Re: Rudrites (ie hirudo)

[Steve Ames <steve@ns1.cioe.com>]

> I have never delved too deeply into the nuts and bolts of
> Hirudos and their society, and have only occasionally used
> them as the bad guys, so hopefully you will forgive my
> ignorance when I ask the following questions?

This is a shload of really good questions.

> Note: I am using my unix account to read mail. So if there
> is a text file of the modified Hirudo write-up, I'd like to
> check it out.

I'm appending one to the bottom of this file. The formatting
is a little flaky but the meaning is still there.

> Why do the Hirudo want to kill each other?  Or, rather I
> guess the question is 'why do they need to want to kill
> each other'?

All religions have their hierarchies. The Hirudo heirarchy is
based solely on power. Power has a lot of manifestations.
Certainly your rating is one component. Others might be the
number of other hirudo you command (slaves and progeny),
age, non-hirudo effectiveness, fame within the hierarchy,
etc...

But the surest way to increase your own rank is to whack
someone else. XP transfer means whack someone big and I become
much bigger. Very little reasons to whack puds at that level.

Since the goal of hirudo is to foster change (breed chaos),
change occurs most within their own ranks. I picture Hirudo as
more like Babylon 5 shadow mentality. Rudri doesn't believe
herself evil, she believes far worse. She believes that what she
does, she does for the good of everyone. No moral problems for
her. 

> Is this simply so that they don't form up into groups?

Nope. Hirudo probably do form groups. I don't buy into the
loner mentality really... but there's no middle ground in
these groups. Either they don't trust one another at all and
are using one another to accomplish their mission, or they
have complete trust in one another.

> If the write limits them to comperable power levels, isn't
> the "need" (i.e. game balance reasons) for them to remain a
> solitary creature negated? -- And thus the need for the exp
> transfer (and internal warfare) negated?

I think that having a "need" provides the character with more
depth than the average adventurer who has no clue where he wants
to go in life. So its more than balance, its good background.

> Why would a hirudo ever really create another hirudo?

To increase their own power. If I can turn a rate 120 warrior
to my path and bring him into the fold I have a powerful ally.

> In the current system, aren't they just creating competition
> down the line?  I guess I could understand trying to create
> an heir as you were dying or something, but in general, why
> would they do it?

Sure you increase competition. Eventually all things turn on
their creators. But as long as they are controllable they can
be used. Hirudo are always subservient to their creator...
until that creator is dead.

> If I am playing a rate 120 earth mage and got bezanked by a
> rudrite and turned into a hirudo, and then immediately got
> drained by another hirudo, what is my rating considered for
> the exp transfer? Is it 120 or 0?

That is an unanswered question. A lot of us have been pushing
for only those XP spent on spells to be countable. I'm thinking,
now, that the better answer is to ditch the XP transfer all
together in favor of gaining the transfer of the bloodlines.

						-Steve