Regarding gear, I would venture a guess that it wasn't part of the setting, but put there as an artifact of the D&D-like structure of EPT rules.
Regarding gear, I would venture a guess that it wasn't part of the setting, but put there as an artifact of the D&D-like structure of EPT rules
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky
Greetings from Pechano young Horu. Give my regards to your Uncle Horu, and his brother Kemuel.I plan on making a trip to Fasiltum one day soon. I'll be sure to invite you over for some Chumetl when I'm there.
Shemek hiTankolel.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
There'd probably be a different occupant of the Petal Throne, and different names 'up top', but they'd find things pretty much the same as when they left. In that sense, yes, the majority of cultures on Tekumel (that we know of, anyway) are indeed pretty static - the daily / weekly / monthly / yearly round of things is a constant for most people, and it's the same on Tekumel.Originally Posted by Greentongue
No, not really; Phil was very consistant. What changed was us - we grew into the culture, and became part of it for a few hours each week.
The clan would be a trifle baffled, but would also rejoice at the return of one of their own. If the person did have possessions of their own that they could cite, the clan would try to replace these as best as they could. It's also quite likely that the clan member - at least in the wealthier clans - would also find that their 'personal account' had been invested and added to by the clan and so the returnee would usually find themselves a bit richer then when they had 'left'.
It'd be fascinating to play - there is precedent for this from Phil's games.
From Horu hiFa'asu:
Greetings Glorious General, exulted High Priest, and honorable uncles.
I am a long time lurker in these two threads having scoured all 600 pages of the first one for useful Tekumel related tidbits. I can honestly say that it really helped to clear up a lot of confusion and misconception I had regarding interactions in Tsolyani culture. The impression that I had lacked a lot of the subtle 'flexibility' that seems to be present.
This was actually the haardest thing that we had to learn - the different culture.
I have finally created an account so that I too can ask a few questions. I've got lots.. I'll try and post a few at a time.
Welcome aboard! THis is your thread, not mine, so ask away!
What is the role of priests in broader society. I understand their place in the temple bureaucracy, but what about outside that? Do they 'minister to the spiritual needs' of the population? Are they believed to intervene on their behalf? Does this role change depending on the temple?
'Yes', to all of the above, and 'not really' to the last. The role of the clergy is what you'd expect, with the reminder that 'the gods' do answer prayers directly.
The relationship between priests of different temples - Obviously a priest will only 'worship' his/her own patron - but what about between temples? For example - a priest of Karakan visiting a temple of Ksarul to consult with an expert on an obscure piece of lore?
They do this sort of thing all the time - but with the proviso that I'll trade some information to your in return for some information that you have. The principle of "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" is the guiding philosophy. Temple and Imperial politics also come into play, of course.
Do people in general or spell casters in particular believe what they do is 'magic' or do they understand the concept of 'other planar energy' that does follow 'rules' (even if they aren't understood). Is there even any difference?
People believe in 'magic', sorcerers believe in 'other planar energy'; In practice, no, there is not. Clarke's Third Law, Phil said.
Metal and/or armor and spell casting. The rules are quite clear that metal messes up magic - anything more than a few coins seems to be a no-no. However, lots of examples (and stories) seem to violate this rule. Was this relaxed for the players or rather is the case that the players happen to have 'special gear' by and large?
Anything over three grams of 'ordinary' metal and you blow up. This was never relaxed for player-characters, as Phil thought ti was always funny when somebody forgot this and Chirine had to get out his little whisk broom and dust pan to recover what might be left in order to revivify the would-be spell-caster. (It was also a lot funnier, that way.) Metals sacred to a particular deity do not count for the limit, nor do magical items. A copper sacrificial dagger of a Priest of Sarku will not harm them, but will count and will kill a Priest of Anything Else. My steel armor, for example, is a magical item (a very magical item, actually) which I use for my military spells and which will not work for anyone else - it could be worn as 'ordinary' steel armor - and has, on occasion - but the other person gets none of the benefits of the suit. Likewise, my +4 +5 mace does not count, as it's also a magical item.
Does any of this help?
Probably true, as both Gary and Dave included it in their games. From our standpoint, we bought or borrowed gear as we needed it; I don' think I ever really used or looked at the EPT table, actually, and just told Phil that I was getting something.Regarding gear, I would venture a guess that it wasn't part of the setting, but put there as an artifact of the D&D-like structure of EPT rules
And there are photos, too! Jaisalmeer, if you like.Greetings from Pechano young Horu. Give my regards to your Uncle Horu, and his brother Kemuel.
Shemek hiTankolel.
Actually, Uncle, I meant "armour" under "gear", and the post you quoted was my attempt at an educated guess why casting in armour was forbidden in EPT. Obviously, I had it wrong!
But now I'm curious, would metal coins count, or is gold sacred to all priests and sorcerers
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky
Yes, Revered High Priest, it definitely helps. I had neither seen nor heard of the exception for magical items. Is this a general property of all metal items imbued with other planar energy or a specific property of some magical items? For example, do all items affected by "Enchant Weapons and Armor" spell meet this criteria? That would seem to make even minor magical weapons and/or armor very useful for spell casters of all stripes.
I knew of the connection between copper and the priests of Sarku - what are the other common 'sacred' metals for the 20??
In terms of 'Temple' spells - is that more of a guideline or a hard and fast rule? I am assuming that various temples and their spell casters are not going to teach 'their' secret spells to outsiders, but have those spells always been exclusively at those temples or are (or were) there other sources for learning those spells?
Horu hi'Fa'asu hi'Vriddi
Priest of Vimulha
This actually makes me wonder how the various magic sorts discovered to make Magical Items without going kaboom! And who the first one to realize they could use something like that was.
Once Phil changed the initial startup from "you are a barbarian who doesn't speak the language" to "you are a citizen and clan member," things like acquiring a water skin became a lot less important.
Heck, I had to buy armor for my cohort out of my own pocket! Back to the City of the Dead, I need a hundred more vambraces!
I don't care if you respect me, just buy my fucking book.
Formerly known as Old Geezer
I don't need an Ignore List, I need a Tongue My Pee Hole list.
The rules can't cure stupid, and the rules can't cure asshole.
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