Nulls (was Faeries)

[molotov at ix.netcom.com]

Date forwarded: 	Sat, 27 Feb 1999 11:17:20 -0600 (CST)
Subject:        	Re: Nulls (was Faeries)
Date sent:      	Sat, 27 Feb 99 11:20:06 -0600
From:           	Rick Neal <grendel at pangea.ca>
To:             	"Unknown Armies List" <UA at purpletape.cs.uchicago.edu>
Forwarded by:   	UA at purpletape.cs.uchicago.edu
Send reply to:  	UA at purpletape.cs.uchicago.edu

Howdy All!

> >nulls:  there are people out there that are so polarized against the
> >supernatural that they effectively nullify unnatural phenomena...including
> >a mage's magickal charges.  any spell or phenomenon or spell directed at a
> >null will fail.  period.  contact with nulls will drain a mage dry of his
> >power...
> 
> Personally, I've never liked this sort of idea. From a game-design 
> perspective, it always seems to me to be a late add-on when the designer 
> realizes that he's made his wizards/telepaths/vampires too powerful. 
> Functionally, it's a device to force PCs to not rely on the powers and 
> abilities that define them. 

Hmmm...I dunno.  I've always kinda liked the idea of nulls.  In UE, 
it could be entropic - there's another one of those random reality 
viruses... occasional nulls.  

> 
> Now, if you don't want your adept magicking everyone he comes across 
> instead of looking for a different way to relate to them, build some 
> in-game consequences that don't limit his power, but show him that using 
> may sometimes be a BAD IDEA (tm). For example, a plutomancer probably 
> gets one chance to use his blast on Alex Abel. If he doesn't take him out 
> with the blast, Abel runs, because he didn't get where he is today by 
> being stupid. Once he's safe, you can bet that every resource the man has 
> is focussed on wiping this absurd little plutomancer out of existence. 
> Life expectancy of said plutomancer can hereafter be measured in hours.
> 
> Another example is an epideromancer who continually reshapes the 
> appearance of friends and acquaintances. Can anyone say "Self Check?" How 
> about saying it any time your physical structure is altered? Tack on a 
> Helplessness Check, too, unless you specifically ask to be remade. Now, 
> suppose the epideromancer does this with someone he's just met in a bar? 
> Well, the legal definition of battery is "An unwanted touching." Once the 
> police are involved, there's going to be some serious limitations on our 
> little adept's habits.
> 
> The other reason I can see wanting to put a null in the game world is for 
> the sheer "What the...?!?!" response from the player. Given that this is 
> desirable (and I really do believe it is, so take warning Clint and 
> Chris), I would do it somewhat differently.
> 
> >there are people out there that are so polarized against the
> >supernatural that they effectively nullify unnatural phenomena
> You might almost say they're Obsessed with it. Now, let's see if we can 
> build a paradox... Ah! Using disbelief in magick to work magick to 
> destroy magick! How's that? This gives us the basis of a magick school, 
> superficially similar to the skeptomancers, who actually use magick to 
> suppress magick. Now we know why James Randi has never had to give his 
> prize money away.

Hmmmm...or there's that.  
___
House of the Jade Lantern
http://www.geocities.com/~visionwhisper/lantern.htm
___
"The Perfect Man has no self; 
 the Holy Man has no merit;
 the Sage has no fame." 
     ~ Chuang Tzu