Post:Magic and War (was Moongate/Teleport Wards) - 4/25/2009 - 18:19:44

Re: Magic and War (was Moongate/Teleport Wards) · on 4/25/2009 6:19:44 PM	?
>>How big is a moongate exactly? The standard Moongate is large enough for a kitted out Gor'tog to walk through without ducking but not much else. People go through them single-file. There's no profound metaphysical limit to the size of a Moongate, though, just a matter of convenience and skill. It'd take obnoxious effort (equivalent of spending multiple spell slots, ala EF + BF), but someone specializing in Moongates could make one bigger, probably large enough to let a wagon through. Anything much larger than a wagon and you're talking about a real exceptional situation, or a magician that's so powerful you probably shouldn't be worrying about his Moongating prowess. Specialized Moon Mages can be wonderful at moving materiel and troops faster than they'd march, but they're not going to teleport in entire armies at once, or platoons in formation. >>How specific can Moon Mages predict the future, from a thematic standpoint? Prediction always comes down to plot convenience. The process is intentionally a bit anthropomorphic with a touch of cruel humor, leaving us the out that fate reveals whatever the unseen hand of fate happens to want to reveal. That said, here are a few generalizations that will be completely invalidated whenever it's convenient: 1: The innate power and skill of the Moon Mage matters. We assume all PC Moon Mages have flatly average talent (they have no natural prophetic ability, but were skillful enough to pick the technique up). Historical figures with natural ability, such as Jares Braun, G'nar Peth, or Nera could do a lot more wacky stuff than PCs are allowed to do. 2: Visions are symbolic, unless the seer is doing something incredibly simple (weather prediction, cheating at cards, etc.). 3a: Natural events (earthquakes, lightning strikes, weather) are easier and more accurate than anything to do with people (wars, assassinations, politics). 3b: Inevitable events, or events with few potential outcomes, are easier and more accurate than events with a multitude of potential endings. 3c: "Large" or highly significant events (wars, famine, end of the world) are easy to spot but very vague. Insignificant events are hard to spot but tend to be clear-cut when they are found. -Armifer
This message was originally posted in an unknown folder, by DR-ARMIFER on the play.net forums.