Protection Magique pour un Pacquet

[JohnK]

Good day, everyone!
Bonne journée à tous!

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I figured that I would write it here, and if this is inappropriate for the topic of this message, I hope that one of the Moderators will move it where it needs to go.

Je ne savais pas où poster ça, alors je me suis dit que j'allais l'écrire ici, et si ce n'est pas approprié pour le sujet de ce message, j'espère que l'un des modérateurs le déplacer là où il doit aller.

I am in the process of writing a scenario in which a package or two must be delivered from one place (possibly a city) to a small village. In order to protect the package from passing eyes and from being looked at by the player characters, I was wondering... Is there a means of magically protecting the package so that others cannot take it or open it to look inside? If so, what type of magic would this be, and what magical effects would all of my friends here on the forums suggest I use for this purpose?

Je suis en train d'écrire un scénario dans lequel un paquet ou deux doit être livré d'un endroit (peut-être une ville) dans un petit village. Afin de protéger l'ensemble de passer les yeux et d'être examiné par les personnages des joueurs, je me demandais ... Y at-il un moyen de protéger magiquement le paquet afin que d'autres ne peuvent pas prendre ou à ouvrir pour regarder à l'intérieur? Si oui, quel type de magie ne serait-ce, et ce serait effets magiques à tous mes amis ici sur les forums, je suggère d'utiliser à cet effet?

Thanks everyone for your help with this, in advance.

Merci à tous pour votre aide avec cela, à l'avance.

[iznurda]

Hi !

the first book don't describe that kind of spell. However magientists are able to make secret compartments in other objects, more usual. Some occultists may have the knowledge too, but they take great risk to doing it without direct interest. Therefore the magientist way seems the best to me, according to the universe of the SoE. And with it the opportunity to play some hours to find key, pattern or code to open the secret compartment.

iz

Bonjour,

le livre I, Univers, ne décrit pas de sort de cette nature, a priori. Cependant les magientiste sont aptes à construire des compartiments dissimulés dans d'autres objets, plus anodins. Peut-être quelques occultistes en seraient capables mais ils risques gros à le faire s'il n'y ont pas un intérêt majeur. La solution magientiste me paraît la plus directement transposable, obligeant à trouver les plans, la clefs ou le code du dispositif pour parvenir à l'ouvrir. Cela laisse déjà pas mal de place à quelques heures de jeu.

iz

[JohnK]

Hullo, Iz,

I hadn't thought of the Magientists and their arts in that sense, as to me, magience is more...scientific in style and feel, as opposed to being magical. That said, I've had problems trying to envision the Demorthen arts as being able to do what I would like to do here, warding the package to prevent tampering. This, even though I had thought that the package would be sent from a demorthen to someone else in a village, so figured that the demorthen would have ensorcelled the package to prevent it from being examined too closely by the player characters and to prevent easy theft while the player characters are travelling with the package.

Hmm... Is there any chance that you can write up how you would do the effect, and post it up here?


Salut, Iz,

Je n'avais pas pensé à les magientists et leurs arts dans ce sens, pour moi, est plus ... scientifique dans le style et la sensation, plutôt que d'être magique. Cela dit, j'ai eu des problèmes en essayant d'imaginer les arts Demorthen comme étant capable de faire ce que je voudrais faire ici, conjurer le paquet pour empêcher toute manipulation. Cela, même si je pensais que le colis doit être envoyé à partir d'un demorthen à quelqu'un d'autre dans un village, donc pensé que la demorthen aurait ensorcelé le package pour l'empêcher d'être examiné de trop près par les personnages des joueurs et pour prévenir le vol simple tandis que les personnages joueurs se déplacent avec le paquet.

Hmm ... Y at-il une chance que vous pouvez écrire comment vous pourriez faire de l'effet, et le poster ici?

[Arthus]

Hi John,

I think that this kind of magic is not in the spirit of Esteren, more based on superstitions, and where the existence of magic is not totally certain. Such a spell is maybe too obvious...

Of course, this is your scenario/game, and you could decide that such a spell exists (maybe an illusion/transformation one that makes the package appear other than it really is).

Others solutions are :

- the mechanical one, proposed by Iznurda : a trapped, locked, hidden package.
- the "natural illusion one" : make believe that an object is not what he really is (with paintings, or lying on the nature of the object, and so on).

I hope I could help you!

[Val]

Hello John

I think the best way to deal with your issue is just the old way : the démorthèn can easily put a seal (not a magical one) on the package and warn the players that if they try to open the package, it will obviously be known and they will have some trouble.

And if the players open the package (althoug they have no reasons to do that !), just let them discover something that put them in very hard danger (some conspiracy, or an horrific truth on something...). There are some chances that after that, their curiosity decreases a lot when dealing with forbidden actions...

But I don't know if this solution is compatible with your scenario ^^

Val

[Arthus]

And if the players open the package (althoug they have no reasons to do that !), just let them discover something that put them in very hard danger (some conspiracy, or an horrific truth on something...). There are some chances that after that, their curiosity decreases a lot when dealing with forbidden actions...

Good idea Val! And if I may add a suggestion... Why dont'you use poison on your package? A painful poison that gives hallucinations, for example...

[JohnK]

Hullo, Arthus,

I'm going to keep this post in English, as to be honest, it's difficult to quote the previous response and add one's new material to it in one language, let alone two.

Hi John,
I think that this kind of magic is not in the spirit of Esteren, more based on superstitions, and where the existence of magic is not totally certain. Such a spell is maybe too obvious...

This has been been pretty much how I feel about this myself, but I wanted to see if there was a means of duplicating this sort of idea in the game. I've come to realise that magic in [iShadows of Esteren[/i] doesn't really work the way it does in other fantasy rpgs, and to be honest, I'm glad. But it does present a bit of a dilemma in terms of how to resolve this...

Of course, this is your scenario/game, and you could decide that such a spell exists (maybe an illusion/transformation one that makes the package appear other than it really is).

The illusion or transformation spell idea is quite nice, I think, and I may go with this one. Thanks for suggesting this.

Others solutions are :

- the mechanical one, proposed by Iznurda : a trapped, locked, hidden package.
- the "natural illusion one" : make believe that an object is not what he really is (with paintings, or lying on the nature of the object, and so on).

Both of these give me ideas for how to work the situation out, and decide how I intend to handle this. I'm not sure yet which one I prefer, but these are both ideas that I hadn't really considered.

I hope I could help you!

Yes, yes, you did! Merci, encore.

[JohnK]

Salut Val,

Hello John
I think the best way to deal with your issue is just the old way : the démorthèn can easily put a seal (not a magical one) on the package and warn the players that if they try to open the package, it will obviously be known and they will have some trouble.

Hmm, the old deception routine, perhaps. Would it be likely that the demorthèn would tell the characters that the item had been spelled/warded? Would most characters know what demorthèn are capable of magically? He would make them believe that the package seal might be ensorcelled, but in fact it's not...

And if the players open the package (althoug they have no reasons to do that !), just let them discover something that put them in very hard danger (some conspiracy, or an horrific truth on something...). There are some chances that after that, their curiosity decreases a lot when dealing with forbidden actions...

Actually, I have plans for consequences if the player characters open the package to see what's inside. I agree with you that the players have no reason to open the package, but you know how players work, curiosity and all the consequences that go along with that. In effect, the less they know about the contents of the package, the better for them in the long run.

But I don't know if this solution is compatible with your scenario ^^

Very compatible with the scenario. Will just require a minor re-write of one section, but nothing to dificult. Thanks for that solution. Works well!

[JohnK]

Salut, Arthus,

And if the players open the package (althoug they have no reasons to do that !), just let them discover something that put them in very hard danger (some conspiracy, or an horrific truth on something...). There are some chances that after that, their curiosity decreases a lot when dealing with forbidden actions...

Good idea Val! And if I may add a suggestion... Why dont'you use poison on your package? A painful poison that gives hallucinations, for example...

Very nice! I rather like that idea! One question... what is the morality of demorthèn when it comes to the use of poisons for such a purpose? Of course, if the package is important enough that it requires some protection...

[Val]

He would make them believe that the package seal might be ensorcelled, but in fact it's not...

I love this idea ! It's how I see the world of Esteren : "magic ? ... hum.. perhaps.. !"