Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

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Voodoolaw
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Voodoolaw »

One advantage over tech that magic definately has, and I dont know that it has been brought up in this post and definately bears mentioning, is that magic can harm most anything 95 to 99% of the time and tech just can't. You need to pack a different piece of equipment for each threat and hope you hit it on the nose if you arent aware of what you are really fighting. Most magic spells are generally gonna hurt what they are thrown at and magical attacks are more varied in combat (in our campaigns), so if one spell isnt effective, the next one very well may be. Off the top of my head, Nxla (sp?) and the appropriate flavor nullifying psychic are the big two opponents magic-users (can you tell I am an old school d&d-er with that term? :) ) may have to worry about. Those a broad generalizations, but generally hold up.

Firing on that (unknown) shapeshifter from range? How long before you realize it is absolutely having no effect? Can you be sure your attacks are doing nothing? Maybe he has a mess of MDC? Meanwhile the line walker is tearing it up.

I agree there are some areas that could use fixing, but magic still has this one advantage over technology in general.

Casters have a bag full of tricks at their dispoasal and that is where their true power lies in any case. Magic-users, though arguably inferior in areas to tech, can pull a myriad of abilities out of thin air, buck naked, stranded in the middle of an unknown desert, without a point of reference or penny to their name.
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Nightmask
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Nightmask »

Voodoolaw wrote:One advantage over tech that magic definately has, and I dont know that it has been brought up in this post and definately bears mentioning, is that magic can harm most anything 95 to 99% of the time and tech just can't. You need to pack a different piece of equipment for each threat and hope you hit it on the nose if you arent aware of what you are really fighting. Most magic spells are generally gonna hurt what they are thrown at and magical attacks are more varied in combat (in our campaigns), so if one spell isnt effective, the next one very well may be. Off the top of my head, Nxla (sp?) and the appropriate flavor nullifying psychic are the big two opponents magic-users (can you tell I am an old school d&d-er with that term? :) ) may have to worry about. Those a broad generalizations, but generally hold up.

Firing on that (unknown) shapeshifter from range? How long before you realize it is absolutely having no effect? Can you be sure your attacks are doing nothing? Maybe he has a mess of MDC? Meanwhile the line walker is tearing it up.

I agree there are some areas that could use fixing, but magic still has this one advantage over technology in general.

While you're generally right there have been a few secretive alien races introduced that have technology that can hurt anything, whether it be a dragon, alien intelligence, or master vampire. I believe the race shown in Juicer Uprising had such technology. While it's not ubiquitous it does exist, and anyone with access to it can have as much success technologically harming whatever comes down the pike as the mage. It seem obvious that Palladium wants to keep that general effectiveness in the hands of the mages to make up for their lack in other areas however, since you can see big adamant notes that no matter how justified it might be that a PC will never acquire any of it.
Casters have a bag full of tricks at their dispoasal and that is where their true power lies in any case. Magic-users, though arguably inferior in areas to tech, can pull a myriad of abilities out of thin air, buck naked, stranded in the middle of an unknown desert, without a point of reference or penny to their name.
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Failgoat
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Failgoat »

Damian Magecraft wrote:
failgoat wrote:edit: for the record, i never belittled your expertise. i thanked you for the information i did not know. it is another aspect of your ego problem that you percieve people who dont revolve their life around what you think and say as disrespectful to you
you seriously need to get over yourself
Ahem...
Failgoat wrote:to quote one of my favorite movies, "thats like being the smartest kid with down syndrome"
but hey, i guess if a little title under your avatar at a forum for a game goes to your head, your pretty easy to inflate.
Just for the record.
If you are going to deny something make sure there is no evidence to the contrary first.


its not an insult. you perceive that way. it implies that you take entirely too much pride in anything you claim to be the "master" of in the context of a game. im sure this statement is insulting to you as well.
sorry to everyone for responding to a post from a few days ago, but i will not stop defending myself.
still waiting for another tale from alrik vas....
Shark_Force
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Shark_Force »

Failgoat wrote:
Damian Magecraft wrote:
failgoat wrote:edit: for the record, i never belittled your expertise. i thanked you for the information i did not know. it is another aspect of your ego problem that you percieve people who dont revolve their life around what you think and say as disrespectful to you
you seriously need to get over yourself
Ahem...
Failgoat wrote:to quote one of my favorite movies, "thats like being the smartest kid with down syndrome"
but hey, i guess if a little title under your avatar at a forum for a game goes to your head, your pretty easy to inflate.
Just for the record.
If you are going to deny something make sure there is no evidence to the contrary first.


its not an insult. you perceive that way. it implies that you take entirely too much pride in anything you claim to be the "master" of in the context of a game. im sure this statement is insulting to you as well.
sorry to everyone for responding to a post from a few days ago, but i will not stop defending myself.

no, it's definitely an insult to tell them they're the equivalent of "the smartest kid with down syndrome". i can't even begin to think of how you would expect it to be viewed in any other way.
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Failgoat
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Failgoat »

because i have a complex brain capable of viewing things in more than black or white.
snip and twist what i say all you want, with no regard to what i may say to defend myself when every statement i make is twisted to be the most insulting thing possible.
this topic has degraded to TLW.
snip and twist snip and twist....
still waiting for another tale from alrik vas....
Shark_Force
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Shark_Force »

Failgoat wrote:because i have a complex brain capable of viewing things in more than black or white.
snip and twist what i say all you want, with no regard to what i may say to defend myself when every statement i make is twisted to be the most insulting thing possible.
this topic has degraded to TLW.
snip and twist snip and twist....


ok then. explain in detail how, in your "complex brain capable of viewing things in more than black or white", telling someone they're intelligent compared to a developmentally disabled person is not offensive to both those who are developmentally disabled (whom you are using as an example of someone who is not smart), as well as the person you said it to? please, feel free to explain how it is that we "twisted [your statement] to be the most insulting thing possible". feel free to untwist that all you like. i can't help but notice that you didn't even try to do so, instead you've just insinuated that it isn't insulting at all and that we're idiots for thinking it is.

or, i guess, since we're accepting shades of grey, are you perhaps trying to tell me that it only scores a 63.7 out of a possible one hundred on the offensive-o-meter, and is thus not 100% offensive to every single person who could possibly read it?

you resorted to insulting people's intelligence. you did so using an insult that is in extremely poor taste. you can spew forth as much BS as you want about how it somehow magically isn't offensive because you "have a complex brain capable of viewing things in more than black or white" (which, again, is an insult by implying that the rest of us can't), but for the rest of the world that's an insult.
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Mack
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Re: Fixes to the Rifts magic systems

Unread post by Mack »

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