83 réponses à ce sujet

[megski]

Interesting! I'd like to know more about the sending stones.

[TanyaT]

megski wrote...

Interesting! I'd like to know more about the sending stones.

a few games in the olden days had quick travel magic stones, where you'd nip back and forth. Divine Divinity has them, useful in Eco Draconis, saves a lot of time.

However, what everybody REALLY needs (and what I have been requesting as a present for yonks) is a butch chicken

[ladyofpayne]

Why they don't use a rivers?

[whykikyouwhy]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

That's the only place I've ever seen the concept of a sending stone used before, so I have no idea if this is a common thing used in stories.

How do the mages communicate? Telepathically like in Radiant Dawn? Shouting into the stone? And how long have sending stones been in Thedas? Since the time of the Imperium?

I've seen them used in some DnD campaigns - the gist is pretty much this. The holder of one stone speaks into it, and his/her voice projects out of the other stone (though I think this may happen telepathically, as well. It's been some time since I played a campaign with them.). Without further elaboration from the esteemed God of Lightning (Gaider), I would imagine the DA-verse kind would work in a similar fashion.

Modifié par whykikyouwhy, 22 octobre 2011 - 03:38 .

[Playest]

David Gaider wrote...

TanyaT wrote...
how do the well heeled travel long distances, or wing messages back and forth from Kirkwall to Denerim?

By ship, presumably, as both are port cities.

Horses do exist in the world as well, though we've yet to get the chance to put them in a game (someday!). The chevaliers are mounted knights, for instance.

Beyond that, the Circles of Magi do offer a means of quick communication through their sending stones-- doing so is expensive and not a means available to just anyone, but it is an option (if not one we've really gone into at length in the lore).

Do what your trying to say is ... a wizard did it. lol

[vania z]

[quote]David Gaider wrote...
t's hard to do or is it just that the Circle has some sort of monopoly and can put any price they want on it? [/quote]

It's expensive because it takes effort and the Circle of Magi is not a telegraph office-- they have better things to do than deliver messages. More often than not this sort of communication is reserved for official business.

[/quote]
Always wanted to know - if mages study all the time and are quite busy than why all best spells are from old times? Shouldn't magic become more and more powerful as our technology does? 

[tmp7704]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

That's the only place I've ever seen the concept of a sending stone used before, so I have no idea if this is a common thing used in stories.

It's a slight (if any) tweak on the idea of palantirs and/or long range messaging mirrors so, yeah.

[In Exile]

vania z wrote...
Always wanted to know - if mages study all the time and are quite busy than why all best spells are from old times? Shouldn't magic become more and more powerful as our technology does? 

Older magic was, by-and-large, based on blood magic. The Chantry still uses it, although they hide the fact (what do you think a phylactery is?) but generally it all falls under "No-No." With a ban on bloodmagic, research suffers. 

There could be other kinds of magic, physical alteration and so on, that's seen as heresy, and so not studied. 

But more generally fantasy has this thing going back to Tolkien with old = more powerful, and that's really all there is to it. 

[Knight Templar_]

In Exile wrote...

vania z wrote...
Always wanted to know - if mages study all the time and are quite busy than why all best spells are from old times? Shouldn't magic become more and more powerful as our technology does? 

Older magic was, by-and-large, based on blood magic. The Chantry still uses it, although they hide the fact (what do you think a phylactery is?) but generally it all falls under "No-No." With a ban on bloodmagic, research suffers. 

They seem to fall under that grey area mentioned in Witch Hunt. Blood is part of the magic, but it doesn't power it. Like having earth as part of a spell while still being outside the Primal school because it isn't the main aspect of the spell.

[TanyaT]

wish there was magic that could beam me into the dentist's chair, take the sound of the drill away, take away the pain and discomfort, and beam me back home again.
I'm sure Anders could help but he's not here, so I'll have to drive in to Truro and be prised out of the car by one of the receptionists.

[elfdwarf]

David Gaider wrote...

The Grey Nayr wrote...
Is it expensive because it's hard to do or is it just that the Circle has some sort of monopoly and can put any price they want on it?

It's expensive because it takes effort and the Circle of Magi is not a telegraph office-- they have better things to do than deliver messages. More often than not this sort of communication is reserved for official business.

like end result of dragon age 2

[Big I]

David Gaider wrote...

It's expensive because it takes effort and the Circle of Magi is not a telegraph office-- they have better things to do than deliver messages. More often than not this sort of communication is reserved for official business.

So in addition to enchantments, exorcisms and healing the Circle could also provide fast, reliable communications to the people of Thedas. Just one more reason for why Chantry restrictions on mages make no sense.


Does this mean that Tevinter has an advantage in communications technology over the Qunari?

[Cirram55]

Sending stones have already been used in Dawn of the seeker, for example, and yes, people speak through them to send messages. These stones have also messages written on as whykikyouwhy previously said.

As for why Orsino didn't use them during DAII finale, I am courious, too. I guess that in the desperation and hurry of the moment, with mages "losing" the rebellion (even though, technically speaking, my pro-mage Hawke was winning), he just didn't think of anything else than sending his allies away, trying this way to save them, even more so being it such an unusual practice. Maybe it's simple as that.
Or maybe yes, they just did want one more boss fight against Orsinvester.

LookingGlass93 wrote...
Just one more reason for why Chantry restrictions on mages make no sense.

I don't see it like that.
Circle Magi aren't just "restricted", they are used and controlled. This means that what is useful to the Chantry is obviously exploited, and what is not is left alone. This is not a contradiction, as Gaider said, if sending stones are in some manner difficult to handle due to cost limitations or different priorities in the mages' "to-do list".
Probably the Chantry has just dealt with it and communicates at long distances by more traditional means.
Only Gaider knows the answer, though.

Modifié par Cirram55, 14 juin 2012 - 10:56 .

[Treacherous J Slither]

LookingGlass93 wrote...

David Gaider wrote...

It's expensive because it takes effort and the Circle of Magi is not a telegraph office-- they have better things to do than deliver messages. More often than not this sort of communication is reserved for official business.

So in addition to enchantments, exorcisms and healing the Circle could also provide fast, reliable communications to the people of Thedas. Just one more reason for why Chantry restrictions on mages make no sense.


Does this mean that Tevinter has an advantage in communications technology over the Qunari?

Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

[TanyaT]

JSlither wrote...

Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

agreed

[David Gaider]

JSlither wrote...
Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

It's true. Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

Modifié par David Gaider, 18 juin 2012 - 03:53 .

[TanyaT]

David Gaider wrote...

JSlither wrote...
Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

It's true. Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

nothing :innocent:

[R2s Muse]

David Gaider wrote...

JSlither wrote...
Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

It's true. Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

We could put them in universities where they can conduct basic research but everyone signs over their intellectual property rights and goes through ethics training... Ahem, there could be ways to manage it.

[brushyourteeth]

David Gaider wrote...

JSlither wrote...
Instantaneous communication in the DA world would be far FAR superior to the alternative and as a result would be in high demand. Mages can do sooo many things that putting such restrictions on them makes absolutely NO sense at all. They are without a doubt, the future of Thedas and the Chantry is unbelievably foolish for holding them back. Imagine what could be accomplished if mages were educated, free, and encouraged to experiment and invent? My mind boggles at the possibilities.

It's true. Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

This time when I say "LOL" I'm literally laughing out loud!  

[Melca36]

David Gaider wrote...

TanyaT wrote...
how do the well heeled travel long distances, or wing messages back and forth from Kirkwall to Denerim?

By ship, presumably, as both are port cities.

Horses do exist in the world as well, though we've yet to get the chance to put them in a game (someday!). The chevaliers are mounted knights, for instance.

Beyond that, the Circles of Magi do offer a means of quick communication through their sending stones-- doing so is expensive and not a means available to just anyone, but it is an option (if not one we've really gone into at length in the lore).

Didn't they also use carrier pigeons back in medieval times?  

[nightscrawl]

David Gaider wrote...

It's true. Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

Well it's not like us jerkface non-mages didn't invent the atom bomb or anything. You certainly don't need magic to cause mass destruction.

For a more topic oriented method of destruction, I'll just point to the war weapons developed by the Qunari, both the saar-qamek gas as well as their explosive powder. In addition, Dworkin certainly was doing his part to make the Qunari advantages in this regard a little less one-sided.

That said, I think "experiment freely" is a bit much. However, the single point that I maintain in all of this is that the major flaw in the system is the templars being the military arm of the Chantry. Thus they make decisions, recruit members, and train them based on religious teachings, instead of acting as an independent law enforcement agency.

Modifié par nightscrawl, 18 juin 2012 - 10:15 .

[TanyaT]

Utopia has to start somewhere, why not in Ferelden ?

[They call me a SpaceCowboy]

simfamSP wrote...



If the scope of Dragon age 3 will be as such, I think they will cut this into sections. And the story progresses through these sections via 'Acts.' Within these sections you have a few places (or just one) to go to. And in each Act you deal with this said place. Much like the Witcher 2 handels the Northern Kingdoms...

It would be ridicolous for your character to travel from the northern most part of the south, to come back south and then north again in the space of days, not months...

Unless we have...


A DRAGON!

GRIFFONS!

[Ponendus]

David Gaider wrote...

Mages, allowed to experiment freely, would no doubt introduce superior means of magical communication, travel, item enchantment, healing, mind control, mass destruction and magical-fade-portals-to-take-over-heaven. What could possibly go wrong?

Ha! This made me laugh. I'm tempted to put it in a signature.

[Vormaerin]

TheJediSaint wrote...

With the end of DA2, I wonder if that "offical buissness" now includes, "The Templars of coming! The Templars are coming!".

Wynne and the Divine used it to spread information the Templars wanted suppressed in the Asunder novel.  But all the circles seem to be broken at the end of that novel, so I don't know if they are still practical.

Modifié par Vormaerin, 20 juin 2012 - 02:13 .