Of Magickers And The Nature of Magick

[Sweet_Savant]

Salutations and good e-evening, all.

*insert malicious grin and compulsive hand-rubbing here*

As a new player - well, as an almost-new-player-who-has-not-yet applied-and-therefore-isn't-really-a-player-at-all - I'm very curious as to the nature of Zalanthas' resident finger-wagglers and the stigma attached to their name. It seems as if anyone demonstrating even a minute aptitude for magickal workings is labeled a veritable pariah and deemed unfit to live; I am therefore highly intrigued as to the nature of magick and its willing (or unwilling) practitioners as compared to the normals or "mundanes" of society.

For example, in a group of tightly knit friends, if one were to exhibit magickal prowess - even inadvertantly, or perhaps to save the life of one his esteemed friends - how might we expect his fellows to react? In Allanak? In Tuluk? In the orderless desert wastes? Would they nervously congratulate their now-not-so-dear friend and then skitter away at the nearest opportunity; or would they perhaps converge on the unfortunate fool and proceed to paint the ground with his blood and vitals?

Also, on a side note, I've seen magickal workings and elemental planes referred to as "the horns of god" in the documentation - is this normal, ascribing *hated and ghastly* sorceries to a supreme and supposedly beneficient diety credited for all creation? (Come to think of it, a god who would create a place such as Zalanthas might not be very benevolent at all, but I pose the question nonetheless.)

I look forward to your replies.

Thanks,

Sweet Savant

[Kennath]

If your in tuluk and you have a gust of wind follow you into a tavern you'll be accused of being a whiran and killed. If your a open magicker in allanak but gemmed everyone will stay away from you, except other magickers of your element. And if your useing magicks in the dessert... they'll probably run from you going "OH MY GAAWWWDDDD!"

[facehugger]

For example, in a group of tightly knit friends, if one were to exhibit magickal prowess - even inadvertantly, or perhaps to save the life of one his esteemed friends - how might we expect his fellows to react? In Allanak? In Tuluk? In the orderless desert wastes? Would they nervously congratulate their now-not-so-dear friend and then skitter away at the nearest opportunity; or would they perhaps converge on the unfortunate fool and proceed to paint the ground with his blood and vitals?

Hmm.. these things often can, and often are, approached from a variety of ways. A lot of it depends on the mindset of the particular person who is effected, which can largely be effected by the society around them. In the northlands, there is such a fear and hatred of magickers, and those who associate with magickers, theres a good chance there will be a very bad reaction, ranging from complete future disassociation with said magicker, to running out screaming for a templar. Now, this isn't to say that perhaps this is your closest friend and confident, who might be willing to take his own life in his hand by being willing to keep said magickers secret.

In Allanak, it can be much more varied. The injured person may be healed and thankful and think nothing else of it. Or the injured person could have an immense fear of all things magickal, and feel that even though his body was healed, the magicker in some way cursed/corrupted/infected him - especially if its done without his/her permission. This latter example could result in anything from harsh words and an argument, to the healed person slaying the magicker and taking on a life-quest to purge the vile corrupting magicks from his body.

When you're going out into the wilds, and the tribals and nomads that live out there, you will find a mixed and widely varied set of reactions, from making it a point to hunt out and kill anything magickal, to embracing it as a part of everyday life. Your PC will likely not know what groups are prone to which reactions unless you're from that particular group and/or have them somehow included in your background.

Also, on a side note, I've seen magickal workings and elemental planes referred to as "the horns of god" in the documentation - is this normal, ascribing *hated and ghastly* sorceries to a supreme and supposedly beneficient diety credited for all creation? (Come to think of it, a god who would create a place such as Zalanthas might not be very benevolent at all, but I pose the question nonetheless.)

As far as I know, this is an old, old throwback to a time in the game where such things weren't fully as "defined" and flushed out. So far as exists on the common day knowledge, there are no gods in Zalanthas. The closest thing being the all-powerful Sorcerer Kings.

[Kennath]

As far as I know, this is an old, old throwback to a time in the game where such things weren't fully as "defined" and flushed out. So far as exists on the common day knowledge, there are no gods in Zalanthas. The closest thing being the all-powerful Sorcerer Kings.

The dragon had 7 horns maybe?

[Sweet_Savant]

Very informative, thank you both.

On the subject of the error in documentation, would it not be considered sage counsel to correct the discrepency if it is no longer valid? If there are no gods or deities save those on the throne, it might by a bit at odds with the theme of the game if some magicker starting spouting religious jargon about his power being attuned to the fifth horn of god or somesuch.
While in some primitive circles this might be considered appropriate given the fact that certain tribes doubtlessly give credence to some idol other than the two established god-kings, it might prove a radical juxtapose in the city-states themselves.

My thoughts on the matter, anyhow.

Also, on yet another deviation, would some of the more experienced players kindly provide some of their experiences with magick - nothing too sensitive, I hope - as I'm quite piqued by this whole subject.



Sweet Savant

[amoeba]

Also, on yet another deviation, would some of the more experienced players kindly provide some of their experiences with magick - nothing too sensitive, I hope - as I'm quite piqued by this whole subject.

Much as I usually hate this answer, this is best experienced IG.  You only get the chance to be suprised once, why blow it.

btw, welcome to the game.

[Kennath]

give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, give a noob a whole buncha docs and you'll entertain him while he starves.

http://www.armageddon.org/general/magick.html
http://www.armageddon.org/rp/magick/index.html
http://www.armageddon.org/general/guilds.html
http://www.armageddon.org/help/index_frames.html
http://www.armageddon.org/rp/magick/magickfaq.html

[Dan]

I say, try out a ranger or hunter from the north or south first off. After a few months playing this character, send in an application for an elementalist. The worst that can happen is you will be told no. You seem intelligent enough to handle the role correctly from your posts.

[Rindan]

For example, in a group of tightly knit friends, if one were to exhibit magickal prowess - even inadvertantly, or perhaps to save the life of one his esteemed friends - how might we expect his fellows to react? In Allanak? In Tuluk? In the orderless desert wastes? Would they nervously congratulate their now-not-so-dear friend and then skitter away at the nearest opportunity; or would they perhaps converge on the unfortunate fool and proceed to paint the ground with his blood and vitals?

There is a spectrum of reactions that are all flavored by the society where the discovery takes place.  

In Tuluk, you will likely find the harshest reactions.  Friends turning on friends and spilling blood would not be entirely uncommon, nor would friends running off to tell the Templars of the incident be out of place.  You need to realize that Tuluk was destroyed by magik.  After that destruction what remained of Tuluk was so weak that Allanak invaded.  Tuluk suffered a few generations of brutal occupation by Allanak before finally removing them.  Hence, the stigma against magik is unbelievably strong.  Every Tuluki would be brought up to hate and loath magik almost without exception.  A very strong friendship might trump their desire to see their friend dead, but any sane Tuluki would still be struck in terror by a friend possessing magik.

In Allanak, the stigma is a little less then in Tuluk.  In Allanak, a magiker who is NOT a delfier (delfiers are killed on site everywhere, not questions asked) is "gemmed" and kept in their own quarters.  The gem is a dull black gem that must always be visible and marks them as a magiker.  In this way all magikers are marked, but allowed to continue living.  There is a very hefty social stigma attached to them though.  If a magiker was to sit down in your average bar, it is likely no one would talk to him and the seats on either side of him would be empty.  The population is kept from trying to murder the magikers by their fear of them and by the fact that the templar control, use, and protect them.  In Allanak, if all of a sudden you found out that your brother or your friend was a magiker, you would likely promptly turn them into the templerate to get them gemmed.  Most people would disown a gemmed friend or relative.  Those that who would not disown a gemmed friend or relative would likely want to keep their relationship a secret.  People who spend too much time around gemmed are likely suspects of being magikers themselves.

In the wastes things very wildly.  Some tribes give magikers shaman like positions and value what they bring to the tribe.  Other tribes actively hunt down magikers and kill them without question.  The one constant would be that a magiker who is not apart of some tribal structure would be feared.  Magikers are extremely powerful in Zalanthas, and so always worthy of being feared if they are not known to be a friend.

Also, on a side note, I've seen magickal workings and elemental planes referred to as "the horns of god" in the documentation - is this normal, ascribing *hated and ghastly* sorceries to a supreme and supposedly beneficient diety credited for all creation? (Come to think of it, a god who would create a place such as Zalanthas might not be very benevolent at all, but I pose the question nonetheless.)

Neither Tuluk nor Allanak have any religion to speak of other then their respective worship of the their God-Kings.  Religion outside of God-King worship in the city states is for the most part banned.  You can get away with having some tribal beliefs in a city, but if you get too loud with them a templar is likely to silence you in a very unpleasant way.

The one exception to this is that most people talk about he personification of the elements.  The personification of the elements is not a belief in gods, it is just giving a name and personality to elements.  It would be like if you said, "Mother Nature is being a real bitch with the weather today."  You don't believe in a Mother Nature as a god, it is just a personification.

As to the documentation you pointed out, think of that as an academic analysis of magik.  Zalanthas has a very long history, most of which is forgotten by the vast majority of people.  Back before the rise of Allanak and Tuluk (we are talking 2000+ years ago) there might have belief in a god with horns and what not.  That might be the origin, but most will never realize that.  That said, it isn't terribly rare of elementalists to start subscribing a greater power to their own powers.  On the other hand, it is just as common for elementalist to simply accept that they can fling fireballs and control the forces of nature to horrifying effect and think nothing of where it comes from.

It should be pointed out that outside of Allanak and Tuluk, religious beliefs vary wildly.  The people of Allanak and Tuluk might not subscribe to any god or gods beside their own ruler, but people in the wastes tend to have a variety of beliefs.

[Sweet_Savant]

How prevalent, precisely, is elementalism and its exponents in the two city-states? From numerous posts dealing with this, I've seen radically different ideas on the matter. I understand that sorcery is strictly outlawed and somewhat akin to religious heresy in this atheistic world(or monothiestic, considering the two god-kings) - from that, I gather, there must not be many sorcerers at all there.  Elementalism, however, seems far more widespread, at least in the southern expanses of the world.

Would that be an incorrect assumption, given the invidiousness of the general populous?

[Kennath]

Sorcerors are VERY rare. I still have never seen one.

[Maybe42or54]

I've been killed by 3 and heard of 3 more in all my years of playing.
Atleast I think they were.
2 Were in the same room and only killed 1 Pc though.

Magickers are all over the damn place it seems.

[Jherlen]

In Tuluk, officially (as in according to the templarate), there are no magickers. All magickers are dealt with, and just asking questions or talking about or showing interest in magick, to say nothing of helping a magicker, is probably enough to make you disappear.

In Allanak, there's an entire section of the city for elementalists and elementalist temples. This doesn't mean that magick is common in Allanak or that your average southern commoner would be interested in or know much about magick. He knows that the people with the black gems can do crazy crazy terrible things and is probably afraid of them, for the most part.

Consider magick something very taboo... something you don't want to get involved with unless you have an extremely good reason. How a PC reacts and relates to magick is up to them, but the vast majority of commoners would be afraid of magick and want nothing at all to do with it.

[Halaster]

ArmagedonMUD can be a wee-bit difficult to get acclimated to and not the easiest MUD to play.  However, once you start to "get it" and get used to the game, you'll fall madly in love.

Having said that, there's a lot of complexities to the game that we recomend new players play a human warrior or ranger or some non-magickal guild, and start in Allanak.  It will take a little bit of time and playing to get familiar with the game and the syntax and such.

I'd recommend you do that before applying as a Special App to play a mage.

Welcome to the game, and I hope you make your first PC soon.

[Sweet_Savant]

As a matter of fact, I'm in the throes of the application process now, actually. And thank you for the warm welcome, all of you. I am very interested in the theme of the game - rest assured, my enthusiasm is not precluded to magick in any way - and have been delving deep into the documentation for awhile now to simply familiarize myself with the complexities of the game world itself.

Based on the general consensus I've managed to gather here, I've gone the route of ranger for my first character; hopefully it will be a worthwhile learning experience if nothing else. With some luck, I won't kick the bucket in the midst of my first gaming session.  :lol:

[Ktavialt]

With some luck, I won't kick the bucket in the midst of my first gaming session.  :lol:

Um, just don't be surprised if you do. Most of my first twenty characters died in an "Oh... hey I didn't know you could die that way" sorta fashion. Of course, I was a slower learner than most, I've seen folks live with their first characters for many, many, many play-hours.

If you need help getting accustomed, PM one of the helpers, or me.

- Ktavialt

[Cuusardo]

Something you, and everyone else in the world would know is that defilers are the most terrifying form of magickers out there.  They turn the land to ash when they use their foul magicks.  For all you know, they might just do the same thing to YOU.

[Maybe42or54]

My first gaming session lasted all of 4 minutes.
The second one, about 9 hours. And the death of my pc. I believe.

So watch what you say? Could jinx you.

[JohnGalt]

As a matter of fact, I'm in the throes of the application process now, actually. And thank you for the warm welcome, all of you. I am very interested in the theme of the game - rest assured, my enthusiasm is not precluded to magick in any way - and have been delving deep into the documentation for awhile now to simply familiarize myself with the complexities of the game world itself.

Based on the general consensus I've managed to gather here, I've gone the route of ranger for my first character; hopefully it will be a worthwhile learning experience if nothing else. With some luck, I won't kick the bucket in the midst of my first gaming session.  :lol:

If you survive your first twelve hours you're doing pretty good :-)  However, the game can quite literally be played without leaving one of the major cities without missing out on much.  My first 'real' character stayed in Allanak for literally 8 real life months, only leaving on two short occassions and only under heavy guard.

[Sir Diealot]

Quick note, to Savant.. Most players will help you out if you're acting the fool..  But some will take advantage of you.

Be suspicious of everything, we're (mostly) great people OOCly.. but assholes Icly.

[Maybe42or54]

And some just want to have fun. *read Mudsexx*

[Arabian Nights]

Or the injured person could have an immense fear of all things magickal, and feel that even though his body was healed, the magicker in some way cursed/corrupted/infected him - especially if its done without his/her permission. This latter example could result in anything from harsh words and an argument, to the healed person slaying the magicker and taking on a life-quest to purge the vile corrupting magicks from his body.

When you're going out into the wilds, and the tribals and nomads that live out there, you will find a mixed and widely varied set of reactions, from making it a point to hunt out and kill anything magickal, to embracing it as a part of everyday life. Your PC will likely not know what groups are prone to which reactions unless you're from that particular group and/or have them somehow included in your background.

I'd like to point out that is not generally considered very realistic or good roleplay for a single non-mage to go around hunting mages on their own. You have -no- idea what horrible and awesome things -any- mage could do to you with their strange and terrible powers.
*(Remember that most anyone who is out killing mages on their own are either not roleplaying correctly and acting on OOC knowledge or they are playing the exception, not the rule.)*

Just because you might know OOCly that this type of elementalist can do this or that, doesn't mean that your pc with their fears and IC ignorance of magicks knows -anything- about what they can do. For all most know, -any- magicker can turn you into a puddle of steaming mush with a wave of a hand.

Realistically, if -most- people were to be hunting down a mage of -any- kind. They would do it with several others to back them up.

[Ritley]

My first few characters died rapidly, and they still do. The longest I have ever have a char live is a playing time of three days, and a overall time of about two weeks. LoL.   Most the time it's a elf who does the killing. Sometimes a person who is a higher rank in whatever clan I'm in. Once or twice dehydration. Just be careful.

[Jacques]

My first character was killed after just over 3 hours of playing time... by a defiler. Ash and everything. Trust me - it was ugly, yet surprisingly quick. My second character lasted more than 75 days, and over 14 RL months. It's all in how you play it, and how lucky you can be.

Welcome to Armageddon!  

[facehugger]

Or the injured person could have an immense fear of all things magickal, and feel that even though his body was healed, the magicker in some way cursed/corrupted/infected him - especially if its done without his/her permission. This latter example could result in anything from harsh words and an argument, to the healed person slaying the magicker and taking on a life-quest to purge the vile corrupting magicks from his body.

When you're going out into the wilds, and the tribals and nomads that live out there, you will find a mixed and widely varied set of reactions, from making it a point to hunt out and kill anything magickal, to embracing it as a part of everyday life. Your PC will likely not know what groups are prone to which reactions unless you're from that particular group and/or have them somehow included in your background.

I'd like to point out that is not generally considered very realistic or good roleplay for a single non-mage to go around hunting mages on their own. You have -no- idea what horrible and awesome things -any- mage could do to you with their strange and terrible powers.
*(Remember that most anyone who is out killing mages on their own are either not roleplaying correctly and acting on OOC knowledge or they are playing the exception, not the rule.)*

Just because you might know OOCly that this type of elementalist can do this or that, doesn't mean that your pc with their fears and IC ignorance of magicks knows -anything- about what they can do. For all most know, -any- magicker can turn you into a puddle of steaming mush with a wave of a hand.

Realistically, if -most- people were to be hunting down a mage of -any- kind. They would do it with several others to back them up.

This may be the case for the PCs that you play, but you should not make such blanket statements for all players and characters. This is harsh Zalanthas. There are plenty of people lacking any form of fear of death. There are those who may be driven to things they would normally consider doing, when "cursed with magicks". There are people who attack templars, who rage against sorcerer kings. And yes, in game, there are even those who hunt magickers for bounty and/or sport.

So, yes, this can full be considered a realistic thing to do and can be the source for some good and fun roleplay.

[Larrath]

That blanket statement is appropriate for any 'normal' Zalanthan that lives in Allanak or Tuluk.  First of all, who said the only thing magickers can do is kill you?  They can eat your soul, turn you into a plant, bury you under a huge boulder and let you dehydrate, they can go to your family and your house and destroy everything in ten seconds flat.  Even if your PC doesn't believe in superstitions, everyone knows that magickers are fucking lethal.
Second, there is the Templarate, and this Templarate wants you to be scared of magick.  And they have ways to make you be scared of magick - especially in Tuluk where propoganda is pushed everywhere.

Second of all, there are PLENTY of people who are afraid to die in Zalanthas.  People in Zalanthas have such a strong will to live that suicide is almost unheard of, and impossible for most characters to even comprehend!

There are people that attack templars, but they never do this without good reason.  Same with people who go against a Sorcerer-King.  I can see some characters going after a magicker for a huge bounty, maybe, if they have a high education, but people going after magickers for sport...  This is like going to hunt a bear that owns a shotgun.  Definitely not sport, and definitely not realistic for 99% of all characters.  At least if they're not magickers themselves, anyway.

[Arabian Nights]

Or the injured person could have an immense fear of all things magickal, and feel that even though his body was healed, the magicker in some way cursed/corrupted/infected him - especially if its done without his/her permission. This latter example could result in anything from harsh words and an argument, to the healed person slaying the magicker and taking on a life-quest to purge the vile corrupting magicks from his body.

When you're going out into the wilds, and the tribals and nomads that live out there, you will find a mixed and widely varied set of reactions, from making it a point to hunt out and kill anything magickal, to embracing it as a part of everyday life. Your PC will likely not know what groups are prone to which reactions unless you're from that particular group and/or have them somehow included in your background.

I'd like to point out that is not generally considered very realistic or good roleplay for a single non-mage to go around hunting mages on their own. You have -no- idea what horrible and awesome things -any- mage could do to you with their strange and terrible powers.
*(Remember that most anyone who is out killing mages on their own are either not roleplaying correctly and acting on OOC knowledge or they are playing the exception, not the rule.)*

Just because you might know OOCly that this type of elementalist can do this or that, doesn't mean that your pc with their fears and IC ignorance of magicks knows -anything- about what they can do. For all most know, -any- magicker can turn you into a puddle of steaming mush with a wave of a hand.

Realistically, if -most- people were to be hunting down a mage of -any- kind. They would do it with several others to back them up.

This may be the case for the PCs that you play, but you should not make such blanket statements for all players and characters. This is harsh Zalanthas. There are plenty of people lacking any form of fear of death. There are those who may be driven to things they would normally consider doing, when "cursed with magicks". There are people who attack templars, who rage against sorcerer kings. And yes, in game, there are even those who hunt magickers for bounty and/or sport.

So, yes, this can full be considered a realistic thing to do and can be the source for some good and fun roleplay.

Your statements there and your opinion of it is the "exception" and should be rare. It should absolutely -not- be common for people to be out solo hunting mages and people having no fear of death is flat out unrealistic and uncommon as well.

No sane or "normal" character should be solo-hunting mages and having no fear of them. Characters that do this are the exception, and either have certain special circumstances that might have made them this way, are mentally unstable, or just flat out poorly roleplayed by people who don't understand the gameworld well enough to know how this should be done.

Second of all, there are PLENTY of people who are afraid to die in Zalanthas. People in Zalanthas have such a strong will to live that suicide is almost unheard of, and impossible for most characters to even comprehend!

Exactly.

[facehugger]

Your statements there and your opinion of it is the "exception" and should be rare. It should absolutely -not- be common for people to be out solo hunting mages and people having no fear of death is flat out unrealistic and uncommon as well.

No sane or "normal" character should be solo-hunting mages and having no fear of them. Characters that do this are the exception, and either have certain special circumstances that might have made them this way, are mentally unstable, or just flat out poorly roleplayed by people who don't understand the gameworld well enough to know how this should be done.

Well, perhaps you are missing out on the fact that PCs, as stated many times in recent threads, are the "rare" and "exceptional" cast members of the play that is Armageddon.

That aside, there's no reason it needs to be rare. The thing about fear is that it often leads to hatred. The whole, destroy it before it can destroy me thing. Plus, you're also adding in the "unknown and different" which only compounds the matter.

Saying that it's not how "the majority" do that is fair enough. But jumping right in and making statements that a new player could very well read as "doing something against the norm is bad/ignorant role-playing" is really unfair to said player.

And, going back to the original statement. I never said "turn mage hunter" I said "turn around and kill the mage that cast a spell on you". There was no mention of turning it into a crusade.

[Arabian Nights]

And, going back to the original statement. I never said "turn mage hunter" I said "turn around and kill the mage that cast a spell on you".

This is what we disagree with and IMO, is poor rp or OOC motivation for you to make every pc respond this way. 9/10 non-mage pcs should be running when they realize a mage is throwing a spell at them and they are alone. That one spell could mean your instant death for all most non-mages know IC. The knowledge that it is unlikely that they will kill you with a single spell and the knowledge that they most likely stand no chance against you in melee is OOC knowledge. In character, for all most non-mages know, a mage can touch you and you will die.

Attacking a magicker with a non-mage solo is about as normal and acceptable IMO as taking down a bahamet or mek solo. Codedly you can possibly do it, is doing it good rp? No.

I don't think it's right for you to be leading new players into believing that attacking a mage solo is the norm, which is how you are making it sound.

[facehugger]

I don't think it's right for you to be leading new players into believing that attacking a mage solo is the norm, which is how you are making it sound.

Please reread my post. I openly said that I agree that this is not the common/majority thing.

[Arabian Nights (2l2l)]

This may be the case for the PCs that you play, but you should not make such blanket statements for all players and characters. This is harsh Zalanthas. There are plenty of people lacking any form of fear of death. There are those who may be driven to things they would normally consider doing, when "cursed with magicks". There are people who attack templars, who rage against sorcerer kings. And yes, in game, there are even those who hunt magickers for bounty and/or sport.

So, yes, this can full be considered a realistic thing to do and can be the source for some good and fun roleplay.

I don't see anywhere in this post where you stated that this is the exception and not the rule. You clearly were in disagreement with me making the statement that is is the exception.

[Larrath]

This may be the case for the PCs that you play, but you should not make such blanket statements for all players and characters.
There are plenty of people lacking any form of fear of death.
There are people who attack templars, who rage against sorcerer kings. And yes, in game, there are even those who hunt magickers for bounty and/or sport.

So, yes, this can full be considered a realistic thing to do and can be the source for some good and fun roleplay.

This is the essence of what I, personally, disagree with.  First of all, PCs are exceptional people, but not necessarily exceptions to the rule.  In fact, most characters aren't - most Tulukis are extremely fearful of magickers.  No elves ride kanks.  No dwarves have beards.  No noble or templar that I've ever known about secretly sympathizes and admires the 'rinthis.
Some blanket statements can and should be made, and this is one of them - magick is frightening, unnatural and very scary, and absolutely no one in their right mind would ever try to hunt a magicker just for sport.

And again, I strongly disagree about the fear of death.  People aren't scared to kill other people in most cases, but they are very afraid of dying themselves, especially given the brutal manner by which most people are killed...and this goes doubly for people who go against magickers, templars and sorcerer kings.  If they're lucky, they get incinerated.  If they don't, they get incinerated over a month.

It CAN be possible for a PC to hunt down a magicker just because, but that PC would be a very rare exception and if you play that concept more often than, say, once an RL year, you're probably overdoing it.

[Rindan]

Perhaps a simple rule might apply when considering assaulting a magiker.  If it wasn't a magiker and it was instead a templar with one of their sick body guards, would you still attack?  If your character is of the mentality that that yes, under these circumstance if it was a templar instead of a magiker I would attack, then you are probably in the clear.  If on the other hand you wouldn't even consider it because it is clear suicide, you might want to consider if your OOC knowledge is seeping into your decision.

Personally, I have had a character that intentionally assaulted magikers.  That same character though also assaulted long lived half-giants, muls, raiders, and did all manner of foolish things, including assaulting a templar with his guards.  He didn't discriminate and made stupid decisions not because of OOC knowledge, but because of his character.  I recall thinking more then once as I threw this character into battles where I thought he was outmatched that this would be the end.  I could justify these actions because he was exceptionally strong, foolhardy, rash, and stupid.

I personally think that exceptionally few people would seek out a magiker to do combat with without being order to do so.  There certainly are exceptions, but I think most people would be flee if given the chance.  Of course, once attacked, trying to cleave a magiker in two is a perfectly rational response, especially for a soldier.  When put in mortal danger, fight or flight is a pretty basic human response.  I wouldn't question anyone who picks the former.  That said, if the magiker is attacking you, chances are you are already fucked.

[SewerRat_inTheOpen]

My own limited experience with magickers, the first time one floated past me, I froze. OOCily and Igwise.

Then I went to Tuluk, been there ever since.

[Cuusardo]

Contrary to what facehugger says, I do not believe that all PCs are exceptions to the rules.  There are a great deal of "fit in and play nice" PCs out there in all Zalanthan societies, whether it be in a city or out in the wilderness.

And on that note, no one should ever feel obligated to play the exception.

[facehugger]

Contrary to what facehugger says, I do not believe that all PCs are exceptions to the rules.  There are a great deal of "fit in and play nice" PCs out there in all Zalanthan societies, whether it be in a city or out in the wilderness.

Gees, I wish people would stop misquoting me.

I said rare and exceptional, the leading cast members.

I no where, once, said that every PC was an exception to any rule.

So, folks.. let's start reading my posts before jumping to misquoting, yeah?

[adrien]

Sorcerors are VERY rare. I still have never seen one.

you want to keep it that way lol

[adrien]

My own limited experience with magickers, the first time one floated past me, I froze. OOCily and Igwise.

Then I went to Tuluk, been there ever since.

I want to be as lucky as you.... i run into them day by day.......

[Anonymous]

The problem is that the OOC knowledge of magickers has spread to an extent, either by players playing magickers and then not, or through other avenues (coughIRCcough) that what the common (not saying all) magickers can do is known, so with the fear from an OOC standpoint diminished, the fear from an IC standpoint is dually diminished. Because frankly players are not as good Roleplayers as they think they are.


Here's an analogy.
Remember how scary the desert was your first time ever going out there ever? Each dune was scarier then the next the further and further you went out. Now if you are the majority of PCs, its likely that your fear of the desert decreased with each new PC and each new horizon that became known. Most players now know pretty much what to expect, and know that sparing an act of Staff, PC (rare when there is few on), Plot, or Randomness, they will encounter only this, this and that.

And the same thing has happened with magickers. Through constant exposure over several PCs, possibly playing them, and possibly hearing what they can and can't do through either your PCs or your player, you do not appropriately roleplay the type of fear you as your character would in reaction to them.

[Arabian Nights]

Through constant exposure over several PCs, possibly playing them, and possibly hearing what they can and can't do through either your PCs or your player, you do not appropriately roleplay the type of fear you as your character would in reaction to them.

I agree with this totally. I recognize it and try very hard not to let that knowledge affect my roleplay when it comes to magickers and magic. I think very few people recognize this and try to do the same.

*tips his hat to the Anonymous Kank*

[Synthesis]

I'm going to have to disagree with Anonymous Kank on this one.  After playing for nearly 8 years, what I've learned is that I don't know jack about either magickers or the desert.

The more experience you get, the more you realize that it's impossible to know what to expect.  No one is ever as safe as they think they are, and if you think you've got it all figured out, you're in for a rude awakening very shortly.

If you think you know what a magicker can or can't do, think again.  Discard what you've heard on IRC or from your friends who've played magickers, because they were either 1) Deliberately deceiving you or 2) Not as informed as you think they were.  You might get lucky and kill a newbie magicker or two...congratulations.  But one day you're going to see mist condensing around a hooded figure, you're going to think, "Bah, a Vivaduan. Easy kill," and then you're going to see the Mantis.

If you think you know what's out there in the desert, think again.  Sure, you might be safe if you stay in the relatively safe zones that everyone travels in, but the moment you step outside of that box, you're going to find that there are much nastier things than gortoks and scrabs.

I know, because I've been there.  At one point, I thought I knew everything and had it all figured out...but you know what?  I have 65 characters taking dirt naps, and the longest lived was about 25 days.  After 8 years of playing.  Think about that long and hard before you attack that magicker, or before you walk into the next room to see what that *strange shadow* is.

[Anonymous]

That wasn't really arguing with me. It said that people do think what they think until they are proven wrong. Which, while POSSIBLE, may or may not ever happen, and likely won't effect their playing style until it does. Im not arguing that. I think that cocky desert-speedwalker may one day meet his end at the hands of some raging unknown, but until then... he won't believe its there, or expect it.

And I did not mean to imply everyone was this way either. But rather a goodly majority.

[Maybe42or54]

And then he'll be paranoid like me of all things that don't look at me when they enter a room.

[moab]

Awesome post, Synthesis.

[jstorrie]

Synthesis is totally right. I've been playing for quite a while now, and the prospect of straying from the main roads while I'm out and about gives me the willies. And magickers? Surprisingly enough I don't have a giant database of what every class branches, and as such have pretty much no idea what any particular magicker is going to throw down. That's why my PCs tend not to be 'witch hunters'.