Не мое, но подписуюсь всеми лапами.
Это про то, как маг-недоучка может пытается развести трактирщика на даровую выпивку, и чем это кончится в мире, где магия - нормальное и привычное всем явление. А также про ограбление королевских сокровищниц и прочие побеги из тюрем. ;)
The DRAGON REBORN
E-mail newspaper about news of
Russian AD&D players community at
Mountain View, CA
Issue 27
5-20-97
{кусь}
3. Waterdeep Championship of Glassthrowing
Bartender - 1 : Spellcasters - 0
Will be there a rematch?
The usual mistake of begginer players is not understanding the socium of
medeival fantasy world. The main point of this problem is understanding that
world is not born yesterday and will not die tomorrow when adventurers pass by.
Any structure, person or system are present in world for years and have some
established customs and traditions. Moreover - it has some solutions for all
kind of problems what adventurers will cause to that system.
Let's take as example some usual medeival town. What will happen if we put
magic in play? From first point of view - anything. Magic users can use
powerful spells to do almost anything - they can mend stone in city treasure
and go away with it, they can charm guards, they can teleport inside to get
treasure chests etc. Actually they can charm anyone they see, and after few
days have a small army at their backs. They can use illusions to pay in any
facility and not spend money at all. So, looks like they can do anything they
want.
But if this all is true - this mean that first mage which arrived at town could
submit it to his will or get all the treasure. Then, this town will be either
constantly robbed by such "adventures" and perish either will be long under
rule of such mage. Apparently, that if whole town will belong to this mage he
will now make some preparations to guard his treasure, or protect his people
from other mages (so they will not charm them for their armies). Or the city
goverment could make some preparation against such magical attacks and hire a
city archmage for such defence. The whole explanation could be repeated for any
structure in world - inn, tavern, shop, merchant warhouse etc. So the rule of
tomb is simple - if something is very easy to get with simple magic - this
could not be here becouse hundreds of adventurers with magic before could get
it in previous millenium. Each thing what you view in medeival world is there
not because it is just putted there by stupid DM - but because hundreds or
maybe thousand of years of development in very tough and magical fantasy world
allow this structure to envolve and be succesful.
So takinng our town as example. He is here - what mean that he survive a lot of
attempts to robe it treasure even not by 3 level mages but may be even by 10
level wizards. So about all simple magical way to get treasure is taken care
of. For example walls of city treasure is warded against any magical probbing,
the chest are surround by Continuous Teleport Distortion Sphere, inside the
bilding all magical mouth at walls could start to hurling fireballs if someone
who just not meet pre-set description enter the room.
Of course all such defences are very expensice and require work of high-level
wizard. So any tavern in town could not be defended by such powerful magic -
but from other point of view 10 level wizard will not try to get free drink at
tavern, but a 2 lev mage with 15gp could. This remind somehow termo-balance in
system with infinite time - everything should remain balanced. The typical
magical way to solve a problem will meet a typical defence against such
attempt. City goverment aware that someone could even try to use Teleport
Without Error to reasch treasure, and innkeeper aware that someone could try to
charm him and get free room.
This lead to other conclusion. Adventurers are people who travel often. NPC are
usually just the opposit - they do not travel and spent all the time in their
prefered and calm life style. But they spent so much time in their everyday
life that the things what they do everyday - they do extremely well. Just
because they can't do and do not try to do anything else. PC can do almoust all
with some probability of success. NPC can't do almoust all - but what they can
they do with near 100% probability of success.
For example innkeeper who is aware of possible magical attempts to get his
money is so used to suspect new customers to use it (he is not paranoid - it is
just his subliminal habbit how to do business and save money) so he will have
great bonuses at save throw against any such attempt. And for sure he will
detect magic use from the very begining - not the first time he has seen such
"smart guys" and deal with them (or he would lost his inn long ago). Or he
could buy a defense amulet which protect him completely from magic. City guard
deals with magic users not the first time and they are specialy trained to
catch mages when they misbehave or threaten town folk. Don't be surprised why
guards could have good enough magical resistance - may be from training may be
from some amulets. Bartender is used to solve problems in his tavern for 30
years - and he can't do anything what usual adventurers do. But he handle all
adventurers (even drunk ones) before and still have his inn. So there is few
thing he can do better than adventurers - he can hit anyone with glass at any
spot in tavern with certain knockout result - he is trained 30 years in that.
:) PC did not have 30 years to train in that - so PC will try to use his
generic combat abilities, try to use glass as throwing weapon and roll to
hit-THACO chance. Bartender never throw (and never will) anything expect
glasses and chairs - but with that he has no problem at all.
Summary
” Any simple way to exploit magic against non-magic users did not exist - in
opposite case it would be used long ago by other magic user and the present
situation could not happen.
” Anything and anyone in fantasy world is aware about magic, and probably have
seen wizards of higher levels before current party. They prepare for possible
encounters with them long ago, and there is no surprise for anyone to deal with
magic threat.
” Any NPC could not do 90% of things what adventures can. In exchange they have
knowledge how to do things what belong to their lifestyle extremely well. PC
could not even try to outmatch them in their life-style activity. And NPC have
all possible expirience with adventurers before - so its hard to put them in
really unexpected situation.
{кусь}