Thus Spake Zaraborgstrom/CharcoalMarchOfSpiders
rebeccaborgstrom - 02/16/2004 16:44:49
>David_> It gets a little tricky with persistent Simple Charms that grant multiple actions, like Charcoal March of Spiders Form. A character using CMoS Form may make three fully independent actions every turn. Well, every character, mortal or spirit or Exalt, may take *one* fully independent action every turn, right? So CMoS Form is really giving the character *two* *extra* independent actions, for a total of three per turn, isn't it?
Hm!
I suppose I ought to comment on this at some point. So, why not today?
I'd envisioned the Charm as optionally replacing your action with three independent actions. ("If the character chooses to use this ability . . .")
I'm a reasonably big believer in rigorous Charm interpretation, though, and that things should work like they say they do. :) I've thought about the arguments. I think that getting the benefits immediately is the correct reading. I don't think that it needs errata to remove this feature. Adopting a Martial Arts Form Charm is a physical action by the Charm's definition, so go with it.
However, I don't mind Storytellers who want to say "you get the three actions the next turn". It's a house rule, but it works with my original intent.
Rebecca
rebeccaborgstrom - 02/19/2004 15:08:48
Hi!
I'm not sure what you mean by 'reconsider'. :) The important things are:
(a) the original intention of the Charm. Which wouldn't give the benefits in the first turn of use.
(b) that I support rigorous interpretation, turning to the author's intentions only if the Charm as written is broken or you're thinking about a house rule anyway.
(c) that I don't think it's broken if it gives its benefits the first turn of use.
The fact that
(d) I find the camp that argues that you get the benefits the first turn as written persuasive . . .
feels practically irrelevant to me. :)
If someone else writes an independent action Charm---possibly in the player's guide, or a later castebook, or wherever---then they get to define how using multiple independent action Charms works. If somehow I'm the next person to write one, then I'll do so myself. Until then, (d) holds, but . . . I don't think it matters. :)
Part of the reason that I think (b) is true is . . . well . . . it's like this. Geoff can edit any of my Charms at any time after they leave my hands. He can change their meaing if he wants too. He didn't change CMoS Form at all . . . but, the point is, he could. So I'm not the fount of all authority. I can just say what I originally meant, and I can point it out if your analysis is *wrong*.
But the truth is, neither analysis is *wrong* in that sense. It's not like people are missing the line of the Charm that says, "The character (does not) get the actions on the turn of invocation." There's a thread over on rpg.net about how Grandmother Spider Mastery is 'underpowered'; *that's* the kind of thread where I can pop in and explain how the analysis is wrong. :)
Rebecca
rebeccaborgstrom - 02/19/2004 20:56:02
> Crowned_Sun > ...he hasn't really answered questions in a long time. There was a time when everyone and their brother was posting a "GCG: Please tell me how to brush my teeth!" thread, and after a while he got sick of it and now hardly ever posts. I'm beginning to worry that the same thing will happen to Rebecca,
Don't worry about it. I'm always more than happy to expound upon dental hygiene. It's very important to health and happiness!
. . . and, er, half-sigh/half-giggle at all the rest.
Okay, it's like this. I provided a note about my original intention because some people care. I provided a note about rigorous Charm interpretation because . . . I wanted people to say, "Oh! That was the original intention." And not "Oh! That's how it works. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Why doesn't it say that in the Charm? Is there going to be errata? I don't think you're correct on that."
There are some Charms and interpretations for which I'm willing to fight that battle, and some where I just want to say, "Y'know, for what it's worth, this is what I was thinking, but I don't think it's worth errata."
Rebecca
