Topic: QUESTIONS FOR THE AUTHOR

[markc]

MB,
  I also asked that Q a while back.

MDC

[Defendi]

During the day.  I work nights.  For instance, I just now got up.

[black flag]

Hi
For the HARP version:
where are the talents associated with the divine spark? In the text, it says p 200 but there's no listed talents for the DivSPark.
Others races can take Divine Spark? Why the dwarves cannot take the greater DivSpark?

[Defendi]

They are there, at the end of page 200 and at the begining of 201.  Lesser Divine Spark and Greater Divine Spark with a cost of 0 and 40 respectively.

Only Humans and Elves can take the Divine Spark.  They are then called High Men and High Elves.  Gnomes and Halflings didn't volunteer for the war until they had no other choice.  Therefore, they were never given the gift of the Divine Spark.

Dwarves don't take Divine Spark.  Every Dwarf already has it (well, not the Fallen Dwarves, but they're their own race, coming up in the Bestiary).

Did I answer all of your questions?

[black flag]

tanx
I think to give for a race with DivSpark an advantage: talent cost /2 for talents to aid another person like "succor" and others but not selfish/destructive talents...

[Defendi]

I think that would be too powerful, but if you think it works for your game, go for it. 

[black flag]

Maybe it's powerful, but the evil is powerful too: demons, undead ...
The Divine Spark is the hand of God (ERU? AHURA MAZDA?) in the mortals, it's the forces of life and creations.
Deer Defendi, I bought EoH and I think it's a good setting with a true medieval flavor ( I don't like High fantasy genre but I love a true medieval with mysteries and magic like in the old european myths: ghosts, werewolf, a wood haunted by a devil or faeries folks, old stories of curse and a powerful church with one God )...

[Defendi]

Thanks.    As I said, if you think it's right for your game, that's EXACTLY how you should do it. 

[black flag]

For when a medieval bestiary for EoH?
What sorts of monsters in? Devils (those of the demonology myths of Europe?), Kabbala angels?...

[Defendi]

It's scheduled for five months from now (I'll post the new schedule soon, guys.  I mentioned in a dev journal I screwed the last one up).  I actually expect to release it in about 3 months.

Here's the monsters in the Art List.  This should match up pretty well with the finished book:

Angels
     Archons
     Angels
Buckle Golem
Beastman
Demons of Damnation
Demons of Sin
Fire Dragon
Fang Dragon
Great Scaled Dragon
Elemental Wraiths
Fallen Races
Nephilim
There are sub categories in many of them.  4 archons, five angels, etc.

[black flag]

and for the fallen angels? I would like a hierarchy of fallen angels and archangels always in the side of God.
Do you The Keep (1983) of Michael Mann? with Radu Molasar an old demon who consume the souls of nazis soldiers. It's a good and original concept of demon. If you want I can write to you a list of medieval demons and their functions...

[Defendi]

Fallen Angels are corrupted versions of the Angels.  There should be notes on how their powers change.  For the most part, though, both angels and devils are simple quick stats.  If you really have an Angel or a Demon, it might be worth it to write them up as full NPCs.

I'd love to see your bit on Midieval Demons.  It wouldn't have any effect on this book.  Essentially you have four demons of damnation (in this book) and they are designed around skill sets like Player Characters (Legion Demons fight like fighters).  There are five Demons of Sin, and each of these are themed around one of the Deadly Sins.

But as I said, I wouldn't be upset to see what you had.  It would be interesting.

[mocking bird]

Re-reading some stuff today and some crazy writing side questions popped into my head. 

EoH is quad statted - quite impressive when compared to other more single-use books out there.  Which one do you do first?  Or the question beneath the question, which system do you 'think' in?

And as a follow up, considering the disparity between RM/HARP (I will count them close enough for this question) and d20 (I have never played HERO and know nothing about it), have you ever run into a problem of making the mechanics of one system 'fit' your concept or effect?  In various places you have tried to keep the setting 'base book' and keep new mechanics (feats, presteige classes or classes in general) to a minimum.  Has this ever caused a problem?

A compare and contrast between the differnt systems would be interesting.  OK, I would find it interesting but it would probalby be boring for most people.  I am basically debating on when our group switches adentures as to run it in HARP or RM (we pley Birthright as d20).  Peronally I think HARP would be best as it would make the setting that much different and new for the players - amongst whom there are a few books but not everyone has one.

[Defendi]

That's a fascinating question.  It started as a HERO campaign, so most all the base work was done in HERO first.  Now, I usually write in RM, because it's the system I'm best with.  If I wrote in most other systems, I think I would be subconsciously limited by what I know how to do.  Not so in RM.  If I have a cool idea in RM, I can figure out how to make it work pretty easily.  Then when I redo all the stats in the other systems, I'm forced to figure it out.  Also, there's love of the system.  If I were ti write in d20, say, I'd have prejudices to certain that would get in the way.  For instance, there might not have been Prestige Classes in product three if that wasn't the most "d20" way to do the Training Packages I did for RM and HARP.

That said, I think in all four systems as I write, because everything I write has to convert somehow.  So while I'll write things I don't know how to convert, I don't write things I think are IMPOSSIBLE to convert.  HERO is easy, cause you can just do anything you want with it.  But d20 and HARP both have strengths and weaknesses compared to RM.  There's a magic item that I wrote for RM Quarterly I was tempted to ask permission to steal, but it would serve no purpose in d20 because it deals exclusively with stun.  So I've never used it or tried to do anything with it.  But when I put in an item that grants a bonus to directed spells, I knew that although I haven't a clue how I'm converting that one to d20, since there are ranged touch spells, I know that there is a conversion in there somewhere, it will just take a bit of research to make sure it comes out just right.

[black flag]

To Defendi: medieval list of Devils (and not Demons) from European myths; they've got some strange attributes but it's medieval beliefs!
I think that these devils got perverted powers on their attributes and act like "saints" for those who have sold  their souls to the devil. 
Name       Title          Appareance         Attribute(lord of)        Nb of legions
Ipes        Prince        Lion                    daring&genius              36
Lucifer   Prince of Hell Halfman/goat        darkness                    36
Oroba     Prince         Man                   works&reconciliation      20
Tap        Prince         Big eagle             travel                         60
Abigor    Grand Duke  demon in red armour war                         60
Agar?s   Grand Duke  man riding crocodile languages                  30
Alocer    Grand Duke    Knight on Horse      astronomy                36
Amduscias Grand Duke Unicorn               Sounds                      29
Astaroth  Grand Duke   Stinking demon    debauchery                40
Baal       General of armies Demon armed/pike    battles              Var.
Gysoyn   Grand Duke    Camel                 secrets,past, future    45
Berith     Duke           youg red soldier     litanies                      6
Haborym  Duke   3 heads:snake,man,cat riding viper     blaze      26
Waal     Duke       dromedary                 divination                   36
Valafar   Duke      man                          rashness                   36
Vapula   Duke      lion+ griffin wings        philosophy                  36
Aamon   Grand Marquis  wolf head+ snake tail     flames              40
Andras   Grand Marquis  angel+cat head riding black wolf   discord 30
Gamycyn G.Marquis     little horse            horses                      30
Orias     G.Marquis     Lion                     shapechanging            30
Phenix   G.Marquis    Phoenix                 knowledge+poetry        20
Oray     G.Marquis    bowman                courage in battle          30
Androalphus Marquis demon+ peacock head   eloquence             30
Cerb?re  Marquis     crow                     artists                        19
Halphas Archcount   stork                    birds                           26
Raum    Archcount   grey crow             destruction of cities       30
Ronwe  Count         monster (?)           friendship                     19
Morax   Count         demon                  stars                           36
Furfur   Count         stag                     lightning                       26
Barbatos Count       demon/a bow         birdsongs (?)                 30
Bifrons   Count        demon                  astrology                     26
Zagam   Grand President bull+ griffin wings  alchemy                  30
Volac    Grand President young angel riding 2 headed dragon  air   30
Otis     Grand President  viper               time                            60
Malphas  Grand President  crow             augury                         40
Caarcrinolas G. President  dog               invisibility                     36
Amy    G. President         demon           mysteries                      35
Caym   G. President         demon           animal senses                36
Haagenti  G. President   demon+ bull   head  metals                     33
Leviathan  G. Admiral     hippocampus      seas                           26
Flauros  G. General        demon+ leopard head  armies                 20
Forcas    Knight            man/long beard    mystics                      79
Verdelet  Master of Ceremonies  demon    religious ceremonies       0           

[mocking bird]

Reminds me of the time I went through all the demons & devils in AD&D MM1 and MM2 looking up all the names in the encyclopedia.
Ironic that Lucifer means light bringer and is lord of darkness.
I wonder if Amduscias is a corruption of Asmodeus who appears in Tobit (Apocrypha for the Protestants out there) and (depending on which legend you read) is married to Lilith and was a Persian evil deity - rage if I recall correctly.
Not surprising how many 'pagan' deities (Baal) appear in Christian/Jewish/Muslim mythology as demons.
Amy???

But when I put in an item that grants a bonus to directed spells, I knew that although I haven't a clue how I'm converting that one to d20, since there are ranged touch spells, I know that there is a conversion in there somewhere, it will just take a bit of research to make sure it comes out just right.

That one has always made me chuckle, ranged touch - really long arms?  But seriously doesn't that just mean that you ignore armor benefits to the DC which may convert to AT1?

[Defendi]

In d20, it just means that only dodging and deflecting work (I believe).  It doesn't have to penetrate armor, it just has to hit you anywhere on the body or clothing. 

[black flag]

Lucifer was the name of J.C (in the very beginig of christianity) but was changed with the years to Satan who means "Adversary" and give to the devil.
In the jewish religion the devil is not the same that the devil in the Christian myth (he works for god, the only judge of good and evil).

[mocking bird]

Lucifer was the name of J.C (in the very beginig of christianity) but was changed with the years to Satan who means "Adversary" and give to the devil.

Not really since Lucifer is a Latin word for Morning Star which appears in Isaiah and is referring to the King of Babylon referring to Venus.  However JC is also referred to as the Morning Star in Revelations which is written in Greek.  There was even a bishop called Lucifer in the early church.  However you do have some modern Luciferans (who can be much different than many Satanists) who equate him with the Prometheus myth. 

What I am curious though black flag is your sources?  Especially who figured out the number of legions.  I am just wondering if there are 72 named demons to match the 72 names of G-d.

But alas we have gone off topic.  Read your Pagels?

tee hee - pea-rooster.

[black flag]

My source? I can't tell you because...you'll dying in 24 hours
No, seriously i've got 2 sources: this one (see up) from one paper in a old french RPG mag and this from " Histoires de Magie Noire ou les secrets du Grand et du Petit Albert":
PACTA CONVENTA DAEMONIORUM:with their title in french because i'm tired

LUCIFER: Empereur de l'enfer
BELZEBUTH: Prince
ASTAROTH: Grand Duc
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE: Primier Ministre
SATANACHIA: Grand G?n?ral
FLEURETY: Lieutenant G?n?ral
PEHIROS:: Mar?chal
Agalarept: Grand Mar?chal
Sargatona: Brigadier Chef 
This 6 spirits command 18 inferior spirits:

Pruflas, Aamon, Marbas, Buer, Gusoyn, Botis,Bathim, Pursan, Abigar
Loray, Valafar, Bathain,Ayperos, Naberus, Glasyalabolas, Agar?s, Ba?l, Pruflas

Powers of the great spirits:
Lucifuge : money, treasures
Satanachia: bind women to his (her?) will, and rules first legion of spirits
Agaliarept: can know all secrets, and rules second legion of spirits
Fleurety: can build a castel, bridge in one night...and commail hail from the sky
Sargatanas: powers on invisibility, teleportation, open locks see through walls
N?biros: foretelling future, necromancy, the craft of metals, minerals, plants, animals (vile or not).