a question on signamancy

[stolenchariot]

It has been said or implied that signamancy is the physical representation of a unit, which is indicative of the unit's nature. Therefore, if signamancy as a discipline is the altering of such appearances, would that make it a discipline capable of fundamentally altering the nature of units? For example, does King Slately's war paint make him more fearsome, or just appear more fearsome?

[Lamech]

I strongly suspect that signamancers maybe able to do something like that, otherwise just changing what things looks like? Isn't that foolamancy? But we basically have no idea what signamancy does. The reason I suspect that to be true is we hear a lot about natural signamancy (changing crests or colors of uniforms) and how it reflects the inside of a unit, but even if a full-fledged signamancer can make much bigger changes (make a GK unit appear as a Jetstone unit) it would be a rip off of foolamancy and that is silly.

[Sieggy]

Sooooo . . . if you linked a couple of them, it'd be Cosineamancy, not to get off on a tangent . . .

[SteveMB]

Sooooo . . . if you linked a couple of them, it'd be Cosineamancy, not to get off on a tangent . . .

Well, Lamech has a good argument -- changing what other units see is Foolamancy, so changing what other units secant also be Signamancy, because that would cosine it to redundant irrelevance.

[MarbitChow]

Stop integrating cheesy math lines into your posts. Why is it so hard for you all to stay on point? It's bad enough that the arguments around here are irrational most of the time. Do you think these 'jokes' are actually entertaining to your imaginary audience? Really, only a fraction of the posts here have any positive value at all.

[drachefly]

Don't count them short - I think some of these arguments about imaginary and complex topics are transcendental. This certainly is a singular place.

[Orzel]

Well one thing I think, with signamancy's ability to show an unit's inner selfs, a signamancer could probably counter foolamancy.


I see signamancy more about displaying the attributes and personality of a unit to change the personality of those viewing it. Unlike foolamancy which changes what units sense, signamancy changes how a unit feels based on their looks. Ways I see it working...

Targeting- A signalmancy perhaps could make a powerful minded unit look tougher and cause enemies to attack it like RPG tank. Or the opposite and make enemies run in fear.

Identification: A signamancer could maybe make all the allies or enemy units of a certain type change colors to better identify them. Or make the enemy warlord show their true selves and attack the pudgy whitehaired one that rarely lives the capital.

[drachefly]

Or it could make your enemies telegraph their punches.

[Mrtyuh]

When the magic table was first published and I saw that Signamancy was a discipline of Hippiemancy, my first thought was of hippies holding protest signs.

From what we've heard about Signamancy, I could hazard a guess as to at least one of their abilities. Units can only see the stats of units of their own side. According to Signamancy, a unit's appearance is directly related to its inner nature. That may make it possible for a Signamancer to see the stats of enemy units, or at the very least to make a very good guess. It is also possible that Signamancy can affect a unit's stats. With the original example, King Slately's war paint may raise his "intimidation" score, giving him a bonus to his attack.

We also know that a discipline may have different applications based on it's name. For example, a Turnamancer can both turn units and affect turns. Assuming my original assumption about Signamancy was not wholely wrong, Signamancys may be able to "protest" or "strike." This might allow them to affect enemies by disrupting production or lowering enemy bonuses by lowering their morale. They may be able to have "rallies" to raise the morale of their own units.

Of course, I'm wildly guessing here.

[Lamech]

So how much you wanna bet some signamancer somewhere has a Dorian Grey style portrait?

[Mrtyuh]

Actually, based on our understanding of Signamancy, every unit in Erfworld is their own Dorian Grey-style portrait. If anything, Dorian Grey would be a Foolamancy, since his outward appearance did not reflect his inner self.

[Balerion]

If I had to guess on signamancy, it relies on the link between appearance and inner self going both ways; that if I am a fearsome fighter, I will loom and appear imposing; but if a sufficiently skilled signamancer makes me appear imposing, I become a fearsome fighter, gaining some kind of bonus to match the gain in strength. But I have a feeling that would start getting in to master class signamancy, effecting what a unit actually is.

At the same time, if we take the "dice are only representative" idea and apply it further, to "stats in general are representative", then you end up with a quantified result to what would otherwise be more subtle psychological effects. Appearing imposing grants me +2 for whatever psychological gains I get from feeling stronger and whatever fear is put into the enemy, at least to the commander evaluating the battle. But for the units in the battle, they feel those actual effects. Lower level signamancers probably mainly give this kind of effect.