RE: [HOE] Re: Doomsayers

["Jeffery Yates" <jyates@qlinktech.com>]

This is just me, and I'm coming into this late, but...

It just seems to me (as a marshal) that you are trying to build yourself a
Doomie without any of the Doomie drawbacks.  The Doomsayers are very
powerful muties, and the downside is the whole religion thing.  Wearing the
robes because you wouldn't be caught dead without them -- because you
BELIEVE.  Making sermons to the populace about the nature of the Glow and
the superiority of mutants and the doomed normals -- because you BELIEVE.
Nuking some rampaging baddie before it can hurt some norms because you
BELIEVE the norms are still people, just people on the dead-end of the
evolutionary ladder.  And being ostrasized from many population centers
because the norms that live there don't want Doomsayer of any color (or
BELIEF) making their town more radioactive.

I guess if your marshal is OK with it, then yeah, all you might need is a
separate stat, like Blastin' or Hexslingin', to replace the Faith you won't
have.  Or have Faith:Physics.  Then you could tap the power of the Glow
without believing in it.

The only problem (if you go with the "I don't believe in the supernatural"
bit) is that every one of your powers is SUPERNATURAL.  The plain ol' atom
don't allow for no Nuke spells.  You are tapping some irradiated piece of
the Hunting Grounds, and you'll be shaken in your scientific principles
every time you microwave a zombie just by pointing at it.

And yes, Syker powers are supernatural, as are Walkin' Dead, and Harrowed.
Common place?  Maybe.  Supernatural.  Definitely.  There's just nothing
natural about dead bodies walking around, no matter how often you see it.

My two rads!

Jeff Y.
Marshal for the Dynamite Gang

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-hoe@gamerz.net]On Behalf Of
> d_scott
> Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2001 4:05 PM
> To: hoe@gamerz.net
> Subject: [HOE] Re: Doomsayers
>
>
> > Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 13:29:48 -0800 (PST)
> > From: marshal_dude@excite.com
> > Subject: Re: [HOE] Doomsayers
>
> > The GLOW is faith based.  By definition if you don't have faith in the
> glow
> > you can't use it's powers.  Honestly though If you wanted to do this you
> > would either need to change the mechanics for it.  OR you could just say
> > that he has faith in science and the natural laws...
> >
> > The down side to that Is every time he sees something that defys natural
> law
> > or science he has to make a faith check or suffer like a
> blessed from the
> > wierd west.  and lose a point of faith...
> >
> > So guts checks and faith checks of hoky religions.  You pick.
> >
> > ron c
>
> Interesting idea. What would you define as something that defies natural/
> scientific laws in the Wasted West? Ghost rock and the Reckoning
> make a lot
> of weird stuff 'natural', like Syker powers and mad science
> gizmos. If he's
> making faith rolls every time he bumps into a walkin' dead means he's not
> going to be using Atomic Blasts for long. But Harrowed were pretty much
> accepted before the Last War, so I suppose he'd get away with that one.
>
> How about some kind of variation on the Mad Science dementias, since they
> believed their powers were purely scientific as well? Maybe the voices of
> the dead in the maelstroms and the Glow slowly wear down his
> sanity because
> he refuses to accept that they exist. In addition to the usual
> consequences
> of going bust when casting a miracle (bet he'll be pleased to hear them
> called miracles!) he also rolls for a dementia. The Reckoners might
> eventually push him on the path to Servitorhood, persuading him that all
> other Doomsayers are dangerous fanatics and must be killed.
>
> What do you think? I like the idea of the character, but I'm
> trying to make
> sure he's balanced (though not necessarily mentally balanced!)
>
> David