[Kellanved's shadow]

So as the master of the deck of dragons what exactly are Paran's powers. So far I as I can see he has the ability to walk through any and every warren, can sense if magic is being used, can create gates through warren of any size to teleport anyone anywere and can summon any accendent using the deck of dragons.


Is that all he can do. Is he able to use any magic or is he only able to create gates into warrens.

[Gorefest]

Well, he can do what we have seen him do. If he has any other abilities, we won't know until we see him use them. He does have the blood of the Hounds in him as well, so he appears to be able to use that too (remember him sort of morphing or drawing on that particular power source during a fight in an earlier book). Most likely, at this point even Paran doesn't know what he can or cannot do, as he is completely new to his powers.

[Nevyn]

This post has been edited by Nevyn: 30 December 2015 - 03:55 PM

[Kellanved's shadow]

 Gorefest, on 30 December 2015 - 01:30 PM, said:

Well, he can do what we have seen him do. If he has any other abilities, we won't know until we see him use them. He does have the blood of the Hounds in him as well, so he appears to be able to use that too (remember him sort of morphing or drawing on that particular power source during a fight in an earlier book). Most likely, at this point even Paran doesn't know what he can or cannot do, as he is completely new to his powers.

I remember that scene it was from MOI. As to his powers I was just wondering since the Errant was able to use some kind of sorcery in DoD I assume that Paran will be able to use it as well some time in the future.

[Nevyn]

 Kellanved, on 31 December 2015 - 09:45 AM, said:

 Gorefest, on 30 December 2015 - 01:30 PM, said:

Well, he can do what we have seen him do. If he has any other abilities, we won't know until we see him use them. He does have the blood of the Hounds in him as well, so he appears to be able to use that too (remember him sort of morphing or drawing on that particular power source during a fight in an earlier book). Most likely, at this point even Paran doesn't know what he can or cannot do, as he is completely new to his powers.

I remember that scene it was from MOI. As to his powers I was just wondering since the Errant was able to use some kind of sorcery in DoD I assume that Paran will be able to use it as well some time in the future.

Well, MBotF doesn't have a rigidly defined magical system with set rules, so Paran will be able to do whatever the story needs him to do, within certain thematic boundaries.

As to your initial list he also:

Sanctions/blesses new houses/cards in the deck of dragons
Has a weird sort of 'voodoo doll' type magic associated with drawing cards. In MOI, QB makes him draw a condor card, Ben punches the condor card, and the condor Paran drew falls out of the sky

[Gorefest]

Well, he's already moved an entire army through a warren, which is a feat almost unparallelled by any other Ascendant we've seen. We may learn more in the Karsa trilogy. Also, after the Holds and the Warrens we now have another layer of imposition onto magic, so perhaps we'll see another Master arise in the new magic system as well.

[Kellanved's shadow]

What was bugging me throughout the crippled god was the fact that Paran wasn't using any magic (besides creating enormous gates). This was because the Errant was shown using sorcery in DoD at the reading in Lethar. It was only recently after rereading RG that the Errant was only able to use sorcery after regaining his worshiper and spilling blood in his name.

Quote

The world trembled - he could feel it, deep in its core, spreading in ripples, those ripples rising, devouring energy, lifting into waves. The waves heaving higher, gaining speed, lifting...
The Errant laughed as power burgeoned within him.
"Mortal blood!"
Was she dead now? He'd struck her twice. Driven the weapon deep. She would have spilled out by now. A corpse huddled in that cursed chamber. Until the rats found her. And this was well. She could not be allowed to survive - he wanted no high priestess, no mortal bound to his resurrected godhood. The other prayers I can swallow. Ignore. The all know I never answer. Never give a thing away. Expecting nothing, so they receive nothing, and I am not bound to them.
But a high priestess...

RG pg.435

This post has been edited by Kellanved's shadow: 14 January 2016 - 05:22 AM

[Gorefest]

 Kellanved, on 14 January 2016 - 05:11 AM, said:

What was bugging me throughout the crippled god was the fact that Paran wasn't using any magic (besides creating enormous gates).

Besides? That was actually one of the most powerful feats of magic we've encountered in the entire series. There are very few Ascendants, or Gods even, that could have pulled that off. He also kills various enemies such as the giant condors simply by drawing a card of them, he effortlessly deflects the Voice command of a pure Forkrul Assail, he gets moranth munitions onto the battlefield straight from a warehouse, he sort of morphs into a Hound, I mean, crikey. The guy is doing a lot of powerful stuff. Consider he has only had his power for a few years and doesn't even know half of what he is actually capable of (see how throughout the series several other characters like Quick Ben need to give him pointers as to what he may be able to achieve, such as that condor kill).

Who knows, we may see more of him and his powers in the Karsa trilogy, but magic is much more than just flinging lightning bolts from your fingers. Ganoes is not a mage in the traditional sense, he's the Master of the deck. It's a completely different role. He is unaligned. He is not drawing particular powers from a particular realm to do cool stuff, he is more of a mediator, negotiator and supervisor of warren magic. But you can't deny he's got some bloody impressive powers and he's learning more each day.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 14 January 2016 - 03:57 PM

[Kellanved's shadow]

 Gorefest, on 14 January 2016 - 03:54 PM, said:

 Kellanved, on 14 January 2016 - 05:11 AM, said:

What was bugging me throughout the crippled god was the fact that Paran wasn't using any magic (besides creating enormous gates).

Besides? That was actually one of the most powerful feats of magic we've encountered in the entire series. There are very few Ascendants, or Gods even, that could have pulled that off. He also kills various enemies such as the giant condors simply by drawing a card of them, he effortlessly deflects the Voice command of a pure Forkrul Assail, he gets moranth munitions onto the battlefield straight from a warehouse, he sort of morphs into a Hound, I mean, crikey. The guy is doing a lot of powerful stuff. Consider he has only had his power for a few years and doesn't even know half of what he is actually capable of (see how throughout the series several other characters like Quick Ben need to give him pointers as to what he may be able to achieve, such as that condor kill).

Who knows, we may see more of him and his powers in the Karsa trilogy, but magic is much more than just flinging lightning bolts from your fingers. Ganoes is not a mage in the traditional sense, he's the Master of the deck. It's a completely different role. He is unaligned. He is not drawing particular powers from a particular realm to do cool stuff, he is more of a mediator, negotiator and supervisor of warren magic. But you can't deny he's got some bloody impressive powers and he's learning more each day.

Not trying to down play Paran at all he is one of my favorite characters (just behind Dancer/Cotillion) and he does have a heap of amazing feats to his name. I guess what I was trying to do was to understand the nature of his powers.

Quote

Ganoes is not a mage in the traditional sense, he's the Master of the deck. It's a completely different role. He is unaligned. He is not drawing particular powers from a particular realm to do cool stuff, he is more of a mediator, negotiator and supervisor of warren magic. But you can't deny he's got some bloody impressive powers and he's learning more each day.

This makes sense. My original line of thought was that if he is the master of all the warrens then shouldn't he have access to every warren. That would make him a powerful ascendant. If this was true then from what you said then that would just make him a player in the game (all be it a very powerful player). But he is not a player he is its overseer, the one that makes all the rules. Which explains how he killed the condor with that card. He removed it from the game. If we go by this logic then this pretty much makes Paran the most OP character in the sereies.

This post has been edited by Kellanved's shadow: 15 January 2016 - 05:44 AM

[worry]

He's also a really good kisser.

[Kellanved's shadow]

 worry, on 15 January 2016 - 05:03 AM, said:

He's also a really good kisser.

Did tattersail give you the goss.

[Gredfallan Ale]

 worry, on 15 January 2016 - 05:03 AM, said:

He's also a really good kisser.

You taught him all your skills?

[Mott Heavy]

Is there any background story for Ganoes' decision to overthrow the North Citadel? I'd love to hear the discussion he had presumably with shadow throne about it before he decided to do it.

[NefaraisBredd]

Paran has a lot going for him. He has the blood of a hound to start with, meaning that he is part hound-they recognize him. His hound-blood has come in handy on at least two ocassions. He was sorely used by Oponn (had a magical sword). All of which led him to the path of the Master of the Deck. As the master of the deck, he has many 'magical' powers:

-he can open a gate into EVERY dimension/warren/time. Essentially, he is the master of time and space-maybe even an aspect of the 'old man.'
-he has elemental protection and other warding powers. Being able to travel places mere mortals could not. Again, the hound-blood offers protection against beasts and possibly divers and other baddies.
-he walked the paths of the Azath so he now has longevity, immunity to disease and poisons, and increased enlightenment/awareness, and regenerative (fast) healing.
-he can make people/creatures vanish with his use of cards.
-he can bless aspects/people/places or not. He basically has say as to who gets into the party. It has immensely powerful properties, being able to bless. We have seen this with Itkovian and other Shield Anvils and Destriants.
-He can provide a nudge, like the Errant. This means that he can, to a certain extent, influence patterns in existence to change their course. He can also call all aspects/ascendants/gods within the deck, just like the Errant. In DoD, Olar Ethil puts it into perspective quite nicely. She tells the Errant point-blank that he is no match for the Master of The Deck.
-he can call on Iskar Jarak and the Ascended Bridgeburners. 'Nuff said, lol.

Part of me wants to believe that he (Paran) had some part to play in creating Nefarias Bredd, blessing his existence and effectively giving that collective energy permission to exist in the world when needed. Out of all of the mysteries that appear in the series, Nefarias Bredd makes me pause the most. He could have been Grizzn Farl reborn (briefly). He could have been the collective will of the Bonehunters. He could have been the God of Malazan Heavies.

This post has been edited by NefaraisBredd: 16 July 2016 - 08:37 PM

[Kanese S's]

 NefaraisBredd, on 16 July 2016 - 08:34 PM, said:

Paran has a lot going for him. He has the blood of a hound to start with, meaning that he is part hound-they recognize him. His hound-blood has come in handy on at least two ocassions. He was sorely used by Oponn (had a magical sword). All of which led him to the path of the Master of the Deck. As the master of the deck, he has many 'magical' powers:

-he can open a gate into EVERY dimension/warren/time. Essentially, he is the master of time and space-maybe even an aspect of the 'old man.'
-he has elemental protection and other warding powers. Being able to travel places mere mortals could not. Again, the hound-blood offers protection against beasts and possibly divers and other baddies.
-he walked the paths of the Azath so he now has longevity, immunity to disease and poisons, and increased enlightenment/awareness, and regenerative (fast) healing.
-he can make people/creatures vanish with his use of cards.
-he can bless aspects/people/places or not. He basically has say as to who gets into the party. It has immensely powerful properties, being able to bless. We have seen this with Itkovian and other Shield Anvils and Destriants.
-He can provide a nudge, like the Errant. This means that he can, to a certain extent, influence patterns in existence to change their course. He can also call all aspects/ascendants/gods within the deck, just like the Errant. In DoD, Olar Ethil puts it into perspective quite nicely. She tells the Errant point-blank that he is no match for the Master of The Deck.
-he can call on Iskar Jarak and the Ascended Bridgeburners. 'Nuff said, lol.

Part of me wants to believe that he (Paran) had some part to play in creating Nefarias Bredd, blessing his existence and effectively giving that collective energy permission to exist in the world when needed. Out of all of the mysteries that appear in the series, Nefarias Bredd makes me pause the most. He could have been Grizzn Farl reborn (briefly). He could have been the collective will of the Bonehunters. He could have been the God of Malazan Heavies.

Malazan deities and so forth seem to draw heavily on animist traditions. So, by that pattern, as soon as there was a concept of a spirit of Malazan heavies, one existed.

[Kellanved's shadow]

 NefaraisBredd, on 16 July 2016 - 08:34 PM, said:

Paran has a lot going for him. He has the blood of a hound to start with, meaning that he is part hound-they recognize him. His hound-blood has come in handy on at least two ocassions. He was sorely used by Oponn (had a magical sword). All of which led him to the path of the Master of the Deck. As the master of the deck, he has many 'magical' powers:

-he can open a gate into EVERY dimension/warren/time. Essentially, he is the master of time and space-maybe even an aspect of the 'old man.'
-he has elemental protection and other warding powers. Being able to travel places mere mortals could not. Again, the hound-blood offers protection against beasts and possibly divers and other baddies.
-he walked the paths of the Azath so he now has longevity, immunity to disease and poisons, and increased enlightenment/awareness, and regenerative (fast) healing.
-he can make people/creatures vanish with his use of cards.
-he can bless aspects/people/places or not. He basically has say as to who gets into the party. It has immensely powerful properties, being able to bless. We have seen this with Itkovian and other Shield Anvils and Destriants.
-He can provide a nudge, like the Errant. This means that he can, to a certain extent, influence patterns in existence to change their course. He can also call all aspects/ascendants/gods within the deck, just like the Errant. In DoD, Olar Ethil puts it into perspective quite nicely. She tells the Errant point-blank that he is no match for the Master of The Deck.
-he can call on Iskar Jarak and the Ascended Bridgeburners. 'Nuff said, lol.

Part of me wants to believe that he (Paran) had some part to play in creating Nefarias Bredd, blessing his existence and effectively giving that collective energy permission to exist in the world when needed. Out of all of the mysteries that appear in the series, Nefarias Bredd makes me pause the most. He could have been Grizzn Farl reborn (briefly). He could have been the collective will of the Bonehunters. He could have been the God of Malazan Heavies.

Ye, he is OP as fuck and he is still just getting used to his powers. remember the Errant said in RG when he was young he also had to draw pictures of doors on walls to be able to pass through them just like Paran. Can you imagine how OP Paran will be after say a century or two. He is an ascendant so I believe he is also immortal (not to sure on this though).

This post has been edited by Kellanved's shadow: 21 October 2016 - 12:24 PM

[PLUGO]

 Gorefest, on 14 January 2016 - 03:54 PM, said:

 Kellanved, on 14 January 2016 - 05:11 AM, said:

What was bugging me throughout the crippled god was the fact that Paran wasn't using any magic (besides creating enormous gates).

The guy is doing a lot of powerful stuff. Consider he has only had his power for a few years and doesn't even know half of what he is actually capable of (see how throughout the series several other characters like Quick Ben need to give him pointers as to what he may be able to achieve, such as that condor kill).

I don't think he killed that condor with the trick of drawing its likeness and then punching it. Wasn't that what knocked it out of the sky? They then had to actually fight it on the ground and that's where he revealed his soletaken ability - to transform into a hound.

[Not Noto]

Think he is more than soletaken. Probably D'ivers like Dessimbelackis and can transform into seven hounds of shadow at the same time. Once he get the hang of it.

Also some kind of ascendant and motd. Soon he gets worshipers as well.
I see Ganoes as one of the most powerful character in the books.

This post has been edited by Not Noto: 22 October 2016 - 04:49 PM

[HoosierDaddy]

Paran can do pretty much whatever he wants as he is:

1. Master of the Deck and can therefore make cards reality
2. Has an artist to draw whatever he wants to make #1 do whatever he wants.

Fast track to ascendancy right there.

[Gingerbeardeddude]

 HoosierDaddy, on 22 October 2016 - 04:51 PM, said:

Paran can do pretty much whatever he wants as he is:

1. Master of the Deck and can therefore make cards reality
2. Has an artist to draw whatever he wants to make #1 do whatever he wants.

Fast track to ascendancy right there.