Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!ucla-cs!mccolm From: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Illusionists Message-ID: <7886@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Wed, 4-Dec-85 19:33:54 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.7886 Posted: Wed Dec 4 19:33:54 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 7-Dec-85 16:26:20 EST References: <620@drutx.UUCP> <104@ubc-cs.UUCP> <334@snow.warwick.UUCP> <674@k.cs.cmu.edu> <142@birtch.UUCP> Reply-To: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (Eric McColm) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 48 <"Finals are coming." "I kill them with my sword!"> My system makes the rule that all illusions monkey around with the perceptions of the viewers. So the bridge across the chasm will look and feel all right, (if the illusionist is clever enough to cause it to seem solid to the testing foot) but gravity isn't fooled. If the illusionist is clever, the falling idiot may not realize s/he is falling, because all perceptions may be messed up, with the possible exception of the built-in motion detector that doubles as your most recent meal. Of course, the ordinary illusionist can only monkey with one sense at a time. The warrior hit by an illusionary sword thinks s/he is hurt, and will act appropriately. Of course, only a tactile component can cause pain, and blows that don't hurt are a bit on the suspicious side. Also, blood loss may be faked visually, but that light-headed feeling simply won't arrive. Burns are harder, because fires have visual, audial, tactile, and aromatic telltale signs, and you sort of figure they would notice if one of these was left out. But in the end, illusions do not do physical damage. You can fool someone into thinking that they're hurt, but they'll then live through their own 'death', which they may find mildly embarassing. And about setting fire to things: the poor characters pack may seem aflame, and the character may drop it and leave it behind, but that doesn't mean it's really gone. The character may even discard a perfectly good scroll because it looks like it's been reduced to ashes, but it isn't really. Illusions are and always were a very good way of avoiding fighting non- intelligent animals and monsters, and of somewhat more limited usefulness against intelligent, reasoning creatures. Of course, in my system, disbelieving an illusion does not make it go away, i.e. the (false) wound still hurts, but you notice it doesn't quite hurt where the cut is... Of course, the shadow-magic sort of stuff is mind-effect, not perceptual- effect, so that stuff is different. And if the illusionist doesn't know about someone viewing the illusion, they don't see it. (But some illusions are area-effect as to TARGET, so who needs to know how many there are?) --fini-- Eric McColm UCLA (oo' - kluh) Funny Farm for the Criminally Harmless UUCP: ...!{ihnp4,trwspp,cepu,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!mccolm ARPA: mccolm@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU Quotes on the Nature of Existence: "To be, or not to be..." -Hamlet (Wm. Shakespeare) "I think, therefore I am." -R. Descartes "" -Gleep (Robt. Asprin)