RQIV, etc.

From: JOVANOVIC@CUCCFA.CCC.COLUMBIA.EDU
Date: Tue 08 Jun 1993 - 22:25:37 EEST


Some general comments -

The volume has become a bit overwhelming. Might I
second Loren's suggestion that people try to limit
themselves to one post a day?

As a general note - your comments are greatly appreciated.
The next draft will be a while yet, but hopefully the changes

in it will address most of your points - this is not a
trivial task, however, and will take some time.

Runes -

This discussion more properly belongs in the digest - but to
clarify my comment (which may have gotten a bit distorted as

it was passed down) - as far as I understand it, the God Learners
invented a number of the runes in current use, but obviously
adopted some previously extant symbols. More to the point,
the God Learners spread and popularized their particular set
of runic symbols and their particular assignment of them to
the various cults they encountered as they spread across the world
to the point that they have been adapted by many cults and cultures
that consider the God Learners anathema.

Western wizards and sorcerers do indeed use runes, but apparantly more in a
literal sense than a magical one - they use them as symbols and signs to
represent things. Also, their use came into vogue well after sorcery
had been developed and taken on much of its current form.

Shields -

I've had only a little experience fighting with a shield,
but I did speak at length to an ex SCAer that fought
extensively with buckler and kite shield. His main
comments were that although the buckler could perhaps
start with a slightly higher initial percentage,
the larger shields were easier to use and parry with,
particularly when just starting. However, he felt that
the AP ratings for bucklers were far too low compared to
the larger shields, since once one blocked a blow, a buckler
was quite effective, and frankly, bucklers were typically
as thick (or thicker) than the larger shields. He also thought
the AP on the larger shields were a bit on the high end.

The second RQIV draft uses the following values:

Buckler (10 AP) 50L 1.0
Heater/Target (14 AP) 75L 3.5
Hoplite (18 AP) 100L 7.0
Kite (16 AP) 60L 5.0
Round (12 AP) 60L 3.0

Frankly, I'd be tempted to lump these five shield
types into three categories:

Small (Buckler/Small Round) (12 AP) 50L 2.0 ENC
Medium (Heater/Target/Round) (14 AP) 75L 4.0 ENC
Large (Kite/Hoplite) (16 AP) 100L 6.0 ENC

(Or maybe even as low as 10/12/14 AP)

Any comments?

Skill modifiers -

I'd like to get a more general opinion on something that has been
suggested by a few people.

They have pointed out that of all the skills modifiers, Stealth
affects the least skills. The two skills that it currently covers, Sneak
and Hide, could just as easily be classified as Agility skills (one person
suggested putting Sneak under Agility and Hide under Knowledge or
Judgement).

To replace the Stealth modifier, it was suggested that Knowledge skills
be split into two types of skills: Judgement skills, which can be
increased by experience, and Knowledge skills, which must be learned,
and cannot be increased by experience (Lores). Judgement skills would
have a skill modifier based on INT or possibly INT and POW,
Knowledge skills might not have a skill modifier at all.

It seems that this might be an easier way to keep track of skills that
can and cannot be increased by experience than the current box or no box
system, and would eliminate an extra set of calculations for a modifier
used for only two skills in RQIII.

Opinions?

Oliver


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