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Potion Question

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:00 pm
by GM_Chris
Lets say you have a transformation potion like say the, power of the vampire, where it states in the description that you loose all your skills and such and now have the following stats:

5 Life

(there are other things but not important for this example)

and your character is at negitive 500000000000 life, you have determination, and drink power of the vampire.

How much life does your character have?

Your thoughts?

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:07 pm
by GM-Taki
Negative 500000000000 life. Anything else is cheesy bullshit.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:04 am
by Zeira
I concur with the statement above. Cheeze.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:36 am
by Ark
well if you beat them to negitives once 5 life isnt a problem, but i agree with aformentioned cheese

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:37 am
by General Maximus
I agree with Taki, it is Chessy and a loop hole.

Common sense should be applied. And if you think it is over powered and a break, please ask the GM staff before using it. It is the polite thing to do.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:38 am
by cole45
While I agree that common sense should be used, I believe that there should be clear wording on how it supposed to be used. (not relevent for this example)

One of my pet peeve potions is Poison root. It deliver's a Poison root, but the wording is very hard to follow and alters the effect of poison. Not ever player knows what THIS potion does.

Also note, that many people don't use the NORMAL damage under power of the vampire correctly. Normal means non-magic, non-crush, non-vorpal etc. But because of weird wording.(the use of normal.) it gets over looked.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:18 am
by General Maximus
Add that is one of the reason I want that potion removed from the game.

Wording is tricky and everything can be worded better. I won't agrue about it.

What should be happeningis the experience people should be teaching the newer players the fine detials of the game. And the GM's always thought the PC's should police themselves. If you see some one doing smething that seems wonky, ask them or bring it up to a GM. Most of issue stems from people over looking rules or thinking they can do something that they truely can't. In the end, if you are not sure, don't do it until you get clairification.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:57 am
by Atrum Draconus
Putting (number only with no descriptors) after normal in the description should cover that problem. As far as the potion in negs that really should be in the book in at least a couple of places. In the potion section and the death and dying section. Is there a master list of tweaks anywhere? These types of things should go on there.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:23 pm
by Onimaster
I am going to play Devil's advocate for a sec. I agree that The above example shouldn't be how it works at all.

The metaphysics of greater transformation could be read as both ways. When you drink potion you become X... in all ways. Well, that could be life points and health status just as well as claws, teeth, whatever. Claiming that someone should have 'known better' or that it is obviously cheesy and thus illegal by logical implication is as shortsighted as the person drinking the Velveta potion.

My only comment here is that wording of the potion is the issue, or a notation under greater transformation. Add a line that says "This does not heal your character to their new life maximum." or "Can not be taken in negative life." It's a one line two second fix.

They should say exactly what they do. If you think something is cheesy then make the rules state themselves so the intent is more clear.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:31 pm
by Atrum Draconus
Onimaster wrote: They should say exactly what they do. If you think something is cheesy then make the rules state themselves so the intent is more clear.
This is how I feel about it, if it's written in a way that invites a logical conclusion that others call cheesy it needs to be fixed.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:34 pm
by cole45
correct. "asking a GM" is not a good answer for several reasons.

1. in the middle of battle who yah ask?
2. gms are not always around
3. different gms WILL give you different answers. (this can be reduced by correct wording.)

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:38 pm
by Atrum Draconus
And personally, I've always disagreed with the players policing themselves. Players should bring concerns to GM's and it should be handled from there. Otherwise you get OOG drama and PVP. Players should NEVER be encouraged to confront other players on OOG issues.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:46 pm
by Onimaster
I'm not against players policing themselves. That's the issue. To police themselves they need to know the laws. You don't see speed limit signs that say 'About 45 MPH-ish' or 'Trucks go slower.'

Rules are there to direct, inform, and support honest players... not to punish cheaters.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:47 pm
by Ark
Onimaster wrote: You don't see speed limit signs that say 'About 45 MPH-ish.'

thats awsome, i would love to see that

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:30 pm
by General Maximus
This vaugueness and loop holes in the potions and people exploiting them is one of the reason's I left the game. It is very fustrating for a person to follow the rules and than and another person does not and gets the same or better reward for chessying the rules.

When I left, the people who where following the rules where getting penalized where the people who interpited the rules to there advantage where making out like bandits. The rules are simple and pretty well spelled out. Yes some things need to be word smithed better. Who is up to the challenge of doing it. I'm not, I suck at the english lanuage as seen in my posts.