The system is applicable to both domains and characters. Conceptually, the best of the two would be used. Notice that the Eastern Temple of Nesirie is listed as both Primary and Secondary representing that fact that its regent is considered to be the most powerful cleric within Anuire, despite the fact that she is multiclassed, and the ETN is a temple which significant prusuits which would normally dilute spell-casting ability. The system affords for special circumstances, and if the system doesn't, Bjorn does.
I cant see how a characters ability to do whatever should be hampered, or given bonus by his domain. I disagree with any rule that bases character abilities in what domain he is, unless it is in that specifc domains description that they are really good at/or suck at that stuff.
Regarding ETN, I believe that the fact that the regent of ETN is considered to be the most powerful cleric should not warrent additional bonuses to ETN, but instead be an indication that the regent of ETN is higher level than most other clerics. If she is not, then this would just be an example that sometimes people get it wrong.
The dynamic between domain and regent is central to the game, but make no doubt that the regent manifests from the domain. RoE is a game about domains though and regents are by no means domains. With this being said, regents are critical to spell-casting domains and the current system does not jive well with the rule system that all other regent (non-spell casters) are subject too; my system was intended to address this.
I am sorry... I can't seem to find the rules that tie every non spellcasting regent to a specific set of skills and skill levels
But since you seem to think that it is only spellcasters who have been freed from their domain in such a way, then please direct me to where in the rules or erratta it is stated that all other regents have their set of abilities determined by what domain they rule and how much that domain has to do.
Incidentally, if you are looking for hard and fast rules, the categories are not intended to do that. Instead, it is about assessing the domain/regent and applying their general characteristics.
Spellcasting regents are subject to the same abstracted level rules as all other regents when it comes to everything but spellcasting.
If you are to abstract their levels when it comes to spellcasting, then you need to abstract spellcasting too. You need to get rid of spell levels from 1-9 and make it into abstract low to epic level spells.
Rules that are not hard and fast are not rules. They are instead a wobbeling goo of: if I speak my case well enough I will gain a bonus that my friend here will not get, cause he is not as good at speaking his case as I am.
Where is the table that assesses that since a domain has access to the ocean the regent clearly has too much on his mind and as such can not be good at warfare? And then with the prospect of being nurfed for something completely unreasonabe the affected players can speak their case of why just their realm can handle warfare anyway.... I would find that idea pretty much the same as the table if the idea of primary, seccondary and tertiary is preserved.
Again, conceptually, if I look at Geraldine, in terms of standard DnD, it is very difficult to construct a character that is a passibly good rogue/guilder regent and wizard without sacrificing significant spell casting power. A character such as this would have almost no skill in the various adminstration skills, and the rogue level is largely noise (particularly if it wasn't 1st level, which I would bet it wasn't given the character history). I challenge someone to do this, knowing that from the updated Chapter 8, casting realm magic has steep requirements: 5 feats, 24 skill ranks.
Well, I havent read the updated Chapter 8, but I know that a characters abilities within various administration skills are governed by skillpoints, and luckily when first you have chosen that your next level will be a wizard level, you will acctually gain skillpoints... Not as many as a rogue will, but surely enough to cover 24 skill ranks with less than 5 levels. So to further penalize a wizards ability to do magic based on a conceptual view of what he should be doing, is wrong... Instead the DM should factor the regents skills in regards to his domain into the difficulty of the various relevant events.
Besides, the regent of a domain has able assistants for just that end, no regent is superhuman in every field, so they hire experts to help.
It has allready been ruled by Bjørn atleast in a mail to me, that while regent of a sorcerous domain you are able to cast realm magic regardless of any requirements left unfilled. So the table you propose is, in my eyes, only here to force the conceptual ideas of others down on sorcerous domains and take freedom away from or give unwarrented extra power to players who are able to cast realm spells.
The abstraction system actually allows characters to be freed from the numbers, ultimately, IMO, because for the most part, most people would not be able to create a regent from the 'rules' that is as deep as their current regent, without using their player knowledge/skill to supplement the cold, hard numbers.
Well, here again we have a differance of oppinion.
I belive that further details are only there to flesh out your regent.
I also think that a player is more than the numbers, as you say the player has knowledge and skill that he uses to further the agenda of his regent/domain.
But I dont see the abstraction system as being freed from the numbers, I just see a new set of numbers, one that favor those able to speak their case for why their domain/regent should have a bonus instead of a system equal for all.
And I dont see the rules as a limit to player imagination. That my regent doesnt have knowledge (Ilien) doesnt mean she doesnt know anything about her county. It just means she knows nothing about her county that will give her a significant bonus in a relevant event. But she can still know more about it than most outsiders, and seem learned about Ilien to the common public.
