tgm@ukc.UUCP (T.Murphy) (07/15/85)
The following was presented to me as an argument
From Monster Manual (p5) :-
"MAGIC RESISTANCE indicates the percentage chance of any spell
absolutely failing in the monster's presence. It is based on
the spell being cast by a *magic-user* of 11th level, ...
Thus a magic resistance of 95% means that a 10th level
*magic-user* has no posibility ..."
Does this mean that magic resistance doesn't apply to spells
cast by non-magic users?
Clearly the intent is that it applies to all spells and spell-like effects.
(Although Gygax's words have been twisted every which way ...) For
clerical spells like `Dispel Evil' or `Exorcism', magic resistance takes
the power out of it. So as an experiment since the party was going to
be fighting things with magic resistance I ruled that magic resistance
wouldn't apply to spell effects derived through the power of gods.
Ie. clerical and druidic spell .
The resulting adventures were not really unbalanced but they were rather
tilted. At the conclusion of the major quest I reverted back to the
normal system except for certain spells like the above and sanctuary.
Has anybody else tried something else like that? What do people think of
the idea?
Joe Jaquinta; c/o D.U. Maths Society; 39.16 Trinity College; Dublin 2; Ireland
{decvax,seismo,ihnp4}!mcvax!ukc!tcdmath!jayminbarryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (07/20/85)
My own theory is that resistance to Clerical Spells depends partly on how tuned in the cleric is to hiser gods and how tuned in the victim is to hiser own gods. Back in my D&Ding days, I used to give clerical spells tosed in the presence of a consecrated altar a bonus depending on the level of the casting cleric. (This made a 3rd level priest a more formidable and interesting adversary. It also meant a party could dig into a room and spend awhile consecrating an area.) I explained this as equivalent to the threshold spell which Undead like a Vampire could not pass without an invitation. (My undead also observed territory. They behaved as +6 levels higher in their own rooms, -6 levels lower in a room the party had used for a meal, sleep and prayers.) LANDS OF ADVENTURE allows artifacts which may be consecrated by a priest to protect a pious believer partially against miracles perpetrated by priests of enemy gods. It also has a scale in which miracles have a greater or lesser chance of effect depending on prayers of fellow worshippers, the presence of an altar, etc. In any case I think C&S had the right idea in distinguishing between Magic and Miracle. I could go on at length about this but I'm sure it would only bore those who have already made up their own minds on the subject. --Lee Gold
mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (07/22/85)
In article <162@ukc.UUCP> tgm@ukc.UUCP (T.Murphy) writes: > > From Monster Manual (p5) :- > "MAGIC RESISTANCE indicates the percentage chance of any spell > absolutely failing in the monster's presence. It is based on > the spell being cast by a *magic-user* of 11th level, ... > Thus a magic resistance of 95% means that a 10th level > *magic-user* has no posibility ..." > >Joe Jaquinta; c/o D.U. Maths Society; 39.16 Trinity College; Dublin 2; Ireland >{decvax,seismo,ihnp4}!mcvax!ukc!tcdmath!jaymin If what you need is a patch, I suggest you chuck the old definition of magic resistance and try a new one. One might be: Magic Resistance is based on the spell being of 5th level, and increasing by 10% per spell level below 5th, and increasing by 10% per spell level above 5th, irrespective of the level of the spell caster. So, 3rd level spells simply do not work against creatures with magic resistances of 80% or above. This produces a very similar game, but pushes high-level casters into using high-level spells against demon princes. Actually, I would prefer basing this on 4th level spells instead of 5th, but the above produces the smallest possible changes in the game. An alternative would be that magic resistance is ineffective against spells specifically designed to affect creatures with magic resistance, such as spells dealing with creatures from outer planes and the like. If you want to stay within the reading of the rules, it's difficult to come up with an excuse for certain spells affecting creatures irrespective of magic resistance (or possibly other things). --fini-- Eric McColm UCLA (oo' - kluh) Funny Farm for the Criminally Harmless UUCP: ...!{ihnp4,trwspp,cepu,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!mccolm ARPA: (evolved) mccolm@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU (pre-cambrian) mccolm@UCLA-CS.ARPA Quotes on the Nature of Existence: "To be, or not to be..." -Hamlet (Wm. Shakespeare) "I think, therefore I am." -R. Descartes "<Gleep!>" -Gleep (Robt. Asprin)