map for Sorcerer's Impediments?

[Azel]

Originally Posted by xerxes

What is the difference between performing a Song and doing sorcery?

Firstly, give me a non-system answer describing what it means in the IN Verse. Then, tell me the diff in the system.

I have the first Revelations book but is there other sorcery stuff in other books?

Well, I'll attempt to answer the first as succinctly as I can without getting lost in jargon.

The world is a Symphony, a la String Theory where every atom is merely a gathering of 'patterned harmonics of energy'. So every element has its own frequency, and every action, movement, existence, and interaction creates patterns of notes. Together they sing unto the light fantastic the most amazing music -- the music of reality.

What we deem humans, animals, death, breathing, wind, fire, etc. are all reducible to atoms and energy, which are then further reduced to 'patterned harmonics of energy' -- or if you will, a musical phrase. Certain musical phrases are part and parcel of larger musical themes, just like a single flower is part of the larger concept Flowers, or a Kenny G song is part of Cheesy Love Songs. These themes of the Symphony are Songs.

When someone plays a Song, it gets the effect of manifested reality at a certain place -- however, it really didn't manifest naturally so it creates disturbance. Think of it akin to someone playing Super Mario Brothers' growth mushroom sound effect, or Pac Man's death SE, when someone is playing Vivaldi in the background. It would sound out of place, wouldn't it? The effect is created by the song, working with the already available sound palette (all of reality) and familiar theme (said video game SE), but played by out-of-place beings it just creates a noticeable disturbance to the piece (there's no video game SE in Vivaldi, IIRC).

Sorcerers do a similar thing with disturbance. However, they do not work with the already made "phrases, riffs, and themes" of the Symphony. They warp the instruments around them from a sheer force will to play what they wanted. So take the Vivaldi reference and imagine someone grabbing a few instrument players, ripping the instruments out of their hands, and playing an equivalent SMB or Pac Man riff. It still makes disturbance. And it's also very violent to the symphony, ripping out of it desired notes against the natural musical flow -- unlike adding notes that shouldn't be there.

This act of intense will is inherently selfish, as the Sorcerer believes the Symphony should bend to his will playing his themes not the songs already in progress. This is instead of playing themes already available, but adding them in at an unusual time. Basically it is the difference between adding stuff reality already made but adding it at weird times, versus taking what reality is making and warping it to what you want at that moment. So, sad trombone riff played on the trombone can be played at anytime as a Song -- disruptive but not inherently selfish. But the sad trombone riff played on the flute by ripping it out of the flutist's hand, while also playable and disruptive, is inherently selfish (and sounds a bit extra weird, maybe even sinister) because it doesn't even let the flute finish out what it was going to play next.

(well, that was much longer than i thought...)

[Rocket Man]

Nice metaphor, Azel. To add to it, just a little: sorcerers are frequently either a bit tone-deaf or at least wearing decent earplugs ... they hear the Vivaldi, but they hear it as noise, not music. In their own mind, they're improving the theme by their actions, by bringing some sense to violent Cacophony.

Which makes it even more disturbing, so to speak.

[tbug]

Did you end up with a map, Xerxes? I may be running this (or an adaptation) soon, and if you've already done the work I'd just as soon not redo it. :)

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by xerxes

I have the first Revelations book but is there other sorcery stuff in other books?

Yes, there's more (and better-organized) information in the Corporeal Player's Guide.

[xerxes]

Originally Posted by tbug

Did you end up with a map, Xerxes? I may be running this (or an adaptation) soon, and if you've already done the work I'd just as soon not redo it. :)

Some time ago SJGames made a bunch of map sets for GURPS 3rd Edition.
One of them was, I think, called Haunted Mansion. It came with cardboard minis. I'm just going to use that and modify the adventure as needed.

[tbug]

Good call! I see something in e23 called The Haunted Manor, so I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the idea!

[Archangel Beth]

The one that I bet is meant is http://www.warehouse23.com/item.html?id=SJG7301 ( http://www.sjgames.com/floorplans/FP1/ ), one of the SJ Games Floor Plans things. If you can find something suitable from the 0one people, though, they look to have some good floorplans too. (I'd look at http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=BLU23 -- the last one there, Semheyl Villa, looks like it might be adaptable.)

[tbug]

That worked. Thanks! A few pen strokes and I was good to go. :)

I was disappointed that the map didn't give a hex option, since 0one often offers that. Otherwise it was a great fit.

[Archangel Beth]

Hooray! I'm glad to hear it worked well.

[xerxes]

So, I ran the scenario at Dragon*Con. I expanded it by having a demon of Baal who was allied with Ummah. Alex Darkmoon knew nothing about this other demon. The other demon had a servant who was a better sorcerer than Alex.

The PCs were five Soldiers of God. I only had four players; three guys and one girl. None of them had In Nomine experience.

The Climactic finale was when they staged a raid on Darkmoon's house after having done some investigation. Only Darkmoon and Ummah were there. The female player was playing a big bruiser of a character who had picked up a 5 pound sledge from a tool shed. After they subdued Darkmoon the bruiser got damaged by Ummah's Song of Light. He then attempted to hit her with the hammer...and the female player rolls a 111. I decided the hammer became invested with holy power and annihilated Ummah's vessel.


They seemed to enjoy the game. The female player was selected as the MVP of the game and got the convention prize.