Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcrdcf.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!sdcrdcf!barryg From: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Inanimate ego/intelligence Message-ID: <2146@sdcrdcf.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 10:30:02 EDT Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2146 Posted: Fri Jul 12 10:30:02 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 04:43:39 EDT References: <122@uts.am.reading.UUCP> Reply-To: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica Lines: 45 Summary: An ego weapon (obviously) has a personality and a history. Find out about it. (If the GM's lazy, make up your own name and history and have himer OK it.) An ego weapon is just another PC. Here's what you should know about it: 1. Name (and possibly several aliases too) 2. Forger (name, species, culture) and Purpose (why would anyone forge a weapon of Ego 19?) 3. Appearance 4. Significant owners, their motivation, their success, their relationship to it. 5. Its current motivations. For instance, here's a possible history for your Neutral Ego 19 weapon. Onceuponatime the human kingdom of Chingzat was threatened by Ogre Magi who could Charm anyone. A loyal servant escaped with the queen's newborn son, the heir to the throne, and sought shelter in a dwarvish cavern. There he toiled for nineteen years to pay for his keep and that of the prine. Finally his master, the Dwarfsmith Frambish, told him he had served his time and could demand a service in return. He asked for a sword that would protect his prince from the Ogres domination. Frambish forged him an Ego 19 sword that would save as its level against all attempts at mental domination of its wielder. (One ego point for each year of service.) It also had a number of other useful abilities (which I failed to note while reading your article, but which your history could explain.) Now that gives us a sword which is prejudiced for dwarves, against Ogre Magi, has a dwarflike fondness for gems and gold and dislike of ostentation. (Its wielder might want to wear an ornately gemmed cloak, with the gems on the inside. They're less liable to break that way.) Oh yeah, a name. True Heart. (That's Vericor, in Latin. Nice rolling sound.) You also want to know whether the sword's idealistic or cynical after all these years, optimistic or pessimistic. One way to get this sort of personality for new characters or NPCs is to get an astrology book and use it as a character-builder. I particularly recommend Lewi's HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT which lists 144 different character types (based on Sun Moon combination) with hundreds of other complicating factors. --Lee Gold