patrols of magicians hunting down wilders/anti-magic users

[Marson]

Belief has a very wide spectrum. In our own world, a shop-owner might have a religious symbol displayed behind the counter but not mention it at all, let alone accost customers. Meanwhile a zealot of the same religion may bomb a [insert place they find offensive]. You could insert several different religions into this scenario.

As an aside, I personally find that the Mage/Zigur conflict very well echos issues we have in the real world, including how we as players respond to it.

[Nacht]

If you have runes but no actual talent points in magic abilities, they would force you to remove the rune. You could do a cunning check to hide the existence of any rune inscribed.

This is a great idea, A++ would love to see coded. I absolutely love getting important pieces of my characters permanently taken away at absolute random.

I'm being sarcastic, this is a beyond stupid idea.

[The Revanchist]

If you have runes but no actual talent points in magic abilities, they would force you to remove the rune. You could do a cunning check to hide the existence of any rune inscribed.

This is a great idea, A++ would love to see coded. I absolutely love getting important pieces of my characters permanently taken away at absolute random.

I'm being sarcastic, this is a beyond stupid idea.

Hey!

Unless you're being sarcastic about your sarcasm, try to contribute to the discussion.

WHY is it a stupid idea? Moreover, what makes it beyond stupid? I see nothing wrong with it. After all, it isn't forcing you to remove it, the option to retaliate will still exist.

With this... there's just non-violent solutions. Is that beyond stupid?

[kyuubee]

it's not stupid if you can refuse the fallen check and fight the patrol, otherwise it's stupid, yes

[HousePet]

You permanently throw away a rune any time you decide to upgrade one.
Why is this any different?
(other than the taken at random bit, they are trying to save you from evil magic, not save you from death...)

[kyuubee]

imagine it from your character's point of view, you meet some armed zigur followers whom you possible can deal with and they somehow realized you use runes and demand you to get rid of them, you should have an option to fight with them. actually you should have option to fight even before cunning check i.e. if you don't let them search your stuff

[HousePet]

Well if they want to force you into something, you can force back...

[Doctornull]

It'd be cool if something (maybe Cunning or Stealth or one of the Survival skills) played a role in avoiding wilderness encounters. That ought to apply to orc patrols, too.

[kyuubee]

magic or cunning whichever is higher imo

[Nagyhal]

HousePet, I thought it was a cool idea.

I would like to play an entire game (perhaps a roguelike, perhaps not) that revolves around being a clandestine mage in a world hostile to your kind. So you have great powers, but are constantly forced to conceal or repress them.

[Atarlost]

While it would certainly be believable on the surface, most Arcane users are... Unwelcome, to say the least.

Not really. Tannen is able to live and experiment in Last Hope and isn't even mistrusted enough for his backers to audit him. Derth may be sympathetic to or in fear of Zigur but all the real non-Thaloren population concentrations are demonstrably accepting of magic and even the Thaloren city buys and sells arcane powered items.

[twas Brillig]

While it would certainly be believable on the surface, most Arcane users are... Unwelcome, to say the least.

Not really. Tannen is able to live and experiment in Last Hope and isn't even mistrusted enough for his backers to audit him. Derth may be sympathetic to or in fear of Zigur but all the real non-Thaloren population concentrations are demonstrably accepting of magic and even the Thaloren city buys and sells arcane powered items.

Alchemists in general seem to be relatively accepted. At least, they're willing to answer the door for Zigur followers. So that's...odd.

[Red]

There's a difference between a friendly shopkeeper who brings gold flowing in like water (and that's all most of Last Hope knows of Tannen) and armed death-squads hunting people down.

[Atarlost]

There's a difference between a friendly shopkeeper who brings gold flowing in like water (and that's all most of Last Hope knows of Tannen) and armed death-squads hunting people down.

Tannen isn't bringing in gold. He's being paid a lot of gold to experiment with portals.

And if mages and alchemists are viewed as people it's Zigur that are the armed death-squads hunting people down. Any Angolwyn military would be engaged primarily in hunting necromancers and corruptors, who aren't really viewed as people. Any fighting with Zigurite patrols would be self defense because anyone who accepts magic must view Zigur as dangerous lunatics. Only if mages are all monsters can Zigur patrols not be.

[Red]

Right, minor mistake. The promise of untold riches through a portal, plus a good assortment of current minor magical objects like runes.

The issue is, this isn't about mage patrols to counter Zigur patrols, like Celestial patrols in the East. This is about roving bands of magic users hunting down the character, who is simply an adventurer at worst and might've already saved an entire village at best. (In-game logic. Out-of-game, we all know what kind of person you really are.) That is pretty much as roving death squad as you can get, and the only way others would accept that is out of fear.

A few patrols around the portal that hunt down Zigur patrols looking for a fight would be a-ok.