Re: [Adonthell-general] Races and their Items

[Andrew Michael Phillips]

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, Kai Sterker wrote:

> Hm, since their magic is conveyed through songs, would it make sense to 
> allow them to sing _and_ to fight at the same time? That would 
> certainly remove any disadvantage in case of an ambush. It would again 
> be an advantage over Elven magic, which probably needs some 
> concentration and time to perform.

I think it fits quite well, for Half-Elves to sing (incantationally or
otherwise) and fight at the same time. We actually have records of them
doing it during the Magick Riot. I think for the sake of gameplay, we 
might have to split singing and fighting into discreet actions, but 
perhaps not. 

The Rods of Chaos raged to see a sister die.
Forth they went in anger, calling from sea and sky,
Field and forest, each his sacred animal to aid.
With bear and badger, wolf and falcon,
Bull, hawk, hare, fox, and dolphin,
Each went forth friend to save or foe to kill.
 
> OTOH, I guess that Elven magic lasts after being cast, regardless of 
> the caster's state. Any effects achieved through song would vanish when 
> the song stops. In that respect, I imagine that something like a 
> 'healing song' is out of question.
 
I see it differently. I think some songs, particularly songs which enhance
an item or a character, such as fire damage added to an item would last
for a duration, possibly the duration of the song, while other songs would
have nearly instantaneous effects. Thus, a song of healing might actually
be longer than the healing effect it invokes out of nature. I think that
simpler songs of healing would probably would be the songs most commonly
known. After all, the Green Sisters are known and renowned for their skill 
at healing and equally well-known for their abhorrance of alchemy. If we 
disallow healing songs because all songs are duration effects, then we 
must find another non-alchemical way for them to heal.

However, at the advanced character and skill levels, a 1:1 song:effect
ratio might cause problems. Either one could only effect one person|thing
at a time, or we would have to come up with a great many songs to handle
specific combination effects, for example, singing to a Rosewood shield so
that the spirit within the rosewood heals me over time, while invoking the
spirit of the bear to give me greater strength and melee hitting power, at
the same time that I am singing a song to the eagles asking them to carry
an ally out of danger (i.e., improve his speed rating so he can escape).

> > If we're going to create this advantage, then I think we must make
> > sure that our combat system allows them to make use of it and also
> > make sure that the game does not require constant re-incantation of
> > items, which could get quite tedious.
> 
> There will be a number of hotkeys the user may freely define. That way, 
> at least the most important songs (or spells or feats) can be activated 
> at a keypress.

That makes sense.

-- 
Andrew Phillips
God Bless Our Troops
cptlogic at endor dot hsutx dot edu
"Let the Prince win his spurs" 
-C.S.Lewis: The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe