Which is worse:
having your dreams shattered, or
not having any dreams at all? <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.gif"><P>Ron
Poor Quentyn
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Stoker Bramwell
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David Adrian
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Hm. Other options...<P>Hey! Ralph! Are there other magical orders out there? I mean, there'd almost have to be, right? I can hardly picture a member of the Order of Lux as a Great Evil Master Mage (tm).<P>So maybe there exist... I dunno... less formal users of magic? Kinda like 3rd Edition's sorcerers? That might be a way for Quentin to make a big splash...<P>Well, gotta head in to work. More ideas later, maybe.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Adrian:
<B>Hm. Other options...<P>Hey! Ralph! Are there other magical orders out there? I mean, there'd almost have to be, right? I can hardly picture a member of the Order of Lux as a Great Evil Master Mage (tm).<P>So maybe there exist... I dunno... less formal users of magic? Kinda like 3rd Edition's sorcerers? That might be a way for Quentin to make a big splash...<P>Well, gotta head in to work. More ideas later, maybe.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Well, "Lux" is the generic term for "magic."
Master Rillcreek is essentially the village wizard of Freeman Downs-- and one of his duties is educating the young of the village and testing them for aptitudes. What Quentyn, Kestrel, and Fen are going through is sort of the equivalent of entrance exams for the college of their choice... crossed with an aptitude evaluation, as it were. <P>There are several ways magical aptitude is measured.
1)Capacity. How much lux the individual can tap into, control, contain, and manipulate at any one time, and for how long. Brute strength, in other words.
2)Dexterity. How fine their control is, how many disparate elements of a spell construct they can handle at any one time.
3)Versatility. How diverse their range is, how many different KINDS of techniques they can learn.
4)Intellect. Memory capacity, book-learning, comprehension of the basic theories.
5)Speed. How FAST they can whip up a spell.<P>It depends on what scores you get as to what possible careers in magic or magic-related fields are open to you.
For instance, an Artificer-- what Kestrel wants to be, to judge by her homemade golem-- has to have a high Intellect score, at the very least. High versatility and dexterity are helpful too... but generally speaking, Artificers have DREADFULLY low Speed. They work best at a workbench, painstakingly designing their inventions and magical artifacts--- not on the fly.(In fact, many Innovators and Artificers use no lux at all in their most common creations... they are inventors foremost, mages last. But "it never hurts to have an extra tool in the toolbelt," as their saying goes.)<P>Another type of magician is the SmallMage. SmallMages have astonishing levels of Versatility, dexterity and relatively high Intellect, and also generally have a good turn of Speed-- but terribly low levels of Capacity. They can only work *small* spells as a result... so they compensate by learning *lots and lots* of them, and learning to use them in highly creative fashion.
Another example are the Specialists, or "One Shots." These, for whatever reason, physical, psychological, or otherwise, are limited to one highly particular method of lux manipulation... for instance, the Firestarters, who can create, control, and extinguish fire, or the Lifters, who can move things by levitation. Or the Hiders, who are psychologically inclined towards magical methods of invisibility, stealth, concealment, misdirection, disguise...<P>Now, Quentyn's problem is this-- he falls between the cracks. He's got plenty of talent, enthusiasm, and a good bit of creative cleverness--- but he doesn't have *enough* attributes in any one direction to be marketable to any of the various Guilds...In the outside, human world, he'd be, if not a true Powerful Sorceror, at least a marketable magical threat. But in Rac Cona Daimh society, his level of achievement is considered little more than rudimentary.
Rather like the old saying about the squirrel.. it can do four things: run, jump, dig, and bark. all of them badly.
Then again, throw in "Climb," and the whole thing comes togethor....<P>------------------
<B>Hm. Other options...<P>Hey! Ralph! Are there other magical orders out there? I mean, there'd almost have to be, right? I can hardly picture a member of the Order of Lux as a Great Evil Master Mage (tm).<P>So maybe there exist... I dunno... less formal users of magic? Kinda like 3rd Edition's sorcerers? That might be a way for Quentin to make a big splash...<P>Well, gotta head in to work. More ideas later, maybe.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Well, "Lux" is the generic term for "magic."
Master Rillcreek is essentially the village wizard of Freeman Downs-- and one of his duties is educating the young of the village and testing them for aptitudes. What Quentyn, Kestrel, and Fen are going through is sort of the equivalent of entrance exams for the college of their choice... crossed with an aptitude evaluation, as it were. <P>There are several ways magical aptitude is measured.
1)Capacity. How much lux the individual can tap into, control, contain, and manipulate at any one time, and for how long. Brute strength, in other words.
2)Dexterity. How fine their control is, how many disparate elements of a spell construct they can handle at any one time.
3)Versatility. How diverse their range is, how many different KINDS of techniques they can learn.
4)Intellect. Memory capacity, book-learning, comprehension of the basic theories.
5)Speed. How FAST they can whip up a spell.<P>It depends on what scores you get as to what possible careers in magic or magic-related fields are open to you.
For instance, an Artificer-- what Kestrel wants to be, to judge by her homemade golem-- has to have a high Intellect score, at the very least. High versatility and dexterity are helpful too... but generally speaking, Artificers have DREADFULLY low Speed. They work best at a workbench, painstakingly designing their inventions and magical artifacts--- not on the fly.(In fact, many Innovators and Artificers use no lux at all in their most common creations... they are inventors foremost, mages last. But "it never hurts to have an extra tool in the toolbelt," as their saying goes.)<P>Another type of magician is the SmallMage. SmallMages have astonishing levels of Versatility, dexterity and relatively high Intellect, and also generally have a good turn of Speed-- but terribly low levels of Capacity. They can only work *small* spells as a result... so they compensate by learning *lots and lots* of them, and learning to use them in highly creative fashion.
Another example are the Specialists, or "One Shots." These, for whatever reason, physical, psychological, or otherwise, are limited to one highly particular method of lux manipulation... for instance, the Firestarters, who can create, control, and extinguish fire, or the Lifters, who can move things by levitation. Or the Hiders, who are psychologically inclined towards magical methods of invisibility, stealth, concealment, misdirection, disguise...<P>Now, Quentyn's problem is this-- he falls between the cracks. He's got plenty of talent, enthusiasm, and a good bit of creative cleverness--- but he doesn't have *enough* attributes in any one direction to be marketable to any of the various Guilds...In the outside, human world, he'd be, if not a true Powerful Sorceror, at least a marketable magical threat. But in Rac Cona Daimh society, his level of achievement is considered little more than rudimentary.
Rather like the old saying about the squirrel.. it can do four things: run, jump, dig, and bark. all of them badly.
Then again, throw in "Climb," and the whole thing comes togethor....<P>------------------
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David Adrian
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Ah, good - so Quentyn does have a real chance to make it - just not in a formally structured system, or at least <I>this</I> system. But from the implications of your reply, I'm guessing he may just make it on his own... sort of the fantasy equivalent of a "Go West" type hero. Well, I'll definitely be reading with interest, then - I like the kid. Keep up the good ideas, Ralph!
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RDB:
<B>Which is worse:
having your dreams shattered, or
not having any dreams at all? <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.g ... UOTE><P>As my mom used to say to me: "If you have no dreams, they can never be shattered, but then they can never come true, either..."
<P>
<B>Which is worse:
having your dreams shattered, or
not having any dreams at all? <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.g ... UOTE><P>As my mom used to say to me: "If you have no dreams, they can never be shattered, but then they can never come true, either..."
<P>
I can empathize with Quentyn. All when I was growing up I've had teachers and parents look at my test scores and tell me I can do anything. With little to no effort I passed my classes and graduated high school. <P>I decided then to join the military and take the hardest program they had to offer: the navy nuclear power program. I was knocked for a loop when the first test revealed I was average in the class...and slipping. Despite spending 40 hours a week in class and another 40 in study time, I continued to slide in the grade scale. When I was finally called into the Class Counselor's office I knew my class was going to continue on to Nuclear Power Field school without me; I was going to complete my time with them in the trade school, get my rating and be sent to the fleet as a 'conventional' electrician. I had no idea. My CC told me that because my grade had slipped below 3.6 (90%) and I was already logging the maximum study time allowed per week (40 hours) he had no choice but to sign my orders for immediate transfer out of the school. And me, standing there, a grown 18 year old man...cried.<P>It took me months to rebuild my ego. When an opportunity came my way to get another program I requested (and got) the second hardest program in the service...and aced it like an elementary exam. Even years removed from my experience at Nuc school I am still haunted by it. (there, I'm done spilling my guts)<P>Quentyn is so much younger than I was. I wonder how long it will be before he will gather up the courage to apply himself again.
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UncleMonty
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Like any good tale, Quentyn's rings a chord with many of us. In my own case, by the time my family and the Washington State Public School System was done with me, my dream was to try and stay off of welfare.
(No, I am not joking.)
Then I went to an electronics technology trade school, and spent 2 solid years having the time of my life and getting top grades.
Since then, I've done about as well in life as I wanted, and 'way better than I'd dreamed.
So I see a little of myself in Quentyn, and look forward to his adventures. Rah!<P>
(No, I am not joking.)
Then I went to an electronics technology trade school, and spent 2 solid years having the time of my life and getting top grades.
Since then, I've done about as well in life as I wanted, and 'way better than I'd dreamed.
So I see a little of myself in Quentyn, and look forward to his adventures. Rah!<P>