Lore FAQ Thread

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Toros
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Toros » Tue Jan 10, 2017 8:07 am

Vogelens wrote:Detect Evil (And other detect spells like detect good/magic etc) do require some concentration, so the paladin would be focussed on this, I figure. And that sort of focus likely would be seen. In PnP the spell requires some time to fully get all the information too, so the paladin would stand staring in that one direction for 18 seconds if they want to get the full information.
You can sense the presence of evil. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.

1st Round
Presence or absence of evil.

2nd Round
Number of evil auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent evil aura present.

3rd Round
The power and location of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
I do not fully know how it works on TER, but with how I know Detect Evil in DnD, it does require some form of concentration and effort, as well as some time to fully learn all of it.
This is 100% accurate, but paladin are given to measuring stares in any case. I'm not sure if it's as obvious as the flavor text would suggest.
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Loreweaver » Tue Jan 10, 2017 11:56 am

It's considered an activated divine ability and therefore it comes with a notification. Like most activated powers, it does not prompt a Spellcraft or similar check to see if other PCs can identify just what's happening, so it falls to players to decide if their PCs recognize something is going on and can place it.

Our version of Detect Evil only takes a single round and merely reports on the presence or absence of evil within the paladin's vision, with the result determined by Sense Motive vs Bluff checks (allowing both false positives and false negatives). That does mean it's most reliable if a paladin can examine someone several times over the course of some minutes or across different encounters, and also if they're standing alone. In a large enough crowd, after all, it's almost always going to pick up something while saying very little about anyone.

Someone showing up as evil once is cause for some suspicion and verification, showing up as evil repeatedly is cause for close scrutiny, but being evil is in itself not illegal (though it confirms illegal activity in rare cases, e.g. when claiming to be a priest of a good-aligned deity, being evil is incompatible with the faith, therefore the priest lied about who they're following, therefore they're in the country illegally). The fact they can use detect evil and so trigger investigations makes paladins dangerous people to be around if you have something to hide, especially if you stick around for them, and that's entirely deliberate. The text message which goes with the ability therefore also has a role in warning players that their evil characters are in a precarious position.

For the IC portrayal, the most evident expression of the ability would be a change of shape or colour of the eyes, or some glow around them which looks a bit like a manifestation of the deity. If and how the paladin's player wants to describe it is up to them, but some examples might be a paladin of Helm whose eyes become hawk-like, one of Ilmater whose eyes go full white, of Lathander whose eye capillaries fill with blood, spreading out in the shape of a rosy sun rising, or the red, pink and white glow of a Sunite paladin which looks like a monocle with a fine chain to their heart.
You can also say it's subtle, maybe the paladin covers their face and peeks out between their fingers to conceal the effect, or wears a helmet even though metal barriers interfere with the ability, and chances are players will ignore the notification. They do remain at liberty to detect some disturbance in the weave or catch a glimpse of a strange and worrying expression.

As for how a paladin should use the ability, some restraint is a good idea. A paladin could scan every adventurer they work with, of course, but most of them are somewhat troubled and won't appreciate having their soul searched for flaws so it's not the best way to win their trust.
Furhtermore, paladins who believe it's irresponsible not to do all they can to identify evil often end up rather paranoid when they realize there may be ways to fool the ability, or that people they thought safe may be impersonated through illusion magics, or that neutral people can be assassins too.
It's therefore more productive to use the ability simply to be better informed about your situation, like when you get the impression you're being deceived, or when you're about to enter into a major agreement with someone, or when you're going to pass judgement.

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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Vogelens » Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:29 pm

Thank you for the clarification and the additiona details on how this ability works on TER. it does make it easier to RP with, for the ones who are Scanned, too.
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Kerstman » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:07 am

I have a question. What is the actual situation of the dwarven settlement of Earthfast and the monstrous presence of hobgoblins and orcs in the mountains? Obviously I am aware that details may need a proper lore check, but rumours already would be very interesting for rp. The situation was mostly clear to me when TER got live, but since then this has been something about not much has been said. Or at least not that I am aware of. I also wonder how the demonic invasion would have affected life in the mountains. What would characters discover who regularly explore the foothills and the lower mountain areas?
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Shadowtim3 » Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:35 pm

I also have a question: I haven't seen that much on magic and was wondering if there's any OOC rules or IC laws surrounding that. Fairly simple question that spans a large discussion, but there's only one tidbit about magic on the forums that I saw. But yeah, I would like to know if possible. ^^

Link to what I'm talking about: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25
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Toros
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Toros » Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:47 pm

Shadowtim3 wrote:I also have a question: I haven't seen that much on magic and was wondering if there's any OOC rules or IC laws surrounding that. Fairly simple question that spans a large discussion, but there's only one tidbit about magic on the forums that I saw. But yeah, I would like to know if possible. ^^

Link to what I'm talking about: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25
I can't provide a full answer to this, but the general state is that magic users are relatively rare but wizards are trusted more than sorcerers due to the latter lacking the control generally associated with wizards. I don't believe there's a formal registration but if you want to use arcane talents to make money you need to purchase and maintain a arcane profession license.

The Warsword have a branch called the Warwands, which comprise their military mages and some can attain the rank of Shieldstave and lead troops. The priestly equivalent are called warmaces but don't have a commanding equivalent.
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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Loreweaver » Sat Jan 21, 2017 12:55 am

Earthfast is still trying to determine its next king. Most candidates have been identified and many of them rejected, but for the moment opinions remain divided and no one faction has the clear upper hand.
Both the city and the kingdom remain at war with humanoids in the mountains. The humanoids seem to suffer from hunger, in that they are more likely to pounce on dwarven dead than they are to press an assault, and have likely been eating their own as well for they tend to come in smaller numbers. As there are countless tunnels in the area and new ones can be dug, the war is very much a shifting thing. Tunnels, outposts, even sections of the city itself may come under attack and have to be surrendered until forces can be assembled to repel the humanoids. But there's little fear for the heart of Earthfast at the moment.
The foothills and lower mountains have been fairly quiet. With the long, harsh weather, many passes are closed and will remain so until there's a proper thaw. Most of Earthfast's troubles take place underground, and there are always safe passages into and out of the area.

As regards the daemons, there may be some in the mountains here and there, but if you see them then you're probably cradling your guts.

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Re: Lore FAQ Thread

Postby Loreweaver » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:43 am

Magic is a fact of life in Impiltur, but most people can't wield it and that means anyone who can bend the rules of reality isn't quite one of the boys and should be looked upon with suspicion and jealousy and concern. That's particularly true with arcane magic, because it doesn't have the moral requirements that wholesome service to a Triadic deity has.
The nation's history with magic also isn't a positive one overall, as the conjuration magics of Narfell's daemonbinders of old still cause trouble and deaths today. Necromancers dishonour the dead, enchanters steal free will away, for regular folk there's plenty to dislike when it comes to magic.

The government meanwhile is quite active when it comes to collecting magical lore. It has an interest in locking dangerous knowledge away, but also in stockpiling useful magical equipment. That tends to make its way to the Most Holy Order of the Sacred Shrike, Impiltur's elite, to help them fight threats which would just cause too much trouble for the Warsword. One example of this process is found in the archeological license - it allows you to keep hold of artifacts you find on Impilturan soil, provided you register their discovery, at least until your license expires or you die. Otherwise it's all property of the king, and you're merely doing your duty in returning such items to his armoury.

Despite the fact that arcane magic is uncommon, Impiltur is quite modern in some aspects. The Warwand is one example. Based on Cormyr's approach, it's an organization of magi in service to the crown, with integration into the military. Unlike in Cormyr, not every wizard worth the name is required to join.
There are two schools of wizardry in the country, one dealing with the interaction between moonstones and magic, the other with wind magics. The latter is sponsored by shipping companies and it's common for graduates to serve as wind mage on a commercial vessel for a time. This gives Impiltur's ships an edge over many others since they can more easily outrun or outmaneuver pirate vessels and make distance even when the weather is unfavourable.
Within such contexts, mages who do their jobs are entirely respectable.

Others will have to earn their reputations on their own. If they want to sell their magic or knowledge of magic in some form, they need to be registered and have a license. But if the magic is for personal use, like staying alive in the wilderness, no license is necessary.
Some brands of magic, including research into the daemonic or the raising of the dead, are illegal anyway as they're considered crimes against the gods. No licenses are provided for that and personal use is offense enough.
Other magics may be illegal depending on their location - some settlements don't allow magic cast within a certain distance of people, buildings, farm animals or crops. Most of the time however there's not anything inherently illegal about casting magic - if it causes damage or deaths, then it's the same crime as one where the same damage is caused by non-magical means.

Nevertheless, the general population doesn't know a light spell from a fireball until it's too late to get out of the way, and so random castings in public cause unnecessary panic and are therefore frowned upon. Priests get around this problem by invoking a prayer which (one hopes) clearly announces that all is well and sanctioned by the divine. An arcane caster who uses their magic for entertainment purposes tends to give people similar context and reassurance. For most mages however it's better to perform their magics in a more private or isolated environment.


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