Author Topic: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?  (Read 7458 times)

Offline Avernite

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2018, 07:35:38 PM »
If a death curse for the average wizard is like a 30, while the heart exploding curse in SF was a 35, what the heck was the level of power Eb used when he killed a couple hundred people with a single motion, and didn't appear even slightly fatigued....
I'm guessing finesse, not power. Ripping out an artery rather than a whole heart or something even less physical.

Offline groinkick

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #16 on: September 27, 2018, 08:12:09 PM »
I'm guessing finesse, not power. Ripping out an artery rather than a whole heart or something even less physical.

Whatever it was it turned the lights out, they fell in an instant.  Maybe removing all the electrical impulses in their brains?
Stole this from Reginald because it was so well put, and is true for me as well.

"I love this place. It was a beacon in the dark and I couldn't have made it through some of the most maddening years of my life without some great people here."  Thank you Griff and others who took up the torch.

Offline Mr. Death

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #17 on: September 27, 2018, 09:01:42 PM »
If a death curse for the average wizard is like a 30, while the heart exploding curse in SF was a 35, what the heck was the level of power Eb used when he killed a couple hundred people with a single motion, and didn't appear even slightly fatigued....
Speaking purely in game mechanics? Probably not that much, actually. Something on the fly like that would be evocation, which uses much lower numbers than thaumaturgy, usually.

The average goon in a fight only really takes maybe 3 or 4 shifts to put down (roughly a solid blast with a shotgun or sword).

(click to show/hide)

The RPG source book puts Ebenezer's magical "Spirit" element attack at a base 8 power and 9 for targeting -- then admits it's probably low-balling him.

(click to show/hide)

I'd say in a "high level game" like Changes would be, the average goon probably has a defense stat of 3, so even at the best (+4) defense roll, Ebenezer is still doing more than enough damage for a solid kill.

Now, AOE attacks are done by taking 2 of those shifts of power and using them to make it affect a whole zone, reducing the Weapon rating. Ebenezer can swing that easily and still be packing enough heat to whack the whole lot of them.

All that said, if I were GMing that session, lord knows I wouldn't be rolling 200 times for attacks. They'd probably be statted up as a single, large "monster" instead. Or an environmental hazard.

So, in answer to the question... He probably put more power into it than Harry's average attack spell, but not nearly as much as the heart-explodey spell because it was a bunch of nameless goons.
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Offline Maz

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #18 on: September 28, 2018, 04:22:02 PM »
While I think Malcolm being completely normal is nice... it doesn't address questions I raised the first time this was visited a decade or so ago.

Knowing the enemies coming, Maggie entrusted Harry to Malcolm's care.
Maggie's enemies utilized, apparently, an entropy curse to take him out.

Neither of these seems in agreement with Malcolm solely being a stage magician. 

The only reason I would lean towards KotC is because Jim is a lazy writer and he references his father having a basket of swords similar to his own.  We hear no other references I believe to his Father's props.

Offline Mr. Death

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #19 on: September 28, 2018, 05:00:02 PM »
While I think Malcolm being completely normal is nice... it doesn't address questions I raised the first time this was visited a decade or so ago.

Knowing the enemies coming, Maggie entrusted Harry to Malcolm's care.
She was married to him and it was his child. She didn't go out of his way to find him specifically to give Harry to, that's just how things work -- if parents have a child and one of them dies, the other takes care of the child. Nothing complicated or out of the ordinary about that.

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Maggie's enemies utilized, apparently, an entropy curse to take him out.
Most likely because of Harry, not because anything about Malcolm was special.

One of Maggie Sr.'s enemies used entropy curses to take out a bunch of porn stars and none of them had anything special about them except that they were female and might possibly have been in love with a particular guy.

And we don't know that it was an entropy curse specifically, just that it looked like an aneurysm.

For my money, the most likely culprit here is Justin DuMorne. Killing Malcolm puts Harry in the System, where Justin can keep an eye on him until he manifests magic. Then he can swoop in and rescue the (by now) poor, lonely boy, become his father figure, gain his trust, and turn him into whatever he wants.

Elaine's an orphan too, after all -- how much would you bet her parents died just as suddenly and mysteriously as Harry's?

Quote
Neither of these seems in agreement with Malcolm solely being a stage magician.
Well, no, they're not related to that, just like Harry's current troubles have nothing to do with him having moonlighted as a dance partner for senior citizens.

Malcolm being entrusted with Maggie Sr.'s child is because it's his child. Him being attacked by Maggie Sr.'s enemies is because he was married to Maggie Sr. and was taking care of their child.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2018, 05:21:24 PM by Mr. Death »
Compels solve everything!

http://blur.by/1KgqJg6 My first book: "Brothers of the Curled Isles"

Quote from: Cozarkian
Not every word JB rights is a conspiracy. Sometimes, he's just telling a story.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_T_mld7Acnm-0FVUiaKDPA The C-Team Podcast

Offline groinkick

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #20 on: September 29, 2018, 06:59:41 PM »
While I think Malcolm being completely normal is nice... it doesn't address questions I raised the first time this was visited a decade or so ago.

Knowing the enemies coming, Maggie entrusted Harry to Malcolm's care.
Maggie's enemies utilized, apparently, an entropy curse to take him out.
It's believed he died of natural causes.  Even if he didn't we don't know if it was from an entropy curse.

Quote
Neither of these seems in agreement with Malcolm solely being a stage magician. 

The only reason I would lean towards KotC is because Jim is a lazy writer and he references his father having a basket of swords similar to his own.  We hear no other references I believe to his Father's props.

Maggie entrusted Leah with Harry's protection.  If Malcolm really was something special, why would she need Leah?
Stole this from Reginald because it was so well put, and is true for me as well.

"I love this place. It was a beacon in the dark and I couldn't have made it through some of the most maddening years of my life without some great people here."  Thank you Griff and others who took up the torch.

Offline Paviel

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #21 on: September 29, 2018, 08:14:44 PM »
Point of order: Is Harry's mother ever officially called "Maggie"? I thought it was always Margaret.

The only person I remember being referred to as Maggie was Harry's daughter.

Offline groinkick

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #22 on: September 29, 2018, 08:42:09 PM »
Point of order: Is Harry's mother ever officially called "Maggie"? I thought it was always Margaret.

The only person I remember being referred to as Maggie was Harry's daughter.

I only call her that because I always forget how to spell Margaret

« Last Edit: September 29, 2018, 08:43:47 PM by groinkick »
Stole this from Reginald because it was so well put, and is true for me as well.

"I love this place. It was a beacon in the dark and I couldn't have made it through some of the most maddening years of my life without some great people here."  Thank you Griff and others who took up the torch.

Offline morriswalters

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Re: Did Maggie REALLY curse Raith?
« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2018, 11:38:04 AM »
Quote from: Eb in Blood Rites
He drew his hand back from the puppy. "She was my apprentice. I was her teacher. Her mentor. She was my responsibility."
"You taught her?"
"I failed her." He chewed on his lip. "Harry… when Maggie was coming into her power, I made her life a living hell.