I saw it a second time yesterday and went into the viewing with this discussion in mind. And that's absolutely the way it reads. The sorcerer is very specifically not Elminster, as he merely says "What a coincidence, I'm an Aumar too." And Simon's hero moment is realizing it's just his mental projection of his "famous ancestor he can never live up to" that is who/what he's been confronting.The way it read to me.
Simon knows that Elminster is his great-grandfather, and is worried about living up to that name.
Simon initially mistakes the person he see's when attuning as being Elminster, but eventually realizes that it's himself holding him back.
I'd make it so you can always change your animal shape for the duration of the transformation, but it's going from your humanoid form that's more taxing@Whizbang Dustyboots: I actually thought that the best way to model Druid Wildshape in Shadowdark is to handle it exactly the way Kelsey handled the Priest's Turn Undead. In other words, it's a spell, but one that you just know as part of your class.
Something like:
WILDSHAPE
Tier 2 (special), Druid
Duration: Concentration
Range: Self
You transform yourself and any gear you carry into another non-flying natural creature that you've seen which is close to your size with level equal to your level or less. You gain that creature's hit points, armor class, and attacks, but retain your intellect.
If you cast this as a tier 3 spell, you gain the ability to change into flying creatures and the size may vary from as small as a mouse to as big as a large bear. If you cast this as a tier 4 spell, you may shift into any natural creature from the size of a bug to that of an elephant.
If you go to 0 hit points while under the effects of this spell, you revert to your true form at 1 hit point.
(I'm not quite sure you need all the levels, but I liked the idea that it gets better, and it basically makes "Shapechange" the Tier 5 version of this spell. You could also handle this with Talents.)
It's Elminster.I saw it a second time yesterday and went into the viewing with this discussion in mind. And that's absolutely the way it reads. The sorcerer is very specifically not Elminster, as he merely says "What a coincidence, I'm an Aumar too." And Simon's hero moment is realizing it's just his mental projection of his "famous ancestor he can never live up to" that is who/what he's been confronting.
..and as a former Harper. Maybe he just rolled poorly on the knowledge check?On the question of whether Edgin is a bard or not: it's curious how he's the only one of the party who's never heard of Xenk. As a bard, you'd expect him to know some tales.
I suspect most of Gail's followers already saw it, but her endorsement certainly couldn't hurt. (And she'd be a much better choice to write the comic book for the sequel.)
It's Elminster.
I mean, yes, it's a projection of Simon's lack of confidence holding him back . . . but Simon's psyche manifesting itself as Elminster.