Forums of the Megaverse®

That's right folks, I wish to talk about what those phantom footmen and phantom are good for, also discuss what skills they should be assigned/can learn.

And also, I noticed an inconsistency...Or was that simply to stay that generally the footman will stay within 200 feet but can go up to 1000 feet from the caster?

I don't let the phantom footman learn any skills save those in the description... they're a tiny chunk of elemental air, not a full person. It's like someone took the bit of a demon that goes into a witch, and made it a non-implanted servitor. It's not bright, it's basically something that will do what you tell it with little imagination, then dissipate when the spell ends.

As for the range, I view it as a general/specific thing... the footman will stay within 200' of you, normally, but can go up to 1000 feet away if you tell it to.

Is there an IQ requirement to benefit from Rogue Scholars (Rifts Ultimate) who secondary skills?

Even if Phantom Footman could learn skills, the Scholars take so long to teach and the spell duration isn't very long. You'd need to modify it to be much longer for them to be around long enough to benefit.

Well, that begs the question of which skills does it already have? Or to put it another way, what can it do? The spell description has some basic guides, but is that the limit? My gut instinct is that the thing can do any physical thing that doesn't require a PC or NPC to roll a die. The exception is self defense. Also, the phantom footman will carry out the order as the caster envisions. So if the caster says "Carry that cat", the footman will do so in the manner the caster imagines. (i.e. supporting it in arms vs. grabbing a leg)

The other question is does the thing have dimensions? Can it slip under a door or through a crack? Can it reach under a sofa, or up on a high ledge? Can it fly or at least levitate? Does it hold objects in the center of a little tornado or does it have some simulacrum of hands? If it's carrying things can it keep them separate?

-Vek
"Can it be promoted to a Phantom Butler?"

Veknironth wrote:Well, that begs the question of which skills does it already have? Or to put it another way, what can it do? The spell description has some basic guides, but is that the limit? My gut instinct is that the thing can do any physical thing that doesn't require a PC or NPC to roll a die. The exception is self defense. Also, the phantom footman will carry out the order as the caster envisions. So if the caster says "Carry that cat", the footman will do so in the manner the caster imagines. (i.e. supporting it in arms vs. grabbing a leg)

I agree, here, especially due to the Pact of Brotherhood.

*pokes at the OP's PM mailbox wondering why my question there has not been read.*

Might someone say the location (Book/page/etc…) about where the topic stuff might be found?

Well, I guess I can help with that. Main Book page 224. Elemental Air spell, 4th level.

-Vek
"Now I'm the footman"

Mark Hall wrote:I don't let the phantom footman learn any skills save those in the description... they're a tiny chunk of elemental air, not a full person. It's like someone took the bit of a demon that goes into a witch, and made it a non-implanted servitor. It's not bright, it's basically something that will do what you tell it with little imagination, then dissipate when the spell ends.

As for the range, I view it as a general/specific thing... the footman will stay within 200' of you, normally, but can go up to 1000 feet away if you tell it to.

It says "etc" in the description, implying that it could do more stuff and has other skills and things could be learnt.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:*pokes at the OP's PM mailbox wondering why my question there has not been read.*

Might someone say the location (Book/page/etc…) about where the topic stuff might be found?

Sorry Mate, I've had a lot of stuff to do of late..

Veknironth wrote:Well, I guess I can help with that. Main Book page 224. Elemental Air spell, 4th level.

-Vek
"Now I'm the footman"

And also phantom on 225.

Use his 221 PS to pick up walls (FE)

With the PF Air spell I would go with the 1000' distance.

As far as the skills aspect is that the air elemenal only has those skills it has when it gets there.

Elemental skill stats can be found in the the PF2: Dragons and Gods and the RCB1 (but not the RCB1r) books.

kiralon wrote:Use his 221 PS to pick up walls (FE)

I want to believe!

Pg 84 of my Revised Edition (5th printing September 1988) had PS 20 and could only lift 250lbs. What is the year/mont/printing of yours? Did it not say revised?

Was my red+black the very first cover of PRPG or was there one before this?

The phantom and not the footman.
The drive thru pdf has it too.
So does the black and red version. Its a typo.

Axelmania wrote:Is there an IQ requirement to benefit from Rogue Scholars (Rifts Ultimate) who secondary skills?

Even if Phantom Footman could learn skills, the Scholars take so long to teach and the spell duration isn't very long. You'd need to modify it to be much longer for them to be around long enough to benefit.

This is what Dragons & Gods has to say about Elementals pg54&55.

Attributes: Not Applicable in the normal sense. Only specific attributes are applicable to Elementals; supernatural P.S. The alien I.Q. and lack of human comprehension means that Elementals are considered to be fairly stupid, about equal to an I.Q. 4 or 5, and tend to follow orders quite literally and without regard to others.

R.C.C. & Skills: Not applicable — primordial force of nature.

Vulnerabilities: 1. As discussed, the creatures' inability to understand the workings, frailties and society of humans and most physical life forms makes Elementals seem like marauding destroyers. It also gets them into life and death confrontations and all types of situations that they do not understand.

The alien way of thinking (IQ) and lack of human comprehension tells me Elementals cannot learn new skills (like the book says). Even Elemental Intelligences (the originators of major Elementals) do not have skills.

I feel the book was clear on skills for them.