Q Can you shut your eyes to stop the bad effects of mega light and mega darkness?
A Yes, but this is what the saving throws are normally simulating. If you decide to walk through a Wall of Darkness with your eyes closed it's a different situation to being suddenly plunged into Darkness and shutting your eyes in reaction. In the former situation you can avoid the ST, in the latter you'll just avoid any further STs if you make the first.
Q Why aren't Dwarves and Elves far higher level than Humans, since they have so many more years?
A Because they have longer lives, dwarves and elves live them at a more relaxed pace. Those short-lived humans rush about cramming as much as they can into each Cd, and so go up levels at a faster pace. In the long run, everyone reaches about the same peak over a lifetime. Orcs of course go up levels (or die) real fast. Ents take ages. This makes it difficult for players (who are notorious for cramming too much into each Cd) to play elves and dwarves properly in character.
Q Your latest rulings return us to the position that Fighters are always dodging even when eating breakfast, sitting on the bog, or cleaning their teeth; and that "instinctive" responses are inevitable; even though it is exceedingly unlikely that the fighter is aware of the unseen attacker at 1200ft range; even though the arrow may be unheard in a noisy or distracting environment; the Fighter is certain to be surprised by an arrow from an unseen attacker at that range.
A My last reply was hardly "latest rulings". It simply stated what has always been played, and was codified in 1993. Your examples are unrealistic. The system covers combat situations, and it is for the DM to rule on what reductions to D/RD may be appropriate in non-combat situations. However, an attack by surprise (with the famous "free hack") can normally only be gained by use of the Thief system. The only instance I can recall from actual play of a non-combat situation such as you describe is Harrek’s notorious beheading of Bjorn XVI whilst shaving. Even then, the King would have seen Harrek coming in his shaving mirror, and should have been able to dodge, had Harrek not made a successful Thievish attack with Magical assistance.
The fighter who is shot at by an arrow in a melee situation will be harder to hit the higher level he is, because higher-level fighters duck and weave more effectively in melee anyway. The 20% reduction from D to RD already reflects the fact that arrows are harder to notice than axes.
The difficulty with allowing Thievish attacks with ranged weapons is the +s to A given by a successful attack. With melee weapons this reflects the fact that you cannot miss a stationary target (or one deemed to be stationary). But ranged weapons, and possibly thrown ones too, can so miss. Your argument is based upon lack of awareness on the part of the defender, but this does not make the attacker more accurate.
DM's note: following the above discussion, I introduced the Thievish Activity "Snipe", which reduces RD on surprise sniper attacks to a minimum of 0.
Q Surely the fighter who is engaged in things that would not be possible whilst fighting, is deemed not to be fighting - just as an MU casting a spell has Dodge =Zero, even if he is a 14th level fighter? Otherwise, why is it only when casting a spell that D=0? Why not when straining for a stool? Or when engaging in courtly graces? Or standing in line on parade? Or even gazing steadily into someone's eyes? It seems unrealistic, and again, penalises Magic User - Fighters, who appear to be the only creatures on earth to have D=0 when standing and waving their arms and bodies (ie engaging in active movements of spellcasting).
A Spells are a special case because non-Word Spells require precisely described actions, which involve arm movements and holding the rest of the body stationary. Violent movement of the body, as in dodging, would disrupt the Spell cast. The cast also involves intense concentration, which makes instantaneous reaction harder. This is therefore a case where D = 0 is appropriate, and is described in the system because it is likely. Being hacked at when "straining for a stool" is unlikely, and therefore not described, though a DM may well consider it too a suitable case for D = 0. The D = 0 when Spell Casting rule has been playtested in the Proving Grounds (after 1st being formalised in the ‘93 Melee & Initiative rulings), and works well, striking a good balance between Fts and MUs.
Q Can I pretend to Cast a Spell, without actually Casting it, and retain my normal D & RD, in order to surprise opponents?
A Yes, if you declaim the Incantation and carry out the Actions but without putting any SP in, then you will not Cast the Spell and may dodge normally (subject to any minus to D/RD which the DM may at his discretion apply due to the necessary Actions). The expenditure of mental and physical energy in a genuine Spell Cast (represented in systems terms by SP) is what makes the difference here.
Q Would most people think that my fake Spell was genuine?
A You can't easily tell
someone isn't putting SP into a Spell. Giveaway signs for a careful
observer could be that the "Caster" isn't concentrating fully and is looking
around and tensing his body as if ready to dodge.
Q Can I use my shield to block thrown or missile weapons?
A No, but you can plot before the attack is made that you are holding the shield to cover a particular hit location range against possible attacks from a particular direction (The HitLoc coverage of different shield types is specified in the system.). This does not work against melee weapons, as they can get under your guard, and normal shielding attempts must be made.
Q Can you please confirm the previous ruling for + to A and to Damage for mithril-tipping. Whilst I can believe the tip may be important to damage, I do not see that it can make much difference to A, which will depend upon overall weight and balance. No difference to A. +1 or more to damage together with an additional +1 versus armour. That’s why I describe the weapons as +2(+1) or +6(+1) etc.
A Agreed. Pure mithril weapons may give a + to A, but I can’t see how tipped ones would. However, you are now talking about pure mithril throwing knives. Perhaps these should give a + to A of half their + to DAM (FRD). With cutting weapons (axes and swords) as opposed to pointing weapons (throwing knives, crossbow bolts and spears), you will clearly need more mithril to cover the tip that does the damage.
Q Right, this has been assumed and played. The amount of mithril allowed to manufacture a throwing knife/dagger, short sword, and taper axe/broadsword is 2.5 MP, 10 MP and 25 MP respectively. As a proportion of total weight this is 12.5%, 20% and 33%.
By the way, I like your idea of the hit bonus being half of the Damage bonus (FRD) for pure mithril weapons. Is this a ruling? For daggers, axes, swords as wells as throwing knives? There is perhaps something mystical about mithril. It is the material for the perfect weapon. And the perfect weapon attracts a bonus to hit as well as Damage?
A Agreed. A basic mithril-tipped weapon will give +0 A, +1 DAM, and a basic 100% mithril weapon will give +1A, +2 DAM. Better manufacturing, purer mithril and larger weapons (for DAM at least) will all increase the chance of improving this.
Q While I can accept wholeheartedly that Detect Hiding, Spot Details, Locate Secret Door, and the rest are more difficult with a visored helmet, I’m less keen on the effect on Night Sight and Infravision. Perhaps there should be no minus. Perhaps helmets shouldn’t affect the ability to see or otherwise in the dark?
A Section 10.6 says "OBS is affected by impairments to the relevant Senses for ChMods." To the extent the helmet doesn’t impede sight for Nightsight, there won’t be the same DL. It’s for the DM to rule.
Q By the way, are you playing that DetH, LSD in the dark etc using Sg are only possible if the Th has full vision?
A LSD yes, though Tc could be used. DetH might be possible with the limited success results against suitable targets: eg "Can distinguish movement" NS could be used with DetH against a moving Th Hiding in Shadows, though perhaps with extra DL at the DM’s discretion.
Q How does Thievish Misdetect work?
A Detects are typically magical effects which check whether a particular state exists at a particular target point, and return a reading if the state exists, or no reading if it does not. They do not necessarily have to be magical, however. Detect Disguise is a Thievish Activity. Undead's Detect Life is not a magical effect, but a sense (no st against it).
Misdetect is a general term for anything which returns incorrect readings on Detects. This may be achieved by altering the apparent state of the target. E.g. Detect Evil on a Misdetect Spelled Evil Being will return no reading. But it could equally work by avoiding being targeted by the scanning effect. So the Caster might think he has scanned the Misdetecting Evil Assassin with his Detect Evil Spell, but the Assassin has craftily dodged the Spell effect when the Caster thought he had targeted him, and no reading is returned this way either. Or maybe the Assassin has the mental discipline to cease being Detectably Evil. Assassins move in mysterious ways.
It is even possible that Misdetect is not a Thievish Activity at all, but a rumour spread by the Assassins' Guild in order to enhance their mystique (and asking price!). Remember that nothing on the web site is necessarily true...
Q Can finger movements be used when holding something?
A It depends what you're holding. You need to be able to waggle your fingers freely.
Q What about someone with very high Dx(Ph)?
A It's not catered for in the system, but is clearly a factor for the DM to take account of in assessing the above.
Q What about materials for the spell? The Druid system specifies that materials can be dispensed with if the spell casting time is <= 0.5 sec; presumably therefore materials are not specified which prevent spellcasting using finger movements?
A I would not make that presumption. It would depend on the Spell Spec. However I am not aware of it being specified anywhere that the Druid must hold the materials in his hands.
Q Presumably I can get a good idea if someone is a Druid, or other class of Magic User, by SD on them, spotting the weird bits & bobs attached to their personage, so to speak?
A Most MUs would keep them in a pouch, so they are readily accessible but protected from casual damage.
Q Does Dispel Magic work on Potions, blade venoms or breath weapons?
A Potions are in effect Magic Spells suspended in a special solution to delay their effect. I've never bought into making distinctions between "Magical" and "Non-Magical" effects, as there would be little in Anarea that was "Non-Magical". All fire is produced by Elementals using their delegated Magical Powers. It's just a question of why they did it. Dispel Magic therefore works by reference to effects produced by Magic-Using. So Spells and Potions are caught, but breath weapons, blade venoms, torches, Druidic Shapechange and other effects produced by Magical Powers are not.
Q In the Spell Specs for Dispel Magic and Dispel [Alignment] what does it mean by identifying a spell to dispel it? Can you specify that you try to dispel a Prot even if you're not sure that they have one? Do you have to specify what kind of Prot it is (you're E/C, they're G/L, do you have to know if they are Prot Evil or Prot Chaosing you?). You see some flying adventurers. Can you dispel whatever makes them fly or do you have to identify it as a Wind Walk and if it's an Elementalist Fly Spell, your identify fails?
A The variable parameter for targeting n specific Spells or effects, which the Caster must be able to identify, means only that he must be able to specify the particular effect to be dispelled. He does not have to know the exact Spell producing it, its Caster, or even that it is there. If he specifies an effect which does not exist, the Dispel has no effect on it, but still then halves T against any other effects. You can therefore specify that you try to dispel a Prot even if you're not sure that they have one. The Alignment of the Prot need not be specified, as they're all the same Spell and therefore the same effect. Against the Wind Walking adventurers you can specify you are targeting the flying effect. This should be effective against Wind Walk or Elementalist Fly, but if they're an illusion it won't be effective, as there's no "flying effect".
Q If you Dispel a Spell like Wind Walk which includes passengers, and you don't know who cast it, can you dispel any of the people being Wind Walked and that will Dispel the whole Spell, or do you need to get the Caster, or all the passengers?
A You target the effect, not particular persons affected by it. However you need to locate the Radius to include the effect. If some Wind Walkers are outside the Radius, the effect will not be Dispelled on them. In the case of Wind Walk it is sufficient to Dispel the effect on the Caster for it to drop the Passengers (Wind Walk note 5: "The Effect continues so long as the Caster keeps Wind Walking"). So if the Caster were outside the Dispel Radius, he would be unaffected.
Q Dispel Magic is a Counterspell. Please could you confirm that Dispel Magic will counter a Target Spell even if the Target Spell resolves after the Dispel Magic resolves.
A Note 3 to the Dispel Magic spec. states "If a Spell is being Cast or is resolving during any second of the Casting time of Dispel Magic, then the Target Beings and Objects receive Counterspell Protection against the effects of that Target Spell until the resolution of Dispel Magic." This differs from the Protection Period of a Pure Counterspell (General Magic-Using System para 7.3), where Counterspell Protection is only received if a Spell resolves against the Caster of the Counterspell during the Protection Period (as a Spell only targets him when it resolves against him, not when he is specified as the target during Casting). Upon resolution of the Dispel Magic, it checks which Magic Using effects to Dispel, and immediately resolves against them. There is no Magic Using effect from a Spell which is still in the process of Casting and has yet to resolve, so Dispel Magic cannot counter it. Dispel Magic is however available with an extendable Protection Period at SL +1.
Q What is the equivalent Spell Level of the Detect Life Effect of the Undead?
A It counts as a Clerical Spell of the Undead's Undead Level.
Q When you Summon a Demon into the Triangle, do you typically get one Circle favour in the Circle AND one Triangle favour in the Triangle, or if you are going for the Triangle, do you skip the Circle favours?
A Demons are only obliged to grant one of each type of Favour per Session. As Minor Favours can also be granted in the Triangle, there is usually no need to stop at the Circle before proceeding to the Triangle. Where the Demon's Grimoire describes what is essentially the same Favour but with different conditions for Circle and Triangle, it can only be obtained once per Session. E.g. the Grimoire of AGARES states:
"In Circle:
Will teach any Participant up to 10LP of any language in which that person already has 1LP.
In Triangle:
Will teach any Participant up to 15LP of any language, irrespective of whether that person already has any LP in it."
So AGARES will only teach a maximum of 15LP per Session, and if He is first compelled to teach 10LP in the Circle, and then Triangled, He can only be compelled to teach another 5LP in the Triangle.
The Grimoire of BORRO states:
"In Circle:
Will answer three questions about any book which Operator can specify, and to which he could normally gain access.
In Triangle:
Will answer three questions about any book which Operator can specify, irrespective of whether he could normally gain access to it. Pacts may be required for more secret or forbidden books."
So BORRO will only answer a maximum of three questions about books per Session. If the question is asked in the Circle, and BORRO states that the Operator could not normally gain access to the specified book, He must then be Triangled in order to answer the question. If He is not Triangled, the question has still been asked, and counts towards the three questions.
It is always a matter of negotiation exactly what a Demon can be compelled to grant in a Session, but They will grant no more than stated above.
Q If a Familiar is acting jointly with its master (using half SP and adding its Wp), and if the Master fasts and the Familiar does not, does the Master still get the Fasting bonus? Same question for Celibacy and Meditation.
A If acting jointly They will get the bonuses for whichever of Them has done these things for the shortest period of time. To preserve the Master's full bonuses, the Familiar should act separately as an Assistant.
Q If a Familiar is acting jointly with Its Master and They get a Wp bonus, who gets it?
A It is shared pro-rata to Wps.
Q Chance of success (C) uses ChMod(Wp). If you use more than half your SP during the Summoning, then ChMod(Wp) might reduce. Does that change C, or is C calculated on your ChMod(Wp) at the time of initial summoning?
A C is recalculated each time the Demon is Controlled.
Q Exactly what counts as Celibacy?
A It is a matter of some debate, depending upon the views of the Binder and the Alignment and Aspect of the Demon. One view is it is OK to exploit loopholes in the rules with E/L Demons in particular, but the trouble is nobody knows for sure what the rules are. The safe policy is of course complete abstinence from any kind of sexual activity.
Q If you wish to cast a Joint Request Clerical Spell in 1 second, does it cost 10 credit for each Participant or just 10 credit for the cast?
A It would be difficult in practice to make a Joint Request in 1 second, particularly given the requirements of simultaneous Incantation and all Participants naming each other. Assuming these requirements could be overcome without additional loss of credit, each Participant who spends less than full casting time will incur the appropriate penalty in cr - typically -10 cr for 1 sec.
Q How do you learn DALA or MIRIMI Spells, as there is no written Chaotic? Does one get a scroll in some other language or do you have to be taught?
A Usually a mixture of both.
(for Druidic Planist Spells, see also the Planist Spells section)
Q Do you need to use IPs to cast an Extension Spell on a Druidic Spell?
A Yes. See Section 5.1 of the Druidic System: "For each 1SP expended for Druidic purposes, 5 Instress Points ("IP") must be expended or the SP are wasted, and vice versa."
Q In Animal form, a Druid still thinks and understands as a Druid? Still can speak Old Speech? After all, I understand that Rottweilers can order "sossages" in meta-world, and many birds can articulate human speech. Is there a problem with ruling that Shape-Changed Druids can Speak in their Animal/Bird forms? (I could understand the ruling applying to Shape-Change to plants, mist form, butterflies, etc, but even buzzing insects could be able to modulate their sound to make speech feasible?) If you rule otherwise, could you define the system for Shape-Changed Druids casting Spells?
A Yes, in animal form, a shapechanged Druid still thinks and understands as a person, but with a level of animal consciousness overlaid. If prolonged time is spent in the animal form, this animal aspect becomes stronger, and the consciousness of being a person can fade.
Speech depends upon the animal selected. A throat and a tongue will be required (I don't believe the insects modulating their buzzing, though perhaps they could use coded silences?!), and some animal mouths are not well suited to people speech, so there will be some distortion. Whilst this may make communication difficult, it should not interfere with spell casting, except in extreme cases, as this is not affected by accent. So long as the animal can correctly pronounce the words, it should be possible. However, this will require practice, as (unlike trotting in horse form) spell casting does not come naturally to the animal. Some previous practice may be assumed in forms commonly used by your character.
Note also that actions are required for spell casting, usually involving arm movements. Four legged creatures may rear up and gesture without penalty, as druidic spells allow for casting by shapechanged druids, but practice will be required again. For other creatures substitute actions exist, but require extra spell learning / initial basic training: e.g. snakes use rapid tongue movements, birds flap their wings, fish use their fins, etc.
Q So how come Demon Familiars can Cast Spells?
A For Spell Casting by Demon Familiars having Animal Form see below.
Q For Cultist media storage stones, does the
market value of the stone (i.e. the intricacy of its carving) affect the
media value? And does the media value of the stone go up or down
according to market forces?
Q Re ESP, it isn't clear whether the victim becomes aware of the intrusion. The spell gives 5*(T-15) or something as the chance that the victim is unaware of the intrusion. However, if the victim has to make a secret ST against the attempt, the Connect will fail, so the aware/unaware result may never need to be resolved. What is the ruling on whether the victim is alerted by a failed Connect?
A There are different versions of the Spell spec. If it fails because a Chance of Success has not been rolled, the target cannot become aware of any intrusion. If it fails because of a ST being made (even a secret one), the target may become aware (by separate roll) of the attempt, even if unsuccessful.
Q Does the Target remember being Charmed, and what has been done to his mind whilst Charmed using Charm Domination Spells?
A The Target is aware of being Charmed and Dominated and of the Casting of further Spells, but is not aware of what is done to his mind whilst Dominated. He will remember (subject to a Mr check) those things of which he was aware. Erase Memory and Memory Control Spells may be used to erase his memories up to the point the Charm Link goes down. Hypnotism plus an Erase Memory or Memory Control Spell may be used to erase his memories beyond that point.
Q How do you use the Erase Memory Spell to erase Spells? It appears the level of the Spell being erased is not relevant.
A Correct: for example if you get a T of 24, and the Target has Mr of 16, you would have a 24 / (3 * 16) * 100% = 50% chance of being able to erase any Memory, including any one Spell.
Q What is there to stop one from reading all the memories of the target, and erasing them all?
A To read and erase all a Target's memories would take a very long time, up to a lifetime, and if the chance of erasing any given memory is not rolled, a further attempt may be made but T decays as stated in the Spec.
Q Does a real light source located behind an Illusory (Sg) wall illuminate beyond the wall if a real wall would block it? What if the light source is Illusory? Does an Illusory light source illuminate within its radius even if it is blocked by a real wall?
A The real light source cannot be seen through the Illusory wall, but the light it shines beyond the Illusory wall can still be seen. It is up to the Illusionist to define the effect of his Illusory light within his radius and Spell constraints. If he does not define it, the Elemental (as played by the DM) will decide how it works.
Q How do shadows interact with Visual Illusions? Does Invisibility give itself away by the shadow? Does creating Illusions allow the disappearing of elements that are really there, such as shadows?
A For Illusion Spells, creating a shadow is likely to be an additional Element. Invisibility is a more specialised Illusionist Spell, and includes the removal of the shadow. It is theoretically possible, but difficult, for Illusion Spells to remove elements that are really there. It's clearly possible to hide a man inside an illusory box (though his shadow would still stick out), but overlaying him with the absence of a man (i.e. an Invisibility effect) would be much harder, especially when he moves, and rubbing out his shadow would definitely be an additional Element.
Q Does Illusory sound echo off real or Illusory objects?
A Illusory sound is not the same as real sound, and will not echo except within its radius as defined by the Caster.
Q Can Illusory sound deafen, break glass, or cause avalanches ?
A Illusory sound can deafen (subject to st), but cannot break glass or cause avalanches. It might cause a stampede though.
Q Do Tactile and Olfactory Illusions overlay the real tastes and smells, or are they mixed with them?
A They overlay the real ones, as do Visual and Auditory Illusions. Specialised Illusionist Spells (e.g. Mask Smell, Invisibility) can remove the real sensations. For example, a basic Olfactory Illusion is not as efficient in concealing the real smell as a Mask Smell Spell. It’s like trying to use a Visual Illusion to make yourself invisible. Difficult, but maybe not impossible for the skilled Illusionist (who somehow forgot to learn Invisibility!).
Q How is illusory touch perceived? How does a Sg & Tc Illusory tree bark compare in feeling to the real thing?
A When a living Being places his hand on the trunk, it will feel like a real trunk, and he will tend to rest his hand there in response to the tactile feedback. If he pushes on it, his hand will go through, and the tactile sensation will run up his wrist. If the Caster or Elemental is controlling the Illusion, the trunk may be made to bend in response to being pushed, but it will be difficult to maintain the illusion of a real tree.
Q If he pushes on it, does it feel like pushing his hand through a piece of wood, with splinters ripping into his hand?
A The tactile sensation running up his wrist feels like rough tree bark. It does not feel like splinters ripping into the hand. The illusion does not of itself change in response to its being touched. However if the Caster or Elemental is controlling the Illusion, then he or it may alter the illusion appropriately. There would then be a saving throw against the pain from any splinter effect.
Q What is the effect of creating a rough surface touch on a smooth real object? Since the Illusory object has no reality, and offers no frictional resistance, can it feel rough? In the bark analogy, there is no illusion of bark if the hand penetrates the surface it is supposed to be feeling.
A It will feel like bark. That’s the tactile illusion. The smooth surface will stop the hand going through it, and is therefore a better way of casting the Illusion.
Q If an attempt is made to give someone the impression that someone else has touched him on the shoulder, using a mobile tactile illusion, to make him turn round, does he get a saving throw?
A No. It’s not causing him pain.
Q Can an Illusionist produce Illusions of systems effects greater than he is himself capable of? For example, an Illusory Fighter attacking, an Illusory Thief attacking by surprise, or an Illusory Elementalist casting a Fireball.
A This is possible in principle, though it is at the DM’s discretion as to how realistic it turns out to be. Remember that Illusions cannot cause real damage, though tactile Illusions may cause pain (subject to a st). An Illusionist of FtL1 who had spent some time watching FtL10 Fts training should be able to cast a reasonable Illusion of one. An Illusionist of FtL1 fresh out of the academy, never having seen serious combat, would not be able to cast a convincing Illusion of a FtL10 Ft, though it might convince his fellow graduates or a band of kobolds. Independent and Morphing Illusions are controlled by the Elemental, and are therefore not subject to these constraints, though the Caster must still imagine the Illusions to cast them.
Q Does peeling an illusory orange count as one Element, until the peel is completely separated from the orange, when it becomes a second element?
A Separating the peel does not create a separate Element.
Q Are footprints individual elements?
A There is an element of Elemental's (DM's) discretion here. Lack of footprints is a classic way an Illusion might give itself away. Footprints would definitely involve at least 1 additional Element. The cautious Illusionist might create one or two very light ones.
Q Will Independent Illusions speak?
A If they are Audio Illusions of a Being capable of speech, they may do so at the discretion of the Elemental.
Q For Invisibility and similar Spells, how many Action Points are deducted by casting a Word Spell?
A 6AP for a Spell Cast (See Note 5). A Spell Cast is defined to be a Violent Action, irrespective of type - even if a Reflex Cast. Otherwise it would be too broken to be able to Cast multiple Spells whilst Invisible, and Word Spells are particularly open to abuse in this way, being castable as such without a ratio.
Q Are animals passengers or do they count as weight? Are live vegetables or trees passengers or do they count as weight? What happens if you teleport your horse or pet rat or a big tree?
A Any Being (living or undead) counts as a Passenger for Planist Spells, not weight. This includes animals and vegetables. To attempt to Teleport a tree which is rooted to the ground and part of a forest would normally be most un-Druidic. It can be expected to attempt a save, and any dead wood may be counted as additional weight (and possibly the earth it is rooted in, if the DM is feeling nasty). It is a standing joke amongst Planists that Teleporting is an excellent way to rid oneself of lice.
Q What exactly counts as body weight? If you had a pet dragon, can you ask him to swallow a chest of gold, teleport him, and then ask him to regurgitate it?
A The weight of the Being's own body. Food will normally count as part of the body whilst being digested, but at the DM's discretion may be ruled to be an additional Passenger (e.g. a living Being swallowed whole by a snake) or weight carried (e.g. the chest of gold in your example).
Q Can you play tricks with gravity spells or shapechanging effects to reduce weight?
A The variable parameter for "weight carried" in Planist Spells actually refers to mass. The term weight is used for consistency with the encumbrance system. Whilst there may well be tricks to be discovered, they are more likely to be found in the realm of shapechanging rather than gravity effects.
Q I assume that the concept of a permanent dream form is the same as converting one’s real self into a permanent dream form, perhaps even dying in the real world, but remaining in the dream world?
A It’s more a substitution than a conversion. Think of those Demons that have Real, Ethereal and Astral Forms.
Q If you die in the real world while spiritually dreaming, what happens?
A You die.
Q Are madness and -s to spells in dreams permanent after the dream event?
A Yes.
Q I am a little confused by the 2/3 for casting within recursive dreams, and wonder whether it is really necessary. I think it would only happen when you go to sleep (etc.) in dreams and then dream and come back to interact with your sleeping body.
A Extra levels of Dreams-within-Dreams will not be imposed unnecessarily. As you say, it is only clearly happening when you encounter yourself.
Q What is Paladin Level?
A Paladin Level ("PlL") is the sum of a Character's Fighter and Clerical Levels.
Q If Destroy Weapons is cast on a SARAN Paladin, does his weapon benefit from his Saving Level + (SP Allocated) Power?
A Yes, because it is within his aura. If it is dancing, the telepathic link will still bring it within the protection.
Q What if the weapon is a non-magical one? Does it even get a saving throw?
A The non-magical weapon's Saving Level will increase from 0 to (SP Allocated), and it will get a saving throw accordingly, with no modifiers for Wp or Pluses.
Q What is this aura thing? Does a potion get a saving throw against Dispel Magic if it's being carried by a Paladin?
A The aura is a concept used to explain the working of certain Magical Effects which apply to a Being and his possessions (e.g. a Paladin's Saving Level bonus Power or a Teleport Spell, but not a Druidic Shapechange). There is no Saving Throw against Dispel Magic to modify.
Q With regard to SHELDA Paladin abilities, can you define what Save vs Hatred and Dispel hatred mean. Is this vs Evil, vs Neutral / Evil or vs HAERIM spells?
A None of them. It is vs attacks motivated by Hate (which is fairly widely interpreted). If someone is viciously trying to kill you, you get the effects, but if they are just defending themselves against your assault upon them, you do not. HAERIM followers will nearly always be motivated by Hate, but other Alignments can be too. The Wolf Cult in Kyr, though ESCUS worshippers, fell under the influence of Hate. Some of Harrek's forces in the Northern Civil War may have done so as well (though not the berserkers, who were under the influence of Madness).
Q Does Immunity to Poison prevent the Paladin taking Poison Levels?
A He still takes the cumulative PLs, just not the effects of the first PlL of them.
Q Do Monsters have Continual Level Advancement, or do they get promoted from level to level?
A Neither. They attain ML as they grow older, reaching their maximum at maturity.
Q Is there an absolute limit to Monster Level? E.g. could a really skilful Minotaur go up beyond L10?
A Each Monster has its own ML, which is its maximum.
Q Do old Monsters get weaker and go down in level, or does it not work like this?
A Yes, if they live to grow old.
Q Do Monsters have Faith, and is this Faith more valuable to Gods than People's Faith?
A Some do. The Clerical Gods aren't telling.
Q Are all Monsters intelligent, or do some only have animal cunning?
A Some only have animal cunning.
Q Can some Monsters cast Spells, and if so do they recover SP like People or like Demons? And do they have learning levels?
A Yes. If they have Magic-Using, it works as for People. Some are able to produce Spell effects by means of Powers.
Q Do Monsters save vs Spells at ML, or do they have any additional protection?
A Yes, except as specified in their Specs. E.g. Dragons get SL +ML (Note 2)
Q Is there any difference between female and male monsters from a systems perspective?
A Only in certain cases (e.g Harpies and Gargoyles). Typically if a pair are rolled up with different MLs, the higher ML one is played as a male, and the lower as a female. Of course, it makes a lot of difference from the Monsters' perspective.
Q How long do Monsters live?
A Assuming they don't get killed, most have long natural lifespans.
Q Do Monsters have higher Atman than simple average of Co/Wp?
A No
Q Will an Undead go for a Monster in preference to a Person?
A Possibly. A monster is higher on the Scale of Life. On the other hand, a high-level adventurer probably has more karma. And Undead are fairly random anyway.
Q Can Monsters sell their souls?
A Yes, in theory.
Q Can Monsters learn new skills?
A Not usually. Intelligent ones may, though. Silver Dragons, for example.
(See the Demon Specification for Demon Familiars.)
Q How do Familiars recover SP (can They do so at Demon rate)?
A In the normal way. There is no such thing as "Demon rate". However, Cat Forms are particularly good at sleeping.
Q Can Familiars communicate with animals of Their Form?
A Yes, to the same extent as such animals are able to communicate.
Q How much do Familiars need to sleep?
A Ideally 8 hours per Caeriad, but dependent to an extent on Form (e.g. Cat Forms prefer 16 hours per Caeriad, Squirrel Forms will hibernate if They are allowed).
Q Do Familiars need to eat and drink apart from blood?
A No. They can do so, but gain little sustenance from other food.
Q Do They need air to breathe?
A Yes.
Q Is there any negative effect on a Familiar from a long absence from Master (systems wise)?
A It will die from lack of blood.
Q Given what is said above about Animals having difficulty Casting Spells, how come Familiars can do so? Do They have a modification to allow speech, which Their ordinary Animal equivalents do not?
A Familiars are Demons, so can speak and Cast Spells. This is more due to Their Magical nature than to Their having differently-formed mouths.
Q Presumably knows all RLs known by Master?
A Yes - they count as Spells for this purpose.
Q Does celibacy / fasting apply?
A Yes - the Familiar will need to abstain from drinking Its Master's blood to gain Fasting bonuses. Familiars often mate with / rape animals of Their Form (or, indeed, other species), but rarely conceive.
Q I see that you can Summon your own Familiar (presumably if It runs away). Presumably one knows the Grimoire for this?
A If one remembers to specify it in the Pact.
Q I see that the Giver can Summon It as well. This gives rise to a possible problem if the Giver is nasty:
Perhaps you can’t summon a Demon while It Itself is summoning another one, or perhaps you just make sure your Giver is not pissed off with you?
A There are no verified instances of this, but it is the sort of paranoid rumour that circulates amongst Binders. If you are concerned about this, you can always prohibit it as a term of the Pact.
Q Can you use your Familiar’s Activated Elemental and vice versa?
A The Familiar can use the Master's Activated Elementals, but not vice-versa.
Q What happens if Master is e.g. ElL 1.5?
A The Familiar is ElL 0.75, equivalent to being three quarters of the way through IBT. Spells can be Cast as per the system (i.e. no plus for ElL). An El'ist in training does not gain Spell pluses (the experience counts as part of IBT), but Familiars do not gain pluses anyway.
Q Does a Familiar automatically know its Master’s Teleport locations and vice versa?
A To learn a Teleport location it is necessary (a) to memorise it (b) to visit it in person. The Familiar gains (a) from the experience update on drinking blood, but must still visit the location to gain (b). The Master does not gain the Familiar's memories from the sharing of blood or thoughts.
Q Can either cast a Personal Spell on the other?
A The Familiar is created from the Master's Blood and is a part of him. It is therefore a legitimate target for Personal Spells which may only target him, and vice-versa. However, they both count as separate targets (e.g. a Personal Invisibility Spell specified as being Castable on Caster only as a target must be Cast twice to make both Master and Familiar Invisible, but either of Them may Cast either or both Spells).
Q Do Familiars get Druidic Powers when They reach appropriate levels?
A Yes, but they must be separately Delegated by the Nature Spirits.
Q What media do Familiars use?
A The Familiar can use the Master's media as if It had harvested it Itself. The Master uses the Familiar's media as if he had obtained it from another.
This FAQ last updated 7 February 2010.
© P.R. Wild, 1999-2010
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