[MUD-Dev] To catch a mage (was fear of magic)

[Derrick Jones]

On Sun, 26 Oct 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:

> 
> On 26/10/97 at 10:10 AM, Derrick Jones <gunther at online1.magnus1.com> said:
> >On Mon, 20 Oct 1997, Marian Griffith wrote:
> >> On Wed 15 Oct, Michael Hohensee wrote:
> >> > > On Tue, 14 Oct 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:
> 
> 
> >The problem here is twofold.  1.)  Magical travel is instanteous and
> >doesn't leave tracks...
> 
> Why doesn't it leave tracks?

Well, after some thought, I guess it could...A movement spell affects two
locations, the start and end points.  I suppose there is no harm in
leaving some detectable trace magic at both ends...Now being able to tell
which endpoint matches this particular startpoint may take some doing (on
the part of the NPC), but at least their seach would be narrowed...
You'd also get the interesting side effect of having guards portal into
each recent exit-portal (all those areas targeted by a portal spell within
the last 5 min or so), search the immediate surroundings, then portal back
out until the correct portal is found...Maybe even have the guards
interrogate whomever happened to be nearby.

> Why don't the guards also have a mage component to their forces, charged
> with pursuing magical offenders instead of the cannon fodder plebs?

They do.  Problem is being able to keep the NPC-code up-to-speed with PC
antics.  Cannon fodder plebs are in such abundance in most muds mainly
because it isn't too difficult to preprogram a dullard reacting to the
unexpected.  ("Uhh...where did he go, Ugh?")  (I actually played a
barbarian in AD&D named Ugh...one of my favorite charaters.  He had an
intelligence stat of 4 (3-18 bell curve scale), but I guess that
discussion belongs in the intelligence stat thread...)

> > Would it make sense for the guards to have magic-nullifying devices?

Smack me.  I already have a spell that shields _items_ from magical
radiation (really does a number cast on a magic sword because the shield
is two-way).  It really wouldn't be too much of a stretch to encase a
larger area (with probably some sort of weaker shield, with maybe some way
to punch a 'hole' in it...).  The mages guild would probably create the
spell even if it wasn't pre-made.  I'd imagine that guards would have a
portable field generator of some sort as standard issue, especially if
mages were concidered a threat in the area and local monies could easily
support such a project...

 > >... so its next-to-impossible to catch a mage with a
> >head start.  
> 
> I recall an SF short story and later I think a novel based on the idea
> that instantaneous matter transmitters became the ultimate boon for
> criminals, as four or five hops later they were essentially untracable. 
> Turns out of course that the police lagged, and then adapted new
> techniques.
> 
Yes, after 4 or 5 hops, the guards would have to get lucky, or be very
bright to catch up to a fleeing mage.  Guards would pop into an area,
realize that the mage had been there, then spend a good deal of time
looking around that spot before realizing that the mage had used another
teleport to hop somewhere else...Either that or meet up with a dragon that
isn't too keen on the guards poking about...

> >The guards have to be able to react quick enough to prevent
> >the mage from casting, else the mage can get away.
> 
> Or they must be able to place a tracer on the mage so that their mages can
> follow him.  Probably cheaper, hearder to detech (by the fleeing mage) and
> provides for more interesting chases.
> 
Ooh...I think this little item would be just a little to dangerous in PC's
hands.  If the Mage had figured out the tracer method, he would be sure to
remove it the next time (after earning himself another body most likely),
and place it on his intended victim...unless the actual guard who
witnessed the crime is the first to catch up with the victim (who has no
reason to be running from the guards), the guards would just pounce on the
victim, and finish the mages original crime.

> >2.)  If player manages to get their character to its house, it has to be
> >designed to prevent determined PC's from entering (protect PC's from afk
> >PK), so a NPC won't fair all that much better.
> 
> How about:
> 
>   > kill bubba
>   Bubba is dead.
>   A guard crashes through the door!
>   > teleport home
>   The guard waves at you.     // Casts tracer spell
>   You are home.
>   With a small clatter a glittering pebble lands near your feet.
>   > examine pebble
>   Its a magic nullifier.      // Telports to location of tracer
>   > teleport pebble to inn
>   You can't work magic any more.
>   A guard teleports in front of you!
> 
> Of course this also allows for all sorts of mayhem when PK'ers get ahold
> of tracers, and the arms race cycles again.

This could also cause problems for the guards, as well as the criminal.
Recall that the teleport magic affects _both_ ends of the spell, not the
caster.  Therefore, the guards couldn't teleport into an area with a magic
nullifier.  (thats how houses stop teleport magic, they block the magic on
the receiving end of the spell, thus automatically negating both
ends...it wouldn't do to have too many mages caught up in limbo if they
blinked out, but never blinked back in...)
Perhaps a more reasonable solution would be to allow guards 'skeleton
keycodes' for house protections, especially if the security system is from
the town where the guards are employed...I'd suppose then there would have
to be 'black-market' security systems that the town guards can't overide,
but they'd be pricey, and have little 'bugs' like randomly activating once
in a while (then the mage would have to overcome his own defence systems
to get into the house to turn it off).

> >Basically, I'd have to create a near-omniscient, near-omnipresent, and
> >near-omnipotent police force protecting this anti-violence zone, but such
> >a force would by its nature overrun and control the entire mud-world to
> >impose its doctrine of non-violence everywhere.  While this could be an
> >interesting twist to the mud's theme, its not what I'm looking for.
> 
> You can create in-game artificial limits to their scope.  First thought:
> 
>   The militia are omni-* as long as they and the event all occured within
> XXX distance of a holy relic of the Great God GooGoo...
> 
And this relic would be the gods magic (security) blanket, no doubt.

Wow...thanks for the ideas...you really got the juices flowing.  It looks
like it'll boil down to whether or not I (as the guard coder) can stay a
step ahead of the players.  But isn't that why we started down this road
in the first place?

Gunther