"Shimmer" HR... thoughts?

[g33k]

Hey folks, considering some HR's on magic.

As "Shimmer" is a blur-your-outline effect, I am seriously considering it "should" help with stealth skills, to bypass any sort of visual search (obviously no help vs. being heard)... standard 5% per point.

Obviously, YGMV & MGF and my-table / my-game &c.  Also, it's clearly nothing game-breaking, nor does it seem like it'd conflict with setting/myth.

It just takes an "OK, but no more than that" spell, and makes it a bit more versatile & therefore more attractive.

Thoughts?

 

[French Desperate WindChild]

if there is yet some malus to see, yes, why not. If the situation gives, by itself no malus, no.

 

To explain my point :

image a irl soldiers with forest camouflage. Of course it is hard to see them in forest. Now... if you meet them in the street.. Will you see them less than other people ?

 

that how I understand shimmer : it is less distinctive but you see the "mass". the point is, if you have not enough light, or anything, then the "less distinctive" becomes "less visible".

But if everything is clear, of course you don't see exactly the person (in my irl example the face expression), but you see the person (irl : there is a soldier here)

 

[soltakss]

On 4/20/2022 at 5:39 AM, g33k said:

As "Shimmer" is a blur-your-outline effect, I am seriously considering it "should" help with stealth skills, to bypass any sort of visual search (obviously no help vs. being heard)... standard 5% per point.

I've always thought that it makes you stand out by making you shimmer.

[Rodney Dangerduck]

Perhaps there should be a "help you hide" spirit magic spell, but I don't think that Shimmer is it.

[g33k]

11 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

Perhaps there should be a "help you hide" spirit magic spell, but I don't think that Shimmer is it.

"Silence" helps vs. Listen-checks, of course.

But yes, an "Invisibility Lite" Spirit (Battle) magic would seem an obvious hole to fill.

[g33k]

On 4/22/2022 at 12:20 PM, soltakss said:

I've always thought that it makes you stand out by making you shimmer.

I guess it depends if you see it as being a bit of a "lightshow" (which does kind of attract attention if you want to sneak, even as it makes precise targeting harder (n.b. this is also the "high-POW Penalty" to Stealth)) or as just a blurring/shifting of the outline; if the later, it would seem to be a bit of "magical camo" -- breaking up the image, making it less-visible / less-obvious.  FWIW, I think the spell-description RAW leans toward the 2nd case (although of course the RAW explicitly does NOT include a stealth-bonus).

I'm not deeply-wed to any interpretation, honestly!

I'm just considering that Shimmer seems a bit ... "underwhelming"? ... in terms of utility-per-MP.  I'm hoping to make it a bit more attractive to players in my game.

[jajagappa]

14 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

Perhaps there should be a "help you hide" spirit magic spell, but I don't think that Shimmer is it.

Darkwall works in some situations and places.

The Lanbril spirit spells:  Conceal Item, Forget, and Face of Lanbril can all come in handy.

Befuddle could help too.

[JustAnotherVingan]

4 hours ago, g33k said:

I guess it depends if you see it as being a bit of a "lightshow" (which does kind of attract attention if you want to sneak, even as it makes precise targeting harder (n.b. this is also the "high-POW Penalty" to Stealth)) or as just a blurring/shifting of the outline; if the later, it would seem to be a bit of "magical camo" -- breaking up the image, making it less-visible / less-obvious.  FWIW, I think the spell-description RAW leans toward the 2nd case (although of course the RAW explicitly does NOT include a stealth-bonus).

I'm not deeply-wed to any interpretation, honestly!

I'm just considering that Shimmer seems a bit ... "underwhelming"? ... in terms of utility-per-MP.  I'm hoping to make it a bit more attractive to players in my game.

Alynx were called shimmer cats in RQ2 IIRC and they were pretty sneaky

[g33k]

6 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Darkwall works in some situations and places.

Yes it can; but not so much for genuine "stealth."   The "whoa, where'd that Darkwall come from?!" reaction is kind of "the opposite of stealth!"

If the ambient is already really-dark, it might pass unnoticed... maybe...  otherwise, any guard is liable to assume a hostile caster, call the alarm, investigate...
 

6 hours ago, jajagappa said:

The Lanbril spirit spells:  Conceal Item, Forget, and Face of Lanbril can all come in handy.

Absolutely!  Each is a somewhat narrow application of being-stealthy, however.  A guard who's supposed to stop EVERYONE (or only admit some specific & known person(s)) isn't going to let in some anonymous nobody, even if s/he's only an "anonymous nobody" by virtue of the FoL...  Etc.
 

7 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Befuddle could help too.

Befuddle is an excellent spell (poor Challana Arroy!)   But the 2-minute duration is potentially deadly... not to mention the  INTx5 - or - Meditate  roll, to end it early!  Either way, guards/etc will remember being snuck-past!  uh-oh!

(However, Befuddle + Forget is a killer combo!)

(fwiw - IMG the "standard" (most-common) focus for a Forget spell is a short little wand with a red gem at the tip, held in a tube)

 

[jajagappa]

8 hours ago, g33k said:

Yes it can; but not so much for genuine "stealth."   The "whoa, where'd that Darkwall come from?!" reaction is kind of "the opposite of stealth!"

If the ambient is already really-dark, it might pass unnoticed... maybe...  otherwise, any guard is liable to assume a hostile caster, call the alarm, investigate...

Placement is critical (or as the realtors say "location, location, location!").  If you're in the middle of the market plaza in the middle of the day, won't work.

Getting towards dark, and you place just back from the entry to the dark alley, then effective.

If you're in a shaded woods and you place behind a line of brush and trees somewhat off the path, then should work too.

[Oracle]

On 4/25/2022 at 12:41 AM, JustAnotherVingan said:

Alynx were called shimmer cats in RQ2 IIRC and they were pretty sneaky

Not only in RQ2 but also in RuneQuest:Roleplaying in Glorantha. From the Bestiary, p.159:

Quote

Shadowcats are dark-colored felines which range from the size of a housecat to that of a lynx. They are very quick and quiet, and are also known as shimmer cats because they are extremely hard to hit.

(emphasis is from me)

Edited April 27, 2022 by Oracle

[Darius West]

On 4/20/2022 at 2:39 PM, g33k said:

Hey folks, considering some HR's on magic.

As "Shimmer" is a blur-your-outline effect, I am seriously considering it "should" help with stealth skills, to bypass any sort of visual search (obviously no help vs. being heard)... standard 5% per point.

Obviously, YGMV & MGF and my-table / my-game &c.  Also, it's clearly nothing game-breaking, nor does it seem like it'd conflict with setting/myth.

It just takes an "OK, but no more than that" spell, and makes it a bit more versatile & therefore more attractive.

Thoughts?

I'm not against beefing up the usefulness of a spirit magic spell that is otherwise pretty useless.

The cry is often heard in games "That fool is shimmering!  Bombard them with spells, they have no countermagic!"

[Shiningbrow]

10 minutes ago, Darius West said:

I'm not against beefing up the usefulness of a spirit magic spell that is otherwise pretty useless.

The cry is often heard in games "That fool is shimmering!  Bombard them with spells, they have no countermagic!"

And that's what Reflection is for 😁

[Darius West]

10 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

And that's what Reflection is for 😁

LOL good point but it never happened.  This was back in RQ2 times.  Not many people spent points on reflection.