Re: High Magic vs Low Magic - Was: OT: 4e notes from ENworld

AH, it's *like* them in the sense it allows different ideas, tech and so
on to travel...in the real world, tech caught on in some places, but not
in others, for various reasons. For example, England preffered the
longbow, much of the rest of Europe preffered the crossbow.
Your point about "specialists" is also valid, since it's not a
collaboration of scientists/engineers, it plausible  some folk would
have unique skills/items etc. For example, the "Damascus Steel" really
did exist, and finally we're trakcign down the how and the why (seems to
have been manufactured in India and peculiar qualities of the iron
deposits and metalworking caused carbon nanotubules in the metal matrix,
giving it greater strength, plus other elements in the iron ore, like
vanadium)
-However, you would see a conflux of ideas, items etc very different
form a groundling world, in places like Bral, where such meetings/ships
etc are common.

While D&D has a rule for unattended objects...hitting a platoon of
troops armed with muskets with the magical equivalent of a napalm strike
would result in a lot of detonations, hm? ;) Some times...common sense
trumps even D&D rules, (except when the DM says to hell with common
sense! Which is fun and necessary at times, Hehe)


Well, yes, giff....one can imagine a giff's finest joy would be to carve
up numerous foes and his powder detonate for a glorious end :D
Reminds me of the scene form the film "Support Your Local
Gunfighter"...can Imagine a giff covered in smoke powder and alchemists
fire saying "I dare ya to hit me!"
Hehe

Well, you are not a spacefarer, if you don't move!! ;) Someone living on
Bral is not a space farer, are they? ;) 
Yeah, I can imagine most ships would never leave their sphere, making
"Flow Jammers" an elite and odd bunch.

People, ideas, books, gems, rare metals, spices, art work...the
potential for huge profit would surely exist, it would more be a matter
of *working such profitable routes out*. Since I'd imagine, Flow
crossings are not common, until one HAS such a route worked out, I'd
suspect ship owners would have to spend a long time just working out a
route. Indeed the knowledge of such a system would be enormously
important/guarded/costly?
-The Silk and spice routes of the real world show such is very likely to
occur, and massive profit...but massive risk too...

:)






-----Original Message-----
From: Spelljammer Setting Discussion
[mailto:SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com] On Behalf Of David Shepheard
Sent: 01 September 2007 15:40
To: SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com
Subject: Re: [SPELLJAMMER] High Magic vs Low Magic - Was: OT: 4e notes
from ENworld

From: "Steven" <steven.james.1@??????????.??.uk>
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 11:00 PM
Subject: Re: [SPELLJAMMER] OT: 4e notes from ENworld


I don't like to see SJ as being like the Internet or the Renaissance. I
like 
the idea of societies having some "industrial secrets". So a dwarven 
weaponsmith from Reorx should have a hard time reverse-engineering a
samari 
sword that came from the Shou Empire. This helps give people a reason to

import specialist goods. (So an Anadian Halfling who wanted to get hold
of a 
Kender hoopak would have to wait until the next time the Crimson Caravan

came to Realmspace.)


I'm not really interested in tech, but I think that political views
would 
spread with cultures related to them. I think that cultures from Deities
and 
Demigods/Legends and Lore and clerics dedicated to their gods can be
used to 
show cultures coming into a new crystal sphere. The Priest Stronghold
rule 
(from Complete Spacefarer's Handbook) gives the locals an entire year to

shut out the newbies.

As for wizards working on their own, they only have so much mana, so can

never take on an entire army. So powerful wizards need some sort of deal

with the local king (even if that deal is just stay out of my way and
I'll 
stay out of your way).

All attended objects are usually entitled to a saving throw.

Unless you are a giff. Giff come from a race where "manlyness" seems to
be 
defined by the ability to own the most spectacular weapons. I think that

avoiding the risk of an explosion would possibly be seen as cowardice.

Don't forget that most "spacefarers" in wildspace are almost as unlikely
to 
travel on a spelljamming ship as a groundling. People live and die on
the 
same rock they were born on.

I think that even among spacehands, many people will work on system
ships 
and never leave their own sphere.

People who sphere-hop are a minority. If traders fly to Greatspace and
try 
to sell hoopaks, the locals should be baffled as to what to do with the 
"strange sticks" they see. I think that spears and shields would be more

likely to go down well with the Greek culture of those customers. But I 
can't see a way to import spears and shields that are "more advanced"
than 
the ones the locals make for themselves.

The only way I can see a long distance market like that working is to
use 
something specific to a crystal sphere, like High Sorcery magic, to
spears 
and shields and then transport those specialist versions to Greatspace.

David "Big Mac" Shepheard
Virtual Eclipse Role Playing Club
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/virtualeclipselrp/links/d20_system_0010
71937434/Spelljammer_001071430476
http://www32.brinkster.com/virtualeclipse/ 

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