Magic in the LS Campaign

rgordona · Oct 12, 2007

Rystil Arden said:
A good example of this--the players are excited about the game and want it to push forward, but the GM is kind of slow, so the players try to do something to help the game go forward

Player A: Oh crap! Dr. Dark? I use my datalink to send an IM to Player B.
Player B: Whoah, cool! I'm going to use Super Speed to come help Player A. I'll try to make a Sonic Boom to distract Dr. Dark.
Player A: Good idea! If I get the chance, I'm going to use Phoenix Pinions on him.

Now, there are several GM responses. Here's the response from the GM that I'll call the 'good' response for PbP (good because it's going to keep pace and momentum and make the game exciting)

GM: Alright, cool. B, you normally don't have the Sonic Boom power feat on your Super Speed, so you're now Fatigued, but Dr. Dark is totally confused, and A, you get a chance to take an action against him, using Phoenix Pinions and engulfing him in a rain of fiery arrows. B, you can spend a hero point to recover

Now the bad response (assume that the GM is technically correct about everything he says)

GM: Yeah, A. Actually I've been looking at your character sheet, and you can't use your Datalink because there aren't any computers close enough. And B, although it might seem like you can get there in 1 round, I've been reading ATT, and according to Steve Kenson, the official interpretation of your Super Speed states that you would actually take 2 hours to get there. Check this link for the explanation of why. Also, you can't do a Sonic Boom because you don't have that power. You could technically add a power feat with extra effort, but that's subject to my approval, so I have to think about it, though I'm leaning towards no. Also, A, I don't understand how your Phoenix Pinions is supposed to work. I think you paid for a power feat when you should have paid for an extra here, and the way you linked it is weird. Is it supposed to unleash fiery energy from the legendary phoenix in the form of a hail of fiery pinions? I don't see the mystic descriptor, and you have it listed for the wrong shape type, I think. Shouldn't it also be a slow projectile? A, let's pause while you explain it to me and we work out exactly how the power should be costed. Also, let's rewind back to when Dr. Dark appeared because none of that stuff you did could actually happen.

This example, to me, is a significant misunderstanding between the players and the GM about what is cool, and what is making the adventure too easy.

I don't think this case involved me but let me try and put a possible GMs view of events.

Scenario:
Player A is going to be ambushed by Dr Dark. Player B is 5 rounds away. A is not much of a fighter so will be hard pressed to hold Dr D off while B, the combat monster, rushes through the burning base to rescue his friend. Nice dramatic little scene.

What actually happened:
Player B: "Its no fun to be out of the action. I turn up instantly right next to Dr D and stun him."
Player A: "I KO Dr D with my Phoenix Pinions. I know it says that Phoenix Pinions only effects insubstantial on my character sheet, but that is obviously a mistake. No way would I be so stupid as to leave the character that weak. Look here in my design notes it clearly says I was intending to buy that flaw off. Sorry about the maths mistake, it doesn't really matter does it?"

You can see why the GM might be a little annoyed, he has looked at the character sheets and designed a challenge, the players have then torn up their sheets and turned what should have been a dramatic scene into a walk in the park.

Of course the truth is very unlikely to be as extreme as I have portrayed it but I think it shows the other point of view.

RA said:
Just to say, as a random aside, Raylis has shown himself to be an excellent example of the first style of GM. As far as PbP M&M GMing goes, he is the best I've seen yet on this forum (and clearly better than me too!)

This is completely true.

Hand of Vecna · Oct 12, 2007

I'll throw another vote for "Raylis is a Really Good GM." Then again, I'm likely a tad biased, since he's the only one here I've played under.

And all this talk of magic has gotten me to think about what sort of secondary (PL 8) character I'm going to bring in: a Mystic with a magical style tied to the Olympian Spirits (partly because I think that's a nifty concept, and partly because there's already sorta a character like that in the Champions RPG universe, in the book Arcane Adversaries, to serve as a stat guideline).

Rystil Arden · Oct 12, 2007

Hand of Vecna said:
I'll throw another vote for "Raylis is a Really Good GM." Then again, I'm likely a tad biased, since he's the only one here I've played under.

And all this talk of magic has gotten me to think about what sort of secondary (PL 8) character I'm going to bring in: a Mystic with a magical style tied to the Olympian Spirits (partly because I think that's a nifty concept, and partly because there's already sorta a character like that in the Champions RPG universe, in the book Arcane Adversaries, to serve as a stat guideline).

That sounds like a really cool concept--the Olympian Spirits and that sort of chronicling medieval mindset are very interesting; in D&D, the Archivist class helps play a character like that, and I've had tons of fun with my Archivist.

Hand of Vecna · Oct 16, 2007

So, Judges, have their been any thoughts on how Magic works in the Living Supers Universe? Is it to be a somewhat evolving thing based on what characters are brought in by players & as stories/adventures are written (not unlike the comics)? Or were there already some plans as to the Hows and Whys?

Rystil Arden · Oct 16, 2007

Hand of Vecna said:
So, Judges, have their been any thoughts on how Magic works in the Living Supers Universe? Is it to be a somewhat evolving thing based on what characters are brought in by players & as stories/adventures are written (not unlike the comics)? Or were there already some plans as to the Hows and Whys?

We know a few things already from previous characters. Specifically, we know that some percentage of the occult lore collected by ancient civilisations is correct (for instance, Arthurian Legend in particular was real, even if details are changed). We also known that animism/spirits are real.

Magic in the LS Campaign

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