Problems with Felarya

timing2 wrote:

There are a few reasons humans might willingly live and adventure in Felarya, despite the danger.

The first reason is the soil - it heals and revitalizes living beings. While in Felarya they would not age, would be healed of any non-lethal wounds in days, and would be cured of any and all sicknesses or diseases. Effectively, they would be immortal, barring death by predator, poison, massive injury, and such. I can easily see people swarming the place to acquire either the benefits of the soil, or to discover the mystery of its functioning.

The second reason is the rumors of the world being full of legendary treasures. Greed makes people do stupid things, even knowing the danger.

Which would lure all kinds of fantastic firepower to Felarya. Preds who collect artifacts would be under attack daily once they're found... and there would be many bounties and rewards for finding them.

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Also, Felaryan predators do not typically invade other worlds, though I'm working on one where a predator is accidentally transported off-world (and spends the whole time trying to get back ). Most of the portal mishaps or dimensional shifts involve characters coming to Felarya, not the other way around.

But Karbo said it wouldn't work if we evacuated everyone out of Felarya. He said it was because of the portals.

I've been out longer than I thought someone is giving the haters some play.

Most predators don't bother to collect anything. There are exceptions, of course.

Bringing fantastic firepower (I’m assuming you are talking about an army of some sort) into Felarya may not be as simple or straightforward as you think. Even moving a modern army with vast support mechanisms in place across our own world is a monumental task. Felarya is not supposed to be an easy place to locate or access in the first place. Think of it like the fabled Lost City where many people have heard rumors, but no one knows exactly where it is located.

I don't even like bringing them up, but since they do manifest themselves from time to time...

You also have to consider that, while the Guardians may not actively display their power, they could be acting in much more subtle ways by diverting or preventing gates, portals, or other means of transport from working to bring certain things into Felarya.

timing2 wrote:

Most predators don't bother to collect anything. There are exceptions, of course.

Bringing fantastic firepower (I’m assuming you are talking about an army of some sort) into Felarya may not be as simple or straightforward as you think. Even moving a modern army with vast support mechanisms in place across our own world is a monumental task. Felarya is not supposed to be an easy place to locate or access in the first place. Think of it like the fabled Lost City where many people have heard rumors, but no one knows exactly where it is located.

I don't even like bringing them up, but since they do manifest themselves from time to time...

You also have to consider that, while the Guardians may not actively display their power, they could be acting in much more subtle ways by diverting or preventing gates, portals, or other means of transport from working to bring certain things into Felarya.

Armies? That's totally unwieldy. I would be talking about small, well armed squads of Tinies doing hit and fade on Nekos or Nekos on Nagas. You couldn't pay me enough to try to manage an army in that kind of jungle terrain.

Of course not, Raveolution. Hey, this thread looks like it's gone off topic, but now it's finally something I'd hit!

For jungle terrain, you don't use armies. When you have to kill Rambo in the jungle (or as the case may be, Giant Naked Rambo), I'd recommend small, well-coordinated groups with portable, highly destructive firepower, performing hit-and-run tactics, withdrawing always into easily defended positions with ambushes ready halfway to them, so that anyone who tries to follow them... will know it.

On a sidenote, Giant Naked Rambo sounds like fun. We should try it sometime.

Still, karbo seems to have thought of 'fantastic firepower' and dealt with the issue already. In the comic, they DID use explosives (I can't identify that weapon, karbo, sorry, you might want to add a little detail into those things next time: I can't tell if that was a crossbow, a rifle, or a rocket launcher. I'd have assumed it was a pipe to beat people with if you hadn't pointed out she was a sharpshooter); I assume they were using the best that money could buy, and from the looks of it, all they caused the naga was a scratch (and excruciating pain, of course, but that doesn't count).

He also mentions in his DA page that Crisis could digest a space marine in a titanium exoskeleton; don't know about you, but if Crisis' biggest problem when she has a man who does it FOR THE EMPEROR in her stomach is whether she can digest him or not, I'd say she doesn't have much to fear from guns or explosives. Besides it explains why he thought it was necessary to point out Felarya can't be nuked from orbit; maybe he's aware of the EXTERMINATUS technique? We'll have to ask him.

So, karbo, how familiar are you with Warhammer 40.000?

stabs wrote: Besides it explains why he thought it was necessary to point out Felarya can't be nuked from orbit; maybe he's aware of the EXTERMINATUS technique? We'll have to ask him.

i can answer that lol. someone asked why dont someone nuke felarya from space on the fourm ( its actually in THIS topic. the first post in fact) so he added it to save the question being asked repetedly lol.

Stabs wrote:

Of course not, Raveolution. Hey, this thread looks like it's gone off topic, but now it's finally something I'd hit!

For jungle terrain, you don't use armies. When you have to kill Rambo in the jungle (or as the case may be, Giant Naked Rambo), I'd recommend small, well-coordinated groups with portable, highly destructive firepower, performing hit-and-run tactics, withdrawing always into easily defended positions with ambushes ready halfway to them, so that anyone who tries to follow them... will know it.

On a sidenote, Giant Naked Rambo sounds like fun. We should try it sometime.

Still, karbo seems to have thought of 'fantastic firepower' and dealt with the issue already. In the comic, they DID use explosives (I can't identify that weapon, karbo, sorry, you might want to add a little detail into those things next time: I can't tell if that was a crossbow, a rifle, or a rocket launcher. I'd have assumed it was a pipe to beat people with if you hadn't pointed out she was a sharpshooter); I assume they were using the best that money could buy, and from the looks of it, all they caused the naga was a scratch (and excruciating pain, of course, but that doesn't count).

He also mentions in his DA page that Crisis could digest a space marine in a titanium exoskeleton; don't know about you, but if Crisis' biggest problem when she has a man who does it FOR THE EMPEROR in her stomach is whether she can digest him or not, I'd say she doesn't have much to fear from guns or explosives. Besides it explains why he thought it was necessary to point out Felarya can't be nuked from orbit; maybe he's aware of the EXTERMINATUS technique? We'll have to ask him.

So, karbo, how familiar are you with Warhammer 40.000?

Also, keep in mind that the humans in the manga weren't going with the intention to kill a naga. They were after that artifact, and were probably only taking what they needed to fend off a pred until they could grab it and portal out. I imagine there are powerful, pred-killing weapons...but it should be noted that they are rare (like the cannons of Negav). Most people coming into Felarya are either after treasure or on scientific expeditions. They won't be bringing giant, cumbersome weapons that will only weigh them down. Stealth is more useful than a 60+lb rocket launcher or anti-tank rifle that you'd have to lug through the jungle for miles and miles along with your gear, food, water and other odds and ends.

Humans that go after full-sized preds tend to be...well...stupid. I imagine fairy hunters have a somewhat better chance, since it is actually possible to catch their target at a more managable size. As for the nuking, its mentioned because someone ALWAYS asks about nuking Felarya, be it from orbit, or with suitcase nukes.

Raveolution wrote:

Armies? That's totally unwieldy. I would be talking about small, well armed squads of Tinies doing hit and fade on Nekos or Nekos on Nagas. You couldn't pay me enough to try to manage an army in that kind of jungle terrain.

I can see small groups taking down larger predators - it can and should happen. It wouldn't take much firepower either. Actually, big flashy firepower might even be a detriment - a large bore rifle or missile going off might bring curious fairies (or worse) to see what is going on.

The problem with finding specific targets would be locating them in the jungle. Unless the predator was very predictable, that could be an arduous task. You'd have to deal with traveling through extremely difficult terrain. Then you’d have to deal with other predators on the hunt. Even the plants themselves would be a problem in certain areas (carnivorous, strangling vines anyone?). So you’d need counters to any number of possible threats. Unless the group was very lucky or completely overpowering, I can’t see them escaping unscathed through very many missions.

Such a group would make for some interesting story possibilities.

Taking care of Predators is an aspect best left to Mages, since it's much easier to both find a mage who can do so (Look for a mage that can even just once-a-day cast a Disintegrate spell, and compare it to the odds of finding multiple Stinger Missiles, a man-portable railgun system, miniature fusion / fission weaponry, etcetera), and because it's a much easier upkeep (You pay a mage, you have that mage. You pay the rocket launcher, you have a tube stuffed with gems).

I like how this (type of thread) always leads to a debate on whether humans should try to defend themselves. I swear, it's like a gathering ground of misanthropes, humanists, and transhumanists rolled into one. "Humans being well off means everything else being murdered and persecuted and" "Predators are evil beings that get away with too much" "Well if the humans became a heavily magic race they could change themselves to". Accept it that: 1) Predators aren't innocent. 2) Humans aren't going to upheave anywhere on Felarya that doesn't already have a very minor Predator presence. 3) Humans we see on Felarya are likely to be mostly human still unless given their own sub-species.

The male problem slowly seems to be taking care of itself on Felarya: They aren't getting any (noticeable) wiki presence to overthrow the females, but at least they're acknowledged now as in "Oh yeah, there's Male Nagas, and male Dridders, and". Those with limited male numbers are stated as such, and the rest are assumed to be off-screen. Male characters is also (or always has been) on the rise, so odds are eventually the wiki will have a decent male presence as well for Predators and Prey.

Where I see the problem is:

1) Personal Canon. People make things as they go, which makes it so that in the end it takes Karbo (and, if not his idea, the Original Creator) making something up for a place to finally get it right. "Most Elementals are intelligent humanoids that love to Vore." "No, only some are humanoids and many are animalistic and amorphous." "Negav is a place of marvellous technology, and comparable to a first world city in layout in parts." "No it's not, it's like a giant castle with a town on the inside with only the wall weaponry being anywhere near modern."

2) As said in the later pages, the fact that so many ideas revolve around humans as a central part of a diet - sometimes in places where only Darwin Award winners would be in the first place. "Deep in the Grove of Carnivorous Plants is a mantrap that feeds only on humans and Nekos, anything else is spit up or ignored or even helped by the mantrap." Great critter and all, but... just how is this species keeping itself alive? Is it thinking with Portals? You can make creatures that don't have exclusive man-sized feeding habits: We may be considered the Plankton of Felarya, but look in an ocean foodchain and you won't find 99.9% of the species eating plankton as a major source of energy.

3) Surplus of ideas following specific subjects. Certain sub-areas seem to be heavily favored in new species ideas, and certain species seem to be heavily favored in sub-species ideas. This leads to getting ten types of Harpies, nine types of Dryads, and eight types of Fairies to go with... three types of Centaurs and two types of Slug Girls. Let's not forget that at a time practically every type of elemental Naga was a species in addition to Diamond Nagas, Hydranagas, Pit Nagas, "Vanilla" Nagas...

rcs619 wrote:

Also, keep in mind that the humans in the manga weren't going with the intention to kill a naga. They were after that artifact, and were probably only taking what they needed to fend off a pred until they could grab it and portal out. I imagine there are powerful, pred-killing weapons...but it should be noted that they are rare (like the cannons of Negav). Most people coming into Felarya are either after treasure or on scientific expeditions. They won't be bringing giant, cumbersome weapons that will only weigh them down. Stealth is more useful than a 60+lb rocket launcher or anti-tank rifle that you'd have to lug through the jungle for miles and miles along with your gear, food, water and other odds and ends.

Oh, that's right. They were after the item. Wait, does this mean Ramthas Telekline is a munchkin? I can already picture him saying "Wait, we'd get more experience for the naga than just for the plot device!"

rcs619 wrote:

Humans that go after full-sized preds tend to be...well...stupid. I imagine fairy hunters have a somewhat better chance, since it is actually possible to catch their target at a more managable size.

And I wonder why would anyone do any of those things? It's not like full-sized predators have anything anyone could want.

rcs619 wrote:

As for the nuking, its mentioned because someone ALWAYS asks about nuking Felarya, be it from orbit, or with suitcase nukes.

Ah, okay. I wonder why didn't he just implement a "nuclear weapons taboo". Or a "We did. It only got bigger."

Stabs wrote:

rcs619 wrote:

Also, keep in mind that the humans in the manga weren't going with the intention to kill a naga. They were after that artifact, and were probably only taking what they needed to fend off a pred until they could grab it and portal out. I imagine there are powerful, pred-killing weapons...but it should be noted that they are rare (like the cannons of Negav). Most people coming into Felarya are either after treasure or on scientific expeditions. They won't be bringing giant, cumbersome weapons that will only weigh them down. Stealth is more useful than a 60+lb rocket launcher or anti-tank rifle that you'd have to lug through the jungle for miles and miles along with your gear, food, water and other odds and ends.

Oh, that's right. They were after the item. Wait, does this mean Ramthas Telekline is a munchkin? I can already picture him saying "Wait, we'd get more experience for the naga than just for the plot device!"

rcs619 wrote:

Humans that go after full-sized preds tend to be...well...stupid. I imagine fairy hunters have a somewhat better chance, since it is actually possible to catch their target at a more managable size.

And I wonder why would anyone do any of those things? It's not like full-sized predators have anything anyone could want.

rcs619 wrote:

As for the nuking, its mentioned because someone ALWAYS asks about nuking Felarya, be it from orbit, or with suitcase nukes.

Ah, okay. I wonder why didn't he just implement a "nuclear weapons taboo". Or a "We did. It only got bigger."

lol, I think Telekline just got cocky when he started beating on Anna that easily. She's only had her body for a couple months or so, as opposed to a naga who's had it for decades. Her skill with it is a little lacking. He probably was just enjoying himself too much. Even Voidfingers was telling him to stop playing around so much and focus on the mission.

The most cliche' reason to go after a pred is vegnence, but considering the danger involved in just making it a few miles into the wilderness, AND actually finding the pred (which is probably akin to finding one specific jaguar in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, AND killing a 500 ton, whale-sized creature who is usually as smart as a human, AND usually has magic of their own to defend themselves with (along with EXTREME strength)...I doubt many sane people would. Its suicide. Most would cope with the grief, and stay behind the nice, safe, cannon-defended walls of Negav.

As for fairies, I wonder if there is something useful to be gotten out of them. Their wings are where all their magic is stored, so maybe fairy wings can be used by mages for something. There has to be a reaosn fairy hunters keep at it, despite the extreme risk and less than stellar history of employee safety.

Nukes are just a bad idea in general. No one is going to bring a nuke as a defensive weapon, and even deploying them offensively costs millions, and is just as likely to kill you as it is anything else. Nukes are needlessly expensive, and horrendously unwieldy weapons. Military grade weapons would likely be rare anyway. They wouldn't be brought over in extreme amounts, and people who have them would keep them for themselves. There are likely weapon shops in Negav, or people who have found the remains of exploratory parties and salvaed their gear, but weapons and ammo would likely be somewhat rare, and probably expensive.

rcs619 wrote:

There are likely weapon shops in Negav, or people who have found the remains of exploratory parties and salvaed their gear, but weapons and ammo would likely be somewhat rare, and probably expensive.

Which once more brings up the point of "Use a Mage". For instance: The Mage who can cast "Disintegrate" once a day? Beyond the cost of hiring him, the grand total of materials needed (assuming it's from a D&D-based world) is... a pinchful of dust and a small magnet. That's it.

For more power, a slightly higher level mage can just cast "Spider Climb" on an entire party and then "Reverse Gravity" under a Predator... for the same small magnet and this time some iron filings. This spell would leave the Predator falling upwards for a good minute and a half before it started wondering about the prospect of a Predator needing to cast Featherfall.

Now, while these spells may be rare on Felarya, this was just an example. And look at how much the resources to cast these spell are probably worth. Can you honestly expect someone having trouble finding a magnet and a pinch of iron filings in a major city like Nekomura or Negav? Now can you imagine someone having little trouble finding multiple crates of missiles and delivery systems?

"Defense" is not anywhere near as difficult as some people make it out to be on Felarya. The issue is that, for many people, it doesn't make for a good story. "Predator inbound, got your pouch ready Olaf?" Doesn't have much of a literary value, outside writing either a parody or when trying to speed past a certain point in the story. Fact still stands also that people look to Felarya for Vore, and if the majority of the encounters ended with "Big chitinous chap, five rounds rapid" then other sources of Om Nom would be sought. Lastly, while said mages are more common than warehouses of RPG's, Battlemechs, etc., they're still not going to match or exceed the number of adventuring parties, trade convoys, etc.

You have a point, Mal. Now, I doubt that any kind of one-hit kill spell will work on a pred. They are too large, and too magical in their own rights for that to be likely to work.

That being said, the manga shows us that there ARE powerful mages that can hold their own with predators. Void and Telekline show the potential applications of magic on predator combat. Keep in mind, mages like this would probably be exceedingly rare (as much or moreso than anti-tank rifles and rockets probably), and would have likely already have been hired to private military groups like the Isolon Fist.

Mages don't need to carry a hundred pounds of gear and ammo...but they are rare, and learning to be that proficient with magic likely takes decades of training and fine-tuneing.

rcs619 wrote:

You have a point, Mal. Now, I doubt that any kind of one-hit kill spell will work on a pred. They are too large, and too magical in their own rights for that to be likely to work.

Lord Soth Power Word:Kill-ing an ancient dragon disagrees.

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That being said, the manga shows us that there ARE powerful mages that can hold their own with predators. Void and Telekline show the potential applications of magic on predator combat. Keep in mind, mages like this would probably be exceedingly rare (as much or moreso than anti-tank rifles and rockets probably), and would have likely already have been hired to private military groups like the Isolon Fist.

If speaking mages that could solo a Predator, then I most certainly agree: Disintegrate isn't even a one-hit kill against Dragons (requiring multiple impacts in-fluff after bypassing one's magic resistance to kill it), and Lord Soth is one of the most notable Death Knights in Forgotten Realms lore. But if you're speaking Mages that could drive off / inconvenience a Predator to the point that it picks on smaller prey, then I disagree: In that regard, it's all a matter of creativity on the mage's part. Heck, theoretically any straight-from-academy mage can temporarily disable a Predator's sense of sight by centering a globe of light - a spell normally reserved for lighting dark dungeons or providing a light by the bedside to read & write - directly in front of the Predator's face / eyes.

The problem there is finding a mage creative enough to try this trick, smart enough recognize its merits, and willing to leave the safety of their home town because odds are they're making a fortune by using magic for other uses.

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Mages don't need to carry a hundred pounds of gear and ammo...but they are rare, and learning to be that proficient with magic likely takes decades of training and fine-tuneing.

Mages of the Pred-challenging scale of power are rare on Felarya, not those using magic in general (well, Mages who are natives to Felarya: Those who are from other worlds teleported onto Felarya are rare as well usually). When magic's something ancient, mystic, and powerful, it makes sense that it's limited. However, Felarya is soaked in it.


Which brings me back to something I pointed out last page: Personal Canon. I have a question: Is the high frequency of magic-using Predators (not as in Fairies, but as in "Most Nagas can use magic" stuff) canon, or fanon? Makes a bit of a difference before I go on.

Malahite wrote:

Which brings me back to something I pointed out last page: Personal Canon. I have a question: Is the high frequency of magic-using Predators (not as in Fairies, but as in "Most Nagas can use magic" stuff) canon, or fanon? Makes a bit of a difference before I go on.

To answer you, common nagas are potential magic user their magic power awake for certain late in their life but they are some exceptions. The subspecies as hydranaga, diamond nagas and maybe pit nagas can be considered as magical users.

About predators using magic, there are the sphinx sentinels, the deerataurs, elementals, genies, titans, some subspecies of mermaids, elves, some species of harpies, succubis, angels,demons... There are maybe I miss some but I think sum it all.

About mages, in Felarya there are many creature which are not magic users and who can deal with them, I doubt a mage affected by the venoms or a sound wave or completely glued with in the sticky saliva of a slug girl will be very effective. Mages they can be very powerful in magic but physically they are not very resistant. so a mage against a predator it's 50/50

I will add in a world bathed with magic the creatures living here can stand better magical attacks than creatures who are living in non magical world.

gwadahunter2222 wrote:

To answer you, common nagas are potential magic user their magic power awake for certain late in their life but they are some exceptions. The subspecies as hydranaga, diamond nagas and maybe pit nagas can be considered as magical users.

About predators using magic, there are the sphinx sentinels, the deerataurs, elementals, genies, titans, some subspecies of mermaids, elves, some species of harpies, succubis, angels,demons... There are maybe I miss some but I think sum it all.

Yes, but this is all (for many of these, anyways, not counting Elementals) Potential Magic Users. Do any of these species tend to be made up by a majority of Actual Magic Users?

If so, my earlier question leads to another question: Is all their magic innate, or self-taught? Vivian for instance seems to (from what accounts I've heard of her) be a self-taught mage always looking to expand her spell repertoire, but is she standard or the exception?

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or completely glued with in the sticky saliva of a slug girl will be very effective.

This one is both debatable and also a moot point: Free Action Spell would deny this, but if a Mage is stuck in Slug Girl Saliva it's the same as trying to argue for a Fairy Mage being much use once their wings are broken off - they've already got into an engagement, and they've already got into an obvious losing condition.

Malahite wrote:

Yes, but this is all (for many of these, anyways, not counting Elementals) Potential Magic Users. Do any of these species tend to be made up by a majority of Actual Magic Users?

If so, my earlier question leads to another question: Is all their magic innate, or self-taught? Vivian for instance seems to (from what accounts I've heard of her) be a self-taught mage always looking to expand her spell repertoire, but is she standard or the exception?

Good questions, I will answer by just saying it will vary from an individual to another we can have predators don't use magic because they possess deadly physicals abilities abilities very effective, as venoms, great physical strenght, hypnotic abilities, pheromones, blinding light or sound waves etc... but even if they don't use they are familiar with magic they know what is it. About the percentage of predators as magic users I don't know but in a world soaked with magic as Felarya when you are a mage you have strong chance to attract magical inclined predators than normal ones.

[quote"Malahite"] This one is both debatable and also a moot point: Free Action Spell would deny this, but if a Mage is stuck in Slug Girl Saliva it's the same as trying to argue for a Fairy Mage being much use once their wings are broken off - they've already got into an engagement, and they've already got into an obvious losing condition.[/quote]
Indeed it's debatable because it will depend on many factors more precisely of the experience of both protagonist and how they will manage the situation.

Malahite wrote:

Which once more brings up the point of "Use a Mage". For instance: The Mage who can cast "Disintegrate" once a day? Beyond the cost of hiring him, the grand total of materials needed (assuming it's from a D&D-based world) is... a pinchful of dust and a small magnet. That's it.

... Malahite, according to 3rd edition rules and going totally hardcore, in a magocratic metropolis (alliteration bonus!) aside from specific wizards, you'll have 4 rolls, each 1d4+12, to determine what's the highest level of the wizard available. So you'll have a 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th level wizard. You need an 11th level wizard to cast disintegrate; now, since each wizard also implies the existence of two wizards two levels lower, then a city like... what was that magocracy called? Well, you've got a 13th level wizard which produces 2 11th level wizards, a 14th level wizard which produces 2 12th level wizards, a 15th level wizard that produces 2 13th level wizards and 4 11th level wizards, and a 16th level wizard that produces 2 14th level wizards and 4 12th level wizards. That's a grand total of 3 + 3 + 7 + 7 = 20 wizards able to cast Disintegrate, assuming they bother to learn the spell, in, for example, Negav. Assuming karbo read that part of the DMG and decided to use it. Besides, Disintegrate is among the Useless Useful Spells: 22d6 damage isn't a lot, even if you get around the Fort save. 2nd edition disintegrate... let's not even get started on it, 12th level characters were supposed to be impossible to find in 2nd edition.
Of course, there are sorcerers too. But you gots no guarantee they got disintegrate.
Then again, you've got White Wolf's SS system, and mages there can just get 4 dots in Matter, for an instant 1-mana "Screw-You-And-Everyone-Who-Looks-Like-You". However, SS pities da foo who minmaxes for survival.
And there's also GURPS. Don't know how they disintegrate things in there, but their wizards are ze squishiest.

Also, Malahite, may I suggest you stop thinking it like a D&D game? You're dragging me with you.

Malahite wrote:

For more power, a slightly higher level mage can just cast "Spider Climb" on an entire party and then "Reverse Gravity" under a Predator... for the same small magnet and this time some iron filings. This spell would leave the Predator falling upwards for a good minute and a half before it started wondering about the prospect of a Predator needing to cast Featherfall.

One down (or up), but predators, even solitary ones, are rarely the whole problem. From what I've seen, if one predator can't eat you, there's a million who'd be happy to oblige. Like in the manga, where Ramthas only begins to despair... AFTER escaping the naga's stomach. Either he's neurotic, or he isn't.

Malahite wrote:

Now, while these spells may be rare on Felarya, this was just an example. And look at how much the resources to cast these spell are probably worth. Can you honestly expect someone having trouble finding a magnet and a pinch of iron filings in a major city like Nekomura or Negav? Now can you imagine someone having little trouble finding multiple crates of missiles and delivery systems?

On the other hand, crates of missiles aren't afraid of dying.

Malahite wrote:

"Defense" is not anywhere near as difficult as some people make it out to be on Felarya. The issue is that, for many people, it doesn't make for a good story. "Predator inbound, got your pouch ready Olaf?" Doesn't have much of a literary value, outside writing either a parody or when trying to speed past a certain point in the story. Fact still stands also that people look to Felarya for Vore, and if the majority of the encounters ended with "Big chitinous chap, five rounds rapid" then other sources of Om Nom would be sought. Lastly, while said mages are more common than warehouses of RPG's, Battlemechs, etc., they're still not going to match or exceed the number of adventuring parties, trade convoys, etc.

And they've got better things to do.

Wow.

FalconJudge wrote:

Wow.

Indeed. I wasn't aware Felarya used pre-4th edition D&D rules.

timing2 wrote:

FalconJudge wrote:

Wow.

Indeed. I wasn't aware Felarya used pre-4th edition D&D rules.

... but he started it! It's not my fault, he provoked me!

Anyway, I think Felarya's fine as it is. Hell, I even liked it better when the plotholes in the first post were left unexplained, it was funnier that way! You know,

1. the main source of protein in Felarya is mankind; herbivores are for sissies.
2. They're all girls... because it's HOT!
3. They're naked... because no one's watching (not for long, at least). Matter of fact, maybe they wouldn't be so happy to eat you if you didn't see them naked.

Stabs wrote:

timing2 wrote:

FalconJudge wrote:

Wow.

Indeed. I wasn't aware Felarya used pre-4th edition D&D rules.

... but he started it! It's not my fault, he provoked me!

Anyway, I think Felarya's fine as it is. Hell, I even liked it better when the plotholes in the first post were left unexplained, it was funnier that way! You know,

1. the main source of protein in Felarya is mankind; herbivores are for sissies.
2. They're all girls... because it's HOT!
3. They're naked... because no one's watching (not for long, at least). Matter of fact, maybe they wouldn't be so happy to eat you if you didn't see them naked.

I know, it was humorous to extend the spell system all the way to DM generated cities with NPC class/level ratios - all perfectly within the rules. It's even more humorous when the company publishes settings like Forgotten Realms which not only break most of those rules, but blasts them to smithereens. At any rate, despite playing D&D, I've never liked the Vancian magic system used and I get a kick out of people trying to apply it to other settings.

You bring up a good point about leaving things unexplained. It never hurts to discuss these issues, but I always laugh when I remember Straczynski's response to the question of exactly how fast can the Starfuries (a combat spacecraft) go. He replied, "They travel at the speed of plot."

timing2 wrote:

I know, it was humorous to extend the spell system all the way to DM generated cities with NPC class/level ratios - all perfectly within the rules. It's even more humorous when the company publishes settings like Forgotten Realms which not only break most of those rules, but blasts them to smithereens. At any rate, despite playing D&D, I've never liked the Vancian magic system used and I get a kick out of people trying to apply it to other settings.

Yes. I'm a victim of the vancian system, you know!? It rot my brain, now I always think in it! Even though I know it's a very bad idea.
...I will get better, I hope.

On another note, if you really want to survive, depend on the rule of funny. From what I've seen, karbo approves.

Stabs wrote:

... but he started it! It's not my fault, he provoked me!

Technically I stopped it when I referenced multiple Disintegrates in-fluff failing to kill a Dragon, and the whole Lord Soth v Dragon incident (as via game mechanics it would be completely impossible outside a miraculous action / deity). I was mostly using D&D for the simplicity of it's framework.

Also because magic has yet to be defined in terms of how much power the average mook can draw from, but that's another debate (as well as the whole "Should a rookie Predator be able to make a house sized fireball as easily as a rookie Neko makes a baseball sized fireball" schtick).

About explanations: Personally, I'm all for them. It makes things extremely easier to write about. "Why can't this guy use this object?" "Because." "Because why?" "Because." Doesn't really work for me. "Why can't this guy use this object?" "Because working off of Necromatic powers, this object's rendered null in Felarya's magical presence, thus rendering it mundane." "Oh." Works a lot better.

Stabs wrote:

On another note, if you really want to survive, depend on the rule of funny. From what I've seen, karbo approves.

Yep, that or the the rule of cool. They'll both keep you safer than the poor bastard out there measuring and weighing nagas to make sure they don't exceed some made up limits. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know how many fairies can dance on the head of a pin?