Sanctuary Gift, Elric of Melnibone

[DamonJynx]

Most of the gifts are reasonably straight forward, and I hate to take away a players fun, but I'm struggling with the Sanctuary gift.

One of the PC's (the Myyrrhn healer) has joined the cult of Lassa and has dedicated 7 Pow. He chose Sanctuary as his gift and bought it with all 7 Pow. Now he has a floating, invisible, inter-dimensional, impregnable villa that I'm not (as GM) overly enthusiastic about.

I was thinking of allowing it as a sort of divine intervention, i.e. he may call upon his gift either a limited number of times (= critical Pact Skill?) per suitable time frame (month, year, whatever) or when in great need.

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Loz]

Several suggestions present themselves.

If its invisible, then its invisible to everyone - including the character. It reveals itself only when it feels like it.

Its interdimensional - which means it comes and goes between dimensions as it feels like. Which means the character may not always find it where he thinks he left it.

It floats - so the slightest breeze will cause it to float off into the wild blue yonder with no way of controlling it.

Plus, as a gift from Lassa, it may also be the haunt of powerful air elementals who decided just how often the villa can be used by the character. They may have other uses for it at the most inconvenient times.

This villa should be treated as a plot opportunity rather than something that the character can abuse with great ease: make use of the villa's properties to allow it to be a useful sanctuary when the game requires it, and an interesting way of crafting adventures, or transitions between them, when it isn't.

 

[DamonJynx]

Thanks again for the advice & suggestions Loz. Will take them on board.

This is a very different game to what we (my group and I) are used too. We are, the more we play, coming to grips with the differences and really beginning to enjoy the fact that this game is more about role-playing, than roll-playing like some of the other systems out there.

 

[havercake lad]

Re The Santuary
Perhaps it comes with a set of restless air elementals whose constant activity produces weird accoustics that will eventually prey on an occupant's sanity if inhabited for too long a duration ?
Maybe it was a creation of several Elemental Lords. Kakatal fusing grains of Grome's sand together into a structure cooled and levitated by Lassa.? The creators however, no longer respect the terms they once made regarding the structure's use and ownership. In consequence Kakartal and Grome will try all in their power to seize it.
JRW

 

[DamonJynx]

Ahh. A little bit like The Ship That Sails Over Land & Sea perhaps? Very clever Havercake Lad.

 

[Builder]

My suggestion would be to talk to the player about why they chose what they did for the sanctuary, did they go for it because they like that sort of thing and think its cool, or did they go for it in a power gaming fashion?

If they went for it because they think its cool then sit down and have a chat about it and say that as ST this creates a lot of problems for you and work out something that they think is cool, but you don't find so problematic. Maybe just one or two elements of it instead of the whole thing, maybe an invisible house that comes to him on a successful pact role when he is in danger; but doesn't go between the dimensions and if the enemy finds the door they can get in.

Any compromise will do really as long as both of you are happy with it; if he won't budge on it then remember you are the ST and you need to have fun while running the game or it wont be fun.

If they are going for a power gaming angle then be a bit harsher, but not too much as you are still running the game for them and you don't want to create tension.

If you choose to do any of Loz's suggestions then I would say you need to give the player the chance to change the gift they got from the pact. This is because they took something that is perfectly allowable in the game and setting and so haven't done anything wrong. In any case were a player takes something which you as an ST then look at and go "ummmm, don't like that" and then change it they should be given the chance to change there minds so they end up happy with what has happened.

I hope some of that is useful for you.

 

[DamonJynx]

Thanks for the suggestions guys they've all been most helpful. I'll let him keep it for another session or two, until my current GM'ing stint is over. And then I'll talk to him about outside of the game where things are less likely to get heated.

 

[Builder]

He should've checked if the Captain was the owner - before he murdered him!

Good old players, never checking things before they murder people up, its like life is cheep or something.

 

[DamonJynx]

Hey look, if you're not busy I'll pop round for a cuppa! You only live 3 doors down!

Yeah, it's a bit complicated. In Elric's world, trust no-one, leave no witness, question first, kill later!

 

[Builder]

Hey look, if you're not busy I'll pop round for a cuppa! You only live 3 doors down!

Yeah, it's a bit complicated. In Elric's world, trust no-one, leave no witness, question first, kill later!

Feel free, though the street and doors may be their own planes of existence...

Its not just Elric's world its player characters in general really; Ohhhh look a shiny thing, lets take that.

 

[DamonJynx]

kind of like putting them in a room with a big red button saying "Do Not Push" and then having them die, slow agonizing, messy deaths..

 

[EricJ]

Well, to be charitable, perhaps the player in question wanted the sanctuary to be the Ship that Sails Between the Worlds.

 

[DamonJynx]

If they went for it because they think its cool then sit down and have a chat about it and say that as ST this creates a lot of problems for you and work out something that they think is cool, but you don't find so problematic.

I meant to ask before, what's an ST? I've heard of DM, GM and a host of more unpleasant terms for a GM, but not ST.

BTW: I got busted. The player I mentioned that loses his ship, well I was right: he does think I'm a complete bastard! Now he knows before I spring it on him. Damn!

Have to be more careful with my posts!

 

[Builder]

I meant to ask before, what's an ST? I've heard of DM, GM and a host of more unpleasant terms for a GM, but not ST.

Story Teller, its exactly the same thing as DM or GM it is just a different way of saying it.

 

[DamonJynx]

Ahh. And now the light goes on.

 

[Builder]

Ahh. And now the light goes on.

That happens to me all the time.

 

[DamonJynx]

I know what you mean. Somethings are so obvious once you're told. Being a 'mature' gamer when some of my younger players text or email me I have to send a reply asking what the various acronyms mean. For example one guy sent "afaik" and I replied "WTF. Talk bloody English not Arabic!" of course it means As Far As I Know, but ...[/quote]

 

[Builder]

Thanks for the suggestions guys they've all been most helpful. I'll let him keep it for another session or two, until my current GM'ing stint is over. And then I'll talk to him about outside of the game where things are less likely to get heated.

How did it go if you don't mind me asking?

Was the gift changed/modded in the end?

 

[DamonJynx]

I spoke with him before we started a session. He wants his character to become an alchemist and needs a place for his lab. So, I'm going to let him keep it (I thought that was pretty reasonable, he didn't actually get it as get-out -of-goal-free-card, though I'm sure he wouldn't be disappointed with this side bonus!) we haven't worked out the details yet, though. Something along the lines of spend a MP and roll vs Pact to determine the whether or not it's within his Pact skill x kilometres. Additional MP's increase the range, determine the exact location and so on.