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You are clearly perceptive!
o:)
Yes, your thinking pretty much exactly parallels mine and I would say your post, in particular the second paragraph, about sums up the current state of affairs.
So, I can really only agree with your thinking, as the answers are what is explored in book 2–albeit things start to get a bit more complicated and the questions of perception and belief get deeper and thornier…
I will also note that the use of alcohol by some characters increases along with their anxiety as their beliefs get turned upside down and they start to question themselves…or their allies?????
And, I also have to admit, there are a few extreme pipe smoking moments for me as I actually have a few moments of justifiable anxiety (as opposed to my normal highly anxious paranoid state) in book 2.
Pipes? I haven’t played my bagpipes in years, I should whip them out sometime!
That’s a great idea!
Yes, I think I understand what you mean by bridging old magics, and yes it’s very dangerous. But again, this is a topic I have to keep quiet on lest T-A-G gets grumpy.
I hope you’ve notice how condescending and rude he is. I am starting to wonder if he’s not one of the Etonians, slumming it as a mortal on an outer plane? His ego is up there with Tiernon’s and the rest of his family. Sheesh…
Argh, I suspect you may be right on the plot…
Certain people around here (the forum) have an unusual curiosity as to where I keep my pipe. Experience tells me that if they are curious about my pipe, they are really looking for my stash!
Hmm, I wonder if there is a connection between mana and seratonin? That would explain the paranoia, and the manic depressiveness, etc.
Of course excessive use of certain smoking herbs does that as well…also causes spontaneous ingestion of Crunchberries.
If they start coming after my crunchberries, there’s going to be problems….
Not sure, but thinking Lenamare drives more people over the edge than can ever drive him over…he seems to be infuriating…
Certainly trying to work with him on this website has been a chore.
Sheesh…
Unfortunately, I’ve an unusual amount of trouble convincing others of my divinity.
However, I am, of course, the one true deity that everyone should worship!
All hail Tizzy!
However, since I can’t actually consume other people’s mana or animus: I demand you sacrifice [u][b][i]Pizza Rolls[/i][/b][/u] to me!
I think that’s a common perception among people who see a lot of 3D Art…It’s relatively easy/fast to do except at the really high end.
You mention abstract shapes etc.
One thing I read on a blog about book covers is that preference also varies a lot from country to country, even among English language countries.
As I recall US readers like pictures/images on their covers, but Brits (or English, Sottish, Welsh and Northern Irish depending on next week) and Australians prefer more geometrical and or solid color block designs. Don’t recall Canadians or some of the other groups.
I’ve toyed with using different covers in different countries based on this idea.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the gods have some “gatekeepers” to keep their club private.
My guess if people get too close, bad things start happening.
Notice how all those demigods in mythology start having horrible travails?
I don’t think it’s a coincidence.
yes, demons do.
Of course, realize there are worlds that have technology that aren’t necessarily mana poor.
Mana levels vary from plane to plane. As does Technology.
There are tech worlds where Tech works and there is enough mana for lower level supernaturals, places where demonic possession is real, but not much else is.
Typically these worlds have few wizards simply because it’s too hard and takes too long to learn and then pass on…and eventually technology is easier and so people forget about even trying to use magic, except for some throwbacks here and there.
The Denubian plane is one such plane, they have Interstellar travel, spaceships etc (see reference to it being a giant void with metal pods) but magic works well enough that demons can get there…and in fact the Physics/Magic junction or the Science Fiction/Fantasy barrier is so low that they can use technology to plane hop.
That is where most of the trade that the demons engage comes from…planes where the mana level is low enough that technology evolved, but not so low, the laws of physics not so different, that interdimensional travel is possible.
I’m greatly simplifying here, using basic Astlanian terminology, so don’t take anything in my description too literally. All I’m saying is that there is a spectrum of Tech worlds to Magic worlds, and the ones in the middle allow Tech to travel the dimensions (and time).
For example, there is the universe where a two hearted alien has a blue box that he travels throughout space and time in. However, Tom’s world (as I understand it) is further out in the spectrum to the point that the ‘technology’ used by this non-medical doctor, wouldn’t work.
Finally, I wouldn’t assume there aren’t some wizards that don’t roam other planes and get in trouble, bring stuff back.
They just haven’t brought enough back that’s odd enough to have aroused suspicion or particular note.
DK series was great…that’s going back in time…
Robots again…golems are much better and easier….
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It’s time to [i]FALL[/i] Into the Abyss!
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Let your friends know that this is the best time to pick up a copy cheap!
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I think the main reason is that the form/identity has to be something the shifter is comfortable with.
The first demon form is forced on the demon, between his/her imagination and the summoner’s imagination/picture/idea
Later ones, at least if they are going to be stable are ones that the shifter can concentrate on, and know the details of very well. And keep the form solid/unchanging.
I suspect if one were a taxidermist or veterinarian you could be a pretty good shapeshifter.
Most secondary forms are humanoid because they are closest to what the shifter knows best. I.e. a human with hooves, or claws or tentacles is a relatively minor thing, or just a completely wacky unreal monster that the user completely makes up.
Getting/knowing all the details of a wolf, and getting it right and realistic is much more tough.
I’ve never met one that could.
I’m not aware of any demons less than IV that can reliably shape change. And not all IV’s can. I gotta tell you there are some seriously ugly ass giant demon monster guys out there that would probably love to be able to change form–but they can’t.
A few 3’s can temporarily do it, in the Abyss, but they generally can’t hold it for long (as per Boggy’s and my’s discussion with Tom early on).
Now that being said, if a demon can do magic, and there are a few threes that can, they could cast an illusion.
In fact, this is standard operating procedure for the Succubae and Incubae, most of them are around level 3. They most certainly can appear to be someone/something else, subject to the victim’s desires. Now this is not so much spell casting as innate ability and is related to their ability to charm/mesmerize and cause lust in their victims/targets.
Someone who is immune to the *bus’ charms would see them as they are, but the victims tend to see them as someone/thing highly desirable, at least if the Sucubbus/Incubus wants them to/is trying.
Good questions.
I am not convinced J&L even knew what they meant,they’d have been going off tales told by others, I personally doubt either had actually summoned an unbound 4 before.
However, there are plenty of legends about what the high powered demons can do in those circumstances out there on the Astral plane.
For example: prying into the minds of the recipients via empathy/telepathy (not clear what) and extracting the conjuror’s deepest fears and then creating illusions, or realities that attack the conjuror with their deepest feats.Mind games, illusions, all sorts of trickeries and deceptions, Perhaps turning to mist and seeping through the holes in the magic net
When there is a group, do fear attacks on the weakest link, try to break the circle of power. If it knows spells it could cast counter or neutralized spells.Now as to the whip..
First demons and other exptraplanars (in their true form) can only be hurt by magic items or iron based items (and in some cases silver or other metals)
The whip was leather, dead flesh and Tom didn’t even notice it, if he’d noticed it, it would have hit him but not hurt…think of it being similar to his flame form which is insubstantial.
Live flesh with animus in, would have touched him whether he knew it or not.
The sword was iron, or perhaps steel, which contains iron. So therefore he felt it, but it wasn’t sharp enough to hurt him.
Talarius, later on, had a sword with iron in it and it was super blessed/magical.
Well there is a member of the Nyjyr Ennead who has hung out on top of (or well, I think sort of underneath in a cave) a mountain with Greasy Gods.
But I can’t really say more than that due to spoilage….
Yep.
That’s one place the gods have a big advantage. God’s in a pantheon pool their resources to make really cool mountains/mountain top palaces, etc. And they share mana with their avatars and priests.
Yes, and that’s actually also a problem for demons.
See discussions in this forum about spawning half demon children on low mana planes to help gather mana to summon (and return) their parent.
If you come from a mana rich place you can pretty easily get anywhere (if you know where it is); but once you are there…getting back is hard.
Now this is why…actually…old fashioned, mana draining Astral travel is often best. If you can summon up enough mana from your home plane (or the destination plane) you can create a corporal body on the remote plane (very expensive/difficult spell/discipline–you’ve gotta be burly) you can then have a body on two planes, and you can go back and forth between the planes simply via astral travel and follow your astral cords to the other bodies.
Now there are some definite dangers in doing this, there are whole treatises on doing this and how dangerous it can be but…it is one way to get somewhere that might otherwise be difficult to get back from.
However, for most Astlanian Wizards, the Earths are just too far away, the laws of magic/physics too different. Whatever it that makes them myopic to people from “Earth” for example, makes them very hesitant/makes it very difficult to asterally travel there, and body creation is prohibitive but…
All that being said, the Gods don’t seem to have a problem on that front…but then, they tend to be hardwired to their God Pool and can draw on that anywhere.
I really wish I had a god pool. Actually, I really wish I could just use magic of any sort. Being a Fiend isn’t easy.
