Voicechat Notes: Saturday 16th April 2022

If the topic doesn't fit anywhere else, discuss it here.
Post Reply
tulpa
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:00 am

Voicechat Notes: Saturday 16th April 2022

Post by tulpa »

Q: What are the current penalties that fractures cause to characters?
A: It makes it harder to stand up if you have leg fractures. Leg fractures give you negative 4 rerolls. If the shield-hand is affected it's harder to block. Climbing is negatively affected by foot, arm, leg and hand fractures. That's probably it at the moment.

Q: Why is there a 250 damage cap? Are there mobs that are planned to have more than 250 mortal thresholds? Or is it so that you can't exhaust mobs with one hit to the leg?
A: Damage used to be calculated differently. Now, it's based on what percentage of your max potential you get. Before, if you were max skill vs. minimum skill you would roll obscene amounts of damage and it just seemed silly.

Q: If items are placed in chests in the world will those items persist, or will they get janitored?
A: It will persist. The other stuff will get janitored. A good rule of thumb: never assume you can just drop something and it's gonna stick around. If items are stored in a permanent container, then the stuff inside will be permanent as well.

Q: Could you talk about the lore of the Amon-Rhun and the relation between him and the families of the Rhuidim?
A: He was the one that received the book that taught him the ways. He was considered a kind of 'chosen one'. That's why there's a lot of importance placed on blood ties for Rhun; you can sort of share that ascended-ness if descended from him. There's a lot of prestige associated with it ... but of course you have to prove it. How diluted is your bloodline, is your claim genuine? Some efforts have been made to keep the higher sorcerer's training in those lines. They don't want to lose their prestige, their exclusive access to super powers, so it's not too available to others.

Q: As a monarchy, is there one ruling pureblood family or is it more of his spirit rules the country while there are certain qualified houses who can hear and speak on his behalf?
A: There are definitely bloodlines. They do have the shrine where the spirit of Rhun is still there and they're able to give guidance. There are still people they have, speakers who go there who then come back and speak for Rhun. But there's always the question: are they speaking for rhun or are they speaking for themselves, to keep themselves in power? There have been times where there's been an upset; the word has come down that Rhun has renounced someone, done something to shake things up, and then there's a little civil war. Then a faction might claim that it's just the speakers acting in their own interests. They have this weird situation that, on the one hand, we don't want to be beholden to gods any more, but they sort of still are. It's awkward. There are several different houses of the people that are the descendents of Rhun or claim to be. They have the one major city, it has the central tower and there are districts descending out (Rias thinks it's a neat aesthetic). The more a house edges towards the centre of the city more powerful they are, typically, but that's not always the case. The houses ally with eachother to get where they want to go, but then there are betrayals, etc. it's a fun battlefield out there. There are some more remote settlements, though none of them are particularly major. There's a port on the west coastline, then there's a border city to the North (on the border with Khaldea). The Khaldeans the only ones that they consider to be somewhat trustworthy --- or at least some of the Khaldeans.

Q: Did the Rhuidim break free from the nuum?
A: It can be assumed that they're part of the line of the Nuum, but also the Fasa a bit. It can be assumed there was also some mixing between the Rhuidim and Viali before the big conflict broke out.

Q: As a people, I know there has been a comparison to the Malfoys, which I saw in a note that isn't really the case. If we were to do a stereotype, what would you call the average Rhuidim?
A: The Malfoys would be a decent base actually. They've got this mixture of a "chosen ones" complex as well as outcast complex because of their failed rebellion. "We're on our own and we're also better than everyone else" (though, these are generalisations and stereotypes). That's reflected in their culture in general, in how they hold themselves, even: always looking down. They like to dress fancy. Rias imagines them having thick and heavy clothing with high collars. Theirs is not necessarily colourful apparel, but it looks big.

Q: As far as iconography, I read that scarabs represent the rising up of the people. Are there any other icons or symbols that are powerful to the Rhuidim?
A: Maybe, yeah. He would have to think about it.

Q: I understand that there is a narrative where Shadgard doesn't support sorcery. From a factions standpoint, the intent to have all the sorcerers move to the Dominion? Or would it be possible to be a known sorcerer but still welcome in the populace?
A: You're always going to have to watch yourself a bit, and be aware of prejudices, but yeah, it's possible. You just can't do your stuff within town. He imagines they're not going to be thrilled about having a bunch of warlocks hanging about in town, but it's not "get out of here you suck". Pretty much don't acknowledge that you're a sorcerer while in town, that will get you in trouble. It's not designed to be impossible to be a sorcerer aligned with shadgard, but yeah... it's meant to be a pain but not impossible. It would be cool to see someone play one.

C: There are supposed to be shades in the mine! It's probably an oversight that they're not there: they'll be coming soon. Rias might conjure some miner explanation as to why they were roused.

Q: The Nuum have licensing for arcana, so what punishments are there for people who learn without a license? Additionally, what punishments for deliberately spreading knowledge of arcane workings?
A: if you do it without a license you could technically be kicked all the way down to slave class for breaking rules. But if you do it and you've shown potential for it, there's a chance one of the higher ups would take you aside, get them licensed and employ them, possibly, but there'd still be some punishment (servitude). It depends a lot on luck and opportunities.

Q: undermining upper class with said sorcery without a license?
A: probably would be killed or enslaved; made an example of.

Q: are licenses required for other occult branches?
A: For Nuum, yes. They definitely want to keep a handle on all that type of stuff.

Q: Is there druidry in Nuum?
A: It exists there, but it's not particularly common. There's the occasional Druidic Nuum. Thaumaturges? Even rarer.

Q: What tools are they using for druidry tattoos?
A: This mystical thing they can't share (he doesn't really know!)

Q: Is it possible to have a partial druidry tattoo, or does it have to be the full body?
A: it has to be the full body, at least for this particular method. it is assumed there is a team of people doing this and not just one person.

Q: In a certain lore blurb, we're told that jelly-spattered hillant colony husks are sometimes used for culinary, medicinal, alchemical, and ritual purposes. PCs already have access to one of those uses, but could we get hints at what those other three uses might someday be?
A: He hadn't really anything in particular in mind. Some stuff to be used for cooking recipes, concoctions to be used for enhancives.

Q: What historical era would you consider to be the best fit/analogue for COGG?
A: Not sure! Rias says he's not a historian. Maybe pre-industrial stuff, as per teri's suggestion.

Q: When a sorcerer channels nether with iron or steel in their hand, does it manifest at all? Or does it just not even appear in the first place?
A: No, it just doesn't work.

Q: Can sorcerer's summon nether to their feet?
A: No, it's focused around the hands

C: Maybe a punishment for operating sorcery illegally would be an iron ring a sorcerer would never be able to take off.

Q: Might there be a faction for hunting sorcerers?
A: He imagines it's possible, but they'd be considered an extremist group. They wouldn't be the Shadgard Outriders.

Q: Does the Nether connection fail due to the Nether touching the iron or being in proximity to it? If the latter, has anyone figured out the distance? Why doesn't Nether connection fail as soon as iron weapons touch a sorcerer's skin, ala being hit?
A: It might be an interesting thing to say, something hit a sorcerer in the hands to disrupt them. But unless you're stabbing someone in the hands it's not going to be an issue.

Q: Will there be a non-ferrous steel equivalent for sorcerers?
A: Yes, there are two materials that have popped up recently. one in hands of a player

C: Apparently fatwood requires 25 skill. There's a lot of stuff that, as he was coming up with stuff, just throwing it in there, so it's not well documented. Please do bug and suggest things for the documentation.

Q: Is it okay to emote dancing without dancing skill?
A: Sure! that's fine.

C: One of the comments rias often hears: we have a really good community here. It's been really cool to see people responding to events. He's coming back from a hiatus, which has been nothing to do with the game. You guys are awesome.

Q: Does the Hanged Man inn have inn rooms IC (even if not available to players)? Or is that staircase in the lobby just going to the lounge?
A: They should have inn rooms; do they not work? [nope!] That's really the reason the Hanged Man was put in the game, so that people that got kicked out still had a place to go and stay. Rias will add this to the list.

Q: Are there plans for more steamworks and will Mistral have the same steamwork accomodations or a similar but unique town function?
A: Mistral won't have a steamworks. The Khaldeans that had the knowledge ended up in Shadgard.

Q: in regard to other foci, are there intents for new foci to be added outside of rings? Are there, like, weapons that can be carved with focus patterns so you can use it for daily-living and for the purpose of channeling nether?
A: There are 'maybe' plans for additional focuses for the purpose of channeling nether. Possibly a special merchant.

Q: What is that shimmer that happens when I enter the library?
A: That's a very good question.

Q: If I bury my body with like an iron cross will that prevent my spirit from being turned into a shade over time? Why don't graveyards do this if so?
A: They already kind of do. There's a grave with iron rods in the Evergreen Graveyard. People don't bury people in graveyards that now obviously have walking skeletons and such. That's why they have the crypt.

C: It might be good to have a separate fishing record for spearfished and angled fish.

Q: Will there be an equivalent for hanged man in mistral?
A: Maybe, but it's harder to make that fly with their lore.

Q: About Shadgard and its history. is there a conflict of information/did things change, how is the town governed? Is there a mayor still? [paraphrase]
A: There's mayor *and* a town council. The mayor has more sway than the council. The different council members kind of have their different specialisations for the town. The mayor is supposed to be the one who talks with the people; they help ensure that the people's voice is heard, as an arbiter between the people and the council. Who is the mayor of shadgard right now? It's not been decided. Rias is trying to decide if it's the same as in CLOK, he's not sure. It's something Rias really wants to do.

Q:is avery on the council?
A: Rias is trying to decide. THere are different lore points from CLOK.

Q: Did you see the horrible datelist timeline [from @Nobody]?
A: Yes rias enjoyed it. He had one comment: it's making him want to make a really vague, generalised timeline, with the usual disclaimer that it's written by NPCS and so can't be assumed to be completely accurate.

C: @Nobody wants people to understand the scope of timeline; splitting things into ages.

Q: is Aphraen associated with the moon?
A: It's more as a symbol. There are legends about her having a temple site on the moon, where they take their vantage over the night

C: Rias wants to dig into the celestial bodies. He does like digging into reality as baseline, but that's not to say that physics are equal in reality and in the COGG universe.

C: The Father of Seasons is a harbinger! He's interested in decay, interacting with renewal. Somewhat suspect.

C: The jester-god is associated with deceptions, illusions... they're kind of an unofficial patron of bards and words of power. A patron of performers, as well as thieves and spies.

Q: why haven't we heard of certain immortals e.g. harbingers?
A: the Nuum's influence might account for a lot of it. They can say... "oh why bother paying attention to these gods with a negative influence. you can cancel them." Not just the Nuum, just people who don't want this stuff to be happening. The Rhuidim are like: "we're going to be our own immortals, help ourselves", as opposed to the Nuum who are going to straight up replace the Immortals(?).


C: If you're playing a Rhuidim that isn't a sorcerer or inclined that way... perhaps they'd turn back to the Immortals for guidance.

Q: Are there any areas outside the Lost Lands that Rias wants players to be able to visit in the long run?
A: He's probably just going to keep it in the Lost Lands, within the quarantine. The Huecatn area would be the most likely.
The Giganti are pretty stingy about their borders, with their passes well guarded. They don't let people in unless see good reason to do so, which is not to say there's no travel.
Post Reply