Arabian Adventures for DF

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by b-dog

What is so unrealistic? That in lands where Allah holds Dominion mana and other sanctity retreats during the call to prayer? Outside of town there isn't Dominion so the mana levels function normally. The idea that the PCs can be hired to perform an expedition without killing the person hiring them? Just curious.

The part that seems wrong is that somebody can openly use magic in an area where the law of the land should be summary execution for doing things even perceived as magic. Even if nobody wanted to murder the man, even asking him for help is still a free trip to Hell.

Basically, this is a region where anybody who uses in the simplest forms of magic effectively has Secret at the Possible Death level.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by b-dog

What is so unrealistic? That in lands where Allah holds Dominion mana and other sanctity retreats during the call to prayer? Outside of town there isn't Dominion so the mana levels function normally. The idea that the PCs can be hired to perform an expedition without killing the person hiring them? Just curious.

No, exactly the points that I raised. You are conflating sanctity and mana, first off. Those are not the same things in most DF settings, and if you're going to combine them into one or not you need to say so. It they affect each other you need to define exactly how.

Also, some of this just doesn't make sense. If Allah's servants eschew the powers that attend mana, and Allah shuts down mana five times a day, why base a vital task that Allah wants people to perform on the ability to perceive mana? It just comes off as completely arbitrary Dungeon obstacles ("Wizards suck, but you need a Wizard to beat this") in a sort of Arabian skin, not a serious effort at Arabian-skinned DF, unless you address this stuff.

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying how I think it could be better.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

No, exactly the points that I raised. You are conflating sanctity and mana, first off. Those are not the same things in most DF settings, and if you're going to combine them into one or not you need to say so. It they affect each other you need to define exactly how.

Also, some of this just doesn't make sense. If Allah's servants eschew the powers that attend mana, and Allah shuts down mana five times a day, why base a vital task that Allah wants people to perform on the ability to perceive mana? It just comes off as completely arbitrary Dungeon obstacles ("Wizards suck, but you need a Wizard to beat this") in a sort of Arabian skin, not a serious effort at Arabian-skinned DF, unless you address this stuff.

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying how I think it could be better.

Dominion is when Allah/God has full power. This town has Dominion thus all supernatural powers are subservient there. During the call to prayer His faithful are at a disadvantage so Allah suspends all other supernatural powers. He is not some god like Garl Glittergold, He is Allah the one and only true God. He can do anything He wishes. Sanctity or mana or anything else supernatural gets suspended in areas where He holds Dominion.

The reason why wizards are hired is because the Hermetic Cabal wishes to retrieve some supernatural items from an age of magic when the earlier Egyptian gods ruled. Outside of Dominion wizards are at an advantage, they can control djinn, use mind control, read magical languages and so on. So on an expedition wizards are more useful than in a town with Dominion.

The Wizard lives in town but does not divulge his powers. He prefers to live in town where it is safe from ghuls, Infernal djinn, and monsters of all sorts. So he has to adjust to living in a place where his magic ceases to function 5 times a day for a short period.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Also, some of this just doesn't make sense. If Allah's servants eschew the powers that attend mana, and Allah shuts down mana five times a day, why base a vital task that Allah wants people to perform on the ability to perceive mana? It just comes off as completely arbitrary Dungeon obstacles ("Wizards suck, but you need a Wizard to beat this") in a sort of Arabian skin, not a serious effort at Arabian-skinned DF, unless you address this stuff.

Where do you get the notion that 'Allah wants this done'? b-dog has been quite clear it's the Hermetic Cabal that is funding this mission and the PCs are working for them...

[b-dog]

Maybe what is Dominion is troubling. There is no exact number of what it is but here is a general rule. If the town contains a vast majority Muslim population and there are many mosques then it can become Dominion. So in the town in this adventure the vast majority of people are Muslim, there are many mosques and imams. If you want to be GURPSY then you can try to break Dominion in the town by destroying the mosques, killing the umma and imams and defiling all that is holy. Then Dominion will be broken but the Caliphate will respond to this and the adventure will be short.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Pretty sure magic is forbidden there. They're still executing people for practicing magic to this day, including street performers. This setting is literally spitting in Allah's face, and how this sahir has any power at all shatters my suspension of disbelief.

Except the the word being translated as sorcery doesn't mean all magic. It like the equivalent word used in the bible means "magic used to cause harm" they have a seprarete worth the could have used if wanted to condemn all magic.

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by b-dog

What about the wisemen who came at the birth of Isa (Jesus )?

Jesus was born in the years BC & his death is year 0 AD. Muhammad died in 632 AD.
Therefore any acceptance of the 3 wisemen would be a historical anecdote. It's before the Koran even existed. It just reports but does not condone their magical aptitude.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Jesus was born in the years BC & his death is year 0 AD. Muhammad died in 632 AD.
Therefore any acceptance of the 3 wisemen would be a historical anecdote. It's before the Koran even existed. It just reports but does not condone their magical aptitude.

Isa is one of the greatest prophets in Islam. Muslims believe in what happened in the Old and New Testaments. I would assume that if Jesus/Isa was attended to by the three wisemen (wizards) that some sort of magic was ok.

Plus Soloman/Suleman built the first temple in Israel and he was said to have magical powers. That is where the Seal of Soloman comes from.

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Jesus was born in the years BC & his death is year 0 AD. Muhammad died in 632 AD.
Therefore any acceptance of the 3 wisemen would be a historical anecdote. It's before the Koran even existed. It just reports but does not condone their magical aptitude.

Jesus was a king from birth. His birth is what causes the change to AD 0 and his death is AD 32 or 33. The difference of about six hundred years is still very relevant.

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Isa is one of the greatest prophets in Islam. Muslims believe in what happened in the Old and New Testaments. I would assume that if Jesus/Isa was attended to by the three wisemen (wizards) that some sort of magic was ok.

Plus Soloman/Suleman built the first temple in Israel and he was said to have magical powers. That is where the Seal of Soloman comes from.

But the rules of Islam were not in effect yet.
To put it another way: Jews keep Kosher. The laws for Kosher food were given after the exodus from Egypt. Therefore the first Jew Abraham did not keep (could not) kosher. Would that mean that a Jew after the law was given could eat non-Kosher?