jueves, 25 de febrero de 2010

Billiarding!


I was pretty sure I had spoken some time before about Wizard's Billiards, but after a cursory glance at the older entries, it doesn't seem to be the case. Let us therefore proceed our exploration of this issue...

Wizard's Billiards are a game you can play in the Bes Pelargic Wizard's Guild. From the central tree, go to the room to the north and you'll be in a lounge with a billiard table, among other amenities. Upwards there is another easily to use room. East and west of the upper room there's two more exclusive lounges (The Exclusive Lounge of Reckless Encouragement and The Exclusive Lounge of the Venerable Ancestors ) that provide good alcohols beside the tables...

As for these, they look as follows:

This is an elegantly crafted billiards table in a majestic Agatean theme. The wood which is used seems to be a type of rowan and the top is covered in a well-kept, royal blue velvet. The legs are made to resemble those of dragons, complete with claws. The scrollwork on the outside of the table is fit for the Emperor himself.
It occasionally pulses with octarine light.
On the billiards table are a beige billiard ball, a grey billiard ball, a black billiard ball, a mauve billiard ball, a pink billiard ball, a magenta billiard ball, a violet billiard ball, a purple billiard ball, a cyan billiard ball, an aqua billiard ball, a brown billiard ball, a blue billiard ball, a green billiard ball, a yellow billiard ball, an orange billiard ball, a red billiard ball and a white cue ball.

To start playing, you first need to be get hold of a staff. Then, you need someone against whom to play. You the proceed to invite, or be invited, by you rival with the line: "play wizards billiards with xxx".

Now, the game starts! If you look at the table, you'll see the balls that are still available. To hit one, the line is: "
hit cue ball at xxx (the colour) ball on table with staff"

Depending on skills, different hits will have different effects (with a sum of 10, 15, 20 or 30 points). You can check how things are going by 'looking' the board.

Those are the basics. In following entries I'll speak about what my research and suspicions are about the skillchecks involved in the balls (or sets of balls) and the messages you get for each kind of hit.

martes, 23 de febrero de 2010

Torqvald's Many Colours


What's it called?
Torqvald's Many Colours (in brief, TMC)

What does it do? This Torqvald's is a very easy and simple to learn toy spell. After casting it, you will 'feel colourful', and change colours from time to time. The effect adds a line to your description (He is a lovely shade of translucent green) , and you get notice of the changes from time to time (You feel red-ish), until its effects wear off (You feel suddenly colourless.).

As you can gather, it isn't a very useful kind of magic, but the rainbow look is nice. You can get the same effect by twisting certain magical clockwork bands, though (they act as an auto-cast of the spell).

Where is it? Like all toy spells, it rightly lies in the Begynners' Magick tome, at the Gyms of all magic-teaching institutions.

What does it require? Nothing at all

What skills do I need? Air, Channeling, Charming

Has it worked? A correct output should read something like this:

You prepare to cast Torqvald's Many Colours.
You ponder shifting light and swirling colours.
You channel magic into your skin.
You use the magic to convince observers of colour where there is none.
You fell colour flow in your veins.
You feel colourful.

Help Information:

Torqvald's Many Colours - Create the illusion of changing colours.

Torqvald's Many Colours is a miscellaneous spell that causes the caster's skin to appear to change colours randomly.

sábado, 13 de febrero de 2010

Torqvald's Illusion Generatrix


What's it called? Torqvald's Illusion Generatrix (in brief, TIG)

What does it do? This is the top-notch Hoodwincker spell. After a successful cast, it will create a new spell (it has a weird name, the first part of it being your own name. One of mine's, for example, was Winswand's Zethir Huphiv), that needs to be designed and written by yourself after the cast. You are first informed of how many characters you can use (this depends on skills and background magic). Then you start text-editing. You can add colours and similar items. One you're done and saved, the spell appears in your head. Its size will very depending on number of characters (the more, the bigger), and it will use a combination of components that varies for each spell, but tends to incluse a pinch of ash and a bronze ring (not consumed).
The new spell is an 'illusion'. That means that when you cast it, the lines of text that you've written for it will appear to other people in the room as if they where 'natural' happenings. That makes it nice and fun for playing little pranks, like death messages, hp damage and fake stealing messages.
So, what's its use? Really, none at all. It's just a toy spell, played for fun (arguably, *the* best toy spell, as it allows you to create your own personal illusion spells). I can hardly think ways to make it useful, but there may be some in pkdom, as it is fast to cast (deceive pursuers about damage or place you've run to?).

Where is it? Even though it isn't that easy to cast (not hellishly difficult either, that's true...), it lies inside the Cunjuryng for Begynners volume, at the Unseen University Library.

What does it require? a small bucket, a silver ring, a book end and a quill. Except for the bucket, all the components are consumed in the casting.

What skills do I need? Air, Binding, Conjuring, Charming, Channeling, Conjuring (2), Charming (2)

Has it worked? The proper output should read something like this:

You prepare to cast Torqvald's Illusion Generatrix.
You examine the quill.
You hold the bucket tightly.
You ceremonially place the quill in the bucket. / You drop the quill into the bucket.
You summon the powers of the mind's eye.
You neatly toss the ring into the bucket. / You flip the ring into the air and catch it in the bucket.
You hold the end raised in one fist.
You make three passes with the end over the bucket and drop it in; the contents of the bucket vanish! / You wave the end over the bucket and drop it in; the contents of the bucket vanish!
Please enter the text of the illusion which you wish your new spell to create. For this illusion, you may use up to xxx characters. Leave a totally blank line where you want a carriage return in the text of your illusion.
Enter your text. Use ** on a line by itself to exit.

Help Information:

Torqvald's Illusion Generatrix - creates an illusion.


Torqvald's Illusion Generatrix is a miscellaneous type spell that is popular amongst high level wizards with an artistic streak. It allows you to envisage an area illusion, creating a completely new and hitherto unknown spell in your mind that will activate the illusion when cast.