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This helpfile is meant as a guideline on basic channeling emoting and understanding. Overview of general rules on channeling: 1) When RPing a channeler and channeling, always remember who you are and what IC situation you are in. If you are a Novice, you should not be emoting being able to hold more of the Power than an Aes Sedai. If you are wounded during a fight, you should not be able to keep up 100% with the rest of what is going on in the fight, you should tire more easily, etc. This also goes for male channelers and the Void. The Void does not make you invincible. Yes, even you tire, yes, even you hurt. 2) Always be as clear as you can be without overcomplicating things. a) When writing a channeling emote, be sure not to sacrifice the intent and meaning of the emote to needless details. The insertion of some description is acceptable and can be interesting, but it can also lead to problems, awkwardness, and misinterpretation of what you are actually trying to accomplish. Unless you are comfortable with an emote style heavy on description of details, you should consider being as clear and straightforward as possible. b) Make sure the people you RP with understand what you are trying to do with your channeling. If you are trying to shield someone, make it clear you are trying to shield them, instead of trying to still/gentle, or put them to sleep, or any other thing involving Spirit. (example emotes) Nynaeve, drawing her full capacity of saidar, and scowling darkly at The Spider, hurls her Spirit matrix laced with Fire toward Moghedien, screaming, "You will not take me, you filthy darkfriend!" [ = unclear emote. We don't know wtf that weave was supposed to do.] Nynaeve, drawing her full capacity of saidar, and scowling darkly at The Spider, hurls her Spirit matrix with a razor-sharp edge toward Moghedien, aiming to cut the woman off from the Power forever, screaming, "You will not take me, you filthy darkfriend!" [ = clear emote. We know EXACTLY what Nynaeve is trying to do here.] 3) Do not close emotes aimed at other people. This is basic RP 101. If you are -very- friendly with Janea Sedai, you can emote taking her arm in yours as you two walk out of the dining room, but Janea Sedai, even if a friend, will likely not want you to emote pinching her side with a small flow of Air unless you've worked it out somehow beforehand that she won't mind this instance of it, and will respond appropriately. (example emotes) Elayne, separating out several small threads of Air, continues laughing hysterically as she now lifts Nynaeve's skirts above the woman's head, just as Lan walks by. [ = closed emote. This is bad, because it gives the other person no chance to react. Even non-channelers should be given EVERY opportunity to react to a channeling emote aimed at them. If it is a violent weave, however, you should work out with your intended target beforehand, or through tells, as to how they can realistically react to it that will satisfy you both and fit the RP.] Elayne, separating out several small threads of Air, continues laughing hysterically as she now sends these to five different points on Nynaeve's hem, trying to lift the woman's skirts above her head so that Lan will see this as he walks by the open doorway. [ = non-closed emote. This is a good emote, because it is clear what Elayne is trying to do to Nynaeve, and it is clear what she would like the result to be, but gives Nynaeve the chance to try to stop it.] **The only time clearly closed emotes are acceptable is if you are trying to avoid things being done to you. If someone is trying to slap you, or shield you, or something else, it is perfectly acceptable to emote in a way as to avoid or thwart their action in a manner that does not then close an emote on the opponent himself.** (example emotes) Aviendha, apparently seeing the Maiden's spear being launched toward her, creates a small net of Air, in which she traps the flying spear, stopping its forward momentum. Releasing her net so that the spear then clatters to the dry ground, she sends a wrist-thick rope of air with a blunted end like a club flying back toward the Maiden's temple, knocking her unconscious. [ = bad emote. Obviously the Maiden can't see the Air coming to duck, but you should not simply emote the cause AND the result for a person unless they've told you it is okay priorly. In this case, the Maiden doesn't have to be knocked unconscious right away. Give the other player options.] Aviendha, apparently seeing the Maiden's spear being launched toward her, creates a small net of Air, in which she traps the flying spear, stopping its forward momentum. Then, using yet another flow of Air, she sends it hurtling back toward the Maiden who threw it, aiming directly for the woman's chest. [ = good emote. Here, Aviendha blocks the action done to her, yet does not infringe upon the opponent's emoting rights by closing the emote of her reaction.] 4) Base what you do on what is clearly possible or plausible, from reading the situations illustrated in the books. There are certain things that are considered "impossible", and it's generally a good idea to steer away from those things, when you go to channel. The same thing goes for "improbable" things. For instance, we do not really see anyone weaving a "sleep" weave on anyone, but from the examples we are given from the books (the ter'angreal that put Faile and Perrin to sleep and trapped them in t'a'r, and knowing that Spirit is closely connected with Dreaming, and it's the only Flow that can be channeled in one's sleep), putting someone to sleep with the Power falls within the "probable" and "plausible" ranges. However, being able to fly with the Power, weaving with one's eyes shut, and using the Power to breathe under water would be considered "impossible" or "implausible". 5) It is generally a good idea to emote in turn, if possible, so that people can emote reacting to the emotes prior to theirs without having to struggle to keep up with the rhythm of the RP. If you emote once, let the others in the RP have a chance to react to you before you respond again. 6) Try not to void during RP, and try to respond to EVERYTHING that applies to you, or has to do with you, in terms of direct interaction. Specifically combat-oriented guidelines and tips: 1) Men can feel it when a woman is grasping or channeling nearby. This does NOT, however, mean that men know where their weaving is directed, or what it is being woven since they cannot see flows of saidar at all. 2) We RARELY see anyone slicing ANYTHING in the books. We see people who evade, dodge, counter, and avoid weaves in other ways, 99% of the time. The only certainties in slicing things should come from slicing weaves like bindings (NOT wards - wards are different). In this case, if you are bound with flows of the Power, even when it comes to male/female interaction, the person bound knows EXACTLY where the flows are to cut them off. Things like fireballs, lightning, Gateways, Healing, and other such "instantaneous affect" or projectile weaving should not be attempted to be sliced, because the failure percentage would nearly be 100%. What can be sliced include: bindings, walls, barriers, shields, and things of a "blocking" nature. 3) Shielding - some basic fundamentals: a) The stronger someone is in the Power, the harder it is for anyone else to shield them. b) The stronger person in the Power will almost always be able to shield the weaker person, unless the strength difference is close, or other events interject to throw the balance on the side of the weaker person. Similarly, the weaker person will simply not be able to shield the stronger person if the stronger person is grasping, or resists. c) Persons close in strength in the Power will have a difficult time trying to shield each other, if the shield is unwanted. d) It is MUCH harder for someone to be shielded when they are grasping the Power at the time of the attempt. e) Surprise and control has a LOT to do with being able to resist, or, on the other hand, force a shield on someone. If the shielding target becomes fatigued, or loses control of the Power for some reason, or is otherwise distracted, while resisting a shield, the advantage turns to the shielder. If someone is not grasping and is not expecting an attack, like any other surprise or ambush maneuver, the advantage falls on the side of the attacker. Remember: Nynaeve, Elayne, Egwene were surprised and shielded several times, even after being trained AND strong in the Power. e) Shielding attempts can be resisted. This means somehow "pushing" against the shield weave by drawing on more of the Power and struggling to maintain hold while your link to the Power is being assaulted by the shield weave. Reference: see in book 4, Nynaeve's classic struggle with Moghedien. It is progressively easier to resist shielding, the stronger you are in the Power than the person trying to shield you, and, in fact, this goes in a very logical fashion - a Novice trying to shield an average Aes Sedai would be like an average Aes Sedai trying to shield a Forsaken, etc. f) Shields CAN be sliced, either before it reaches you, or afterward. In the case of male vs. female, being able to slice a shield before it comes into contact with you is not applicable. But in the case (with male vs. female) where the shield contacts the other person's link and is trying to be forced through, the person attempting to be shielded/severed can FEEL the weave trying to be pushed upon them, and knows where to direct his/her slicing attempt. g) The only way someone can break through or force a dissolution of a maintained shield is to throw all their strength into breaking free and pushing against the maintained shield. This is highly unlikely if more than one person is shielding you, and similarly unlikely if you are the weaker person. h) Breaking through a tied shield is easier than breaking through a maintained one, for the reason that the person who made the shield cannot reinforce it if it is tied, like they can draw more of the Power to try to prevent you breaking the shield, while maintaining it. However, if the person who tied the shield on you is significantly stronger than you are, the likelihood of your breaking it, even while tied, is small. NOTE BENE: "Unraveling" or "untying" shields is, at this point in time, knowledge ONLY possessed by Rand and the Forsaken. 4) Reiteration - when channeling the One Power, you get tired, with more of the Power you channel. This should reflect in your emotes. You should not seem to be at 100% after three fireballs, two Healings, an earthquake, a windstorm, and a shielding attempt. Closing notes: Generally, emote channeling should be a common-sense sort of thing. The purpose of this helpfile is not to try to teach common sense, but simply to point out things that may or may not be obvious to everyone. These things are at the foundation of good emote channeling. Embellishment and creativity are encouraged, but not to the extent that they infringe upon the basics. Creativity should not pass clear and obvious boundaries that are given from the examples of the Wheel of Time books. We should not see rediscoveries from the Age of Legends any time someone goes to channel. We, similarly, should not see impossibilities, super-channelers, super- human feats of exertion or ability. Each character and channeler SHOULD have clear limits and flaws, and these should be adhered to, in your RP. Just remember who you are and what you can do, and do that, instead of doing what you can't. :) - The Channeling Mastery Immortals |
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