Jim Cooper
10-07-1998, 07:57 PM
Excellent. The perfect points I was looking for to make my rebuttal ---
Mark A Vandermeulen wrote:
>< In my conception of how blood power works on people who don't possess it, the 'coercive' power of the blood on the minds of the unblooded works only through direct interaction. Just seeing a bloke at the next table in the tavern isn't enough to reveal that he is blooded. Also, some people are more sensitive to the power than others: for a rare few, just a shared glance, and few seconds of meeting someone's eye, is enough for them to realize that they are in the presence of a scion.> For most, however, if the regent is careful, the commoners to whom he give simple requests or asks plain questions may never realize WHY they were so willing to be helpful to a stranger..
So, doesn't the current blanket connotation of regency points/bloodlines
bother anyone else? Something about this "everyone obeys blooded
persons/does whatever a blooded regent says/wants to help this scion"
just doesn't sit right with me. How do rebellions ever last then? (eg:
"We don't like divine regent's tax policies." "Stop
this nonsense" "Okay, sorry.") It becomes more
problematic when an unblooded PC interacts with a blooded NPC; no one,
of course, would argue that the PC should act in a manner not in
accordance to his or her wishes. So why should it be different when the
reverse is true?
This is, in large part, why I wish to divorce the codependancy of
RPs/bloodlines.
Mark said again:
>> After all, meeting a scion is not going to be a daily event for most people, and they will certainly expect such an important person to be dressed up to the nines and followed by a crowd of retainers. They certainly won't expect the stranger wearing peasant commons to be their leader, and so may not realize the meaning of the strange feeling of subservience they felt upon meeting such a figure until much later, if at all.>
Yes, but then I would argue regents just *can't* turn their divinity on
and off like that - no matter how inconvienient it is, their power comes
with a price (or at least that's the way I think it should be played if
we take the currently accepted definition). Once a scion chooses to
influence someone with their power, the result is that they've pretty
much guaranteed the 'loss' their cover. If one excepts people to
worship them everytime they snap their fingers, they must also accept
the responsibility that comes with having such power.
Note that I am easily convinced that the aura of a scion is highly
dependant on their derivation. I can totally see Brenna's bloodlines as
having a 'suppressed' aura, since it fits the old goddess' character
perfectly. On the other hand, people of Anduiras' bloodline I think
should have a very difficult time suppressing theirs - it simply isn't
in their nature to skulk and work from the sidelines; simply put, people
of Anduiras' bloodlines are BORN to rule, up front and in full glory.
Simply put, they *can't help* announcing themselves, being natural
leaders, and are unfortunately 'cursed' with being noticed and followed.
Another example: people of Masela's bloodline are just *super*
passionate people - normal people just fly into a rage when angry;
people of Masela's bloodline go *ballistic*. OR, when a loved one dies,
people feel sorry - with a bloodline of Masela, the unfortunately scion
actually dies of a broken heart (if very close to the deceased of
course). Azrai's bloodline: anyone can do espionage actions; people of
Azrai's decent just do it *better* (+10 to espionage actions - for
instance). Unfortunately, scions of Azrai can't abide anyone but them
being the center of attention. Period. They can't help it, its in
their nature. They MUST scheme/plot/take advantage of any situation.
All of the above, of course, ought to be dependant on the strength of
the bloodline. All in all, I think bloodlines should be as much of a
curse as a advantage to the (un)lucky persons who have them.
Mark also said:
> In my personal conception, bloodline strength is as much about renown and perception by others that you are a person of importance as it is about who your parents were. I typically give PC's a point or two for defeating an awnsheighlein or a hereditary enemy IF they allow the event to become common knowledge via bard song. The event increases the perception of that person as significant. So I feel it should work the same way that we generally suppose AD&D gods work: the more respect they get, the more they are held as important and influential, the more powerful they are.
Mark A Vandermeulen wrote:
>< In my conception of how blood power works on people who don't possess it, the 'coercive' power of the blood on the minds of the unblooded works only through direct interaction. Just seeing a bloke at the next table in the tavern isn't enough to reveal that he is blooded. Also, some people are more sensitive to the power than others: for a rare few, just a shared glance, and few seconds of meeting someone's eye, is enough for them to realize that they are in the presence of a scion.> For most, however, if the regent is careful, the commoners to whom he give simple requests or asks plain questions may never realize WHY they were so willing to be helpful to a stranger..
So, doesn't the current blanket connotation of regency points/bloodlines
bother anyone else? Something about this "everyone obeys blooded
persons/does whatever a blooded regent says/wants to help this scion"
just doesn't sit right with me. How do rebellions ever last then? (eg:
"We don't like divine regent's tax policies." "Stop
this nonsense" "Okay, sorry.") It becomes more
problematic when an unblooded PC interacts with a blooded NPC; no one,
of course, would argue that the PC should act in a manner not in
accordance to his or her wishes. So why should it be different when the
reverse is true?
This is, in large part, why I wish to divorce the codependancy of
RPs/bloodlines.
Mark said again:
>> After all, meeting a scion is not going to be a daily event for most people, and they will certainly expect such an important person to be dressed up to the nines and followed by a crowd of retainers. They certainly won't expect the stranger wearing peasant commons to be their leader, and so may not realize the meaning of the strange feeling of subservience they felt upon meeting such a figure until much later, if at all.>
Yes, but then I would argue regents just *can't* turn their divinity on
and off like that - no matter how inconvienient it is, their power comes
with a price (or at least that's the way I think it should be played if
we take the currently accepted definition). Once a scion chooses to
influence someone with their power, the result is that they've pretty
much guaranteed the 'loss' their cover. If one excepts people to
worship them everytime they snap their fingers, they must also accept
the responsibility that comes with having such power.
Note that I am easily convinced that the aura of a scion is highly
dependant on their derivation. I can totally see Brenna's bloodlines as
having a 'suppressed' aura, since it fits the old goddess' character
perfectly. On the other hand, people of Anduiras' bloodline I think
should have a very difficult time suppressing theirs - it simply isn't
in their nature to skulk and work from the sidelines; simply put, people
of Anduiras' bloodlines are BORN to rule, up front and in full glory.
Simply put, they *can't help* announcing themselves, being natural
leaders, and are unfortunately 'cursed' with being noticed and followed.
Another example: people of Masela's bloodline are just *super*
passionate people - normal people just fly into a rage when angry;
people of Masela's bloodline go *ballistic*. OR, when a loved one dies,
people feel sorry - with a bloodline of Masela, the unfortunately scion
actually dies of a broken heart (if very close to the deceased of
course). Azrai's bloodline: anyone can do espionage actions; people of
Azrai's decent just do it *better* (+10 to espionage actions - for
instance). Unfortunately, scions of Azrai can't abide anyone but them
being the center of attention. Period. They can't help it, its in
their nature. They MUST scheme/plot/take advantage of any situation.
All of the above, of course, ought to be dependant on the strength of
the bloodline. All in all, I think bloodlines should be as much of a
curse as a advantage to the (un)lucky persons who have them.
Mark also said:
> In my personal conception, bloodline strength is as much about renown and perception by others that you are a person of importance as it is about who your parents were. I typically give PC's a point or two for defeating an awnsheighlein or a hereditary enemy IF they allow the event to become common knowledge via bard song. The event increases the perception of that person as significant. So I feel it should work the same way that we generally suppose AD&D gods work: the more respect they get, the more they are held as important and influential, the more powerful they are.