[Mkguild] Dire Situation Part 4

[Kit]

The way I understand this, the 'dire' form which I will call it for current
lack of better vocabulary, is essentially just the morphic form of the by
now well known taur form. It would be subsequent to all the 'king kong"
syndromes one would expect come from a bigger size. Which is to say, yeah
it's bigger and stronger, but that doesn't instantly make it better. For
something like the cheetah which is built for high speed from low mass, the
higher mass is a large disadvantage as Kamau pointed out. For one, a larger
creature would be less agile by default, and in Stealth's particular case it
would probably tire out very quickly. Even just considering physical
aspects, 'dire' is not equivalent to an upgrade and would not likely be used
in a widespread group of people.

Furthermore, with the body several times as large, the curse's affect on the
mind would also be several times more powerful whereas the counter would
consider it just the normal morphic form and put out the normal amount of
power. That part is part of a personal working theory of mine that nothing
has yet proved wrong, but theory or not, the net result is that a keeper in
the 'dire' form isn't much better than an animal in mind. This would make
use of this form even MORE discouraged than before as muddled thinking on
the battlefield or anywhere else could be deadly, especially in the cases of
prey type keepers who would likely end up frozen in fear. Essentially it's
much the same as the taur form in this regard, incredibly difficult to
control in most situations without a lot of practice. The main difference is
that the 'dire' must battle with his mind rather than battling with his
unfamiliar body. For many keepers, this bigger form is nothing more than a
bigger target.

As for what you are talking about Hallan, considering all the disadvantages
inherent in this so called 'dire' form, I'm certain that you can figure out
enough ways around these and 'bonus features' or what have you that what you
have in mind will no more be diminished by the pre-established 'dires' than
an MK47 is diminished by the pre-established longbow or even crossbow. I
believe that similar to the taur form, this new form can work as an
established part of the MK verse so long as we keep it in check. I hope that
this settles any problem you might have with the issue, because I think it's
an interesting idea that I would enjoy seeing every once in a while in MK,
just not in myself or too overpowered ^_^. Few things kill a universe
setting so quickly as superman syndrome.

Kit

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 6:03 PM, Kamau <jc2blion at taconic.net> wrote:

> A good story Stealth.  A few places with there were typos and wrong word
> (here rather then hear) but all I'm sure would be caught on a final edit.
>
> Some good points that have come up are the balance of the dire form. One
> thing I would see aiding in the balance, and one you somewhat hinted at,
> would be for the form to be more feral.  Taking dire form makes one more
> likely to lose control and succumb to animal instincts more easily.  We a=
lso
> need to remember that just being bigger does not mean proportional faster.
>  Would a dire cheetah be faster than a normal cheetah?  Yes in part due to
> greater stride but there is also greater mass.  Simple physics tells us t=
hat
> more mass means much more power required to move it.  Thus the dire might=
 be
> somewhat faster but not twice as fast.  Having these as part of the dire
> form would help to balance out the form.
>
> The morphic armor is a nice touch and I think you set it up very well that
> this is part of a very ancient and powerful magic.  Just as many other it=
ems
> in MK, Whisper comes to mind, it will be a unique piece of equipment.  We
> didn't really get to see in this story how effective the armor is but you
> have very nicely laid the foundation for a good limitation with the power=
 it
> needs to be used.  I'd suggest keeping that in place and letting Stealth
> slowly resolve it.  Let the solution slowly come into being as he grows in
> his abilities and experience.
>
> I also liked what you have done with the interaction between Edmund and
> Stealth following the battle.  I've been working with people coming back
> from war for almost four years now and believe me there is a very big
> struggle with being in combat and taking lives that hits a person no matt=
er
> who they are.  It is unique to each person and expresses itself in a very
> individual way.  You've given Stealth a good start on dealing with this
> issue.  He has an excellent sounding board in Edmund the veteran warrior.
>  Don't let this be just a one off.  Let Stealth struggle some with it.
>  Allow him to come to terms with it in his own way as he is put into more
> situations involving combat or the possibility of killing.
>
> A good solid plot, a good story and one that leaves several paths to foll=
ow
> for future stories.
>
> Well done.
>
> Kamau
>
>
>
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