How to react to magick in various cities

[Ammut]

Hey all, it's been a while since I've had to deal with this since I'm usually a solo-RPer... so here's a question for ya:

Let's say I am out in the scrub, hunting/gathering or just traveling between two cities.  Less than a few rooms (or leagues, is that what I should call them IC?) away I see a magicker casting spells.  In what cities, if any would this be acceptable and how would the majority of mundanes respond to this?

[Qzzrbl]

I would imagine around Allanak, it would be reported that there is a rogue 'gicker out in the wastes. I'd imagine he'd be hunted down in quick order for not being gemmed.

I would imagine in Tuluk, he'd be hunted down for the mere fact that he's a mage.

Luirs and Red Storm, I'm not too sure.

[amish overlord]

I would imagine around Allanak, it would be reported that there is a rogue 'gicker out in the wastes. I'd imagine he'd be hunted down in quick order for not being gemmed.

I would imagine in Tuluk, he'd be hunted down for the mere fact that he's a mage.

Luirs and Red Storm, I'm not too sure.

Allanak would depend if the mage is gemmed or not. If they are gemmed some people might panic or hunt them, ungemmed templars may not react. Of course you might assume if just outside allanak that they are gemmed. May not want to get close enough to check.

Amish Overlord 

[Fathi]

how would the majority of mundanes respond to this?

I'd say the majority of mundanes would not stick around long enough to find out more.

No matter where your character was raised, the prevailing view is almost always that magick is a dangerous, unpredictable thing capable of causing quite a bit of damage.

Sure, a templar might wanna know if the mage you saw casting was gemmed or not. But would your character have the balls to get close enough to take a peek at their neck?

[Barzalene]

Absolute horror and outrage are probably the correct reactions. And running. Away. Fast.

[Yam]

Yeah. Fear.


You probably shouldn't go, "YARR! DIE MAGE!" and then type kill mage.

[manonfire]

Absolute horror and outrage are probably the correct reactions. And running. Away. Fast.

Oh, how I wish that were true.

[Barzalene]

How come no?

[Lakota]

Absolute horror and outrage are probably the correct reactions. And running. Away. Fast.

One can dream. 

[Shoka Windrunner]

How come no?

Because this is how the PLAYERS thought process goes:

Oh...he just casted...he might be practicing...I bet he's low on mana.
He's a mage...he isn't combat oriented at all.
I know...I'll run in...subdue...if that fails...bash and draw weapons.
He won't have a chance.

ORRRRR....

Oh look...I'll go say hello.

When in truth...really...you should be running away waving your arms in the air screaming bloody murder.

But no one plays it like that.


Thus...one could wish.


EDIT:  Okay...some people play it that way...I'm sure by the time I'm editing this someone will be saying "BUT I ALWAYS RUN"...
But the fact that anyone...who isn't someone who HUNTS magickers for a living...would risk it.  Not even usually in a group.

The reason...is it's like the guy with a gun and six bullets.  And there are 10 people trying to get him.

Who wants to go in and get killed?  Yeah...he can't shoot you all...but you only have a 40% chance that he won't shoot at you.

[Barzalene]

I promise to run away. Screaming. Ahhhhh!

[Only He Stands There]

The gun analogy's not quite accurate, since we, as earthlings, all know what guns do.

It's more akin to him having a giant glowing swirling black tentacle of energy that pulses red light.

I don't know what the fuck it does, but I sure as hell don't want to find out.

The problem is that a lot of players OOCly know or assume what mages ARE capable of, so rather than worrying "if I walk up to this magicker, will he make my genitals detonate as soon as I get within fifty cords of him?" they worry about "okay, does he have enough mana/is he branched enough to have Bigby's Crushing Hand?

[Shoka Windrunner]

The gun analogy's not quite accurate, since we, as earthlings, all know what guns do.

It's more akin to him having a giant glowing swirling black tentacle of energy that pulses red light.

I don't know what the fuck it does, but I sure as hell don't want to find out.

The problem is that a lot of players OOCly know or assume what mages ARE capable of, so rather than worrying "if I walk up to this magicker, will he make my genitals detonate as soon as I get within fifty cords of him?" they worry about "okay, does he have enough mana/is he branched enough to have Bigby's Crushing Hand?

QFMFT.

Exactly...I think Magickers should never run out of mana...they just can't cast spells as powerfully.
Maybe i'm nuts.
But I also think you should be able to crawl when out of stamina.

[Tisiphone]

Run screaming to the nearest PC templar, piss all over yourself, and beg him or her for the sweet Sun King's/Highlord's protection, all while crying that you're sorry you kicked your baby brother and you'll never do anything bad again.

[X-D]

Hey, my mages make a good living off the PCs who attack them because they think that mages are pushovers..

[evil_erdlu]

Hey, this is a perma-death MUD. Planning a personality of a character takes a day of mine. Improving that personality during the gameplay takes more and more days. Even if I used OOC information, I wouldn't risk it and say, "Hey, he's practising. Maybe now he has only 13/1468 mana. Let me try."

Also, even though being a newbie, with my mundane character I play so careful so that an agreessive NPC doesn't come nearby, I believe a mage with an experienced player behind would be much more careful and have always a card in his sleeve 'just in case'. And if I were the mage, the 'card' would be a battlefield control spell or a quick escape spell, not a spell of doom. He would stop the fight in a way and/or run away in some form after managing to cast a good glance into my character.

Later, when he's safe and you lost him and that means when he's the most prepared and you're the least prepared, he can harvest your organs.

It's weird that, in my opinion, using OOC information makes you stupider.

[Mood]

I hate mundane magicker hunting PCs.

[Furious George]

I hate mundane magicker hunting PCs.

That's okay, I hate mundane hunting magicker pcs.

[Mood]

I hate mundane magicker hunting PCs.

That's okay, I hate mundane hunting magicker pcs.

Yeah, because it makes sense for a mundane who, according to the docs, should be absolutely terrified of magick to approach an unaggressive magicker, just because they think, OOC, that they can take 'em.

[brytta.leofa]

I would think that, in the lesser settlements, a fella casting in an area actively patrolled by local law enforcement is worth mentioning to local law enforcement.

If your character is the sort who does mention stuff to local law enforcement.

[Furious George]

I hate mundane magicker hunting PCs.

That's okay, I hate mundane hunting magicker pcs.

Yeah, because it makes sense for a mundane who, according to the docs, should be absolutely terrified of magick to approach an unaggressive magicker, just because they think, OOC, that they can take 'em.

Which is absolutely NOT what I said.

[Mood]

I hate mundane magicker hunting PCs.

That's okay, I hate mundane hunting magicker pcs.

Yeah, because it makes sense for a mundane who, according to the docs, should be absolutely terrified of magick to approach an unaggressive magicker, just because they think, OOC, that they can take 'em.

Which is absolutely NOT what I said.

I thought you were defending that. I apologize.

[Furious George]

My thought on the topic:

Report it to the local law enforcement no matter what, as has been stated before.

I come across one in the sands I have two reactions:
OOC:  I shake my fist and bitch and moan that there's ANOTHER one.
IC:  I give them distance and try to remember whatever gear I might have seen, and then bitch and moan that there's another one.

[Is Friday]

What if you walk up to someone in the wastes and then get close enough to either see a gem or some cantrips/signs of magicking.

In my opinion, it would be fine to attack out of fear and just trying to drive this thing off, say if you were tired and couldn't run away, or whatever. There's a few reasons why someone would attack a magicker out in the wastes, in my opinion--but most of these are "I'm probably going to die but it's the only thing I can think of". Definitely avoided if possible or thought there's another way.

TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO.

[X-D]

I'm not trying to be mean with this reply, but well, that kind of thinking is rather silly IMO. Thats like saying it makes sense to attack somebody in templars robes or a mekillot in hopes of making it leave you alone. Sure, if you have simply no other choice. but in most cases you have other choices.

I cannot say what your PC -should- do. But I will say that your PC should really think it over. If your PC sees a gem on the guy and its in the wastes, your basicly looking at a hand grenade with the pin already pulled...are you sure you want to jiggle the hand holding it?