Re: (TFT) tough illusions

[Thorn <edt@dopey.ne.mediaone.net>]

Cas Liber wrote:
> 
> I remember in our campaigns, the GM only allowed illusory figures of
> beginning level (i.e. 32 pts for men etc.). So the cunning wizards made
> reptile men  with ST 15 DX 13 and pikeaxes for awhile, so the GM thought
> about this for a while before stating that on the whole, reptile men were
> rare and generally didn't associate with sentient mammalians so that an
> illusory reptile warrior would be readily disbelieved. The same went for
> gargoyles. Thus, mostly myrmidon-type warriors (12/12/8) were made after or
> spearmen.
> Cas

I've GM'ed, and I recognize the game balance issues.  As well, I agree
that unreasonable Illusions should be disbelieved.

But as a player, I have yet to see any NPC stand still and take a whole
turn to 'disbelieve' even the most unlikely of things.  Tiny little
wolfgirl, rushes up, sweeps the feet of the hulking warrior, then
joint-locks him into submission...  Anybody disbelieving?  Nah. 
Gargoyle wearing a monocle, carrying a silver-tipped walking staff and
wearing a half-cape between his wings...  Anybody disbelieving this
'statue of Mr. Peanut'?  Nah.  Drooling Noblin Shaman, stuttering and
babbling, declaring his ownership of the party's thief, and by extension
the entire party, and threatening dissenters with devolution back into
pre-amphibian aliuroids...  Anybody?  Anybody?  Beuller?

If you've got a campaign where NPCs disbelieve anything remotely weird,
then the average party of adventurers (I'm in a group now with an
Orc/Dwarf halfbreed, a Goblin/Elf hb, and the above-mentioned wolfgirl,
who by the way now talks in Eirish brogue and casts spells!  But I
digress...)  That average party ought to draw some 'disbelief' from the
suddenly-engaged enemy, rather than the rapid, decisive deployment and
return fire that GMs are wont to do.  But I've yet to see, or hear
about, _any_ such response from NPCs.

Disbelief is IMHO a pressure valve, designed to prevent abuses of the
Illusion rules.  But valves should be automatic things, not the attack
dogs of munchkin GMs (and GMs can be munchkins, too).  If people
disbelieve gargoyles, lizard men, and 16 ST blonde barbarians weilding
spetums...  fine.  But when Jon the Spetum and his allies Murgn, Magus
of the StoneFolk and White Wolf (a perverse name for a lizard man, I
know) bust through a door, they then have a _right_ to expect some of
the opposition to stand around executing the option 'move one hex, or
stand still, and attempt to disbelieve'.  And if Jon et al _don't_
experience this disbelief, then Jon's buddy Dar Fannen's Illusions of
gargs, lizards, or Jon's sister Bette the Axe darn well better not draw
automatic disbelief fire.

Anyone who runs their game differently, is a munchkin GM.
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"