David Cole writes:

>> Nowhere is the LightRaider rewarded for the murder of a Once Born.

>I know.  I don't think he should be rewarded.  However, I believe that 
>to drop
>three ability scores to 1 is an unrealistic penalty.  Each ability 
>score in
>the game has a realistic reason it is based off of certain fruits.  I 
>believe
>penalties should be based off of realistic ideas.  I don't believe 
>that
>dropping 3 ability scores is like the real world.  Sure, it is a 
>harsh
>punishment (as it should be,) but it's certainly not, in my opinion, 
>what
>would happen in the real world (depending on who committed the 
>killing, of
>course.)  For me, I think that a killing would, in the end, make me 
>GROW in
>the Lord (through pain and suffering, don't get me wrong... not 
>because
>someone's dead and I'm PEaceful about it.)  


I think that the growth would come well after the penalties are applied. 
So, for a while, the penalties are appropriate.



> Also... what happens when 
>an LR
>has already killed a OnceBorn and not earned any MU's on those 
>abilities?  He
>can just go around killing them to his heart's content, and what can 
>the AM
>do?  


Kill the character and warn the player.  Or the other way around.  Then,
if necessary, kick the player out of teh game until he "repents".


> Screw around with the rules (not that I have a problem with that, 
>mind
>you) and use his own idea of ways to punish the TwiceBorn.  He 
>certainly can't
>reduce the LR's PEace, FAithfulness, and Self-Control any more.


The AM can also reduce the other Fruits as a warning.  Once the
Un-LightRaider is at all 1's, a single arrow will send him to his
"reward". 


>> Your comment does not make sense because you are saying that they 
>are
>> rewarded yet are traumatized by the act.


>Exactly.  Is not a traumatization, in some circumstances, an act of 
>conscience
>(and therefore God) which ultimately causes growth?


>Well, either God says, "You did something wrong and now I'm going to 
>take away
>these fruits temporarily," or they simply leave the LR.  Either way, I 
>feel
>it's unrealistic for a repentant LR to lose "access" (or whatever you 
>want to
>call it) to those fruits.  Sure, the character can reduce the penalty 
>by 1/2
>through the Transgression WordRune, but I think that truly repentant 
>LR's
>would not in any way have their scores dropped.  The basis of my 
>system is
>that the thought of the killing weighs so heavily on the LR's mind 
>that he can
>no longer concentrate on a task.

Ask King David about that.  He lost a child, most probably the respect of
his followers, had family and political, problems, etc.  His murderous
act cost him for the rest of his life, just about.

He might have grown, but he first had to sink pretty low to committ the
act.  This was not an accident, it was premeditated and committed in cold
blood.  Is it safe to say that he grew from that low point and not from
his previous high points?


>> This can be used as Teaching Situations, but it would be difficult 
>to
>> make it a rule.   AMs would have to play each situation by ear since 
>it
>> would be very difficult to add "in case they die" guidelines for 
>every
>> NPC Once Born in an adventure.


>Yes, I know.  Perhaps in the books we could have a listing of family 
>names and
>a listing of tasks, just mix 'n' match?


I do not think that we can not provide for every possibility, especially
since this should not happen.  This would add pages to the adventure
text, pages that probably not be used.  So the AM should be free to come
up with any background material and impose whatever punishments are
appropriate.  Mix and match is not "realistic".

Joe