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From: laura@l5.uucp (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Illusionists
Message-ID: <304@l5.uucp>
Date: Tue, 3-Dec-85 04:43:14 EST
Article-I.D.: l5.304
Posted: Tue Dec  3 04:43:14 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Dec-85 08:12:51 EST
References: <620@drutx.UUCP> <104@ubc-cs.UUCP> <524@mit-bug.UUCP> <282@l5.uucp> <1049@houxf.UUCP>
Reply-To: laura@l5.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 42

>  Here is where I have a couple of questions.
>       1) Wouldn't the PC expect that maps & scrolls had been at least
>          damaged, if not destroyed and not seek to check them until
>          the melee was over. Imagine trying to use a scroll with some
>          important detail missing. 

I dunno -- if you start checking your things, then the monsters get a
free bash on you.  I wouldn't check until the battle was over unless
I wanted to see if my scrolls really *were* damaged ('cause I want to
use one RIGHT NOW...) or if I was spelled out.

>        2) What are you doing checking a map in the middle of melee ?
>           If recourse to a map is needed in a retreat, first I'd put
>           some distance between myself and the current conflict.

Don't you have ambushes?  Besides, it doesn't matter.  If a real fireball
lands upon a party, they are going to start burning.  I always run the
whole melee and then, at the end run a complete fire-test on all
possibly burnt items -- with the exception of things that might possibly
used in the current melee.  This is because it is easier that way, though:
it would be more realistic to deal out item damage at the same time as you
deal out fire damage to PCs.

>           been damage I would roll some percentage to determine, if upon
>           examining perishable items, you BELIEVED that they had been
>           damaged (HELL, you still believe that you're down 16 hit points
>           don't you ? So the effect of the illusion is residual).

This is not how it would work in my dungeon.  If it was a whoppingly
successful illusion then you might believe that the things in your pack
were damaged, but for the general case, no.  Scrolls and maps just don't
believe that they can be harmed.  But *you* do, and so you *harm yourself*.
What you are saying sounds as if you think that the *damage* is illusionary;
I don't play that either.  If you have been hit by an illusionary fireball,
and you check your pack, and find narry a cinder you may scream in frustration
as you know damn well that you have been ``illusioned'' -- but you don't
get any hit points back...

-- 
Laura Creighton		
sun!l5!laura		(that is ell-five, not fifteen)
l5!laura@lll-crg.arpa