Post:Why does armor hinderance affect dances? (Research) - 1/14/2004 - 15:44:04

Re: why does armor hinderance affect dances? (Research) · on 1/14/2004 3:44:04 PM	1637
Okay then. Folks have mentioned previous GM posts about the nature of Dances, so I dug around in my files and pulled up the post that Maelona made back in August of 2001 on this discussion. Here it is, and my comments will follow in a second post. Painbringer Skiori Not liking an answer you're given doesn't mean one wasn't given. ***************************** And now for some extra discussion of individual Dances and what I perceive Dances to be. First of all, as Joub recently reminded everyone by re-posting an earlier comment of mine, Dances are NOT performed by continually leaping about and shuffling around in order to derive their effects. In that sense, "Dances" is a misnomer. It would actually make far more sense to refer to them as "Forms", but I doubt I'd bother to change that. What matters is that everyone have an understanding of what is going on with a Dance when it is first performed, and then to maintain its effects. The effects of Dances are both mental and physical. Sure, STR is a purely physical stat, but in many ways AGI, REF and STA (all stats which are bonused in one Dance or another) could be considered to have both physical AND mental components. Some Dances bonus skills such as Perception, Hiding, Stalking - is that a mental or a physical bonus? Some Dances bonus aspects of the Combat system that aren't visible to players just as a function of your stats and skills, but these too could be considered offshoots of both mental and physical disciplines. A Barbarian under the effects of a Dance is, therefore, in a state of both heightened physical AND mental consciousness. Someone attempted to confine higher mental consciousness to Meditations while allowing Dances only higher physical consciousness; IMO, that is forcing the issue way too hard and failing to acknowledge that everything about the Barbarian and his abilities (mundane abilities and special abilities just the same) is a combination of mental and physical fortitude. Certainly, some Dances are more physical than mental and Meditations (when we eventually get a chance to expand on that aspects) will generally be more mental than physical - but don't be surprised if a Meditation comes out that has a physical effect just as Dances have their mental component. Really, it's a stylistic difference. I perceive Dances to be something a Barbarian performs as preparation for combat, whereas Meditations will eventually be something he does outside of combat - an overall physical and mental grooming, if you like, rather than something to get his juices going for an immediate entry into combat. The two features should never be viewed as polar opposites, though, that must not only be mechanically initiated in differing ways but must also have vastly differing effects; given that the lifestyle of the Barbarian is all about the physical and mental disciplines required for successful combat, nobody should be surprised if ALL their abilities in one way or another afford them bonuses that impact their combat capability. As for the initation of a Dance, this process should be viewed as an initial activity of some kind, followed by a less visible continuation of the Dance effect as it is maintained by the contributing aspects of the character's numbers. Barbarians are specifically NOT hopping about on the battlefield, continuing to do some kind of bear-like lumbering or some panther-like slinking. The messaging given to Barbarians is clearly indicative that they are mentally focusing on the aspects of the animal that they are mimicking - the grace of the swan, the strength of the bear, the deadly accuracy of the cobra. Therefore, the initial activity is intended as a mental and physical focusing exercise. Yes, some of the Dances involve quite a degree of motion - Wolverine, for example, incorporates a wild initiation, and Panther involves a vertical leap. However, in order to maintain either of those Dances, the Barbarian is quite simply NOT continuing to spin and leap; he has focused on the aspects of the animal he is mimicking, and then transitions into maintaining that mental focus while he benefits from the particular bonuses each animal's "style" affords him. At this time, as I said in the post I pasted above, there is still much I want to do with Dances beyond what will be in place at initial release. I hope folks can be patient, and will also continue to contribute great ideas for future development of Dances With Horses. <grin> Maelona
This message was originally posted in The Barbarians, Barbarian Ability - The Dances, by an unknown author on the play.net forums.