Re: Characters as Air Elementals

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

> Hmmm, well, as regards the original question (should mutate 
> work on an Air Elemental), I would say that the  GM's who all 
> said "no" last Saturday were in the right; no DNA, no effect.

I have to disagree. Its a rate 14 spell. The mage is losing some
of his life essence (essence Mandrake!) to cause an affect. That
mage doesn't understand DNA or molecular structure. He knows change
so he's using a powerful spell from the (*gasp*) Changings group.

The fact that I can disagree calls the next part of your message
into question as well...

> I also have to put forth this comment; shame on the player for 
> not excepting the answer of the GM who was directly adjudicating 
> the situation.  

I believe the player did accept that ruling at the time.

> If a GM gives a reasonable and logical answer to a 
> question put forth by a player and the player doesn't like it; then 
> that player should then be directed to either a Senior GM, or Dan 
> himself (in the case where the GM in dispute is a Senior GM).  

I believe the player did talk to Dan (admittedly after talking with
a bunch of other GMs already).

> This protocol needs to be made apparent to the players and it 
> needs to be enforced.  

Hrm... if I as a GM make a ruling and you overturn it Lyle I'm sure
you'll have consulted with me before hand and heard my arguments.
If you then choose to overturn my ruling you call into question my
ability to make that ruling. If I'm not sure of something when I
make a ruling its made pretty plain at the time... "That's pretty
iffy, but I'll let it slide this time"... or... "I'm not going to
do it, check with Dan".

Dan can make final rulings because thats just the kind of thing he
does. Others? Doubtful. Neither of the "senior" GMs spend as much
time debating theory as some other GMs (a number of whom were present
when an air elemental wanted to be mutated and said "NO"). If a ruling
is made it has to be consistent with other rulings. If you say "No, you
don't have DNA" then you open up some other potentials that haven't even
been explored yet simply because that implies we have direct manipulative
ability on DNA. Rulings have to be consistent and explainable.

> We, as GM's, should not be encouraging 
> players to go from GM to GM until they find one who will support 
> them; doing so will only add to the munchkinism that is so rampant 
> already.  

Correct (about GMs, not rampant munchkinism). But you already lay out
an appeals process above. That does encourage people to just ask a
different GM (ie Dan, you or Wright). Dan rules that mutate would work,
you say it wouldn't. See the problem? If you say it wouldn't I'd just
move onto Dan who would maybe say it would. If that wouldn't work, I'd
wait a few months and try it again from a different angle. Once the
workings behind a ruling are understood everyone will rule the same way
(statistically).

> Another interesting question comes to mind though, now that the
> character is an air elemental, should they become an actor?  

Emphatically, NO! The player did something according to the rules
and now is to be penalized for it? Negative. We are all about
consequences now. The action was handled in game, so should the
consequences.

> a plot device.  The KVIN comes to mind, but I also recall instances
> where a player was asked to play a Hirudo for several games in

Hirudo are entirely legit now days.

> doubt they would fit into adventuring society any longer.  Actually,
> I'm having difficulty determining how they could even keep their
> sanity given the completely alien form they have assumed.  

Its been pointed out before... adventurers are not normal people. Your
best friend turns into Cthulhu... do you scream and run in fright? No,
you hack him down.

> What
> I'm getting at is that I feel that the player should relinquish the
> character; what happens to it and what it does is no longer under 
> his control.  

Of course it is. That player built that persona every step of the way,
including the decision to become an air elemental.

> The alternative is that they either don't play that
> character anymore, or they take constant harassment from in-
> game groups who feel that Air Elementals belong on the plane
> of Air and they are just the ones to keep it that way.  

Sure... this happens. Along with the groups that don't believe lizards
should leave the water and nomads shouldn't hang around polite society.
There will always be discrimination.

> Not to mention
> the small group of powerful mages who wouldn't mind harnessing 
> the power of a lone Air Elemental.  

Power? Check the creature description. Also elementals are easy to
harnass, why pick on one that may have friends when you can just
summon one or transmog some other creature into one?

> This player is in for all sorts of
> serious BOHEKAs (them, and anyone silly enough to defend them,
> that is).  But, since players who do munchkinny things do it for the
> attention, letting them keep the character and making them deal
> with the consequences in game will just feed that need for attention
> and in the end they will just feel that everyone is out to get them.  So,
> I would still opt for the, "Congratulations, you won; please give me
> your character card and start a new character to play" option.

Ah. I completely misunderstood. I thought we were talking about game
balance, consequences, etc... you'd be taking their character out of
play for their own good. That changes everything.

					-Steve