[DF] Dungeon Sanctity Noodling - Page 2

martinl · 04-30-2013, 11:16 AM

I had an interesting thought today - roughly:

There's a lot of scary supernatural crap in DF dungeons, yet this stuff only rarely gets out and wreaks havoc. You know, Druids are mighty in natural settings, but druidic sanctity keeps them from going all Treebeard on the cities. There is probably something similar for underworld critters like green slime that allows them to convert organic matter into green slime in 4 seconds flat underground but keeps them more tame when transplanted to Mrs. McGrudy's cabbage patch.

So how about it? There is some underworld Power (or possibly Powers) who's sanctity ("Underworld Might?") applies to the supernatural powers and might of various underworld critters. This sanctity is normally medium in dungeons and some wild places, low above ground, and high or very high in certain special areas where it makes dungeon critters tougher.

Slap together some lenses and you're able to quickly modify dungeon critters outside of their home environment, or inside their strongholds.

There might be some issues with GEBS compatibility though. (To be fair, GEBS isn't really official.) Underworld power is not quite Squid and not quite Bunny. Maybe there's an Underworld Nature God who applies to "natural" underground critters like slimes, worms, cave cows, etc. and a separate Squid sanctity that just happens to track it fairly closely, so dungeons are BS. Alternately, expand GEBS to add a fifth power source. Badger? Dungeon? Underworld? ... Barring a better suggestion, let's use "Underworld."

GEBUS could be one of those cyclic opposition things:

Code:

 G E 
B   S
  U

Good shares giving high value to life with Bunny and a fondness for civilization with Evil, Bunny and Underworld both like ecology/nature, Underworld and Squid both like secrets, and Squid and Evil are both fond of death and mayhem. However, Good is implacably hostile to Underworld and Squid, and Underworld despises the Surface Scums' Gods, and so forth. Not to mention that "allies" is more USA-USSR in WWII than USA-UK style allies. And of course, there are probably folks with alternate orderings, formulations, and powers. ("Sea" is a possible contender if you break up Bunny into B and U, leading to GEUBSS theory, where there are three divine power sources and three natural ones, and so forth.)

I realize there are problems with this, but GEBS was always pretty fungible anyway, and I like the bit where Good and Evil are "Allied" moral power sources. Messes with players minds, it does, while still making sense.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Catcalls? Wolf whistles?

04-30-2013, 11:16 AM	#1
martinl Join Date: Jan 2006	[DF] Dungeon Sanctity Noodling I had an interesting thought today - roughly: There's a lot of scary supernatural crap in DF dungeons, yet this stuff only rarely gets out and wreaks havoc. You know, Druids are mighty in natural settings, but druidic sanctity keeps them from going all Treebeard on the cities. There is probably something similar for underworld critters like green slime that allows them to convert organic matter into green slime in 4 seconds flat underground but keeps them more tame when transplanted to Mrs. McGrudy's cabbage patch. So how about it? There is some underworld Power (or possibly Powers) who's sanctity ("Underworld Might?") applies to the supernatural powers and might of various underworld critters. This sanctity is normally medium in dungeons and some wild places, low above ground, and high or very high in certain special areas where it makes dungeon critters tougher. Slap together some lenses and you're able to quickly modify dungeon critters outside of their home environment, or inside their strongholds. There might be some issues with GEBS compatibility though. (To be fair, GEBS isn't really official.) Underworld power is not quite Squid and not quite Bunny. Maybe there's an Underworld Nature God who applies to "natural" underground critters like slimes, worms, cave cows, etc. and a separate Squid sanctity that just happens to track it fairly closely, so dungeons are BS. Alternately, expand GEBS to add a fifth power source. Badger? Dungeon? Underworld? ... Barring a better suggestion, let's use "Underworld." GEBUS could be one of those cyclic opposition things: Code: G E B S U Good shares giving high value to life with Bunny and a fondness for civilization with Evil, Bunny and Underworld both like ecology/nature, Underworld and Squid both like secrets, and Squid and Evil are both fond of death and mayhem. However, Good is implacably hostile to Underworld and Squid, and Underworld despises the Surface Scums' Gods, and so forth. Not to mention that "allies" is more USA-USSR in WWII than USA-UK style allies. And of course, there are probably folks with alternate orderings, formulations, and powers. ("Sea" is a possible contender if you break up Bunny into B and U, leading to GEUBSS theory, where there are three divine power sources and three natural ones, and so forth.) I realize there are problems with this, but GEBS was always pretty fungible anyway, and I like the bit where Good and Evil are "Allied" moral power sources. Messes with players minds, it does, while still making sense. Thoughts? Suggestions? Catcalls? Wolf whistles?