Excommunication

Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

From: David Weihe (weihe@gsidanet.danet.com)
Date: Fri 13 Dec 1996 - 03:24:56 EET

The Excommunication spell seems to be too powerful to be allowed. Unless
I have misread the description, it seems that one High Priest could launch
Excommunications at his or her rivals and effectively destroy them with no
danger.

For example, why couldn't priests of Chaotic cults like Thanatar, just
Excommunicate all the supporters of another priest, rather than suffer
the occasional in-temple civil wars over position.

Likewise, why couldn't the illuminated Orlanth priest in Pavis do
the same to his anti-Chaotic rivals, rather than go through all the
consternation in the scenario from Strangers In Prax?

Given that excommunication didn't do anything in the Real World, except
when fairly civilized people believed in the rightness of the act
(nobody in Iceland or Germany panicked when the Pope and Patriarch of
Constantinople did each other, and all each others' supporters, for
instance) it seems to be overly powerful in Glorantha.

As it is, the effects seem as uncontrollable as the AD&D Wish spell
(ever try to DM a Wish War? Especially with Time Gates to previous
centuries, put in by the previous DM, so attacks could be launched
before the victim's birth? It made running a full nuclear exchange
seem managible).

------------------------------

Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Fri 13 Jun 2003 - 16:55:33 EEST