Rule of Obsession ???

[urdinaran]

Has anyone been using this for their PC's and how? Just wondering what types of obsessions GMs might be inflicting on their Scholar PC's.

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

Due to a few of my PCs adamant distaste of sorcery, other players have opted not to take up the scholar class from fear of getting hacked before the ink is dried on their character sheet. So unfortunately I don't have an experience investigating the finer rules of GMing scholars.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Hasn't come up really. My Scholar players tend to RP their obsessions w/o noticing. ["I want the evil book of power!", "No, I do!"] Throwing in the potential for extra PP would cause them to focus solely on this and thus forget the actual plotline. 8)

Raven

 

[Raven Blackwell]

The rule's primary purpose I think is to give an NPC a reason to threaten something near and dear [or at least useful] to the PCs, like the original example in "Black Colssus(sp?)".

Raven

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

Hasn't come up really. My Scholar players tend to RP their obsessions w/o noticing. ["I want the evil book of power!", "No, I do!"] Throwing in the potential for extra PP would cause them to focus solely on this and thus forget the actual plotline. 8)

Raven

Looking for a book to increase their power wouldn't fit in with the obsession rules, as they are just looking to increase their knowledge/power (the only goals of sorcery). But if they were role-playing an allegiance, or doing anything that didn't focus on them building their own power levels, that 1-3 PP hit will make them want to change their focus back on themselves real quick.

Thus is the dark nature of sorcery. Sorcerers can only have one end, and that is their own power increase. If they are consistently playing that way, the rule of obsession is not needed, but there should be some negative role-playing consequences to that type of attitude.

 

[slaughterj]

I'm confused by what you are saying (note, I have not looked back at the book on the Rule of Obsession).

First you say:

Looking for a book to increase their power wouldn't fit in with the obsession rules, as they are just looking to increase their knowledge/power (the only goals of sorcery).

This statement indicates that trying to increase one's power isn't an obsession.

Then you say:

Sorcerers can only have one end, and that is their own power increase. If they are consistently playing that way, the rule of obsession is not needed

This statement indicates that increasing one's power is the only sorceror goal, and if abided by, makes the rule of obsession moot.

Those two statements seem contradictory - which is it, rule of obsession requires seeking power, or not?

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

It means that when a sorcerers become obsessed, easily. When they are obsessed with their power, fine, they grow in power. When they become obsessed with something other than their power, their sorcery suffers (hence the rule of obsession when they loose 1-3 PP). The only way to get this PP back (and then some) is to draw the obsession into oneself in order to change the obsession back to their power.

So in summary, sorcerers are always obsessed with something. If it isn't power, their power suffers. The Rule of Obsession helps handle the case where the Obsession isn't sorcery.

'Black Colossus' demonstrates this well.

Does that help remove the ambiguity?

 

[Bregales]

Right, the Rule of Obsession indicates that sorcery IS the obsession, so if anything alse gets in the way (a lover, serving a king, planning another PCs birthday party), it distracts the scholar, so he cannot focus on his sorcery. So he loses power points unless he consumes the source of his distraction (obsession).

 

[slaughterj]

Thanks for the clarity!

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Well, my party is really in no danger. Increasing their power is their sole goal- save for vengeance. 8)

Raven

 

[Bregales]

Well, my party is really in no danger. Increasing their power is their sole goal- save for vengeance. 8)

Raven

Yeah, funny, the same with my players.

 

[Mortepierre]

Related question: given a Scholar is deemed "obsessed" if he ever acquires more levels in another class, does this mean that - say - a Stygian lvl 2 Noble who later picks 1 level in Scholar is automatically obsessed from the minute he multiclassed?

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

Related question: given a Scholar is deemed "obsessed" if he ever acquires more levels in another class, does this mean that - say - a Stygian lvl 2 Noble who later picks 1 level in Scholar is automatically obsessed from the minute he multiclassed?

Well, I don't have the books in front of me, but I would say no. I would rule that only classes taken after the PC turned down the path of sorcery would count as qualifying for obsession.

 

[Bregales]

Related question: given a Scholar is deemed "obsessed" if he ever acquires more levels in another class, does this mean that - say - a Stygian lvl 2 Noble who later picks 1 level in Scholar is automatically obsessed from the minute he multiclassed?

Well, I don't have the books in front of me, but I would say no. I would rule that only classes taken after the PC turned down the path of sorcery would count as qualifying for obsession.

Yeah, same here: I'm at work too, but I'd rule it the same way. (If it turns out different (book says different when I get home), will edit this response).