I remember, a few months ago, when reading "Goblin Slayer" one of the characters asked a priestess "How many heals do you have left to cast?" or something along those lines. And then it dawned on me: never in my life, whether playing PnP or a video game, has one character asked such a thing to another, even though it should be absolutely logical and natural. Someone like Edwin would not boast "I am a powerful mage." but simply state "I can cast 9th level spells twice a day." HE HIMSELF knows that, so why not share such information, especially for someone so arrogant? Because it would feel too "gamey", too mechanical in nature.
Thats the same thing - moron. He is a powerful mage because he can cast spells of that level.Someone like Edwin would not boast "I am a powerful mage." but simply state "I can cast 9th level spells twice a day."
JACK VANCE & THE D&D GAME
By Gary Gygax
Need I say that I am not merely a Jack Vance fan, but that he is in my opinion the very best of all the authors of imaginative fiction? Well I am and he is!
When I began to add elements of fantasy to medieval miniatures wargames around 1969, of course the work of Jack Vance influenced what I did. Along with Robert E. Howard, de Camp & Pratt, A. Merritt. Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, Poul Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien, P.J. Farmer, Bram Stoker—and not a few others, including the fairy tales Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang, and conventional mythologies—his writing was there in my memory. Happily so. What I devised was based on the fantastic creations of many previous writers, an amalgam of their imaginations and my own, and it was first published in 1971 as the CHAINMAIL Medieval Miniatures Rules, the “Fantasy Supplement” thereto. Not much later, in 1972, I wrote the first draft of what was later to become the first commercial Role-Playing Game, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, published in January, 1974.
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Just what portions of these works, the subsequent AD&D game, stemmed from inspiration related to the writing of Jack Vance? Several elements, the unquestioned foremost being the magic system used in these games. To my way of thinking, the concept of a spell itself being magical, that its written form carried energy, seemed a perfect way to balance the mage against other types of characters in the game. The memorization of the spell required time and concentration so as to impart not merely the written content but also its magical energies. When subsequently cast—by speaking or some other means—the words or gestures, or whatever triggered the magical force of the spell, leaving a blank place in the brain where the previously memorized spell had been held. Because I explained this often, attributing its inspiration to Jack Vance, the D&D magic system of memorized then forgotten spells was dubbed by gamers “the Vancian magic system”.
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Of the other portions of the A/D&D game stemming from the writing of Jack Vance, the next most important one is the thief-class character. Using a blend of “Cugel the Clever” and Roger Zelazny’s “Shadowjack” for a benchmark, this archetype character class became what it was in original AD&D. Also some of the spells and magic items found in the game were inspired from one or another of Jack Vance’s works. Notable are the Imprisonment and Evard’s Black Tentacles spells. The latter was devised after reading the short story, “The Bagful of Dreams” in FLASHING SWORDS #4 published in 1977—not in time for my work on the Player’s Handbook but added to it later in the Unearthed Arcana supplement. Did I mention the Robe of Eyes? Ah, and who can forget the Ioun Stones magical items. Before actually publishing the latter, I consulted with the creator, of course, to get permission.
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Indeed, what mage did not long for those 14 different colors and shapes to be circling his head? Mordenkainen, my own chief spellcaster PC, went on many a harrowing expedition searching for them, eventually wound up with an even dozen. What did the creator of the concept for these marvelous magical stones ask in return for adding them to the game? Only what I was planning to do in any event, mention his books in the work. Not only is Jack Vance a great author, but he is a very nice guy too.
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Aside from ideas and specific things, the very manner in which Jack Vance portrays a fantasy environment, the interaction of characters with that environment, and with each other, is so captivating that wherever I could manage it, I attempted to include the “feel” he brings to his fantasy tales in the AD&D game. My feeble ability likely managed to convey but little of this, but in all I do believe that a not a little of what fans consider to be the “soul” of the game stems from that attempt.
Did this ever stop any woman?Why is she wearing shorts? It's not like she has legs to show
Not only is the magic system directly based on Jack Vance stories but they directly influenced the very SOUL of DnD as a whole.
Sadly it's going to follow the same trajectory as KotB (demo first year, half baked release in 7 years)There was some guy that was porting Icewind Dale to ToEE, he even made a demo that was awesome but after that, there is only radio silence from him.I just want ToEE but not about ToEE.
Water baloons.What can Baldurs offer that already hasn't been repeated?
The sliding effect and the sidebar overlapping the scrollbar, what makes people even design such stuff?
I prefer navigations which allow me to see the hierarchy of categories and pages. I think a simple two-level "tabs" view - first row of links is your main categories and the second level is the contained subcategories in the active category.
Actually, when I saw your "Baldur's Gate" category, you have room for even three levels. The first category is the game in question, the second is the type of write up, and the third level is a link to the individual write-up.The sliding effect and the sidebar overlapping the scrollbar, what makes people even design such stuff?
Yeah, that annoyed me instantly as well. But... wondering if the pros outweigh the cons...
First of all cretin, if you had a critical mind and not just a deranged ball of shit in your head, you would understand the difference between two mediums. Books you read, games you play - and the play must be based on some kind of mechanics. Especially in RPGs where they must be more complex then in other types of games.
But instead, being a brainless dumbfuck you are, you just jumped and grabbed onto the idea that mechanics are not described in the books based on the DnD setting... as if that somehow proves your idea how Vancian system is bad, and how RPGs games should be "more about the stooory" and make you feel nice, instead of bothering you with mechanics - which is the exact argument every mass market dumbfuck ever made, and why Bethesda is making games for exactly the audience you are.
Btw, ignorant turd, in Jack Vance books - on which the VANCIAN system is based, the mechanics of magic are described exactly like that. Which is why that approach was taken by DnD and made into specific mechanics fit for the game.
Thats the same thing - moron. He is a powerful mage because he can cast spells of that level.
And all novels based on DnD actually use the systems of DnD - including the Vancian magic system. They just dont describe it in exact words like a fallacious retarded cretin like you demands - to establish a moronic false proof for your moronic ideas.
Because its a different medium that uses a specific descriptive style - not dumb shit you just pulled out of your dumb deffect asshole.
The same approach is taken in the dialogues and story in the games themselves.
None of it proves your stupid ideas, only you dont get it, being such a stupid imbecile as you are.
And those absurdly idiotic responses you made only further show what a raging ludicrous moron you are.
not only is the magic system directly based on Jack Vance stories but they directly influenced the very SOUL of DnD as a whole.
- also, there is no main window, so whichever option i choose for the type of view, i always get some article open over the "main page" presentation so all options end up looking the same.
No feet pic - no incline.Guys, I modernized my blog's Geocities layout for the current gen Baldur's Gate 3 fans and Larian 'tards that will be pouring into my blog en masse. The reader can customize the layout through several dynamic views. Let me know what you think.
Decline or incline?
Im not, there is no convincing that cretin of anything, which he established several times over before that last outburst of stupidity.And if you want to convince someone in something - use more arguments than insults, because you somehow
You are confusing my post for what your mother was doing while spewing you out.Spewing saliva on monitor while having a stroke doesn't making conversation more productive, it makes you look like idiot fanatic.
That is a direct description of the original creator of DND explaining how and why Jack Vance stories influenced it so much you dumb turd. Its not "sperging" - its a FACT.All this sperging about "soul of D&D" is stupid as hell.
There is no convincing the fallacious imbeciles of anything contrary to their opinions. That is not why they are here, just like you are not - really.who will increase heat in discussion instead of trying actually to convince person that had "wrong" opinion.
You call someone ignorant while fanatically defending system that makes mages looks like hybrid of children with down syndrome and Alzheimer patient, I mean when someone forget shit that he was doing all his life isn't normal at all. It's like being ok with your coworker who was doing his job in first half of day and then forgetting how to do that in second half of day. The "Vancian" system (I prefer call it Alzheimer system) also works pretty shitty if we consider D&D setting as harsh environment with apex predators where survival of mage alone is almost impossible and in realistic approach nobody will "babysit" alzheimer patient in hopes that MAYBE after many years he/she will be able to cast one fireball or two per day. If someone wrote something decades ago - it doesn't mean that this system should be used for decades, don't treat D&D as religion.