[HOE] Re; Doomsayers

["d_scott" <d_scott@ntlworld.com>]

Doh! I did indeed mean Doomsayer - my bad.

My reading of Children o the Atom is that a mutation sets up pathways in
your brain that allow energy to be transmitted from the Hunting Grounds in a
certain way, allowing Doomsayer spells to be cast - just a variation on what
Sykers do. As such, the Faith aspect is just how it's perceived by those who
use it. I'm not sure if actual belief in the glow (or should that be Glow?)
is necessary . Unless the glow is actually sentient, as the Doomies believe.

It's pretty easy for any mutant to get involved in the Cult o' Doom and
later want to leave. It all sounds pretty good to start with, with mutants
actually being the Chosen and having access to all these cool powers. Then
you learn that there are two factions wrapped up in fighting each other and
suddenly it seems a bit crazy, not the kind of thing you want to die for. Or
you talk to a Huckster who's been around since the Weird West  days (another
posse member) and you begin to see things a bit differently about where your
powers actually come from. To our Doomsayer his Faith evolves into more of a
Hexslingin' or Blastin' aptitude.

There's also the argument that since the Hekants, who basically worship the
Sun, can use their powers, you can drift pretty far from the Cult's ideology
and unleash an Atomic Blast or five. I think I can see yet another Doomie
sect about to be created in my Wasted West campaign. . . Just need to come
up with a good name for them! Any suggestions, the best I can think of right
now is the Rad-Mages.

D

P.S. I wonder if this is maybe a Shane question, since I'm not sure how much
of the nature of Doomsayers has been defined but not yet revealed. I don't
want to give an answer that might be contradicted by something epic in a
later book (like the Harbinger appearing.)


> Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 13:06:32 -0600
> From: toadpooka@juno.com
> Subject: Re: [HOE] Doomsayers
>
> First off, let me assume you mean Doomsayer and not Doombringer.
> You didn't mean Doombringer?  Good.  I didn't think you were dumb.
> In Children o' the Atom, there is an Outcast hindrance that basically
> means you're a "freelance" doomie, not affiliated with Silas or Joan (of
> course, the Outcast archetype is still depicted wearing a purple robe.
> But the issue of not believing in The Glow is something else entirely.
> Technically, the aptitude is called Faith, but (real) faith doesn't play
> into it that much.  There are no consequences for "Sinnin'" like there
> are for other faiths.  Either Silas' or Joan's faction has to be dead
> wrong in certain big parts of their philosophy, so if The Glow was
> inclined to make moral judgments, one or the other would lose their
> abilities.
> In my game, I'd say that, though The Glow doesn't dictate morailty, it is
> necessary to believe it exists ot make it work.  At the very least, you
> have to wonder how such a pragmatist managed to fall in with this bunch
> of crackpot cultists in the first place.  Even without the aptitude, it
> takes a leap of faith to want to join a group like that.  While there
> might be a non-supernatural explanation for it, the methods by which
> anyone would've taught him are completely Faith-based (I think that's the
> second time I've used that term since Bush got selected), so he'd have a
> hard time learning witohut believing at all.
> -Rich
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