because he's the Drizzt of Shadowrun.
EDIT:
P.S.: I wouldn't hold my breath for the next exciting rmantic escapade of Ryan Mercury either. Again, that's sort of a one-man operation, and I don't think he's writing SR stuff any more.
-Frank
Just to nitpick: Verner is Elminster and Mercury is Drizzt. Oh and Talon is Khelben? My head starts to hurt. 
I was under the impression that the closest that Twist came to curing HMHVV was getting his Wendigo sister's meat body killed by a spider spirit and sacrificing her astral body in a blood magic ritual; he released the evil totem in a failed attempt to gain power to cure his sister and his banishing efforts were ultimatly futile as Spider's is very active and her influence is growing (although she isn't as batshit insane now as she was then, probably due to having some time to calm down and think things over); and he burned himself out working that mondo magic.
Unless he is working with Aleph (which isn't impossible) Verner is a certifiable mundane and he has been since the third book of his trilogy.
Unless he is working with Aleph (which isn't impossible) Verner is a certifiable mundane and he has been since the third book of his trilogy.
Nah, Sam secretly became a member of the AI cult in Hong Kong. He can hack again so he figured "what the hell, why not? Not like I can cast Imp Charisma to get the girls anymore."
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