Author Topic: Bless This House - Underpowered?  (Read 5483 times)

Offline Masurao

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #15 on: July 28, 2011, 04:11:10 PM »
Or, draw a larger circle around the campsite and use it to make a threshold for the night?

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2011, 06:21:29 PM »
I think the threshold between the light and dark that the campfire creates is a neat way to set up a camp threshold.  In many stories you hear of creatures just outside the light of the fire...warded by the light.  So the area of your threshold is the radius of the light.

Yeah.  the campfire warding off the darkness and creating warmth and shelter is one of the oldest things we as humanity have.  I don't think it would be worth much of anything on its own, but I would let the metaphysical symbolism of that work with Bless This House.

Offline Silverblaze

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #17 on: July 29, 2011, 04:29:28 AM »
Campfires seem to be a great idea.

Hunting lodges, longhouses, cabins, and trailers could work as well.  A stretch could be a tent also, but... it lacks symbolism of the campfire idea and isn't permanent so...thats a big stretch.

Offline Todjaeger

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #18 on: July 30, 2011, 05:19:17 AM »
Yeah.  the campfire warding off the darkness and creating warmth and shelter is one of the oldest things we as humanity have.  I don't think it would be worth much of anything on its own, but I would let the metaphysical symbolism of that work with Bless This House.

From my perspective (and this comes from someone who has spent many a night with others around a campfire...) a campfire would not really 'count' as a Threshold.

From both canon and RAW, one of the Thresholds is the transition from night into day (or vice versa), darkness transitioning into light is not one of the mentioned Thresholds.  Midnight and Midday are also Thresholds, depending on who/what is involved.  There is a reference in Changes that midday is a point of transition for the Unseelie Court, with True Seemings transforming back to their original forms at this time.  There is also the inference that midnight is a similar time for the Seelie Court.  These points of metaphysical transition seem to act as Thresholds vs. Seelie or Unseelie magic, depending on which time is involved, and there is no mention or requirement that actual darkness or light is required.  The same also applies for the transition between day and night, or night and day.  Of course exposure to direct sunlight from a rising sun has been mentioned as having a greater impact upon the weakening of latent spells like Wards, even things not exposed to daylight get progressively weaker as days keep transitioning.

One of the other often mentioned factors involving Thresholds, is a physical structure or barrier, along with the intent of the builder or builders if the structure is artificial.  Namely the structure like a building keeping people, things and the weather 'out', or a wall or fencing to keep things 'in'.  A campfire provides no such structure.

Lastly, there is the nature of the shelter our forebearers took around campfires.  Such fires provided warm from cold environments as well as a means to cook food.  Animals tended to give campfires a wide berth because their only other experiences with fire would be wild fires, also the sights, sounds and smells coming from around a campfire would all include humans, an apex predator.  Now animals, even predatory ones like bears, wolves and big cats do not normally prey upon people, instead considering people a threat.  A supernatural nasty on the other hand might look at people (particularly en masse) as a potential threat, but also as 'food'.  With that in mind, while fire is a potential supernatural 'cleanser' a campfire might act as more of a beacon to supernatural predators, a supernatural equivalent to billboard sign saying, 'Eat here..." 

Of course go with whatever works for your own game. 

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Offline toturi

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #19 on: July 30, 2011, 03:47:44 PM »
With that in mind, while fire is a potential supernatural 'cleanser' a campfire might act as more of a beacon to supernatural predators, a supernatural equivalent to billboard sign saying, 'Eat here..." 

Unless the area lit by the billboard is literally seeded with supernatural equivalent of IEDs that is empowered by Bless This House. Thus while a mundane campfire may be act as a beacon to supernatural predators, a campfire reinforced by Bless This House might act more as a warning light to keep away, a supernatural equivlanet of a billboard sign saying, "Danger keep clear..."
With your laws of magic, wizards would pretty much just be helpless carebears who can only do magic tricks. - BumblingBear

Offline Masurao

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #20 on: July 30, 2011, 04:59:14 PM »
Too bad the nasties won't know what it says unless they try to cross... Or have a supernatural sense for such things...

Offline Save_vs_DM

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Re: Bless This House - Underpowered?
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2011, 06:10:12 AM »
Very good points, all of you. The point about magic circles is the most helpful and I think that I've been a bit too limited on what exactly a threshold entails. Mostly I think I've taken Harry's words in the books as a bit too literal. Now that I understand the power a bit more (thanks Todjaeger) I don't feel like the power is undercosted nearly as much. I just need to show the player how to use a bit more wisely and perhaps give it a few more chances to shine.
By a knight of ghosts and shadows
I summoned am to tourney
Ten leagues beyond the wide world's end
Methinks it is no journey.