this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
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This meme uses the "Anime Girl Hiding From Terminator" template, in mexico filter, where the text 'I, who can't even write 100 spells for my TTRPG' is layered over the anime girl, and 'Rolemaster casually having 2000 spells in 162 spell lists and 15 magic classes' in the Terminator, which is referring to the quantity of spells in the Rolemaster RPG's Spell Law book, one of the fundamental books alongside Character Law & Campaign Law, and Arms Law & Claw Law. And yes, before you say it, I know they're called professions, not classes.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While I am completely unfamiliar with the system, this information make me want to actively avoid it. Options and details are great up to a point, but past that point it's just adding more stuff for the sake of having more stuff. And if your selling point is "look at this unironically ridiculous and pointless amount of stuff" then I question your priorities and quality standards.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I was going to say something similar. If your book has hundreds of bespoke spells that's kind of a minus. If they're examples of what you can do with the underlying system (like mage the awakening does) then fine. But a dnd style list of unique effects with no real coherence is not good. Inelegant. Crufty.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well Rollmaster has multiple authors/designers and the benefit of 43 years of accumulated writing and knowledge.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This was Second Edition from the 80's.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Point taken, but they also still had the resources and people to make that many charts.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

But how many of the Rollmaster spells are actually useful?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Rolemaster was a bloated mess that could've only been made in the 80's. Nobody with any amout of sense plays it nowadays.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Rolemaster is impressive in many, many, many regards.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Not all RPG rulebooks have one of their first play examples be a guy dying from falling off his camel

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Rolemaster manages it by making each spell utterly static, give only a minimal and insufficient description and make these spells either pointless or stupidly OP depending on our DM.

Just look at this: http://www.merp.se/spell_lists/Fire_Law.pdf

Boil Liquid — For each level of caster, one cubic foot of liquid can be heated to boiling at a rate of 1 cubic feet per round.

Literally the whole spell description outside of a tiny list of stats. So can I boil oil with this and throw it in people's faces? Does it work on water in a container? Does it have to be a cube of water or can it be a puddle of 1 cubic foot total volume? All left to DM fiat.

Warm Solid — Any solid inanimate, non-metal material (up to 1 cubic foot per level) can be warmed to 37°C at a rate of 1 cubic foot per round of concentration.

This is a spell they wrote. Most low level spells in Rolemaster could be replaced by a prestidigitation effect.

Woodfires — Causes any wood to ignite and burn. All wood ignited must be within a one foot radii.

Another one that just doesn't answer anything. Can I ignite wood that's painted? Can I do it under water? Does plant fiber count as wood? What about barkskin? Can I set a treant on fire with this? If so, how much damage does it do? The spell does not say.

Rolemaster is terrible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Should be “me” and not “I”.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That’s fine. Likewise, I don’t care if you want to continue looking like an idiot. At least I tried to help you, but some people are beyond help.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

your entire profile is nitpicking people's grammar

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

this account is one of the most braindead, smug assholes I have ever seen

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I just looked over the last ~50 or so comments of mine and I see, at best, one other comment that might be construed as nitpicking someone’s grammar (it’s not, but seeing as how you’re really fuckin’ dumb, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt). I don’t know how your tiny little pea brain decided that meant my account was dedicated to that, but then again I do have to remember the bit about you being very fucking dumb and apparently proud of that fact, so here we are.