Skeptomancy 2.0

[Gregory Paul Stolze]

At 11:25 PM 2/23/99 -0500, Paul C Duggan wrote:
>>Why not just say the spell costs X+1 and transfers X charges to a nearby
>>skeptomancer?  Hm, you'd get some fun Penn & Teller action - one
>>Skeptomancer who's spent his Soul points on persuasive skills (and can
>>consequently reap charges) and another who spent his Soul points on a
>high
>>magick skill (can can therefore USE the charges).
>
>not bad. I was wondering why I had to run this off the soul stat. The
>bright atheist seems more like the mental picture of the skeptomancer. And
>I liked everway where you had magics running off of any characteristics.
>Any reason some mind-based magics are too "off paradigm"?

Reason #1: I liked the idea of magick being intuitive and pre-conscious.  I
guess I see Mind as a character's ability to use the classic intellectual
tools - logic, reason, memory.  It's the "plays well with others" mental
stat, a gauge of how well you fit in with the concensus paradigm.  That's
why Mind is good for staying sane: it gives you the ability to interpret
anomalous data within the accepted framework.  

Reason #2: I wanted each stat to do something besides give related skills.
I think that's an incentive to balance your character.  That's the OTHER
reason Mind keeps you sane: if both sanity and magickal power were based on
Soul (even partially, as someone suggested) then I suspect you'd see a lot
of comparatively stupid PCs running around.  They'd all be charming and
intuitive, however.

>>>Counterspell
>>>Charges: 1 significant charge
>>>
>>>Effect: nullify a significant blast, formula spell, or artifact. It has
>>>no effect
     
>>Again, does the charge get spent, or not?  (I'd say not.)
>
>how come? 

Because I tend to err on the side of less power.  I don't want to see UA
get all steroidal and hypertropic because magick systems keep popping up
that are "better" or "more powerful" than the ones in the book.  That just
gets you into an arms race between GM and players.  

-G.
1899 Phrenologist: Your son has the sloping forehead of a sexual deviant:
better put him in an asylum.
1999 Gene Therapist: Your fetus has the "date rape" gene.  Better abort.