Come on, GIJoo
a) It is Calliste's nature that she is a shapeshifter. Like her essence.
b) Who says the dominion reaches upward into the sky? And if yes - is Earth, flat or a globe (in other words, why bother with it).
PS: Why is the clothes spell such a high level - I thought there was a cheaper one on spellswiki.
Just because its her "essence" doesn't diminish the fact that rolls should be required. Like I said, any action which have some measure of consequence for failure should require rolls.
As for the clothes, dunno, I didn't design it?
Then who or what is being spoken of in Issah 14:12?
Nebuchadnezzar.
Max will call for rolls if he feels needed but generally it is simple die if you are not stressed.
dolphin to eagle: simple die in no aura or dominion 1 aura at worse. It might take a try or two but it will succeed. Shape shifting takes a few seconds (1 round) to do. Even 10 tries is under a minute and all simple dice.
spotting the magi: she had swum ahead as ship was getting close so that she could change and then be flying as ship reaches port. following the ship and then watching gangplank for you to get off is at most an ease factor 3 probably if needing roll at all. Once you are seen it is eagle eye from above watching you to inn.
Eagle to human: simple die in dominion aura, it will succeed eventually. Dominion aura is not likely to be above a 2 so she will make it.
conjure dress: in dominion 2, simple die means spell goes off (Casting total 22 including aura) with chance for fatigue (70% 1 fatigue that goes away in 2 minutes for dominion 2, 40% in dominion 1)
As for why level 30, spell is from Magi of hermes, base 5, +1 touch, +2 sun, +2 treated and processed.
finally: Isaiah 12:14 and others. I will have to research it further (to get to the original hebrew and hebrew translaction) but context from hebrew perspective seems to be prophecy and oracles regarding ancient human emperor and things to say to him as warning. Indeed, what modern english bibles at the time seems to refer to the morning star or lucifer, referred to VENUS at the time it was written.
kjvonly.org/doug/kutilek_not ... ucifer.htm
pastordougroman.wordpress.com/20 ... -to-satan/
en.allexperts.com/q/Orthodox-Jud ... tion-2.htm
en.allexperts.com/q/Orthodox-Jud ... ious-9.htm
Just to expand on Judaism and the devil:
faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/06 ... on-36.html
judaism.about.com/od/orthodoxfaq ... /satan.htm
answerbag.com/q_view/692545
beingjewish.com/basics/satan.html
The most interesting one is this:
youtube.com/watch?v=6Ezl1_4QtGc
Where Satan is often referred to as the evil impulse within people (Freud might call it the ID) though that isn't exactly right.
There is no hell in Judaism at all and infact while the soul goes to God, the talk of the messiah is when jews will return to life and eden and this is why embalming is against religious law for some sects of jews (their bodies will be restored and they will come back alive. embalming would hinder that).
Yes, but thats no reason to not roll the dice. Also, Cities generally have a 3 Aura, as stated by the quick reference chart in RoP:Divine on page 10.
Yes, I don't really see any adverse effects of taking a couple of tries here, but it's still good form to roll the dice.
Sure, watching the specific ship and spotting the Magi as they get off is easy. However following said Magi through the hustle and bustle of a port town?
Yes it will, again I don't really see any adverse effects of taking a couple of tries here, but it's still good form to roll the dice.
Assuming Dominion 3 ( which again, should be the case unless told otherwise ) Kallista should fatigue herself. Yes, it will recover quickly, however that's not the point. You're doing spell casting in a moderately strong aura that is not Magic. There is always the chance of a botch. It is a minimal chance yes, however that is no reason not to roll.
Again, I personally think that anytime you perform either spell casting or an action that has some sort of consequence if you fail should require a roll.
There is no chance of a botch. That is the point. This is why we have max as game master. He wants rolls, he will ask for them. Foreign aura does not make any of them stress. Casting a spell in a deserted alley with no threats around is simple die.
Looking at the Image on page 10, aura varies. The church and graveyard are aura 4, castle is 3, rest of area inside the gates is 2 and fields only a 1 and beyond the town where church bells can't even be heard is likely 0.
If max asks for rolls, I will give them to him.
is a pretty spooky situation!
Not to mention that you are in a Foereign Aura, aligned with a power that you consider to be hostile.
IMHO, I would say a Stress Die is required.
Thuis is the same sort of loose-playing you had always criticized Vortigern for 
Don't forget naked too!
It is a good thing it is Max's opinion that matters. it is day and it is alley chosen by an eagle's eyesight looking down into it. What is spooky for it. Foreign AURA does not automatically make it stress.
Vortigen was called on using powers without rolls in combat and obvious conflict sitautions, such as when there was a diabolist believed present using invisibility (having shown his presence by attacking just before this.).
Nudity doesn't bother Kalliste. She doesn't mind showing off her body. The clothing is to blend in, not because she has any kind of nudity taboos.
Cause what the other players think doesn't matter, right?
Out of curiosity, when Kallista changes forms, what stats does she take from the form she shifts into?
That stats of all her forms are on her character sheet. They were determined via the rules for determining such from HoH: Mystery cults (for shape shifters, heartbeasts, skin changers, etc...). It works to a mix between her stats and those of the original form. Which is why her lion is a little weaker and does a little less damage than standard lion.
Based on play in two games now, there are some players whose opinions I do not count.
Regarding dice rolls
For example if your character is making a travellers hot pot then a profession cooking roll might not be needed but if you do roll the dices then we can add a comment in the story about the hot pot either tasting great or not. Even if you would roll a stress dice and botch then I would not turn it into a near fatal burning accident. If I do not call for dices or object to your actions then go a head.
Regarding dominion auras
They do not extend from earth to heaven but rather dissipates high enough in the air just as the aura weakens outside the city.
Conflict between players
It is my interpretation that there is a conflict between players in this saga that goes beyond this game. From what I learnt it goes into other games and then perhaps into real life. I don’t know and is not that interested in blaming anyone for starting this conflict.
I have a few solutions to this issue. Either we just accept the fact that this saga where never meant to be and call it a day or we try to get along. As I have invested a few hours in crafting this saga and so have you just closing up is not an option that appeals to me but I don’t like been drawn in to conflicts between players or take sides.
If we settle on the option of just getting along that it will be each and everyone’s task of just avoiding this that you know might cause a conflict to flare up this is not more difficult that to not speaks of politics if you have a friend over for dinner and vine if the friend has a different political view. I know that this option might call for some bad role-playing but then let it be so. Change your characters if it is needed.
I will give it a week or so before I make up my mind on what to do. Sorry for the need to be blunt but this is the way I feel.
I'd love this to continue. I suggest if the disagreeing parties cannot agree to play, we roll dice on who quits, rather then dismantle the whole thing.
On buying the book:
Max, Do we have enough money to buy such a book available, or do you want GIJoo to bargain for it? Do we need to offer the seller anything beyond a few hands of silver from the chest we happen to have with us? If we have to offer sth in return, can we promise a copy of a book we have back at the covenant (to be copied out by an NPC?).
In other words: Do we just get the book or do you want to turn the acquisition into a story hook/story.
On sleeping:
Odysseus and Nestor have no (visible) Gifts, only Callista has. So we could stay anywhere - if Callista doesn't mind sleeping in animal form - outdoors. If she does, we could smuggle her in (she flies in and out through the window and takes her meals in the room). Or we just upset a few people - a bit of forgetting magic and a few silver coins should smooth the waves after.
This is what I did in this case: I took case B. When others raised the question, I said that if Max wanted rolls, he would ask. The others would not leave it be. I left one game because of attitudes of certain other players and not wanting to deal with them. I feel it is being carried over into this game and there is a level of ooc hostility and harassments aimed towards me.
I will admit I am more than a little judgemental when the Cult of heroes Mercere (the most pagan group in house mercere) is super religious christian to the point of literally telling my character what she can say or not say in our open council. She was a mage speaking to her sodalis about the fact that it was proposed that we strengthen the impact of the dominion on the covenant. She didn't say we should not build the church and should slowly convert the villagers to her religion. Geeee, how many wizard wars would there have been if she took that approach? IInstead she addressed its influence on the local magic.
Let's face it: Kalliste did speak in terms that were not favorable to the church in that she said it is hostile to magic and made a comparison to something else hostile to magic. This is a FACT of life for those attuned to the magic aura. The aura of God is against things of the magic aura. The order does have a lot of pagans in it and nothing would get done if the christians were getting all holier than thou over all the pagans (Cult of Heroes, Cult of Mercury, cult of mithraism, most of Merenita, many tytalus). As for being blasphemy: The fact that Kalliste worships Zeus, Dionysus, Artemis, Apollo and Athena is blasphemy to christians (though not super religious). Reading through the Table of contents for Sundered Eagle and product description. This is a strong part of the tribunal (the worship/presences of the old religion vs Christianity) and is an element of the order. If we are talking about magic, dominion and infernal both have negative impact on magical powers and abilities and even magic resistance (yeah, your parma is down 3x aura in dominion too). Hopefully the book will be out soon to shed a lot more light on this issue as relates to the order.
That said, the reaction was way over proportion. I understand we do critique to point out issues with characters. I was not trying to be nasty when I pointed out issues of hippocratic oath vs chirurgy when someone made a healer character (in spite of healing being one of the core elements of Kalliste on top of shape shift, CrCo is Kalliste's strongest art combination followed by CrAn) or the play balance of somoene basiically getting 3-5 extra points for characteristics (major for mages, not so much mythic companions who tend to be a little underpowered). Then again. in return, I got people questioning validity of my gauntlet and character concept. Wizard wars, Certamens to shut me up from speaking blasphemy (from a character not christian). I even got someone misquoting verses at me in OOC without any real research into the basis. (It was 15 minutes research to find the links that I posted).
The fact is that I will do my best to keep polite and restrained and in areas of conflict refer them to Max to judge becuase he is the Storyteller of this chronicle. In case of rules and dice rolls, he decides, not who argues the most in the OOC or demands it. If anyone can't accept that, perhaps they shouldn't be in the game and if something is said: this will be left up to the ST. That should be the end of it and when he decides, that will be the ruling. This is what I am going to do. I hope that the rest of you will do the same.
I really want this game to continue. I have never met or gamed with any of the other players, but see great potential for fun here.
In terms of Max's point though - folk have got to understand that if you annoy someone, even if you don't understand why on earth they are annoyed then the only sane thing to do if you want to remain in that social setting without being the cause of further unrest, is to drop the whole thing. No one has to be right (or wrong) or apologise, or any of that stuff. We just need to be able to continue without willfully revisiting subjects that cause contention.
If the parties concerned (and I confess I am thinking of one in particular) cannot drop the process of self-justification, then this isn't going to work. Self-justification just keeps the issue alive.
I hope what little I've said in this and other posts has caused no distress, but if it has I apologise without reservation.
The best way to continue successfully is for us to focus on what brings most fun - to our fellow players and to the whole saga - rather than defending a position or focussing solely on ourselves.
You will have to visit the man selling the book and you should be able to buy the book with the silver that you brought. I am intending to turn it into a few paragraphs of this story with perhaps some future implications… 
Regarding the sleeping bit I am curious about a few things.
I may be a slow poster from Monday to Friday this weak, I am going on a school trip and I am uncertain if I come across internet access. But I'll be back no later than Friday.
I will confesse here and now what my issues are.
My main motives for joining this saga were that A) I like the way Max runs his games, and B) I am intrigued by the Greek setting.
I will further admit that there is bad blood between myself and LadyP. When she joined this game (like a week or two after I did), I almost quit right then and there. I even wrote a letter to Max about it. But I decided to hold in there, just play my character and ignore what she does. Then she pretty much zeroes in on antagonizing my character. I restrained my self, and I even retired the character in favor of one that she cannot possibly have any conflict with (though she still decided to post complaints and comments on my very character sheet, so I guess I can't win for loosing.
My issues with LadyP? Several. She quit my saga in the middle of an adventure and left threads hanging. She quit because she is opposed to freedom of speech. There was some ruling I made long ago that another character didn't like. I wasn't changing the ruling, but I was allowing discussion. She quit simply because I allowed discussion. This is after two years of causing misery with constant complaints of the powers of other characters not her own, and continuous complaints about her own power level even though she had deliberately set herself up that way.
Then there is the time she trashed the adventure I was running in a live game, and her negative anti-Flambeau comments from that same saga.
But anyway, I am perfectly willing to live and let live. I will have my character do his thing in his corner of the saga, and what she does is of no interest or concern to me. Heck, I even retired a really cool character and changed to Simon the Apothecary just so I could exit from participating in any conflicts.
But still, I feel persecuted. The Hipocrates comment directly on my sheet was not cool. That should have been table talk.
I am perfectly willing to go, though I hate to let max down. But the thing is, I was here first and I was followed by people who had quit my saga in the middle of an adventure and had to make a public event out of it (as opposed to quietly informing me privately). And I feel like I am the one who was attacked and forced to make changes.
So, right and wrong mean nothing to you? What if I am being a total a-hole jerk, and I win the die roll?
Look, no one has to leave. I may just fade away anyway.