Zombies immune to Zeniths?

[archaratar]

I have tried to look for help elsewhere and have found none.


The short question: I am playing a Zenith. My ST says that the zombies we are facing have an absolute immunity to ZENITH CASTE POWER. I thought only DeathKnights and DeathLords were even resistant at all.


I know the Zenith power only works on deadites.


  I understand that of the "Death" oogieboogies, only those 2 even have a resistance. She then changed the creature to "whites(sp?)" with sapphire eyes. She is telling me that this is "plot-required" and that ZENITHPOWER doesn't affect the corpses because this is a disease from some wasps. Am I being hassled 'cause she messed up her plot? or do i need to just wait and see.


My other short curiousity is her claim that the corpses have to hide during the day, but we are playing a game with 7 Solars and a Lunar. Isn't our 1 mote anima glow going to make the zombies retreat? I thought the anima bleached walls and stuff with sunlight.


She is telling us that the only way to kill these things is with Fire. I immediately offered to take a DB (Hugs for everybody!) but she says "no, only solars and Lunars".


I been wrong before, but i think I am being hosed, and i consider myself pretty well-read Exaltedwise. Please Let me know, because I think this is bullsnot.

 

[memesis]

If the "zombies" are just human cadavers being animated by parasites or something similar, they aren't undead, they're animated human cadavers.  However, IF this is the case, then they are just dead human bodies and can be disposed of as easily as any other corpse.


The anima banner and Caste Mark is not the same as actual sunlight, so no, showing such signs will not automatically repel ghosts.


I think either your ST is underestimating the power of the Solar anima power, or is trying hard to write a plot that the Solar anima doesn't just trump, but it still doesn't sound like the best ruling ever.

 

[Flagg]

Your ST may be referring to the fact that zombies cannot feel fear, and thus are immune to the fear-causing effects of the Zenith anima. However, they are still vulnerable to the Zenith's aggravated-damage causing anima power, though it's probably a waste of essence to use that on such pathetic foe as a zombie.


The "whites" you're referring to are probably "wights", which are, IIRC, a type of ghost.


In any case, your ST is free to change any rule she wants, as long as she's clear and consistent about it.


-S

 

[archaratar]

She is referring to the AGRV damage. We got jumped by a horde of these wights(Thank you for the corrective spelling) She even said that my 1mote ability was useless when I blessed a hand.


When we asked how long the story was going to be, she said it would only be for a few months. Now I am worried that the story may go longer and she is trying to set a precedent. I am starting to feel very wasted. If I had known that the Zenith power was useless(It could be some sort of house rule she is applying), I would have kept my Eclipse caste (I switched my caste to make a Circle), since my caste/favored/charm points still equaled out.


I will wait and see, but i am feeling very suspicious of this...


Just ..don't seem right.

 

[archaratar]

I thought ghosts didn't apply


Are ghosts solid?


Or are they visible but incorporial like the ones in the cartoons and movies?


And did y'all say that ghosts aren't affected by ZENITH.


Dude, that sucks, but at least if it is true, it has book precedent to stamp my whiny butt down.


Yeah, i realize i seem whiny.


Maybe I should just shut up and enjoy the game.

 

[Flagg]

I am starting to feel very wasted. If I had known that the Zenith power was useless(It could be some sort of house rule she is applying), I would have kept my Eclipse caste (I switched my caste to make a Circle), since my caste/favored/charm points still equaled out.

If your ST let you make a Zenith without informing you ahead of time that she was changing the Zenith anima powers, then she owes you an apology. That's lame STing.


-S

 

[Persell]

Sorry to sound like a bitch but it is her game. She has a plot, you do not all facts right now and whining at us until we tell you that you are right and your storyteller is wrong ist probably the worst thing you can do. Lay back, enjoy the game and your character can still make it his agenda to find out what is so special about these undead that they resist his anima powers... it could be part of the adventure.

 

[Jakk Bey]

Technically, the 1 mote power is applied before the dead rises.  Great for furnery rites and preventing those you dispatch from rising again as a Hungry Ghost.  So, your 1 mote anima won't do squat for already risen dead.  


The 5 mote power should be applicable to zombies raised by Necromancy and dark powerz.  Unless of course, they have been raised up by other means.  


If it turns out that you've got an Abyssal in the woodpile, your ST is pulling monkeys out of her butt to cover her plot.  Your anima power, while probably a bit potent for dispatching zombies with unsoakable Aggravated damage, is designed for putting a can of whoop ass on critters of darkness, and it ought to clear a 10' circle of fun.  It won't cause the zombies to run--they don't feel fear, so the banner isn't going to make them flee--but it might give your Zenith some breathing room.  Your Dawn Caste is SOL to making zombies run and get the heebies--but then again, the Dawn Caste got screwed in the Anima department anyhow.


But, you might be facing something else--and the immunity to your anima banner is a clue for that.  I'd take exception if you find out that the critters were raised up by regular Necromancy.


If your ST is just upset that she forgot that the Zenith power could jigger her plot, then you can take issue with it, later.

 

[psychoph]

Given the description it sounds liek what I and some of my friends who STed have done to player in the past.  And that is decided that their power was to great for my design time.


What I mean by this is that it takes a lot of time to devise things for combat that solars especially 7, can't just rip a paret in 2 rounds without being huge plot points.


I would agree with still your ST should have stated before game all alterations to the rules that she was making.  It is something that has been talked about a lot over at http://www.treasuretables.org/, which is social contracts and either verbally or writtenly establishing them before you start a game.


My suggestion to you would be to ask your ST for a write up of all the changes she is making to the standard rules because you feel like you weren't properly informed to make a satisfying character for her game.  


If she persists then you might want to consider taking time off from this game.  Sometimes St's polay styles and your likes and sislikes just don't mesh and if she is not going to be telling you stuff that you feel is fair then she not someone you probably want to play with.

 

[Jakk Bey]

I think we need to hear a bit more about the situation that A's character was in.


If he tried to use the 1 mote Anima power against already risen deadites, then the ST was perfectly correct in saying that it didn't do squat--and our Dear Author was just mistaken about how the Banner worked.  


If he blew up with the 5 mote version, and it didn't do squat--then we still need to know what he was facing, because if it was some sort of jelly like parasite animating the corpse, or some funky fungi infested Yellow Zombie kind of critter, and not a Necromancy risen zombie, then again, the ST was perfectly correct, and trying to give Our Heroes a clue about what they were facing.  


We may not have a case of an ST stepping on toes, or rewriting abilities, but giving liberal hints and trying to keep players on track and inform of them of what their characters can and cannot do.

 

[archaratar]

Maybe i misunderstood the 1mote. I did only one to the hand.


The 5 was done to the zombie and all it did was lower my personal.


I forgot about peripferal at the time.


I am still on the disappointed side, but maintaining a risky and tenuous "ride through the plot" for the hope of light at the end of the tunnel.


I will shut up and sit still, but it doesn't mean i'm not upset.


I am still pouting on the inside.

 

[Jakk Bey]

Your ST may have just retconned the whole incident, thinking that the Zenith power was similar to the Dawn Caste's ability to scare the pee out of any Mortal foe, but she did so, with a mystical disease animating the corpses, as opposed to being raised by Necromancy, so technically, she's in the clear.  Or, she built this incident to show you that you can't rely of funky powerz all the time.


I apologize, because we could have cleared this up pretty early if I hadn't been a lame bastiche and skimmed your initial post.

 

[Samiel]

I understand that of the "Death" oogieboogies, only those 2 even have a resistance. She then changed the creature to "whites(sp?)" with sapphire eyes. She is telling me that this is "plot-required" and that ZENITHPOWER doesn't affect the corpses because this is a disease from some wasps. Am I being hassled 'cause she messed up her plot? or do i need to just wait and see.

Sounds like crap to me. Although here's a nugget that might help:


Creatures of the Wild features a type of wasp that colonises people and controls them like zombies, effectively turning everyone into a "drone". The clues are: Listless behaviour, constant droning, whole town taken over by crazy wasps.


Now, that means they are not creatures of darkness or whatnot, but as I recall it specifies in the text that the Anima Ability of the Zeniths does affect them, but in some other way.. can't remember if it kills them or cures the infected (if caught early).


But yea, sounds stupid.


Another few bits'n'pieces: The anima ability does affect ghosts, and most abyssals will not actually be resistant to the ability, it's a charm they have to buy I think, or a Necromancy Spell. Deathlords almost certainly are.


Also, if indeed these are the same wasps, then you could argue that the bodies being controlled are NOT undead and are thus regular corpses: 1 mote to fry, medium well.


In the end, this is the kind of crap that breeds bad blood between people anyway, even if it is a "plot" house-rule. The whole point of the Zeniths is to be Holy Paladin Warriors or some-such, and kicking demons and undead is part of the package. If he's basically just making excuses to replace zombies with the much rarer, one-off exotic wasp zombie at every turn, it's not worth bothering with.


My Advice: Let the ST know that you feel hard done by, and that you would like him to review the status quo. If he refuses outright, leave (though try to keep things friendly). If he tries to remedy the situation, woo!


Don't worry about it too much though. Assuming this is the only stupidity you encounter, there's plenty more you can do in a game. Gods know I had to improvise a lot with STs like this to get things done.