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The Duel

This is the log of a magical combat that took place on September 21st, 1998 on IRC. The system is Talislanta. The left column is almost verbatim what was said during the game, and the right column is a blow-by-blow explanation of the game mechanics involved.

Think of it as a sneak peek into the mind of a Talislanta GM. Maybe it'll give you some ideas on how to handle player's spells in your game... Maybe it'll give you some new ideas to spring on your unsuspecting GM. Either way, maybe you'll enjoy it.

PC: Laeolisar is determined to leave an impression on the Aamanians.		We start our observation at the end of one session. The party has just managed to enter and escape the aamanian Donjon.
GM: Laeolisar: You sense approaching magic... Big magic. Centered on you. PC: Laeolisar rushes up the stairs and peeks into the street, and casts down his bundle of clothing.. GM: Your magical senses cringe, as if to say "This is going to hurt.. a lot." GM: Forces converge on the hapless tanasian.. three streams of divine energy. GM: Nifara and Askir are tossed aside like ragdolls. PC: Laeolisar focuses his will upon one thing, survival.....		At this point the aamanians have detected Laeolisar's use of witchcraft from a distance, and are invoking mighty magics to strike him down. As GM, I don't even bother having him roll a magic rating check to detect it... I decide that the upcomming blast is easily detectable by anyone with magical training.
GM: Laeolisar: Roll a speed-check to see if you can put up some sort of magical defense at the last moment. PC: Laeolisar rolls D20, 14 GM: In the last instant, as your magical senses scream "OH NO", you manage to raise your arms and... PC: Laeolisar makes a last ditch effort and rolls D20+5, 14 PC: Laeolisar throws up his arms and screams out a necromantic phrase, causing a sheet of darkness to flash before him and intercept the trio of blasts... GM: The blasts come crashing through, your defense torn to shreds. GM: Laeolisar is knocked back into the Donjon, Nifara and Askir are knocked to the sides.		Here I'm giving the PC a chance to save his worthless hide. He gets a 14, easily enough to allow him to cast a counterspell. He then casts a defensive spell, level 11. It's enough to save his life, but not enough to stop the three level 15 attack spells.
GM: Nifara: You take no direct damage, just a few bruises. GM: Askir stands, shaking his head. PC: Nifara continues her northward course after again picking herself up, scrambling to make the best time possible. GM: Askir follows, looking back as three white-robed archmages descend from the sky and enter the Donjon. PC: Laeolisar lays upon the cold stone, shaking with the exertion. That was the end of one session... At the begining of the next:		Nifara and Askir, (danuvian and ahazu) rush off, since time is crucial at this point. They're trying to prevent a friend of theirs from being burned at the stake. Thus Laeolisar is left behind to deal with whatever just blasted him.
GM: Anyways... when we left off, three archmages were floating down towards the Donjon. GM: You were just climbing up from the rubble of their initial blast. GM: You stand inside the entrance of the Donjon. The passageway to your right leads down a flight of stairs. PC: Laeolisar shudders and expounds, "All this for one Thrall...", stepping towards the runes he had scratched in the stone floor. GM: Ahead is something akin to an office space, with desks on the left and various drawings of wanted heretics and infidels on the right.		Descriptions...
GM: Outside the entrance you can see the descending feet of the first archmage, his white robes just now comming into view. PC: Laeolisar stands in his circle he etched earlier... PC: Laeolisar, after composing himself he begins, his voice rasping; "By my word and will, I ward myself against those magics wich harm the flesh, wich weaken the body and bring death all too near. By my word and will I bid this deed done." PC: Laeolisar rolls D20+5, 12 GM: A small golden rune sputters to life above the warlocks head...		Here Laeolisar has put up a ward against Attack spells, a prudent move when facing three opponents who have already displayed the ability to cast devastating assaults. The "rune above his head" is a description this player has used before, and while I don't agree that it fits in with witchcraft (I think it sounds more like cryptomancy) it's his character.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20, 10 GM rolls D20, 13 PC: Laeolisar draws his wand from within his robes and firmly points it out the door, towards the white robed Archmagi that walks his way. GM: The first archmage lands, his face a grim mask of determination. He appears to be a middle-aged man, his face etched with years of patient study and prayer to Aa. In his hands he holds a brass staff, atop which is a single, staring eye in a triangle. GM: As you draw your wand, the archmage cries out "You shall die for your crimes, warlock! You dare dabble in the evils of witchcraft here within the very walls of the Holy City! I smite you with the righteous wrath of Aa the Omniscient!" and a bolt of pure white radiance shines forth from the tip of his staff... GM: The incandescent energies play across your ward, being tossed aside like so much rainwater.		After Laeolisar got his ward up, it was the begining of the combat round. Initiative was rolled, and the aamanians went first. The first one through the door, seeing the warlock before him, naturally decides to finish him off with one last attack spell. His spell is blocked by the ward. The aamanians will have to be more creative than that to take out this infidel.
PC: Laeolisar recites the triggere and lets loose a violet ball of fire towards his target and rolls D20+10, 26 GM: You fire your pyromantic wand... The archmage is suprised by the attack, his defenses obviously having been prepared for a witchcraft or other form of attack. GM: The fire knocks him back, catching his pristine robes aflame. He falls back to the ground, batting at the fire. GM: The other two archmages still stand out of view, beyond the door.		Laeolisar is using a wand he discovered early in his career. The actual damage from the fire is minimal... only 5 points. But the blast radius is ten feet, so the impact of the fireball is greater than its heat. The aamanian is knocked back, and his clothing catches fire, but he isn't seriously wounded yet.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20, 13 GM rolls D20, 19 GM: You can hear one of them chanting a prayer to Aa, and a moment later you see a shining, angelic figure appear in the doorway. A single eye adorns its face. You hear from outside "Avatar! Go forth and bring the evil one to our justice!" GM: The glowing, muscular figure steps in. PC: Laeolisar spets back, startled...		A new round begins, and the two aamanians who stayed outside last round have observed the result of their companion waltzing in, and so are going another route. Initiative is rolled, and once again Laeolisar loses out. The two archimages cooperate on a spell... It's an attack spell, but rather than taking the form of a blast or a hand-held weapon, it is taking the form of an attacking creature. (This is a spell-effect that has been used before in my games. It's called a "Fighting Avatar" and it's certainly not in accordance with the rules as presented. I like it, though.) The combat rating of the Fighting Avatar is equal to half its level, and it does damage the same as an attack spell would. Unless a counterspell is used, the attack spell lasts for one round per level, and can take 3hp damage per level before being destroyed. In this case, the aamanians naturally chose a form based on their religeon. For them, the attack spell is an Avatar of Aa the All-Knowing.
GM: Laeolisar, firmly thrusts his wand in his belt and brandishes his dagger, "By Malingnar's Oaths, I gather forth all the pain and death that permeates these stone corridors and halls ... I direct it to these fools, rip out thier spirits as they have done to so many others!" PC: Laeolisar rolls D20+5, 15 GM: More than a dozen dark specters rise from the stones, moaning their hatred and eternal agony... GM: The dark entities dart foreward as one, engaging the glowing avatar.		Laeolisar, not to be outdone, performs a similar spell. Since his is necromancy rather than invocation, the visible result is quite different. His "swarm of spectres" is in game terms a single Avatar. Had Laeolisar been a pyromancer, his Avatar might have resembled a firey elemental. Had he been a mystic, his Avatar might have attacked the mind rather than the body, rendering the victims unconscious. It's all up to the GM.
GM: The black souls of those damned by aamanian evil attack the avatar, and rolls D20-1, 1 GM: The Avatar swings its arm in a broad sweep, attacking the swirling spirits, and rolls D20+1, 5 GM: Neither conjuration gains the upper hand this round.		The two combat spells go at it, neither being very effective this round. The Avatar had a combat rating of 8, being a 16th level spell. The black souls were from a 14th level spell, so are at a slight disadvantage with a combat rating of 7.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20, 8 GM rolls D20, 5 PC: Laeolisar casts the charred shells of a tortoise upon the ground, "Malingnar, sheath me in your power!" and rolls D20+5, 17 PC: Grey mist form at the necromancers feet, twisting around him in an etheral armour that looks akin to the skeleton of a devil.		A new round begins, and Laeolisar finally wins the initiative roll. He is casting an aura of protection, just in case something nasty gets past his ward. The description of the devil-like appearance is the player's idea, of course.
GM: Two aamanian archamages (the burnt one is still putting out his robes) enter the doorway, standing on the far side of the raging conflict between the avatar and the damned souls. GM: One of them points to Laeolisar and says "Down, devil-worshipper! Down among the vermin you love so well!" and a white fist appears in the air before him... the Hand of Aa... and darts forth, growing to monsterous size as it reaches for Laeolisar.		This is a Move mode spell, used for grappling.
GM: Laeolisar: You may dodge or use magic to defend yourself. PC: (Is this an attack spell?) GM: (No, It's a "grab your butt and push you down to the ground" spell, Move mode.) PC: (hrmmm) GM: A third option is to try to resist the hand with physical strength... I failed to mention that option for obvious reasons.		Here I explain the options the player has. It is reasonable to let the player hear his options and make a careful decision, since his character is no doubt far more aware of his surroundings and options than the player himself is.
GM: You've still got another aamanian archmage who's attacking this round, so I'll go ahead and describe his action too. GM: The other one cries out "Let the light of Aa's eternal wisdom shine upon this wayward soul! Show him the error of his ways!" and a light shines from the eye on his staff... a very seductive light... it seems so reasonable... Just follow Aa. Believe... GM: (Will check at -6 to resist the charm. You may use Magic Rating in place of will.)		While he's thinking about how his character will respond to that approaching hand, the other aamanian tries a spell of influence, 12th level.
PC: Laeolisar delves deep within his mind to resist the magical works of this Arch mage... rolls D20+2, 22 PC: (that is a roll!) GM: (Hell yeah) You resist the seductive pull of the aamanian's mind-spell.		He makes the roll, resisting the influence of the aamanian.
GM: (Now what are you doing about that approaching hand?) PC: This.. PC: Laeolisar casts the charred shells upon the ground again calling, "Darkness sheath that ill will in you un-light ... protect your servant!" and rolls D20+2, 14 GM: The dark barrier envelopes the shining hand, and both spells are destroyed.		To counterspell the hand, he uses a spell of Defense, a spherical barrier. Rather than worry about precise details of level vs. level, I decide to let both spells counter one another. Their levels were approximatly the same, so that was close enough for me.
GM: The dark spirits swoop in at the avatar and rolls D20-1, 10 GM: The avatar is struck a glancing blow. GM: The avatar returns with renewed fury, sweeping at the dark wraiths, and rolls D20+1, 19 GM: Several of the dark spirits are destroyed.		The avatar (being a 16th level spell) had 48 hp. The spirits (being a 14th level spell), and acting as a single entity, had 42 hp. The spirits got a partial success, and did 7 hp damage to the avatar. The avatar turned back and got a full success, doing 16hp damage to them, destroying a few.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20, 11 GM rolls D20, 10 PC: Laeolisar grits his teeth, chanting in Torquranian, the lost laguage of the Necromancer kings and rolls D20+5, 18 PC: A shimmering bolt of infernal darkness fires forth from my outstretched finger, darting towards the aamanian on the left. PC: Laeolisar's black eyes glow with the passing of this spell.. GM: The archmage attempts to dodge the infernal energies, and rolls D20, 9 GM: It hits him in the shoulder, and he groans as the chill of death grips his bones.		Laeolisar again wins the initiative, and fires a powerful necromantic bolt at one of the archmages. However, the man manages to partially dodge the spell, and so only took half damage.
GM: The other aamanian directs his staff like a weapon, swinging it through the air as though at an unseen target. GM: When his staff "connects", it stops in mid-air, and the energy of the blow is transfered towards the necromancer... GM: His ward, however, stops the blow.		The other aamanian tries an attack spell, either having forgotten the ward or else not having seen its earlier effect.
GM: The scortched aamanian enters the doorway, raises his hands and calls out "Aa, smite this infidel for his crimes!" GM: His hands glow whitely, and you feel your magical energies being drawn from you.		Here is an Alter spell, attempting to affect Laeolosar's Magic Rating attribute. It's a 15th level spell, and Laeolisar's MR is +10.
GM: Roll MR check, -15 PC: Laeolisar's mind strikes forth to push the evil energies away... rolls D20-5, 12 GM: You manage to resist!		Amazingly, Laeolisar survives the potent spell unscathed.
GM: The avatar strikes, sweeping at the dark wraiths, and rolls D20+1, 18 GM: The wraiths move in as one, and rolls D20-1, 2 GM: More than half of the dark specters are gone now, and the avatar seems almost unharmed.		The two war-spells go at it again, and the dark souls are taking a beating.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20, 3 GM rolls D20, 19 GM: Three aamanians focus their energies on Laeolisar now, chanting in unison. GM: ("Yer a gonner" is the translation) PC: (yep..) GM: The trio cast a unified spell to rip Laeolisar limb from limb, focusing all their strength on a single spell. (Move mode, strength +7)		A new round begins. I decide that the aamanians are going to blast Laeolisar, the building around him, and the horse he rode in on. They're tired of his unrepentant resistance to the divine Will of Aa.
GM: They roll D20+4, 5 GM: However, their deity deigns not to respond to their prayers at this time, and they are left with nothing for their efforts!		The luck of the ten thousand is with the warlock today!
GM: The wraiths attack again, and roll D20-1, 14 GM: The avatar takes 14 damage, staggering a bit from the solid blow. GM: The avatar jumps back to the fray and rolls D20+1, 18 GM: The last of the spirits are destroyed. GM: The avatar has taken a total of 21 hp damage.		The avatar won the contest between itself and the dark souls. Things are looking grim for Laeolisar.
PC: (ok ... tell me what I see ... how close are they, were is the avatar ... any corridors?) GM: One sec, I'll draw a map. GM: _ _ | x | |x x| | A | | | | | | |______ | descending stairs | L | | | | |_____________ A = Avatar x = Archmage L = Laeolisar		Description and drawn map.
PC: Laeolisar composes his worried mind, pulling a serpents skin out of his robes ... "By my word and will ... make me as swift as the serpent, to strike as fast as the viper." and rolls D20+5, 13 GM: Laeolisar: You feel your responses heighten, your reactions becoming lightening swift.		Laeolisar has a plan, but he knows he'll need speed for it, and so uses an Alter spell, 9th level, to enhance his speed by +3.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20+6, 16 GM rolls D20, 16 GM: The aamanians stay back a moment, allowing the avatar to strike first. GM: The avatar steps forth, prepared to lay the necromancer low... But he seems unable to approach.		The avatar is an attack spell, and Laeolisar's ward is still in effect.
GM: The lead archmage points his staff at Laeolisar and says "Let the might of Aa the Omnipotent destroy that ward..." GM: The archmage rolls D20+3, 4		The archmage, frustrated by the failure of the avatar, decides to do something about that ward, by countering it. His counterspell is ineffective, however.
GM: The second chants again, the seductive glow comming from his staff... GM: The second one rolls D20+1, 5		Yet another spell-failure for the aamanians. The dice love the PC today.
GM: The third aamanian attempts to bind Laeolisar once more... GM: The third rolls D20-2, 10 PC: (it is obvious to me that Aa wishes me to live...) GM: Laeolisar: Another Hand of Aa, this one smaller and less potent-looking, reaches for you.		A partial success... But it might still be enough to slow down Laeolisar at the very time when he wants speed.
GM: (Keep in mind that this is going simultaneously with Laeolisar's action.) PC: Laeolisar dodges to the right, down the stairs. GM: Roll a speed check. PC: Laeolisar employs his new speed just as intended, rushing down the corridor to his right.. rolls D20+6, 15 GM: You avoid the grasping Hand of Aa.		He makes it down the side-passage, evading the spell.
GM: --Talislanta Initiative-- Laeolisar rolls D20+6, 23 GM rolls D20, 8 GM: You can hear the archmages cursing. GM: The sound of the avatar's steps echoes down the stone corridor behind you. PC: Laeolisar turns and he runs down the hall ... once he is a sufficient distance down the hall, he turns aiming his wand down the hall... GM: The avatar turns the corner first.
PC: Laeolisar aims not at the avatar, but at the roof above it, so as to block the persiut of the mages. rolls D20+10, 20 GM: The blast echoes in both directions...		Laeolisar succeeds, perhaps better than he had hoped...
GM rolls D20-1, 0 GM: The ceiling begins to collapse. GM: (That was a check for the structural integrity!) PC: choke!		This is an ancient structure, and I decide that if it were a living being, it would only have a Con of +2. (A brand new stone structure would have a Con of +8 or higher to resist destruction, in my opinion.) A con of +2 means a roll of d20+4, minus the spell-level. The spell-level is 5, so the roll is d20-1. Still a good chance for the building to be unharmed, or at least suffer mild to major structural damage. But it rolls a 0... If the building were a person that would mean death, so...
GM: With the collapse of that one section, other parts of the ceiling begin to fall. GM: The dust cloud begins to billow out from the site of the blast, and the rumbling becomes ever louder and more and more of the structure begins to fall! PC: Laeolisar runs as fast as he can, hoping that his wards and defensive spells will do him some good. GM: Your enhanced speed saves you... for now. GM: By the time the rumbling ends and the floor stops shaking, you are far, far beneath the surface, and the levels above you are solid rubble. GM: You're trapped in the Aamanian Donjon. PC: (how strudy is the place?) GM: (Not very, obviously) GM: (It's ancient) GM: The Donjon was first built in the early days of the Phaedran Empire, before the Cult Wars were ever heard of. PC: Laeolisar looks for a passage deeper into the donjon, were the intact structure may help to hold up the rubble and there must be a drain of some sort. GM: That's a good place to end it for today. GM: You're trapped in the Donjon, searching for a means of escape.		Awarding xp is very subjective. The amount to give varies greatly depending on what kind of campaign you want to run. My advice, err on the side of caution at first. You can always start giving out more later, but you can't take back xp if you give out too much.
GM: Laeolisar: +5xp