Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site uwmacc.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!rick From: rick@uwmacc.UUCP (Captain Calvert) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: AD&D magic item competition: Potion of Nauseous Form Message-ID: <386@uwmacc.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Oct-84 19:08:27 EDT Article-I.D.: uwmacc.386 Posted: Wed Oct 10 19:08:27 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Oct-84 02:18:13 EDT References: <532@nmtvax.UUCP> <18@sdamos.UUCP> <1553@nsc.UUCP> Reply-To: rick@maccunix.UUCP (Rick Keir) Distribution: na Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center Lines: 55 Summary: [ save at +2 vs. line eater bugs] There has been some debate of late concerning deadly magic items. The ones posted were recommended for obnoxious paladins, overly powerful magic users, etc. I would say that these "lethal to user" items are a very bad idea in general, for the following reasons and with the following exceptions: (1) Why is this PC so obnoxious? Either you, the DM, let him/her get the goodies in the first place that have made them too powerful; or else you didn't screen the work of other DMs enough in letting the PC into your game. Power levels of games differ a lot. Locally, I have seen games where everyone walks around with pet dragons, unicorns, powerful MU buddies who teleport in to save them, etc. Everyone in the game is having a good time; who am I to say that they can't play that way? But if one of those characters gets into MY campaign, then my players and I have to live with my decision. The owner of the PC shouldn't be penalized for the DM's inability to judge what is acceptable power. (2) Who wastes their time building these useless items? In most FRP systems, an item is an investment of someone's time. Finding these deathtrap things tends to destroy one's ability to suspend disbelief. (Some deathtraps are ok: an evil mage might very well have a booby-trapped copy of his spellbook as a trap to discourage thieves. But many such items have no visible function except to be bad news). (3) A reasonable exception is for campaigns and/or scenarios where the player has been warned that the danger rate will be noticeably higher than whatever the local standard is. (I.e., I once played in a game where in 4 hours, the DM killed permanently 20 out of 30 PCs (I lost all 3 of mine) but no one minded because we knew the game would be the "big shootout" of the campaign.). A final note: there seems to be a subcurrent of feeling that PCs are only behaving "believably" when ultra-cautious. Most of my D&D characters behave like cowardly psychopaths, favoring the quick shot from behind on unsuspecting & unarmed foes. So, when I play my Paladin, I play a character who has no conception of the meaning of the word fear (he's not even sure how to spell it....). If he charges a group of 100 goblin warriors, it is because I think my Paladin does brave/stupid things like that. (I thought the rest of the party would take advantage of the diversion and run away -- for some reason they followed me & we managed to win! But this was a side effect of experimental combat tables which heavily favored plate armor, missile fire, and quick infliction of casualties to breaking the morale of one's opponents.) Just some thoughts. -- "Democracy means that some people rise to the top, and other people rise to the bottom." -- Unknown Philosophy 103 student, Fall 1975, UofI Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC 1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706 {allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rick