Re: Re: (TFT) orbs

[Michael Taylor <MichaelTaylor1@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by INTERNET:tft@brainiac.com
>
     A mobile gate is a frightening thing.  I had one player who wanted to 
put gates in the windy parts of the tops of mountain passes and put the 
other end on his ship facing the sails.  The rule would be verbal 
activation.  I told him that the ship would sail out from under the gate
and 
leave it hanging there in the air.
     Another version of the mobile gate is to put a big one across a 
waterfall and the other end (much smaller) in the bottom of a jug.  This 
would be like AD&D's "horn of gushing".  With a word a waterfall of water 
would shoot out of the jug.  One could drown a building from the inside
with 
this.  It would eventually fill up and water would pour from the windows
and 
door cracks.  I had to rule against this too.
     I fear mobile gates will lead to jet powered flying carpets, volcanic 
magma spewing cauldrons, and portable quicksand traps.  Interesting, but
too 
wild for the political campaigns I like to run.

     David Michael Grouchy II<

Personally, as a GM I can't seem much harm in either of these. 

Like many 'game-wrecks' these ideas sound great on paper, but if you let
your players try them out they'll soon see the reason no one has done it
before. Not enough gain for WAY too much effort. 

How many boats in your world (under full sail no less) will fit the 3-meter
diameter hole? Some sure, but not many.

The water fall idea? Great for a one-shot item. Bam! The jug breaks and you
get your shoes wet. Remember after the jug breaks from the initial pressure
of an entire waterfall behind it, the magic item is essentially 'broken'
(or at least you can rule that the gates location is not longer there). 
Either way, it's an idea that should only work if the GM really wants it
to!

Flying carpets? Only that go to places you've already been. Possible but
really just convienient travel. How many IQ 18 wizards want to be bus
drivers?

Magma cauldrons? Only if you can already build invulnerable cauldrons?
(I"ll bet Rick knows what kind of temperatures are required there!)

Portable Quicksand traps? Not likely. The smallest thing you can carry and
"spring" on someone is too small to fit anyone through. Anything big enough
for someone to fall through would probably have to stay in one place. After
the first couple of people everyone else would avoid it. I guess you could
place it on a carpet. How many turns does it take to Ready a carpet? :]

But of course the best way to limit any spell is simply to make it rare or
costly. Do you really let your players read through the entire spell book
to create wizards? Personally I like Ty's idea of spell components. If you
want a spell to be rare, make the components difficult to find. 

Michael






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