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

[Matt Chatterley]

On Mon, 27 Oct 1997, Derrick Jones wrote:
> 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.

Yup. For those who describe magic as some sort of 'radiation' or subscribe
to the thoughts that it can 'saturate' objects, the use of a change spell
such as teleport would 'bombard' the two locations with magical
'wavicles', leaving a sort of magic-o-active signature. Perhaps magical
divination means can be employed to find out from whence a portal came,
and so on (A sort of magical-investigation division of the law enforcement
agency).
 
> > 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...)

Yup! Of course, you can also allow PCs on the law-enforcement end of the
scale to help balance it out. But adding a variety of information sources
is good.. perhaps an alchemist who passes as the forensic department, for
instance.
 
> > > 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...

Heh. Heh. I'm still pondering nullification of magic. It may take place by
use of raw elemental force (from which magic is essentially constructed),
and/or special minerals which are more elemental than the usual (for
instance you might have a special sort of stone created from the earth
element and more directly connected to it than normal stone).

[Snip rest]

Regards,
	-Matt Chatterley
	http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"All extremists should be taken out and shot."