Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

[Inu]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Speaking of which' date=' it's actually somewhat sensible to assume that lots of resources would get invested in powerful combat magic, b/c that's similar to the situation historically. Look at all the money that is sunk into the development, procurement, and operation of weapons systems like the Stealth bomber and nuclear missile submarines. Morality aside, that's a significant chunk of change, and it's pretty much always been that way for Western civilizations all the way back to the Roman Empire. It stands to reason that combat-useful magic would likewise be disproportionately well developed.[/quote']

Interestingly, you could mimic another modern bit, and have trickle-down from military investment making it to the civilian market.

[Chuckg]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Then I invented another magic item, the Bug Zapper (1 Real Point). Suddenly, anyone who can afford any magic at all can have a room permanently free of vermin.

 

Strikes me that both of those would have long-term social consequences.

 

A Pyramid article invented a quasi-magical plant for the GURPS Yrth fantasy setting that could be woven into insect-repellent cloaks.

 

Controlling the harvest and supplies of said plants rapidly became almost as much of a strategic priority as controlling sufficient iron mines and foundries to arm your troops... because the Cloaks Of Keeping My Army's Death Rate From Disease Much Lower Than Normal *were* almost as much a vital material of war as weapons & armor were.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

A good resource for the directions magic would turn to is John George Hohman's Long Lost Friend.

[Markdoc]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Interestingly' date=' you could mimic another modern bit, and have trickle-down from military investment making it to the civilian market. [/quote']

 

Yeah, but that only works because of mass-production. Once the bugs are worked out of something at vast cost, other people can copy it and sell a version more cheaply.

 

But if you need a skilled mage to replicate it, forget it. THAT's the big difference between technology and magic (in most systems anyway).

 

And forget the bug-zapper: the first thing people who can afford magic want in my world is life support: reduced aging, followed by immunity to diseases.

 

Think of the effects of that: ordinary people have a life expectancy of 40'sish and get old. Wealthy people have a potentially infinite lifespan and stay young and healthy until they meet their end, usuallly violently.

 

cheers, Mark

[Chuckg]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Pyramid subscribers really need to read this article in last week's pyramid, it's chock full o' ideas I already mentioned one, the insect-repellent plant dye.

 

http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=5746

 

Some others...

 

* A variant oak tree that grows edible acorns. Perfect self-preserving field rations!

* A gourd that can be boiled to produce a sweet-tasting syrup... that guarantees that insects will ignore any food flavored with it. The perfect low-tech preservative! Make it scarce enough and it'll be worth as much as gold!

* A quasi-magical flower that produces a wine (like dandelions can be used to make dandelion wine) that is as effective an antibiotic as penicillin!

 

The changes any of these would make to a medieval society are obvious.

[LoresLost]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

A variant oak tree that grows edible acorns. Perfect self-preserving field rations!

 

Uh, most acorns are already eatable (after a little prep work). Native Americans have been using acorn meal for ages and I found all kinds of recipes for acorn meal breads and pancakes.

 

Here is a web site I found on preping acorns for food http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html

 

NOTE: This includes leaching out tannin from the Acorn. So you can not pick acorns and eat them with out preping them. That is why they use the ground nut and not the whole nut.

 

Also a quote from the article:

They range from the Emory oak of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, which is so mild it can be used without processing, to some black oaks with very bitter acorns, requiring lengthy processing to render edible.

So no magic, just grow real world Emory Oaks.

[Chuckg]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Well, yes, but those aren't edible enough to be a full meal, and require lots of cooking.

 

These things can be munched raw and provide the same nutritive value as hardtack. So, the fantasy Bread Acorn.

[Krieghandt]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

The Trolls in Tauran in my campaign are the forefathers of Giants in his world. His world begans when the Trolls leave Tauran, and return to defeat Tarath. Changes his history somewhat, but hey, its my campaign

Krieghandt

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

wat ever happened to Arcana Evoled?

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

wat ever happened to Arcana Evoled?

 

The product or a conversion?

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Following up on what has been said above....

i) Not to blow a paradigm or anything, but what if the Black Death never happened? (That is, 1349 saw the usual cold and flu epidemics and then a bad outbreak of oh, say, measles, and a few authors proceeded to exaggerate like heck, then, and, more importantly, in the nineteenth century.) More specifically, there is ample evidence of a labour shortage before the Black Death, most notably in the low returns of European field agriculture, which generally imply that it was less expensive to accept poor harvests than to pay for weeding.

ii) Things that Magic Can Do Other Than War, Medicine and Agriculture: masonry structures that don't subside; ships that don't sink/wagons (and wheels) that don't fail; clothes and makeup that turn heads; food that doesn't kill people; bread that rises/beer and wine that doesn't go sour; putting the nets down where there turns out to be fish; whales that come within reach of oar-powered whalers; timber that regrows overnight; forest fires that turn aside; dykes that withstand the flood. (On the last I can easily imagine a high level magician blowing as many spells on a major flood as in a battle.) And, above all, foretelling the future.

There's a reason why ancient peoples valued their shamans and it wasn't the off chance that they'd throw a lightning bolt at a wandering army.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Can magic make carriage returns too?

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

I was asking about Arcana Evolved conversion. I love the books and the setting. The thread started out great but now is about everything except the title

 

I am trying to convert this for one of the races:

 

 

Sensory Control: The Race can selectively shut off their senses.

This means they can willingly blind themselves (taking

the appropriate penalties) to become immune to gaze attacks

and similar visual dangers. They can willingly go deaf and

make themselves impervious to language-based or similar

effects. They can shut off their sense of touch and become

immune to pain effects but suffer a –2 circumstance penalty

to attack rolls, Open Lock or Disable Device attempts, or

any other action the DM rules to be touch-dependent.

Shutting off or reactivating a sense is a standard action.

 

 

Any suggestions I am lost.

 

I am also working on the magic system. It is rich and divers though it’s based on d20, it is made to enable spell casters to differentiate and be unique. Meaning you don’t necessarily know what to expect all the time from magic… making it well… magical again.

 

I am looking to model the spirit of the magic system more than the mechanics. It works wonders around the d20 system with out breaking it. But I am sure the way magic works in the sting freed form d20 restraints should be very Magical.

 

Thanks to KS for all the info on his site I hope he doesn’t mind I take liberally from in fashioning this hybrid.

 

BTW I will be posting the race templates for arcana Evolved to Hero desinger based on 75+75 point startups. Templates use the TOTAL cos method by KS (If i got it right). Appreciate any input.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

I was asking about Arcana Evolved conversion. I love the books and the setting. The thread started out great but now is about everything except the title

I am trying to convert this for one of the races:

 
[font='Arial Narrow']Sensory Control: [/font][font='Arial Narrow']The Race  can selectively shut off their senses.[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']This means they can willingly blind themselves (taking[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']the appropriate penalties) to become immune to gaze attacks[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']and similar visual dangers. They can willingly go deaf and[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']make themselves impervious to language-based or similar[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']effects. They can shut off their sense of touch and become[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']immune to pain effects but suffer a –2 circumstance penalty[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']to attack rolls, Open Lock or Disable Device attempts, or[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']any other action the DM rules to be touch-dependent.[/font]
[font='Arial Narrow']Shutting off or reactivating a sense is a standard action.[/font]

Any suggestions I am lost.

I am also working on the magic system. It is rich and divers though it’s based on d20, it is made to enable spell casters to differentiate and be unique. Meaning you don’t necessarily know what to expect all the time from magic… making it well… magical again.

I am looking to model the spirit of the magic system more than the mechanics. It works wonders around the d20 system with out breaking it. But I am sure the way magic works in the sting freed form d20 restraints should be very Magical.

Thanks to KS for all the info on his site I hope he doesn’t mind I take liberally from in fashioning this hybrid.

BTW I will be posting the race templates for arcana Evolved to Hero desinger based on 75+75 point startups. Templates use the TOTAL cos method by KS (If i got it right). Apreciate any input.

 

For that sensory thing, a good starting point is Darkness with the Self Only limitation. I'm not sure exactly how you'd work it so you could shut down vision without shutting down hearing...if this thread is active when I get home today I'll look at the book to try to see a way.

 

Shutting off pain receptors would allow for adding PD and ED.

 

I was going to suggest Flash Defense too, but since shutting off the sense would have the same effect as a Flash anyway, it loses a lot of its utility. Still, for those AVLD attacks, maybe a little Flash Def would be reasonable...depends on how common they are in your world.

[Inu]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

A counterintuitive idea might be to buy off the 'always on' limitation -- work out how much the sense costs, and how much the -1/2 limitation would be... then pay that!

[Savinien]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Or, better yet, use a font that is legible. Converting your entire post is bad form.

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

For that sensory thing' date=' a good starting point is Darkness with the Self Only limitation. I'm not sure exactly how you'd work it so you could shut down vision without shutting down hearing...if this thread is active when I get home today I'll look at the book to try to see a way..[/quote']

 

Actually darkness self only seems perfect. For all of them, if you really think about it. Since its equivalent to shutting off a sense group. And darkness allows that for any sense.

 

 

Shutting off pain receptors would allow for adding PD and ED.

That wouldnt work becaus they dont feel the pain, however damage is still there which PD and ED would reduce (not what the ability does).

 

I was going to suggest Flash Defense too, but since shutting off the sense would have the same effect as a Flash anyway, it loses a lot of its utility. Still, for those AVLD attacks, maybe a little Flash Def would be reasonable...depends on how common they are in your world.

 

Flash self might work, but then again, it is voluntary and the character should be able to activate and deactivate as an atack action at will. Flash would last X number of segments and can't be ended at will.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I knew it was easy enough. I just couldnt find the right starting point.

 

Here is what I came up with with your help:

 

 
Darkness to Targeting and Non Targeting Sense Group 1" radius, 
Variable Special Effects (Can shut down up to any 2 sense groups; +1/4),
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Mobile (must follow self) (+1/2)
(34 Active Points); Self Only (-1) cost: 17
Note: This power allows the character to shut down any 2 sense groups in his 
body. This is done as an atack action an caries all the benefits and disadvantages
of not having that sens group.

 

Don't know if it is a bit clumsy as regularly self only aplies exclusivley to adjustment powers. Any suggestions?

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Here are the templates with NCM(20) and STR (Cost:2). For a few of Monte Cook's races. I can't upload anymore but the rest are in www.herodesigner.com

 

Here are:

• Dracha
  
• Faen Loresong
  
• Faen Quickling
  
• Giant
  
• Litorian

On Hero desinger there is also:

• Mojh

Woking on

• Spryte
  
• Sibeccai
  
• Verrik

For humans I use KS's Human Package deals.

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Added the rest of the racial templates to http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1432212&postcount=2

 

I will be creating a thread with the class conversions as I go.

[Southern Cross]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

How are you going to do magic?I'd assume AE magic would be converted to the Hero system as follows:

All spell-casters have a VPP that takes an hour to change.Most spell-casters would have the VPP with the Limitation Only simple Spells while magisters would have their VPP with the lesser limitation Only Complex and Simple Spells.

The Complex and Exotic spell feats would be bought as Naked Power Advantages for the VPP,as would be feats such as the Elemental and Energy mage feats,Psion,and the racial feats such as Dragon and Giant Mage.

Oh,and by the way,I also recommend the Spell Treasury.Despite the editing problems,it more than triples the number of spells available to AE casters,though many spells are originally core D20 spells from the SRD rebuilt for the AE system,such as soul walk (which is astral projection renamed) and wish.

[jaws]

Re: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

 

Pretty much what I am doing. Half-based on Killershike's Gestalt system, it is a variable power pool with limitations as you suggested.

 

Spells are bought as 1 point familiarities for simple 2 point familiarities for Complex and 3 point familiarities for exotic.

 

It is quit simple to differentiate the different types of casters since depending on the type of caster is the kind of limitations their power pool takes.

 

However I don't modify the pools adv/lim after the fact. Certain feats in AE grant access to complex spells or modify spells with templates etc. These are all Talents built as Naked advantages. So basically Complex spell access with a single descriptor is 5cp while exotic is 10cp.

 

And yes spell treasury is cool but I'm not even 10% in to the conversion of spells in the main book yet. I am however well advanced on Classes.