| From: | TopCat <topcat@***.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Gradual Initiation |
| Date: | Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:29:45 -0500 |
>Someone mentioned you just don't get the kind of knowledge/ability Initiation
>gives you in a single ephipany. In fact, that's EXACTLY how many people think
>Initiation works, it's a quantum leap to a new level of magical
>understanding. However, it is not necessarily condusive to game balance.
Amen... that was me...
>Likewise, gaining one metamagical ability per grade does seem to encourage
>rapid Initiation in order to get all of the goodies, as Lady Jestyr pointed
>out.
Which isn't so bad, IMHO... but obviously some others think otherwise.
>How about this: Each metamagical ability has its own Special Skill associated
>with it. These skills cannot be higher than the Initiate's Sorcery Skill and
>start out at 0. When a character becomes a Grade 0 Initiate, he must learn
>the Metamagic Skills in order to use Metamagic. Since they are Special Skills
>(ie, treated as Specializations), they're not TOO expensive to learn and the
>Initiate can pick and choose which abilities to learn and how fast depending
>on the amount of Karma he wants to spend. This has the net effect of limiting
>Metamagic to about the same learning curve as one ability per grade but
>allows an Initiate to stop at Grade 0 if desired and learn all of the
>metamagical skills before moving on.
I really like this idea, except that I'd rather see magical theory be the
limiting skill as opposed to sorcery (otherwise, what are non-sorcerous
adepts to do?). The skills would indeed be cheap enough to purchase easily,
but not to an overpowering degree (taking a skill to 6 would cost a total of
21 karma). As a concession to those who already believe that initiation
costs too much, how about this...
Lower the base cost from (6 + grade) to (5 + grade). Doesn't seem like a
whole lot, but it'll save 3 karma at each and every level for self-initiates.
Now about groups (should this be found acceptable)...
...instead of making it [(5 + grade) * 2] for group initiation, maybe make
it [(4 + grade) * 3]. This will make it cheaper than self-initiating, but
not so much so that it becomes a given that players will form/find an
initiatory group. Either that or make groups a bit more difficult to form
(especially to find out how to form them) and/or find (like top shadow
clinics... you have to know people that know people that know people and
they all have to want you to be there or you never know it exists).
Many players assume that making a magical group can be done easily and it
shouldn't be. It's not like someone walked up to them when they were first
learning their abilities and said "oh yeah, if you ever want to initiate on
the cheap, form a magical group... here's how you do it". They miss the
logical step of having to find out how to make the group. That would entail
knowing the right people and those people having enough trust in the
would-be-members and their abilities to teach them one of the most coveted
secrets of magic.
After all, why teach some guy how to make a magical group of his own when
you can make him join yours, be subordinate to you, and help pay for your
group's expenses? Should he be talented, then you'll gain prestige for
bringing him into the fold. Should he not be talented, then you have him
removed. The best part is, you can keep whatever secrets you don't wish him
to have away from him.
--
Bob Ooton
topcat@***.net
