Getting Strong [Archive] - Wizards Community

Getting Strong [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Aliquid
11-17-05, 04:13 PM When your character puts on "Gauntlets of Ogre Strength", or gets “Bull’s strength” cast on him, how do you imagine the effect?

Does your character look exactly the same as normal, but is just magically stronger, or do you like to go for the “Incredible Hulk” scenario where your muscles suddenly grow and you tear through your clothing.
eudas
11-17-05, 04:57 PM well, they're both enhancement bonuses, right? so, they don't stack -- whichever one is higher would be the one that takes effect. so, if the gauntlets are +4str or higher, there'd be no change.

eudas
Surgo
11-17-05, 05:01 PM That's not what he was asking, Eudas.

I imagine it to be an almost invisible effect, until it hits someone (who would be surprised by the unnatural strength of the user). I visualize and describe a lot of different effects this way, like the "reach" power (their limbs don't get longer, but they can strike at an impossible distance), or the "cat's grace" spell (he flowed around the attack like water; impossible, no human could do that). I visualize and describe "bull's strength" in much of the same way.

Of course, how you do it is up to you: it's your flavor, after all.
eudas
11-17-05, 05:07 PM well, it's not *directly* what he was asking, but the point has bearing on it, since if the gauntlets are +4 or more, the answer is 'nothing happens'. the muscles would already be rippling, they wouldn't ripple any more.

eudas
Aliquid
11-17-05, 05:20 PM well, it's not *directly* what he was asking, but the point has bearing on it, since if the gauntlets are +4 or more, the answer is 'nothing happens'. the muscles would already be rippling, they wouldn't ripple any more.

eudasHeck it wasn't even *indirectly* what I was asking. I distinctly said Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, or Bull’s strength. Not and.

i.e. what happens when you switch from a normal strength to a magically improved one.

Of course, how you do it is up to you: it's your flavor, after all.Absolutely. I just like to hear about the flavor that other people add to their games. I find that people on the boards spend too much time talking about game mechanics... I figured it might be interesting to start a thread based more on how people imagine things and the flavor of their game.
eudas
11-17-05, 05:26 PM hmm, no, you're right. i'm an idiot. ha! critical reading skills, thou hast failed me.

i am ashamed.

well, maybe it'll serve a useful purpose and get more people's attention for the thread at least.

eudas
Crimson_Concerto
11-17-05, 05:51 PM I imagine is like the muscles getting a bit bigger all of a sudden, like Hulk-ing out. That looks really hot in my mind.
20goingon1232
11-17-05, 07:28 PM The only time you'll "Hulk out" is when someone casts Righteous Might on you and you walked into the radius of a Stinking Cloud. Green and big... :D
BeyondFated
11-17-05, 07:57 PM I imagine you'd probably have a bit more muscle tone, but thats it.
Aliquid
11-17-05, 08:23 PM hmm, no, you're right. i'm an idiot. ha! critical reading skills, thou hast failed me.

i am ashamed.Hey, no worries. I often have a habit of reading things too quickly, and getting the content wrong.
Aliquid
11-18-05, 12:36 PM I imagine is like the muscles getting a bit bigger all of a sudden, like Hulk-ing out. That looks really hot in my mind.This could lead to some amusing situations if the muscles bulked out a lot...

Scenario - Adventurers are at some important high-society party, scouting for information. Suddenly things go wrong and a battle breaks out.

Wizard – “Do you want me to cast Bull’s Strength on you?”
Fighter – “Heck no! Are you kidding? Do you know how much I paid for this outfit?”
phelanarcetus
11-18-05, 12:47 PM I think I prefer the idea that there's no particularly noticeable change in the appearance of the person receiving the buff.

It's definitely great for cinematic scenes for Bull's Strength to do the Hulk transformation (sans the greenness, trembling, and loss of intelligence). But it's somewhat harder to find a good way to visualize how most of the other stats change your appearance.

Cat's Grace can change how smoothly you move, and how fast, but your appearance? Bear's Endurance I guess might bulk you up slightly, give you a flush of rosy color in your cheeks... but not much else. Fox's Cunning and Owl's Wisdom? Do you suddenly sprout white hairs or glasses? (Sure, for a comedy-style game.) Can you think of visual manifestations of mental statistics? I can see Eagle's Splendor slightly improving your appearance, but very little, since Charisma is much more a statistic of your force of personality than it is of your appearance (and I hate when people say "I have 18 charisma and you have a 14, so I'm better looking").

I would tend to base appearance on your actual physical stats (though more on whatever flavor text you want to put together for it; but if you put a point into strength at 4th level, then you bulk up a bit or gain muscle definition). Enhancement bonuses I would not make affect your appearance at all; but rather when this guy who looks like he has a 15 strength punches you, you are shocked, becuase it feels like he has a 21 strength. Not that I'd let people make spot checks to guess at their opponent's strength, but maybe at most get a vague concept of "is this guy excessively strong, does he move as though he's really agile" sorts of things.
Thorak
11-18-05, 01:35 PM I liken it more to the Matrix than to the Hulk.

You're being given inhuman strength from an external source. Your muscles aren't suddenly bigger, you merely have magic boosting their effort. No visible difference, save for the effects.

And yes, I know, the Matrix was a horrible set of movies with too much silly preachyness. The special effects were neat, though, and that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.
solbergb
11-18-05, 05:14 PM Normal enhancements = you look the same. Just as you look the same when you get any attribute buff except perhaps charisma (and even that is probably voice, posture, or just magical glamour to make you more interesting). Unless you invent a different spell, the base 6 enhancment-bonus-to-attribute spells have no visible effect.

Something like Rage? I would say that's up to you, but usually raging folks froth at the mouth, have veins stand out, muscles bunch up...they seem bigger. I've got a char that will wildshape someday that I roleplay looks more animalistic when she rages (grows hair, muscles grow, etc) but it is really up to you.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aliquid 11-17-05, 04:13 PM	When your character puts on "Gauntlets of Ogre Strength", or gets “Bull’s strength” cast on him, how do you imagine the effect? Does your character look exactly the same as normal, but is just magically stronger, or do you like to go for the “Incredible Hulk” scenario where your muscles suddenly grow and you tear through your clothing.
eudas 11-17-05, 04:57 PM	well, they're both enhancement bonuses, right? so, they don't stack -- whichever one is higher would be the one that takes effect. so, if the gauntlets are +4str or higher, there'd be no change. eudas
Surgo 11-17-05, 05:01 PM	That's not what he was asking, Eudas. I imagine it to be an almost invisible effect, until it hits someone (who would be surprised by the unnatural strength of the user). I visualize and describe a lot of different effects this way, like the "reach" power (their limbs don't get longer, but they can strike at an impossible distance), or the "cat's grace" spell (he flowed around the attack like water; impossible, no human could do that). I visualize and describe "bull's strength" in much of the same way. Of course, how you do it is up to you: it's your flavor, after all.
eudas 11-17-05, 05:07 PM	well, it's not directly what he was asking, but the point has bearing on it, since if the gauntlets are +4 or more, the answer is 'nothing happens'. the muscles would already be rippling, they wouldn't ripple any more. eudas
Aliquid 11-17-05, 05:20 PM	well, it's not directly what he was asking, but the point has bearing on it, since if the gauntlets are +4 or more, the answer is 'nothing happens'. the muscles would already be rippling, they wouldn't ripple any more. eudasHeck it wasn't even indirectly what I was asking. I distinctly said Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, or Bull’s strength. Not and. i.e. what happens when you switch from a normal strength to a magically improved one. Of course, how you do it is up to you: it's your flavor, after all.Absolutely. I just like to hear about the flavor that other people add to their games. I find that people on the boards spend too much time talking about game mechanics... I figured it might be interesting to start a thread based more on how people imagine things and the flavor of their game.
eudas 11-17-05, 05:26 PM	hmm, no, you're right. i'm an idiot. ha! critical reading skills, thou hast failed me. i am ashamed. well, maybe it'll serve a useful purpose and get more people's attention for the thread at least. eudas
Crimson_Concerto 11-17-05, 05:51 PM	I imagine is like the muscles getting a bit bigger all of a sudden, like Hulk-ing out. That looks really hot in my mind.
20goingon1232 11-17-05, 07:28 PM	The only time you'll "Hulk out" is when someone casts Righteous Might on you and you walked into the radius of a Stinking Cloud. Green and big... :D
BeyondFated 11-17-05, 07:57 PM	I imagine you'd probably have a bit more muscle tone, but thats it.
Aliquid 11-17-05, 08:23 PM	hmm, no, you're right. i'm an idiot. ha! critical reading skills, thou hast failed me. i am ashamed.Hey, no worries. I often have a habit of reading things too quickly, and getting the content wrong.
Aliquid 11-18-05, 12:36 PM	I imagine is like the muscles getting a bit bigger all of a sudden, like Hulk-ing out. That looks really hot in my mind.This could lead to some amusing situations if the muscles bulked out a lot... Scenario - Adventurers are at some important high-society party, scouting for information. Suddenly things go wrong and a battle breaks out. Wizard – “Do you want me to cast Bull’s Strength on you?” Fighter – “Heck no! Are you kidding? Do you know how much I paid for this outfit?”
phelanarcetus 11-18-05, 12:47 PM	I think I prefer the idea that there's no particularly noticeable change in the appearance of the person receiving the buff. It's definitely great for cinematic scenes for Bull's Strength to do the Hulk transformation (sans the greenness, trembling, and loss of intelligence). But it's somewhat harder to find a good way to visualize how most of the other stats change your appearance. Cat's Grace can change how smoothly you move, and how fast, but your appearance? Bear's Endurance I guess might bulk you up slightly, give you a flush of rosy color in your cheeks... but not much else. Fox's Cunning and Owl's Wisdom? Do you suddenly sprout white hairs or glasses? (Sure, for a comedy-style game.) Can you think of visual manifestations of mental statistics? I can see Eagle's Splendor slightly improving your appearance, but very little, since Charisma is much more a statistic of your force of personality than it is of your appearance (and I hate when people say "I have 18 charisma and you have a 14, so I'm better looking"). I would tend to base appearance on your actual physical stats (though more on whatever flavor text you want to put together for it; but if you put a point into strength at 4th level, then you bulk up a bit or gain muscle definition). Enhancement bonuses I would not make affect your appearance at all; but rather when this guy who looks like he has a 15 strength punches you, you are shocked, becuase it feels like he has a 21 strength. Not that I'd let people make spot checks to guess at their opponent's strength, but maybe at most get a vague concept of "is this guy excessively strong, does he move as though he's really agile" sorts of things.
Thorak 11-18-05, 01:35 PM	I liken it more to the Matrix than to the Hulk. You're being given inhuman strength from an external source. Your muscles aren't suddenly bigger, you merely have magic boosting their effort. No visible difference, save for the effects. And yes, I know, the Matrix was a horrible set of movies with too much silly preachyness. The special effects were neat, though, and that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.
solbergb 11-18-05, 05:14 PM	Normal enhancements = you look the same. Just as you look the same when you get any attribute buff except perhaps charisma (and even that is probably voice, posture, or just magical glamour to make you more interesting). Unless you invent a different spell, the base 6 enhancment-bonus-to-attribute spells have no visible effect. Something like Rage? I would say that's up to you, but usually raging folks froth at the mouth, have veins stand out, muscles bunch up...they seem bigger. I've got a char that will wildshape someday that I roleplay looks more animalistic when she rages (grows hair, muscles grow, etc) but it is really up to you.