Gurps?
And I’d like to point out that theurgy is probably going to limit the options of the player if the moral choices department
This is getting a bit out of hand… I wasn’t complaining.
I was making fun of that trope based on your thoughts on what Theurgy could theoretically do. I responded that, “Hey! Who wouldn’t want to use science in a medieval setting to defeat your enemies?” Then, I went further and said having high charisma means you get to make your own religion. But, those in combat don’t get much love. So, why don’t we let them make an Art of War (which will still be known hundreds of years later, and read by… businessmen?). You told me that I was looking at it wrong, and that each style offers a different perspective for different people. I agreed, “I know.” Then, I used the “A God am I” trope as a joke about Theurgy being overpowered (and fun for God mode) if it could, theoretically, control “the laws of physics and (sub-)/atomic interactions.”
@Havenstone I fully appreciate that you haven’t made us aware of the precise limitations of theurgy. I see this as a good thing, as it allows the player to discover their capabilities through trial and error in play.
However, it’s difficult to imagine anything that a character who wants to keep their theurgy a secret could do to decisively turn the tide of a battle as some of the “flashy” options which you have currently written (such as causing their opponents’ weapons to fly from their grasp).
Using magic to assassinate the enemy leader, or to disrupt their formation, might be possible without tipping anyone off to the fact that you have powers. However, this would still leave the enemy capable of some resistance - and result in the deaths of rebels who would have lived if the main character hadn’t insisted on hiding their light under a bushel. Then again, this is a sacrifice which a risk-averse (or callous) leader might be willing to make.
Another consideration might be the impact on morale. Bandit leaders, and the leaders of other irregular groups, were generally expected to lead by example and take the same risks as their followers in battle.
I suspect that a character who tries to find a place to hide whenever there’s a crisis, and then starts mumbling and cutting themselves, is soon going to acquire a reputation for being both craven and mentally unstable. This will quickly undermine their authority over the band.
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“I suspect that a character who tries to find a place to hide whenever there’s a crisis, and then starts mumbling and cutting themselves, is soon going to acquire a reputation for being both craven and mentally unstable. This will quickly undermine their authority over the band.”
This is, also, an excellent point. 
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I noticed a lot of people have issues with Breden. I think the character is written brilliantly. When the “forced attraction” thing comes up, I can’t help thinking that it’s because he is so charismatic, and bold. You aren’t forced into a relationship with Breden, but you can’t help but be attracted to the personality. I played through as a noble, and my reaction to him crying after in the tent is because he can’t believe that someone like you could even love and care about someone like him. I don’t think crying makes him a traitor, I think it makes him happy you chose him. Maybe I’m too much of a romantic?
@mmmcake Yeah you are totally a romantic. I could understand your character reaction but is not MINE in a game with choices obligate ALL people to feel attracted to same guy same way with same feelings break my inmersion. Now, I have options to hate him her and you could love that ugly commoner aghh… I could give a awesome aristocratic Drazen type of response. The game this way add tons of replay value and quality. I couldnt stand romanticism i just get boring and ending taking a nap .
I’m sure that there will be options later on that allow you to have other relationships of the kind you are looking for. Haven hasn’t gotten that far, but this world is so huge, I don’t see why more lovers wouldn’t be available in the future. Haven has a huge attention to detail, just be patient lovely!
No problem, Dusk, I hope I didn’t seem hostile, tone is hard to convey in this form of medium, alas.
As for that question about GURPS, that’s a tabletop rpg, the initials stand for generic universal roleplaying system. It’s default magic sytem is a force based magic like theurgy, it even has an option in which casting spells does damage to the spellcaster. It also has spells that convert energy into spell energy, especially in the technology college, which illustrates the point I was trying to make that force magic has a dial that goes up to 11.
Of course unless the PC can devise a way to tap other forms of energy, the PC’s hypothetical dial will be limited to 1 or 2, lol.
And actually, havenstone, I have to say I disagree. The rebellion would expect a PC with no skill in combat, which is a choice in this game, to lead from the front if they’re complete morons. There’s a word: delegation. The rebellion needs a high intelligence leader to be a chessmaster, not acting like an idiot who is going to trip over his own feet and stab himself, and I’d like to point out I basically got that tongue lashing from Bredan for making such a stupid decision in the first place in one playthrough.
By definition in this game, if the PC has theurgy than they minimal to no combat skills, and someone who doesn’t have combat skills is not an asset on the battlefield. A high social leader ought to be somewhere safe where they can shout orders, a high mental leader needs to be out of the way and allowed to think, what they do best.
Would that mean more reliance on lieutenants, yes, could that become a problem later, as the game already warns us, absolutely.
And Protagonist, I have to say that seems like more of a limitation on your imagination than the situation. If we can pull weapons out of hands we can make people miss, if we can make swords that are capable of slicing through metal like butter we can make floors slippery or doors that just won’t open, weaken the straps of the opponents armor so it looks like they were sabotaged, undo saddles, make the food in their stomachs go bad so they are effectively poisoned, etc, etc.
What we can’t pass of as luck we can pass off as planning in advance. If the soldier’s food makes them sick, why it’s because you did something to their food before hand. If their equipment is ruined, why you have a spy in their ranks. If they all slip and fall, why it was a cunning trap.
Let them think your army include the angels themselves, let them think you have spies everywhere or that you’re so brilliant you know they’re every move before they do, as long as no one sees you self cutting and mumbling to yourself they have no reason to believe it’s theurgy. For one thing, only the priests are taught theurgy, being a former priest isn’t an option, and for a second the priests act as subtle as a hurricane.
And that’s assuming that theurgy is only capable of what it’s been shown to do so far: manipulate energy (kinetic? gravity? heat), and matter (making weapons super effective), considering the whole altered state of awareness thing I wouldn’t be surprised if theurgy exploits quantum mechanics in which case theurgy can manipulate probability itself, in which case the ability to make lucky breaks or cursing people with accidents would be unlimited.
That shield around the entire empire makes more sense if it just lowers the possibility of the offending things from entering or leaving down to 0%.
@stsword, you write, “A high social leader ought to be somewhere safe where they can shout orders, a high mental leader needs to be out of the way and allowed to think, what they do best.” That place may well be not on the battlefield, especially for the intellectual (whose skills do not, as earlier noted, extend to tactical genius). If you do choose to lead a combat raid and play no obvious role at all, but instead hold back where no one will notice you cutting yourself, it would make sense for some of your followers to take it amiss.
If you’ve explicitly delegated the lead to a lieutenant, though, that shouldn’t be a problem: with Zvad or Elery or Radmar leading the charge, your accompanying the party and observing from the rear wouldn’t offend many. Especially if the party won.
The physics of this world are more Aristotle than Einstein, so I’m afraid quantum mechanics is not going to come into it, and matter and energy (and, indeed, force and probability) are less helpful categories than stoicheia and telos (element and end).
Hi. Cool game you got, so far. I have a few thoughts.
I played a charistmatic noble who tried to get on everyone’s good side (except the clergy, they hate me no matter what I do) 'cause it seems to me an army full of nothing but dirty, ill-equipped helots would get their asses char-broiled in short order when the blood mages get around to stamping out my rebellion. Primarily I was thinking of making nice with the nobility and fighting for a free and independant kingdom and all that good stuff - the helots are secondary. It occurred to me and correct me if I’m wrong, that such an alliance would probably be sealed in matrimony. I would be getting my political marriage on, in other words. It could potentionally spell death for my budding romance with my main girl Breden, or come back to bite me with the noble ladies because they don’t want anything to do with a guy who’s screwing around with a peasant girl.
Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this already, or if you’re already considering this. I couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thread.
Also I was initially confused about what “Arms” meant in the stats screen. It was a while before I realized it was how many warriors I had. You may want to clear this up.
One more thing. In my struggle for a free Shayard, will I be working toward the old monarchy, or will there be options to push for other forms of government?
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Hey Sneaks, you’ll have the ability to treat the helots as secondary more and more as the rebellion rolls on. And yes, if you’ve selfishly dallied with Breden and then throw her over for a noblewoman to seal an alliance, there are various ways that could come back to bite you.
“Arms” means real weapons: the number of swords, maces, spears, etc. you’ve been able to capture from Alastors or guards (and thus the number of followers-at-arms you can muster, as opposed to just archers and peasants wielding farm implements). If it’s confusing, I can change it.
You’ll have the option to push for various forms of government. Formal voting systems probably won’t be among them; if Karagon ever had a classical democratic period, it’s long since wiped out any memory of it. But there will be more participatory options than the old monarchy – and of course there will be more authoritarian ones too.
Sweetles.
A note on theurgy: some kind of indicator that tells you how much blood you have left in your body. I’m pretty sure the blood stat is for vials. Just something that tells me “if you do this, you’re going to pass out” would be helpful.
Can’t think of anything else worth mentioning. I had a grand old time playing this game and I’m looking forward to seeing it finished.
@stsword Of course, no harm done.
The blood stat is for vials, and one of the (many) advantages of vials is that you’re in no danger of pushing too hard and falling unconscious. Otherwise, you’re figuring out the limits of Theurgy by trial and error; until you cut your hand and try something, you honestly don’t know if you’re going to pass out.
Of course, as a player doing multiple reads (or peeking at the code) you’ll eventually get a sense of how many times you can get away with it… but as a character, that’s something that you only find out by pushing yourself to the limit.
Thanks, @Sneaks – appreciate all the feedback!
I was certainly enjoying my run through until I realised that my leadership was flawed, and people died as a result. 
Great story thus far.
I hate when that happens.
(Thanks!)
@Havenstone first of all, great work so far! I really love playing this game, and can’t wait to buy the finished product.
I have a couple questions about the wards. Do they create a dome or a box that encloses all of the Empire or is it like a fence that ends at a certain altitude? Or is it non-contiguous with gaps or a serpentine?
Is the “shield” that the wards create visible or can it only be perceived by its effect?
You also mentioned that theurgy and weapons cannot cross the wards. Can you explain that a bit? What about things that have dual purposes like a pitchfork? What about blood vials? What about the practitioners of theurgy?
At the moment your character doesn’t know enough to answer most of those questions - but you’re pretty sure a pitchfork couldn’t make it through a Ward.
Alright, fair enough! Of the current main character bandits the only one to have actually seen the wards in person is Ciels correct?